Chapter 41 – What Magic Weapon do you want to Refine?
“Let’s go, let’s head down the mountain,” Xia Yi said, feeling much more relaxed now that 179 and Qilin were by his side. His steps down the mountain became lighter.
But soon, worry crept back into his heart.
“179, Brother Zhu saw me and Qilin disappear right before his eyes. He’s not going to freak out, is he?”
“I didn’t notice. I was crossing over with you at the time.”
“I hope he doesn’t worry too much and just waits for me to return. I wonder how long we’ll be staying here this time.”
Not long after returning to Wangzhu Courtyard, there was a knock at the door. “Brother Xia, are you there?”
Xia Yi quickly called out to Qilin, who was digging at the bamboo roots in the yard. “Son, I’m going to answer the door. You hide behind the bamboo and don’t come out, or people might mistake you for a monster.”
Qilin blinked innocently and obediently went to hide behind the bamboo, crouching still as a statue. From Xia Yi’s angle, only the tip of Qilin’s horn was visible.
Such a well-behaved child—it made his dad’s heart ache with love.
Once Qilin was properly hidden, Xia Yi called out, “I’m here, coming,” and walked over to open the courtyard door.
Outside stood a tall, sturdy disciple of Qishan Sect, with a dignified face. He smiled at Xia Yi, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.
“Greetings, Brother Xia. I’m Qing Xiu, a disciple of Elder Tianji. I live just up ahead at Fuhua Courtyard. My master asked me to inform you that when you return to Qishan, you should visit him at Feiyu Island.”
“Thank you, Brother Qing. I’ll head there right away,” Xia Yi replied quickly.
Just then, Qilin, who was behind the bamboo, made a rustling noise, and Qing Xiu curiously glanced over.
“Brother Xia, what’s that?” The bamboo shook, and Qilin’s horn was sticking out.
“Oh, that’s a little helper I asked to gather the fallen bamboo leaves for me. That’s just the broom handle,” Xia Yi explained hastily. Then, loudly in Qilin’s direction, he said, “Be serious! Don’t let me catch you playing with the broom.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the horn disappeared from view.
Just as Xia Yi breathed a sigh of relief, two glowing hooves—like shoes lit with fluorescent light—appeared in the night.
Before Qing Xiu could ask anything, Xia Yi hurriedly said, “Thank you, Brother Qing! I’ll head to Feiyu Island now.”
With a quick slam, he shut the courtyard door.
“My dear son, you can come out now,” Xia Yi walked over to where Qilin was hiding, only to find it curled into a ball, holding its front hooves and looking up at the sky with its head awkwardly tilted to keep its horn out of sight.
Xia Yi couldn’t help but laugh and feel a surge of affection, quickly calling Qilin out from its hiding spot.
“Master, we should head to Feiyu Island. I wonder what Liu Siqian wants with you,” 179 reminded him.
Xia Yi nodded, then suddenly remembered something. “How are we going to get there? The island is in the sky, and there’s no cable car or anything. Last time, someone used a flying artifact to take me there.”
Thinking about Senior Brother Qingliang’s bamboo scroll artifact from last time still made Xia Yi a bit anxious.
“Master, based on my analysis, you’re already in the Foundation Establishment stage. You’ve surpassed many of the sect’s Core Formation and Golden Core disciples. You can definitely control a flying artifact on your own,” 179 explained.
“I can control a flying artifact? Me?” Xia Yi was surprised and excited.
“Of course,” 179 confirmed.
Xia Yi was so happy he almost jumped for joy. In his previous world, he had failed his driving test several times before crossing over here. Now, without even having to take any exams, he already had a license to fly!
But suddenly, he remembered something, and his face fell. “But I don’t have a flying artifact.”
I have a license, but no car.
“Master, in our cultivation world, every cultivator chooses a suitable item to craft into their flying artifact,” 179 patiently explained.
“Craft it? How do I craft it? I don’t know how,” Xia Yi said, utterly confused.
“Your reward package after completing the second task includes a secret elixir for crafting magical artifacts,” 179 said, sounding like an angel. “That elixir doesn’t require you to spend time or spiritual energy to gradually refine it.”
A magical artifact instant elixir.
“What kind of magical artifact do you want to craft?” 179 asked.
Xia Yi’s mind went blank.
“For example, some people love alcohol, so their magical artifact is a wine gourd. Some love fine food, and their artifact is a plate. Others have spoons or chopsticks as their magical artifacts…” 179 continued to guide him.
Are you saying the entire cultivation world is filled with foodies?
“I’m not picky about the type of artifact. Anything is fine. The most important thing is that it shouldn’t be narrow or round.” Xia Yi was about to say he wanted something flat and wide, but then remembered the bamboo scroll and quickly changed his words.
“Preferably, it should be like a car, enclosing me in a safe, cozy space. Something soft and sturdy that gives me a strong sense of security and is comfortable to ride in,” Xia Yi added as he pondered his request.
He looked around the courtyard but didn’t find anything suitable. There was plenty of bamboo, but its shape wasn’t ideal.
Inside the house, there were only a few simple pieces of furniture. Surely, he couldn’t fly around with a large, ornate bed, right? That would look ridiculous.
“179, do you have any suitable items I could borrow?” Xia Yi turned to the system for help.
“I don’t have anything, Master. The items stored in the system space are all yours,” 179 replied.
Xia Yi was silent for a moment before he and 179 shouted in unison, “The winter melon!”
On the square table in the room sat a perfectly oval-shaped winter melon.
It was the one 179 had carefully chosen from the system space, selecting the most visually appealing, smoothest, and purest-colored winter melon.
Xia Yi circled around the lucky melon.
“I’ll need to hollow it out and carve a door,” Xia Yi said excitedly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation as he looked at 179.
He quickly got to work, scanning the room and grabbing a decorative longsword from the wall. Carefully, he carved a door into the winter melon and scooped out the insides.
Once the melon was completely hollowed out, he gently placed the door piece back in.
Then, he picked up the bottle of instant elixir for magical artifacts that 179 had taken from the system space.
The elixir was contained in a delicate jade bottle, just like the Foundation Establishment liquid. However, while the Foundation Establishment bottle was the size of a small milk bottle, this one was no bigger than a small vial of herbal tonic.
“179, how do I use this? Do I make the winter melon drink it?” Xia Yi asked, staring at the bottle, unsure of how to proceed.
“Take a drop of your blood, mix it into the elixir, and then gently apply it all over the winter melon. After the first layer dries, apply a second one. Once you’ve applied three layers, the winter melon will become a magical artifact you can control at will,” 179 explained, emphasizing, “Remember, three layers, and make sure every part of the winter melon is covered.”
Xia Yi looked at the tiny herbal tonic bottle in his hand, then at the large winter melon on the table, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “This small bottle of elixir has to cover the entire melon three times? Even one layer will be a challenge. How am I supposed to manage three?”
“179, do you have any more elixir? Bring out a few more bottles.”
“There’s no more. This is the only one.”
“What happens if I only apply one layer?” Xia Yi circled the winter melon, deep in thought.
“I don’t know,” 179 answered honestly. “Why don’t you cut a piece of bamboo and apply three layers to that instead?”
Xia Yi imagined himself flying through the sky on a thin piece of bamboo and quickly shook his head, “No, no. I’ll stick with the winter melon. I’ll apply one layer first and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just do more tasks and get more elixirs to finish it later.”
With that, he carefully removed the stopper from the bottle, gently cut his middle finger with the sword, and squeezed a drop of blood into the elixir.
The drop of blood released a small puff of white smoke as it entered the bottle, quickly merging with the elixir and disappearing.
Xia Yi shook the bottle lightly, poured a few drops into his palm, and began to apply the elixir evenly across the surface of the winter melon.
By the time the entire melon was coated, the bottle was nearly empty.
As the elixir seeped into the melon’s skin, its surface began to change. The green exterior started to emit a soft, radiant glow.
The light shimmered gently at first, growing brighter and more dazzling until the entire room looked as though it had been lit by a laser show.
Xia Yi had to close his eyes.
After a while, when the blinding light faded and was replaced by a soft, candle-like glow, Xia Yi finally opened his eyes again.
The winter melon on the table had completely transformed. It now looked like a flawless piece of jade, translucent and lustrous, as if carved from a single block of jadeite.
“Is it done?” Xia Yi asked excitedly.
“It’s done,” 179 replied, equally thrilled.
“Then hurry and teach me how to fly this winter melon! Do I need to chant some sort of incantation?” Xia Yi was already rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
“No need. Your blood has already merged with the artifact. It’s now linked to your mind, so you can control it with just your thoughts,” 179 explained.
“Let’s go try it out in the courtyard!” Xia Yi rushed to pick up the winter melon.
“Master, no need to strain yourself. Just think about shrinking it, and it will become whatever size you envision.”
“Really? Let me try.” Xia Yi concentrated and mentally repeated, “Shrink, shrink,” while imagining a peanut-sized winter melon.
In an instant, the melon on the table vanished, leaving behind a tiny, green, peanut-sized jade figurine.
Xia Yi was ecstatic. He quickly scooped up the tiny figurine and rushed outside like he had found a treasure.
“Now let’s see what it looks like when it gets bigger.” He placed the figurine in the courtyard and stepped back a few paces.
In his mind, he thought, “Grow, grow,” while imagining the winter melon expanding to the size of a small house.
With a swoosh, the winter melon ballooned up in the courtyard, transforming into an oval-shaped structure painted in vibrant green, complete with a door on the side.
“179, hahaha, this is amazing!” Xia Yi was overjoyed. “This is my RV!”
Xia Yi lovingly stroked the winter melon, as if it were his cherished car, and said to the Qilin that had followed him, “Son, Daddy is going to test fly this. You stay home for now. Once I’ve got it under control, I’ll take you with me next time, okay?”
The Qilin blinked and obediently lay down under the eaves.
“Let’s go, 179. Time for a test flight,” Xia Yi said as he walked through the open door of the winter melon.
Chapter 42
Inside the winter melon house, it was warm, quiet, and had a faint, sweet scent of fresh produce.
As soon as Xia Yi stood inside, the door of the winter melon silently closed, sealing tightly without letting in a sliver of light.
In the pitch darkness, Xia Yi asked the system, “179, what now? Isn’t there some kind of control system?”
“Now it’s all up to you. You’ll control it with your mind. Try it—just think about taking off,” 179 said.
Xia Yi forced himself to calm down, suppressing his excitement. After steadying his emotions, he silently thought, “Take off.”
Immediately, he felt a floating sensation, and the ground beneath him trembled slightly, signaling that the winter melon flying car had lifted off.
“I look so cool right now, 179,” Xia Yi’s heart raced. Someone who hadn’t even passed their driving test was now flying a vehicle!
But after rising a few dozen meters, a big problem dawned on Xia Yi.
It was completely dark outside—how was he supposed to navigate?
Am I just flying blindly? Where I end up depends on pure luck?
“179, how am I supposed to fly if I can’t see outside?” Xia Yi’s heart began to panic, and the winter melon flying car started to shake, wobbling from side to side.
As he lost his balance and lurched to one side, his panic only deepened. He reached out, trying to grab something to steady himself.
With his movements, the winter melon flying car became uncontrollable, bobbing up and down in the air before tilting dangerously towards the ground on the left.
“Ahhh! Master, quick, make it go right! We’re about to hit a mountain!” 179 screamed, sensing the outside world.
“Up! Up! There’s a tree ahead!” 179’s mechanical voice cracked with panic.
“Stop going up! We’re in the clouds! Go lower, but don’t crash!”
179 watched in horror as the winter melon performed all kinds of dangerous stunts. “Master, don’t panic. Stop it and stabilize in mid-air!”
Xia Yi had already fallen to the floor of the winter melon flying car, rolling around in confusion.
The winter melon’s jade-like exterior was as hard as it looked, and every impact made Xia Yi dizzy and sore.
He heard 179’s urgent cries and forced himself to calm down. He took deep breaths, murmuring to himself, “Stay calm. I’m not panicking. My instructor is right next to me, with their foot on the brake.”
Finally, the winter melon stopped its wild movements and hovered steadily in mid-air, gently swaying. Both Xia Yi and 179 let out long sighs of relief.
“What do I do now? I still can’t see outside,” Xia Yi asked in a hushed voice, trying to remain as calm as possible, as if speaking too loudly would make the winter melon go crazy again.
“Master, I did suggest using a bamboo section! You insisted on locking yourself inside,” 179 wailed. “If you were on a bamboo, you’d have a full 360-degree view!”
“Bamboo is not an option, ever. I’d rather crash into a mountain inside this winter melon than fly around standing on a slippery piece of bamboo,” Xia Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead. “You have no idea how terrifying it is to be afraid of heights.”
“Master, you can use your mind to create a window in the treasure,” 179 finally remembered. “I mentioned before that the treasure and you are connected. You can make a window wherever you want.”
“Really? Let me try.” In the dark, Xia Yi focused his thoughts.
Suddenly, a faint light began to filter through the wall of the winter melon, and the outline of the mountains outside became visible.
Gradually, one side of the winter melon became transparent like glass.
“It really works! I can open a window,” Xia Yi exhaled in relief. “Now I can see outside.”
The window was a bit too large, though—more like a full-length floor-to-ceiling window.
Feeling a bit nervous about the height, Xia Yi took a quick glance outside and immediately shrank the window down, creating a smaller one.
He even added a bay window and some safety bars underneath the window frame to give himself a sense of security.
Hmm, this is great. Very satisfying, very intelligent.
“This is amazing, like Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage! No, it’s even better,” Xia Yi happily leaned on the windowsill, completely satisfied.
Because he was already at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, even though it was night, he could see everything clearly.
Looking down, he saw his yard, and there was the qilin, sitting on the steps, watching him. He smiled and waved, “Good boy. Next time, Daddy will take you flying.”
The qilin, surprisingly, seemed to see him and wagged its tail.
It felt like they were communicating telepathically.
“Master, when are you going to visit Liu Sixian?” 179 reminded Xia Yi.
“No rush, let me fly a few more laps first,” Xia Yi said, controlling the winter melon to soar higher. “I need to get familiar with my vehicle and master all the flying techniques.”
“Up, up, up,” Xia Yi mentally commanded the winter melon.
The oval-shaped green winter melon rose through layers of clouds and stopped above them.
The sky above was a vast dome dotted with stars, so close they seemed within reach, silently twinkling. A meteor streaked across, like a silver fish slipping into the sea.
In the distance, floating islands appeared to be part of the starry sky, breathtaking and beautiful.
Xia Yi leaned against the windowsill, lost in thought. If Zhu-ge were here, I’d take him flying too. I want to share all these beautiful things with him.
After a while, Xia Yi softly said to the system, “Alright, let’s go. One more lap and then we’ll head to Liu Sixian’s place.”
With that, he piloted the winter melon flying car, freely soaring through the clouds.
“179, this feels amazing!” Xia Yi sped up, flying through the clouds and over mountain peaks. “I finally understand why Superman flies around the Earth for no reason!”
