Chapter 515 - 485: Getting Started with Tier 3 Artifact Refining

Chapter 515: Chapter 485: Getting Started with Tier 3 Artifact Refining

After finishing his exploration, Li Yuan walked back to the center of the Teleportation Array.

He poured Spiritual Power into the Array Base, and the Teleportation Array activated once more.

Blue light enveloped him as space began to twist.

Li Yuan reactivated the Restriction on the stone chamber, walked down the corridor out of the ruins, and sealed the stone door behind him.

By the time he broke the surface of the sea from within the Reef Group, the sky had completely darkened. Starlight glittered on the water, and a night breeze brushed across the surface, stirring up gentle waves.

Li Yuan hovered above the ocean, taking stock of his gains from the trip.

’The Array Rhythm is equipped, the Spiritual Eye Bead is in my storage space for now, and the information from those two jade slips is extremely valuable.’

Li Yuan focused his mind, transformed into an Escape Light, and flew toward Nanyuan District.

After returning to the alliance’s main island, Li Yuan went straight to the exchange office.

’What I really need to improve right now is my Artifact Refining Technique. Crafting a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact requires a Tier Three Artifact Refining Technique, but my current skill is still at Tier Two Perfection. After reading that artifact refining manual, I’m only one step away.’

Although there weren’t many options in the Artifact Refining category on the exchange office’s list, a Tier Three Low Grade refining Skill caught Li Yuan’s eye.

The refining method for the Red Silver Talisman was bundled with the Tier Three Sea Forging Skill.

Sea Forging was an Artifact Refining Skill specialized for marine environments, using the deep sea’s high pressure and Water Element Spiritual Qi to aid in smelting and quenching materials.

After completing the exchange, he had a jade slip containing the complete Sea Forging Skill in his possession.

After returning to Nanyuan District, Li Yuan once again went into seclusion.

Crafting the Red Silver Talisman required the Sea Forging Skill, which differed significantly from land-based refining skills, though their underlying principles were connected. The combined effects of his accelerated learning ability and his innate talent for craftsmanship drastically reduced the time it would take him to master the basics.

His green-tier trait, "Profound Insight into Artifact Principles," was a tremendous help as he studied the refining Skill. Whenever the Skill mentioned the compatibility of different materials, an intuitive understanding would surface in his mind. He instantly knew which materials could be smelted together and which had to be processed separately, all without needing to consult any references.

「Three days later.」

Li Yuan began his first attempt at Tier Three Artifact Refining.

He took the Spiritual Materials he had previously purchased out of his storage space: a piece of Red Copper Essence, two Spirit Silver ingots, a small bottle of Fire Jade Marrow, and a few other supplementary materials.

Li Yuan laid the materials out on the refining table one by one.

He didn’t have a dedicated refining furnace, but the Sea Forging Skill didn’t rely on a traditional forge anyway. The core of this Skill was using one’s own Spiritual Power to simulate the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, smelting and forging materials under that immense pressure.

Li Yuan formed a series of hand seals. Spiritual Power surged from his palms, creating an extremely dense film of energy over the surface of the Red Copper Essence. The film contracted steadily, applying more and more pressure.

At the same time, Fire Spiritual Power seeped from his fingertips into the Red Copper Essence, heating it from within.

High pressure and high temperature.

The surface of the Red Copper Essence began to glow with a dark red luster as impurities from within were squeezed out by the intense pressure, congealing into tiny black particles on the surface.

With extremely precise control over his Spiritual Power, Li Yuan peeled away the black particles one by one, leaving behind only the purified essence of the Red Copper.

Once the purification was complete, he processed the Spirit Silver ingots in the same manner. Then, he mixed and smelted the essences of the two metals within the high-pressure Spiritual Power Field.

The Fire Jade Marrow was added in the final stage, serving as a Fusion Agent for the materials and a conduction medium for Spiritual Power.

The entire process took two full days.

He failed three times. The first two failures were due to incorrect ratios when mixing the materials, which resulted in bubbles and cracks in the final product. The third time, his temperature control during the quenching phase wasn’t precise enough; although the item took shape, its Spiritual Power conductivity was abysmal.

He began his fourth attempt.

Li Yuan learned from his previous three failures, pushing the precision of his Spiritual Power control to the absolute limit for every step. The perfect Spiritual Power control granted by his now-permanent "Dantian Platform Creation" ability was just as effective in Artifact Refining, allowing him to manage the output and frequency of his Spiritual Power with flawless accuracy.

「Two days later.」

A palm-sized, triangular talisman lay quietly on the refining table.

The talisman was a deep, dark red, with faint silver Spirit Patterns flowing across its surface. When infused with Spiritual Power, a thin membrane of light bloomed over it, emitting a gentle and stable aura.

A Tier Three Low Grade Magical Artifact. Its quality was average, but its structure was sound and it was fully functional.

A blue light glowed within a three-foot radius.

Li Yuan reached out and picked up the talisman.

[Equippable Item Detected: Red Silver Talisman (Complete)]

[Trait Preview: Nascent Spiritual Rhythm (Blue)]

[Effect: When casting Magic, the wielder’s Mana fluctuations become more stable. Spell formation speed is increased by 50%, and Mana consumption is reduced by 10%.]

[Permanence Condition: Reach Late-stage Golden Core Cultivation or Tier Three Artifact Refining Technique Perfection.]

[Tier Three Artifact Refining Technique: Novice]

’Tier Three Artifact Refining, Novice level.’

He was one step closer to being able to craft a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact.

But the Novice level was just the beginning. To forge a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact that was both powerful and had room to grow, his Tier Three Artifact Refining Technique would need to be at the Proficient level or higher. He would also need to collect a vast amount of High-Tier Spiritual Materials.

’It’ll be difficult to gather all of that in a short time. For now, the most important thing is to keep improving my Artifact Refining Technique. I can worry about the materials later.’

The top-grade spiritual pill spun steadily within his Dantian. His Spiritual Power reserves, at the level of a Mid-stage Golden Core, were plentiful.

There were still several months until the Celestial Peak Sect’s Divinity Transformation Ceremony. That was more than enough time to get a lot done.