Chapter 61: Chapter 59: Stone Turtle Shield In the following days, Ji An quickly turned the harvested Talisman Grass into Talisman Paper and then drew all the Talisman Papers into Talismans. According to market demand, Geng Metal Talismans were slightly fewer, while Water Curtain Talismans were a bit more. Currently, his success rate in crafting Water Curtain Talismans was nearly seventy percent, and for Geng Metal Talismans, it was fifty-five percent, even stronger than those craftsmen who had been making Talismans for years. However, he had reached a bottleneck; it was challenging to improve the success rate for Water Curtain Talismans, though Geng Metal Talismans still had room for improvement. After replanting the Jade Corn and Talisman Grass, he finally freed himself from the busy state and began practicing magic techniques daily. First, he cast the Wind Control Technique on himself, then practiced the Geng Metal Finger, and when the Wind Control Technique effect faded, he would cast it again. During this period, Wei Songnian visited once, took away his Talismans, and scheduled a time with him to visit the Artifact Refiner at the Red Copper Mountain. To save Spirit Stones, Ji An reduced the number of Ginseng Essence Pills he purchased; he used to consume ten a month, now only five. The feed for the Spirit-Seeking Rat was also reduced, and the amount of Spirit Feeding Pills was halved. For this reason, the Golden Fur Mouse sulked for several days, often roaring at the Fire Cloud Ginseng in the yard, and even the wooden sculpture suffered unwarranted damage. Before he knew it, the scheduled day arrived. When Ji An rode the Talisman Bird to Red Copper Mountain, Wei Songnian was already waiting at the mountain’s base. "Senior Brother Wei, sorry to keep you waiting." "Hahaha, I just arrived too. Junior Brother, Senior Brother Cui is quite busy, let’s head to the Artifact Refining Hall to find him now." "Perfect, please lead the way, Senior Brother." The two walked together and soon found the Artifact Refiner in a side hall of the Artifact Refining Hall. "This is a Middle-Grade Magical Artifact, the Stone Turtle Shield, using the shell of a Clamp-mouthed Turtle, an Earth Element Demon Beast, as the main material, refined with Windmill Copper and an Earth Mother Profound Bead, incorporating sixteen layers of Dharma Prohibition. Finally, I used dozens of strands of Earth Element Essence to cultivate its spirituality. I dare say that in the category of Middle-Grade Magical Artifacts, this is absolutely a top-tier piece. Once magical power is injected into the artifact, the shield’s surface will condense with a layer of Earth Element Spirit Light, allowing it to withstand more attacks and helping to protect the artifact from damage. Additionally, the shield can split into twelve pieces, which can either encircle the body or be arranged in several rows to withstand massive damage, possessing infinite versatility." Cui Yuan demonstrated the artifact, and the turtle shell, enveloped in earthy yellow spiritual energy, spread out and began to spin around him, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. In an instant, the turtle shell formed an elliptical whole, fitting seamlessly together. "I retained the curved shape of the turtle shell to aid in force dispersal." Cui Yuan put away the artifact and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "If I had to point out a flaw, it would be that maneuvering the artifact requires a high level of divine sense and proficiency in the Object Control Technique. I’m at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining, and maneuvering twelve pieces of turtle shell is somewhat beyond my capacity. If Junior Brother wants to buy it, I’m afraid you can only use it as a shield spirit binder and won’t be able to leverage the artifact’s intricacies. Here, try it out." After the turtle shell split, the consumption of divine sense increased drastically, and within a short moment, he was feeling fatigued. Ji An developed a fondness for this Ji An senior brother in artifact refining, as which merchant would admit their product’s flaws while exaggerating their merits? Taking the artifact and injecting magical power, a layer of earthy yellow spirit light, half a finger thick, lit up on the turtle shell surface and floated before him. He altered the spell, causing the turtle shell to split into twelve pieces; the sudden change made him uncomfortable, as the pieces trembled and seemed about to collapse. Ji An split his divine sense into twelve strands, attaching them to the turtle shells, immediately calming the trembling shells. He smiled confidently, thinking to himself, the Sharp Gold Technique must be practiced more diligently! It was during the practice of the Sharp Gold Technique that he developed the skill of dividing divine sense. The turtle shells began to rotate slowly under his will, gradually accelerating. Cui Yuan and Wei Songnian exchanged a glance, both noticing the surprise in each other’s eyes. ’To maneuver an artifact with such ease, could this Junior Brother be naturally endowed with strong divine sense? Not bad at all, the artifact can be sold.’ Cui Yuan thought inwardly. This artifact was originally a custom order from someone who had been in the Ninth-Layer Perfection of Qi Refining for years. However, after the artifact was made, the client unexpectedly succeeded in Foundation Establishment. Using a Middle-Grade Magical Artifact by a Foundation Establishment cultivator would appear shabby, so that Martial Uncle asked him to help sell it. Wei Songnian lowered his gaze, pondering secretly: ’I must reassess Junior Brother Ji’s potential; he shows promising comprehension in Water Element and Earth Element Magic and possesses inherently strong divine sense, making his future Foundation Establishment seem much smoother. Hmm, when the time comes, I should support him with a sum of Spirit Stones to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill!’ Foundation Establishment involves three keys: first, the body must be flawless without latent ailments; second, the magical power must be pure enough to meet the standard of transforming qi into liquid; third, divine sense must be strong for precise control over magical power. If any of these are not up to standard, they would affect the success rate of Foundation Establishment. After a short while, Ji An’s mind shifted, and the turtle shells arranged themselves into three interlaced rows before him. Then the turtle shells formed a complete shield, landing in his hand. "Senior Brother, how many Crystal Stones? I’ll take it!" Ji An was highly satisfied with this artifact. "This artifact is meant for you, Junior Brother. It’s yours for the sincere price of ninety-five Spirit Stones." Wei Songnian interjected: "Senior Brother, the artifact is indeed good, but it also demands a suitable user. I believe that unless it’s a Senior Brother at the Ninth-Layer Perfection, using this artifact wouldn’t be effective. Ordinary middle-grade defensive magical artifacts are priced between sixty and seventy Spirit Stones, and are completely sufficient." "I’ve dealt with Junior Brother Wei multiple times; he should have a clear idea of whether this price is fair. Not to mention, just the purchase of these materials alone is a significant expense. The sixteen layers of Dharma Prohibition on this middle-grade artifact are my crowning achievement." After discussing for a quarter of an hour, they finally agreed on a price of ninety-two Spirit Stones, and Ji An gladly paid the amount. Having barely held onto it for half a month, he only had seven or eight Spirit Stones left. Cui Yuan took out a Jade Slip, proudly smiling: "Junior Brother, you’re getting your money’s worth, as you’re also gaining knowledge. Unlike ordinary shield-shaped defensive magical artifacts, this requires specialized control techniques - an advanced application technique of divine sense and the Object Control Technique." Ji An placed the Jade Slip on his forehead, and after a while, said: "Thank you, Senior Brother. This insight will be very helpful for me. By the way, I also want to buy an attack magical artifact. In the shape of either a hammer or a Mountain and River Seal, it doesn’t have to be agile, just solid and heavy, lower-grade quality will do." This artifact is intended for dealing with large demons; for nimble small demons, the Geng Metal Finger is sufficient. "Junior Brother is indeed different from others; hammer-type artifacts are favored by body cultivators, and even fewer use Mountain and River Seals. I suggest you choose a Mountain and River Seal, as such artifacts have a simple structure, making it easier to add Dharma Prohibition, and they can even be used as defensive artifacts." The smile on Cui Yuan’s face grew more genial; he had originally thought that if the artifact took too long to sell, it might displease the Martial Uncle. Now, not only had he sold it, but he also received another order; who wouldn’t be happy with more Crystal Stones? "Then I’ll choose the Mountain and River Seal." Ji An took out the remaining Crystal Stones, handed over the Spirit Crystal, and smiled, saying: "The Stone Turtle Shield overshot the budget significantly, so I’ll use the remaining seven Spirit Stones as a deposit, is that acceptable?" "No problem at all. The materials required for a lower-grade Mountain and River Seal aren’t demanding, so I’ll start making it for you first; when would you like to pick it up?" Cui Yuan grabbed the Spirit Stones; the Mountain and River Seal was just a square iron lump, with no technical difficulty whatsoever! "In three months."