Lu Family Workshop (Requesting Follows Monthly Tickets Recommendation Tickets)

The next day happened to be Rest Day.

Early in the morning, Zhou Ling got up and began repairing the Fire Pattern Pill Furnace.

He first used [Basic Analysis] to determine the main issue with the Condensing Fire Engraving.

Long-term use had worn down the inscription patterns, rendering the Spirit Ink ineffective.

The repair itself was not difficult.

After redrawing the inscription patterns, Zhou Ling carefully inspected it once more to ensure there were no other problems.

Only then did he wrap the pill furnace in clean linen with a satisfied expression and place it in the Medicine Basket.

After breakfast, he carried the Medicine Basket on his back to Old Man Zhao's stall at the West Main Street Market Street.

Old Man Zhao sat on a low stool, eating fried dough sticks as he called out to customers, occasionally using a slightly yellowed towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

Zhou Ling handed him the repaired pill furnace.

At the sight of it, Old Man Zhao stuffed the remaining half of the fried dough stick straight into his mouth. With puffed cheeks and an excited expression, he said, "Kid Ling, you really repaired this pill furnace?"

Zhou Ling nodded. "Yes."

Old Man Zhao perked up even more, his eyes shining. If the pill furnace had truly been repaired, then aside from paying Zhou Ling's repair fee, he could still make a profit of several Spirit Stones.

One had to know that he only earned a dozen or so Low-grade Spirit Stones a month from running this stall.

To him, this pill furnace was a major deal.

He then wiped his hands with the towel and carefully took the pill furnace from the Medicine Basket with both hands.

He examined it closely, his expression solemn.

Zhou Ling had originally been quite confident, but seeing Old Man Zhao's expression, he could not help feeling a little uneasy. "Is there a problem?"

After watching for a while, Old Man Zhao let out a breath and said with joy written all over his face, "No problem. It really is fixed!"

Only then did Zhou Ling relax. Though [Basic Analysis] had confirmed it many times, this was still his first time repairing a low-grade Magic Artifact.

He did not have all that much confidence in his heart.

Old Man Zhao carefully placed the pill furnace into a sack, then took out ten Low-grade Spirit Stones from the Storage Pouch on his person and handed them to Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling accepted the Spirit Stones with delight and carefully put them into his Spirit Stone Pouch. Then, beaming, he asked, "Uncle Zhao, do you have any more defective low-grade Magic Artifacts like this?"

Zhou Ling had thoroughly tasted the sweetness of it. Repairing this Fire Pattern Pill Furnace had earned him more Spirit Stones than his father and mother made in a month.

And it had been easy, too.

Old Man Zhao shot him a look and could not help laughing. "You think low-grade Magic Artifacts grow like cabbages?"

"I only get to pick up a bargain like this once every year or two."

Thinking it over, Zhou Ling felt that was true.

But when his gaze swept across the items laid out on the burlap covering the stall, they were all ordinary Magic Artifacts, with only a few defective ones among them.

Even after repairs, they would only bring in a dozen or so Broken Spirits.

Zhou Ling was not very interested in that now. The small profit was one thing.

More importantly, it was somewhat of a waste of time, and it would not do much to improve either his Artifact Crafting cultivation or his talent.

After pondering for a moment, Old Man Zhao said, "If you want to earn Spirit Stones, I can give you a recommendation."

Hearing this, Zhou Ling perked up a little and asked, "What connection do you have, Uncle Zhao?"

Old Man Zhao glanced at Zhou Ling and said, "The Inscription Master at the Lu Family Workshop left last month. They're short-handed right now."

"If you can refine engravings, you could go there and give it a try."

"But let's make this clear first—you have to say the old man sent you."

"Only then will the defective goods from their workshop be sold to me first in the future!"

"Where is the Lu Family Workshop?" Zhou Ling asked after thinking for a moment.

Workshops were the primary source of Magic Artifacts.

If he could take orders from a workshop, not only could he earn more, but it would also greatly improve his Artifact Crafting skill.

After all, most of the cultivation at the Dao Academy consisted of Theory Classes, with very little actual Artifact Crafting.

The Dao Academy's Artifact Crafting curriculum also included practical classes, covering tool tempering and inscription pattern drawing.

But since the West Mist Branch Academy had no Earth Fire, he could only attend such practical classes at the North Academy.

It was twenty or thirty li away, and Zhou Ling simply could not go.

Now, if he could take orders from a workshop for practical experience, it would be a good opportunity as well.

"It's on West Cloud Third Street. Once you get there, you'll see the Lu Family Workshop sign."

"Remember to say the old man recommended you!"

Old Man Zhao reminded him again, still worried.

Zhou Ling nodded.

After thanking Old Man Zhao, he left Market Street.

He headed toward West Cloud Street, as Old Man Zhao had told him.

After walking straight along West Main Street for a while, Zhou Ling turned past two intersections.

Upon reaching West Cloud Street, he quickly spotted the Lu Family Workshop at the end of the street, just as Old Man Zhao had described.

It was a simple yet spacious little courtyard.

From within came intermittent bursts of clanging.

A banner sign hung before the workshop, embroidered with the words "Lu Family Workshop." The flag had darkened with age and was stained with soot, clearly bearing the marks of many years.

According to Old Man Zhao, the Lu Family Workshop had been open for around a decade.

The workshop's Artifact Refiner was surnamed Lu. He was a Quenching Master, and his craftsmanship in quenching was quite exceptional.

However, the Inscription Masters he hired were of limited skill.

As a result, the workshop's finished-product rate was low.

That was why they could not afford to hire true Artifact Refiners and could only employ Rogue Cultivator artifact refiners.

When Zhou Ling entered the courtyard, he saw a burly middle-aged man gulping down tea.

Not far away, beside the furnace, several disciples stood bare-chested, swinging heavy hammers as they hammered iron with loud clangs.

"Put your backs into it! You're forging iron, not embroidering flowers!"

Master Lu set down his tea bowl, wiped the tea leaves from his beard, and pointed at the disciples as he shouted.

He was bare-chested, powerfully built, and dark-skinned, yet his eyes shone brightly and his voice boomed.

After berating the disciples, Master Lu bent down, picked up a towel hanging nearby, and wiped away his sweat.

Then he turned and saw a sturdy, handsome child with bright, lively eyes walking in.

His brow furrowed, and he impatiently waved a hand. "Kid, we're not taking apprentices here anymore! Go back, go back!"

Life was hard for Rogue Cultivators, and their children had to learn how to earn a living from a young age.

Once they left the Dao Academy, they could only seek out opportunities to learn a trade.

Thus, almost every day, Rogue Cultivators brought their children to workshops to learn artifact refining.

Seeing Zhou Ling carrying a Medicine Basket and dressed plainly, Master Lu naturally took him for the child of a Rogue Cultivator seeking instruction as well.

Zhou Ling shook his head. "Master Lu, I'm not here to learn artifact refining. Shopkeeper Zhao introduced me here to draw inscription patterns."

"Shopkeeper Zhao?" Master Lu looked at Zhou Ling. "A child like you can draw engravings?"

"Shopkeeper Zhao Yixi."

"I major in artifact refining at the Dao Academy, and I can now draw First-order Low-grade Engravings."

Zhou Ling answered earnestly.

Master Lu was momentarily stunned. His expression softened somewhat. "So Old Man Zhao sent you!"

After a pause, he asked with some doubt, "You can really draw First-order Low-grade Engravings?"

"I know a little," Zhou Ling nodded modestly.

"Knowing a little won't do. The artifacts our workshop produces are varied and complicated, involving quite a few types of engravings."

Master Lu narrowed his eyes as he looked at Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling replied seriously, "If Master Lu doesn't believe me, you can give me an artifact and let me try."