Iron-Cleaving Mortal Weapon, Golden Lightning Weapon Refining Method

He set aside the sheet of paper on which he had written his notes.

Zhou Changqing picked up the blade on the table, its silver gleaming like snow.

After stroking the blade's mirror-smooth surface, Zhou Changqing's hands, gripping its spine, suddenly lit up with a faint, dark-gold glow!

The next moment, tough, keen-edged Metal Attribute Dou Qi poured from his palms into the blade!

As the Dou Qi flowed in, the entire blade began to radiate a dark-gold luster!

After channeling it for several minutes, Zhou Changqing reined in his Metal Attribute Dou Qi and summoned his silvery lightning attribute Dou Qi instead, rapidly pouring it into the blade at the optimal output!

For a time, the blade was enveloped in dark-gold and faint silver light!

Before the Metal Attribute Dou Qi remaining inside the blade could dissipate, it encountered the lightning attribute Dou Qi!

Like lovers reunited after a long separation, the two instantly entwined, their passion blazing!

The two colors of light on the blade blended ceaselessly, until neither could be distinguished from the other!

Stimulated by the lightning attribute Dou Qi, the normally steady, solid Metal Attribute Dou Qi became intensely active, seething as it merged into every metal atom in the blade's material!

Countless atomic nuclei were continually strengthened by the Metal Attribute Dou Qi. At the same time, the lightning attribute Dou Qi kept penetrating the metal atoms, merging with their free electrons!

In this way, the metal nuclei and free electrons maintained a relatively balanced, stable state.

The metal atoms transformed as a result, their metallic bonds growing tighter and making the material tougher!

Better still, the heat generated by the lightning attribute Dou Qi coursing through the metal blade continuously purged impurities from the material, making it purer!

About seven minutes later!

Clang!

"Ah! That's fucking hot!"

Suddenly, Zhou Changqing jerked both hands away, and the blade crashed onto the stone table!

By then, the blade had turned faintly red, with a barely visible gleam of brilliant gold within that redness!

Ignoring the blade, Zhou Changqing kept shaking his scalded, bright-red hands to cool them quickly.

Only after the stinging in his hands faded did Zhou Changqing turn his gaze back to the blade.

Picking up a pair of tongs and gripping the blade with them, he hurried over to the barrel of quenching oil and lowered it inside.

With a series of hisses, the blade's temperature dropped rapidly until it returned to its original level.

After wiping the blade clean, Zhou Changqing went over to the furnace where he usually worked and began assembling the saber.

About an hour later.

A gleaming silver, brand-new Ghost-Head Saber appeared in his hands.

Zhou Changqing then eagerly fetched a block of iron and placed it on the ground.

Gripping the hefty Ghost-Head Saber, Zhou Changqing swung it at the iron block without using much strength.

Whoosh!

The blade sliced through the air with a whistling sound, then struck the iron block squarely.

Something miraculous happened the next second. The Ghost-Head Saber's blade sliced the iron block smoothly in two, as though cutting tofu!

"Badass!"

At the sight, Zhou Changqing's eyes widened slightly, and he could not help exclaiming in admiration.

After drawing the saber back, Zhou Changqing studied the hefty Ghost-Head Great Saber in his hands, his gaze like that of someone admiring a work of art.

Stroking the blade, Zhou Changqing could not help marveling, "That half month I spent refining and nurturing you wasn't wasted. What a fine saber!"

The iron block he had used to test the Ghost-Head Saber's sharpness might not have been Hundred-Forged Fine Steel, but its strength already met the material requirements for weapons used by Dou Zhe.

Its toughness was more than sufficient to withstand the punishment of a Dou Zhe's everyday battles.

Yet an iron block like that had proved utterly helpless before the Ghost-Head Saber, showing just how sharp this hefty saber had become!

And that was with Zhou Changqing barely putting any strength into it!

Zhou Changqing could even say with certainty that a Dou Shi's Dou Qi gauze robe probably could not withstand this Ghost-Head Saber!

As for a Da Dou Shi's Dou Qi Armor, Zhou Changqing did not dare make any such claim.

A little while later.

His excitement subsided.

Looking at the blade, Zhou Changqing suddenly gave a soft sigh. "What a shame. Refining a weapon like this takes far too much time."

"If I could mass-produce these Iron-Cleaving Mortal Weapons in a short time, I could make a hefty profit, even if they weren't worth as much as Pills!"

Zhou Changqing could hardly be blamed for feeling such regret.

There were simply too many limitations on refining Iron-Cleaving Mortal Weapons like this hefty Ghost-Head Great Saber at present.

First was the problem of channeling Dou Qi.

The cultivation methods Zhou Changqing practiced were not a single method that cultivated both metal and lightning attributes, but two separate, single-attribute methods.

As a result, Zhou Changqing could not use Metal Attribute Dou Qi while using lightning attribute Dou Qi.

The meridian pathways through which the two separate methods circulated Dou Qi were incompatible. Forcing them to operate simultaneously risked rupturing his meridians.

Thus, when refining and nurturing a weapon, Zhou Changqing could only channel Metal Attribute Dou Qi first, then inject lightning attribute Dou Qi to activate it before it dissipated.

Being unable to inject both types of Dou Qi simultaneously undoubtedly slowed the refining and nurturing process considerably.

This was not merely a limitation in Weapon Refining, but also a flaw in his cultivation.

Although his dual-attribute constitution allowed Zhou Changqing to practice two cultivation methods,

the compatibility issue prevented him from circulating both methods simultaneously when cultivating Dou Qi, as doing so also risked rupturing his meridians.

That meant Zhou Changqing could not cultivate Metal Attribute Dou Qi while cultivating lightning attribute Dou Qi, and vice versa.

He therefore had to spend twice as much time as others cultivating Dou Qi, cultivating one type first and then the other to keep them balanced.

Of course, cultivating only a single attribute of Dou Qi was also possible, but that would mean discarding the other attribute.

Zhou Changqing naturally would never do that.

So, to balance the two types of Dou Qi within his Dou Qi Vortex, he could only put up with this flaw.

Once he found an opportunity in the future, he would definitely seek out a cultivation method that combined metal and lightning, then switch to it.

Aside from this shortcoming, there was another limitation on Weapon Refining.

Zhou Changqing could not project his Dou Qi outside his body.

Every time he refined and nurtured a weapon, he therefore had to touch the weapon itself to channel Dou Qi into it.

That was what had led to the earlier scene of the weapon scalding his hands.

This problem could only be resolved once he cultivated to the Da Dou Shi level. For now, there was simply no other way.

"If only I had a weapon-refining furnace with special functions, like a Medicine Cauldron. Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking..."

This made Zhou Changqing envy Alchemists. After all, those fellows had Medicine Cauldrons to use in their early stages and did not need to worry about projecting Dou Qi outside their bodies at all.

They could simply place a palm against the Medicine Cauldron's fire inlet and channel Dou Qi to produce flames without even burning their hands.

Zhou Changqing wanted a Weapon Refining furnace too.

Unfortunately, nothing of the sort existed on the Dou Qi Continent. Even if it did, it would not be compatible with his Golden Lightning Weapon Refining Method.

At his current stage, he did not have enough time to research a furnace suited to Weapon Refining, either. The undertaking was far too great.

He could therefore only make do with things as they were.

The Weapon Refining method in this story is something the author made up. If anything seems unreasonable, dear readers, please go easy on me.

Of course, if any dear reader has a more reasonable idea, feel free to leave a comment, and the author can make changes.

(End of chapter)