Refining Artifacts!

Strictly speaking, Zhang Chen was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. No matter how profound his Spiritual Power was, at most he could wield Top-grade Magic Artifacts.

Trying to activate a true magic treasure would be like a child swinging a sledgehammer.

Not only would he fail to hurt anyone, he'd crush himself first.

But the Heaven Shaking Seal was different.

It was a growth-type magic treasure, and at present it was in the embryonic state of a Tier 2 Top-Grade item.

That meant its grade was right at the limit Zhang Chen could barely control.

It had the indestructible material and unpredictable abilities of a magic treasure,

yet didn't require the terrifying amount of Spiritual Power needed at the Golden Core Stage.

"Offense and defense in one, and it can advance as my cultivation improves. This is practically a cheat tailor-made for me."

Zhang Chen couldn't bear to put the seal down. A wisp of Purple Gold Spiritual Energy flowed from his palm.

The seal immediately gave a deep, muffled hum, and a weighty pressure, as heavy as a mountain, flashed through the study.

Several ancient books tumbled from the shelves.

After putting away the Heaven Shaking Seal, Zhang Chen took a deep breath, then turned his gaze to the golden card—[Tier 2 Top-Grade Skill Inheritance Card: Art of Artifact Refining].

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools."

"The Wang Family is still sharpening its knives. I should prepare a few surprises for the Zhang Family's cultivators, too."

With a thought, Zhang Chen lightly tapped the card with his finger.

"Use."

Buzz—

The card turned into a golden streak of light and instantly shot into his brow.

At that moment, Zhang Chen felt as if a whole library had been forcibly stuffed into his mind.

Countless details about the grain of ores, the temperature of flames, the carving of magic patterns, the proportions for blending materials... an ocean of information...

crashed madly against his Sea of Consciousness.

"Hiss..."

Zhang Chen furrowed his brow and pressed hard against his temples. The swelling pain, as if his head were about to split, made him suck in a sharp breath.

But he gritted his teeth and endured, relying on the extraordinary soul power he'd gained after achieving Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

Bit by bit, he sorted through and absorbed the vast flood of memories.

A quarter of an hour later.

Zhang Chen slowly opened his eyes, the exhaustion in them vanishing in a flash.

He lowered his gaze to his hands, as though they had already forged divine weapons thousands of times over.

The Art of Artifact Refining, once obscure and difficult for him to understand, now seemed as simple and straightforward as eating or drinking.

He only had to glance at the inkstone on the table,

and seven or eight ways to reforge it into a Magic Artifact immediately sprang to mind.

"Is this the foundation of a Tier 2 Top-Grade artifact refiner? The system really does deliver."

Zhang Chen's lips curled into a faint smile, but he didn't rush to get started.

Artifact refining didn't depend on knowledge alone. It also demanded precise control of flames and delicacy of Spiritual Sense.

Especially when refining Top-grade Magic Artifacts: one had to carve several layers of formations into a space no bigger than a few inches.

The slightest fluctuation in one's Spiritual Sense could ruin everything—or even blow up the furnace.

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutter."

Zhang Chen took a Jade Slip from his robe and pressed it to his forehead.

It contained a secret art devoted to cultivating Spiritual Sense—the God Shaking Technique.

This technique was extraordinarily domineering. It could temper Spiritual Sense until it was as tough as steel; at a deeper level, it could even turn Spiritual Sense directly into a sharp blade, ignoring the body's defenses and striking an enemy's soul directly.

In this Cultivation World, where people generally cultivated Spiritual Power but neglected Spiritual Sense,

this was nothing short of a devastating weapon, a blow from a higher dimension.

Of course, the process of cultivating this technique was just as its name suggested: it shook the mind and was agonizing beyond words.

Zhang Chen sat cross-legged and began to guide his Spiritual Sense according to the method in the Jade Slip.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, he imagined an invisible sledgehammer and brought it crashing down on his soul.

"Hmph!"

When the first blow landed, Zhang Chen's body jerked violently, and his face went deathly pale.

It felt as if someone had plunged a red-hot steel needle into his brain,

then twisted it around twice.

The pain struck his soul directly. He couldn't block it or escape it.

But he didn't make a sound. The veins on his forehead bulged, and sweat poured down his face.

Every strike stripped impurities from his soul, making his Spiritual Sense more condensed and pure.

For the Zhang Family, for his wife and children, what was a little pain worth?

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

For those two weeks, the door to the Side Courtyard remained shut. Aside from Lin Qingxue, who occasionally came inside,

no one dared disturb him.

One morning, the door that had been closed for so long finally opened.

Zhang Chen stepped out. His face was a little pale, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator dared meet his gaze,

their eyes would probably start to sting at once, as if they'd fallen into an abyss.

The God Shaking Technique had reached the entry level!

Though he had only just begun, Zhang Chen's Spiritual Sense was now so condensed and powerful that it rivaled that of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Peak.

It was more than enough to control an Artifact Forging Furnace Fire.

"It's about time I went on a spending spree."

Zhang Chen straightened his robe and headed straight for the family storehouse.

At that moment, Zhang Yuntao, who was in charge of guarding the storehouse, sat in a grand chair with a ledger in his hands and his brow furrowed into a deep frown.

The family's expenses had been too high lately. Pills were being handed out like running water.