Experiment (Part 1)

Although it was a bit far-fetched, Chen Lin was energized and determined to try it out no matter what.

If the experiment succeeded, he would have an ace up his sleeve that no one knew about.

Mainly, Yu Yuehai and Ye Jingyun wouldn't know.

If the creation was successful, and its power could reach the magnitude he envisioned, it might become his hope of escaping them at the right moment.

The more he thought about it, the more excited and agitated he became, pacing back and forth on the ground.

After a while, he calmed down.

He re-evaluated the feasibility and, after confirming it was possible to succeed, began the attempt to create it.

Despite the heat in his heart, Chen Lin didn't rush into action. Instead, he took out the tattered Artifact Refining Manual and reread its contents.

To ensure he understood it thoroughly, he didn't hesitate to use an Enlightenment Pill, reviewing all the content, including his own ideas, within the pill's efficacy period.

Once he was sure there were no issues, he began the refining process.

First, he cast a Vajra Shield on himself, then picked up the Thunderclap Beads one by one, meticulously inscribing array patterns on them.

Just inscribing one bead made him break out in a cold sweat.

Thunderclap Beads were originally detonated using Magical Power, but he was using Magical Power to inscribe array patterns on them. The danger was self-evident.

Even the slightest mistake would cause the Thunderclap Bead to explode.

Fortunately, his technique was skilled enough, and he succeeded on the first try.

He then proceeded to inscribe the second bead, which also succeeded on the first try.

This smooth progress greatly boosted Chen Lin's confidence, and he immediately prepared the auxiliary materials to begin.

The auxiliary material was a substance that resembled mercury but had slightly higher hardness. It had a dark sheen and was called Dark Silver.

Dark Silver had strong Magical Power conductivity and could be condensed into various shapes, making it a commonly used low-level material in Artifact Refining.

Although Dark Silver wasn't expensive, it was the most costly material for creating Thunderclap Beads.

Chen Lin spread the Dark Silver into a flat sheet.

His envisioned method was to encase two inscribed Thunderclap Beads within it, then inscribe a connecting array on top, causing the array patterns on both beads to overlap and merge into a larger bead for easier use.

Furthermore, according to his estimation, the effect of this overlap wouldn't be simple addition but a multiplicative increase in power.

Of course, the specific outcome would only be known after the refining was complete.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Lin carefully placed the two Thunderclap Beads into the auxiliary material, then circulated his Magical Power to inscribe the array patterns.

As the array patterns were gradually sketched out, they soon reached the final crucial step.

Once the array patterns were connected end-to-end to form a complete magic circle, the refining would be considered complete.

However, this was also the most difficult part.

In previous attempts to refine single Thunderclap Beads, failures often occurred at this stage. The energy leakage during array connection easily disrupted the internal balance of the materials, causing them to explode.

Chen Lin's expression turned solemn, and he even cast another Vajra Shield spell on himself.

This time, the material involved two Thunderclap Beads. If it failed, a significant explosion was likely, so he had to be prepared in advance.

He couldn't afford to blow himself up while innovating a Magic Tool.

Just as he was about to begin, Chen Lin thought of another oversight.

The purpose of creating this combined Thunderclap Bead was to deal with Yu Yuehai or Ye Jingyun at critical moments. He couldn't refine it so openly.

Wouldn't the resulting commotion attract their attention?

Although refining a single Thunderclap Bead also caused some commotion, it was comparable to the noise of a failed alchemy attempt. However, with two Thunderclap Beads now, the situation was different.

The power of two Thunderclap Beads could potentially blow up the entire house.

After some thought, he walked to one side of the room, removed the wooden planks from the floor one by one, revealing a three-foot square opening with a ladder inside.

This was a Vegetable Cellar, used for storing winter food to prevent freezing. It wasn't a tunnel.

And he hadn't dug it; it was already there when he rented the place.

Initially, he had indeed planned to dig a tunnel leading outside from there. However, at that time, he didn't have a Storage Bag, making it inconvenient to transport the excavated soil. Moreover, he wasn't the only one living in the courtyard, and there were too many eyes.

Digging a tunnel was meant for concealment, and if everyone knew about it, it would lose its purpose. So, he abandoned the idea.

Even so, he had deepened and widened this Vegetable Cellar considerably, even excavating a small room at the bottom extending sideways.

His idea was that if there was a Demon Beast attack, he could hide inside for safety.

Now, it was perfect for use as a refining location.

He took out a Night Luminous Stone, illuminated the area, and then crouched down, closing the lid behind him.

Then, instead of using the ladder, he cast the Wind Control Technique and floated down.

The Vegetable Cellar was over ten feet deep, and it widened as it went down.

There wasn't much inside, just ordinary food supplies and some of the previous owner's living essentials, which he had tossed in there.

Conveniently, there was an old, unused broken table board. Chen Lin picked it up, wiped it clean, and nodded with satisfaction.

Doing experiments here, even if an explosion occurred, it wouldn't sound too loud from the outside, about the same as the commotion he usually caused.

As for whether it would collapse this cellar, it shouldn't have that much power.

It wouldn't matter if he was buried alive; he still had the Earth Escape Talisman to get out.

After preparing, Chen Lin took out the semi-finished product he was refining to a crucial stage, placed it on a wooden board, and cast a Vajra Shield on himself.

He felt it wasn't entirely safe, so he took out a Vajra Talisman he had bought before and activated it, forming another light shield. Only then did he feel a bit relieved.

Even with double defenses, Chen Lin wasn't very confident. His biggest reliance was the Six Ding Mysterious Armor Talisman; otherwise, he wouldn't dare to take such a risk.

He took out another Night Luminous Stone and placed it on the wall above his head. The light was just right.

Then, Chen Lin stood in front of the wooden board, calmed his mind, and carefully began to engrave the final formation pattern.

"Bang!"

As soon as the beginning and end of the formation pattern connected, there was a "bang," and two balls of fire exploded.

A shockwave forced Chen Lin to retreat repeatedly, but his face showed astonishment.

Failure was expected, but the power of the explosion after the failure far exceeded his expectations.

Too weak.

Let alone activating the Six Ding Mysterious Armor Talisman, even the outer shield created by the Vajra Talisman wasn't broken; it only trembled slightly.

With such power, even without any defensive measures, it would only scorch his clothes, and he might not even get a skin injury.

"This is unscientific!"

Chen Lin was somewhat bewildered.

He had secretly tested the power of the Thunderclap Bead before; one was stronger than this, yet here two had exploded together.

Could it be that Thunderclap Beads vary in strength, and these two happened to be the weaker ones?

Chen Lin pondered for a moment, thinking it impossible.

They were all refined from the same materials, so how could they be different? Moreover, they were both products of innate abilities, so there definitely wouldn't be any discrepancies.

Therefore, it must be some other reason.

He couldn't help but fall into deep thought.