Free Web NovelChapter 378: Chapter 296: Magical Treasure Effect
He figured Zhao Weiwen had come to ask for a favor.
It was most likely about Artifact Refining.
More specifically, he probably wanted him to refine an Upper-Grade Spiritual Artifact for that Demon.
But it wasn’t.
"I have a set of Spirit Medicines for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill here. Could I trouble you, Elder Fang, to refine one for me? The payment is inside as well."
Fang Yun took the Storage Pouch and looked inside.
It contained a Demon Core from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beast, the supplementary Spirit Medicines for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill, and one hundred Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.
The normal fee for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill would never be as high as one hundred Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.
This told Fang Yun that Zhao Weiwen was certain he could refine a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill from this set of Spirit Medicines.
This was, in fact, the case.
He had been able to perfectly refine Foundation Establishment Pills for over twenty years.
"So, you’re hoping for a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, Elder Zhao."
"That’s right." Zhao Weiwen nodded. "It’s much easier to obtain a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill in the sect these days, but the simplest way is still to use a Demon Core from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment beast or stronger, add some Spirit Medicines, and come find you to refine it."
The quality of a Demon Core from an early-stage Foundation Establishment beast was much lower. Even someone like Fang Yun, who could perfectly refine them, would only be able to produce a Middle-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, not a Top-grade one.
"I’ll take this job." Fang Yun put away the Storage Pouch, then asked, "Elder Zhao, will you be in the sect for the entire next month?"
"I have to leave in seven days."
"In that case, I’ll refine it for you sooner."
"There’s no need to rush, Elder Fang." Zhao Weiwen wasn’t in a hurry for the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. "Once the pill is refined, just hold onto it for me, Elder Fang. I’ll come back to pick it up in half a year."
"Then it’s settled."
’That gives me plenty of time to schedule things.’
With the Third-Tier, Lower-Grade Earth Yellow Stone in hand, Fang Yun was itching to start refining the Magical Treasure. Because of this, he would have to postpone refining Zhao Weiwen’s Foundation Establishment Pill.
If Zhao Weiwen had been in a hurry, he could have refined it sooner.
Half an hour later, Zhao Weiwen got up to leave.
Although he still wanted to chat with Fang Yun, he knew Fang Yun’s time was precious, so he didn’t want to take up any more of it.
"Farewell, Elder Fang."
"Farewell."
After seeing Zhao Weiwen out of his residence, Fang Yun immediately returned to the Cultivation Room and focused on absorbing the Upper-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill.
「The next day.」
Fang Yun had finished absorbing the Upper-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill.
Next up: Artifact Refining!
He appeared in the Artifact Refining Room.
’Refining a Magical Treasure...’
Spiritual Artifacts are used during the Foundation Establishment stage, while Magical Treasures are used at Core Formation and above.
Even the lowest-grade Magical Treasure, one with a single Prohibition, required an Early-stage Core Formation Cultivator to fully unleash its power.
For his first time refining a Magical Treasure, Fang Yun would naturally only attempt one with a single Prohibition.
A Magical Treasure with two Prohibitions was on a completely different level of difficulty from one with a single Prohibition, and it also required a higher grade of Spiritual Materials.
Normally, to unleash the full power of a two-Prohibition Magical Treasure, a cultivator at mid-stage Core Formation or above was needed.
In the Artifact Refining Room, Fang Yun laid out all the main and supplementary Spiritual Materials for refining the Magical Treasure-grade Earth Yellow Sword.
The Third-Tier, Lower-Grade Earth Yellow Stones first had to be processed into Middle-grade Earth Yellow Stone Essence.
With the aid of his eight-star Artifact Refining talent, Fang Yun processed the Third-Tier, Lower-Grade Earth Yellow Stones. Although he was a bit slow, he wasted very little of the Spiritual Materials.
Processing the Spiritual Materials was only the beginning.
For a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, attempting to refine a Magical Treasure with even a single Prohibition was a massive test of both his stamina and Divine Sense.
He would definitely need to use his Divine Sense to assist in the refining process; it was the only way to ensure a better result.
Five days passed... then ten. Fang Yun was still in the Artifact Refining Room, refining the Magical Treasure.
Refining a Magical Treasure took much longer than refining an Upper-Grade Spiritual Artifact. A Magical Treasure with a single Prohibition usually required over half a month to complete.
On the thirteenth day.
By now, Fang Yun had finished carving the tenth Spirit Pattern.
The next step was the most crucial part of refining a Magical Treasure: forming the ten Spirit Patterns into a Prohibition. This would increase the weapon’s power exponentially. At this point, if an Artifact Refiner judged their chance of successfully creating a Magical Treasure to be less than ten percent, they might choose not to proceed. Forging a supreme-grade Spiritual Artifact instead would be far better than losing all the materials in a failed attempt.
As he began combining the ten Spirit Patterns, the pressure on Fang Yun skyrocketed, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
To ensure the refining process remained uninterrupted, Fang Yun had to rely on his intuition for many of the steps.
When the combination of the ten Spirit Patterns was complete, forming a perfect, closed Prohibition loop, the pressure on Fang Yun dropped drastically.
Once the process reached this step, there was virtually no chance of failure.
In total, a little over sixteen days had passed.
An Earth Yellow Sword took shape. Compared to its Spiritual Artifact-grade counterpart, this new sword was a deeper color and slightly smaller.
"It’s finally done!" Fang Yun was thrilled as he looked at the Magical Treasure-grade Earth Yellow Sword he had just refined.
This was the first Magical Treasure he had ever refined, and he had done it while only at the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Amidst his excitement, he didn’t forget to reflect on the experience.
Throughout the refining process, he had followed his intuition in many places. Thanks to his eight-star Artifact Refining talent, his instincts in this area were surprisingly accurate.
’Instinct is one thing, but now that the refining is complete, I need to properly analyze those moments of judgment to accumulate more Artifact Refining experience.’
As he mentally reviewed his experience, Fang Yun felt an ever-deepening exhaustion.
The process of refining a Magical Treasure had consumed an immense amount of his stamina, and by the end, his Divine Sense was almost completely depleted.
