Talisman Artifacts (Part 2)

Yan Chihuo hurriedly thanked him. Ping Qi said, "I spoke with the Sect Master last night; our sect cannot undo the poison of the Demon Immortal Fruit. Once your cultivation has advanced significantly, you must descend the mountain yourself to seek your own fortune. I have spoken at length, and while I do not tire easily, I am growing weary. Return now to cultivate diligently, and if there is anything you do not understand, come and ask me again."

Yan Chihuo took his leave and returned to his own cave dwelling to cultivate. Over these past three months, his foundation had become increasingly solid, and the strength of his physical body had reached a terrifying level; boulders weighing one or two thousand catties could be tossed up and down as easily as eggs.

Although that snake scale was not yet a Talisman Artifact, it possessed some of the utility of one. As Yan Chihuo continuously practiced his spells using it, he discovered that these three types of patterns had actually grown slightly. Not understanding why, he sought guidance from Ping Qi, who remarked, "I never expected you to have a talent for artifact refining. This situation means you are carving restriction patterns."

Ping Qi continued, "Of course you do not know how to carve restrictions, but each time you cast a spell, the patterns on this snake scale grow slightly because it is the life-bound scale of a snake demon; it uses this crude method to develop its patterns. However, for someone without talent in artifact refining, using this scale to cast spells would not only fail to grow the patterns but would instead damage them due to excessive use, as it is not a finished Talisman Artifact."

Upon hearing this, Yan Chihuo understood. His eyesight was extraordinary, allowing him to see these patterns clearly and commit them firmly to memory. Each time he circulated his mana, he intentionally guided it through the patterns, which not only avoided causing damage but actually nourished them. Had it been anyone else, their mana would have rampaged through the snake scale, destroying it before long.

Once his foundation was fully established, he went to the Artifact Refining Pavilion. He was received by a middle-aged man of about forty, who glanced at Yan Chihuo's token and said, "So you are Junior Brother Yan. Since you are here to collect a Talisman Artifact, please follow me."

Yan Chihuo followed the man into a secret chamber, where he saw a stone platform displaying twenty or so Talisman Artifacts, ranging from blades and swords to strange treasures like fans and rings.

The man asked, "Junior Brother Yan, what kind of Talisman Artifact do you require?"

Yan Chihuo replied, "I cultivate earth-attribute techniques. I would appreciate it if Senior Brother could point out which Talisman Artifacts would be most suitable."

The man said, "Earth-attribute techniques? In that case, this Primordial Chaos Hammer is quite good." With that, he pointed to a meteor hammer on the stone platform. Yan Chihuo stepped forward and took the Primordial Chaos Hammer into his hand. It did not look large, yet it weighed nearly a thousand catties, and it was engraved with a type of restriction that Yan Chihuo had never seen before.

He asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother, what is the restriction on this Primordial Chaos Hammer?"

The man replied, "It is an earth-attribute binding spell called Imprisoning Earth. Once activated, it can trap an opponent within a radius of several zhang."

Yan Chihuo examined the hammer further and saw that it was engraved with fourteen layers of restrictions. Knowing that the materials used to forge this hammer were mediocre and that while Imprisoning Earth was useful, the growth potential of the hammer was limited, he set it down gently. Seeing this, the man said, "Since Junior Brother does not like this Primordial Chaos Hammer, there is a Black Jade Staff over there. I wonder if that catches your eye?"

Yan Chihuo followed his finger and saw a black jade staff over four feet long, though it only had twelve layers of restrictions. He said to the man, "Senior Brother, could you introduce me to Talisman Artifacts with fewer restrictions?"

The man said, "I didn't expect that although this is your first time here, you are quite experienced in selecting Talisman Artifacts. That Mountain-Breaking Blade only has eight layers of restrictions. What do you think of it?"

Yan Chihuo took the four-foot-long dark green blade into his hand. It was not light, weighing about fifteen hundred catties, but its restriction was a composite one, consisting of the Stone Armor Art and the Falling Rock Art.

He set the Mountain-Breaking Blade down and said, "Senior Brother, I would like a Talisman Artifact with a single restriction."

The man, who had a very good temperament, said, "In that case, the only thing that meets your requirements is this Infinite Stele. This stele only has the Falling Rock Art restriction, and it also has eight layers."

Yan Chihuo saw a stone tablet not far away on the table and picked it up, but he couldn't help but frown and say, "Senior Brother, this Infinite Stele is a bit too light. Even with the bonus from the Falling Rock Art, its power is inevitably a bit weak."

The man said, "That is true. This Infinite Stele only weighs two hundred and thirteen catties, but the material is quite good. If Junior Brother does not fancy this Infinite Stele either, then there is nothing else here for you to choose from."

Yan Chihuo frowned inwardly, thinking to himself, It seems the quality of the items bestowed by the sect is truly average. Just as he was considering whether to pick one at random, his eyes caught sight of a three-foot-long jade sword, and he stepped forward to take it down.

As soon as he held the sword, he felt quite satisfied. The man asked, "Has Junior Brother taken a fancy to this sword? This sword is called Soul-Breaking, and it weighs over twelve hundred catties. The materials used to forge it are the best here, but it does not have a single restriction on it; it is merely an artifact embryo."

Yan Chihuo was startled. He looked down and saw that the sword indeed had no restrictions. After a moment of contemplation, he picked up the Primordial Chaos Hammer again, observed it carefully for a while, then set it back down and said, "I will take this Soul-Breaking Sword."

The man was slightly taken aback, but he did not say much: "Since Junior Brother likes it, I will record it."

Yan Chihuo took his leave and went directly to Ping Qi's cave dwelling. Seeing the long sword strapped to his back, Ping Qi asked, "So you have chosen a Talisman Artifact to your liking?"

Yan Chihuo handed the sword over and said, "Please take a look, Master, and judge the quality of this sword."

Ping Qi took it and said, "So this sword is infused with Mysterious Jade. This is a good item. The value of the Mysterious Jade alone surpasses many Talisman Artifacts. The sect was actually willing to release such an item? It seems you have gained a bargain."

After saying this, he drew the sword and scanned it twice. His expression changed, and he asked, "There are no restrictions on this; could it be an artifact embryo?"

Yan Chihuo replied, "That is correct. This sword is called Soul-Breaking, and it is just an embryo. I would like to ask the sect's artifact refiners to carve restrictions onto it."

Ping Qi looked at Yan Chihuo as if he were a monster and said, "That is my fault for not explaining the costs of artifact refining to you. If you ask an artifact refiner to take action, the starting price is twenty Jade Crystals, and that is only for the lowest-level Body Tempering stage refiner. If it were a Qi Gathering stage refiner, they wouldn't even glance at you without one or two hundred Jade Crystals. Even if you had enough Jade Crystals, upon hearing that it is only to carve restrictions onto a Talisman Artifact, they would certainly let their disciples—that is, the Body Tempering stage refiners—practice on it. These people might not even succeed in carving the restrictions."