Refining Artifacts

Early the next morning, Yan Chihuo arrived at the cave dwelling of Wu Yunhe and called out, "Elder Wu, disciple Yan Chihuo has come to seek your teachings." A moment later, the cave door opened, and Wu Yunhe's indifferent voice drifted out, "Come in."

Yan Chihuo tidied his robes and stepped into the cave. Inside, an incense table was set up, and Wu Yunhe was dressed in feathered robes and a star-patterned crown—attire reserved only for the most significant occasions. Seeing Yan Chihuo, he wore a solemn expression and said, "The River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique is a secret art that cannot be imparted lightly. Even though you are not my direct disciple, you must first pay respects to the ancestors."

After speaking, he lit incense and candles, bowed respectfully to the portrait, and then told Yan Chihuo, "You should kowtow a few times as well." Yan Chihuo stepped forward and performed the three ritual kowtows with proper decorum.

Wu Yunhe said, "Follow me." Yan Chihuo followed him to the back of the cave, where he found a small pond with white cranes standing on the water, the scenery quite elegant.

Wu Yunhe waved his hand, and the surface of the water seemed to be cleaved by an invisible blade. The waves rolled violently to both sides, revealing the muddy bottom of the pond. In an instant, the entire pond was split in two, with a channel over half a foot wide running through the middle.

Yan Chihuo was startled; he had never expected Wu Yunhe to be so formidable. Wu Yunhe retracted his technique and said, "I have just demonstrated the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique; grasp whatever you can." Without waiting for a reply, he began to chant a passage of text.

Yan Chihuo knew this must be the incantation for the secret art and dared not be negligent, hurriedly committing every word to memory. Fortunately, the incantation was not long, and his memory was excellent, so he successfully memorized it.

Wu Yunhe said, "I have now imparted the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique to you; you must comprehend the rest on your own."

Yan Chihuo understood that Wu Yunhe was unwilling to teach this art, which explained his behavior today. When Ping Qi had made the demand yesterday, Wu Yunhe had been extremely reluctant, and his inner resentment was clear.

In truth, if Ping Qi had merely offered a Dharma Tool in exchange for this secret art, Wu Yunhe would never have agreed. However, the item Ping Qi held was his Hidden Dragon Staff. Anyone who saw it would know that Wu Yunhe's disciple, Wen Chong, had died at the hands of the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, only to have his weapon seized by Ping Qi's disciple. This caused Wu Yunhe to lose significant face, leaving him no choice but to agree. Ping Qi had counted on this, which was why he had made such a demand.

Ignoring whether Yan Chihuo had truly memorized the incantation, Wu Yunhe continued, "Are you not also here to learn the art of artifact refining? I will first teach you fire control, which is the foundation of all refining."

Yan Chihuo grumbled inwardly, but replied, "This disciple has heard some things about fire control from the sect's refiners."

Wu Yunhe sneered, "The refiners who taught you are of mediocre skill. Furthermore, they hoard their knowledge; while they wouldn't teach you falsehoods, they certainly omit the crucial points. If you learn from them, even if you have ten parts of talent, you would be lucky to manifest five."

Yan Chihuo bowed and said, "I ask for Elder Wu's guidance."

Wu Yunhe began to lecture on fire control. When he had taught the secret art, he had been as brief as possible, but when teaching fire control, he was exhaustively detailed, constantly asking questions to ensure Yan Chihuo wouldn't forget a single thing.

Yan Chihuo knew this was partly due to the promise made to Ping Qi yesterday, but it was also a deliberate attempt to leave him no time to contemplate the secret art, hoping he would forget it entirely.

However, the fire control techniques Wu Yunhe taught were indeed far superior to what the previous refiners had described. Without waiting to see if Yan Chihuo had mastered the fire control, he moved on to explain spell seals, leaving Yan Chihuo no choice but to focus his spirit and memorize everything firmly.

After more than three hours, Wu Yunhe finally said, "That is all for today. Tomorrow, I will take you to the Artifact Refining Pavilion so you can experience the application of fire control and spell seals."

Yan Chihuo stood up, bowed to Wu Yunhe, and took his leave. Once his figure disappeared, a complex expression crossed Wu Yunhe's face as he muttered to himself, "Unexpectedly, this brat truly has some talent for refining. To have reached this level based solely on the teachings of those in the pavilion is rare indeed. A pity, a real pity."

Yan Chihuo left the cave and went straight to Ping Qi. Seeing him, Ping Qi asked, "That old man Wu Yunhe taught you the secret art—did you manage to memorize it?"

Yan Chihuo replied, "Master, you are truly formidable; you guessed Wu Yunhe's intentions perfectly. Fortunately, I was prepared and have firmly memorized the incantation."

Ping Qi said, "It wasn't hard to guess. Back then, he relied on the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique to gain the deepest insight into earth-attribute arts. How else could he have attained a position in the Cloud Soaring Sect where he is second only to one, yet above ten thousand?"

Yan Chihuo said, "There are still parts of this secret art that I do not understand; I ask for Master's guidance."

Ping Qi smiled, "I am the one who owes you a favor for this; otherwise, I would never have known this secret art either." He felt deeply gratified; Yan Chihuo's actions were not only intended to have him explain the technique but were also a genuine attempt to pass the art on to him.

Although Ping Qi did not understand the technique himself, he was, after all, a cultivator in the Qi Gathering Stage, and his experience in cultivation was far beyond Yan Chihuo's.

A year and a half later, in a secret room within the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Wu Yunhe looked at two Talisman Artifacts placed before him: one was Yan Chihuo's Soul-Breaking Sword, and the other was a giant axe.

Wu Yunhe picked up the two artifacts, examined them carefully, and sighed softly, "Zhan Qing, you are still too impulsive. Your engraving of the seals is not even as good as Yan Chihuo's."

The young man named Zhan Qing was startled and said, "Master, I engraved fourteen seals."

Wu Yunhe shook his head, "You have been learning refining from me for over twenty years, while Yan Chihuo has only been at it for a year and a half. Is it not expected that your seals would be more numerous than his? Although the seals Yan Chihuo engraved on this sword are fewer, the cloud patterns within each seal are far more refined than yours. This means the artifact consumes less spiritual power when used, and its potential for further advancement is much greater."

Zhan Qing lowered his head and said, "Yes."

Wu Yunhe continued, "Do not just agree with your mouth while feeling resentful in your heart. Both of your artifacts can advance to Dharma Tools, but based on your current levels, by the time you reach the Qi Gathering Stage, you will be able to engrave at most forty seals on your artifact, while Yan Chihuo's sword could easily advance to a Spirit Tool. That is the gap between you. If Yan Chihuo's refining skills continue to improve, it is not impossible for it to reach the level of a Magic Treasure."

Zhan Qing lowered his head and remained silent.

Wu Yunhe waved his hand and said, "You may withdraw."