Chapter 198 - 195: Breaking the Convention

As the Celestial Cloud Sect’s finest Artifact Refiner, Xiong Xingfeng knew that the Upper Grade Magical Artifact Fang Yun was describing should be incredibly difficult to refine.

If such an Upper Grade Magical Artifact could actually be refined, the Artifact Pavilion on Artifact Casting Peak would already be stocked with many similar items.

Forget an Upper Grade version of this magical artifact; even refining a Middle Grade one would be a challenge.

"Let me see."

"Of course."

Fang Yun handed over the black long sword, and Xiong Xingfeng took it.

Xiong Xingfeng examined the black long sword closely. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, the intricate patterns within the blade revealed themselves to him.

The combination of these patterns was bizarre. Some were interconnected, while others seemed to envelop one another.

It seemed strange at first, but the longer he studied them, the more he felt this was exactly how the patterns were meant to be constructed.

"Incredible, truly incredible!" Xiong Xingfeng couldn’t help but exclaim.

In the art of Artifact Refining, control over the materials and the engraving of patterns during the refining process were paramount.

His disciple truly lived up to his reputation for having immense talent in Artifact Refining; he had even managed to create such an Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

"Have you tested its specific effectiveness against Demon Power?" Xiong Xingfeng asked as he handed the black long sword back to Fang Yun.

"Not yet. But I’ve had a senior brother use similar magical artifacts before. Those had many flaws, but they were excellent for the specific purpose of dealing with Demons..."

His previous refining concepts had not only been difficult to execute, but the resulting magical artifacts were also very limited, with a narrow range of applications.

Xiong Xingfeng nodded as he listened to Fang Yun’s explanation. With the previously refined Upper Grade Magical Artifacts as a reference, the effectiveness against Demon Power should be roughly the same.

"Tell me the specific materials you used to refine this Upper Grade Magical Artifact."

"Of course."

Facing his master, Xiong Xingfeng, Fang Yun held nothing back, explaining the combination of materials he used. Magical artifacts typically had a single primary material, but this Upper Grade Magical Artifact had two.

Fang Yun quickly detailed the list of materials.

"I’m amazed you could even think of such a combination."

After hearing Fang Yun’s reasoning, Xiong Xingfeng was lost in thought.

Even an Artifact Refiner of his caliber would never have conceived of the material combination Fang Yun described.

If Fang Yun wasn’t his preternaturally talented disciple—and if he didn’t have the finished product right in front of him—Xiong Xingfeng would have seriously doubted that these materials could form an Upper Grade Magical Artifact at all, based on his own experience.

"To achieve a breakthrough, you have to break the mold."

"Hahaha, well said." Xiong Xingfeng nodded. ’Only a cultivator with exceptional talent could make such a statement.’

"Master, would you like to try refining this Upper Grade Magical Artifact?"

Fang Yun had an idea he needed his master, Xiong Xingfeng, to help him verify.

When Xiong Xingfeng had asked about the materials for the black long sword, Fang Yun guessed his master had a similar idea. So, he decided to go with the flow and suggest it.

"You have the materials on you, don’t you," Xiong Xingfeng realized as soon as Fang Yun asked.

"I do."

"Then today, your master will show you a thing or two. Come with me."

Xiong Xingfeng led Fang Yun to his personal Artifact Refining Room.

Compared to the top-tier rental rooms, this one was equipped with far more Artifact Refining Aids.

Fang Yun had been to Xiong Xingfeng’s Artifact Refining Room once before, a long time ago. Back then, Xiong Xingfeng had been refining a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact and had allowed him to observe and learn.

Now that Fang Yun could refine Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts himself, he could learn even more by observing the process for a Middle Grade one.

As Xiong Xingfeng prepared to begin, Fang Yun laid out the prepared materials before him.

A ball of red flame quickly materialized in the palm of Xiong Xingfeng’s hand.

The flame came from the Fire Attribute Foundation Establishment Technique that Xiong Xingfeng cultivated.

After Foundation Establishment, Spiritual Power liquidifies. Both its quality and quantity far surpassed the Spiritual Power of a Qi Refining Cultivator.

With such abundant Spiritual Power, the cost of maintaining the flame during Artifact Refining was negligible for them.

Fang Yun watched Xiong Xingfeng’s refining process intently.

Before the process was even halfway complete, Fang Yun knew it would fail.

"Ahem... It’s been a while since I’ve refined a Magical Artifact. I’m a bit rusty." Xiong Xingfeng glanced at Fang Yun, quickly making an excuse for his failure.

He was relying on his years of Artifact Refining experience and his powerful control.

Although combining the materials was difficult, he could just barely manage it. However, engraving the patterns and making them wrap around each other felt incredibly awkward—it wasn’t something that could be overcome with experience alone.

"Master, would you like to try again?" Fang Yun still had more materials.

He had collected a great deal of materials over the past few months, spending a significant amount of Spirit Stones in the process.

"I’ll try one more time."

Fang Yun took out another set of materials and disposed of the ruined ones. Since the previous attempt hadn’t progressed very far, some materials hadn’t been used yet, so Fang Yun didn’t need to provide them again.

The timing for adding the later materials was also a critical part of refining this type of Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

Xiong Xingfeng’s second attempt was only marginally better than his first. And only just.

"Master, should we try again?" Fang Yun asked.

"Ahem... Forget it. Your master has been in poor form lately. Perhaps I’m not suited for Artifact Refining right now."

"Understood."

Fang Yun didn’t say anything more. His master Xiong Xingfeng’s two failed attempts proved one thing: while refining this type of Upper Grade Magical Artifact was easy for him, it was incredibly difficult for a normal Artifact Refiner.

’With the boost from my talent and my understanding of its characteristics, I can now refine any Upper Grade Magical Artifact just by following my instincts. I don’t even need much practical refining experience. However, my theoretical knowledge of Artifact Refining has to be solid. Otherwise, I would never have thought of this combination of materials, or how the patterns needed to be engraved.’

"Master, I plan to sell the magical artifacts of this type that I refine in the Artifact Pavilion."

Hearing this, Xiong Xingfeng thought about the recent events within the sect’s Earth Realm and immediately understood his disciple’s intentions.

"Good. Wait four or five days, then bring the magical artifact to the Artifact Pavilion. Your master will arrange everything for you."

"Yes, Master."

With nothing else to discuss, Fang Yun left.

After Fang Yun departed, Xiong Xingfeng returned to his Artifact Refining Room.

He didn’t come back to refine anything; he simply preferred to contemplate matters of Artifact Refining inside his workshop.

’I never thought the day would come when refining an Upper Grade Magical Artifact would be more difficult than refining an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact.’

This was a genuine realization for Xiong Xingfeng during the refining process.

He was well aware that his disciple’s talent for Artifact Refining surpassed his own. He was certain that after reaching Foundation Establishment, Fang Yun would achieve far greater things than he ever had.

After this experience, he felt he had still underestimated the extent of his disciple’s talent.

Being able to refine such a special Upper Grade Magical Artifact was not something an Artifact Refiner with ordinary talent could accomplish.

Although he was meant to be pondering problems in Artifact Refining, his thoughts kept drifting to Fang Yun’s talent, and the more he thought, the more he looked forward to his disciple’s future.

Above Spiritual Artifacts were Magical Treasures.

Perhaps Fang Yun would be able to refine Magical Treasures with ease once he reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Having observed Xiong Xingfeng’s two failed attempts, Fang Yun ended up staying in his master’s cave-dwelling for quite a while.

After leaving Artifact Casting Peak, he returned to his own place to cultivate. His next plan was to try refining pills used by Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

’With the boost from my five-star Alchemy Talent, even though I’m only at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, my first batch of pills for Foundation Establishment Cultivators shouldn’t turn out too badly.’

But before attempting to refine pills for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he decided to refine two batches of Spirit Revival Pills to test things out.

The Spirit Revival Pill was the one Fang Yun had refined the least and was worst at. Fortunately, the Spirit Medicine required for it was much easier to purchase at the Disciple Marketplace than the ingredients for Qi Enhancement Pills.

「About half a month later.」

On Artifact Casting Peak, inside the Artifact Pavilion.

An Inner Sect Disciple at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining was browsing for a suitable Upper Grade Magical Artifact. A Steward stood by his side, ready to answer any questions.

"Two hundred and eighty Lower Grade Spirit Stones! This Upper Grade Magical Artifact is priced like a supreme-grade one. Why is it so expensive?"

"This Upper Grade Magical Artifact is no ordinary item," the Steward quickly began his pitch. "Although it’s only Upper Grade, it’s as effective as a supreme-grade artifact when fighting Demons. Against other forces, it performs like an exceptional Upper Grade Magical Artifact should."

"What’s the Spiritual Power consumption like?"

"It’s about the same as a normal Upper Grade Magical Artifact. A cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining like yourself can wield it with ease."

"I’ve never even heard of a magical artifact like this before."

"You’re absolutely right." The Steward nodded. "This Upper Grade Magical Artifact came from the hands of Fang Yun. Who knows how many materials were consumed to refine a single one. Frankly, I think two hundred and eighty Lower Grade Spirit Stones is too low. It should be at least three hundred..."

The Steward continued to praise the Upper Grade Magical Artifact, embellishing the information he’d been given with his own understanding.

The more the Steward spoke, the more tempted the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining disciple became.

"So it was made by Senior Brother Fang! No wonder it’s so powerful!"

"Speaking of which, let me give you a final reminder. Normal Artifact Refiners can’t make an Upper Grade Magical Artifact like this. Who knows when—or if—the Artifact Pavilion will ever have another one in stock."

"I’ll take it!"

The Eighth-Layer Qi Refining disciple gritted his teeth. He didn’t have enough Spirit Stones on him, but he still had Sect Contribution Points.

Combining the two would be just enough to afford the Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

"A wise choice."

After completing the transaction, the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining disciple left the Artifact Pavilion and headed in the direction of the Task Hall.

He had another reason for purchasing this Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

He planned to accept the mission to support the Foundation Establishment Shen Family. From what he understood, there were a significant number of Demons on the Shen Family’s territory right now.

If he could kill Demons at the Eighth and Ninth Layers of Qi Refining with this Upper Grade Magical Artifact, he’d have a chance to recoup his investment.

As the black long sword was officially being sold, Fang Yun himself was on Dan Cloud Peak, in the cave-dwelling of Elder Bai Heyan.

After refining two batches of Spirit Revival Pills, he had gained a much better understanding of the effects of his five-star Alchemy Talent.

’With my current Alchemy experience, combined with the effects of my five-star Alchemy Talent, if I were to refine a new type of pill for late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators, I’m confident I could achieve perfect refinement within thirty batches.’