Chapter 27: The Rebirth of the Candle Dragon

  The night was deep, and a gentle breeze passed through the forest, carrying a hint of chill.

  The aftermath of the battle lingered in the air, with a faint scent of blood still detectable. The three members of the Bai family y dead on the ground, standing out starkly against the surroundings.

  Wang Suifeng took a small jade bottle from his waist pouch, removed the cork, and a strange fragrance spread into the air.

  "What is this?" Sanbao asked curiously.

  "This is Corpse Dissolving Water. The bodies of these three must be dealt with, or it will bring you endless trouble," Wang Suifeng expined.

  Sanbao raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

  Wang Suifeng gnced at her and said seriously, "The Bai family is one of the five great families of the royal capital. The Bai siblings are the direct heirs of this generation of the Bai family. Especially Bai Feifei, who is renowned as the Saintess in the cultivation world. If their bodies are found, and it happens that someone sees you nearby, the Bai family will relentlessly pursue you. It will be troublesome for both you and your Xu family."

  With that, Wang Suifeng waved his hand, and the Corpse Dissolving Water spilled over the Bai family’s bodies. The moment the liquid touched the flesh, their bodies rapidly dissolved into a pool of dark red liquid, which seeped into the soil and disappeared without a trace.

  "Efficient at body disposal, Young Master Wang, I see you're quite familiar with this," Tang Mingli sneered.

  Sanbao chuckled. "I didn’t expect you to be so meticulous."

  "It’s better than some people who kill and walk away without a second thought, not even considering the consequences," Wang Suifeng smiled slightly.

  Sanbao couldn’t be bothered to argue further and shifted her gaze to the ground. After the three bodies vanished, three small pouches were left behind.

  These must be the spatial storage tools the Bai family members carried. I wonder what's inside? Sanbao thought to herself, plotting a little.

  Seeing the eager look in Sanbao’s eyes, Wang Suifeng bent down and picked up the pouches. Using his spiritual energy, he unlocked the seals and poured the contents out onto the ground.

  Various items scattered across the ground, among which the most eye-catching was the long sword Bai Feiyu had just used, its bde glowing a deep red. There was also a bag of energy bullets, probably for Bai Feifei's Spirit Lock Gun, and a dozen or so stones resembling pebbles, varying in size. Twelve wooden throwing knives appeared, and they seemed to be made of peach wood.

  Wang Suifeng picked up the rgest pebble, using his spiritual power to inspect it. "This is a mid-grade spirit stone." He then picked up the smaller stones, testing them as well. "These are all low-grade spirit stones."

  "Spirit stones?" Sanbao remembered that her master had once told her about them when she was young. Spirit stones were essential for cultivation, allowing cultivators to absorb spiritual energy for their practice. They could also be used as currency in the cultivation world for trading other resources.

  "That's right, these spirit stones work exactly as you think," Tang Mingli spoke, seemingly reading Sanbao's thoughts.

  Annoyed, Sanbao rolled her eyes. "Alright, stop reading my thoughts. Hurry up and distribute these items. I want to get some sleep."

  "All of these, including the Spirit Lock Gun, are yours. I’m sure Young Master Tang won’t be competing for them," Wang Suifeng added.

  Suddenly, Tang Mingli spoke up, "This sword is too conspicuous. If you carry it, it’ll be easy to recognize it as a Bai family weapon. Since its owner is no longer around, all we need to do is remove the runes, refine it again, and make it recognize you as its new master."

  Sanbao raised an eyebrow. "You can change it?"

  "Of course," Tang Mingli’s lips curved slightly. "Not only can I change its appearance, but after I refine it, I can make it better attuned to your spiritual power. That way, in the upcoming wild hunter mission, you’ll have more handy weapons."

  Sanbao was momentarily stunned, but soon her face lit up with joy. "Alright, I’ll leave it to you then."

  "You protect me while I work. It’ll take some time." Tang Mingli took out a refining furnace from his storage bag, sat cross-legged, and began chanting incantations, using his spiritual energy to start the refining process.

  Inside the furnace, the fiery core fmes bzed, their light illuminating his face, making him appear solemn and focused.

  The sword, already red as fire, floated above the intense fmes. Its glow became even more striking, as if it were about to drip with blood. The runes on the bde pulsed with intensity, then fell into stillness, as though undergoing some kind of transformation. Tang Mingli’s fingers moved rapidly, casting complicated spells onto the furnace, causing the fmes to fluctuate, precisely tempering every part of the sword.

  Sweat beads rolled down his forehead, but he was completely immersed in the process, his expression resolute and unwavering.

  Sanbao sat to the side, watching Tang Mingli sweat profusely, his clothes drenched in perspiration. A strange sense of gratitude welled up inside her. She knew that refining a weapon consumed a lot of spiritual energy, and he was doing all this for her.

  At this moment, Wang Suifeng broke the silence.

  "The steel balls you threw earlier weren’t Divine Fire Orbs," he suddenly spoke.

  Sanbao raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at him. "What are you suspecting?"

  Wang Suifeng looked at her, "Divine Fire Orbs are a type of artifact only usable by fifth-grade fire ability users, but your steel balls exploded upon touching vines and burned out immediately. They resemble a kind of fire weapon."

  Sanbao feigned indifference, shrugging her shoulders. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

  Wang Suifeng leaned closer to Sanbao and whispered, "How did you make these fire weapons? The production of fire weapons is extremely complicated. Your Xu family isn’t a cultivation family nor a weaponsmith family. Where did you learn to make them?"

  Did you expect me to tell you that I combined the knowledge I learned from the *Divine Illumination Sutra* with the physics and chemistry I learned in my past life to make these? Sanbao silently compined in her mind. Externally, she remained calm, "They’re actually called Thunder Strikes. I found the method in some miscelneous books, thought it was interesting, and wrote it down."

  Wang Suifeng gave her a look that clearly said, "I’m supposed to believe you?" "Thunder Strikes, Exorcism Array, there’s a lot of secrets in your family! Is it the same miscelneous book you got your formation techniques from? When are you going to let me see it?"

  Not a chance! Sanbao cursed inwardly but forced a smile. "That book’s back home. When I go back next time, I’ll find it and bring it to you."

  She quickly changed the subject. "Enough with the talk. Since you’re so free, why don’t you go help Tang Mingli wipe his sweat?"

  Wang Suifeng scoffed lightly, "I’m not like you, with nothing better to do than worry about a man’s sweat."

  Sanbao rolled her eyes, deciding to ignore him and continue observing Tang Mingli’s progress.

  Time slowly passed, and the eastern sky gradually brightened with a hint of dawn.

  Tang Mingli finally let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

  He raised his hand, and the once fiery long sword had now become a much shorter sword. The bde still flickered with a faint glow, but it no longer emitted intense heat. The runes had disappeared, repced by a dragon-shaped pattern.

  "It’s done." Tang Mingli’s voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of fatigue.

  Sanbao noticed his pale face and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are... you alright?"

  Tang Mingli fshed a childlike smile. "Don’t worry. For you, this little bit of exhaustion is nothing."

  He handed the sword to Sanbao. "Now, just one st step: Blood Bonding."

  "Blood Bonding?" Sanbao’s heart raced with excitement. She was finally going to experience the legendary blood bonding.

  Sanbao took the short sword, feeling its warmth. Compared to the intense heat it had when Bai Feiyu held it, the sword now felt more stable, and it indeed seemed more suited to her.

  She raised her finger slightly, channeling her spiritual power. A drop of bright red blood appeared at the tip of her finger and slowly dripped onto the sword.

  The moment the blood touched the bde, the sword shook violently, and the dragon pattern on the bde came to life. The temperature around them suddenly rose. Sanbao felt a faint spiritual pulse travel up the sword’s hilt and into her veins. She sensed that the sword contained some kind of consciousness, silently probing her soul, as if deciding whether she was worthy of its recognition.

  "The sword’s spirit is communicating with you. Just rex and accept it," Tang Mingli reminded her.

  Sanbao took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and released her spiritual senses. She used her water element spiritual power to gently envelop the fiery sensation, allowing the two powers to slowly merge.

  Moments ter, Sanbao opened her eyes. "From now on, you shall be called the Candle Dragon Sword." The Candle Dragon Sword seemed to respond to Sanbao’s words, flying joyfully around the sky. Sanbao rolled up her sleeves, and the sword fell from the air, disappearing into her right arm.

  "It’s done," Sanbao said softly.

  "It looks like the sword has fully acknowledged you," Tang Mingli nodded in satisfaction. "Its essence is still fire-based, but during the fusion, you’ve earned the sword spirit’s recognition. Now you can use your water abilities to control it."

  "Why didn’t you just store it in your storage bracelet and instead choose to hide it in your right forearm?"

  "Any objections?" Sanbao raised an eyebrow.

  "No, it’s your sword," Wang Suifeng shrugged.

  "Since it’s not fully light yet, let’s take a quick rest. We still need to continue hunting wild men today!"

  The three of them returned to the camp from the night before, taking the time to rest.