Chapter 106
Translator: T_Fan
A short while later, Lee Hyun took a black scale from his storage pouch.
It had been removed from the Ink-Scaled Venomous Python’s flank. Its edge had been chipped during the battle, making it suitable for testing his processing techniques.
A pale golden flame bloomed at his fingertips.
Whoosh.
Clear Yang Purifying Fire enveloped the scale. He divided the flames into fine strands and worked them into the grain of its surface. Wisps of black smoke began to seep from the crevices.
The toxic qi and other impure energies dissipated.
Yet the scale itself barely changed.
Lee Hyun increased the heat of the flames. The white-hot flames lit up the stone table, and the surrounding air shimmered with heat.
Half a shichen (about one hour) passed.
He withdrew the flames and picked up the scale.
Its surface sheen had changed slightly, but it remained just as hard.
‘This isn’t enough.’
This time, he converted his Primordial True Qi into Profound Yin White Bone True Qi.
White Bone Yin Fire licked at the scale’s broken edge. The flames of condensed yin qi seeped through the cracks in fine tendrils, but their progress slowed noticeably once they reached deeper inside.
Lee Hyun fed in more magical power.
Hissssss.
At last, the broken edge softened a fraction. But when he withdrew the flames, that section warped badly and crumbled.
“Hmm….”
If he poured in enough time and magical power, he might be able to melt or reshape it. The problem was that he would damage the material in the process.
The energy in the area where the flames had lingered was now more impure than in the rest of the scale. With his current flame strength and control, he would only waste Tier 4 demon-beast material.
‘Maybe I should try the bones first.’
Lee Hyun took out a fragment of the Ink-Scaled Venomous Python’s broken bone.
He heated the exterior with White Bone Yin Fire, then used Clear Yang Purifying Fire to purge the foul energy remaining inside. After alternating the order several times, he achieved better results than he had with the scale.
Even so, the material was still nowhere near ready to be made into a magic treasure.
Lee Hyun drew both flames back over his palm.
The pale golden and ghostly white flames slowly circled one another.
Unlike five hundred years ago, he could now divide the flames into hair-thin strands, interweave them in alternating layers, and keep them together as a single mass while gradually shifting the points where their powers clashed.
He curled his fingers, shrinking the flames.
A tiny ember formed at the center where the two lights overlapped, far brighter than the flames around it.
Lee Hyun brought the tip of the bone fragment over it.
Sizzle.
The material began to change more quickly than when he had used the two flames separately.
‘If I can just keep this up….’
It happened the moment he sent in a little more divine sense to examine the material’s interior.
Crack!
The ember at the center twisted and split in two. The golden flame scorched one side of the fragment while White Bone Yin Fire leaked out beneath it, and a hairline crack appeared in the bone.
Lee Hyun withdrew the flames.
“Hmm…”
For now, he put the intact Tier 4 demon-beast materials away in his storage pouch rather than use them for further experiments.
…
A few days later, Lee Hyun descended to Dulin Pool.
Poison mist still lingered in the valley. The water pooled between the black rocks still gave off a fishy smell.
Lee Hyun crouched beside the water and pulled up a clump of grass with long, narrow leaves.
‘I’ve seen this kind before.’
He examined it, recalling old spirit plant compendiums and methods for processing toxic medicinal ingredients.
Most of the plants the Dulin Valley Master had grown were used to make liquid poisons. Some spirit plants, such as the Purple Poison Orchid, became more valuable as their medicine age increased, but none were better than those he already grew.
Lee Hyun sorted the poisonous herbs into several categories. He kept a small amount of those that could be used to process medicinal ingredients or cleanse bone material. He sealed the leaves and roots separately and stored the seeds in small bottles of their own.
He began removing the rest along with the surrounding soil.
As he cast the Soil-Turning Art, clumps of pitch-black earth turned over. Insects hidden beneath the roots came spilling out.
Just then, a golden ball of fluff perched on Lee Hyun’s shoulder straightened up.
Bzzz!
Its antennae stretched forward.
“Can you eat those?”
Lee Hyun gently blocked the little fellow with a finger before it could fly off. He used magical power to lift one of the black beetles wriggling on the ground and examined it first.
It was a Tier 1 poisonous insect. Its body was full of venom, but it was not much different from the insects the fuzzbees ate in the spirit fields.
When he set it on a rock, the fuzzbee cautiously approached.
It prodded the insect with its antennae and flipped it over with its forelegs. After a moment, it spat out mucus, enveloping the poisonous insect in a whitish cocoon, then buried its head inside.
Munch, munch–
Lee Hyun observed the little fellow’s aura for a while. Nothing seemed amiss.
After finishing its meal, the fuzzbee returned and rubbed its forelegs together, then tapped the opening of the spirit-insect pouch with its antennae.
“You want me to call your friends too?”
Squeak!
Lee Hyun opened the spirit-insect pouch.
Golden balls of fluff poured out all at once. At first, the little fellows circled the unfamiliar waterside, but the moment they spotted the piles of earth, they swarmed toward them.
The black insects scattered, with the fuzzbees rushing after them.
While the fuzzbees ate the poisonous insects, Lee Hyun cleared away the remaining poisonous herbs. He also moved the mud heavily saturated with toxic qi into another pit and burned it with Clear Yang Purifying Fire.
By the time he finished, the fuzzbees lay motionless in a row on a rock, their bellies swollen.
“If you’ve finished eating, let’s get you back inside.”
A few struggled to spread their wings.
The rest merely waved their antennae.
Lee Hyun put the little fellows into the spirit-insect pouch.
***
Ten years passed.
Lee Hyun had put the Two Heavens Society’s information network to work, but finding a craftsman who could make the magic treasure he wanted had proved difficult.
Finding a Tier 3 artifact refiner who could craft or repair a low-grade magic treasure was possible. The problem was finding someone who could properly handle Tier 4 demon-beast materials and make a high-grade magic treasure capable of withstanding his enormous magical power.
Craftsmen with that level of skill were rare even in great sects, and there was no guarantee they would accept outside commissions.
He could simply have commissioned repairs to the black curved blade, but Lee Hyun would rather obtain a proper new magic treasure while he was at it.
Even so, he did not feel it was necessary to travel through the Nine Kingdoms of Yunzhou himself to meet artifact refiners.
Although it had weakened somewhat over five hundred years, his demonic qi was still so strong that every visit to a cultivator market or sect of the human race would cause a stir. If word reached the Nascent Soul old monsters, there would be no end to the trouble.
The Two Heavens Society’s members had cultivation levels far too low to secure an audience with a Tier 4 artifact refiner on his behalf. Even if they could, he could not trust them with materials that expensive.
After all, the Two Heavens Society’s members were merely rogue cultivators who stole spiritual qi from spirit veins throughout the cultivation world. He could hardly expect genuine loyalty to their society head.
‘I should look for information within the Cangmang Demon Realm as well.’
He did not expect much from the ignorant demon race, but some of them used things resembling magic treasures. There might be a way.
For the past ten years, he had thoroughly enjoyed cultivating while absorbing the heaven-and-earth spiritual qi flowing from the Tier 4 spirit vein.
His cultivation speed did not increase in direct proportion to the density of the surrounding spiritual qi. Even so, the greater external pressure allowed his body’s capacity for magical power to grow faster.
Ten years of cultivation was too little time to be certain, but he estimated that his cultivation speed had roughly doubled.
Lee Hyun read novels between cultivation sessions. When he got tired of reading, he brought out his two flames and practiced combining them. Sometimes he went outside to walk along the lakeshore or sketch the terrain of his territory.
Then one day, after returning from Tunnel No. 3, Lee Hyun suddenly stopped.
Once again, he had spent a long time there replacing several water pipes, transplanting spirit plants, and filling the reservoirs.
Immediately upon returning, he had to water the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree in Tunnel No. 5 as well.
‘This is getting troublesome… Do I really need to keep Tunnel No. 3 so far away and go back and forth?’
Lee Hyun looked up at the main mountain.
His cave abode stood beyond the now-clear lake. Beneath it stretched seemingly endless layers of solid earth and rock that he had yet to excavate.
He had spent ten years studying the surrounding terrain and the flow of spiritual qi, and he had encountered no particular trouble with the neighboring mountain lords.
No one in Dongwu Ridge was willing to dig anywhere near his residence.
‘Should I bring the rest over now?’
After seeing how the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree’s growth had changed since he transplanted it, Lee Hyun felt it was wasteful to leave the other spirit plants where they were.
‘Even with the greater risk of discovery here than at Tunnel No. 3, the faster growth from all this heaven-and-earth spiritual qi should more than make up for it…’
Lee Hyun entered his cave abode, spread out a sheet of paper, and began drawing plans to expand Tunnel No. 5.
‘While I’m at it….’
He drew another reservoir beside the spirit field, then marked out a passage for spiritual qi beside it. He erased overlapping lines and drew them again.
One sheet of paper became two, and two became six.
…
Three months later, Lee Hyun was making repeated surveys of the rock layers beneath the main mountain.
He excavated narrow passages along seams in the bedrock through which spiritual qi flowed relatively freely, with small stone chambers at intervals. There, he would carve formation inscriptions to gather spiritual qi and guide it into the next passage.
His first test had not gone as planned.
Still, he was a Tier 2 formation master and something of an expert on tunnels. Drawing on the various inheritances and books he had acquired, he kept finding ways around the problems.
As a result, the test cavern ten li (about 3.9 km) underground now held a steady concentration of heaven-and-earth spiritual qi comparable to that of a Tier 2 spirit vein.
Lee Hyun crouched there for a long time, examining the spirit plants. Even without the Spirit Rain Art, the young spirit herbs’ leaves remained fresh and healthy.
‘It actually works?’
…
The new spirit fields in Tunnel No. 5 were spread across depths ranging from ten to eighteen li (about 3.9 to 7.1 km) underground.
He gave the pond intended for the Yin Water Lotus separate inflow and drainage channels so the water would circulate slowly. The section for poisonous spirit plants was designed to keep its water and air from mixing with those of the other spirit fields as much as possible.
He placed the older spirit plants on levels with more abundant heaven-and-earth spiritual qi and decided to let the younger ones adapt gradually in less favorable conditions.
Clear groundwater flowed through the bedrock beneath the main mountain. It followed a waterway unconnected to Dulin Pool.
Lee Hyun collected the water over several days and tested it on a few spirit plants before diverting some of it into an underground reservoir.
He placed the reservoir beside a stone chamber through which spiritual qi flowed. The clear water would remain there for long periods, gradually absorbing that energy.
It was not as rich in spiritual qi as the spirit water produced with the Spirit Rain Art.
But in the new spirit fields, spiritual qi seeped directly into the soil and leaves. The water no longer needed to carry as much energy as before.
When the soil dried, the Water-Drawing Inscription opened to let water through, then closed once enough had passed.
So far, the system was similar to the one he had long used in his old tunnels.
The difference was a separate set of reservoirs.
Lee Hyun built emergency reservoirs of various sizes above each section. They were kept separate from the main reservoirs that normally collected the water and would hold only water he produced with the Spirit Rain Art.
The problem was deciding when to release that water.
If the emergency supply flowed out under normal conditions, the plants would be watered twice over. Yet if he had to open the reservoirs manually, there was little point in having an emergency system.
Lee Hyun installed a small valve mechanism beside the formation inscription at the entrance to the spirit field.
As long as spiritual qi remained plentiful, it would power the valve that kept the emergency reservoir’s pipe shut. If the concentration fell below a certain level, the valve would open.
He connected another mechanism to open the emergency reservoir if the main reservoir’s water level dropped. This would cover cases where spiritual qi remained plentiful but the groundwater supply dwindled.
While the emergency reservoir was open, the pipe from the main reservoir stayed closed.
The Water-Drawing Inscription below distributed the water according to the condition of the soil.
Normally, the system relied on the spirit vein and groundwater. If either the spiritual qi or groundwater supply failed, it could draw on the stored spirit rain.
He also checked alternative waterways in case the flow from a water vein diminished or a pipe became blocked. He placed shutoff mechanisms at every junction so he would not have to stop the entire water supply just to repair one section’s pipes.
Barring unforeseen complications, the supply of water and spiritual qi seemed sufficient to sustain the spirit plants for a hundred years, not merely three.
…
He also made extensive use of formations.
He adjusted the Tier 3 Spirit-Concealing Formation to focus on the area containing the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree and the key facilities. He distributed the existing Tier 2 Spirit-Concealing Formations among the deeper spirit fields and ensured that too much energy would not leak from the passages carrying spiritual qi.
After activating the formations, Lee Hyun went up to the surface himself.
He compared the flow of spiritual qi with the mountain’s natural currents, looking for places where it pooled or was interrupted unnaturally. Whenever he found a suspicious spot, he went back down and altered the passages.
Still, these measures alone were not enough to reassure him if a Tier 4 great demon made a determined search underground.
So he installed a Tier 2 Earth-Listening Formation in the bedrock, a Tier 2 Four-Gate Sealing Formation at the important passages, and a Tier 2 Azure Armor Formation beside facilities he could not afford to have collapse. They could not hold off a powerful enemy indefinitely, but they would buy Lee Hyun time to act.
Lee Hyun nodded as he checked the plans spread before him.
‘Now it’s starting to feel like a proper home.’
A great demon’s cave abode stood on the surface, while below it lay multiple levels of spirit fields, reservoirs, and storerooms.
Once Tunnel No. 5 was nearly complete, Lee Hyun brought over all the spirit plants from Tunnel No. 3.
Every day, he made his rounds with a ledger in hand.
As he leafed through the jumbled records for Spirit Field No. 1-1, Spirit Field No. 1-2, Spirit Field No. 2, and Spirit Field No. 3, Lee Hyun paused with his brush in hand.
‘I’ll have to rename the spirit fields too…’
He left the location labels in the old ledgers as they were, then recorded both a number and a purpose for each new spirit field.
One spirit field was set aside for ingredients used in pill recipes for Golden Core cultivation, another for medicinal ingredients used in the Spirit-Calming Pill and similar medicines, and a third for ingredients used in the Poison-Warding Pill and other antidotes.
He grouped together only the Bone-Rot Flowers of a suitable medicine age for Bone-Forging Powder. Those with a medicine age of over a thousand years went to the section for older spirit plants.
He grouped the Spirit-Storing Ginseng used in multiple pill recipes separately.
Plants did not automatically go in the same field just because they appeared in the same pill recipe. He could hardly force those that favored yin qi to grow beside those that preferred warm soil.
In those cases, he simply noted in the ledger which spirit field each ingredient should come from.
New wooden plaques were hung one by one at the cavern entrances.
…
Twenty-one li (about 8.2 km) underground, he transplanted the Ringless Divine Tree into the deepest separate chamber.
Unlike the other spirit fields, it had no passage drawing in spiritual qi.
Trying to hasten the Ringless Divine Tree’s growth with abundant spiritual qi would only stunt it instead.
He did not bury its roots until he had adjusted the soil and moisture to closely match the conditions in the old tunnel.
Faint dark blue patterns were visible on its trunk.
They were the lightning markings that had emerged more than two thousand years after it first sprouted. He could sense a faint trace of lightning qi within them.
‘Everything’s going smoothly!’
…
Once the Yin Water Lotus and Stone Honey Peach had also settled into Tunnel No. 5, Lee Hyun made one final trip back to Tunnel No. 3.
He collapsed most of the spaces that had served as spirit fields, making them resemble natural rock layers.
He also cleared out his belongings and the traces of his presence.
A few places, including the cultivation chamber and a small storeroom, he left intact.
He had hidden there for more than a thousand years without any serious trouble. He might have use for it again someday.
…
Two months later, Lee Hyun closed the pulp novel he had been reading.
His gaze fell on the damaged black curved blade resting on the stone table.
“Hmm…”
…
A few days later.
The windows of Lulin Pavilion stood wide open.
Whenever the breeze blew in, the papers spread across the desk stirred slightly. Master Hu shifted a small wooden paperweight to hold them down as he examined the jade casket Lee Hyun had brought.
Inside were several ripe Stone Honey Peaches.
“These are excellent.”
Master Hu picked up a fruit and smelled it, then reached for a small knife beside the table.
“How are you finding life in Dongwu Ridge?”
“It’s very pleasant.”
“I hear from fellow Daoist Black Horn that even the water in Dulin Pool has cleared considerably.”
“I cleared out the poisonous herbs and poisonous insects. I had no immediate use for them.”
“The clans downstream will be pleased. The poisoned water forced them all to abandon their homes in the past.”
Master Hu placed the small pieces of Stone Honey Peach on a plate.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I would like to refine the demon-beast materials I obtained from the Dulin Valley Master. I came to ask whether you knew a suitable craftsman.”
Lee Hyun took out a small scale, a bone fragment, and part of the remains of the Ink-Scaled Cord.
Master Hu studied the bone fragment, then shook his head.
“Even materials taken from one’s own body require a great deal of processing before they can be made into an artifact. Using someone else’s is harder still.”
He turned the scale over in his hand.
“None of the fellow practitioners nearby would be suitable. Fellow Daoist Black Horn makes spears from his own feathers, and fellow Daoist Shiling works with stone armor plates using methods passed down through the clan. But neither knows much about turning demon-beast materials from another bloodline into magic treasures like those used by the human race. Have you no plans to return to your true form and make a weapon that way?”
“No. I don’t know how to transform.”
“Ahem…”
A question suddenly occurred to Lee Hyun.
“Come to think of it… how long do Tier 4 great demons usually live?”
As far as he knew, among the human race, long-lived Qi Refining cultivators could reach a hundred and fifty years, Foundation Establishment cultivators three hundred, Golden Core cultivators six hundred, and Nascent Soul cultivators around twelve hundred.
But those were effectively theoretical maximum lifespans. In practice, cultivators often died sooner after pushing themselves too hard in cultivation or wasting essence blood in battle.
Master Hu’s hand stopped as he reached for a piece of fruit.
“There are many bloodlines whose great demons, once they have undergone human-form transformation, can expect to live for several thousand years. But you cannot apply that to the entire demon race.”
Master Hu pointed to a branch outside the window.
A small bird sat on it.
“Would a bird like that and an old turtle living in the water naturally have the same lifespan? Their innate lifespans differ even before they awaken their intelligence and cultivate demon power. Reaching the same realm will not suddenly make them equal.”
“So reaching Tier 4 does not give them another several thousand years to live.”
“Exactly. As one’s realm rises, one’s essence, qi and spirit are renewed, changing how quickly they decline. That does not erase the years already lived. Some bloodlines live longer than human Nascent Soul cultivators even at low realms, but they may also take a correspondingly long time to mature and awaken their intelligence.”
“Then it must be difficult to judge age by someone’s appearance after human-form transformation.”
“Quite so. Humans also take medicines to preserve their appearance, do they not? The forms adopted by the demon race are even less reliable.”
Master Hu stroked his white beard.
“Come to think of it, do you know nothing of the demon race’s customs?”
“The demon race’s customs?”
“Many among our demon race exaggerate their age or their bloodline’s lifespan.”
“Why?”
“Those who boast of their bloodline often make much of their longevity. They insist it proves their ancestors were akin to ancient true spirits. So even if they cultivate diligently in private, many pretend to be in no hurry when others are watching.”
Master Hu adjusted his jade spectacles.
“That is why it can be rude to pry into someone’s true age or remaining lifespan. I assumed the five hundred years you spent idling at a Tier 3 spirit vein were just such a boast.”
“…”
Master Hu ate a piece of Stone Honey Peach before continuing.
“Taking pride in your bloodline is all well and good, but you must not make careless assumptions about how much life you have left.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Anyway, about the refining.”
Master Hu reached toward the bookshelf. A rolled-up map flew over and unfurled on the table.
“There is a place worth investigating.”
His fingertip moved north from Dongwu Ridge.
Beyond several mountain ranges and a great river lay a cluster of red dots.
“The Chixia Volcanic Range. Even in a straight line, it must be over two hundred thousand li (about 78,400 km) from your mountain. The actual journey is longer, since there are places you will have to go around.”
Lee Hyun leaned closer to the map.
Beside the red dots was the symbol of a black bird.
“Is this the territory of the Fire Crow clans?”
“It is. Several Fire Crow clans share the fire veins there. Earth-Lung Fire rises from the deep fire caverns, with enough heat to process even Tier 4 demon-beast materials.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes widened slightly.
“Are there artifact refiners there as well?”
“I hear that some of the clans have taken in human artifact refiners as honored guests. The Fire Crow clans there are skilled at working with fire and ore and forging artifacts suited to their own bodies, but they leave the delicate engraving of human-style restrictions to their honored guests.”
“A human artifact refiner went there of his own accord!?”
“So I hear. An eccentric, apparently.”
Master Hu pointed to one part of the map.
“Here. A human Nascent Soul cultivator… Zhu Xingshan, I believe his name was? I hear he has a workshop there…”
‘A Nascent Soul artifact refiner!’
Lee Hyun committed the name to memory.
“Could I entrust him with Tier 4 demon-beast materials?”
“Who knows… Even if he can work with them, I cannot say whether he would accept the commission.”
Master Hu took out a small jade slip and copied part of the map into it. Then he added a brief message for Zhu Xingshan.
“I do not know him personally, but I have written that you are a fellow practitioner of my acquaintance. Show him this. It should also help when you cross the Fire Crow clans’ borders.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Hyun put away the jade slip.
Before departing, Lee Hyun made one more round of Tunnel No. 5.
He filled the emergency reservoirs and replaced the spirit stones in the formation plates. He also confirmed that the transplanted spirit plants had taken root.
He fitted the Tier 3 Bonefuzz and the Tier 2 Bonefuzz puppets with spirit stones, then instructed the fuzzbees to use them only if a powerful intruder appeared.
“Don’t touch anything you don’t recognize.”
Bzzz, bzzz!
They always gave the perfect answer.
Lee Hyun watched the little fellows for a while before returning to the surface.
He told the leaders in his territory to notify Lulin Pavilion if any major dispute arose while he was away.
…
Lee Hyun flew north under his own power.
Cangmang Forest sometimes seemed to be an endless stretch of identical woodland, yet after a few days of travel, the colors of the leaves and the shapes of the trunks would change completely.
Most of the demons along his route became respectful as soon as they sensed his aura.
After several days of travel, an acrid smell began to mingle with the wind.
Black patches appeared here and there among the green mountain ranges.
Looking into the distance, he saw a long bank of red haze stretching across the horizon. Beneath it rose mountains, one behind another, their peaks looking as though they had been sheared off. Black smoke rose slowly from several summits.
As he drew closer, red fissures came into view across the ground.
Black forests grew beside deep ravines through which lava flowed. The trees’ leaves were tinged red along the edges.
Crows took flight above them.
Sparks scattered between their black feathers. The smaller birds settled on branches, while the larger ones disappeared straight into the volcanic craters.
‘This is it.’
As he lowered his altitude, two streaks of light shot up from the rocky ridge ahead.
A moment later, two Tier 2 demons appeared, both retaining their black wings. The tips of their feathers gleamed like red metal.
“Greetings, Senior! What brings you here?”
Sensing Lee Hyun’s aura, the two demons hastily assumed a respectful stance.
Lee Hyun sent Lulin Pavilion’s identification token and Master Hu’s jade slip floating before them.
“I’ve come to find fellow Daoist Zhu Xingshan’s workshop.”
The demon who inspected the jade slip nodded.
“The workshop is at the third crater to the north, Senior.”
One of the demons led the way.
…
As they rounded the volcano’s flank, enormous stone staircases and halls came into view.
Large and small caves had been carved in tiers along the black cliffs. Red light spilled from each opening, while humans and demons carried ore and crates along the paths connecting them.
The sound of hammering metal rang out in the distance.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Off to one side, three members of the Fire Crow clans were lowering red ore held in their long beaks into a stone pit. Parts of the ore were still molten and stretched in viscous strands.
Zhu Xingshan’s workshop was built into the cliff inside the crater.
An iron plate hung over the entrance, engraved with a sword, a shield, and a spear.
Heat rushed over Lee Hyun as he stepped inside.
Red light rose from a circular pit in the center of the floor. Three thick iron pillars leaned inward above it, and a large hook-shaped artifact suspended between them slowly rotated.
An old man with a short beard and sparse eyebrows stood to one side.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He formed a hand seal with one hand and held a small hammer in the other.
The old man glanced at Lee Hyun.
His gaze immediately returned to the hook.
“Please wait a moment.”
Lee Hyun stepped back toward the wall.
The magical power he sensed from the old man was deep and steady. He did not need to probe him closely with divine sense to tell that he was no Golden Core cultivator.
‘Early Nascent Soul, is he?’
Tiny bubbles rose on the hook’s red-hot surface.
The old man moved his fingers. The flames rising from the fire pit narrowed and clung to the hook’s inner curve.
Tap.
The hammer struck once.
The entire artifact vibrated, and the interwoven threads of light beneath its surface shifted slightly toward the handle.
The old man raised the hammer again, then paused.
Only after a long while did the second sound come.
Tap.
Lee Hyun studied what had changed between the two blows.
Outwardly, there was almost no difference. But the energy flowed more smoothly along the hook than before.
‘I can’t even tell what he’s doing…’
As the artifact cooled, the old man set down his hammer and accepted Master Hu’s jade slip.
After reading it, he looked at Lee Hyun again.
“I am Zhu Xingshan.”
“Li Dongwu. Forgive me for arriving unannounced.”
“A customer visiting a workshop is hardly an imposition. But the letter did not tell me what sort of item you wanted made.”
Lee Hyun laid the demon-beast materials he had prepared on the stone table.
There were several intact scales, bone material, and pieces of venomous fang. When he finally set down the remains of the Ink-Scaled Cord, Zhu Xingshan’s gaze fixed on them.
The old man picked up the remains and gently pulled at both ends.
A faint black light shifted between the broken scales.
“Are these from an Ink-Scaled Venomous Python?”
“You recognize them?”
“I’ve never worked with the scales of these beasts before… Interesting.”
The old man fetched a slender iron needle and scraped at the inside of the broken cord.
Lee Hyun took out the black curved blade.
“If possible, I’d like these demon-beast materials made into a sword-shaped magic treasure, one that can withstand a large amount of my magical power. If they prove too difficult to refine, I would at least like to have this repaired.”
Zhu Xingshan lifted the curved blade to gauge its weight. He examined the patterns along its spine and fed magical power into it a little at a time.
“It’s been well maintained. But there is a limit to how much power it can withstand. You seem to have obtained it from a human, but it was never meant for a Tier 4 great demon like you. It’s the sort of weapon a cultivator in early or mid Golden Core would use.”
He set down the curved blade and divided the materials on the table into three groups.
“I’ll need to study these further. Do you have the rest of the materials?”
“I brought everything.”
Lee Hyun opened his storage pouch.
A short while later, there was no room left on the table.
“Good. Let’s move to the storeroom over there.”
…
Even a preliminary examination of the materials took half a day.
Zhu Xingshan freely admitted when he did not know something, and to Lee Hyun, that candor only made him seem more trustworthy.
After finishing his notes, the old man spoke to Lee Hyun.
“You said you wanted a sword-shaped magic treasure? I will need to examine the properties of the materials more closely first. If there are no unexpected problems, there should be enough to make both a sword and a suit of armor, with materials to spare.”
“Really?”
Lee Hyun brightened.
They agreed on the processing fee, which materials would be left in Zhu Xingshan’s care, and what would need to be checked as the work progressed. Zhu Xingshan marked each item he accepted and gave Lee Hyun a copy of the record.
Only after paying fifty high-grade spirit stones as a deposit did Lee Hyun ask his next question.
“Would you allow me to watch the refining process?”
Zhu Xingshan looked up.
“Are you familiar with the artifact-refining art of the human race?”
“Not very well.”
Zhu Xingshan nodded.
“You may watch while I prepare the materials. But I have restrictions and techniques I cannot reveal freely, so I must ask you to withdraw when I use them.”
“Of course. I will help with the preparation wherever my knowledge allows.”
“Let’s decide that after I’ve seen your skill. We can’t afford to waste valuable materials.”
…
It was evening when Lee Hyun stepped outside the workshop.
The sun had disappeared behind the mountains, but the red glow of the craters and lava still lit up the surroundings.
Zhu Xingshan offered him a small guest room beside the workshop.
The walls were protected by heat-blocking restrictions, and a bottle of cool water stood on the table inside.
Lee Hyun looked around the room, then asked a question.
“How long have you been here, fellow Daoist Zhu?”
“About a hundred years.”
“May I ask why you’re staying here?”
“I’m wanted by the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance. I was caught stealing materials several sect masters had entrusted to me.”
“……”
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