Chapter 155: Refining Request
Jiang Yangxia was very confident in the power of the Flame Divine Technique born from his bloodline, especially when he unleashed it with his full might.
If that Celestial Cloud Sect disciple had used a top-grade magical artifact, he could have accepted it.
But to block it with just an upper-grade magical artifact?
This was the first time he had ever seen such a thing.
"Don’t let me run into you again!"
He spat the words viciously, not caring if the other person could hear him.
Soon after, Jiang Yangxia left the area.
He had his own mission to attend to, one located within the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory.
He might run into that Celestial Cloud Sect disciple again in his sect’s territory in the future. If that opportunity ever arose, he would make sure to trap the man first.
In a tree about a mile away, Yang Yingjie lay hidden, his aura completely suppressed.
’What rotten luck. The mission isn’t even complete, and I’m already out fifty lower-grade Spirit Stones.’
The Divine Movement Talismans he used to escape cost twenty-five lower-grade Spirit Stones each. Using two at once produced a better effect.
These were his life-saving measures for missions within the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory.
’Good thing I had the Profound Iron Shield that Junior Brother Fang refined. Otherwise, I might have just lost my life.’
The hairy-faced disciple from the Celestial Demon Sect had used an incredibly powerful flame. Yang Yingjie could feel it clearly. He had to channel his full power into the Profound Iron Shield to barely block the second blast of fire.
If he had relied on his old defensive measures, he would have been done for today.
’I wonder if Junior Brother Fang can refine an upper-grade magical artifact that has an offensive advantage against Demons... I can ask him when I get back after this mission...’
As Yang Yingjie remained hidden, his mind raced with thoughts.
Upper-grade magical artifacts were easy to control, and Cultivators at the Eighth and Ninth Layers of Qi Refining coveted a top-tier one the most.
...
「Mid-April.」
Celestial Cloud Sect, Inner Sect Residential Area A.
Within house number twenty-two, Fang Yun was currently refining and absorbing an upper-grade Qi Enhancement Pill.
He was already aware that he had become third on the Inner Sect Ranking without having to go through two rounds of Magical Combat.
When he had first proposed this to Bai Qinying, he knew her master wouldn’t refuse such an arrangement.
Fang Yun also knew the main reason was, ultimately, his own personal strength.
Even if some disciples questioned his ability to hold the third-place position on the Inner Sect Ranking, their doubts would be drowned out by the voices of the many more who approved.
He wasn’t even halfway through refining the upper-grade Qi Enhancement Pill when he heard a knock at the door.
He temporarily stopped his cultivation and opened the door.
"Senior Brother Yang."
Fang Yun was a little surprised to see Yang Yingjie standing outside. He had thought it might be Wu Junxin or Lu Zefeng.
Among the disciples who came looking for him, those two visited the most often.
His other familiar senior and junior brothers rarely sought him out, but when Wu Junxin and Lu Zefeng did, it was mostly to share some information with him.
This was exactly the kind of information Fang Yun was happy to collect.
"Junior Brother Fang, sorry to disturb you," Yang Yingjie said with a cupped fist salute. He was inwardly pleased; it was a good thing Fang Yun was home.
"Senior Brother Yang, please come in."
Fang Yun invited Yang Yingjie inside.
After they both sat down, Fang Yun asked,
"What can I do for you, Senior Brother Yang?"
Yang Yingjie had already repaid his debt of one hundred lower-grade Spirit Stones through Wu Junxin.
"To be honest, I’ve come to ask you, Junior Brother, if you can refine a magical artifact that deals high damage to Demons," Yang Yingjie said, getting straight to the point.
"That... is difficult."
The combination of materials and the inscription of runes during the refining process were of paramount importance in determining a magical artifact’s effects.
Conventional magical artifacts had the simplest effects, and their materials were the easiest to combine.
Special requests, however, were a true test of an Artifact Refiner’s skill.
A magical artifact that was effective against Demons.
Many materials came to Fang Yun’s mind, but they were difficult to combine. If the materials’ properties were too incompatible, the refining process might fail before he even got to the step of inscribing runes.
"How difficult?"
"Let’s put it this way: for me, it’s no less difficult than refining a lower-grade Spiritual Artifact."
"HISS—"
Yang Yingjie sucked in a breath of cold air upon hearing this.
He didn’t understand Artifact Refining, but he knew the immense difference between a Spiritual Artifact and a Magical Artifact.
Magical Artifacts were used by Qi Refining Cultivators like themselves, while Spiritual Artifacts were for Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Even as a layman, he understood how hard it was to refine a Spiritual Artifact and the vast gulf between the two.
"So it’s hopeless, then," Yang Yingjie said, his heart sinking with disappointment.
"I wouldn’t say it’s hopeless." Fang Yun shook his head. "I have already refined a lower-grade Spiritual Artifact."
"What!"
Yang Yingjie stared at Fang Yun in disbelief.
He knew Fang Yun’s talent for Artifact Refining was high, but he never imagined it was *this* high.
After all, Fang Yun was only at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, a minor realm lower than his own.
Fang Yun waited for Yang Yingjie’s shock to subside. For him, the higher the cultivators in the sect perceived his talent to be, the better. It would help increase his influence.
"If you’d like to try, Senior Brother Yang, I can write you a list of materials. Once you’ve gathered them, you can come to me for the refining." Here, Fang Yun added, "But I have to warn you beforehand, even for me, the success rate for refining such an upper-grade magical artifact is very low."
"I want to try."
Yang Yingjie thought for a moment and ultimately decided to let Fang Yun give it a try.
Fang Yun was an Artifact Refiner who could craft Spiritual Artifacts. To have such a master refiner willing to even attempt this for him... he felt he had no reason to refuse.
"Alright."
Numerous materials arranged themselves in combinations in Fang Yun’s mind.
Finally, he wrote down the combination with the highest chance of success. As it happened, this combination would still produce a sword-type magical artifact, his specialty.
Yang Yingjie took the list of materials and looked it over.
He didn’t fully understand it, but he was familiar with the uses of some of the materials listed.
Soon, he put the list into his Storage Pouch.
"Before the refining, Senior Brother Yang, you’ll need to prepare one hundred lower-grade Spirit Stones as my fee. However, considering I might not succeed in refining this upper-grade magical artifact, I will only take fifty lower-grade Spirit Stones up front. If I succeed, you can give me the remaining fifty."
Fang Yun was giving Yang Yingjie a significant discount.
He was happy to support disciples like him, who were constantly active on missions in the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory.
"Thank you, Junior Brother," Yang Yingjie said gratefully.
For an Artifact Refiner who could craft Spiritual Artifacts, Fang Yun’s fee was truly not high.
The refining fee was largely determined by the difficulty of the task.
Yang Yingjie was also grateful that Fang Yun was charging based on the outcome. A normal Artifact Refiner would charge the full fee upfront, regardless of whether they ultimately succeeded in crafting the magical artifact.