Yan Chihuo hurriedly thanked him. Ping Qi said, "I went to see the Sect Master last night. Our sect can't cure the poison from that Demon Immortal Fruit. Once your cultivation has advanced greatly, you'll have to leave the mountain and seek your own opportunity. I've said a lot, and though I'm not tired, I'm getting a little bored. Go back and cultivate diligently. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me again."
Yan Chihuo took his leave and returned to his own cave abode to cultivate. Over the past three months, he had steadily built up his foundation, and the strength of his body had reached a terrifying level. Boulders weighing one or two thousand pounds were like eggs to him; he could toss them around at will.
Although the Snake Scale wasn't yet a Talisman Artifact, it still had some of their uses. Yan Chihuo repeatedly practiced spells with it, only to discover that the three patterns had improved slightly. Not understanding why, he asked Ping Qi for advice. Ping Qi said, "I didn't expect you to have some talent for artifact refining. What's happening is that you're carving the patterns of Restrictions."
Ping Qi continued, "Of course, you don't know how to carve Restrictions. But every time you cast a spell, the patterns on the Snake Scale grow a little, because it's the snake demon's natal scale. This is the crude method by which its patterns are carved. Someone without talent for artifact refining would only damage the patterns by casting spells with the Snake Scale too often. After all, it isn't a finished Talisman Artifact."
Hearing this, Yan Chihuo understood. His eyesight was exceptional, so he could see all the patterns clearly and had committed them to memory. Each time he circulated his magical power, he deliberately guided it along the patterns. Not only did he avoid damaging them, he even nourished them. In someone else's hands, magical power would rampage through the Snake Scale, and it wouldn't take long to destroy it.
Once he had fully built up his foundation, he went to the Artifact Refining Pavilion. The person who received him was a middle-aged man in his forties. After glancing at Yan Chihuo's token, he said, "So you're Junior Brother Yan. Since you're here to claim a Talisman Artifact, follow me."
Yan Chihuo followed the man into a secret chamber. Inside stood a stone platform, on which lay a dozen or two Talisman Artifacts: weapons such as blades and swords, as well as strange treasures like fans and rings.
The man asked, "Junior Brother Yan, what sort of Talisman Artifact are you looking for?"
Yan Chihuo replied, "I cultivate an earth-attribute technique. I'd appreciate it if you could advise me on which Talisman Artifacts would suit me."
"An earth-attribute technique? In that case, this Primordial Chaos Hammer is a good choice." As he spoke, he pointed at a Meteor Hammer on the stone platform. Yan Chihuo stepped forward and picked it up. The Primordial Chaos Hammer didn't look very large, but it weighed nearly a thousand pounds. A Restriction was carved into it, one Yan Chihuo had never seen before.
He asked, "Senior Brother, what Restriction is carved into this Primordial Chaos Hammer?"
"It's an earth-attribute spell for trapping enemies: Imprisoning Earth. Once cast, it can confine an opponent within an area several yards across."
Yan Chihuo examined the Primordial Chaos Hammer again. It had fourteen layers of Restrictions carved into it. Knowing that the hammer was made from ordinary materials and that, useful as Imprisoning Earth was, the weapon had limited room to grow, he gently set it down. Seeing this, the man said, "If you don't like this Primordial Chaos Hammer, there's also a Black Jade Staff over there. Would that catch your eye?"
Following the man's gesture, Yan Chihuo spotted a black jade staff over four feet long. It had twelve layers of Restrictions. He said, "Senior Brother, could you show me some Talisman Artifacts with fewer Restrictions?"
"I didn't expect Junior Brother Yan to be so experienced at choosing Talisman Artifacts, even though this is your first time here. That Mountain-Breaking Blade has only eight layers of Restrictions. What do you think?"
Yan Chihuo picked up the four-foot-long, dark green greatsword. It was fairly heavy, weighing around fifteen hundred pounds, but its Restrictions were composite, consisting of Stone Armor Art and Falling Rock Art.
He put down the Mountain-Breaking Blade and said, "Senior Brother, I'd like a Talisman Artifact with a single Restriction."
The man was quite patient. "In that case, the only one that meets your requirements is this Infinite Stele. It has only one kind of Restriction, Falling Rock Art, and it has eight layers."
Yan Chihuo spotted a stone stele nearby on the tabletop and picked it up, but couldn't help frowning. "Senior Brother, isn't this Infinite Stele a little too light? Even with the boost from Falling Rock Art, its power would still be rather weak."
"That's true. The Infinite Stele weighs only two hundred and thirteen pounds, but it's made of good material. If you don't like this Infinite Stele either, there's nothing else here for you to choose."
Yan Chihuo frowned inwardly. The things the sect hands out really are mediocre. He was weighing whether to just pick something at random when he spotted a three-foot-long jade sword. He walked over and took it down.
The moment the sword entered his hand, he was quite pleased with it. The man asked, "Have you taken a liking to this sword, Junior Brother Yan? It's called Soul-Breaking. It weighs more than twelve hundred pounds, and it's made from the finest materials here. But it has no Restrictions at all; it's merely a Primordial Embryo."
Yan Chihuo paused and looked down. The sword indeed had no Restrictions whatsoever. After a brief moment's thought, he picked up the Primordial Chaos Hammer again and examined it closely. Then he set it down and said, "I'll take this Soul-Breaking Sword."
The man paused, but didn't say anything more. "If you like it, Junior Brother, I'll record it."
Yan Chihuo took his leave and went straight to Ping Qi's cave abode. Seeing the long sword on his back, Ping Qi asked, "Did you find a Talisman Artifact you like?"
Yan Chihuo handed him the sword. "Master, please take a look and tell me what's good and bad about it."
Ping Qi took it and said, "So this sword contains Mysterious Jade. That's a fine material. The Mysterious Jade in this sword alone is worth more than many Talisman Artifacts. The sect was willing to let this kind of treasure go? Looks like you got yourself a bargain."
As he spoke, he drew the sword and glanced it over. His expression changed. "There are no Restrictions on this. Could it be a Talisman Artifact Primordial Embryo?"
"That's right. This sword is called Soul-Breaking. It's only a Primordial Embryo. I'd like to ask one of the sect's artifact refiners to carve Restrictions into it."
Ping Qi looked at Yan Chihuo as if he were a monster. "This is my fault, too. I didn't explain the cost of hiring an artifact refiner. The starting price is twenty Jade Crystals, and that's for the lowest-ranked Body Tempering Stage artifact refiner. If you want one at the Qi Gathering Stage, they won't even give you a glance unless you have one or two hundred Jade Crystals. Even if you have enough Jade Crystals, once they hear you only want Restrictions carved into a Talisman Artifact, they'll certainly have one of their disciples do it—meaning a Body Tempering Stage artifact refiner, who'll use it for practice. And those people might not even succeed in carving the Restrictions."
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