The precious nature of immortal swords lies in their versatility. Not only are flying swords unparalleled in offense, but they can also form protective sword shields and serve as a means of transportation. Their value is often the highest among artifacts of the same grade.
Defensive artifacts are foundational for survival and thus rank second in importance, followed by treasures such as the Purple Sun Furnace, Purple Radiance Mirror, and Thunder Demon Splitting Shuttle, which are top-tier second-grade treasures.
Thinking of this, Chen Changxuan smiled faintly and said, "You are prudent and thoughtful. You handle matters with decisiveness. My concerns were unnecessary."
After speaking, he brought out the spoils of this expedition.
Though they had eliminated three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Lin family, the useful items for the two of them were few. Unlike Lin Baixi, the most promising of the group, the other three were at the early Foundation Establishment stage, with wealth and status far inferior.
The total spirit stones in their storage pouches amounted to only a little over 3,000. They possessed just one mid-tier second-grade artifact, while the rest included six or seven low-tier second-grade ones.
Chen Changxuan found these treasures unimpressive. Apart from one or two decent artifacts that Chen Changxuan planned to use to enhance the city-protecting formation of Pingyang City, the rest were simply added to the family treasury.
After sorting everything out, the three did not leave but instead headed to the artifact refining room together.
"Previously, dealing with the Lin family delayed the crafting of your life-bound artifact," Chen Changxuan said to the third elder upon entering the refining room.
"Now, with my and Elian's assistance, refining the Bright Origin Phantom Sword will be thirty percent faster."
As he spoke, he retrieved a chunk of millennium cold iron, placing it into the refining furnace to begin crafting the Bright Origin Phantom Sword.
While refining, Chen Changxuan used fire to temper the millennium cold iron and explained the process to Elian.
"Smelting millennium cold iron is entirely different from smelting millennium red iron. Millennium cold iron is a heavenly material of pure yin attribute."
"Our family's Fiery Sun True Fire and Burning Heaven Flame are powerful and masculine. Using them to refine this material may diminish its potency."
"To smelt this treasure without diminishing its power, it's best to use the Yin Fire technique."
"Although our family lacks methods for cultivating pure yang or pure yin fire, we do have a second-grade spell, the Azure Spirit True Fire, which can somewhat substitute for the required yin fire."
As the elder patriarch explained, Elian listened attentively, gaining deeper insight into artifact refining.
Over the years, the elder patriarch had frequently taught him artifact refining and formation techniques. In his spare time, Elian would practice with first-grade materials. Although he hadn't refined many items, he had already reached the threshold of becoming a second-grade artifact and formation master.
After seeing the artifacts Elian had crafted, the elder patriarch was amazed, believing his comprehension far surpassed expectations. Since then, every time the patriarch refined an artifact or worked on a formation, he ensured Elian observed closely, teaching him with great dedication.
Pure yang fire is extremely aggressive. In contrast, pure yin fire is gentler and more suitable for crafting water-attribute artifacts.
It is said that yin thunder, equally renowned, is called pure yin divine thunder. Its destructive power is extraordinary, but only female cultivators can successfully cultivate this technique.
Although the Chen family lacked true yin fire techniques, their Azure Spirit True Fire, which is relatively gentle, could substitute. Elian had also cultivated this fire over the years. Unlike the more challenging divine abilities, this technique was not too difficult to learn, and he had achieved basic mastery.
Without the assistance of subterranean fire veins, the two used Azure Spirit True Fire to temper the millennium cold iron, spending half a month before smelting it into a clear, transparent liquid.
"Water Essence."
The elder patriarch remarked after completing this step.
Elian quickly took out the Water Essence and poured it into the refining furnace.
Without hesitation, the elder patriarch fused the Water Essence with the liquid millennium cold iron, repeatedly tempering it with true fire. After seven more days, they refined a pale blue liquid.
Next, the patriarch used his true essence to shape the sword. Soon, the sword embryo took form.
"Channel."
As the sword embryo formed, Chen Changxuan called out loudly.
Chen Qinghao responded quickly, channeling his true essence to inscribe the array patterns into the Bright Origin Phantom Sword.
Previously, Elian had inscribed array patterns in a quarter of an hour. The third elder, whose comprehension and understanding of formations were not as profound, took an hour and a half to complete the inscription.
"It's finally done."
After finishing the inscription, Chen Qinghao let out a sigh of relief. With the most critical step completed, what remained was meticulous refinement.
He then took out the pre-prepared water element essence and refined metal essence, slowly infusing them into the artifact.
According to the Bright Origin Phantom Sword's crafting formula, the golden metal element should be used. However, Elian suggested replacing it with the refined metal element.
The reason was that water thrives with the refined metal element but clashes with the golden metal element. If the golden metal element were used, water and metal would hinder each other, diminishing the water essence's efficacy. Conversely, using the refined metal element allows metal to nourish water, maximizing the sword's power.
The elder patriarch, after careful consideration, agreed with Elian's suggestion and boldly modified the formula, substituting the refined metal element for the golden metal element.
As Chen Qinghao refined the immortal sword, Elian observed closely, gaining deeper comprehension of artifact refining.
Cultivators with five spiritual roots have a peculiar advantage: they can refine up to five life-bound artifacts.
However, refining even a single life-bound artifact requires immense effort. Simultaneously refining five is nearly impossible due to the severe toll on cultivation speed.
Moreover, higher-grade life-bound artifacts consume vast amounts of elemental essence. Some powerful cultivators, through their purchase of elemental essence, could sustain an entire nation or a grand immortal clan, showcasing the immense resource consumption of life-bound artifacts and high-grade divine abilities.
The process of refining immortal swords is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The third elder worked for over half a month before successfully completing the Bright Origin Phantom Sword.
A resonant sword hum echoed as a green sword light shot out from the refining furnace and entered Chen Qinghao's forehead.
Having received his life-bound artifact, the third elder beamed with joy.
"I never imagined that I would obtain a life-bound artifact in my lifetime."
"Elian's proposal was indeed correct. Refining the sword with refined metal essence increased its power by twenty percent beyond what the records suggested."
The elder patriarch stroked his beard, his face showing a trace of amazement.
"To apply the principles of medicinal synergy to artifact refining... Elian's comprehension and talent may far exceed what we imagined."
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D