Conjectures on the Feasibility of Weapon Refining

A night passed.

Early the next morning, in his bedroom, Zhou Changqing slowly opened his eyes. The faint yet vibrant morning sunlight shone into them, bringing out a glint of brilliance.

Although he had cultivated all night without resting, there was not a trace of exhaustion on his handsome face. Instead, he looked full of energy.

"Whew!"

"That feels great!"

Clenching both fists, Zhou Changqing felt the strength coursing through him, several times greater than before, and could not help letting out a long, exultant cry!

Before cultivating a cultivation method, a Dou Zhe's unattributed dou qi was more than ten times stronger than ordinary dou qi.

Yet compared to the attributed dou qi gained through cultivating a method, it was considerably weaker.

If his former self faced his current self, he was confident he could defeat his former self within ten exchanges!

Of course, that was only a comparison against himself.

Compared to the disciples of great clans and major sects, his foundations were still far too shallow.

He need not look any further than Xiao Yan.

If Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Zhe, even if the Flame Mantra he cultivated started at yellow tier low grade, Zhou Changqing would still be no match for him, thanks to the several Dou Techniques Xiao Yan practiced.

Cultivation methods were the root of qi; Dou Techniques were its application.

To bring out his full strength, he still needed to cultivate Dou Techniques.

But Zhou Changqing believed that Dou Techniques would come, and resources would too.

After all, he had already taken the hardest step: resolving the problem of a cultivation method.

He glanced at the sky outside.

Rather than continue cultivating, Zhou Changqing got out of bed, walked over to the cabinet on the left, and began rummaging through it.

Before long, a thick book appeared in his hands.

Several large words were written on its cover.

"Conjectures on the Feasibility of Weapon Refining"

Looking at the book in his hands, Zhou Changqing fell into a momentary daze, his thoughts drifting back to the past once more.

His ancestors had been blacksmiths for generations. Before discovering Zhou Changqing's talent, Zhou Cai had always hoped that Zhou Changqing would inherit his craft.

Thus, when Zhou Changqi was three or four years old, Zhou Cai had begun training him, often bringing him along to watch him forge iron and craft implements while teaching him the principles of smithing.

Even after Zhou Changqing revealed his astonishing talent, Zhou Cai had never stopped.

Regardless of whether he entered the trade in the future, having a craft to fall back on was always a good thing.

Under Zhou Cai's influence, accumulated day after day, Zhou Changqing naturally developed a considerable interest in smithing.

As a transmigrator, Zhou Changqing's imagination roamed like a heavenly steed galloping across the sky.

And living in the fantasy world of the Dou Qi Continent naturally gave him plenty of ideas.

For instance, why was the profession of Alchemist alone held in such supreme esteem on the Dou Qi Continent, while other arts, such as weapon refining, talisman crafting, and formation crafting, had seen so little development?

In fantasy and immortal cultivation worlds, pill refining, weapon refining, talisman crafting, and formation crafting were known as the foremost of the hundred arts, holding an unparalleled position in supporting one's cultivation.

Was it because the Dou Qi Continent had divine wonders of heaven and earth such as heavenly flames to aid in pill refining?

Zhou Changqing did not think that was the whole story.

After all, the history of Alchemists was not necessarily shorter than the history of heavenly flames.

He imagined it was much like a technology tree.

Pill refining had been discovered first on the Dou Qi Continent, and after witnessing the miraculous effects of pills, people had enthusiastically embraced it.

Driven by that great tide, talented people across the Dou Qi Continent had scrambled to enter the field of pill refining. Only after countless generations of research and development had Alchemists achieved their present flourishing status.

Meanwhile, the other arts had not formed complete systems during that same period.

Even when their rudiments appeared later, their room to survive was squeezed by the mainstream dominance of pill refining, making development difficult and leaving them neglected.

And so, after countless years, the belief that pill refining reigned supreme had long since solidified in people's hearts.

It was like the belief in feudal times that the emperor was the Son of Heaven, shepherding the people on heaven's behalf—deeply etched into the minds of the populace and difficult to break.

Thus, an idea had emerged in Zhou Changqing's young mind.

Was there a future in weapon refining?

Having transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent, claiming he did not want to become an Alchemist would have been utter bullshit.

But back then, Zhou Changqing had not known his own attributes or whether he possessed the talent to become an Alchemist.

And so, as a child, Zhou Changqing had wondered whether he could devote himself to weapon refining if he could not become an Alchemist.

Then, shortly after turning nine, he had reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, and his adoptive parents had tested his attributes.

From then on, weapon refining had formally become one of the paths Zhou Changqing planned to pursue in the future, taking root and sprouting in his mind.

With an ordinary family background and no cheat, Zhou Changqing would have to earn his own cultivation resources if he wanted to become powerful.

If he truly managed to accomplish something in weapon refining, even if it did not bring in money the way an Alchemist's craft did, it would at least make earning resources easier.

Back then, he had neither school nor work to attend to, so aside from cultivating, he had plenty of free time.

Since he had nothing else to do, and this world offered little entertainment, he might as well study weapon refining to pass the time.

Even if he failed, he would not lose anything.

And if he actually figured out its secrets, he would have struck gold.

With that mindset, apart from the six months or so he had spent in despair after tragedy befell his adoptive parents, Zhou Changqing had used every spare moment to organize his thoughts. Combining the knowledge from his previous life with the smithing techniques his adoptive father had taught him in this one, he began studying the art of weapon refining.

During that time, countless ideas and flashes of inspiration had surfaced in his mind, which he recorded, organized, and compiled into a book.

That was how "Conjectures on the Feasibility of Weapon Refining" had come into being.

Now that his dou qi's attributes had finished transforming, he had the means to test those conjectures. Naturally, he had to give them a try.

With that thought, Zhou Changqing took the book and headed into the courtyard.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

The familiar sound of smithing rang out through the little courtyard.

After some work, Zhou Changqing forged a Ghost-Head Saber blank.

Carrying the saber blank, he went over to the stone table, sat down, and placed it on the tabletop.

Looking at the saber blank before him, Zhou Changqing held his breath, focused his mind, and began circulating the dou qi within his body.

Inside his dantian, the gold-and-silver vortex continuously drew in and released dou qi under the guidance of his mind.

Then, silver lightning attribute dou qi flowed from his dantian into his meridians, circulating throughout his body.

Finally, under Zhou Changqing's control, the dou qi gathered in his hands.

At that moment, Zhou Changqing reached out with both hands and gripped the two ends of the Ghost-Head Saber blank.

The next second, lightning attribute dou qi began pouring continuously into the saber blank through his palms!

In an instant, a faint silver radiance appeared over the saber blank!

As the lightning attribute dou qi continued pouring in, that radiance grew brighter and brighter!

He could even see a few tiny, almost imperceptible arcs of electricity dancing over the blade!

Half an hour later!

"Crack!"

A faint, crisp sound rang out, and a hairline crack appeared on the surface of the saber blank, so small that it would have been impossible to notice without looking closely.

Seeing that crack, Zhou Changqing stopped channeling his dou qi, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

(End of chapter)