Guesswork

Lu Wanshan immediately took the refined Magic Sword in his hand and infused it with spiritual power. The Magic Sword, originally only the size of his palm, instantly expanded to its normal size, about one meter twenty or thirty centimeters long. Its sharp blade emerged, shining with a keen sword-light.

The Magic Sword seemed to light up in an instant. Silver-white spiritual power, visible to the naked eye, flowed along its Magic Pattern like a bright white serpent. It was a beautiful sight!

Then the entire sword was covered in dazzling light, and waves of chill emanated from it!

The power of heaven and earth around him seemed to stir faintly, making its might even more terrifying!

He looked at the result, just as he had expected, and couldn't help sighing.

The main reason was that he could only inscribe one Magic Pattern on the sword for now, and its power wasn't entirely satisfactory. If he could inscribe three Magic Patterns, its might would surely surpass what it was now.

Then he could truly claim the title of Artifact Refiner. Even if he could only refine Low-grade Magic Tools, he would still be an Artifact Refiner.

But for now, he could only inscribe one Magic Pattern. Whenever he inscribed more, the patterns would always clash with one another, and he still couldn't figure out why.

That was what made him sigh. Every Artifact Refiner longed to master more Magic Patterns.

At present, he was only a novice Artifact Refiner, and he still lacked confidence.

Still, he believed in himself. If he had just a little more time, he would surely be able to fully establish himself as a Low-grade Magic Tool Artifact Refiner.

It was obvious that the more Magic Patterns inscribed on a Magic Sword, the more powerful it became. In particular, it could draw upon more of the power of heaven and earth around it, making its effects more pronounced and its destructive power even greater.

That was why so many Artifact Refiners were so determined to inscribe more Magic Patterns on their swords.

However, inscribing multiple Magic Patterns on a sword could cause all sorts of problems.

After all, each Magic Pattern had a different effect. Some amplified power, some provided support, and some favored the wind element or the water element, among other things.

That could lead to conflicts. If they couldn't be made to work together, the Magic Sword would explode, destroying the entire weapon.

That was also why Artifact Refiners had to be exceptionally careful when inscribing Magic Patterns.

Before inscribing them, they had to determine which Magic Patterns to use and how their effects would interact.

The best result was for multiple Magic Patterns to achieve an effect where one plus one was greater than two. At the very least, the patterns had to avoid interfering with one another or causing the sword to break.

Therefore, before inscribing Magic Patterns, an Artifact Refiner needed to understand the attributes that suited both the person refining the sword and the person who would use it, as well as the user's habits.

Only after learning these basic details could the Artifact Refiner choose from the Magic Patterns he had mastered and craft a sword that suited its owner perfectly.

That was why so many cultivators were keen on having personalized Magic Swords made.

At present, Lu Wanshan had only mastered the inscription of some basic Magic Patterns. He would have to gradually learn the many others over the course of his Artifact Refining career.

After all, mastering those Magic Patterns wasn't something that could be done overnight.

Of course, mastering as many Magic Patterns as possible was the ultimate goal that every Artifact Refiner pursued.

However, to master more Magic Patterns or carve Spirit Patterns, one's Cultivation Realm had to improve. Otherwise, without sufficient strength or spiritual power, some patterns simply couldn't be inscribed.

That was especially true of the more complex, higher-level Magic Patterns!

When carving them, he had to control every aspect—the lines, the amount of force, the Artifact Embryo's ability to withstand the process, and more—to produce a perfect Magic Pattern.

Each step required repeated, relentless practice. That was why people said that the Hundred Arts were honed through endless practice. The investment was simply too great for ordinary people to bear.

Still, Lu Wanshan was young, and he would surely have a chance to climb higher peaks in the future.

After all, his starting point was already different from that of the other independent cultivators. He was now the head of an Artifact Refining Workshop!

The other independent cultivators were probably still fretting over where their next meal would come from.

That was the advantage of having a family. Its members helped one another and stood united, huddling together for warmth. That was how a family could grow bigger and bigger, like a snowball rolling downhill!

Lu Wanshan tossed the Magic Sword in his hand into the air. His lips moved as he muttered continuously, and he formed a hand seal.

The Magic Sword in the air grew larger and larger, until it was three zhang long and three chi wide. It shone dazzlingly!

Then he swung his hand with all his might. The giant sword plunged toward the courtyard, like an arrow loosed from its string!

A thunderous boom rang out!

The ground seemed to tremble, and a cloud of dust suddenly billowed up as dirt and stones scattered everywhere!

A huge crater had appeared in the courtyard before him, with wisps of heat rising from around its edges.

The massive Magic Sword had plunged deep into the crater.

Seeing the result, Lu Wanshan couldn't help nodding in satisfaction. The Giant Strength Magic Pattern certainly lived up to its name.

With a single strike like that, his opponent would have to struggle to resist. Otherwise, he would be felled by the sword!

Then he recalled the Magic Sword from the ground.

He immediately began refining the next Magic Sword. After all, if he wanted to open an Artifact Workshop, he needed to have some products on the shelves. Otherwise, people would laugh him out of town.

After that, he embarked on his great Artifact Refining venture...

Meanwhile, after Lu Wanyuan had finished handling the affairs of the Artifact Refining Workshop, he immediately hurried home without stopping.

Just now, in the tattered Second-order Artifact Refining Inheritance provided by Shopkeeper Liu, he had discovered that it contained many Spirit Pattern diagrams.

This was an unexpected delight. Of course, he had also valued the supply and sales channels. When he entered the courtyard, he had seen that many people had surely inspected the workshop, yet no deal had been struck after all this time. Especially after the other party came out, he had more or less guessed his thoughts and intentions.

That was why he had offered the other party what he wanted. After all, the man had waited so long for precisely this. Of course, Lu Wanyuan wasn't going to give it to him so easily, so he had asked for the man's business connections in return. Having those connections meant having a way in. Whether or not he succeeded, having that route was far better than starting from scratch.

Besides, as long as the products were of good quality, he would surely be able to maintain those connections.

Naturally, the matter of product quality was another story altogether.

He had also asked for the man's inheritance and experience. The man was already so old and clearly had no intention of continuing to cultivate. He merely wanted to return to the mortal world and enjoy himself, which wouldn't affect Lu Wanyuan.

He had also explained the pros and cons to him. Unless the man was a fool, he would surely agree to the proposal.

And events had unfolded just as Lu Wanyuan had expected.

Now the Lu Family had a First-order Artifact Refining Inheritance, along with the Second-order Artifact Refining Inheritance he had just acquired. The Lu Family had only just begun laying the groundwork for Artifact Refining, but given the current situation, it could manage. As long as they fully mastered both inheritances, the Lu Family would finally begin earning a proper income.

At the thought, he couldn't wait to get home and share the good news with everyone.

Of course, he had another thought as well. Since these Magic Patterns were all Forbidden Seal diagrams, didn't that make them the legendary Formation Crafting?

If so, were these Magic Patterns ultimately rooted in Formations? If that was the case, then the Lu Family would surely need to cultivate a Formation Master among its descendants.

Only then could the Lu Family achieve a position of unrivaled dominance in Artifact Refining, because having a Formation Master meant being able to innovate and create new Magic Patterns and Spirit Patterns.

After all, the original Magic Patterns and Spirit Patterns had probably been created by Formation Masters before being passed down through the generations!

If they wanted to build a powerful family, they had to plan well in advance. That was the only way for a family to pass down its legacy for generations, rather than waiting until they needed talent before thinking of cultivating it.

A family that thought that way would surely not last long.

That was also why Lu Wanyuan and the others had assigned each of the brothers and sisters a specific Hundred Arts skill to take responsibility for so early on.