Chapter 1516: Breakthrough Key Item

"Divine weapon?" Zu An was startled. To be honest, the Taia Sword had always been extraordinary, but apart from being exceptionally hard, its only special effect was a suppression field. This suppression was very effective in the early stages, but later, as enemies' cultivation levels grew higher, its effect became increasingly less noticeable.

It certainly qualified as a Heaven-grade weapon, but calling it a divine weapon was a stretch; it might not even be considered an immortal artifact.

Seeing his expression, Mi Li snorted, "What do you know, ignorant child? The Taia Sword is the Emperor's sword, capable of parting clouds above and cleaving the earth below. Once this sword appears, the world submits. It is naturally a genuine divine-grade weapon. It was only due to the erosion of long ages and the addition of a seal that it was degraded to a Heaven-grade weapon."

Zu An considered this and couldn't help but ask a long-standing question: "A seal? Who exactly placed this seal?"

"It should have been Qin Shi Huang," Mi Li replied. "Back then, he wanted to deal with me, and Taia had always been the divine sword of Chu. He was afraid I would use Taia, so he placed a seal on it."

"Should?" Zu An looked puzzled. "You're not certain about something so important?"

Mi Li's expression also seemed strange. "I don't know. Some memories from back then feel a bit blurry, and recently, I seem to have awakened some other memories..."

"What memories?" Zu An pressed eagerly.

Mi Li's face suddenly flushed. "None of your business! By the way, call me 'Master' again. Let me hear it."

Zu An was a bit speechless. This woman's temperament was truly fickle. What kind of peculiar habit was it to enjoy him calling her "Master"?

He didn't mind, calling her "Master" repeatedly, which made Mi Li beam with joy. "Someday... it will definitely be interesting."

"Why have you become a riddle-teller too?" Zu An was completely speechless.

"Alright, alright," Mi Li said, composing herself. "Let's take this opportunity to repair and enhance the Taia Sword."

Zu An nodded. Inside the large cauldron, the Heaven-grade ores were gradually melting, and the White Lotus True Flame burned with increasing intensity. A dense stream of vital energy filled the room.

He placed the Taia Sword into the large cauldron, controlling the White Lotus True Flame to envelop it, and then asked worriedly, "You reside within it. Will this intense fire affect you?"

"There will be some effect," Mi Li nodded, "but my soul form is not currently inside the sword, so the impact should be minimal."

"Then I'll try to reduce the intensity, so you don't get overwhelmed." Zu An said, beginning to control the flames, and the White Lotus True Flame in the large cauldron visibly weakened.

"No," Mi Li immediately stopped him. "Forging a divine weapon is not that simple. Even your White Lotus True Flame might not be intense enough; it also needs the Fiery Meteor Pill to enhance it. How could you actively reduce the power?"

Zu An understood this principle. "Then tell me if you can't bear it later. Your safety is more important than a divine-grade weapon."

"Alright, I know." A hint of tenderness appeared in Mi Li's eyes. How many people in this world could resist the allure of a divine-grade weapon? For an ambitious person with ill intentions, they would not hesitate to sacrifice her if it meant forging a divine weapon.

Next, Zu An began to operate the forging system. He found it highly intelligent; even if one knew nothing about forging, they only needed to control the input of heat.

Above the large cauldron, there was something resembling a car's speedometer. In the center was a specially highlighted range that constantly moved. He simply needed to control the heat so that the pointer fell within this range, indicating the most suitable heat level.

The range moved quickly, and the pointer was extremely sensitive. A slight lapse in concentration would cause the pointer to go beyond the optimal range.

The sensitivity was too high; for an ordinary cultivator, this would be an almost impossible task.

Fortunately, Zu An now had precise control over every trace of vital energy, allowing him to barely keep the pointer within the designated area.

Even so, he found it very strenuous and dared not be distracted in the slightest.

Gradually, the Heaven-grade ores transformed into reddish-gold liquid and flowed onto the Taia Sword's blade. The Taia Sword then absorbed the molten material like a bottomless pit.

At this moment, Mi Li frowned her delicate brows, took a few steps back to avoid Zu An's gaze, then quietly loosened her collar, fanning herself gently inside her shirt with her other hand.

Although her soul form was currently outside, the Taia Sword was her sanctuary, and she still felt waves of intense heat.

After a while, Zu An heard a 'ding' sound. His heart filled with joy, and he quickly turned to Mi Li to share the good news: "It's successfully repaired, beauty... Master..."

Mi Li awkwardly tightened her collar. "Then put in the Primordial Tribulation Gold. Let's see if this opportunity can restore its former glory."

"Oh, alright." Zu An tossed the incredibly precious Primordial Tribulation Gold into the large cauldron without a second glance, turning instead to look at Mi Li. "What are you doing?"

"It's a bit hot. Can't I get some air?" Mi Li glared at him with her phoenix eyes.

"Of course." Zu An quickly understood. In a sense, the Taia Sword was her body, and it would be strange if she didn't feel hot being subjected to such intense heat.

A vision suddenly appeared in his mind: Mi Li, unable to bear the heat, shedding all her clothes...

"What kind of dirty thoughts are making you smile so lewdly?" Mi Li's suspicious voice came from beside him.

"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense," Zu An quickly denied with a triple rejection. At the same time, he found it odd. Shouldn't he be in a 'sage mode' now? Why were there so many strange thoughts?

He also felt his vital energy within him stirring intensely, but he merely attributed it to continuously controlling the White Lotus True Flame and didn't pay much attention.

"Don't look back later," Mi Li snorted. She knew that the temperature during the upcoming divine weapon forging would be incomparable to the current repair phase. She would need to concentrate on channeling her energy to dissipate the heat, and would also loosen her clothing to help cool down.

"Okay!" Zu An readily agreed, though he mused inwardly, *But I can still see with my spiritual sense.*

As if guessing his thoughts, Mi Li's voice came again: "To forge a divine weapon often requires cultivation above the Earth Immortal realm. While your current cultivation is decent, you're still far from meeting the strict requirements. Fortunately, the Taia Sword is already a divine weapon. You only need to help restore its former glory, which is infinitely simpler than forging a new divine weapon from scratch."

"Even so, it's not something at your level can accomplish. Fortunately, this strange cauldron can lend you a hand."

"However, you still need to be fully focused. One mistake and all your efforts will be in vain."

Zu An nodded, well aware that he had already been intensely focused, and the difficulty would definitely be higher later. If he got distracted by looking back, it would likely lead to a failed upgrade.

Seeing that he had listened, Mi Li finally relaxed. "Start quickly."

Zu An nodded, urging the White Lotus True Flame to surge furiously towards the Primordial Tribulation Gold. Unfortunately, the Primordial Tribulation Gold lived up to its reputation as a unique treasure of heaven and earth, showing no reaction at all.

Under Mi Li's guidance, he successively dropped the Fiery Meteor Pills into the cauldron. The power of the White Lotus True Flame instantly surged dramatically. It was fortunate that the forging system's cauldron was special; otherwise, probably no furnace in the world could withstand such a violent force.

After some time, the Primordial Tribulation Gold finally began to show signs of melting. Guided by the large cauldron, wisps of golden energy, imbued with principles, began to gather towards the Taia Sword in the center.

As the Taia Sword absorbed threads of golden energy, a crystalline glow began to emanate from its entire body. The more golden threads it absorbed, the more the crystalline light seemed to flow across the sword's surface.

At this moment, a voice sounded in Zu An's mind: "Detected that the refined weapon can break through to the Immortal grade. Breakthrough materials required: True Dragon Blood, True Dragon Bone, and the Aura of the King of Beasts from either the Lion or Tiger clan. Do you wish to proceed with the breakthrough?"