Green Fire Cauldron

"Give it a try; who knows, you might have a talent for it," Shen Yue said with a smile.

His plan for the next step was to take up artifact refining.

With his Heaven Origin Golden Light Hand at perfection, he could technically pilfer scrap materials to practice refining in secret.

However, artifact refining was a craft that needed to be known to the outside world; if he did it clandestinely, how could he ever establish himself as an official artifact refiner in the future?

"Talent?" Zhou Chongwen shook his head inwardly.

Poor cultivators study talismans, the rich study alchemy; artifact refining leaves you destitute for generations, and once you enter the sea of formations, you'll never see the sky again.

Among the millions of cultivators in the entire market, how many practiced alchemy, and how many practiced artifact refining?

Even in a great cultivation clan like the Chen Clan, which boasted a False Core ancestor, every artifact refiner was treated like a precious treasure and supported with countless spiritual resources.

A rogue cultivator with no resources and no heritage wanting to refine artifacts?

That was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Unless one had heaven-defying luck and stumbled upon the legacy of some grandmaster, or possessed an extraordinary innate gift.

In the hundred years of Chusheng Market, such people had indeed appeared, but they were few and far between.

Shortcuts were not for everyone.

The path of artifact refining was even less promising than becoming a cultivation vessel.

However, Zhou Chongwen recalled that he had once been the same, having sampled formations, artifact refining, alchemy, and talismans, one after another.

Although he had ended up losing everything and only retained a bit of talisman-making skill, it still counted as a trade.

"Young man, it is good to try new things, but don't invest too much into it."

After offering his advice, Zhou Chongwen agreed to help Shen Yue procure some refining materials.

Changqin Wuming had intended to dissuade him further, but seeing Zhou Chongwen agree and noting Shen Yue's genuine desire to try, he held his tongue.

Yet, he could not help but sigh in his heart.

General Shen was already dabbling in cultivation vessels, mundane martial arts, and now artifact refining; if he continued down these crooked paths, he would only drift further away, and he would be failing Old General Shen.

He had to work harder, reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible, and then lead General Shen back to the righteous path!

"I was just about to head to the market, so I'll be off."

Zhou Chongwen summoned a cyan gourd, leaped onto it, and rode it away.

Changqin Wuming looked on with envy.

That spirit gourd really looks nice.

Once he had enough spirit stones, he would definitely buy one and gift it to General Shen.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse at the small courtyard by the lake.

Shen Yue completed several major cycles and slowly opened his eyes.

The Spirit Gathering Pill was truly effective; he felt that if he could continue taking them, he could likely break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining in two or three months.

Furthermore, the pill provided a significant boost to the Star Sand Return-to-Store Technique of Ancient Wei.

Coupled with the fact that his cultivation technique was earth-aligned and the water and fire energies he had refined were vigorous, his cultivation speed was much faster than anticipated.

"At this rate, I can reach the second level of Qi Absorption in a month or two."

It was a pity he only had two Spirit Gathering Pills, and they would be gone once consumed.

Although he had over thirty spirit stones on him, he couldn't spend them all at once.

The feeling of having money but not daring to spend it was agonizing.

Shen Yue took out a jade slip and sank his consciousness into it.

This slip contained the artifact refining methods of the Chehou Family of Ancient Wei, titled the Heavenly Cauldron True Fire Hundred Refinement Scripture.

"I must master artifact refining."

He needed a skill to earn spirit stones, which would also serve as a cover for the source of his resources from the two worlds.

[The Way of Artifact Refining lies in locking the Qi to form the shape.

However, ordinary methods use fire to forge objects; the first refinement damages the material's nature, the second diminishes its spiritual essence, and the third reduces it to common iron.

This scripture does the opposite: it does not burn the essence of the object, but only refines its impurities, allowing the refined Qi to circulate endlessly within the cauldron.

Thus, an artifact can be refined a hundred times, and materials can be recycled a thousand times, becoming purer with each refinement, never to be discarded...]

"Heavenly Cauldron True Fire... endless circulation... a hundred refinements..."

This method was quite profound; it actually allowed for the reuse of materials, refined a hundred or a thousand times over.

He didn't know how the Chen Clan's refiners worked, but judging by the islands of scrap material on Refining Lake, the Chen Clan's refiners certainly couldn't achieve a hundred refinements.

With this method, did he still need to worry about a lack of materials?

Shen Yue held the jade slip, eager to try, and then he froze.

A refining cauldron had not yet been prepared.

"No matter, there is no rush. I shall study first."

At daybreak, the first golden page of the [Nine Heavens Profound Mirror] displayed: [Heavenly Cauldron True Fire Hundred Refinement Scripture (Entry Level)].

Shen Yue's mind was flooded with refining techniques, but unable to practice them personally, he felt an itch he couldn't scratch. He headed out early to the market.

"A low-grade cauldron costs one hundred spirit stones?"

"How much? Five hundred!"

As a trading hub controlled by the Chen Clan, Chusheng Market had no shortage of cauldrons for sale.

However, the prices made Shen Yue recoil.

Even the worst cauldrons cost one hundred spirit stones, and even those riddled with flaws and cracks demanded several dozen.

If he scraped together everything he had, Shen Yue could perhaps afford one that was fifty percent new.

But that was just a claim; if it was actually thirty percent functional, the stall owner would be considered honest. It would likely explode after only a few uses.

After circling the market several times, he returned empty-handed.

Without a cauldron, he could not refine anything, leaving him in a difficult spot.

But as the saying goes, there are always more solutions than problems. After some thought, a flash of inspiration struck Shen Yue.

"A cauldron is essentially just a container, primarily used for controlling temperature and fire. However, the refining process is complex; materials require multiple steps of preparation before they ever enter the furnace."

"Furthermore, with the skill-stabilizing assistance of the [Nine Heavens Profound Mirror], I can improve my craft even without a cauldron."

He was only experimenting with refining techniques for now, not crafting finished spirit artifacts, so the lack of a cauldron was not a critical setback.

Shen Yue immediately gathered scrap materials, practicing while simultaneously studying the [Heavenly Cauldron True Fire Hundred Refinement Scripture].

The jade slip provided by Chehou Yan was truly detailed. It contained not only refining methods but also the experiences and insights of the generations of the Chehou Family who had created this scripture.

"Spent half a life refining, mastered the mineral charts, and drew my own artifact blueprint."

The handwriting below shifted.

"Forged it, the cauldron exploded, perished."

"The ancestor sacrificed his life for the artifact; he died for a worthy cause. Yet, the path of the artifact must not end. I pick up the shards to mend it."

The handwriting continued to change.

"Watch me complete this scripture! To continue the unfinished work of my predecessors and forge the divine weapons of the future!"

"Haha, the old man finally blew himself up. Behold this genius's heaven-defying ingenuity!"

"I was wrong... Father, the cauldron is collapsing again."

Discerning mineral properties, mending artifact runes, calibrating fire intensity, repairing furnace leaks, refining the artifact soul...

The predecessors of the Chehou Family proceeded with extreme caution, father dying and son succeeding, elder brother finishing and younger brother taking over, generation after generation.

Shen Yue immersed himself in it, starting from the very beginning.

Time flowed like a white horse passing a crevice.

Two months later.

"Finally, it is done."

Shen Yue stared at the green cauldron before him, sighing softly.

The [Heavenly Cauldron True Fire Hundred Refinement Scripture] was truly ingenious. After two months of dedicated study, he had managed to derive a method for forging a cauldron from it.

After twelve explosions and seventeen failed material ratios, he had finally succeeded in crafting this bronze cauldron.

The cauldron was perfectly round with three legs and two handles, a faint spiritual light shimmering across its surface.

"I shall call you the Green Fire Cauldron."

This cauldron was condensed from scrap materials; it was not ranked and could not be considered a true spirit cauldron.

But it was sturdy, sufficient to accommodate his current refining experiments, and a crystallization of the wisdom of the Chehou ancestors.

With this cauldron, he could truly begin his refining journey.

However, not today; there were matters to attend to.

He put away the Green Fire Cauldron, changed into clean clothes, and went out to board a boat onto the lake, where Changqin Wuming had also arrived.

"A new official brings new policies. Wu Xuan says that Chen Tong is a narrow-minded man. General Shen, remember what I said: keep a low profile, do not stand out."

Changqin Wuming gazed at the firmament, whispering a reminder.

Many things had happened over these two months. Chen Qiaoqian had returned to the Jade Void Sword Sect to participate in the grand competition, and the Chen Clan had sent a new steward who was taking office today.

Therefore, they, as the island guards, had to show their faces on the lake to avoid being made an example of.

A moment later, a streak of light tore through the sky.

Chen Tong stepped upon a spirit sword, looking down at them with the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Chen Qiaoqian, oh Chen Qiaoqian, so what if you entered the Jade Void Sword Sect? In the end, you are merely a side branch."

"This Refining Lake, isn't it still mine?"

He acknowledged that his talent was inferior to Chen Qiaoqian's and his cultivation was not as high as hers, but he was a man, the bloodline successor of the Chen Clan.

As a woman, once Chen Qiaoqian married out, she would no longer be a member of the Chen Clan.

This Refining Lake should have been his all along; Chen Qiaoqian had only been managing it for him for a period of time.

He would seize this opportunity to perform well and let the ancestors see his prowess.

Chen Tong had already made up his mind: he would drastically increase the efficiency of the Refining Lake's waste recycling.

"Listen well, from this day forward..."