Magnetic Force was, in fact, akin to what Earth in his previous life had understood as gravity, but in this cultivation world, supernatural power lent it a far more special significance.
The Sword Cultivators, spellcasters, martial artists, and their ilk on the Other Continent all regarded cultivating the ability to fly-to tread through empty air and roam heaven and earth-as the beginning of forging a Dao Foundation, which meant reaching the so-called Foundation Establishment realm.
Even demons had a similar dividing line. Once high-tier demonic beasts cultivated into true demons, they could use their Demon Essence to fly as well.
All of this excluded methods of flight such as rotors, wings, and jet propulsion. Only supernatural power that directly opposed gravity and treated the earth's pull as nothing counted.
Thus, Puppet Masters also regarded mastery of Magnetic Force as the hallmark of methods rated three stars or higher.
Its difficulty happened to be moderate. Anyone who could refine various Spirit Materials with their own magical power and produce the relevant components to the Creation Sect's standards could be considered to have attained the level of a Master Artisan.
Of course, the other prerequisites for making a Three-Star Puppet were indispensable too. But anyone who could successfully refine something like this already possessed considerable accomplishments as a Puppet Master, as well as substantial cultivation and magical power, so there was no harm in judging them to be at the Master Artisan level on that basis.
In fact, the Creation Sect had originally defined Master Artisans as people who could manufacture Mechanism Devices and various puppets, and teach craftsmen their skills. This "manufacturing" differed fundamentally from a craftsman's "assembly and modification," but the definition had never specified exactly which type of puppet they had to make. The questions on the sect's promotion examinations changed almost every year.
Over the years, however, as examination questions leaked out, the public had long since reached a consensus. Generally, only Combat Puppets with a certain degree of complexity, such as Armored Warriors and Keen Warriors, were considered to count.
The cores of these Combat Puppets incorporated a complete set of techniques for circulating Spirit Essence and controlling joints. Anyone who thoroughly mastered them all and manufactured one entirely through their own efforts could indeed be called a Master Artisan.
Even so, most people still chose techniques involving Magnetic Force as their point of breakthrough. Supposedly, more than seventy percent of Puppet Masters chose this sort of thing as their first work when becoming Master Artisans.
Li Chen had come out of interest. Before long, he was sitting on a bench in front of the shop counter, carefully examining the goods the shopkeeper presented.
What lay in his hand now was a small metal sphere about an inch across, polished smooth and round.
Judging by its surface alone, there was nothing unusual about it, but weighing it in his hand revealed that it was actually lighter than ordinary wood.
When Li Chen infused it with magical power and elicited a reaction, he felt its weight vanish completely.
Li Chen pressed one finger against its top and removed the support beneath it. The little sphere did not fall, but hovered in the air with a faint trace of Magnetic Force.
Li Chen fed in more magical power and immediately felt its upward force increase. When he abruptly moved his finger away, it shot upward as though someone had tossed it.
Very soon, however, that hovering force vanished again. The little sphere returned to normal and dropped.
"Careful." The shopkeeper, who had been watching Li Chen handle the item all along, reacted swiftly and caught the little metal sphere.
"Dear customer, this batch of Floating Balls we brought in is the genuine work of a Grand Artisan. You saw it yourself. Five thousand Talisman Coins apiece really isn't expensive. That's only because this is a small model. A larger one would start at ten thousand, at the very least."
Li Chen said, "Shopkeeper, how is that not expensive? Other Floating Balls of about the same size and lifting force only cost around three thousand."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. "Oh, so you know your goods! But since you can name that price, surely you also know that the feel of this one just now was entirely different."
Li Chen pondered. "That's true enough..."
He did indeed feel that this Floating Ball was of good quality. Even with the same application of Magnetic Force, differing accomplishments and levels of craftsmanship naturally produced finished goods of differing quality.
As far as Li Chen knew, the markets of the Eastern Victory Continent judged their quality by lifting force per unit of size and sensitivity to magical power.
Li Chen was not prepared to fully believe that the one he had just tested had truly been refined by a Grand Artisan, but it really was much better than ordinary finished products. A higher price was only natural.
Li Chen asked tentatively, "How about four thousand?"
The shopkeeper's expression changed at once. "Please don't joke, dear customer. How can you cut a whole thousand off just like that?"
Without a change in expression, Li Chen said, "Don't misunderstand. This isn't the one I want. I want those."
"If they really were all personally refined by the same Grand Artisan, as you say, then I'll take the whole lot."
He pointed across the counter at the contents of another box beside the shopkeeper.
There was a batch of soybean-sized Floating Balls and one the size of a longan. They were clearly made from leftover scraps that someone had casually refined while producing the usual models.
Things like these were not nearly so expensive. They were priced as the odds and ends they were.
They were all uncommon small-sized Floating Balls. Their limited uses and awkward handling made them unpopular with the public.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately sank into thought, plainly weighing his gains and losses.
After a while, he sighed, looking as though he was taking a loss. "All right. Someone left these things here and asked me to sell them off. If not for that, you'd have a hard time finding any even if you wanted them."
He brought the wooden box over and counted them again in front of Li Chen. "Fifteen small Type D balls and one small Type B ball altogether."
"Mm." Li Chen agreed, then patiently inspected every one with his own hands.
Sure enough, these Floating Balls were consistent in quality. They probably had indeed been refined by the same person.
Although their dimensions were somewhat smaller, Li Chen had other plans for them, so he did not mind.
He set the Floating Balls aside and added, "Since I'm here, I might as well buy some Magnetic Ore and Floating Gold too. And another three jin of Light Steel and two jin of Iron Essence."
Magnetic Ore was precisely the ore from which Floating Gold was extracted, while Floating Gold was a common material for making Floating Balls. Once refined, it took the form of these lightweight metal spheres.
Understanding dawned on the shopkeeper's face. "I never would have guessed. So young, and you already have one foot over the threshold of becoming a Master Artisan. My admiration!"
From those materials, he could guess that Li Chen intended to study the secrets within and try to master Magnetic Force himself.
But that had nothing to do with him. Whether Li Chen succeeded or failed, all he would receive was polite flattery. Once he stepped out of the shop, if they met elsewhere, who would care who he was or what he intended to do?
Li Chen offered no explanation, nor did he smile bashfully and respond with a few words like an ordinary young man. He merely began calmly checking the quality of the Spirit Materials.
At a time like this, he had to keep his eyes sharp. Otherwise, if an unscrupulous merchant passed off inferior goods as quality wares and cheated him, what good would all the sweet words in the world do?