Chapter 33: Son of a Bitch, This Animal Actually Diluted the Water! |
Spirit fire was an absolute necessity for artifact refining, and Yulou skillfully added peach wood spirit charcoal into the artifact refining furnace.
Nearby, Hongmei sat in a chair, silently watching the two brothers work together.
Since they were not refining bead-shaped magical artifacts, reshaping the black jade required the aid of spirit water. Yu'an briskly went to the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme outside the backyard and fetched a basin of it.
"Let us begin. The temperature of the spirit fire is just right," Yulou said.
Yu'an took a deep breath and tossed the black jade into the artifact refining furnace. Then, circulating his spiritual energy, he used Absorb to draw up some spirit water, placing it in the furnace's water trough on standby.
He skillfully followed the artifact refining methods he had learned over the past three years, manipulating the spirit fire step by step to refine the black jade.
However, Yu'an's expression soon turned strange.
"Master, something is wrong." Yulou had also noticed the issue.
The way the spirit water stimulated the black jade's spiritual nature did not match their past experiences. There seemed to be a problem with the piece Yu'an was refining.
"There is no problem with it... No, wait! It is not the black jade! Son of a bitch, Jiang Baobian left, but this new guy is even worse. This animal actually diluted the water!"
Just how much of an animal could the Town Guardian Cultivator sent by the Red Lantern Sect Faction be?
Hongmei's answer was: do not insult animals!
"What do we do now?"
Let alone Yu'an, even Yulou was a little dumbfounded.
The greed of the disciples from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was truly disgusting. Forge Peak Residence paid their dues every year. Yet, even after handing over hundreds of spirit stones, the Town Guardian Cultivator still found ways to squeeze out more revenue.
What an absolute animal!
"We do nothing!" Hongmei snorted coldly. He swept his spiritual energy over the water Yu'an had fetched, instantly separating out the ordinary water that had been mixed in.
"Continue. Come, take back control."
Sweating profusely, Yu'an resumed his refining. Yulou looked at his master and asked, "Are they not afraid someone will report them for this?"
Hongmei replied with a gloomy expression, "Hmph, the ancestor of the Jiang family is a disciple of a Golden Core True Person, possessing a Purple Palace cultivation base.
"As for this current Mu Changze, his master is also at the Purple Palace realm.
"Do you think it is just the Town Guardian Cultivator skimming spirit stones?
"No, these people come out with assigned missions. Who would dare stick their neck out?
"Moreover, the Merit Hall of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect has sucked dry the surplus wealth of the cultivators within their territory over the years. That guy surnamed Mu naturally has to scrape the barrel even harder."
At this point, the two of them said no more and silently watched Yu'an refine his artifact.
Half a quarter of an hour later, a sweating Yu'an finally finished refining the Black Jade Axe.
Three basic restriction layers had been refined into the palm-sized axe blade: sturdiness, control, and empowerment. This was already a low-grade magical artifact.
"Acceptable. Although it only has six layers of refinement space left, it has still crossed the threshold of a mid-grade magical artifact."
Hongmei looked at the Black Jade Axe Yu'an had refined and gave his judgment.
The restriction layers for a mid-grade magical artifact ranged from nine to seventeen. The Black Jade Axe had indeed only just crossed the threshold.
However, Yu'an was only at the fifth layer of Qi Induction, so this result was already quite good.
Afterward, Hongmei looked at Yulou and said, "Yulou, it is your turn. This piece of blood-soaked purple copper uses the spirit blood of a Heavenly Water Poison Frog. It has been imbued with a water attribute, giving it both metal and water properties. How confident are you?"
Playing with the blood-soaked purple copper in his hands, Yulou replied modestly, "I will do my best."
Beside him, Yu'an had already fetched another basin of spirit water from the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme for his older brother. He stared eagerly at their master, silently urging him to quickly process the water so Yulou could start refining.
"Good, I am looking forward to it," Hongmei replied with a smile.
Yulou remained calm. After studying the blood-soaked purple copper in his hands for a long time, he tossed it into the artifact refining furnace.
The peach wood spirit fire burned vigorously, leaving Yu'an's face covered in charcoal ash. The scorching flames licked the purple copper in the furnace. Stimulated by the spirit fire and spirit water, its spiritual nature soon reached its most active state.
Yulou selected several other supplementary materials from the rack and tossed them into the furnace one by one.
Yu'an recognized the method. This was the formula for a Purple Copper Dharma Sword!
"You are refining a flying sword?" he exclaimed.
"Silence!" Hongmei scolded.
Yu'an curled his lip. The two of them chatted plenty when he was refining, but he was not allowed to speak when Yulou was at work.
'Master, I am your disciple too!'
Feeling the changes in the purple copper, cold sweat began to bead on Yulou's forehead.
The formidable aspect of purple copper differed from Cold Refined Iron. Cold Refined Iron was a rare, brute-force base material among ninth-grade spiritual objects, and the magical artifacts refined from it possessed excellent offensive capabilities.
Purple copper, however, excelled in its high spiritual energy conversion rate. The Purple Copper Beads that Zhong Ningyao had given the two brothers could be controlled remotely as artillery platforms to cast spells during magical combat.
The form of a Purple Copper Dharma Sword dictated that it could not serve solely as an artillery platform. Otherwise, there would be no need to refine it into a sword; a Purple Copper Bead would suffice.
A Purple Copper Dharma Sword specialized in breaking spells!
If an opponent fired a spell, one could simply summon the Purple Copper Dharma Sword to slash at it, using three parts of spiritual energy to shatter a spell fueled by ten parts of the opponent's energy.
An advantage would be established in a single exchange!
However, refining a spell-breaking Purple Copper Flying Sword was exceedingly difficult. Only halfway through did Yulou realize he had overestimated himself.
He channeled the Jade Ruyi in his mind. Within the Jade Ruyi, another small tube of golden light had accumulated.
Seeing Yulou sweating profusely, Hongmei also grew tense.
He knew Yulou was losing control over the purple copper's turbulent spiritual nature. Behind its high spiritual energy conversion rate lay its volatile properties; purple copper was far harder to tame than black jade and highly prone to exploding during refinement.
At that moment, Hongmei felt conflicted. He hoped Yulou would succeed in refining the Purple Copper Dharma Sword, as he had taught the boy for several years.
Yet, a hidden part of him hoped Yulou would fail. After all, if Yulou could refine a mid-grade flying sword at the age of sixteen, where would that leave Hongmei, who had only refined his first mid-grade flying sword in his forties?
The enlightened state of accepting that a disciple need not be inferior to the master, and a master need not be superior to the disciple, was not something just anyone could easily attain.
Standing before the artifact refining furnace, Yulou gritted his teeth and made a dangerous decision. He definitely could not forge the Purple Copper Dharma Sword now; even using the golden light from the Jade Ruyi would be futile.
Mobilizing his spiritual energy, he decisively discarded one-third of the liquefied purple copper, leaving the remaining two-thirds to continue refining.
With the volume reduced, Yulou successfully suppressed the turbulent spiritual nature within the purple copper!
The golden light of the Jade Ruyi depleted rapidly as Yulou's refining techniques became swift and steady.
The speed and accuracy of his forged restrictions increased dramatically.
Hongmei let out a breath, his taut nerves relaxing.
He did not believe that two-thirds of a piece of purple copper could yield a mid-grade magical artifact. A mid-grade magical artifact required at least nine layers of restrictions. If the base material was too small, it would be impossible to imprint nine layers into it.
Yet Hongmei did not feel relieved; rather, he felt a twinge of regret.
Refining a mid-grade flying sword at sixteen... if Yulou could have achieved it, that actually would have been wonderful.
But soon, his expression grew solemn again.
Under Yulou's control, the "flying sword" in the furnace was rapidly taking shape.
However, as the shape of the magical artifact became clearer, it looked less and less like a flying sword.
Was he... trying to forge a copper awl?
No, it was not an awl either!
Then what was it?
Why was it a flat piece?
Could he be refining a copper mirror?
Given the same mass, excessively pursuing surface area during artifact refinement would result in a magical artifact lacking durability.
However, without enough surface area, the number of restriction layers could not be increased.
Yulou chose to refine the remaining purple copper into a flat mirror, completely abandoning durability!
He was taking an extreme approach to maximize its functionality!
By sacrificing its durability, the thin Purple Copper Mirror could house the maximum number of restriction layers.
From a flying sword to a copper awl, and from an awl spreading out into a copper mirror, Yulou had left Hongmei utterly exasperated.
In the end, when Yulou presented the Purple Copper Mirror to Hongmei, the master was at a loss for words.
"This... never mind. A metal- and water-attribute Heavenly Water Purple Copper Mirror. Yulou, you are very inventive."
Examining the Purple Copper Mirror in his hands, Hongmei was somewhat speechless.
It also contained three refined restriction layers, but with his exquisite mastery of the artificing path, Yulou had left enough refinement space for at least ten more layers. This was already a high-quality embryo for a mid-grade magical artifact.
Looking at the copper mirror his older brother had forged, Yu'an consoled himself. He merely lacked a fire spirit root. In the future, when he used the Earth Nurturing Method for artifact refining, he would definitely perform even better than Yulou.
"This is the first mid-grade magical artifact you have refined. A half-step mid-grade is still mid-grade. Yulou, give it a name," Hongmei said.
Yulou thought for a moment and said, "Calling it the Water Law Mirror will suffice. It is just... its current state is too awkward, rendering it completely useless. Could I trouble Master to step in and refine it a little further?"
This mirror was designed purely for functionality, but with only three restriction layers at present, that functionality could not be realized at all. In other words, it was currently a piece of trash.
"Very well. Yu'an, give me your Black Jade Axe, I will refine them both.
"Being able to refine a mid-grade magical artifact proves your attainment in the artificing path is sufficient. Next, it is time to learn about advanced refinement and empowerment."
Taking the Black Jade Axe, Hongmei looked at the two youths.
"Come early tomorrow. I will take you outside Clear Stream Market to teach you how to use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to amplify a magical artifact's power."
However, purple copper excelled at converting spiritual energy. The Purple Copper Bead that Zhong Ningyao had given the two brothers could act as a remote artillery platform to cast spells during magical combat.
The shape of the Purple Copper Dharma Sword dictated that it could not function solely as an artillery platform. If that were its only use, there would be no reason to refine it into a dharma sword; a Purple Copper Bead would suffice.
The true purpose of the Purple Copper Dharma Sword was to break spells!
If an opponent launched a spell, the user could simply summon the Purple Copper Dharma Sword to slash it apart. By expending just three parts of spiritual energy, they could sever a spell fueled by ten parts of the opponent's energy.
This would immediately establish a massive advantage in a quick exchange!
However, refining a spell-breaking Purple Copper Flying Sword was extremely difficult. Halfway through the process, Yulou realized he had bitten off more than he could chew.
He called upon the Jade Ruyi in his mind. Within the artifact, another small stream of golden light had already accumulated.
Watching Yulou sweat profusely, Hongmei also grew somewhat nervous.
He knew Yulou was close to losing control over the purple copper's surging spiritual nature. Its high conversion rate came at a cost: purple copper was far more difficult to control than black jade, and highly prone to exploding during refinement.
Hongmei felt exasperated and conflicted. After teaching the boy for several years, he naturally hoped Yulou would successfully refine the Purple Copper Dharma Sword.
Yet, deep down, he harbored a secret desire to see him fail. If Yulou managed to refine a mid-grade magical artifact at sixteen, where would that leave Hongmei, who had only forged his first mid-grade flying sword in his forties?
The mindset that a disciple need not be inferior to their master—and a master need not be superior to their disciple—was not a philosophical realm just anyone could easily reach.
Standing before the artifact refining furnace, Yulou gritted his teeth and made a risky decision. He simply did not have the capability to refine the Purple Copper Dharma Sword; even the Jade Ruyi's golden light would not be enough to save the process.
Marshaling his spiritual energy, he directly discarded a third of the liquid purple copper, using only the remaining two-thirds to continue the refinement.
With the volume reduced, Yulou successfully suppressed the purple copper's turbulent spiritual nature!
The Jade Ruyi's golden light depleted rapidly, and Yulou's refining techniques became steady and swift.
The speed and accuracy with which he forged the restrictions also improved tremendously.
Hongmei exhaled, his taut nerves finally relaxing.
He did not believe that two-thirds of a block of purple copper could yield a mid-grade magical artifact. A mid-grade magical artifact required at least nine restriction layers. If the base material was too small, forging nine layers into it would be impossible.
However, Hongmei was not happy either; instead, he felt a twinge of regret.
Refining a mid-grade flying sword at sixteen—if Yulou had actually achieved it, it would have been quite the feat.
But soon, his expression grew serious once again.
Under Yulou's control, the "flying sword" in the furnace was rapidly taking shape.
However, as the magical artifact's form became clearer, it looked less and less like a flying sword.
'Is he... trying to refine a copper awl?'
'No, it is not an awl either!'
'Then what is it?'
'Why is it flat?'
'Could he be refining a copper mirror?'
Given the same mass, excessively pursuing surface area in artifact refining would result in a final product lacking durability.
But if the surface area was insufficient, the number of restriction layers on the magical artifact could not be increased.
Yulou chose to refine the remaining purple copper into a flat copper mirror, abandoning durability entirely!
He was taking an extreme approach to maximize its functionality!
By sacrificing the magical artifact's durability, the thin Purple Copper Mirror could maximize its number of restriction layers.
From a flying sword to a copper awl, and from a copper awl flattening out into a copper mirror—Yulou's erratic process left Hongmei completely exasperated.
Finally, when Yulou presented the finished Purple Copper Mirror, Hongmei was at a loss for words.
"This... never mind. A metal and water dual-attribute Heavenly Water Purple Copper Mirror. Yulou, you have quite the vision."
Examining the Purple Copper Mirror in his hands, Hongmei was somewhat speechless.
It only had three restriction layers refined into it, but through his exquisite skill in the artificing path, Yulou had left behind at least ten layers of refinement space. This was already an excellent embryo for a mid-grade magical artifact.
Looking at the copper mirror his older brother had forged, Yu'an consoled himself. He was only missing a fire spirit root; in the future, when using the Earth Nurturing Method to refine artifacts, he would definitely do even better than Yulou.
"This is the first mid-grade magical artifact you have refined. A half-step mid-grade is still a mid-grade. Yulou, give it a name," Hongmei said.
Yulou thought for a moment. "Calling it the Water Law Mirror will suffice. It is just... its current state is too awkward. It is completely useless. Could I ask Master to lend a hand and refine it a bit more?"
This mirror was built entirely around functionality, but with only three restriction layers, that functionality could not be utilized at all. In other words, it was currently useless trash.
"Very well. Yu'an, give me your Black Jade Axe. I will refine both of them together. Being able to refine mid-grade magical artifacts means your level in the artificing path is sufficient. Next, it is time to learn refinement and empowerment."
Taking the Black Jade Axe, Hongmei looked at the two youths.
"Come over early tomorrow. I will take you outside of Clear Stream Market to learn how to use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to amplify the power of a magical artifact."