Chapter 194 - 72: Half-Baked Artifact Craftsman

Words : 1797 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

After Yue Jinghua arrived at the Canglong Continent, she learned an iron law: without ruthlessness, you cannot stand firm. This time, in the slaughter of the Alligator Turtle, she and her companions had truly taken ruthlessness to the extreme. The National Guardian Turtle was simply asking for misfortune, to the point where it could not rest in peace even in death. A Seventh-Order Alligator Turtle, and one that had absorbed the nature’s spiritual energy of Yanpo Forest for many years, its entire body was a treasure trove. The flesh and blood of the Alligator Turtle were all fed to the Cannibal Small Qingpu, and the most valuable part of it was undoubtedly its turtle shell, impervious even to High-level Spiritual Artifacts, a Seventh-level Dark Pill, and that Spirit Grass spanning almost its entire body, and three large bottles full of Turtle Blood. As for the three large bottles of Turtle Blood, they were easy to deal with. Yue Jinghua had barely warmed them in her hands when somehow Shalman got wind of it and talked her into giving them away. After Shalman learned the origin of the Turtle Blood, he was initially shocked; how dare Yue Jinghua part with the blood of the National Guardian Turtle? Wasn’t she too bold? But soon, Shalman felt completely justified. A person does not become rich without coming into unexpected wealth—a saying that Dean Qiu Chuzi mentions every day isn’t just an empty phrase. "What about the Divine Turtle? It’s not like I raised it. Besides, what’s the value of Shang Kingdom’s National Guardian Turtle?" Shalman neatly tucked the three large bottles of Turtle Blood into his bosom, his actions strikingly similar to Yue Jinghua’s—quick-handed, black-hearted, and thick-skinned. Yue Jinghua believed that one who interacts with ink will be stained black, holding more true than one who interacts with vermilion becoming red. The infectivity of shamelessness is astonishing. According to Shalman, Alligator Turtle Blood could help strengthen Low-Middle Stage Dark Beasts. She had recently developed a type of Five Elements Spider, and using Turtle Blood for enhancement would certainly be extraordinary. Having dealt with the three large bottles of Turtle Blood, next in line was the Seventh-Order Alligator Turtle Dark Pill, the essence of the Alligator Turtle’s life force. Selling it was obviously inappropriate, considering there were so few Alligator Turtles on the continent. Yet, keeping it without knowing where to use it seemed wasteful. "Gao gao, I want that Dark Pill," the Gold Eater Worm’s eyes lit up, fixating on the Seventh-Order Alligator Turtle Dark Pill while drooling all over the floor. "It’s not your turn to be rewarded for contributions. This time, Little Shanshan got seriously injured, Little Qing depleted all its Dark Power, and you lost nothing. Instead, you gained a pair of wings," Yue Jinghua said with disdain, and with a flick of her finger, she flicked the Gold Eater Worm out of the window. Before the Gold Eater Worm could even protest, a perfectly round Dark Pill was sent flying out, "First, take this Fourth-level Dark Pill to hold you over. You did well this time, your Insect Extermination Technique was much more useful than your half-baked chrysanthemum style treasure-hunting. Once you improve your Insect Extermination Technique to the next level and learn how to control Middle Level Dark Insects, I will reward you with that Dark Pill." Yue Jinghua noticed that this time the Gold Eater Worm mostly used low-level Dark Insects for extermination, but the power of the Insect Clan was not to be underestimated. If used properly, they could become a trump card in her hand. The Turtle Blood and Dark Pill were temporarily taken care of; what remained were the strange medicinal herb growing on the turtle shell and the shell itself. It was that very herb that had enticed the Gold Eater Worm into the trap, but even after Yue Jinghua had checked all kinds of Medicine Books and ancient texts, she couldn’t figure out its specific use. With no other option, Yue Jinghua humbled herself to ask Qing Pu for advice. "Sealing Demon Grass, it’s normal for you not to find this herb in the Elixir Book. It’s not a medicinal herb, so naturally, it would not appear in a Medicine Book. This is a talisman-type Spirit Grass used for breaking and sealing demonic forces," Qing Pu said, revealing the origin of the plant in one statement. The Sealing Demon Grass resembles an orchid in its growth and has a vibrant red flower at its tip, similar to Dan Sha. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it never grows alone; it is a parasitic flower that only grows on the turtle shell of Dark Beasts. It blooms every full moon, with an enticing fragrance akin to Dark Power. The special trait of this flower is its ability to seal Divine and Demon Power. "I’ve said before that Yanpo Forest represents the lifeline of Shang Kingdom. In fact, the lifeline of the kingdom is just an excuse; what truly protected the nation’s prosperity for hundreds of years is an Ancient Divine Clan totem. Fa Canglian stole this Divine Teng from who knows where, and the Sealing Demon Grass was merely used to suppress the totem’s seal and hide its presence, blessing the Shang Kingdom with enduring national fortune. By killing the Alligator Turtle and harvesting the Sealing Demon Grass, the kingdom’s fortune will inevitably decline. It’s no use for you to keep this Sealing Demon Grass, I want it," Qing Pu straightforwardly asked for the God Demon Grass. "Hold on, what’s given must be paid back in kind. I’ll give it to you, but first, tell me, how should I deal with those Alligator Turtle shells?" Yue Jinghua has learned her lesson, and being polite was equivalent to suffering a loss when dealing with someone like Qing Pu. "Foolish woman, the Alligator Turtle’s shell is the finest defensive material in the world, such an excellent resource. You’ve also got the Chaos Green Lotus Fire, if you’re not using it for Artifact Refining, are you going to use it for decoration instead?" Qing Pu waved his sleeve, taking the Sealing Demon Grass and vanishing without a trace. "Hormone imbalance, recently always acting so moody," Yue Jinghua couldn’t help but complain. She took out the turtle shell and tapped on it with her fingers, producing a metallic sound. The alligator turtle’s shell was extremely hard, making it a fine material for crafting shields and armor. This she had known for a long time. It was also because she saw the alligator turtle’s super defensive power that Yue Jinghua resorted to the method of "leveraging to pry the turtle," forcing the alligator turtle to expose its mouth and several soft underbelly spots with weaker defenses, enabling her to kill the creature in one fell swoop. If she had relied on brute force, it would have been very difficult for her and the incomplete "Lianyun" Great Sword to penetrate the alligator turtle’s superior defense. Moreover, for Yue Jinghua, artifact refining was a completely unfamiliar profession. She had not been proficient in it in her past life, nor was she familiar with it in her current life; trying to enter this field would undoubtedly be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. "A desperate situation calls for drastic actions; anyway, with a pile of alligator turtle shells, if they get ruined during refining, just consider it practice," adhering to the principle that both alchemy and artifact refining are about refinement, Yue Jinghua took out a pile of dark turtle shells and began to refine. The dark shell of the alligator turtle covered the largest area of its body and was the heaviest material; merely the shells alone filled up almost half of the Desire Gourd. The alligator turtle’s shell was made up of rhomboidal scales pieced together, each about the size of two palms, colored like ink jade and emerald, and of varying thickness like tiles. When held in hand, it was impervious to water and fire. Yue Jinghua tried using the "Soft Finger" technique to scrape its surface several times and did not leave a single mark. Yue Jinghua counted and she had approximately over a hundred pieces of alligator turtle shells at hand. The similarity between alchemy and artifact refining lies in using fire to refine, assisted by spiritual power to shape and sculpt. Based on her understanding of the defensive gear known on the Canglong Continent, Yue Jinghua tentatively categorized several types of defensive weapons, which were nothing other than shields, armor, boots, wrist guards, helmets, and other such equipment. Boots made from turtle shell refinement - if it were not for the alligator turtle’s sluggish movement, it would not have been killed by Yue Jinghua. Boots, the first to be ruled out. Next was the helmet; wearing something that looked like a turtle shell would affect the mood in battle, so the helmet was decisively abandoned. Among the remaining three options, the only ones Yue Jinghua could choose were armor, shield, and wrist guards. The best scenario would be if she had a natural talent for artifact refining and managed to refine a complete set of defense gear in one go. In the days that followed, the courtyard from time to time echoed with sounds similar to that of firecrackers exploding. Each time, Yue Jinghua would emerge covered in soot and dust. "Ptooey," following yet another crisp sound, the extremely hard turtle shell exploded into several pieces under the effect of the blue Dun Qinglian Fire, and Yue Jinghua jumped out of the alchemy room, breathing in fresh air. After gulping down several mouthfuls of cold water, Yue Jinghua muttered to herself that it was the umpteenth time already, lamenting how alchemy and artifact refining were totally different matters. Alchemy was merely about merging a blob of spiritual grass liquid together, whereas artifact refining presented a huge challenge to her spiritual power. Several times, she lost control at crucial moments, causing the nearly-completed turtle shells to explode. The earlier discussed pile of turtle shells, which had nearly filled half the Desire Gourd, was now reduced to only five pieces, with her having wasted roughly a hundred alligator turtle shells in the past few days. Even though acquiring the seventh-order alligator turtle did not cost her much effort, such creatures were not as common as cabbages, and who knows when she would next be able to obtain such shells. Yue Jinghua secretly scolded herself for squandering resources, but there was no other way at present. Several days had passed since her last alchemy retreat, and there was only half a month left before the Imperial Alchemist’s examination. Feeling frustrated, Hong Yao came in carrying a lunch box filled with delicious food.

Chapter 194 - 72: Half-Baked Artifact Craftsman

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