Chapter 32: Do I Look Like a Black Jade Oil Bead to You? |
In the blink of an eye, three years passed.
As the saying goes, when immortal realms enter one's dreams, a century of cultivation passes without notice.
Such was the nature of cultivation. To a grand cultivator, even a century was merely the span of a single secluded meditation session.
But for a youth like Yulou, three years was enough to shed his naivety.
In those three years, Clear Stream Market seemed to have undergone little change. Gao Jian, that dog who served a leopard, ultimately did not leave with his master Jiang Baobian. Instead, he became a named disciple under the tutelage of the newly appointed Town Guardian Cultivator.
Although this world did not have the historical idiom of a slave with three surnames, Gao Jian's reputation as a slave with two surnames was quite legendary in its own right.
However, the cold glares and disgust from outsiders could not affect Gao Jian's authority.
Stepping out of Fortune Source Residence, Yulou came face-to-face with Gao Jian, who was leading the law enforcement squad on patrol. The brute was currently making things difficult for a rather elderly-looking rogue cultivator.
Yulou did not speak; he merely nodded at Gao Jian with a calm expression by way of greeting.
"Yulou, I am taking a concubine the day after tomorrow. Remember to come with your brother."
Gao Jian was quite enthusiastic, taking the initiative to extend an invitation.
He held a similar ceremony once a year, which was essentially a special form of collecting protection fees.
Of course, if Yulou attended, he would not have to pay.
Moreover, Gao Jian did not pocket all the protection fees himself. Outside of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's established management system in Clear Stream Market, there was another management system belonging to the Town Guardian Cultivator.
"Will there be spirit rice?" Yulou stopped in his tracks, asking with a smile.
Yulou had a personality that refused to suffer a loss. Hearing his question, Gao Jian did not get angry either.
"Haha, if you bring me a gift, I will let you take the seats of honor."
The man surnamed Gao would not willingly take a loss either; his calculations were very clear.
Face was face, affection was affection, and spirit rice was spirit rice. No one was allowed to eat for free.
"Alright. Yu'an eats a lot, so you cannot be stingy then, Senior Gao."
Under Yu'an's confused gaze, Yulou and Gao Jian bantered back and forth until Yu'an felt completely overwhelmed.
"Do not worry, do not worry," Gao Jian readily agreed.
Seeing the two brothers walk away, the smile on Gao Jian's face slowly vanished, returning to its fierce and ruthless state. He looked at the pinned-down rogue cultivator and shouted.
"Five spirit stones for the entry fee. Be smart about this. Do not tell me a cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining does not even have five spirit stones."
"I paid the fee yesterday and have the entry slip! Besides, isn't the entry fee just one spirit stone?"
"Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today! The five stones are a fine for not having today's entry slip. Pay up quickly!"
—
"He is already treading the path to his own doom," Yulou spoke in a low voice once they distanced themselves from Gao Jian.
"How do you figure?" Yu'an asked, puzzled.
"Jiang Baobian did not want him, which means Gao Jian himself has no potential for the Foundation Establishment realm. It is likely that his direction in Qi Refining is fundamentally flawed.
Now, he is squeezing spirit stones out of rogue cultivators like a madman, trying to save up a sum for Foundation Establishment resources.
But buying Foundation Establishment resources requires at least fifty thousand spirit stones. Our master has prepared for so many years and still has not gathered enough. Can Gao Jian really scrape that together just by extorting rogue cultivators?"
Yu'an did some mental math and felt that Yulou might have miscalculated.
"If he extorts five spirit stones from one rogue cultivator, and targets ten a day, he can extort fifty spirit stones daily. That is nearly twenty thousand a year. In three years, he could reach Foundation Establishment."
Yulou smiled and walked into Forge Peak Residence, leaving only a single sentence drifting in the air.
"Are you saying he likes to keep everything for himself?"
Slapping his own forehead in annoyance, Yu'an followed Yulou into Forge Peak Residence.
Yu'an really dared to imagine.
Gao Jian securing twenty thousand spirit stones a year?
Those who did not know better would think he was the Town Guardian Cultivator!
—
"Senior Martial Sister!"
Entering the shop and seeing Zhong Ningyao, Yu'an stood a bit straighter.
Zhong Ningyao pointed toward the back room of Forge Peak Residence and said gently, "Go on in. Today is a crucial day for both of you. Your brother has already gone inside."
Yu'an nodded and extended an invitation. "Don't worry, everything will go smoothly. By the way, we plan to visit the ghost market tonight. Do you want to come along?"
Hearing that the two brothers were going to the ghost market, Zhong Ningyao was tempted, but she ultimately shook her head.
"My father won't let me go."
Yulou and Yu'an had at least grown up on Wang Family Mountain and had lived in two different places. Zhong Ningyao, however, had been raised entirely within Clear Stream Market. Householder Redbrow feared for his daughter's safety and had never allowed her to step outside the market boundaries.
"I see... Then, Senior Martial Sister, I'll head inside first." The silly boy didn't know how to keep the conversation going after a couple of sentences.
"Good luck, you can do it!" Zhong Ningyao said.
Yu'an walked into the back room with a foolish grin. When Householder Redbrow saw his expression, a surge of irritation welled up inside him.
If this brat weren't my disciple, I'd give him a good thrashing!
"Wipe that smirk off your face and get over here!" Redbrow barked.
"Restrained by your spiritual energy, you artificers in the Qi Induction realm can at most refine low-grade magical artifacts, but that doesn't mean you should only learn the refining methods for low-grade tools. Artifact refining follows structural laws. In my eyes, there isn't much difference between a low-grade and a mid-grade artifact; it's merely a matter of spirit fire control and refining proficiency.
Today, the two of you will use ninth-grade black jade and ninth-grade blood-soaked purple copper as base materials to refine the blanks for mid-grade magical artifacts.
As for the restrictions, you only need to refine three layers of basic restrictions into them, but you must leave ample room for subsequent refinement. The reason my Black Jade Oil Bead and that turtle shell were so easy to upgrade later on was because I deliberately left open spaces for future restriction layers during the initial refining.
Now, each of you choose a spiritual material and begin."
Yulou left the ninth-grade black jade for Yu'an and took the piece of blood-soaked purple copper for himself—this one was harder to work with.
Aside from their grades, spiritual materials of the same tier and type also possessed distinct properties.
Purple copper was originally a ninth-grade spiritual gold, but when treated with the blood of specific spirit beasts or other inexplicable spiritual blood, it became blood-soaked purple copper. The exact unique effects depended on the type of spiritual blood and the processing method used, a stage known as Imbuing Nature.
Imbuing Nature was a specialized method of treating spiritual materials, and it was a core secret of the artificing path inheritance. It was the kind of precious knowledge that even major sects like the Red Lantern Illumination Sect were loath to share with outsiders.
For instance, when a wood-attribute cultivator required an offensive magical artifact made of spiritual metal or iron, they could choose a base material imbued with wood-attribute properties, thereby vastly increasing their compatibility when using it.
Correspondingly, whatever advantages were gained came with a price; materials with imbued natures were significantly more difficult to refine.
This was precisely why Yulou took the initiative to choose the blood-soaked purple copper.
"Yu'an, have you thought about how you want to refine this piece of black jade?" Redbrow asked sternly, looking at the black jade in Yu'an's hands.
He wasn't worried about Yulou. That child was like a monster; after only three years of study, his attainment in the artificing path was already comparable to Redbrow's own after seven or eight years of learning.
Yu'an, who had reached the fifth layer of Qi Induction, examined the black jade with his spiritual energy. After a long while, he looked up at his master, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Master, can I refine it into a Black Jade Oil Bead?"
Yu'an had spent a lot of time studying Yulou's Black Jade Oil Bead and his own turtle shell. If he were to refine a Black Jade Oil Bead, he was confident that while embedding three layers of restrictions, he could leave enough space for another seven layers of refinement.
Redbrow took a deep, long breath.
Calm down, calm down, calm down!
"Do I look like a Black Jade Oil Bead to you?
Refine a jade axe. Only refine the axe head for now, and this time, remember to leave a socket for the handle!"
"Yes, Master!"
Upon entering the door and seeing Senior Martial Sister Ningyao, Yu'an inexplicably straightened up slightly.
Zhong Ningyao pointed toward the back hall of Forge Peak Residence and spoke gently.
"Go on in. Today is a critical day for you two. Your brother has already gone inside."
Yu'an nodded and extended an invitation.
"Don't worry, there definitely won't be any problems. Actually, we plan to visit the ghost market tonight. Do you want to come along?"
Hearing that Yulou and Yu'an were going to the ghost market, Senior Martial Sister Ningyao was somewhat tempted, but she still shook her head.
"My father won't let me go."
Yulou and Yu'an had, at the very least, grown up on Wang Family Mountain; they had experienced living in at least two different places in their lifetimes.
Zhong Ningyao, however, had grown up in Clear Stream Market. Householder Redbrow feared for his daughter's safety and had never allowed her to take a single step outside its borders.
"I see. In that case, Senior Martial Sister, I'll go in first."
The silly boy didn't know how to keep a conversation going after just a few sentences.
"Do your best! You're amazing!" Zhong Ningyao encouraged.
Yu'an walked into the back hall with a silly grin. Seeing his expression, Hongmei felt a surge of unprovoked irritation.
'You little brat, if you weren't my disciple, I'd thrash you right now!'
"Wipe that smile off your face and get over here!" Hongmei scolded.
"Limited by your magic power, artificers in the Qi Induction realm can at most refine low-grade magical artifacts. However, that doesn't mean you can only learn the refinement methods for low-grade magical artifacts.
"The refinement of magical artifacts often follows a pattern. In my view, there isn't much difference between a low-grade magical artifact and a mid-grade magical artifact; it is merely a matter of your control over the spirit fire and your refinement skill level.
"Today, the two of you will respectively use ninth-grade ink jade and ninth-grade blood-soaked purple copper as base materials to refine a mid-grade magical artifact embryo.
"Regarding restrictions, you only need to refine three foundational layers into it, but you must leave ample room for future refinement.
"The reason why the Black Jade Oil Bead I gave you, as well as that turtle shell, were so easy to refine later on was precisely because I reserved space for subsequent restriction refinements during the initial crafting process.
"Now, each of you pick a piece of spiritual material and begin."
Yulou left the ninth-grade ink jade for Yu'an and took the piece of blood-soaked purple copper for himself—the more difficult choice.
Aside from their grade, spiritual materials of the same tier and type also possessed distinct special properties.
Purple copper was originally a ninth-grade spiritual gold, but after being processed with special demonic beast blood or other indescribable spiritual blood, it became blood-soaked purple copper.
Its specific special effects varied depending on the type of spiritual blood and the processing method used. This step was known as Imbuing Nature.
Imbuing Nature, this special processing method for spiritual materials, was also the most crucial part of the artificing path's inheritance. It was a precious technique that major sects like Hongdengzhao were reluctant to teach outsiders.
For example, when a cultivator with a wood spirit root needed an offensive magical artifact made of spiritual gold or iron, they could choose a spiritual material imbued with a wood nature as the base. This would significantly increase their compatibility when using it.
Correspondingly, whatever advantages one gained, one had to bear an equivalent cost. The refinement difficulty of nature-imbued spiritual materials was much higher.
This was precisely why Yulou actively chose the blood-soaked purple copper.
"Yu'an, have you thought about how you'll refine this piece of ink jade?"
Hongmei looked at the ink jade in Yu'an's hand and asked sternly.
He wasn't worried about Yulou. That child was like a monster; he had only studied for three years, yet his accomplishments on the artificing path were already comparable to Hongmei's own after seven or eight years of study.
Yu'an, already at the fifth layer of Qi Induction, probed the ink jade with his magic power. After a long while, he looked at his master and asked, full of anticipation.
"Master, can I refine a Black Jade Oil Bead?"
Yu'an had studied Yulou's Black Jade Oil Bead and his own turtle shell quite extensively.
If he were to refine a Black Jade Oil Bead, he was confident that after laying down three layers of restrictions, he could leave enough refinement space for another seven layers.
Hongmei took a deep breath.
'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!'
'Do I look like a Black Jade Oil Bead to you?'
"Just refine a jade axe! Only refine the axe blade portion, and this time, remember to leave a hole for the axe handle!"
"Yes, Master!"