Chapter 149: Testing the Effect
It is incredibly difficult for a cultivator at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer to refine a Spiritual Artifact on their own.
Steward Cai was well aware of this. It was a test of a cultivator’s every aspect, especially their skill and talent in Artifact Refining.
Since this was Elder Xiong’s test for Fang Yun, the Spiritual Artifact had to be refined by Fang Yun alone.
’And as for assisting Fang Yun with the refining?’
Steward Cai felt his own Artifact Refining skills weren’t quite up to the task. If he were to assist, he might actually cause problems. Only a Steward with greater skill than his could truly be of help to Fang Yun.
By successfully refining the Spiritual Artifact and passing the test, Fang Yun would naturally become Elder Xiong Xingfeng’s disciple.
When he first heard from Fang Yun about Elder Xiong Xingfeng’s test, Steward Cai had desperately wanted to say something. But in the end, he held his tongue. He was a mere Steward, while the other was an Elder—and the Management Elder of the Artifact Casting Peak, no less. It was improper to speak ill of an Elder, even behind their back.
Let alone to Fang Yun’s face.
Once Fang Yun passed the test, his relationship with Elder Xiong Xingfeng would change completely, giving him all the more reason to keep his opinions to himself.
"I just knew Fang Yun would succeed..."
Steward Cai murmured to himself after Fang Yun’s retreating figure had vanished.
The next time Fang Yun came by while he was on duty, he could have a proper chat with him. The recent encounter didn’t count.
Given Fang Yun’s current mental state, a conversation would have been nothing short of torture for him.
"Two days, six hours, and fifteen minutes..." While making a note of the time, Steward Cai realized something was wrong.
Fang Yun hadn’t returned the Token for the top-tier Artifact Refining Room.
He had just sent Fang Yun off, and Fang Yun, going along with it, had forgotten all about it.
The next moment, Steward Cai hurried out after him, only to find that Fang Yun was already gone.
Faced with this situation, he had no choice but to return.
He went back to his record-keeping. The top-tier Artifact Refining Rooms were rarely rented out, and the Elders had spare Tokens anyway. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big problem.
「Meanwhile.」
Upon returning to his residence, Fang Yun collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.
When he awoke, he was like a new man.
"That’s better!"
Fang Yun stretched and jumped out of bed.
He hadn’t been this exhausted since entering the later stages of Qi Refining. The drain on his mind and energy had pushed him to his very limits.
Fortunately, he had succeeded in refining the Spiritual Artifact.
Seeing that he had just over ten percent of his Spiritual Power left in his Qi Sea, Fang Yun decided to meditate and recover it first.
Even though he was at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer and his shield-type Combat Talent was only two-star, he was eager to see how well he could control the Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact.
But before he could do that, he had to restore his Spiritual Power.
With the meager amount of Spiritual Power he had left, he wasn’t even sure he could activate a fraction of the Profound Crystal Shield’s abilities.
Once his Qi Sea was brimming with Spiritual Power, Fang Yun’s eyes snapped open. As he opened his Storage Pouch to take out the Profound Crystal Shield, he noticed something.
’Huh? Why do I still have the Token?’
Fang Yun seemed to recall having casually handed the Token back.
’I must have remembered it wrong.’
It didn’t matter much, though. He’d have to make another trip to the Artifact Casting Peak soon anyway to see if Elder Xiong Xingfeng was in his cavern estate.
By refining this Profound Crystal Shield, he had completed Elder Xiong’s test.
’First, let’s test the Profound Crystal Shield.’
After taking out the Profound Crystal Shield, the first thing Fang Yun had to do was bind it to himself.
Spiritual Artifacts were different from Magical Artifacts. A Spiritual Artifact with a complete Spirit Pattern already possessed a trace of spirituality.
Only after being bound to a master could a Spiritual Artifact be used to its full potential.
The binding method was simple.
Fang Yun forced out a drop of his essence blood and dripped it onto the Profound Crystal Shield.
The Spirit Patterns within the Profound Crystal Shield flashed into view before vanishing again. This indicated that the binding was complete.
At that moment, Fang Yun felt a connection form between himself and the Profound Crystal Shield.
Then, Fang Yun began to channel his power into the Profound Crystal Shield.
The instant he activated it, the Spiritual Power in Fang Yun’s Qi Sea began to drain away at a frantic pace.
The floating Profound Crystal Shield spun around him once before coming to a stop.
’Thirty percent of my Spiritual Power is already gone.’
Fang Yun checked his Qi Sea. Just making the Profound Crystal Shield spin once, without it even taking a single blow, had consumed his Spiritual Power at an astonishing rate.
’This is much worse than I expected. It seems the empowering effect of a two-star Combat Talent on a Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact is...’
Only through this test could Fang Yun draw a real conclusion.
He had previously thought that his two-star Combat Talent would allow him to just barely control a Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact. Now, it was clear that wasn’t the case at all.
The empowering effect of a two-star Combat Talent on a Spiritual Artifact was mediocre, far worse than he had imagined.
Just making the Profound Crystal Shield complete one rotation had been an immense strain, far more exhausting than controlling six Upper-Grade Magical Artifacts simultaneously.
He had been full of vigor just moments ago, but after controlling the Profound Crystal Shield for a brief time, his energy was already flagging.
’...An ordinary cultivator at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer trying to control a Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact would probably have the Spiritual Power in their Qi Sea drained in an instant.’
Yet here he was at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, at least able to control a Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact for a moment, however difficult it might be.
This simple comparison was enough to leave Fang Yun feeling quite satisfied.
Besides, his Combat Talent was only at two stars right now, not three.
If all went according to plan, his shield-type Combat Talent would reach three stars by the beginning of next month. Activating the Profound Crystal Shield then should feel significantly different.
Talents underwent a major transformation every two stars.
This was true for both Combat Talents and Life Talents.
After putting away the Profound Crystal Shield, Fang Yun left his residence and headed for the Artifact Casting Peak once more.
He would first go to the rental office to return the Token for the top-tier Artifact Refining Room.
"Steward Cai, here’s the Token for the top-tier Artifact Refining Room."
At dusk, Fang Yun reappeared at the Artifact Refining Room rental office and immediately handed back the Token.
"Good." Steward Cai accepted the Token, smiling happily. He was actually glad Fang Yun had forgotten to return it, as it meant he could see him again so soon and have a little chat. "Refining a Spiritual Artifact at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer... In the entire history of our Celestial Cloud Sect, I believe that has only happened once before, a thousand years ago."
"When did Elder Xiong refine his first Spiritual Artifact?" Fang Yun asked, his curiosity piqued.
"His Lordship, I believe, only refined his first Spiritual Artifact when he was at the peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer. That’s already incredibly impressive!"
Only by successfully refining a Spiritual Artifact could one become a true Artifact Refiner.
Many Artifact Refiners only managed to create their first Spiritual Artifact after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Refining a Spiritual Artifact during the Foundation Establishment Stage and refining one during the Qi Refining Stage were two completely different matters.
"Someone like me will probably never be qualified to refine a Spiritual Artifact in my entire life. The best I can hope for is to refine top-tier Upper-Grade Magical Artifacts..."
As the conversation drifted to the topic of Artifact Refining, Steward Cai began to speak about his own experiences.
Fang Yun chimed in with a few words as he listened to Steward Cai’s story.
"It’s getting late. You should go and see Elder Xiong." Feeling they had chatted enough, Steward Cai didn’t want to delay Fang Yun any longer. "His Lordship will surely be delighted to learn that you’ve already refined a Spiritual Artifact."