Chapter 36: As a Result, That Fool Became a Joke Among Artificers for Tens of Thousands of Years |
Early in the morning, Hongmei led his two disciples out of Clear Stream Market.
Unlike when they first arrived with Rongyuan Shu, Householder Redbrow was brimming with confidence, choosing to travel with his two disciples aboard a flying carriage artifact.
"Master, isn't this a bit too conspicuous?"
Sitting in the flying carriage and watching the mountains and plains roll by beneath them, Yulou asked with a hint of concern.
"It matters not. Even if two or three Qi Refining rogue cultivators attack, they are no match for me. If there are more, we can simply run.
Furthermore, Foundation Establishment cultivators have all left traces of their Dao foundation aura with the Immortal Alliance, making it completely impossible for them to become rogue cultivators."
Householder Redbrow was a man of broad girth and an even broader mind. He clearly placed no importance on ordinary rogue cultivators.
"This time, I am taking you to see the true cultivation world. Our destination is five hundred kilometers away. Flying artifacts are meant to be used. If we don't use them, this trip would simply be far too troublesome."
"The true cultivation world?"
"The Ten Sects stand high and mighty, but above them sits the even higher Immortal Alliance, and below them are numerous Purple Palace Clans and sects overseen by Purple Palace experts.
In the overlapping territories where the influence of the Ten Sects intersects, there are often certain special markets.
I leave Clear Stream Market every two months precisely to run goods through those markets. Without the Red Lantern Illumination Sect taking a cut, the profit margins are significantly larger."
'So that's how it is.' Yulou felt a sudden dawn of realization.
He had actually thought that the Red Lantern Illumination Sect truly controlled everything.
It turned out there were still places in this world beyond the reach of the Ten Sects.
"Do the Ten Sects tacitly permit this kind of activity?" Yu'an asked.
"When members of the Immortal Alliance and Purple Mansion disciples join forces, the Ten Sects simply turn a blind eye. As long as it doesn't go overboard, it's generally fine."
The wooden flying carriage artifact moved at an astonishing speed. In just a single morning, it had covered three hundred kilometers.
Above a picturesque mountain valley, Hongmei brought the carriage to a halt.
Below lay two verdant mountains blanketed in dense forests, resembling massive green dragons resting upon the earth. Between their peaks, a modest river flowed gently through the gorge.
With the visual acuity of the fifth layer of Qi Induction, Yulou could even spot wild deer drinking by the riverbank.
Hongmei pointed down at the gorge and spoke to his disciples.
"This place is called Twin Dragon Mountain. Although it lacks ninth-grade spiritual objects, it can still be considered an area abundant in spiritual energy.
Many rogue cultivators have carved out cave abodes here. The merchant caravans of your Wang Clan will also occasionally pass through this place to conduct business.
Look closely. Can you spot where the rogue cultivators' cave abodes are located?"
Yulou stared for a good while until his eyes were practically numb, yet he still couldn't find a thing.
"Please enlighten us, Master."
"Hahaha! There's one beneath that giant boulder, and another behind the waterfall next to that deep pool. Counting all the various others, there are at least a dozen.
I also resided here for several years in the past. I know many of these Fellow Daoists. Come, follow your master down to take a look."
Yulou expressed his concern.
"Master, why hasn't anyone noticed our arrival? Is something wrong?"
"This is what you don't understand. These rogue cultivators sometimes turn into bandit cultivators. They fear being hunted down by the Ten Sects or the great clans, so they won't actively reveal themselves."
Hongmei offered this explanation, then channeled his magic power and shouted.
"Fellow Daoists, there is no need to run! It is I, Hongmei!"
Amplified by his magic power, Hongmei's voice echoed through the valley like a tolling bell. Flocks of birds were startled into chaotic flight, and the wild deer drinking by the river hastily bolted away.
Soon enough, a rogue cultivator with a profound cultivation base confirmed Hongmei's identity and emerged from their cave abode.
"You damn fatso, so you finally decided to come back? Did you get caught peddling shoddy artifacts in Clear Stream Market?"
The newcomer was a rough and tough female cultivator with dark, sun-tanned skin. Her manner of speaking was exceedingly fierce and blunt.
"Sister San, what do you mean caught peddling shoddy artifacts? I just dropped by to visit you old friends. These two are my disciples, Yulou and Yu'an."
"We greet you, Senior."
Although this Sister San was plain in appearance, her cultivation base was actually at high-tier Qi Refining. Yulou hastily led his younger brother in bowing respectfully.
"Well then, Senior Hongmei, can I also take you as my master?"
Sister San didn't even spare a glance at Hongmei's newfound disciples; instead, she boldly proposed becoming his apprentice herself.
Several other rogue cultivators who had emerged also exchanged greetings with Hongmei. He waved his hand dismissively and said.
"Cut the nonsense. Sister San, Fellow Daoists, I must trouble you to notify the other Daoist friends in the vicinity.
Let's gather tonight and properly catch up. I've brought quite a few artifacts with me this time; you can see if there's anything you need."
Sister San curled her lip, but she refrained from causing any more of a scene.
"The usual place at your cave abode?"
"Yes, sorry for the trouble."
Hongmei now possessed a profound cultivation base and was thriving in Clear Stream Market.
His old friends naturally gave him face.
The rogue cultivator friends went off to notify the others, while Householder Redbrow led Yulou and Yu'an down to the boundary between the two peaks of Twin Dragon Mountain.
"Look here. This is where the earth veins converge. The two mountains intersect, giving rise to a water dragon. If nothing unexpected happens, a new ninth-grade spiritual object will be born here in a few hundred years.
The method in the artificing path of seeking the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nurture artifacts is similar to the method in talisman making of gathering spiritual energy to empower talismans.
High-tier spiritual artifacts require spiritual resonance and involve more strict requirements. However, ordinary artifacts are not that troublesome. Placing them in a suitable location to be nurtured for a few years can greatly enhance their power.
I hid an artifact here. By my count, it has been over three years. It reached the upper limit of what this place can do to nurture an artifact long ago."
As he spoke, Hongmei formed a hand seal. Soon after, a small white shield flew out from below the ground.
"This is also a Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield, but it incorporates two pieces of black steel inside and possesses twenty-nine layers of restrictions.
Activate it with your magic power and see if you can perceive the difference."
Upon receiving the Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield, Yulou was startled by the dense spiritual energy it naturally emanated.
His belt was a spiritual artifact—a mid-grade one bestowed upon him by the Patriarch, at that. Yet, the spiritual resonance on his belt did not exceed that of this upper-grade Mirror Silver Shield by much.
"Is the Spirit Energy Nurturing Method truly this powerful?"
Hongmei smiled and shook his head, saying.
"Not quite. After three years of nurturing, the added power will only last for three days. In actual combat, it might only last for half a quarter of an hour, and it will continuously decay during that time.
The Spirit Energy Nurturing Method has its pros and cons. Even if you nurtured it using the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme, the duration wouldn't increase by much.
Only the great clans, who establish themselves upon spiritual objects and nurture artifacts within their clan grounds, find practical value in this. Rogue cultivators have no use for this method.
The reason I brought you here is to help you understand that when you engage in artifact refining in the future, you must consider the spiritual energy characteristics of your location.
Forging standard artifacts doesn't demand such strict attention, but spiritual artifacts absolutely require it. As for refining magic treasures, even the changing of the seasons must be factored in.
For instance, there was once a Purple Palace expert who attempted to forge a water-attribute magic treasure during the summer in the sands of the Eastern Desert. As a result, that fool became a joke among artificers for tens of thousands of years."
Yulou nodded thoughtfully. This was the benefit of having a master's inheritance.
It didn't matter where Hongmei's inheritance in the artificing path came from; what mattered was that it was indeed extraordinary.
From the foundational techniques of fire-based artifact refining, to the placement of restrictions on metal and stone artifacts, and now to this method of spiritual energy amplification and nurturing—while it might not be profoundly deep, it was entirely complete.
"Come, take out your artifacts. I will teach you the hand seals. Put them in and try nurturing them for a few months."
Yulou asked in surprise.
"Can our artifacts be nurtured here?"
The five elements intersected in this world, but each element possessed a different nature. The Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield could be nurtured here, but could their artifacts as well?
"Standard artifacts are all consumables, so there is no need to be so particular. Only spiritual artifacts require such careful consideration."
Such was the tone of a Master Artificer. The artifacts that ordinary cultivators and even many clan cultivators treated as precious treasures were entirely consumables in Hongmei's eyes.
"If we bury the artifacts down there, what if those rogue cultivators come and dig them up?" Yu'an remained highly alert.
The trait Hongmei found most satisfying in his two disciples was their caution. He smiled and explained.
"Hahaha, don't worry. I'm familiar with those rogue cultivators. They are all unorthodox self-starters; they wouldn't know the first thing about spiritual energy nurturing."
Under Hongmei's guidance, Yulou and Yu'an quickly mastered the hand seals of the Spirit Energy Nurturing Method and buried their artifacts in the ground.
Yulou buried his black jade walking stick, while Yu'an buried his jade axe blade.
That evening, the two disciples joined Hongmei and his old rogue cultivator friends for a small gathering at Twin Dragon Mountain. Along the way, Hongmei managed to sell three artifacts.
However, they did not linger at Twin Dragon Mountain for long, choosing instead to leave overnight.
The rogue cultivator friends went off to notify the others, while Householder Redbrow brought Yulou and Yu'an down to the boundary where the two peaks of Twin Dragon Mountain met.
"Look here. This is the exact spot where the earth veins converge. The two mountains intersect, giving rise to a water dragon.
"Barring any unexpected circumstances, a new ninth-grade spiritual object will be born here in a few hundred years.
"The method of seeking out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nurture artifacts in the artificing path is quite similar to the talisman crafting method of harvesting natural spiritual energy to empower talismans.
"High-grade spiritual artifacts require spiritual resonance and involve far more intricacies. Ordinary artifacts, on the other hand, aren't nearly as troublesome. Placing them in a suitable location to be nurtured for a few years can vastly increase their might.
"I've kept an artifact hidden here myself. By my calculations, it's been over three years. It has long since reached the absolute limit of what this place can provide for artifact nurturing."
As he spoke, Hongmei formed a series of hand seals. Moments later, a small white shield flew out from beneath the ground.
"This is also a Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield, but its core incorporates two pieces of dark steel, giving it twenty-nine layers of restrictions.
"Channel your magic power to activate it and see if you can notice the difference."
Taking hold of the Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield, Yulou was instantly startled by the rich spiritual energy radiating from it.
His own belt was a spiritual artifact—a mid-grade one bestowed upon him by the Patriarch, no less. Yet, the spiritual resonance on that belt barely surpassed this upper-grade Mirror Silver Shield.
"Is the Spirit Energy Nurturing Method truly this formidable?"
Hongmei chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all. Despite three years of nurturing, the added power will only last for three days once unearthed. In the midst of combat, it might only hold up for half a quarter of an hour, and its strength will continuously wane during that time.
"The method of nurturing with spiritual energy has its pros and cons. Even if you nurtured it in the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme, the duration wouldn't be extended by much.
"Only the great clans, who build their foundations upon spiritual objects and nurture their items within their ancestral grounds, can find true practical value in this. Rogue cultivators have little use for this nurturing method.
"The reason I brought you here is to help you understand that when you refine artifacts in the future, you must carefully consider the spiritual energy characteristics of your crafting location.
"Refining standard artifacts doesn't demand so much precision, but crafting spiritual artifacts requires strict adherence to these principles. As for forging magic treasures, one must even factor the seasons into the equation.
"For instance, there was once a Purple Palace expert who attempted to forge a water-attribute magic treasure during the height of summer amidst the sands of the Eastern Desert. As a result, that fool became a joke among artificers for tens of thousands of years."
Yulou nodded thoughtfully. This was the undeniable benefit of having a proper master's legacy.
It didn't matter where Hongmei's artificing path legacy originated; the fact remained that it was truly extraordinary.
From the foundational inheritance of fire-method artifact refining, to the teachings on restrictions for metal and stone artifacts, and now this legacy on spiritual energy augmentation and nurturing—while perhaps not the most profound, it was undeniably complete.
"Come, bring out your artifacts. I will teach you the hand seals so you can bury them and try nurturing them for a few months."
Yulou asked in surprise, "Can our artifacts really be nurtured here?"
The five elements intersected between heaven and earth, but each element possessed its own distinct nature. The Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield could be nurtured here, but could the same be said for their own artifacts?
"Artifacts are simply consumables; there's no need to be overly particular with them. It's only spiritual artifacts that require such careful consideration."
Such was the tone of a Master Artificer. Artifacts that ordinary cultivators—and even many clan cultivators—treated as precious treasures were nothing more than disposable consumables in Hongmei's eyes.
"If we bury our artifacts down there, what if those rogue cultivators come and dig them up?" Yu'an remained highly vigilant.
What Hongmei found most satisfying about his two disciples was their cautious nature. He laughed and explained, "Haha, don't worry! I'm well acquainted with those rogue cultivators. They're all unschooled amateurs; what would they know about spiritual energy nurturing?"
Under Hongmei's guidance, Yulou and Yu'an quickly mastered the hand seals of the Spirit Energy Nurturing Method and buried their artifacts in the earth.
Yulou buried his black jade walking stick, while Yu'an buried his jade axe blade.
That evening, the two brothers accompanied Hongmei to a small gathering with his old rogue cultivator friends on Twin Dragon Mountain, during which Hongmei smoothly sold off three artifacts.
However, they didn't linger long at Twin Dragon Mountain, choosing instead to leave overnight.