First Time Refining Artifacts

Only after gnawing through an entire deer hind leg did Shen Ge contentedly pat his stomach. Sure enough, nothing soothed the heart quite like the taste of the mortal world.

After that, Shen Ge followed some of the common knowledge Ghost Demoness had left behind, trekking over mountains and rivers for a little over half a month before finding a small iron deposit at the foot of a cliff.

He then dug for another ten days or so before finding two fist-sized chunks of iron essence among the mottled iron ore.

Holding the two chunks of iron essence, the dirt-covered Shen Ge beamed with excitement.

Though the two chunks did not look big, they weighed nearly a hundred jin.

"I didn't expect to get this lucky. I can use one to refine a flying sword and the other to refine a shield. That'll give me both offense and defense."

After wandering around the mountains for nearly two months, Shen Ge hurried back to the cave and eagerly set about refining them.

A string of small flames burst from his palm, roasting the two chunks of iron essence.

But the little flames were not quite hot enough. Aside from refining away some impurities on the surface, they did not change the two chunks of iron essence at all.

"So it really won't work?" Shen Ge sighed and reluctantly stopped producing the little flames.

Although the temperature would keep rising as he continued to feed the flames, the open environment did not retain heat. The hot air scattered in every direction, making it impossible to melt the iron essence completely.

Shen Ge had, after all, completed nine years of compulsory education. He was not about to give up and wait until his cultivation improved just because he could not melt it.

The temperature simply was not high enough. All he had to do was build a furnace with a small, well-sealed space. Once the temperature rose high enough, any metal would melt.

With that thought, Shen Ge immediately got to work. He first gathered a pile of soil and gravel, then fetched some water. After mixing the water and soil into clay, he took up the work of a construction worker.

In less than an hour, a crooked furnace less than half a meter tall had taken shape.

Next came the drying. As long as the furnace did not collapse or explode, it would be perfectly capable of smelting iron.

Shen Ge roasted the furnace with his little flames for an entire afternoon before it finally dried through. There were a few cracks here and there, but they were not a serious problem.

Shen Ge gave the furnace a few moderately forceful blows. Mm, it neither collapsed nor lost any pieces. It was more than sturdy enough.

He put the two chunks of iron essence into a prepared container and placed it in the furnace. Then he formed hand seals with both hands, summoning a small flame and sending it streaming into the furnace.

Before long, a crackling came from inside the furnace. It was the sound of the soil bursting apart. Fortunately, he had fired it carefully enough earlier, and aside from a few loose crumbs of earth, the furnace remained unchanged.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Shen Ge increased the flow of flames. In less than an hour, the entire furnace was giving off a great deal of heat, but the iron essence inside was only just beginning to show signs of melting.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Shen Ge had no choice but to stop casting. Although the little flame consumed very little spiritual power, he was only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. Maintaining it for an hour was already his limit.

Once the flames stopped, the iron essence, which had only just begun to show signs of melting, changed no further.

The sight made Shen Ge furious. "Damn it, that must be nearly two thousand degrees! Even stone should melt at that temperature. Don't tell me this iron essence has a higher melting point than soil."

After venting for a while, Shen Ge gradually calmed down. On second thought, the iron essence was so dense that its melting point might really be higher than soil's. He might actually have no way to deal with it.

Without modern technology, Shen Ge, a poor student, really could not think of any good way to raise the temperature to three to five thousand degrees.

"Forget it. I'll save these two chunks until after Foundation Establishment. I'll make some weapons out of ordinary iron ore instead."

Unable to deal with the two chunks of iron essence, Shen Ge was not going to keep stubbornly butting his head against the wall. He had them with him anyway, so he could try again once he was stronger.

After resting for a while and recovering his spiritual power, Shen Ge took out the two chunks of iron essence and tossed in some ordinary iron ore. Following the same method, he heated it for a little over ten minutes, and the ore had already turned completely into molten iron. Compared with the two chunks of iron essence, it was unbelievably fast.

But Shen Ge stared dumbfounded at the molten iron before him. Even if he poured it into a mold and let it solidify, it would not be very effective as a weapon. It might even be worse than the iron swords made by mortals.

"Damn it, wasn't this supposed to come out right in one go? Don't the protagonists in those novels always refine Law Treasures with no trouble at all? Why is it different for me, huh?"

Shen Ge grumbled, feeling somewhat overwhelmed, but things had already come to this, so he could only grit his teeth and carry on.

He poured the molten iron into a mold he had prepared beforehand. Once it had solidified a little, he immediately began forging it. After three days of hammering away, Shen Ge finally ended up with a sword that looked passable enough.

Although the sword was not sharp, and its blade was not even the same thickness throughout, at least it would have no trouble chopping someone.

Five more years passed in the blink of an eye. Ever since forging that sword, Shen Ge had devoted himself to cultivation and never brought up refining Law Artifacts again.

It was not that he did not want to refine them. He really was powerless to do it.

"I'm already at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. I need to think about Foundation Establishment."

"Should I go get a Foundation Establishment Pill or not? I still don't know what my aptitude is, and I don't know if I can reach Foundation Establishment on my own."

Shen Ge shook his head, rose with a gloomy expression, and walked out of the cave. Even the bright sunshine and beautiful scenery could not blow away the worries in his heart.

According to Ghost Demoness's memories, a failed attempt at Foundation Establishment would damage one's foundation. If that happened, there would be no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment for at least twenty years, and it would also affect one's future Dao Path.

If he used a Foundation Establishment Pill, the result would not be as good as breaking through on his own, but it would not have any serious adverse consequences either.

To put it plainly, a Foundation Establishment Pill gave him a way out. Having one would put his mind more at ease during the breakthrough. After all, if he failed to break through on his own, he could still take the pill and continue. If one attempt failed, he could take several pills in succession. Even if he had to rely on their medicinal power to force his way through, he could still make it.

"Alas, the ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill are a little hard to find, though. And more importantly, I don't know how to refine pills!"

Although Shen Ge had some of Ghost Demoness's memories, the most he could make now was a hemostatic powder and a Spiritual Qi powder.

Never mind a complete novice like him. Even Ghost Demoness, a woman at the Golden Core Stage, might not have been able to refine pills if asked. Otherwise, her memories would not have lacked anything on the subject.

"Forget it. I'd better go out and look around, see if I can get my hands on a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Shen Ge shook his head, summoned Little White, and began wandering around the nearby mountains. Since he was preparing to leave, he had to sweep the area clean of its valuables. It would be nice to exchange them for some Spirit Stones later.

What kind of immortal cultivator could not even produce a single Spirit Stone? He might as well go home and farm.