Chapter 83
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Chapter 83: My Master Said: Women Only Affect My Spellcasting Speed
Xu Fan and Sha Diao quietly trailed behind the group of master craftsmen. They halted at a clearing, a spot reserved for the setup of the Giant Cannon.
“Brother Sha, how powerful is this Giant Cannon going to be?” Xu Fan seized the moment to whisper to Sha Diao as the master craftsmen debated the crafting division of labor.
“Its power? Slightly more potent than the secondary cannons on our battleship,” Sha Diao responded. “With their numbers, they can seriously wound a Great Ascension stage beast king.”
Hearing this, Xu Fan felt a bit underwhelmed.
“Junior Brother Xu, don’t underestimate this Giant Cannon just because you’ve seen the battleship’s main cannon before,” Sha Diao reassured him. “You know the Heavenly Refining Sect on the central continent is the top sect for artifact crafting in the entire cultivation world. For the Giant Cannon to surpass the battleship’s secondary cannons is quite impressive.”
“Got it, Brother Sha, I understand,” Xu Fan nodded.
At that moment, the three master craftsmen and six top-tier artifact masters began to inscribe runes on pre-processed semi-finished products. Various fire spirits appeared instantly.
Xu Fan’s understanding of artifact crafting mirrored his views on modern industry, with the key difference being that modern industry focuses on the collective, while the cultivation world emphasizes the individual or small groups. The quality of a treasure should be assessed holistically, not just by the material’s grade. The refinement level of the spirit ore, the compatibility with the rune formations, and the precision of the runes matching the spirit ore’s attributes were all crucial.
In terms of rune carvings, these master craftsmen were akin to high-precision photolithography machines. The peak-level artifact masters were like 7nm machines, while the three master craftsmen were equivalent to 5nm machines. Currently, Xu Fan’s theoretical level was 5nm, but his hardware was only at the 10nm level.
As the master craftsmen began inscribing runes, the junior artifact masters around them entered a state of awe, as if witnessing the creation of a new world. Xu Fan, however, focused on the precision of the runes being engraved by the three master craftsmen.
“Truly deserving of the title of master; the sequence and precision of these runes are over ninety-eight percent compatible with these semi-finished products,” Xu Fan marveled. To reach this level, he would need to at least be at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Diving deeper into his observation, Xu Fan entered a state of enlightenment. Upon awakening, the first Giant Cannon was completed. Xu Fan gazed at the magnificent cannon, feeling a sense of wonder. In terms of civilization, some aspects of the cultivation world rivaled the modern world.
“Junior Brother Xu, this Giant Cannon is now anchored in the void. Any great beast attempting to destroy it would first need to break through the spatial barrier,” Sha Diao explained, highlighting one of the cannon’s remarkable features: its ability to retreat into dimensional space.
“Is its recoil also released into the void?” Xu Fan inquired.
“Ah, you mean the force dispersion? Yes, it’s released into the void. Otherwise, no material could withstand such immense force,” Sha Diao replied.
Xu Fan nodded, realizing the master craftsman’s method for handling force dispersion was more advanced than he had imagined.
“Are you joining me for the next session, Junior Brother?” Sha Diao asked, noticing Xu Fan’s waning interest.
“Brother Sha, you go ahead. I’ve gained some insights from earlier and need to contemplate them,” Xu Fan said, his exceptional talent allowing him to learn from a single viewing.
“Alright, Junior Brother Xu, you go and reflect. I’ll watch the next session and inform you if anything unusual happens,” Sha Diao said, a hint of envy in his voice as he had only gleaned superficial knowledge from the earlier observation.
Talent varies, much like the difference between top students and those who struggle in class.
Top students hear "1+1=2" and nod, thinking it’s simple.
Meanwhile, struggling students hear something like "￥%*）…&…%￥%#￥/."
Struggling student: “???”
Xu Fan quickly piloted the Spiritual Wind Boat back to his workstation. He found it more enjoyable to hang out with a few theoretical artifact great masters than to watch big shots craft a giant cannon.
As soon as he entered the room, Xu Fan overheard the three masters engaged in a heated discussion.
After listening for a while, he almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Following Xu Fan’s previous suggestion, the three masters had elevated their theoretical discussions to the level of celestial tools.
“Seniors, come over here! Let me share my idea for the Mountain Suppressing Seal, a celestial tool,” Xu Fan said with a smile as he joined the conversation.
And so, a month of joyful time passed by.
One day, Xu Fan received a message on his communication artifact, informing him that his time as an artifact master at Camp No. 5 had come to an end. He could return to Que Tian Gate immediately or wait five months to catch a ride back on the sect’s battleship.
“Seriously? No return trip arranged? How am I supposed to get back?”
While it only took three days for a battleship to travel from Que Tian Gate to this place, Xu Fan’s own speed would make the journey take three months, even with the help of a teleportation formation, it would still take over a month.
The distance to Que Tian Gate was more than a million miles.
With his term over, Xu Fan found himself in a state of freedom. Meanwhile, the Forbidden Ground Defense Line had transformed into a thriving hub for cultivators.
The 3,000-mile-long Forbidden Ground Defense Line was now home to sixty fairy cities, with no fewer than ten million cultivators. Large trading guilds had swooped in and claimed the vast market within just five days, leaving the smaller businesses to fight over the scraps.
Xu Fan strolled through the bustling streets, where crowds flowed like rivers, and the sky was dotted with all kinds of shops. Even some shady sects had set up small pink buildings here.
In front of these pink buildings stood several fair-skinned beauties, calling out to passersby.
“Sir, care to join me for a cup of tea?”
“Sir, I’ve got a treasure here you might want to see.”
“I’ve hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. Could you offer me some guidance?”
The sweet, enticing voices slowed Xu Fan’s steps. He was mostly curious to see if any naive little practitioners might get lured inside.
Just then, he heard a familiar voice.
“Back off! My master told me that women only slow down my spellcasting.”
“Leave me alone! If you keep bothering me, I won’t hold back!” The voice was firm, not joking in the slightest.
Recognizing his disciple’s voice, Xu Fan immediately vanished from the crowded street, determined to teach him a lesson on how to interact with female cultivators when they got back.
That evening, the three people—master and disciples—sat down for dinner. Xu Fan noticed his disciple, Xu Gang, was covered in injuries. “What happened to you?”
“A female cultivator tried to drag me into one of those pink buildings,” Xu Gang explained.
“What’s so great about being surrounded by women? So I resisted.”
“But then, I must’ve said something that pissed them off, and they threw me into an arena.”
“In the arena, I fought 48 female cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage and didn’t lose a single match. I didn’t let you down, Master,” Xu Gang said with a hint of pride.
The next day, rumors spread through Camp No. 5 about a strange male cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage who had a peculiar habit of beating women.
