Chapter 20
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Chapter 20: Artifact Crafting
"Two bottles of medium-grade speed spirit pills and one bottle of high-quality Body-Refining Pill."
Xu Fan placed three bottles of spirit pills on the trading counter. Completing tasks from time to time in the alliance and seeing the envious looks from others felt quite satisfying.
At that moment, the clerk at the counter handed the corresponding trade items to Xu Fan without checking; in this alliance, no one would dare to cheat in transactions.
After the trade was completed, Xu Fan turned to Pang Fu beside him and said, "Brother, could you help me post a task? I need various rune materials. Natural divine descent runes would be even better, and the price will depend on the value of the runes."
"And make sure to note that runes taught by the Artifact Crafting Peak shouldn’t be included in the trade," Xu Fan added.
"Sure thing, Junior Brother Xu. Let’s head upstairs for some tea and a chat," Pang Fu said with a smile, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Acquiring runes? Could it be that this junior brother was now studying artifact crafting?
In the reception area, Xu Fan glanced at the bustling scene below and praised, "Brother Pang, this is impressive! In such a short time, our alliance has become quite lively."
"It’s all thanks to having talented people like you in our alliance. That’s how I’ve been able to bring our brothers together so quickly," Pang Fu replied.
Though he was a cultivator, he had the air of a businessman.
"What’s next for our alliance? You know our sect isn’t exactly thrilled about this. They haven’t opposed it outright, but they’re not just sitting back and letting us grow either," Xu Fan said, aware of the sect’s mixed feelings.
After spending some time in the outer sect, Xu Fan had been amazed by the sect’s training system.
Outer disciples, even if they were geniuses, had to stay in the outer sect for the entire Qi Training Stage. Even those who had been accepted as disciples by senior sect members had to live in the outer sect, with their entry into the inner sect determined by their performance there.
Que Tian Gate placed great importance on the character and nature of its disciples.
Xu Fan couldn’t shake the feeling that, somewhere in the skies above the outer sect, there were unseen eyes watching over every disciple.
After a moment of thought, Pang Fu said, "If we grow any bigger, I’ll establish a chamber of commerce in the outer sect."
"Forming this alliance was originally a way for me to build connections. In the future, it’ll operate more like a chamber of commerce."
Pang Fu spoke openly; they were all smart people, and being too secretive might come off as disrespectful.
"You’re bound to become a legendary cultivator, someone who’ll make a fortune and leave a mark on the world," Xu Fan praised, recognizing that those who could navigate such platforms with ease were both shrewd and resourceful.
In Xu Fan’s eyes, it was only a matter of time before someone like Pang Fu became famous in the cultivation world.
"Haha, you’re too kind, Junior Brother Xu."
"By the way, Junior Brother Xu, are you studying artifact crafting these days?" Pang Fu asked.
"Yes, why? You’re not trying to convince me to focus on alchemy, are you?" Xu Fan laughed, recalling Wang Yulun’s earlier advice.
"Junior Brother Xu, I’m not here to persuade you. I just want to share a little secret with you."
"Oh? What secret?" Xu Fan asked, intrigued.
"I stumbled upon something about dual cultivation of alchemy and artifact crafting."
"Whether it’s alchemy or artifact crafting, once you reach the pinnacle, a guiding light from this world will lead you to the Immortal Realm."
"But if you practice dual cultivation, you’ll have to give up that guiding light and rely solely on your own cultivation to break through," Pang Fu explained seriously.
"Haha, Brother Pang, you’re thinking way too far ahead for me."
"Still, I appreciate the advice, Brother Pang."
Xu Fan pulled out a bottle of high-quality small spirit pills from his storage bag.
"Consider this a token of thanks for sharing your secret."
"This bottle of high-grade small spirit pill is for news from Senior Brother," Xu Fan said. He believed it was wise to build connections with those who showed potential for the future.
"Thank you, Junior Brother Xu."
Without hesitation, Pang Fu accepted the small spirit pill, and Xu Fan’s eyes briefly showed a glint of approval.
As Pang Fu said his goodbyes, Xu Fan headed towards the Artifact Crafting Peak, determined to create a few magical tools before venturing into the secret realm.
The Artifact Crafting Peak was the hub for artifact crafting within Que Tian Gate. The mountain, a massive volcano, was said to have been enhanced a thousand years ago when the peak master harnessed the earth’s core flames from the polar regions to aid the younger generation in their early artifact crafting endeavors.
After handing over one hundred spirit stones at the Artifact Crafting Peak, Xu Fan was granted a token for a private room in the Earth Core Workshop.
"Wow, did they really hollow out the entire mountain?"
"And the amount of fire spiritual energy here is overwhelming!"
Upon entering the Earth Core Workshop, Xu Fan was greeted by the sight of lava at the center of the hall, controlled by an unseen force, flowing like water to each room.
Following the instructions on the token, Xu Fan located his room and inserted the token into the mechanism, causing the door to swing open.
The room, about 40 square meters, was the most basic available in the Earth Core Workshop, perfectly suited for crafting basic magical tools.
In one corner, a trough carried earth core lava, and a small lava pool was also present. Three fire spirit stones were embedded in the wall, ensuring the room was saturated with fire spiritual energy.
"It must be around 60 degrees in here. Feels like a sauna," Xu Fan remarked, waving his hand to summon a thin layer of frost armor over his body, instantly cooling him down.
"Black iron ore, Qianyun steel, Baohua spider silk, Qianhuo copper, flame wood vine fibers…" Xu Fan laid out all the materials he would need.
"Let’s get started," Xu Fan said, tossing the black iron ore and Qianyun steel into the lava pool to soften them.
Directly summoning spirit fire would consume too much spiritual energy.
After half an hour, Xu Fan quickly retrieved the softened black iron ore and Qianyun steel, using his spiritual energy to float them in the air before gently placing them on the refining platform.
With both hands casting spells, Xu Fan created two hammers made of spiritual energy and began to hammer the spirit ores on the platform.
"This is nothing like I imagined artifact crafting would be," Xu Fan commented as he controlled the hammers, occasionally flipping the metal over.
An hour later, just as the black iron ore and Qianyun steel began to solidify, Xu Fan had refined them to his desired state.
"This really drains the spiritual energy. If it weren’t for my solid foundation, a typical Qi Refinement Fourth Layer cultivator wouldn’t last," Xu Fan noted.
He then controlled the two refined metals to float in the air, quickly consuming a high-grade speed spirit pill to replenish his spiritual energy.
‘Shaping Technique’
The metals began to transform in mid-air. The Qianyun steel took the shape of a standard longsword, while the black iron melted into a liquid that coated the sword, resulting in a sleek, black longsword.
Now serious, Xu Fan focused on integrating the runes into the magical tool.
Using his finger as a pen, Xu Fan carved runes into the tool.
‘Spirit Control, Armor-Breaking, Solid, Lightweight, Sound Silencing, Spirit Breaking.’
Just as he was about to integrate the sixth rune,
‘Bang!’
An explosion of spiritual energy obliterated the nearly completed magical tool.
‘Earth Spirit Shield’
‘Water Spirit Shield’
Instantly, Xu Fan enveloped himself in two layers of protective shields as the explosion occurred.
Surveying the wreckage, Xu Fan felt a pang of despair.
"Over 400 spirit stones’ worth of materials, gone just like that?"
