My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

In the bedroom, Zhao Zuo sat on the edge of his bed and took out the Defiled Blood Saber from his Storage Bag.

The blade was about 1.2 meters long and faintly exuded a bloody aura. Its sheath, however, was a discreet and understated black. It was made of a metal that could suppress the fluctuations of a Magical Artifact, preventing the saber’s sanguine stench from leaking out and arousing others’ suspicion.

Zhao Zuo applied a bit of force with his right hand and drew the Defiled Blood Saber. Its blade had a slight curve and was a deep crimson, similar in color to Bloodstone. A thick, un-dissipating smell of blood clung to the edge, intertwined with a frigid Evil Qi born from excessive slaughter.

A straight, dark-red line ran down both sides of the blade, and its spine was especially thick. This construction made the blade sturdier and suitable for two-handed cleaving, though its drawback was a slight reduction in speed.

"What a vicious blade."

As the Defiled Blood Saber left its sheath, Zhao Zuo could clearly feel the temperature in the bedroom plummeting. A sinister chill seemed to emanate from within the blade, spreading in all directions.

In truth, Zhao Zuo had another idea: sell the Defiled Blood Saber. With its two characteristics of blood absorption and blood conversion, it ranked quite high among Upper Grade Magical Artifacts. Despite a few flaws, it should have no problem selling for around thirteen thousand Spirit Stones.

However, Zhao Zuo was also quite fond of these two characteristics.

But... the Evil Qi on the blade needed to be dealt with.

While this frigid Evil Qi could shake an opponent’s will to fight, it would also subtly influence its master, making them cruel and bloodthirsty. If left unchecked, it could even turn against its owner. Incidents of Demon Weapons devouring their masters were common in the Cultivation Realm.

’I have to find a way to erase this Evil Qi.’

Zhao Zuo observed it for a moment longer before sheathing the Defiled Blood Saber. As the saber’s creator, Wu Fadu had a Blood Contract with it and naturally didn’t need to worry about a backlash. Zhao Zuo, however, was a different story. He had to remove the Evil Qi from the Magical Artifact before he could use it.

After examining the Defiled Blood Saber, Zhao Zuo took out the Ghost Slayer Shield and began its Refinement. Besides defense, the Ghost Slayer Shield also had a skill that could stun an opponent’s spirit—the gray Evil Qi. By using a minuscule amount of Mana to activate that Evil Qi, Zhao Zuo was technically "using" the shield, which allowed him to gain experience points.

After grinding experience points for the Ghost Slayer Shield for a while, Zhao Zuo casually put it back into his Storage Bag. He closed his eyes and began to analyze his current state. Although Constant Calm was a level of the Heart Realm, the changes it brought were not limited to the mind alone.

His control over his physical body had reached an astonishing, almost terrifying, level. For example, he could use his Qi Blood to influence his blood flow, stopping his wounds from bleeding or even making his blood congeal as if frozen in place.

He could also quell his Qi Blood, make his Mana flow at a uniformly slower rate, and even control his breathing to match the frequency at which he absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power.

This perfect self-mastery would undoubtedly make Zhao Zuo’s combat prowess even greater.

As he gained a simple understanding of his current state, the joy in Zhao Zuo’s heart grew stronger. The Sutra of Calming the Mind had seemed insignificant, but its effects were actually immense. It seemed to transcend the body’s natural limitations, granting the physical form endless possibilities. If he wanted to advance even further, the only way was to achieve the state of Pure Quiet mentioned in the sutra.

Pure Quiet meant finding the peace and tranquility deep within one’s soul. It represented a person’s true belonging, a state in which one must feel inner satisfaction and lasting serenity.

This sense of belonging did not necessarily mean success, but it was by no means failure, either.

Rather, it was true inner tranquility—a state achieved by casting aside distracting thoughts and continuing to search for what lies in the depths of one’s heart.

The records in the Sutra of Calming the Mind were obscure and difficult to understand, but Zhao Zuo did his best to translate the text into simple requirements he could grasp, making it easier for him to seek the state of Pure Quiet.

First, it required digging deep into his own heart to find a deeper level of himself.

Second, he had to let go of his many distracting thoughts and find true inner freedom. This was the step Zhao Zuo considered the most difficult to achieve. After all, a normal person experiences joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. If he were to let all of that go, he would no longer be the person he once was.

Since he was unwilling to lose or let go of his past, he was destined never to see through it all, never to achieve Pure Quiet.

"Perhaps... Pure Quiet is a level that we ordinary mortals can never reach," Zhao Zuo murmured to himself.

Tonight’s battle had made Zhao Zuo clearly understand just how troublesome Demon Path Cultivators were. They seemed to be born for combat; both their Magical Artifacts and the Magic Skills they cultivated were exceptionally suited for fighting. If Shen Yunjiao hadn’t used her Taotie Secret Technique to suppress that protective bloody aura, the fight would not have ended so easily.

’I’ll have to be more cautious when dealing with Demon Path Cultivators in the future.’ Zhao Zuo reflected for a moment, then began to circulate his Qi Blood and Mana to nourish the injured parts of his body. A faint Golden Light radiated from him—not dazzling, but impossible to ignore.

「The next day.」

Thanks to the effects of the Source Water Pearl and the Healing Elixir, the injuries he sustained yesterday were mostly healed. They no longer affected his normal movements, but work that required his full concentration, like inscribing Spirit Patterns, would have to wait a few more days.

Zhao Zuo thought for a moment, then took out his Communication Jade and left a message for Liu Heng.

"Pause the Refining of Lower Grade Magical Artifacts for the next two days. You can work on your own things."

A few seconds later, the Communication Jade vibrated.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"As you command."

Zhao Zuo could sense an ill-suppressed glee in Liu Heng’s voice. He had probably spent the entire night worrying that his head would suddenly explode.