A Busy Life (Please Follow)

After taking a deep breath and suppressing the chaos in his heart, he returned to the cave, sat cross-legged on the ground, and took out the tome named "Lingxiao Refining Treasure Tome" from the Storage Bag in his hand.

Besides recording the Lingxiao Vessel Fusion Method for First Rank Low Grade artifacts, fire control, refining techniques, introductions to several hundred kinds of refining spiritual materials, several refining spirit inscriptions, and the insights of the clan's Weapon Refiners throughout the generations, this Refining Treasure Tome also contained the refining diagrams for three artifacts: the Azure Bamboo Sword, Light Body Daoist Robe, and Round Iron Shield.

The most crucial contents of this tome were the spirit inscriptions and the Lingxiao Vessel Fusion Method. They were the key to a Weapon Refiner advancing in rank.

Fire control, refining techniques, and the like were all secondary. Without spirit inscriptions and vessel fusion methods, one could not even refine an artifact.

Ling Pengyun spent some time committing the Lingxiao Vessel Fusion Method and the method for inscribing the Sharpness Spirit Inscription to memory, then closed his eyes and began to study them.

After studying for nearly an hour, he stopped.

"Judging from my progress after studying the vessel fusion method and the method for inscribing the Sharpness Spirit Inscription for half an hour each, I should have no problem grasping both methods within half a year," Ling Pengyun said joyfully.

He had never expected his comprehension to be this powerful.

The Sharpness Spirit Inscription and vessel fusion method were matters that determined whether one could refine artifacts. Once he gained an initial understanding of them, Ling Pengyun could actually be considered a refining apprentice. Once he became proficient in the essentials of artifact refinement, such as fire control and techniques, and successfully refined an artifact, he would become a true refining apprentice.

As for becoming a Weapon Refiner, one needed to raise one's success rate in refining a certain artifact to above thirty percent before one could be called a Weapon Refiner.

Under normal circumstances, one could only earn spirit stones once one's refining success rate reached thirty percent. If one could not even earn spirit stones, how could one be respectfully called a "Weapon Refiner"?

At the same time, Ling Pengyun inwardly marveled at the transformative power of the Yin Yang Primordial Qi.

I may very well achieve something on the path of artifact refinement in the future.

If so, I truly must go all out and enter the path of artifact refinement as quickly as possible. That way, I can earn spirit stones through refining sooner, feed them back into my cultivation, and benefit the clan as well.

In half a year, Third Grandfather will officially come here to teach me how to refine artifacts. During this time, I should make good use of the Refining Furnace and thousand catties of Mortal Iron in the Storage Bag to try refining some relatively simple mundane iron tools, so I can prepare for refining artifacts half a year from now.

As for refining spirit inscriptions, I must keep pace with my study of the vessel fusion method.

Refining spirit inscriptions were inscriptions that enhanced artifacts. Ling Pengyun's Black Iron Sword, for example, had the "Sharpness" and "Swiftness" spirit inscriptions added to it.

The "Lingxiao Refining Treasure Tome" in Ling Pengyun's hands recorded a total of three refining spirit inscriptions: Sharpness, Sturdiness, and Light Body. They corresponded respectively to the Azure Bamboo Sword, Round Iron Shield, and Light Body Daoist Robe.

Now that he had a plan, he did not delay further. He picked up the Storage Bag Ling Yunhong had given him at his side and summoned all the items within onto the ground.

In an instant, there was a small mountain of Mortal Iron, fifty catties of Kindling Wood, a black Refining Furnace over a zhang long with patterns of various spirit rice engraved across its surface, and ten Image Recording Discs, each bearing a red label.

Ling Pengyun did not pay much attention to the thousand catties of Mortal Iron. No matter how much Mortal Iron there was, it was ultimately mundane material with extremely little value. To cultivators, it was merely something for those newly entering the path of artifact refinement to practice with.

Only the latter three were worthy of Ling Pengyun's attention.

Kindling Wood was the source of flame used by cultivators when refining pills, artifacts, and the like. This wood was not only easy to ignite, but also exceptionally long-burning.

So long as a spark was placed atop the Kindling Wood, it would swiftly swell into blazing flames, assisting cultivators in refining pills or artifacts.

The words "Black Flame" were engraved on the lid of the black Refining Furnace, while the red labels affixed to the ten Image Recording Discs respectively read, "Mundane Hoe, Mundane Kitchen Knife, Mundane Sickle... Azure Bamboo Sword, Light Body Daoist Robe, Round Iron Shield."

"These words 'Black Flame' should be the name of this Refining Furnace, while the names written on the labels attached to the Image Recording Discs should be the contents recorded within them," Ling Pengyun guessed.

He injected spiritual power into each of the ten Image Recording Discs and gave them a rough viewing. Just as he had thought, the Image Recording Disc labeled "Mundane Hoe" showed the scene of refining a hoe.

The method used to refine this mundane hoe likewise used Kindling Wood as the fire source and employed the techniques of artifact refinement. The refiner was none other than Ling Yunhong.

"Thinking back to what Third Grandfather said earlier, these ten Image Recording Discs were all recorded during the five days before he came here. Third Grandfather must have been certain that I would agree to become one of the clan's refining prospects, which was why he prepared all this in advance."

"But Third Grandfather is truly generous. He actually used Image Recording Discs worth ten spirit stones each to record the refinement of mundane iron tools."

An Image Recording Disc was a spiritual item used for recording images, made from image-recording stone. On the market, a blank Image Recording Disc was worth ten spirit stones. If one wished to record images, one only needed to inject spiritual power into it, and it would record what it saw. When one wished to watch it, one merely had to inject spiritual power again, and images would appear across the disc's surface.

After roughly examining the items in the Storage Bag Ling Yunhong had given him, Ling Pengyun began refining the Refining Furnace.

It was not until nightfall that he stopped. He rose and went outside the cave to absorb Moonlight Power.

After he finished absorbing it, he watched for a while the recordings of refining farming tools such as the "Mundane Hoe" and "Mundane Kitchen Knife," as well as the artifact-refining insights of the Ling Clan's Weapon Refiners throughout the generations recorded in the "Lingxiao Refining Treasure Tome," before closing his eyes again.

This time, however, he was not continuing to refine the Refining Furnace. He was cultivating.

Ling Pengyun had long since made a plan for his daily routine.

Half an hour each day to absorb First Sun Power at dawn.

Half an hour to cast Spirit Rain and water the six mu of spirit plants atop the mountain.

One hour to study sword formations.

One hour to study the Lingxiao Ripening Technique.

One hour to study spells.

One hour to nourish the Thorn Vine's growth.

Half an hour to study the Lingxiao Vessel Fusion Method.

Half an hour to study refining spirit inscriptions.

Half an hour to watch the images recorded on the ten Image Recording Discs.

Half an hour to absorb Moonlight Power at night.

Two hours to refine the Refining Furnace.

The final three hours would all be used for cultivation, until dawn the next day.

The time needed to cast the "Lingxiao Ripening Technique" on the spirit plants once every three days would be squeezed out of his cultivation time.

His schedule was packed to the brim.

Yet Ling Pengyun was perfectly content with such a tight schedule. There were always people in this world who enjoyed being busy, and Ling Pengyun was clearly one of them.

On the tenth day of refining the Black Flame Refining Furnace, he finally branded it with his divine sense.

To unleash one hundred percent of an artifact's power, a cultivator needed to refine it. Without refinement, at most seventy percent of the artifact's power could be unleashed.

"Now that I have finished refining this Black Flame Refining Furnace, the time I had originally allotted each day to refining the furnace should be changed to refining mundane farming tools."

With the Refining Furnace refined, Ling Pengyun naturally began his great undertaking of artifact refinement—using the methods of refining artifacts to refine mundane farming tools.

He first reviewed the method for refining the mundane hoe, which he was relatively familiar with from the recordings.

Only then did he take several pieces of arm-thick, arm-long Kindling Wood from his Storage Bag and place them several zhang in front of him. He used spiritual power to conjure a spark and ignite them.

Following the fire-control method recorded in the tome, Ling Pengyun awkwardly extended his divine sense into the flames burning atop the Kindling Wood, controlling the fire at a relatively steady intensity.

Afterward, he used spiritual power to place the Black Flame Refining Furnace, which he had just finished refining, above the burning Kindling Wood. The furnace hung suspended over the flames as they scorched its bottom and heated it.

Once the temperature inside the Refining Furnace reached a certain level, Ling Pengyun used the Object Manipulation Technique to open its lid. He then took a suitably sized piece of Mortal Iron from the pile deep within the cave, tossed it into the furnace, covered the lid once more, and used the high heat to melt the Mortal Iron into molten iron.

Inside the enormous Refining Furnace, he shaped the scorching molten iron into the form of a hoe.

Since he had yet to fully comprehend the vessel fusion method, Ling Pengyun followed the recorded image left by Ling Yunhong. He first summoned the hoe, which was still nothing more than molten iron, out of the Refining Furnace, used only the power of his divine sense to condense it into shape, then summoned a mass of clear water to cool it.

When the cold water touched the molten iron, it let out a sharp "Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle."

At the same time, a cloud of mist and a strange smell rose up.

Once the molten-iron hoe had cooled, it had taken shape.

Because it had been refined using the methods of artifact refinement, the blade of the hoe had actually already been sharpened. It would be more than capable of breaking new farmland.

Ling Pengyun looked at the hoe he had refined, still carrying residual warmth, his face brimming with delight.

"In the eyes of mortals, this hoe should count as sturdy. It barely meets the standard. So long as I fit it with a handle, it should last for quite a few years."

"Once I refine the nearly thousand catties of Mortal Iron remaining in this cave into farming tools, I can replenish the supplies of the villagers in Azure Stone Village."

Afterward, Ling Pengyun refined several kitchen knives, sickles, and other farming tools in succession, using them to familiarize himself for the formal refinement of artifacts half a year later.

Thanks to Yishouzhenai for the monthly vote.