Chapter 1148: Five Elements Sacred Decree, It's Ready!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Bang!
A moment later, there was another muffled explosion in the room. In the second Equipment Refining attempt, Xu Que failed at the last moment. He wanted perfection. He wanted no impurities in the metal condensate. Finally, in order to remove a tiny impurity as negligible as dust, the whole refining process fell through again!
However, that wasn't going to discourage Xu Que. Although he was inherently lazy, he had the relentless determination to reject defeat engraved in his bones. That was why he had been a successful scholar. He was obsessed with the pursuit of success and the feeling of being ranked first!
Now, that small failure aroused Xu Que's relentless determination. The more unsuccessful he was, the more he refused to admit defeat!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Soon, almost every hour in the room, there would be a muffled explosion; it meant Xu Que was constantly failing, but had never stopped trying!
Time was running out!
A day had gone!
Two days had gone!
Finally, on the third day, the muffled sound of the explosions finally stopped!
Xu Que stood in front of the Smithing Table and he looked at the glittering and translucent mass of gray liquid without any impurities in front of him, and he finally smiled!
Whoosh!
With a gentle sway of his palm, he wrapped the gray metal condensate with his Celestial Core Power and suspended it beside him. Then he picked up several pieces of silver metal and refined it again with his Mystical Fire! With all his efforts, Xu Que's Equipment Refining skills had matured a lot. Xu Que was relieved when all the metal materials were successfully refined!
Those colorful metal condensates were floating in front of him, enveloped inside his Celestial Core Power, the metal condensates were kept in extreme temperatures!
I can finally advance to the next step!
Xu Que smiled and controlled several metal condensates with his Soul Strength. He began to fuse them in sequence! When he started that stage, it went very smoothly and he almost accomplished it in one go! When every two masses of metal condensate fused together, Xu Que called out the System to engrave the Rune Marks into it. Although that part of the process was very demanding for his Soul Strength and Taoist Connotation, it was easily managed! At last, when all the metal condensates were merged into one, it was a large metal condensate the size of a football and was silver and transparent. It contained wisps of golden filaments and was very pleasing to the eye!
But now Xu Que couldn't appreciate the eye-pleasing metal condensate. He raised his arm, pinched his fingers, and suddenly swung toward the metal condensate!
"Scatter!"
With his short command, the whole mass of metal condensate was suddenly divided into five small pieces of condensate in similar sizes and then quickly dropped onto the Smithing Table!
"Water!"
Xu Que commanded again, he waved his palm and the Spiritual Qi around him instantly condensed into a wisp of crystal clear water, sprinkled onto the five pieces of metal condensate! The five pieces of metal condensate instantaneously gave off a wheezing sound and there was a burst of white fog and the temperature dropped sharply!
Bang!
Just then, Xu Que's Soul Strength suddenly erupted; he controlled the five metal condensates with his powerful Divine Psychokinesis. His Soul Strength was akin to an invisible hammer; it crashed madly on the metal condensate and compressed it!
At last, when the five pieces of metal condensates gradually cooled down and became solid under the continuous wash of clear water; it already had the prototype of a tile!
At that moment, Xu Que began to draw the second Rune Mark!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The five tile prototypes of the metal condensates were in a semi-soft and semi-hard state. With the engraving of each Rune Mark, the metal tiles were gradually formed.
An hour later, when Xu Que had engraved all of the Rune Marks, his inner Taoist Connotation suddenly condensed and suddenly slammed into the five metal tiles!
Bam!
Five clear and crisp metallic trills rang out at the same time, and five palm-sized tiles which were mostly silver but with a little bit of gold were suspended in front of him.
Only at this moment did Xu Que smile. He called out the System, "Add the Weapon Refining Essence onto it, 300,000 points, every single one of them!"
Ding! "It is detected that the magic weapon belongs to a First Grade magic weapon. The quality and quality of the product are excellent. But because of the limit of the material, the most you can add is 100,000 points of Weapon Refining Essence and upgrade them to Third Grade magic weapons! Is the Host adding 100,000 points of Weapon Refining Essence?" The System responded.
Xu Que immediately raised his eyebrows and glared at it. "What nonsense is this? Only two advances in terms of grades with my 100,000 points of Weapon Refining Essence? You profiteer, 100,000 points of Weapon Refining Essence should at least be equal to one-third of an Inferior Celestial Artifact. Are you so horrible?"
However, the System didn't pay attention to Xu Que's dissatisfaction as it continued to ask, "Is the Host adding 100,000 points of Weapon Refining Essence?"
"Dmn it, add!" Xu Que was annoyed, but he could only compromise in the end.
He vowed that one day he would master Equipment Refining completely and attain the peak so that he wouldn't be taken advantage of by the System all the time!
Whoosh!
Just when the System deducted 100,000 points of Weapon Refining Essence, the five pieces of metal tiles had a layer of brilliance shining off its surface. That flash was just a moment as it became more and more delicate and bright. It seemed that there was initially a layer of dust on the top of it, and it had become increasingly new after being carefully polished!
Ding! "Congratulations to the Host! You've successfully refined a Third Grade magic weapon, Five Elements Sacred Decree!"
Ding! "Congratulations to the Host for refining a magic weapon, you're promoted to a First Grade Equipment Forging Grandmaster!"
Two of the System's sounds prompted him as five metal tiles slowly fell into Xu Que's hands. He was feeling the temperature on those tiles that hadn't completely cooled. Xu Que had a satisfied smile.
That was the first time he had refined a magic weapon by himself. Everything was done from scratch; he had the feeling of watching his children come into the world. It was very pleasant and satisfying!
Tut, tut, tut, it's a pity. If I had exchanged for a formula for refining a Second Grade magic weapon, used some better material, and combined with the Weapon Refining Essence, I could have made a Fourth Grade magic weapon or even a Fifth Grade! Xu Que spoke to himself but he wasn't regretting. Anyway, he had plenty of time; it was enough for him to do it all over again and refine a Fifth Grade magic weapon!
Of course, if he was willing to pay a higher price and exchange for a formula for refining a Fifth Grade magic weapon, he could start his refinement too! But in that way, his Equipment Refining method would have to change!
From the stage of refining materials, it was necessary to directly use the Weapon Refining Essence, because the use of the Weapon Refining Essence wasn't limited to the end of the refinement. If the process of refining material was really laborious or even impossible to finish, the addition of the Weapon Refining Essence would allow success immediately. It would save a lot of trouble.
Xu Que didn't want to use that method when he was refining the Five Elements Sacred Decree. First, he didn't want to spend too many Acting Tough Points to exchange for the formula of a Fifth Grade Magic Weapon. On the other hand, he wanted to achieve the greatest degree of independence from the System, completely relying on his own strength to conduct the refining process and experiencing it firsthand!
The outcome had also proved that he was quite talented in Equipment Refining!
Heh, although it's only a Third Grade magic weapon, it's time to go out and tell them I have succeeded! Xu Que was holding onto five metal tiles. He smiled and decided to go out and share the good news with Feng Lanwu and Xiao Ru. He was extremely sure that no matter whether he used formulas for refining a Fifth Grade magic weapons or a Second Grade magic weapon, he had more than one way of refining a Fifth Grade or Fourth Grade magic weapons as end products!
Creak!
However, when Xu Que opened the door and walked out, he found that the flying boat was quiet. The flying boat was in a standstill state, not in flight.
"Strange, where did the two women go?" Xu Que frowned slightly and used his Soul Strength to scan the room next door. He didn't sense their presence.
Obviously the two of them had stopped the flying boat and gone out together!
Bam!
Just then, the entrance of the flying boat suddenly vibrated and was opened by someone. Feng Lanwu and Xiao Ru stepped in from the outside. When they happened to see Xu Que, they were shocked.
"Uh, fellow cultivator, are you finished?" Feng Lanwu exclaimed.
"Yes, I have bad news and good news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Xu Que asked with a smiley face.
Xiao Ru waved her hand, "None!"
"Uh?" Xu Que instantly raised his eyebrow. This young girl is awesome! She can counter my gimmick?
"You can't go without listening. The bad news is that I've only developed a Third Grade magic weapon during this period of time, but the good news is…give me a few more days and I can produce a Fourth Grade magic weapon for sure. If you can help me get a formula for refining a Fifth Grade magic weapon, I can promise to refine a Fifth Grade magic weapon!" Xu Que finished with a proud smile across his face.
However, Feng Lanwu and Xiao Ru were exceptionally calm, and there wasn't much surprise on their faces after Xu Que's explanation.
"Ah? You don't believe me. Look at these five tiles I've refined. They're truly Third Grade magic weapons!" Xu Que thought they didn't believe him and immediately raised his Five Elements Sacred Decree and said,…
"Fellow cultivator!" Just then, Feng Lanwu finally spoke, with a light and pleasant smile on her face. "No matter what, we thank you for your efforts during this period of time. They will surely be remembered by the Wind Chamber of Commerce and me, but…we've found a real Fourth Grade Equipment Forging Grandmaster, and he's willing to help us."
Chapter 1149: Take Things As They Come
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"What?" Xu Que stared at them in utter disbelief.
What do they mean?
Your Act-Tough Saint spent so much effort throughout these few days to refine equipment. I finally figured out ways to refine a Fifth Grade Magic Weapon, and you're telling me there's no need for it now?
D*mn it! What do you mean you've found a real Fourth Grade Equipment Forging Grandmaster, are you implying I'm a fake?
All right, let's say I am a fake, but you can't compare me to a Fourth Grade Equipment Forging Grandmaster outside! I'm different from those vulgar and cheap cultivators out there!
"Miss Feng, wait a minute! I need to figure this matter out! From your words, you're belittling my abilities, and you think others have a greater chance?" Xu Que raised his eyebrows as he spoke in an annoyed tone.
For so many years, others had been begging him to work for them, and when he was belittled, he would act tough and show them his true strength! He wanted to do the same this time round. He knew that Feng Lanwu and Xiao Ru didn't believe that he could produce a Fifth Grade Magic Weapon, but according to his expectations, he would soon be able to overthrow their expectations and act tough to gain his Acting Tough Points!
But what a surprise! Feng Lanwu was too hard-hearted. She even took away his opportunity to act tough.
"Fellow cultivator, don't be mistaken, you're so young yet you can refine a Third Grade magic weapon. You're a genius among geniuses. Such a qualification is unique in the whole of the Zhen Yuan Celestial Realm, but…now I and the Wind Chamber of Commerce are facing difficulties and cannot take any form of risks. Although the Fourth Grade Equipment Forging Grandmaster isn't a famous Grandmaster, he has rich experience. He has been researching Equipment Refining for many years and has a lower chance of committing error, so we've decided to ask him to help us!" Feng Lanwu hurriedly explained.
In fact, Xu Que's creation of a Third Grade magic weapon had already shocked her, but, as she said, this matter was related to the future of the Wind Chamber of Commerce—it concerned their life and death. It was more advisable to choose a more reliable and experienced senior. It boiled down to experience, she was afraid that Xu Que was too young. If there was a mistake, they and the Wind Chamber of Commerce would be ruined.
"Mistakes? Do you mean that Equipment Refining can't be allowed to make mistakes?" Xu Que couldn't help frowning.
Although he had committed a lot of mistakes before, it was because those were his first few practices. In the later practices, he was already skilled in controlling the Mystical Fires and his Soul Strength, and he could ensure that his success rate reached 100 percent. As long as the Equipment Refining wasn't beyond his grade, there wouldn't be any mistakes.
But there were many factors contributing to his ability. As for other people, Xu Que didn't believe that they could also achieve a 100 percent success. It must be a very normal phenomenon for Equipment Refining to fail in some stages.
"No, Equipment Refining involved too much crafting and processes, so mistakes will certainly exist, but this time the Wind Chamber of Commerce has to compete for several rankings in a competition, so we need an Equipment Forging Grandmaster to participate in the Equipment Refining Convention. The convention states that each participant is only allowed to make two mistakes and only three sets of material are provided. Once the number of mistakes exceeds two, it means elimination!" Feng Lanwu explicitly explained as she looked at Xu Que and smiled bitterly, "So…please forgive me, fellow cultivator. It's not that we're not confident about you, but taking into consideration various aspects, we opted for a sounder choice!"
"Uh…okay then!" Xu Que could only shrug his shoulders and give up. After all, they had already explained themselves thoroughly. Was it necessary for him to put in all his energy and seize every opportunity for a chance to show his true strength? As a dignified Act-Tough Saint, he wasn't going to beg for a chance to help them. That wasn't necessary!
"In that case, I'll not disturb you! Although I still want to say that I'm confident that I can absolutely produce a Fifth Grade magic weapon, you all can still ignore my advice. So let's forget it, good-bye!" At last, Xu Que said his good-byes and was ready to leave the flying boat. In fact, he knew very well that neither Xiao Ru nor Feng Lanwu thought highly of him; they didn't care about his background and strength. Otherwise, they would have asked for his name and not addressed him as fellow cultivator till now!
..…
Looking at Xu Que's shadow in the distance, Feng Lanwu sighed lightly, "Uh, he may have some ill-feeling toward us. Xiao Ru, did I make the wrong choice?"
"Second Miss, you don't have to blame yourself. Anyone who's in your position would definitely choose the Fourth Grade Equipment Forging Grandmaster!" Xiao Ru comforted her as she felt that there was nothing wrong with it.
Feng Lanwu shook her head, "His talent is absolutely one in a million. Unfortunately, we can't protect ourselves and our Wind Chamber of Commerce, let alone maintain a good relationship with him, forget it!"
"Heh, heh, Second Miss, if the Wind Chamber of Commerce can succeed this time and earn some treasures; we may be able to keep the Wind Chamber of Commerce going and return to our past glory. At that time,forget the Equipment Forging Grandmaster, maybe the Equipment Forging Great Grandmaster will take the initiative to contact us!" Xiao Ru laughed happily.
"No!" Feng Lanwu was startled as she immediately cautioned, "Xiao Ru, always remember, do not speak carelessly like that, even if our Wind Chamber of Commerce can return to its past glory, or even go beyond.It will always be impossible for us to surpass the status of those Equipment Forging Grandmasters and Equipment Forging Great Grandmasters. Their status is much more noble than you think!"
"All right, I understand!" Xiao Ru nodded.
"Uh, all right, let's return to Baihui City and make some preparations. My father and elder sister should be reaching there soon. The Equipment Refining Convention is happening in two weeks. There must be no mistakes!" Feng Lanwu was deadly serious.
..…
At the same time, Xu Que, who was far away from Feng Lanwu's flying boat,stood in the wilderness, looking at a huge and magnificent ancient city not far away. Even though he was far away from the ancient city, Xu Que could still see the big words Baihui City written above the gate!
It was quite different from the place he had been before. Obviously, when he closed himself in the room to refine equipment, Feng Lanwu didn't stop moving forward, but took him to that new place with her flying boat. At that moment, at the gate of Baihui City, there were numerous cultivators coming and going. Most of them were in the Half-Celestial Stage and Human Celestial Stage, not a single one was in the Earth Celestial Stage!
However, those cultivators in the Half-Celestial Stage and Human Celestial Stage, in all aspects of presence, were indeed a little stronger than those of the same rank of cultivators in Lost City. After all, the cultivators in the Earth Continent had perfect Rules of Heaven and Earth.
But to Xu Que's surprise, there were occasional cultivators in the Form Synthesis Stage, the Crossing Calamity Stage, and even the Infant Transformation Stage, as well as humans passing through that city gate.
In the ordinary course of events, the Earth Continent was also a place where other cultivators landed after their rise to immortality. There should be no cultivators in the lower Cultivation Stage or the emergence of mortals. But when he thought about it carefully, whether it was a mortal or a cultivator, they were human after all. Every child born to a mortal was a mortal, and the children born by a cultivator would also be a mortal. They had to practice from scratch. Hence, it was normal that there were cultivators in the lower cultivation stages and even mortals in that place!
"Tut, tut, tut, I'll take things as they come. I shall take a look around the city and think of a way to find out if there's a Jade Lake in other Celestial Realms. If there isn't, I'm afraid I will have to go to the Heaven Continent!" Xu Que spoke to himself in a low voice and walked towards Baihui City.
Feng Lanwu had told him that there was no Jade Lake in the Zhen Yuan Celestial Realm, but there were five other Celestial Realms besides Zhen Yuan Celestial Realm in the Earth Continent. Xu Que wouldn't rush over to the Heaven Continent without knowing whether Jade Lake belonged to the Earth Continent. Otherwise, he would waste more time traveling around.
"Huh? It seems that the city of the Earth Continent is similar to those of other places." After entering Baihui City, Xu Que looked around with a smile and muttered to himself. Infrastructures in the Ancient City were of historical heritage, it was no different from those in the World of Cultivators. There were stalls, vendors, and various shops on the streets, bustling with noise and excitement.
Looking at all that in front of him, Xu Que couldn't help but think of and miss The Four Great Continents in the World of Cultivators!
Bang!
However, as he was a little distracted, a figure bumped into him gently.
"I'm…I'm sorry!" Then that figure hastily apologized and ran away.
"It's okay!" Xu Que smiled lightly and responded. His eyes watched the figure fade away!
Just then, several young cultivators passed by and laughed at him when they saw the scene.
One of the women in red shook her head and shouted, "Silly boy, do you know you've lost something? The man was obviously a thief. How could you not see through his crude way of stealing? You're even silly enough to say that it's okay. Ha, ha!"
"Thief? Stealing? It doesn't exist!" Xu Que said as he immediately weighed the unfamiliar Storage Ring in his hand. He smiled and said, "I, Bai Zhantang of the Exploding Heavens Faction, have never been a victim of petty theft!"