My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

As he read, Zhao Zuo gradually immersed himself in the ocean of Artifact Refining knowledge. He would occasionally pick up the porcelain cup and take several large gulps of Coldthorn Spirit Tea to keep his mind active and invigorated. His memory was also greatly enhanced, and he did his best to memorize all the information related to Spirit Patterns.

"Heavy Mountain."

First, the name referred to towering, overlapping mountain peaks. However, the effect of the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern had nothing to do with weight. It took the name ’Heavy Mountain’ primarily to emphasize the toughness of a mountain, and its effect was to increase the hardness of the Magical Artifact it was engraved upon.

This enhancement applied to the entire object, making it more suitable for engraving on Defensive Magical Artifacts.

The Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern consisted of sixty-three strokes. Its overall shape was somewhat similar to the traditional character for "mountain," and its structure was more complex than the Controlling Objects Spirit Pattern. The engraving technique was also slightly different.

Beneath the diagram for the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern were annotations left by the manual’s author. Not only did they specify the details and key points of the engraving process, but they also went to great lengths to describe potential errors, making it incredibly detailed.

It was practically a step-by-step guide to engraving the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern.

First, there were many places where the lines of the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern overlapped. These sections required a special layering technique to be engraved successfully.

There were three such difficult points in the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern, so the technique for engraving it was known as the "Three Stacks and Three Finishes." "Stacking" referred to when the strokes interwove without the Spirit Ink scattering. Although it looked like two strokes were overlapping, a deft force was required to create a minuscule gap between them. "Finishing" was the timely completion of a stroke, marked by a distinct, deliberate pause.

Only these Three Stacks and Three Finishes were considered difficult points in engraving the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern. The rest of the process was largely the same as for the Controlling Objects Spirit Pattern, requiring a constant speed.

As Zhao Zuo finished reading about the techniques for the Heavy Mountain Spirit Pattern, he suddenly recalled the contents of another book. He immediately took it out of his Storage Bag and began to flip through it carefully.

"Basic Spirit Pattern Engraving Techniques."

This was precisely the foundation Zhao Zuo was missing. All fields of knowledge require a proper inheritance to build a solid base; only by being led through that first door could one continue to study and improve. Previously, through his own trial and error, he had worked out the basics of Spirit Pattern engraving from *Artifact Refining Introduction*.

But his methods were just crude imitations. Although they looked right and even worked, they were ultimately unorthodox. This new book was like a primer. While he was still teaching himself, it would allow him to patch the holes in his foundational knowledge and take another step forward on the path of Spirit Pattern engraving.

There were eight basic strokes and four advanced strokes in Spirit Pattern engraving.

The former were: Straight, Connecting, Angled, Sweeping, Lifting, Finishing, Pausing, and Pulling.

The advanced strokes were: Stacking, Overlapping, Ridging, and Curving.

Zhao Zuo practiced the strokes and techniques on the Spirit Wood as he read. Using his index finger as a brush and his Mana as ink, he carefully traced the patterns described in the book.

About two two-hour periods passed. He went from initial clumsiness to gradually getting the feel of it. His finger movements became increasingly fluid, and his strokes grew more and more adept.

Before long, the surface of the Spirit Wood was covered in silvery-white traces. When Zhao Zuo paused, the traces visibly dissolved into specks of silver light and vanished.

Zhao Zuo felt he was in the zone and continued practicing relentlessly. Whenever his Mana ran out, he would swallow a Spirit Revitalizing Pill and resume without a moment’s pause, afraid of losing the sudden flash of Spiritual Light he was experiencing.

Time trickled by, and the sky gradually grew dim. At last, Zhao Zuo stopped practicing.

He was willing to study the Path of Artifact Refining, and even had some thoughts about where it might ultimately lead. But he also knew... ’This is just an auxiliary path for me to earn Spirit Stones and increase my income.’

’I can research it, I can study it, but I can’t become too obsessed.’

Zhao Zuo reluctantly put the two books into his Storage Bag, drew his Black Flame Saber, and began practicing his swings. He did this partly to familiarize himself with the weapon’s weight until it felt like an extension of his own arm, and partly to grind experience points for the Black Flame Saber.

’Since this blade is mine, I’ll definitely have to keep upgrading it in the future.’

WHOOSH.

The black blade sliced through the air at incredible speed, letting out a whistling sound. Faint sparks materialized along its edge, leaping and dancing like nimble Elves.

The blade was very light. When paired with the One Slash technique, it wasn’t suited for the top-down slash that demonstrated unparalleled might. Instead, it was better for high-speed horizontal cuts in combat, using its sharp edge to inflict massive wounds.

After another half hour, Zhao Zuo had swung the blade a total of one thousand five hundred times.

Initially, he had only practiced his swings to grind experience. But he later discovered that by focusing wholeheartedly on the movements, he could easily find a sense of inner peace. This was greatly beneficial for his seated meditation to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, which was why Zhao Zuo made it a habit to practice with his saber before starting his Cultivation.

Once he had worked up a light sweat, Zhao Zuo took a quick, cool shower in the bathroom, then returned to his bedroom to begin his Cultivation.

Over the next few days, Zhao Zuo spent only a small amount of time practicing the basic strokes for Spirit Patterns, falling back into his usual routine: Artifact Refining, saber practice, Body Refining, and seated meditation for his Cultivation.

The days passed, and the date for the Earth Fire Hall’s recruitment of Outer Sect disciples drew ever closer. Shen Yunjiao, however, remained in seclusion, though a powerful Spiritual Pressure would occasionally emanate from upstairs.

It was always fleeting, but it was enough for Zhao Zuo to be certain that Shen Yunjiao was in good condition and that her strength was steadily improving. ’She must still be spending time learning the Transferred Cultivation Method.’

Thanks to his study of the Artifact Refining books, Zhao Zuo’s speed at Refining Lower Grade Magical Artifacts had improved dramatically. He could now finish five of them in just two hours each day.

At the same time, this period of practice had led to significant progress in his engraving of Spirit Patterns.

Zhao Zuo had now mastered the basic techniques for engraving Spirit Patterns, increasing his success rate with the Controlling Objects Spirit Pattern and further reducing the production cost of each Lower Grade Magical Artifact.

Another thing that surprised Zhao Zuo was that his Spring and Autumn Cicada had already been upgraded three times. It could now extend his lifespan by an hour each week, which was certainly good news.

What baffled Zhao Zuo, however, was the upgrade requirement for the Spring and Autumn Cicada.

[Level: Lower Grade Magical Treasure +3, Spring and Autumn Cicada] (Damaged)

[Experience: 1671/1000]

[Status: Upgrade Unavailable]

The item required for the Spring and Autumn Cicada’s next upgrade was... a wisp of the Power of Time.

He had scoured the few books he owned on Artifact Refining materials but unfortunately found no mention of anything called the "Power of Time." The plan to upgrade the Spring and Autumn Cicada had to be shelved for the time being.

One day, as Zhao Zuo was practicing his saber swings, the cry of a sword suddenly rang in his ears.

A silver light illuminated the night, radiating for dozens of miles in every direction.

......

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