Qin Tiexin stayed with the Heart-Forging Hall for a while longer.
He cleaned the ashes from the forge, wiped the anvil, and tidied the tools on the wall. He collected the metals scattered on the stone table piece by piece and put them back in the material rack. He swept the floor again, and finally closed the doors and windows.
After doing this, it was almost noon.
He returns to his cave abode.
After closing the stone door, cave abode suddenly became quiet. The sound of wind, birdsong, and distant waterfalls were cut off from the outside world, leaving only his own steady breathing.
Qin Tiexin sat down in front of the stone table. He did not start practicing immediately, but closed his eyes first.
My mind sank into the sea of consciousness.
The golden ancient book slowly emerged.
[Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts].
Qin Tiexin Thinking back on it, I haven't used this mysterious catalog much recently. First, because I have been in the Flowing Cloud Sect, and there are spiritual materials everywhere around me, so [Spiritual Material Sensing]'s ability is basically useless - in a sect where spiritual materials are everywhere, it's almost as if there is nothing.
Second, he spends most of his time practicing, refining weapons, and sparring step by step, and there is nothing that requires special help from the illustrations.
But he uses the Illusory Realm Hall function every day.
Of the extra four hours of study time every day, he used half of it to review Jade Slip, which he had seen before - the movement route of "Primordial Unity Instruction", the power-generating techniques of "Falling Star Spear", and "Cauldron Eating Art" Absorption method. The other half of the time is used to repeatedly observe the forging experience taught by Wu Zhen and Luo Ling, and simulate the forging process in the Void Realm.
In the past three months, he has "forged" in the Void Realm more than ten times more than in reality. Although the feel in the Void Realm is different from reality after all, the tempering of ideas and the familiarity with the process are of great help.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Qin Tiexin looked at the task page of the catalog.
On the dark golden pages, the writing is clear:
[Main mission: All Laws Return to Artifacts (2)]
[Stage goal one: Spirit Rune mastery]
Requirements: Master thirty different Spirit Rune, current progress: 42/30 (completed)
[Stage goal two: Knowledge of spiritual materials]
Requirement: Identify the characteristics of one hundred spiritual materials, current progress: 124/100 (completed)
[Stage goal three: Law Artifact advanced]
Requirement: Refining a piece of Middle-Grade Law Artifact by hand. Current progress: Completed
[Stage reward: Spirit Rune Weakness Insight]
[Effect: You can intuitively perceive Law Artifact Spirit Rune's energy congestion points, structurally unstable nodes and mismatches with materials.]
Of the three goals, the first two have been completed long ago. Spirit Rune He has learned more than forty kinds, and has been exposed to more than a hundred spiritual materials. Luo Ling Peak The most indispensable thing is spiritual materials.
The only task progress that is stuck is the third one: Refining Middle-Grade Law Artifact.
Now, it's finished.
Qin Tiexin made a thought and chose to receive the reward.
Golden light flowed on the page, and a flow of information poured into his mind. It was not words, but more like a "visual" - when he focused his eyes on Law Artifact, he could see that some nodes in the Spirit Rune network looked dim, some lines looked distorted, and some intersections had an obvious "blockage" feeling.
He opened his eyes and looked at Flame Spirit Sword placed on the stone table.
This is the Middle-Grade Law Artifact, Luo Ling, and Wu Zhen that he forged by himself. They both have good reviews and are said to sell for one hundred Spirit Stone.
In normal vision, the sword body is dark red, three Spirit Rune are looming, and the spiritual power flows smoothly, and there seems to be no problem.
Qin Tiexin gathered his mind and tried to activate the [Spirit Rune Weakness Insight] he just obtained.
The scene in front of me changed.
The Spirit Rune network of Flame Spirit Sword emerges in the field of vision, covering the sword body like a glowing spider web. The three main lines - Yanyang, Sharpness, and Fire Gathering - are connected to each other to form a complete formation.
But on this network, he saw three obvious "dark spots".
The first one is about one-third of the front of the sword body. There is a small area there where the brightness is obviously reduced when Spirit Rune passes by, like the water flow encountering a rock and not flowing smoothly. Correspondingly, there should be a tiny impurity inside the sword body that has not been completely removed, just on the path of Spirit Rune, causing the spiritual power to be blocked when flowing.
The second one is at the intersection of Blazing Sun Rune and Sharpness Rune. Two spiritual powers with different attributes collide there, causing a weak disorder. Although it does not affect the overall operation, if it is used under high load for a long time, this node may be the first to collapse.
The third one is in the middle section of Fire-Gathering Rune. There is a problem with the arc design of Spirit Rune there, which causes unnecessary "gathering effect" when spiritual energy flows through it, such as the river channel suddenly narrows, the water flow accelerates, and the impact on the river bank increases. After long-term use, the Spirit Rune in this position will wear faster than other places.
Qin Tiexin stared at these three weaknesses and fell silent.
In his own opinion, this Flame Spirit Sword is good enough. In his opinion, Luo Ling and Wu Zhen are also considered qualified Middle-Grade Law Artifact.
But under [Spirit Rune Weakness Insight], the problem is so obvious.
If any one of these three weak points is attacked with heavy techniques during battle - especially the first impurity point - the Spirit Rune structure of the entire sword may collapse, and the Law Artifact will be directly scrapped.
Qin Tiexin Pick up Flame Spirit Sword and check it carefully according to the position you noticed.
At the first weak point, he tapped the sword lightly with his nails. The sound was slightly duller than other parts, and there were indeed impurities. This thing was not discovered when it was forged, nor was it noticed when Spirit Rune was carved, but now that I know it, it becomes more obvious the more I look at it.
At the second intersection, he input a trace of spiritual power to test. When the spiritual power flows through, he can feel a subtle stagnation, like a small whirlpool suddenly appearing in the smooth water flow.
In the middle of the third Fire-Gathering Rune, he repeatedly observed the Spirit Rune arc, and then recalled the route he had taken - indeed, that turn was too sharp and should have been gentler.
"That's it." Qin Tiexin whispered to himself.
This ability is more useful than expected.
Not only can it be used in combat - you can see through the enemy Law Artifact's weaknesses and defeat them with one strike. It can also be used to improve your own weapon refining level. After each forging, use this ability to check it, find out the problems, and improve it next time. Your forging skills will naturally improve quickly.
Qin Tiexin put away Flame Spirit Sword, and pulled out the short knife from his waist--Luo Ling gave it when he was apprenticed to his master. It was completely Azure Gold color, and Spirit Rune was looming.
Activate [Spirit Rune Weakness Insight].
In the field of vision, the Spirit Rune network of the short sword appeared.
Perfect.
The four main lines are smooth and natural, the intersection points transition smoothly, and the entire network is integrated without any dark spots, blockages, or structural instability. Like a precise work of art, every detail is just right.
It is indeed Law Artifact refined by Master.
Qin Tiexin looked at Edgeless standing by the wall.
The heavy knife was broken and later recast with Primordial Molten Core, with three Spirit Rune engraved on it: Thousand Jun, toughness, and Spirit Devouring.
Activate insights.
The Spirit Rune network of Edgeless is much more complicated than that of Flame Spirit Sword. After all, it is Law Artifact, and Spirit Rune is more deeply integrated with the material. But in the field of vision, Qin Tiexin still saw several problem points.
The first one is in the middle of the blade, at the intersection of the Thousand Jun pattern and the tenacity pattern. There is a slight spiritual conflict - the two Spirit Rune have different attributes. They were forcibly nested in order to pursue power during the drawing, leaving hidden dangers.
The second one is at the end of Spirit Devouring Rune, where Spirit Rune connects with the tool handle. The structure is not stable enough and may break under high load.
The third one is on the back of the knife near the tip. Spirit Rune's hand shook when carving, causing the line to be slightly deviated. Although it does not affect the function, it is not perfect.
Qin Tiexin looked at these weaknesses and had a plan in mind.
I have to find time recently to re-engrav Edgeless to Repair. Or simply re-engrav Spirit Rune Array and combine the three Spirit Rune in a more reasonable way.
He put the short knife back into his waist and looked at the catalog in the sea of consciousness again.
The second phase of the task is completed, it's time to look at the third phase.
The pages of the book turned slowly.
A new page appeared with simple handwriting:
[Main mission: All Laws Return to Artifacts (3)]
[Stage Objective 1: First acquaintance with treasure materials]
Requirement: Identify twenty types of treasure material characteristics, current progress: 2/20 (Return-to-True Spirit Metal, Five Spirit Dao Stone)
[Stage goal two: collection of ancient meanings]
Requirements: Collect twenty kinds of antiquities, current progress: 1/20 ("Cauldron Eating Art" bone fragments)
[Stage goal three: Law Artifact to perfection]
Requirements: Refining a piece of Supreme-Grade Law Artifact by yourself (100% spiritual material content, containing at least five Spirit Rune in a formation, with preliminary spirituality)
[Stage rewards: Eye of Ancient Identification, [Spirit Material Sense] (intermediate level)]
[Eye of Ancient Identification: The age, material and residual information fragments of the antiquities can be identified]
[Spiritual Material Sensing: The sensing range has been increased to 100 feet, which can distinguish the quality and hidden characteristics of spiritual materials]
Qin Tiexin frowned slightly after reading it.
The difficulty of the tasks in the third stage has obviously gone up to a higher level.
The first two are easy to say. He has indeed seen two kinds of treasures - the piece of practice metal mixed with Return-to-True Spirit Metal given by Wu Zhen, and the Five Spirit Dao Stone obtained from the Primordial Unity Secret Realm. There is also an ancient artifact, which is the "Cauldron Eating Art" bone fragment obtained from the Curios Pavilion.
But the third...
Supreme-Grade Law Artifact.
Jump directly from "Middle-Grade Law Artifact" to "Supreme-Grade Law Artifact", skipping the top grade in the middle. And the requirements are extremely demanding: the content of spiritual materials is 100%, at least five Spirit Rune must form a formation, and they must have preliminary spirituality.
He is now barely qualified in practicing Middle-Grade Law Artifact, but it is still very early to refine it to the highest level.
But Qin Tiexin is not in a hurry.
This kind of thing cannot be rushed. Treasures are rare and antiquities are hard to find. Supreme-Grade Law Artifact requires profound knowledge of weapon refining and a large amount of precious materials. Take it step by step.
And when he saw the task of "Collecting Ancient Intentions", he suddenly understood something.
It was no coincidence that Curios Pavilion and Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts had strong reactions to the bronze mirror and the bone fragments of "Cauldron Eating Art". The catalog itself guided him to collect these antiquities.
Qin Tiexin touched the ring on his chest.
This simple ring is a relic left by grandpa Qin Feng. It is worn close to the body. After activating Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts, it has been silent. It was not until I saw the bronze mirror at the Fallen Star Pavilion auction last time and the bone fragment this time at the Curios Pavilion that I had some slight reaction.
It has been more than a year since I entered Azure Xuan Region, but Qin Tiexin still can't tell the material of the ring. It's neither gold nor jade, and the tentacles are warm. There are very fine lines on the surface, but when I use Divine Sense to explore it, it's empty inside, like an ordinary decoration.
But he knew that this thing was definitely not simple.
Grandpa Qin Feng made a special instruction before his death to wear it closely and not to throw it away. An old man who can pick up a baby in the snow and wear a mysterious ring is absolutely extraordinary.
Qin Tiexin pulled the ring out of his collar and held it in his palm.
Cool touch.
"What are you?" he asked in a low voice.
Of course the ring wouldn't answer.
Qin Tiexin Tucked it back into the collar and placed it close to the chest. No matter what secret it held, now is not the time to explore it. When you are strong enough, you will naturally figure it out.
He recovered his mind and looked at Flame Spirit Sword on the stone table again.
With [Spirit Rune Weakness Insight], the flaws of this sword are obvious. But he doesn't plan to reskill it now - with limited materials and lack of experience, doing it rashly may destroy the entire sword.
Write down the problem first and avoid it the next time you forge.
But Edgeless...
Qin Tiexin stood up, walked to the wall, and held the handle of the heavy knife.
Weighing 6,300 kilograms, it feels heavy.
It has been cut off and recast, and it has accompanied him through bloody battles at the border, life and death in secret realms, and master examinations. This sword is no longer just a piece of Law Artifact, but more like a part of his body.
Now we know that it Spirit Rune is defective, we need to Repair as soon as possible.
Qin Tiexin thought for a moment and came up with a plan.
Recently, I went to the Mission Hall, took on a forging mission, and earned some Merit Points and Spirit Stone. At the same time, I continued to practice Spirit Rune Array to increase my success rate. When I am fully prepared, I will start Repair Edgeless.
He put down the knife, walked back to the stone table, and spread out the pen and paper.
Start formulating the next plan: practice every day without stopping, Spirit Rune Array must practice to achieve a success rate of more than 95%, "Falling Star Spear" must master the second level as soon as possible, "Cauldron Eating Art" must continue, Demon Beast will take on hunting missions if there is not enough meat...
As I write them down one by one, my ideas gradually become clearer.
Luo Ling is not here, Wu Zhen is not in good health, and Chen Xi has not returned.
The only one he can rely on is himself.