The Third Prismatic, Empowered

[You can't bring yourself to be happy.]

["There are only five years left. Let alone an Immortal artifact, I might not even be able to forge a Heaven-tier spirit artifact."]

[The Myriad Soul Banner is completely dejected.]

["We're doomed, we're doomed. Man, I feel like that old geezer has gotten a lot stronger recently. Let's just wait for death... I should've just defected to him (whispers)."]

[The Myriad Soul Banner receives another beating.]

[Year 36, 54 years old.]

[Extracting trait...]

[Extraction successful!]

["Enhancement!" (Prismatic Mythic):

Young man, are you still worrying about your poor craftsmanship and creating a bunch of trash?

Worry no more! From now on, the level of everything you create will be +1!

Do it yourself, and you will have plenty~]

[Do you want to adjust your traits?]

[Yes / No]

"Holy... since when did Tongzi become so considerate? Do Mythic traits have a hidden drop rate? This is already the third one, it's almost catching up to the number of Gold traits!"

You were just worrying about the lack of time to forge an Immortal artifact.

And Tongzi directly gifts you a Mythic trait!

"This 'level +1', I wonder what its specific effects are. Let's equip it and see!"

[You replaced "Hard Work Always Pays Off" with "Enhancement!".]

[With the new trait equipped, your confidence instantly skyrockets.]

[After some practical testing, you confirm the function of the new trait.]

[You concoct a "Hundred Spirit Pill," an elixir that increases the cultivation of the Spirit Sea Realm. The moment it comes out of the furnace, it instantly turns into a "Soul Refining Pill," an elixir that increases the cultivation of the Mind Condensation Realm!]

[You forge a low-tier spirit artifact, and the moment it comes out of the furnace, it turns into a mid-tier spirit artifact!]

[You casually pile up some mud to make a thatched hut, and it instantly turns into an exquisite little wooden cabin!]

["Matter isn't even conserved anymore... This truly is Mythic!"]

[It is worth mentioning.]

[Both the "Hundred Spirit Pill" and the "Soul Refining Pill" are actually Earth-tier pills; there is no difference in quality between the two, only a difference in their effects.]

[In other words, this "level +1" doesn't necessarily raise the quality of an item by a full tier; it might strengthen other aspects of its "level."]

[At least when it comes to spirit artifacts, the effect meets your expectations!]

["This way, as long as I master the forging method for a Heaven-tier spirit artifact, it will naturally become an Immortal artifact when it comes out of the furnace! By then, the Myriad Soul Banner will be able to completely suppress the soul body of the Shen family's ancestor and refine him!"]

[However, this is a race.]

[Your learning progress is competing against the recovery speed of the Shen family's ancestor.]

[If he recovers too much strength, even the Immortal-tier Myriad Soul Banner might not be able to refine him.]

[Year 37, 55 years old.]

[As you deeply study the pile of writings left behind by the Shen family's ancestor.]

[You actually somewhat admire this old undying bastard.]

[The reason you've been able to immerse yourself in research these past few years is because you'll die if you don't.]

[Moreover, you are practicing with someone else's resources, so you feel no pain if you ruin them.]

[If you had to gather and accumulate resources yourself, you definitely wouldn't bear to casually waste a pile of materials.]

[But what about the Shen family's ancestor?]

[He managed to persist in researching various Daoist sects for over thirty thousand years!]

[He even compiled his research results into a room full of books.]

[These are all written in classical text refined to the extreme!]

[This person is not only a genius but also an all-rounder, and even more so, a research talent!]

[To the Shen family, this ancestor is not a bloodsucking parasite leeching off the family, nor is he a tyrannical old bastard. His achievements over the past thirty thousand years have all been dedicated to the prosperity of the Shen family!]

[No wonder the entire Shen clan, from top to bottom, could work together so unitedly for their ancestor's possession.]

[Whether the human realm can survive without Shen Yang, you don't know, but the Shen family definitely cannot do without this ancestor.]

[Year 38, 56 years old.]

[Your martial arts realm has advanced to the fifth level of the Spirit Sea Realm.]

[With low-tier bone structure, theoretically, the cultivation gained from natural practice until death wouldn't even be enough for one minor realm advancement at the Spirit Sea Realm.]

[Yet you forcefully dragged your cultivation up by relying on the resources in the Star Power Profound Realm.]

[So, what was the cost?]

[The Star Power Profound Realm has gone bald!]

[The grass is gone, the flowers are gone, and even only half the tree bark is left!]

[It used to be filled with fluttering butterflies and buzzing bees, but now not a single living creature can be seen.]

[You essentially traded all the existing spiritual items in the Shen family's Star Power Profound Realm for a five-level increase in your Spirit Sea Realm cultivation.]

[This is truly a losing business deal!]

[Of course, that's for the Shen family.]

[The day the Shen family opens the gates to the Star Power Profound Realm is drawing closer.]

[The Shen family's ancestor, lying dormant within the Myriad Soul Banner, is like a sleeping jackal ready to pounce at any moment.]

["Ah... failed again..."]

[Looking at the metal chunks and spirit sand that have crumbled into a pile, you can't help but look around.]

[The Myriad Soul Banner is planted to the side, its flag swaying in the wind.]

[The Nine Provinces Cauldron has transformed into a five-meter-tall object to serve as your forging furnace.]

[The Universe Mirror is bouncing around nearby, amusing itself.]

[The Star Power Profound Realm is not only bald.]

[It has also been dug full of potholes by you.]

[The forging materials you initially found in the cave were likely meant for the Shen family's ancestor to practice with on ordinary days.]

[They weren't nearly enough for you to squander.]

[Later, you discovered that by digging underground, you could find spiritual materials similar to iron, silver, and gold, so you started digging whenever you had nothing else to do.]

[You even had the Myriad Soul Banner release its demon souls to help dig.]

[The entire Star Power Profound Realm has now been dug by you into something resembling a hornet's nest.]

["Oh no!!"]

[Just as you are preparing to continue digging to find forging materials, the Myriad Soul Banner suddenly lets out a shriek.]

[You see the face of the Shen family's ancestor reflecting on the banner's surface.]

["He's trying to get out!"]

["Hold him down! Da Chun! Ah Kun! Help!!"]

[The three illusionary gods join forces once again, each displaying their divine might to suppress the Shen family's ancestor who is trying to break out of the banner.]

[The Shen family's ancestor has clearly recovered quite a bit over the past few years.]

[The fact that he dares to charge out this time means he probably has some confidence.]

[You see his head gradually stretching out from the banner.]

["Junior! Your time of death has arrived!"]

[The Myriad Soul Banner screams that it's all over.]

["Man!! I can't hold him down!! He's way stronger than before!!"]

["Even if you can't, you have to!! If he gets out, we'll all be turned into dust!!"]

["Not necessarily, we could actually surrender."]

["I'll turn you into dust first! And then let him turn me into dust!"]

["Then think of a way! Aren't you the one with the most wicked ideas?!"]

[Wicked?]

[Hey?]

[You actually come up with an idea.]

["Xiao Wan! Ah Kun! You two hold the line for a bit. Da Chun, come with me!"]

[The Myriad Soul Banner's voice cracks on the spot.]

["What??!"]

[The three great artifacts combined can barely suppress the Shen family's ancestor.]

[And you're taking one away at a time like this.]

[The Myriad Soul Banner and the Universe Mirror instantly feel a mountain of pressure.]

[These two are risking their old lives, smoking and cracking all over.]

["What exactly are you trying to do?! This broken mirror and I can't hold on!!"]

["I'm going to concoct a pill for him to eat! To make him sleep!"]

[The Myriad Soul Banner stands there dumbfounded.]

["That is a fucking ghost! You're feeding it an elixir?? Have you been hanging around that stupid cauldron for so long that its idiocy rubbed off on you?!"]