Artifact Refining

In a valley several hundred li outside Dingzhou City.

The valley was an isolated dead end, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Its cliffs were steep, and there were no mountain paths that could reach the bottom.

On top of that, the woods were dense and weeds grew everywhere. Even looking down from above, it was hard to make out the scene below.

Beneath a huge, steeply slanted rock, a translucent halo rippled like water, accompanied by wisps of radiance resembling white mist.

He had killed quite a few people this time, so Gao Yunyi needed longer to enter Meditative Samadhi.

Once he sat down, a full two days passed.

Cultivating in the mountains, one lost track of the years. Gao Yunyi found that his own sense of time seemed to have grown somewhat hazy.

The time had come.

It was time to make equipment.

He slowly opened his eyes, and the halo and radiance around him vanished in an instant.

With a casual wave of Gao Yunyi's hand, a large bath barrel and an incense burner appeared out of thin air in the wilderness.

Warm steam rose from the barrel, and three unlit sticks of Sandalwood Incense stood in the burner.

Gao Yunyi had ordered them prepared before leaving Heyang County, then put them straight into his inventory.

He hadn't expected the water in the barrel to still be steaming hot, just as it had been, after so many days.

It seemed that items stored in the inventory were frozen in time and wouldn't change at all as time passed.

All right.

Let's begin.

Bathe and burn incense, then get to work.

The valley was well hidden, and the scenery was nice too.

With the Crane King patrolling overhead at all times, he didn't have to worry about exposing himself, either.

Still, stripping naked for a bath in the wilderness in broad daylight was like a maiden riding in a bridal sedan for Gao Yunyi—it was his very first time.

The thought made him a little embarrassed.

But a true man didn't concern himself with trifles.

To make top-grade equipment, what did it matter if he bared his chest, or took his bird out for a walk in the sun?

If he made such a huge sacrifice and still couldn't produce good equipment, Gao Yunyi would really be emo.

"Ah... comfortable..."

Gao Yunyi lay in the bath barrel, feeling the warmth of the hot water soaking his body. He looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and at the flowers, grass, and trees. With the peaceful, secluded surroundings on top of that, he instantly felt as though his whole being had been elevated.

He hadn't expected an open-air bath to feel this wonderful. It seemed he needed to try it more often in the future.

After putting on his ordinary azure clothes and lighting the three sticks of Sandalwood Incense and placing them in the burner, Gao Yunyi bowed respectfully to heaven and earth.

"Majestic heaven and mother earth, bless me. This time, let me hit the jackpot in one try."

Whether Gao Yunyi's respectful and devout attitude had moved the heavens, he didn't know, but white clouds suddenly rolled backward across the sky that should have been clear and fair, and a strong wind howled through the valley.

Azure Mystic Sword Blueprint, click to learn.

Then put the required materials into the material slots one by one.

Finally...

Craft.

Dazzling light bloomed in the valley, instantly dyeing the entire valley azure.

A longsword slowly took shape within the azure light.

Gao Yunyi stared fixedly at the longsword within the azure light, his heart almost in his throat.

An excited heart, trembling hands.

Please let me hit the jackpot in one try.

Hum—

A hum suddenly sounded in his ears. It was a sign that something good had dropped—the equipment would be green quality at worst.

Gao Yunyi's eyes lit up at once.

The azure light faded completely, and a blue longsword lay quietly in his inventory.

Gao Yunyi nearly jumped for joy.

Blue quality. It was actually blue quality.

He opened the longsword's stats, and a burst of wild laughter rang from Gao Yunyi's mouth throughout the valley.

"Hahaha..."

[Azure Mystic Sword]

[Quality: exquisite.]

[Attack: 48.]

[Accuracy: 3]

[Special skill: Sword Shadow: after a normal attack, there is a 20% chance to unleash an additional Sword Qi attack, striking a random target nearby.]

[Level: 10.]

[Sect: Azure Profound Sect.]

[Creator: Gao Yunyi.]

He took out the Azure Mystic Sword and held it in his hand. The cold white longsword gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

The Azure Mystic Sword had a slender blade, with no intricate inscriptions or superfluous decorations anywhere on it, yet it radiated a cold, piercing gleam.

One look was enough to tell it was a peerless sword that could slice a falling hair and cut through iron like mud.

Swish, swish, swish...

Streaks of white Sword Qi crisscrossed the valley, and the surrounding flowers, grass, trees, and rocks were all reduced to powder by the chillingly sharp Sword Qi.

Gao Yunyi was like a child who had received a long-awaited new toy. The moment he got his hands on it, he could barely contain his excitement and immediately began playing with it.

"Although a 20% chance doesn't look high, when I actually tested it, the chance of triggering it wasn't low at all."

After venting the wild joy in his heart, Gao Yunyi looked at the Azure Mystic Sword in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it, treating it like a treasure.

But it wasn't time to celebrate yet. He still had things to finish.

After wiping out the Canglang Gang, he had obtained not only the Azure Mystic Sword Blueprint but also blueprints for making hats and shoes.

One could say that, aside from special equipment such as necklaces, rings, and accessories, he had gathered a complete set of equipment for his whole body.

He didn't know whether Gao Yunyi's luck had run out, but he used up all the materials in his inventory.

Every piece of equipment he made afterward was Common.

Looking at the five pieces of white-quality equipment—hats and shoes—lying in his inventory, Gao Yunyi's excited heart instantly cooled.

Forget it, forget it. Being able to make one piece of top-grade equipment was already a stroke of great fortune. I can't be too greedy.

Now that he had finished making all the equipment, it was time for the most nerve-racking and exciting part.

Artifact Refining.

Simply put, Artifact Refining meant enhancing equipment.

In the game Immortal Journey, equipment could be enhanced, and the material used to enhance it was the Artifact Refining Stone.

After he completed Xiao Ya's quest, the game system had rewarded him with three Artifact Refining Stones.

Gao Yunyi had originally planned to save them until he obtained top-grade equipment.

But he hadn't expected happiness to arrive so quickly. His very first piece of equipment had come out blue quality, and it was the weapon he wanted most.

What was I saving them for, then? Enhance it!

Artifact Refining had a chance of failure. Although the game's developers hadn't given a detailed explanation, the experts in the game had already worked out the approximate rates.

The success rate for +1 was 90%, +2 was 85%, +3 was 75%, and +4 was 65%.

But +5 was a watershed, with only 40%.

+6 was 35%, +7 was 25%, +8 was 15%, and +9 was 5%.

+10 was a mere 1%.

Game equipment could only be enhanced to a maximum of +11, and +11 had a daunting 0.5% chance.

Countless wealthy big shots had spent fortunes trying to reach +11, only to end up with their chickens flown and their eggs broken, utterly defeated.

Of course, to address the low enhancement odds, the game store sold items that increased the chance of success.

But those things were expensive. Ordinary players might grit their teeth and buy a few, but they couldn't compare with the inhumanly extravagant whales, who used store items all the way and powered straight through.

Gao Yunyi had it even worse. He wanted to spend money on items, but the game system wouldn't give him the chance.

Open the damn game store for me already!