Chapter 112 - 112 112 Artifact Refining

112: Chapter 112: Artifact Refining 112: Chapter 112: Artifact Refining The Mountain Realm was silent amidst the wind and rain, and the parched lakeshore had already filled with water thanks to the efforts of Lin Guiyuan and Jin Sheng. Lin Yuan watched as the water turned into fish, returning to the substance of the lake. Three whole days had passed since the scheduled duel between Baili An and Fang Geyu, and during these three days, he never once started to create the Mecha. The Profound Metal and Cold Iron laid by the lakeside were excavated from Kongcang Mountain by Lin Guiyuan for him, but he had yet to even touch them. Baili An rubbed his dry eyes and looked down with satisfaction at the wooden board in his hands, drawn with intricate and orderly talismanic lines. After three days of hard work, he had finally managed to replicate every talismanic line from inside the black heart. What pleased him even more was that the runes covering the board were not carved out with a chisel, but drawn out stroke by stroke with his spiritual power. Over the past three days, his spiritual power had also advanced rapidly. Although it was not powerful in terms of killing ability, it was superior in endurance and far surpassed that of the average person. He stretched lazily. These past few days had put some strain on his mental prowess, causing a needle-like pain to throb faintly within his head. Baili An knew it was unwise to rush the process. He set down the wooden board and looked around. It was odd to notice that the girl surnamed Fang was not hovering around Lin Yuan today; she was nowhere to be seen, with only a few immaculate Unicorns resting quietly by the lake. Of course, Baili An had no intention of restricting her freedom, and he didn’t dwell on it, so he finally began to organize the Profound Metal and Cold Iron that Lin Guiyuan had found for him. This Profound Metal and Cold Iron were no mortal items, exceptionally sturdy and made rarer for being nurtured by the forces of nature itself. They were treasures and rare gems difficult to find in a Cultivator’s lifetime and essential materials in Lin Guiyuan’s Artifact Refining Technique. Just a couple of pounds of Profound Metal and Cold Iron, when smelted at high temperatures and blended into mortal iron, could significantly increase the chances of forging a top-grade treasure. And this was a calculation based on the success rates of a novice Artifact Refiner. Meanwhile, the pile of Profound Metal and Cold Iron before Baili An was as big as a small mountain, almost as tall as he was. Baili An touched his chin, thinking no wonder that Fang Geyu was so determined to take over Kongcang Mountain. After tens of thousands of years of accumulation, with the Mountain God’s power protecting and nurturing all things, Kongcang sustained itself. External Cultivators had no chance to excavate it, and the wealth of resources amassed was beyond Baili An’s current imagination. The Profound Metal and Cold Iron he saw was just the tip of the iceberg. Baili An, feeling impressed, drew out the Autumnwater Sword and struck it against a large piece of Profound Metal and Cold Iron. Unexpectedly, not even a shallow mark was made on the metal; instead, the Autumnwater Sword buzzed from the impact. Seeing such resilience in the Profound Metal and Cold Iron, Baili An’s eyes flickered with interest, and another intriguing idea came to mind. But no matter how interesting the idea, he first had to cut the Profound Metal and Cold Iron into smaller pieces for it to be useful; otherwise, the large lump gave him a sense of helplessness as to where to begin. Out of options, he infused the Autumnwater Sword with Spiritual Power and struck down once more. The shrill clashing noise of metal against stone echoed out. But it only managed to make a less than half-inch-deep cut. Baili An once again marveled at the toughness of the Profound Metal and Cold Iron. It was like trying to chop century-old bamboo with the dullest of cleavers—a frustrating endeavor. Seeing this, Lin Guiyuan hurried over, “Young Master, what’s wrong?” Baili An didn’t recall when Lin Guiyuan stopped hesitating in his way of speaking to him. He casually kicked the large block of metal and laughed, “I want to cut this Profound Metal and Cold Iron into smaller pieces.” Lin Guiyuan said, “This Profound Metal and Cold Iron takes ten years to crystallize, fifty years to form, and a hundred years to spirit malleate. It is indestructible, and even treasures can hardly make a dent in it. Let me do this strenuous work for you, Young Master.” Although his facial muscles were still rigid and his expression somewhat stern, his eyes had quietly returned to the calm and serene state they were in when they first met. Under the curious gaze of Baili An, Lin Guiyuan brought his palms together with a faint hissing sound. His hand, adorned with bluish-grey nails, pierced into the Profound Metal and Cold Iron as easily as if it was tofu. His palm was like the sharpest scythe in the world. One cut to the left, one to the right, one above, and finally one below. Several evenly cut blocks of iron appeared… Baili An watched with slightly widened eyes as Lin Guiyuan’s hands worked, realizing why he could effortlessly tear apart the tide of monsters and corpse demons. This Lin Guiyuan, having become a mountain ghost, had seen his Combat Power rise by more than just one level. Lin Guiyuan held up a block of iron, presenting it to Baili An as if offering a treasure, and with a pair of dull, ashen eyes asked him, “Is this… sufficient?” His expression seemed eager to have done a good job but also fearful of having failed; he looked quite pitiable. Baili An took the piece of Profound Metal and Cold Iron, saying, “Yes, it’s quite good. Could you please help me carve out a big cube and four rectangular blocks?” As he spoke, he gestured with his fingers to illustrate the size. “Mhm,” Lin Guiyuan nodded vigorously and efficiently carved out five pieces according to Baili An’s request. Baili An was very satisfied and asked Lin Guiyuan to carve out a spherical shape from the largest iron block to serve as the body. However, since Lin Guiyuan’s body was stiff and uncoordinated, the sphere turned out to be quite angular. Embarrassed, he looked like a child who had done something wrong, cautiously stealing a glance at Baili An and hiding the poorly made sphere behind his back. Baili An couldn’t help but smile, knowing that his state was even less convenient than that of a corpse demon. Wishing not to trouble him further, he said, “No need to hide it; the size is quite suitable. It doesn’t need to be a perfect sphere. Guiyuan, can you make a hole in this block for me, a bit larger than the sphere?” He gestured with his finger on the largest block around the chest area. Seeing Baili An’s mood unaffected, not particularly disappointed or blaming, Lin Guiyuan felt a sudden relief. He tried to smile with his stiff lips and bent down to continue his work. Baili An held the irregular sphere in his hands, closed his eyes tightly, and tried to inscribe talismanic lines with his spiritual power. But soon after closing his eyes, he realized that the stubbornness of the Profound Metal and Cold Iron was not just against physical force, but against spiritual power as well! Poor him, having cultivated his spiritual power for just three short days, progress was swift but still unable to affect the metal in the slightest. Lin Guiyuan completed the hole and, seeing Baili An’s slight frustration, had a sudden realization, as he too was familiar with Artifact Refining. He roughly guessed what Baili An was trying to do. “Young Master, are you trying to create a Puppet similar to those of Yang Zhao and Huang Kang?” Baili An nodded, “Yes, the Lady Fang is coming on strong. If we can’t completely dispel the ideas in her heart, she is likely to be very troublesome.”