Chapter 2786: The Artifact Emery stepped closer, lifting a hand toward the pendant and channeling his spirit energy into it. The pendant pulsed with a dim violet glow. Its shape unraveled, shifting and unfolding until it became a mechanical cube—each face divided into nine squares, six sides totaling fifty-four pieces. He exhaled slowly, bracing himself. "Let’s break another level today." The moment he started, the mechanical cube shifted into motion. Every small square rotated, folded, and slid underneath others, turning the cube into a chaotic, interlocking mass of constantly changing constructs. Emery narrowed his eyes, pressing his mental will against the patterns. One square lit up. Then another. Then another. Within minutes, nearly half of them were glowing—yet progress suddenly plummeted. Every new attempt to activate a square caused another one to flicker and die. "Tch—again." Emery pushed harder. He had already spent hours across the past week working on this artifact since retrieving it from the tomb. He had only just reached level three. And no, he couldn’t cheat by asking VIA for assistance. Each square required pressure on his own mental strength to activate. The configuration changed every few breaths, forcing him to map the shifting runes, pressures, and resistance points manually. To open a level, he needed to activate every last square, without losing more than a few at a time. It was a pure test of soul strength, precision, and mental endurance. It took him an entire day—sweat dripping down, soul aching, head pounding—to light all forty-eight squares at once. Finally, the cube clicked into shape. A mechanical voice echoed: [You have completed Level 3] Emery nearly collapsed. His soul felt wrung dry. He quickly swallowed a soul-recovery pill and sat cross-legged. After several minutes of stabilizing his breath, he opened his eyes again. Three runes now glowed softly on the pendant—three out of eight. A subtle vibration rippled through the artifact. Emery could feel it: the pendant strengthening, unlocking deeper power. At the same time, something within him sharpened. His soul force throbbed with new density. His mental power felt tempered through fire and pressure. He could not hide the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Good... good. Let’s do one more." He placed both hands on the cube. [Starting Level 4] The cube shifted instantly, now forming sixteen smaller squares per side—ninety-six in total. The moment Emery extended his spirit sense... His expression tightened. The difficulty multiplied severalfold. Hours passed, and Emery had only lit ten squares. His mind burned, his spirit threads strained. "There are eight levels in total," he muttered. "And the fourth is already this absurd?" He racked his brain, searching for alternative ways to approach the puzzle. Then, suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck. He had split his soul before—splitting consciousness into clones, dividing senses between dimensions. Why not apply the same principle? Emery inhaled deeply and pushed his spirit sense apart like stretching molten metal. Two spirit threads. Seeing it’s immediate effect, he pushed further—forcing himself to split his focus into six separate threads, one for each side of the puzzle. It felt like having six consciousnesses working in unison, each covering its own section. Within minutes, more squares began to fill in. Within an hour, he had completed nearly 80% of the entire structure. The final dozens of segments were far more complex, resisting every attempt—but he persisted, and a few hours later, he finally solved them. "I did it!" The cube chimed. A fourth rune flared to life on the pendant. His soul power surged once more, refined further by the pressure. Still breathing heavily, Emery consumed another pill and sat straighter. "Next." [Starting Level 5] The cube expanded, each face now displaying thirty-six squares. The difficulty multiplied once more. Emery attempted to use the same method as before, but he immediately felt the difference—there were not only more squares, each individual one carried a greater weight, resisting activation like dense blocks of stone. With his divine sense divided into six threads, Emery found himself stretched thin. Every thread trembled under the pressure, barely strong enough to nudge a single square. He could feel his mental strength draining faster than before. Gritting his teeth, he summoned everything he had. Behind him, his five-storey soul pagoda rose into view, each level glowing with shifting colors. Waves of intensified soul force surged down into his mind, strengthening his split consciousness and giving each thread the push it needed. The work was slow. Painfully slow. Hours turned into a full day. One day became two. Then three. Throughout it all, Emery consumed soul-recovery pills one after another. He refused to stop. He refused to yield. Every inch of progress tempered his mind further, sharpening it like a blade against stone. Finally— The last square glowed. The cube snapped into place. [You have completed Level 5] Emery let out a long breath, shoulders sagging. His mind shimmered at the brink of a breakthrough. If he pushed himself into level six, he knew he might genuinely transcend his current limits. But not now. Not with his soul this strained. After stabilizing his condition, Emery finally stood and turned toward the other artifacts he had brought into the domain—a wind-element spear, a water-forged arrow, an earthen mace, and a blazing fire blade. These were the high-grade tier-six weapons wielded by Vashka’s humanoid puppets. Like Draven’s [Frostveil] blade, refining any of them normally required several days. Emery lifted the pendant in his palm. "Let’s see how much it’s improved." He placed the Wind Spear before him and activated his spirit reading, letting his consciousness seep into the weapon’s intricate rune channels. At the same time, he willed the pendant to awaken. A faint hum vibrated through his mind. Immediately, he noticed the difference. His perception sharpened—threads of meaning, formation logic, and layered engravings that were once dense and tangled now unfolded with crisp clarity. The spear’s internal structure, once an intimidating labyrinth, appeared almost elegant under his enhanced sight. Guided by the pendant, Emery moved with precision. He traced every rune, unknotted foreign spirit marks, and dissolved the imprint of the previous owner. Hours passed, but for him, the process felt almost effortless. Finally, the last thread snapped free. The Wind Spear pulsed once—clean, pure, and fully his. Emery exhaled and looked down at the pendant with a satisfied smile. This pendant was in fact not crafted by Randhall at all. Instead, it was a treasure the legendary machinist once received from the celestials themselves: [Astral Link]. A mid-grade tier-7 artifact—yet its value far surpassed its rank. This was the very secret behind Randhall’s legacy— the source of his reputation for controlling multiple high grade golems at once, and the secret of his success in forging tier-7 artifacts. It was also the true motive behind Vashka the Puppeteer’s desire to join the expedition. The pendant enhanced the mind, sharpened focus, and allowed for absolute exactness in delicate work. Beyond artifact crafting, it could accelerate formation-breaking, refine intricate spell structures, and even improve pill concoction. But great tools demanded a strong mind. Emery could only utilize the pendant up to Level 5 for now. Even so, this alone was enough to drastically increase his efficiency—more than enough to tackle the many tier-7 treasures around him. He slowly looked around the chamber. Randhall’s armor rested on its stand. Several other artifacts glimmered with dormant power, waiting for him. Each one he completed would raise his strength significantly. A faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. "Which one should I do first...?"