Chapter 31 – Artifact Refiner_1 Chapter 31 Artifact Refiner_1 Translator: 549690339 Master Chen, an eighth-level Qi-refinement cultivator, was over a hundred years old, with half-gray hair and a robust physique. His complexion was darkened by years of furnace work, yet his eyes were bright and he had a booming voice. Master Chen was watching several disciples forge iron. Perhaps because they made some mistakes, he glared at them sternly and scolded, leaving the sturdy Artifact Refiner disciples obediently enduring the rebuke without daring to lift their heads. After the lecture, Master Chen personally swung the large hammer to demonstrate. His strong physique gave rise to fierce winds with each swing, and the red-hot refined iron was hammered into spark-filled splendor, gradually taking the shape of a blade’s prototype. When the forging was complete, Master Chen merely wiped the sweat off his brow. His breathing remained steady, as if he hadn’t exerted much effort at all. Mo Hua, naturally frail, watched with undisguised envy, wishing he could have such strength one day… “Watch closely, that’s how you should hammer the iron. What was that just now? Weak and lifeless, even a young lady’s stitching has more vigor than you!” Master Chen once again scolded the disciples, then turned to see a child with red lips and white teeth, bright eyes full of envy, looking at him. After hesitating, Master Chen asked, “Little fellow, do you want to learn Artifact Refining too?” Life as a Loose Cultivator is difficult; once leaving a Sect, one must sustain oneself. Some couldn’t learn practical skills in their Sects and had to seek their own livelihood by learning a craft. Cultivators from the vicinity often sent their children to learn Artifact Refining from Master Chen, hoping they could become self-reliant in the future. Master Chen only casually charged some Spirit Stones, or some Spirit Paddies and the like as payment if they didn’t have Spirit Stones. Mo Hua glanced at the tall and strong disciples, then at his own slender arms and legs, and shook his head with a sense of resignation before saying plainly: “Master, do you help people forge stoves here?” “Stoves?” Master Chen looked at Mo Hua. “What does a child like you need with a stove?” “I’m asking on behalf of my mother.” “Of course, I can forge stoves, but it requires a lot of refined iron and the equivalent in Spirit Stones is no small sum.” “What if it’s a smaller one, would it be cheaper?” Master Chen said, “Naturally, a smaller stove uses less refined iron and labor, so it’s indeed cheaper. However, here in Tongxian City, few people forge small stoves; you’d need to commission someone to design and etch the Formation specifically, which would also cost quite a few Spirit Stones.” “Then, how many Spirit Stones would it take to forge the smallest stove?” Master Chen, not one to brush off a child, took out a piece of paper and meticulously wrote down the costs of various materials, then calculated the total, listing the required Spirit Stones for stoves of different sizes and scales. Master Chen handed the paper to Mo Hua and added: “Of course, this is only the cost of materials; we Artifact Refiners also charge for labor by the day. Whichever days are spent forging the stove, those are the days you pay for.” “Oh, I see,” Mo Hua noted everything and then took leave, saying: “I’ve written it down; I’ll discuss it with my parents to decide on the size of the stove and then come back to you.” Master Chen grunted in acknowledgment and waved his hand, “Go back early. Be careful on the road, kid!” He didn’t take Mo Hua’s words to heart. Many Cultivators who had requested Artifact Refining but disappeared after asking for the price. Most would say they’d consider it and then never follow up. Moreover, the client was just a child around ten years old, asking for a stove—a time and labor-intensive Spiritual Artifact to forge. It was likely the matter would end there. After returning home, Mo Hua picked out a stove that was not only appropriately sized but also within their financial means based on the price list Master Chen provided—the material cost alone was around one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. The labor fees for Artifact Refining still needed to be negotiated. Mo Hua did not know how long Master Chen would take to forge the stove, but estimated it could be anywhere from ten days to half a month, which might cost between fifty to seventy-five Spirit Stones. This was somewhat beyond Mo Hua’s budget—perhaps it would be necessary to ask his parents for more Spirit Stones or borrow some from others. Next, the most critical component was the Formation. Mo Hua spread out the Melt Fire Formation Map on the table and started to study it closely. The Melt Fire Formation Map contained five Fire-series Formation Patterns, with most strokes located at the Li fire positions. Even a glance at the complex Formation Patterns revealed they were significantly more complicated than those of the Gold Stone Formation and Solid Earth Formation. Mo Hua let out a small sigh, pushed aside all distractions, and began to focus on memorizing the Formation Patterns and the sequence of the strokes. Mo Hua was so engrossed in his studies that he didn’t notice the sky darken. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎 Even during meals, Mo Hua was preoccupied with the Formation Patterns of the Melting Fire Formation. He chewed his steamed bun a few times before zoning out, holding the bun and staring into space. Liu Ruhua couldn’t help but feel both amused and annoyed as she pinched his cheek, “You should eat properly. Think about your things after you’re done eating.” Mo Hua snapped back to reality, chuckled sheepishly, then ate with focus. Afterward, he ran back inside. Mo Hua had almost memorized all the Formation Patterns of the Melting Fire Formation, and then spent another two hours practicing on paper with ordinary ink, not infused with Spiritual Power. At 1 a.m., he entered his Sea of Consciousness and began practicing the Formation on a Stele. Just from looking at the Formation Patterns, which are rather complex, the basic structural logic wasn’t different from other Formations. Remembering the Formation Patterns wasn’t difficult; the challenge was likely the Divine Sense. Mo Hua’s Divine Sense might not be strong enough to draw a complete Melt Fire Formation Map. Mo Hua began to draw the Melting Fire Formation on the damaged Stele. The first three Formation Patterns went smoothly, but by the fourth, it was noticeably more strenuous. His Divine Sense started to lag, feeling increasingly parched. Mo Hua’s brows furrowed slightly. After completing the fourth Formation Pattern, sharp pains began to throb through his Sea of Consciousness, like a riverbed cracking and splintering as the tide receded. Mo Hua quickly stopped, erasing the Formation Patterns from the damaged Stele, and the stabbing pain in his Divine Sense eased. Mo Hua collapsed onto the semi-solid ground of his Sea of Consciousness, gasping for breath. “That’s it, my Divine Sense is quite lacking…” Mo Hua’s Divine Sense was only strong enough to draw four Formation Patterns. After the fourth, he had no energy left to draw the fifth. It seemed like only one Formation Pattern was missing, but since Divine Sense couldn’t be rapidly increased in the short term, this single Pattern might be a stumbling block for a long time. “What should I do now?” Mo Hua pondered inwardly. There’s no shortcut to increasing Divine Sense, a fact universally acknowledged in the Cultivation World. At least that was the consensus among the Cultivators of Qi-refining Realm in Tongxian City. Mo Hua had sought advice from Instructor Yan, who had also said that the growth of Divine Sense largely depended on the rise of Cultivation. The higher the realm of one’s Cultivation, the stronger the Divine Sense naturally becomes. Besides that, strengthening Divine Sense could also be achieved through its usage. The more and the more frequently a Cultivator used their Divine Sense, the stronger it naturally became. For instance, Formation Masters, who often undertake Formation Painting, need to use Divine Sense frequently, thus their Divine Sense is naturally much stronger than that of an average Cultivator. Mo Hua had also asked if there was a dedicated Cultivation Technique for training Divine Sense, to which Instructor Yan frankly said no. Neither in ancient texts nor in the records of various spell points from Noble Clans was there a safe and reliable method to cultivate Divine Sense. The few that did exist were mostly Heretical Demon techniques; anyone who practiced them would be at high risk of going mad, becoming the Demon Cultivators that everyone sought to eliminate. Whether truly nonexistent or secretly hoarded by powerful families was unknown. But even if they did exist, Mo Hua certainly couldn’t obtain them, and even if he did, he wouldn’t dare to risk undergoing cultivation with the possibility of becoming demonic. Currently in the third layer of Qi Refinement, Mo Hua couldn’t break through to the fourth layer in a short period of time, so it was impossible to strengthen his Divine Sense through advancement in Cultivation. That left only one method available: Continuously Drawing Formations. The path with no shortcuts was, in fact, the best shortcut.