Refining Weapons (Part 1)

Yan Chihuo stared, dumbfounded; he had never expected the cost of hiring an artifact refiner to be so exorbitant. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Then I shall refine the artifact myself. That should be acceptable, right?"

Ping Qi replied, "Although you have some talent in artifact refining, I know absolutely nothing about the craft, so how could I teach you? If you wish to learn techniques related to refining, you would still need to spend Jade Crystals to learn them, and you would require a vast amount of materials to practice. By comparison, the Jade Crystals consumed would be even greater."

Ping Qi sighed and said, "Chihuo, it is not that I am unwilling to help you, but the cost required to cultivate an artifact refiner is truly more than a Qi Gathering Stage cultivator like me can afford. Furthermore, while my savings over these many years would have been enough to find you an artifact refiner, the head of the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Wu Yunhe, is at odds with me. If I were to step forward, it would only make matters worse. If I let an ordinary refiner handle it, I fear your Soul-Breaking Sword would be ruined; you must know that the higher the quality of the primordial embryo, the more difficult it is to engrave the restrictions."

Yan Chihuo wondered to himself, how did the other artifact refiners in the Cloud Soaring Sect come to be? They couldn't all be incredibly wealthy, piling up Jade Crystals to force their way through, could they?

Ping Qi said, "If it were not for Wu Yunhe managing the Artifact Refining Pavilion, I could have recommended you to the sect to become an artifact refiner, and the sect would have used its resources to cultivate you. But with Wu Yunhe there, my recommendation would never pass that hurdle."

Yan Chihuo sighed inwardly; it seemed that in the struggle for power, the cultivation world was no different from the secular world. He said, "Master, please let me handle this matter myself."

Ping Qi did not answer, but instead took a jade box from his robes and said, "I only have this one Talisman Artifact, called the Rock-Crushing Claw. Take it and use it. This Talisman Artifact is quite peculiar; it was refined specifically to complement the immense strength of the Spirit Jade Vajra Art. This Spirit Jade Vajra Art possesses a technique called the Soul-Snatching Claw, which has infinite potential; it can lock onto treasures and capture enemies."

Yan Chihuo was secretly delighted and took the jade box. Inside lay five long finger guards, crafted from an unknown material, white as jade throughout.

Ping Qi then taught him the incantations to control the Rock-Crushing Claw. Yan Chihuo memorized them firmly, and after circulating his mana slightly, he mastered them. He slipped the five finger guards onto the fingers of his right hand and silently recited the incantation; with a flash of white light, the five rings vanished beneath the skin of his fingers.

He struck out with a claw, landing it squarely on a large boulder. A flash of white light appeared, the five rings emerged, and instantly, they gouged five holes several inches deep into the rock.

Seeing this, Yan Chihuo was even more overjoyed; the power of the Rock-Crushing Claw was truly beyond his imagination. Ping Qi said, "Watch closely, this is how the Soul-Snatching Claw is used."

He reached out into the empty air with his right hand, five rays of light sprouted from his fingertips, and with a grasping motion, a bird flying in the sky plummeted instantly, turning into a mist of blood with a muffled thud.

This was the first time Yan Chihuo had seen Ping Qi cast a spell. Seeing him capture a bird from the sky with such ease, he could not help but feel both admiration and envy.

Ping Qi taught him the incantations for the Soul-Snatching Claw and pointed out the nuances of circulating his energy. Yan Chihuo committed the incantations to heart, preparing to practice diligently upon his return.

Seeing that Ping Qi was in a good mood today, Yan Chihuo said, "Master, although my Soul-Breaking Sword is a primordial embryo, it is still a Talisman Artifact. I lack the corresponding sword techniques; I wonder if you could teach me a set?"

Ping Qi said, "You want to learn sword techniques? That is a bit difficult."

Yan Chihuo was startled and asked, "Why?"

Ping Qi replied, "Those in our sect who excel at sword techniques all cultivate wind or fire attributes. While I know a set of earth-attribute sword techniques, I have never practiced them seriously. If I teach them to you, you will have to explore them on your own."

Yan Chihuo said, "That is fine, please teach me, Master."

Ping Qi said, "This sword technique is called the Ape Master Sword Technique. It is said to have been passed down by an enlightened old ape, and it consists of twelve forms." He took the Soul-Breaking Sword from Ping Qi's hand and performed the twelve forms one by one. The sword light flashed like thousands of white dragons wrapping around a dark shadow, soaring high above the clouds one moment and gliding low through the rocky valleys the next, the brilliance dancing in the air with shifting movements. In an instant, the wind began to howl, and the grass and trees rustled.

Yan Chihuo had never seen such exquisite swordplay and stared without blinking. Fortunately, his eyesight was superior, so he could see it clearly.

A moment later, Ping Qi finished the sword technique and said, "I have not spent much effort studying this sword technique. The path of the sword is as deep as the sea. There are sects that specialize in the way of the sword, where sword cultivation is divided into Sword Qi, Sword Radiance, Sword Intent, and Sword Control—equivalent to low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade spells, and minor divine abilities. With my current attainments in swordplay, I estimate I have barely reached the level of Sword Radiance, and because I have not passed the hurdle of Sword Momentum, I am the weakest among those who use Sword Radiance."

After speaking, he passed the sword incantations to Yan Chihuo. Once Yan Chihuo had learned the sword technique, he added, "Master, today at the Artifact Refining Pavilion, I saw a Talisman Artifact called the Primordial Chaos Hammer, and the restriction spell on it was Imprisoning Earth."

Ping Qi understood his meaning and said, "You want to learn this spell? Very well. I had intended to teach it to you in a few days, so I shall teach it to you all at once today."

For the other spells, he had the assistance of the snake scales, but for Imprisoning Earth, Yan Chihuo could only commit the incantations to memory and wait until he possessed a Talisman Artifact to practice it later.

Ping Qi said, "You have learned much today; do not be greedy and fail to digest it all. Go back and practice diligently." Yan Chihuo nodded in agreement and took his leave.

He did not return to his cave dwelling but went straight to Shu Yuan. He was supposed to receive one Jade Crystal every month, but he had been busy cultivating and had not gone to collect them. Now that he knew the utility of these crystals, he needed to collect them as soon as possible.

When Shu Yuan learned of his purpose, he laughed, "I have been waiting for you to come and collect your Jade Crystals, Junior Brother. Among all the disciples, you are the only one who is so indifferent to them."

Yan Chihuo said, "I am ashamed. It is not that I am indifferent, but I have been too busy."

Shu Yuan did not say much more; he turned and walked into the back hall, returning with three white jade pieces, each the thickness of a copper coin and the size of a palm. "Junior Brother Yan, these are the Jade Crystals you are owed for the past three months."

Yan Chihuo took them, seeing the faint white light radiating from the crystals, which contained spiritual energy. He thanked him and asked, "Senior Brother Shu, I would like to ask, how can one learn the way of artifact refining?"

Shu Yuan replied, "If you want to learn artifact refining, the best way is to apprentice under Elder Wu. However, since you have already been taken as a disciple by Elder Ping, that path is impossible. On the fifteenth of every month, the Artifact Refining Pavilion sends someone to explain the basics of refining, which you could attend. However, for every lecture, the Artifact Refining Pavilion charges one Jade Crystal."