As Lin Tian gazed at the Fire Silk Whip in his hand, a trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes. Though modifying a spiritual weapon was generally simpler than crafting one from scratch, Lin Tian had only learned the theoretical knowledge of weapon forging—he had never actually practiced it.
While Lin Tian had previously used his forging skills to craft the Spirit Power Spear—a spiritual weapon—he had done so by assembling small parts he had personally made. However, the traditional forging process involved treating the spiritual weapon as a whole, and that was far more complex.
The Fire Silk Whip in his possession was already a complete item, so modifying it would require him to strip or add to its metal components. Clearly, this was something Lin Tian had never attempted.
"It looks like I have no choice but to gamble on this," Lin Tian muttered to himself as he picked up a Fire Source Crystal. Without hesitation, he dropped it into the furnace. Soon, flames erupted from the furnace, and the Fire Source Crystal began to melt, transforming into a liquid.
Once the Fire Source Crystal had completely melted into a pool of liquid, Lin Tian channeled his spiritual power and controlled the liquid, slowly guiding it toward the Fire Silk Whip. As the molten Fire Source Crystal covered the whip, an unusual hue began to appear on its surface.
Lin Tian's eyes sparkled with excitement. He knew that if he could successfully coat the Fire Silk Whip with the liquid Fire Source Crystal, its power would increase, potentially allowing it to unleash the strength of a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator when fully activated.
However, this state of affairs did not last long. Cracks began to appear on the Fire Silk Whip, spreading rapidly across its surface. The sight of these cracks caused Lin Tian's expression to shift. The Fire Source Crystal's grade was much higher than that of the Fire Silk Whip, and the furnace's flames were far hotter than the whip's metal could withstand.
Had he acted quickly enough, Lin Tian might have reinforced the whip without causing damage, but now it was clearly too late. If he continued, the whip would shatter completely. Given his current strength, he had no hope of re-forging another Fire Silk Whip from scratch.
To prevent the whip from completely falling apart, Lin Tian quickly lowered the temperature of the furnace. As the temperature dropped, the molten Fire Source Crystal began to solidify, attaching itself to the Fire Silk Whip.
Lin Tian's face twisted with frustration as he looked at the result. The Fire Source Crystal now adhered to the whip, but instead of enhancing it, it only made the whip heavier and more unwieldy. This was the last thing Lin Tian had hoped for.
At this point, the Fire Source Crystal seemed to have fused with the Fire Silk Whip, and attempting to separate them was an impossible task for Lin Tian, given his current cultivation level.
"What should I do now?" Lin Tian muttered in confusion, his frustration mounting. He found himself completely at a loss for how to proceed.
However, just as he was about to give up, he recalled the patterns engraved on the Fire Silk Whip. A sudden idea flashed through his mind. With a surge of spiritual energy in his palm, a flame erupted from his hand. But this time, Lin Tian didn't use the flame for forging a new spiritual weapon—instead, he directed the flame toward the Fire Silk Whip, carefully letting it attach to the whip's surface.
The Fire Source Crystal on the whip slowly began to melt. Before long, a layer of scales resembling those of a serpent appeared. Lin Tian's spiritual threads moved delicately across the surface of the whip, gently shaping the scales.
Controlling such thin threads of spiritual power was incredibly taxing. After just one hour, Lin Tian's spiritual energy was completely exhausted, and he had only managed to carve a tenth of the scales.
But once Lin Tian set his mind to something, he was determined to push through, no matter how difficult or complicated the task. For the next several hours, he focused all his attention on carving the scales, working relentlessly whenever his spiritual energy replenished.
As the third day approached, Lin Tian finally completed the engraving. Though the final result still wasn't as perfect as he had hoped, the power of the Fire Silk Whip was far greater than he had initially imagined.
The scales on the whip, though seemingly insignificant, would unfold when the whip was swung, standing up like barbed spikes. Moreover, these scales were composed of Fire Source Crystal, containing the crystal's spiritual power. This meant that when the whip was swung, the power of the Fire Source Crystal would instantly be unleashed. The force behind such a strike would undoubtedly make even a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator think twice before facing it.
When Lin Tian exited the forging room, he found Luo Qing waiting anxiously outside. Luo Qing had been waiting for some time, and as soon as he saw Lin Tian, he hurried over.
"Lin Tian, have you successfully forged the Fire Silk Whip?" Luo Qing asked urgently.
"It's done," Lin Tian replied, handing over the Fire Silk Whip.
However, when Luo Qing saw the whip in Lin Tian's hand, his expression became one of complex emotions. In his memory, the Fire Silk Whip was supposed to be a sleek, fiery red weapon, resembling satin, but what Lin Tian handed him now looked more like a fire-scaled serpent. It was far from the whip he had imagined.
"Is there a problem?" Lin Tian asked, noticing Luo Qing's expression.
"No, no problem," Luo Qing replied hastily, though his heart was conflicted. The situation was dire, and Feng Mohan would be arriving soon. Luo Qing couldn't afford to waste any more time. He quickly grabbed the Fire Silk Whip and rushed back to the Formation Peak.
When he arrived, he saw that Feng Mohan had already arrived ahead of him. A woman in a red, thin robe stood quietly beside him.