Ryan Cole was completely unaware of what was happening within that distant spatial plane, nor did he know that a deadly disaster was quietly drawing closer.
At this moment, his entire attention was focused on examining himself. Before long, he discovered something that left him astonished.
After the blood-dripping recognition had succeeded, a damaged furnace had quietly appeared within his mind.
For some reason, whenever Ryan closed his eyes, he could clearly see the scene inside his mind as though he were physically present there. The sensation was strange, almost as if another world had opened within his consciousness.
More importantly, he could finally see the true appearance of the so-called Boundless Creation Furnace.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary, round, pot-bellied furnace. Its entire body was an unremarkable iron-black color.
That first impression gave Ryan an overwhelming sense of ordinariness.
It looked like nothing more than a common furnace, ordinary to the point of being forgettable.
Yet its current condition was anything but ordinary.
The furnace was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, with several pieces chipped away from the edge of its mouth. Those jagged fragments were precisely what had sliced open Ryan’s right palm during the recognition process.
The entire furnace looked as though it were on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
And yet, strangely enough, it was neither completely solid nor completely illusory. It seemed to exist somewhere between reality and nothingness, its form flickering faintly while still retaining its complete shape.
Perhaps because it was currently only a Black Iron-rank treasure, its body was entirely pitch-black.
It possessed three sturdy iron legs, giving it a surprisingly stable appearance, while two magnificent dragon-shaped handles extended from either side of its body.
The furnace mouth was wide and imposing, but there was no lid.
Instead, the interior was filled with a vast, hazy gray mist. It was impossible to see what lay beyond it, giving the furnace an inexplicably mysterious aura.
Around the waist of the furnace was a circle of concave grooves, each roughly the size of a dragon’s eye.
There were exactly ten of them.
These should be the legendary Boundless Creation Slots.
Ryan narrowed his eyes and examined them carefully.
Nine of the ten slots were completely gray and lifeless.
Only one was different.
It radiated brilliant, multicolored light, shimmering with dazzling hues that constantly shifted and sparkled.
Ryan was just about to investigate the hazy gray space within the furnace and figure out what exactly was hidden inside when—
A strange, childlike voice suddenly echoed inside his mind, abruptly interrupting his thoughts.
"Hello, Master. I am the Artifact Spirit, Mira."
A ray of light suddenly rose beside the Boundless Creation Furnace.
In the next instant, a translucent, adorable beautiful girl with a bit of green on her cloth appeared.
She looked to be no more than 18 years old, with a sweet smile on her face but an innocent expression in her eyes that was not fitting for her age..
"Would you like me to answer all the questions you had just now?"
Ryan’s entire body stiffened.
An absurdly beautiful figure had suddenly appeared inside his mind without warning. His scalp tingled, and he was startled for a moment.
He wasn’t quite good with girls, but as her words resounded in his mind, his surprise turned into excitement.
"Artifact Spirit?"
Ryan had heard of Artifact Spirits before.
The instructors at the Bloodline Institute had once mentioned that only extremely high-grade treasures possessed even the slightest chance of giving birth to an Artifact Spirit.
If this beautiful girl truly was an Artifact Spirit born from the damaged furnace, then...
Ryan’s eyes began to shine.
He might have really stumbled upon a treasure.
Even if the furnace was severely damaged, a treasure capable of nurturing an Artifact Spirit would undoubtedly be worth an astronomical sum.
"Yes, Master. You can just call me Mira from now on."
Mira seemed to possess the mind of a child and was completely oblivious to the calculations running through Ryan’s head.
She smiled innocently before beginning to explain.
"The Boundless Creation Furnace, at its peak, possessed the ability to create all things."
"Unfortunately, approximately thirty thousand years ago, it was attacked by several powerful and mysterious forces. As a result, the furnace suffered catastrophic damage, leaving less than one-tenth of its original power."
Ryan’s expression gradually became serious.
"Less than one-tenth..."
Mira nodded. "The Advanced Creation function mentioned earlier primarily serves the purpose of turning waste into treasure."
"As long as you place multiple low-grade treasures, or items containing residual energy, into the Boundless Creation Furnace and accumulate enough energy, the furnace can randomly create another item of the same grade."
"There is also a certain chance that it will produce an item of a higher grade through Advanced Creation."
Ryan’s eyes flickered.
Turning multiple low-grade treasures into a completely new treasure...
That ability alone was already astonishing.
Mira continued. "However, because the Boundless Creation Furnace is severely damaged, the Boundless Origin can no longer operate on its own."
"Therefore, whenever the Creation function is activated, the furnace must extract a portion of the energy contained within the materials you provide to temporarily activate the Boundless Origin."
"While the Boundless Origin is operating, it will simultaneously repair the furnace itself."
A hint of excitement appeared in Ryan’s eyes.
"So... using the Creation function can repair the furnace?"
"That’s right, Master." Mira smiled. "Frequent use of the Creation function will greatly accelerate the recovery of the furnace body."
"As the furnace continues to repair itself, its various creation abilities will gradually become stronger. The chances of producing high-grade items will also increase, and some of its previously inaccessible minor divine abilities will slowly recover."
Ryan’s breathing became slightly heavier.
A treasure that became stronger the more it was used.
That was already terrifying enough.
But then Mira’s expression became slightly more serious.
"As for the Boundless Creation Slots, their primary functions are sealing and control."
"They can collect and seal Bloodline Essences within the Creation Slots."
"Once a Bloodline Essence has been sealed inside, it can serve as a medium, allowing you, the host, to acquire the corresponding Bloodline ability."
"And the most important part is..."
Mira paused, her beautiful smile returning.
"You will be able to control that Bloodline ability freely."