Chapter 21
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Chapter 21: Rune Combinations
Xu Fan quickly tidied up the room and sat down to meditate. While his spiritual energy could recover swiftly, using the spiritual energy hammers to refine metal drained a significant amount of his mental strength.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Xu Fan opened it to find the area supervisor, an elderly man with Foundation Establishment cultivation and a weathered appearance.
"Young man, this is your first time crafting an artifact, isn’t it?"
"Yes, Supervisor. Do you have any advice?" Xu Fan nodded, still puzzled about why the nearly completed artifact had exploded.
"Not bad. From the sound of it, you’ve already reached the final stage of crafting on your first attempt."
"Impressive, impressive."
The supervisor gave Xu Fan a once-over.
"Do you know why I messed up in the final step?" Xu Fan’s eyes lit up, sensing that the supervisor might be willing to offer some guidance.
The supervisor extended his hand and smiled. "I’m a first-tier artifact master. For 10 spirit stones, I’ll answer one question. For 100 spirit stones, I’ll teach you for an hour."
"Your money won’t go to waste—I guarantee it’ll be worth every stone," the supervisor chuckled. This little side hustle of his had nearly earned him enough to buy a house outside Que Tian City.
Xu Fan immediately felt like his intelligence had been insulted.
After handing over 10 spirit stones, the supervisor’s face lit up with a satisfied grin.
"This young man has potential."
"From the sound of it, when you were crafting, you didn’t account for the compatibility between runes. Runes can either repel or attract each other."
"When there’s repulsion between runes, combined with the instability of a newly formed artifact, it’s bound to explode."
The supervisor’s words struck a chord with Xu Fan, and suddenly, the information in the jade slip began to make more sense.
"Actually, this mistake is easy to fix," the supervisor added, just as Xu Fan was starting to figure things out.
"Alright, I think I know how to fix it now. Thanks for the advice, Supervisor," Xu Fan said, determined not to let the man take further advantage of him.
"It seems you’ve got your own ideas. If you have more questions, feel free to come back. I’m always happy to share my knowledge," the supervisor said, a hint of disappointment in his voice as he turned to patrol the area.
After the supervisor left, Xu Fan felt fully refreshed.
"Spirit Control, Armor-Breaking, Solid, Lightweight, Sound Silencing, Spirit Breaking, Heart Printing, Flowing Light, Shaping, Spirit Accumulation, Fire Attachment," Xu Fan muttered as he traced the runes in the air.
Without a physical medium to hold them, the spiritual energy runes lingered for a moment before dissolving into tiny points of light.
"There really is a repelling force between runes. Interesting. Let’s try rearranging them."
Xu Fan spent the next five hours experimenting with different sequences of runes in the air.
"Runes are way more complicated than alchemy," Xu Fan muttered, frowning.
While he managed to find a sequence without repelling forces, something still felt incomplete.
Xu Fan decided to hold off on crafting any more artifacts until he fully understood the rune sequences. He didn’t want to risk further losses—especially with his secret weapon on the line.
As he left the Earth Core Workshop, Xu Fan sighed. "There goes 100 spirit stones."
"No wonder people say artifact crafting is even more expensive than alchemy."
Back at his little hill, Xu Fan dove back into studying the runes.
The next day, Xu Fan headed straight to the Hall of Enlightenment on Artifact Crafting Peak, which was packed with people seeking solutions to their artifact crafting problems.
The main hall was divided into several smaller halls: the Rune Hall, Spirit Control Hall, Spirit Ore Hall, Talent Hall, Formation Hall, and Tempering Hall.
Xu Fan knew that each hall addressed specific issues.
After presenting his token, he entered the Rune Hall.
The hall was filled to capacity, with over a hundred seats occupied by those seeking guidance.
"One question per person, no more than a quarter of an hour each," announced the Outer Sect Elder seated at the front.
"Questions will be taken in the order of seating."
A Foundation Establishment cultivator sitting in the front row quickly asked, "Elder, is it true that the Explosive Flame Rune cannot be combined with the Extreme Ice Rune in a single artifact?"
"You already know the answer, yet you still ask. Do you think I can’t see through your little scheme?" the Elder replied lightly.
"Two things are required: the right material to carry the runes and transitional runes to bridge them. Both come at a great cost."
"Next," the Elder said, moving on.
As the cultivators asked their questions, Xu Fan absorbed the answers, deepening his understanding of runes.
Two hours later, it was finally Xu Fan’s turn.
"Elder, is there a perfect state for the sequence of runes?" Xu Fan asked.
The Outer Sect Elder looked at him intently.
"Young one, state your name."
"I am Xu Fan, an outer Qi Refinement disciple," Xu Fan replied, indicating he was still just an outer disciple, not yet a preparatory disciple of any peak or hall.
"To ask such a question shows you have the potential to go far in artifact crafting," the Elder said with approval.
The Elder then addressed the entire room: "You are all beginners in artifact crafting. After years of practice, you will encounter a limitation—a restriction imposed by the way of heaven."
"The perfection of an artifact depends on three things: the material, the runes, and the formation."
"When these three elements are perfectly integrated, your artifact will attract a thunder calamity, whether it’s a magical artifact, a precious artifact, or a Dao artifact."
"Then, the artifact you crafted will inevitably be destroyed by the way of heaven."
"Legend has it that a perfectly formed artifact can self-evolve, even becoming a celestial tool."
Seeing the eager expressions of the disciples, the Elder continued, "But that’s just a legend. Let’s return to the main point."
"The combination of runes has a degree of compatibility. When your runes reach the most perfect state, congratulations—your artifact will be top-tier among its peers."
"For example, a peak Qi Refinement cultivator wielding such a flying sword could easily defeat an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"Fighting above your level becomes effortless. Of course, crafting such an artifact is incredibly difficult. An artifact master is truly fortunate if they create even one in their lifetime."
"To achieve such runes, timing, location, and harmony are all essential."
After receiving his answers, Xu Fan returned home and began practicing rune etching.
For five days straight, he drew five Spirit Control runes in the air, staring at them in deep thought before repeatedly carving the remaining ten runes.
This intense focus lasted five days, after which Xu Fan finally emerged from his research.
"Knowledge brings me joy," Xu Fan said excitedly. After five days of experimentation, he had discovered a relatively perfect combination of runes.
However, he still couldn’t grasp the perfect state the Elder had described.
With only four days left before the secret realm opened, Xu Fan slept soundly, then gathered his materials and confidently made his way to the Earth Core Workshop.
