Free Web NovelChapter 281: Chapter 226: Dual Mastery in Runes and Artifact Refining! Activating the [Performance Technique] Trait
「One hour later.」
Celestial Craft Maintenance Department, Lab Three.
When Han Feng swiped his card to enter, Zhao Yu was wearing heavy protective goggles, staring entranced at a high-speed micro-centrifuge.
He took off the goggles.
His eyes were filled with a spiderweb of bloodshot veins.
"What are you doing here in broad daylight, kid?"
"Got a bit of inspiration. Came to test it out."
Han Feng expertly switched on the Superconducting Arc Furnace.
VMMM—
Inside the furnace chamber, a pale blue arc of electricity danced like a newborn thunder serpent.
Han Feng didn’t use any precious materials.
He casually grabbed a handful of Spiritual Energy Alloy scraps from the waste bin.
Watching this, Zhao Yu’s eye couldn’t help but twitch.
Spiritual Energy Alloy, even the scraps, was worth several hundred Contribution Points per kilogram on the Black Market.
But in this guy’s hands, it seemed no different from pebbles on the side of the road.
"Temperature three thousand, inert gas shield."
Han Feng stared at the control panel, his expression focused.
His current [Artifact Refining] Skill Proficiency had reached (988/1000).
’Just a little bit away from advancing to Mastery.’
The Arc Furnace went to full power.
The hard Spiritual Energy Alloy rapidly softened and melted under the terrifyingly high temperature, turning into a pool of silvery-white liquid.
Under the effect of the magnetic levitation Force Field, it floated in the center of the furnace chamber, churning and writhing like a miniature liquid star.
Han Feng closed his eyes.
His Divine Sense plunged into the scalding liquid.
It split into billions of invisible, dust-sized hammers.
They began to ferociously hammer the liquid metal.
The volume of the originally silvery-white liquid metal visibly shrank by a third.
But its texture underwent a world-shaking transformation.
It became unprecedentedly crystal clear, even revealing a faint golden luster under the reflection of the electric arc.
[Ding! High-purity refinement complete.]
[[Artifact Refining] Skill Proficiency +5.]
’Almost there.’
Han Feng didn’t stop.
His Divine Sense suddenly tightened, stretching and flattening the liquid.
In an instant, it was molded into a Willow Leaf Saber as thin as a cicada’s wing.
Coolant sprayed out.
HISS—
A thick white mist rose.
A Flying Knife, glinting with a cold light, landed steadily on the console.
The body of the knife was so clear it could reflect a person’s image.
[Ding! Refining successful.]
[[Artifact Refining] Skill Proficiency +8.]
[Congratulations, Host. [Artifact Refining] Level has increased: Proficient → Mastery (0/2000).]
The moment the notification sounded, a vast torrent of knowledge surged into his Sea of Consciousness.
Han Feng felt a jolt in his mind. It wasn’t pain, but a sense of instantaneous fullness brought on by the sheer immensity of the knowledge.
His eyes deepened as he rapidly digested the information.
This wasn’t simple text or images.
It was a kind of "instinctual memory" that acted directly on the level of his soul.
[Basic Level Refining Truth]
[Metal Qi Recognition: The Sharpness of Metal, the growth of Wood, the malleability of Water, the explosiveness of Fire, the stability of Earth.
All things possess a Spiritual nature. Artifact Refining is the act of guiding this Spiritual nature, not forcefully twisting it.]
[Cold Forging Technique and Blood Sacrifice Technique: Quenching with Extreme Cold Ice Soul can lock a material’s Spiritual nature in place, preventing it from dissipating.
Feeding it with one’s own essence blood can forcefully forge a Spirit Contract.]
[Spiritual Material Combination Logic: Fusing Spiritual Materials of different attributes must follow the principles of the Five Elements’ mutual generation and restriction.
Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood... If the attributes clash, at best the furnace will explode; at worst, the artifact will be destroyed and its refiner killed.]
[Artifact Pattern Internal Structure: The strength of a Magical Artifact lies not on its surface, but within. A honeycomb internal structure is the most stable; a spiral internal structure provides the fastest Energy Guidance.]
This knowledge was incomparably precious.
His previous Entry Level and Proficient skills were, at best, a form of "advanced material processing technique."
But now, Mastery had allowed him to truly cross the threshold of the ancient Skill of Artifact Refining.
He finally understood why the items he had refined before could only be called "Pseudo-Magical Artifacts."
It was because he had only crudely carved Runes onto the materials, never thinking to listen to and guide the material’s own Spiritual nature.
That was no different from forcibly stuffing a V12 engine into a wooden carriage.
It would run, but it could fall apart at any moment.
"Are... are you okay?"
Zhao Yu handed him a bottle of water, his voice tinged with worry.
"I’m fine. Just a bit mentally exhausted."
Han Feng took the water, but his gaze was astonishingly sharp.
Without a moment’s rest, he turned and picked up another metal bar from the scrap heap.
’Next, the Runes.’
[Rune Construction·Proficient (1967/2000)]
’33 points to go.’
A point of brilliant, star-like, silvery-white Sword Essence condensed at his fingertip.
In the past, when he carved Runes, he would rigidly trace the patterns from his mind onto the material’s surface.
But now, with the foundation of Mastery Level Refining knowledge, he could clearly "see" the path of the naturally formed Artifact Veins within the metal.
’Go with the flow.’
The thought flashed through Han Feng’s mind.
As his fingertip descended, the Sword Essence didn’t forcibly break the metal’s surface.
Instead, it began to guide along the metal’s original microscopic grain and energy flow.
The [Solid] Rune was no longer an isolated pattern forced upon it.
It became a part of the metal’s own structure, as if it had been there from birth.
The first stroke, the second stroke...
Ten minutes later, a perfect [Solid] Rune was fully formed.
[Rune Construction Skill Proficiency +5]
’Continue.’
Han Feng became completely immersed in a wondrous rhythm.
As time went on, his speed at carving Runes grew faster and faster.
His movements also became more concise, filled with a certain indescribable Dao-like rhythm.
At some point, Zhao Yu had already put down his own work.
He stood not far away, watching blankly.
Amateurs watch for the excitement, but experts see the technique.
In the eyes of Zhao Yu, a B Level Engineer, Han Feng’s current state was astounding.
In Han Feng’s hands, that ordinary alloy dagger was no longer just a cold instrument.
