Chapter 134 - 92: Cultivation Aspiration, Artifact Refining Master

Chapter 134: Chapter 92: Cultivation Aspiration, Artifact Refining Master

Inside the main hall of Zulu Temple.

Caught red-handed by Shangguan Ling’Er, the three Daoists of Zulu Temple—who had previously been eagerly gossiping via Divine Sense transmissions—now merely exchanged sheepish glances. Shangguan Ling’Er remained expressionless and said nothing. For a moment, an awkward silence filled the hall.

As the awkward atmosphere continued to spread, Li Yinsheng stepped forward and broke the ice.

"I came here today for one other matter, aside from repairing the White Rainbow Sword and the Vein Casting Rope," Li Yinsheng said, gesturing to Mu Xiaoyu beside him. "Junior Sister Mu stumbled upon an Exotic Treasure that can conceal itself from Divine Sense, making it incredibly difficult to detect. Since she will be participating in the Dao Examination next year, I was hoping to have this Exotic Treasure refined into an Upper Grade Magical Artifact to serve as an element of surprise."

Relieved that Li Yinsheng had changed the subject, Kunjun hastily replied, "Rest assured, Li! Leave this matter to our Zulu Temple! I will personally refine this Magical Artifact for Mu!"

As for the fact that Li Yinsheng, a dignified Daoist, was referring to a wet-behind-the-ears little girl as his "Junior Sister," Kunjun chose to ignore it. The situation at Xuanzhen Temple was indeed unique; it was only normal for them to pay less attention to traditional hierarchy and seniority.

"Speaking of which, I haven’t seen many materials capable of evading Divine Sense detection. Mu is quite blessed!" Kunjun said, looking at Mu Xiaoyu.

Hearing this, Li Yinsheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that although materials capable of evading Divine Sense were rare, Zulu Temple still had some understanding of them and possessed the means to refine them.

"Junior Sister, show the item to our three Fellow Daoists," Li Yinsheng instructed.

"Okay!" Mu Xiaoyu nodded. She took the Black Stone out of her Qiankun Bag and presented it to them.

"Huh?" Kunjun was taken aback.

"Why can’t my Divine Sense detect this Black Stone at all?" he thought. "Could it be that this Black Stone can not only evade the Divine Sense of ordinary Cultivators, but also hide from the Divine Sense of True Cultivators?! What on earth is this thing?"

"Fellow Daoist Kunjun, is there a problem?" Li Yinsheng asked.

Frowning, Kunjun raised his hand and drew the Black Stone into his palm. He swept his Divine Sense over it repeatedly and scrutinized it for a long while before looking back at Li Yinsheng. "This item is truly bizarre," he marveled. "Even my Divine Sense cannot detect the slightest trace of it."

"Then are you confident you can refine it, Fellow Daoist Kunjun?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Uh," Kunjun muttered, his tone losing its previous certainty. "To refine a Magical Artifact, one must manipulate the materials with Divine Sense, refine its form, and engrave Restrictions. Generally speaking, materials that can evade Divine Sense cannot hide from the Divine Sense of a Daoist, nor can they isolate Divine Sense under certain special methods. As long as such materials are handled properly, an Artifact Refiner can interact with them using Divine Sense during the refining process. Once the Artifact Refining is complete, they will then restore the characteristic of being difficult for Divine Sense to detect."

Kunjun examined the Black Stone in his hand, looking deeply troubled. "However, as for this item, even my Divine Sense cannot detect it in the slightest. I’m afraid our temple’s methods for refining such materials will hardly be effective on this Black Stone."

"If it cannot be detected and manipulated by Divine Sense, then it cannot be refined?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Naturally," Kunjun replied without hesitation.

"So this Black Stone cannot be used as Refining Materials?" Li Yinsheng asked, looking somewhat disappointed.

Kunjun did not answer the question directly. Instead, he asked, "Li, may I ask—even if this Black Stone were refined into a Magical Artifact, how would Mu use it? When Cultivators wield a Magical Artifact, it inevitably requires manipulation via Divine Sense. If you have some method to manipulate this Black Stone with Divine Sense, perhaps it can still be refined."

"I have no such method," Li Yinsheng replied. "However, Junior Sister Mu’s Divine Sense is unique. She can perceive and manipulate this Black Stone normally."

"I see!" Kunjun shook his head. "Then I am powerless. If my Divine Sense cannot contact or manipulate it, it is truly impossible for me to carry out the Artifact Refining."

"Is there absolutely no way?" Li Yinsheng asked, his face full of disappointment.

"There is one other possibility," Kunjun said. "But if we take that route, let alone being in time for the next Lesser Yang Dao Examination, even if she is preparing for the Zhengyang Dao Examination, I’m afraid Mu wouldn’t be able to use this Magical Artifact until who knows how many exams have passed."

Hearing Kunjun’s words, Li Yinsheng immediately caught on. "Do you mean to suggest that my Junior Sister do it herself?"

Sitting nearby and nibbling on pastries, Mu Xiaoyu halted her movements. She stared blankly at her Senior Brother, mechanically chewing the food in her mouth.

"Do it myself?" she thought. "Do what? Senior Brother, you can’t possibly be asking me to refine the Magical Artifact myself!"

Stroking his beard, Kunjun said, "Exactly. Since Mu is the only one who can perceive and manipulate this Black Stone, the only way is for her to study the Path of Artifact Refining. Once she has achieved some success in her studies, she can refine it herself."

Mu Xiaoyu froze mid-chew and glared at Kunjun with wide eyes.

"What are you spouting, old man?" she screamed internally. "Do you have any idea how busy I am every day? How would I have the time to learn Artifact Refining?! You’re so old, your hair and beard are completely white, yet your words are so wicked!"

"Although that is a method..." Li Yinsheng said, looking extremely hesitant. "The path of Artifact Refining is profound and extensive, and it consumes an immense amount of energy. To study Artifact Refining solely to refine this Black Stone... isn’t that somewhat unworthy of the effort?"

Beside him, Mu Xiaoyu nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she thought. "You’re absolutely right, Senior Brother! It’s not worth it! It’s way too unworthy!"

"Your words make sense, Li," Kunjun agreed with a nod. "The art of Artifact Refining is exceedingly difficult. Just the first step of repeatedly tempering and purifying materials with one’s True Flame and Divine Sense is already incredibly grueling. The hardships involved are hard for outsiders to comprehend.

"However, precisely because it is so difficult to master, an Artifact Refiner is treated with great courtesy. It can be considered a fair trade of hard work for rich rewards. Moreover, if the path of Artifact Refining is taken up as a Minor, it won’t consume too much energy. Whether you want Mu Xiaoyu to Minor in Artifact Refining ultimately depends on your decision, Li..."

Li Yinsheng didn’t pay attention to the latter half of Kunjun’s sentence. The moment Kunjun mentioned that an Artifact Refiner was "treated with great courtesy," the familiar and majestic tolling of Huang Zhong and Da Lv echoed in his ears.

Subsequently, the Golden Characters of the Grotto Heaven materialized before his eyes.

[Cultivation Aspiration: The Master of the Cave Heaven’s cultivation is already on track. Now is the time to Minor in Artifact Refining and expand your means!

The Master of the Cave Heaven has come into contact with the Path of Artifact Refining. Please improve your Artifact Refining attainments as much as possible within ten years, refine Magical Artifacts of increasingly higher grades, and become an Artifact Refining Master as soon as possible!

This Cultivation Aspiration will last for ten years. The category of the refined Magical Artifact is unrestricted, but the entire Artifact Refining process must be completed independently by the Master of the Cave Heaven.

Directly converting an Innate Spiritual Object or similar items into a Magical Treasure will not be counted toward the results of the Cultivation Aspiration.

Refining a semi-finished Magical Artifact or Magical Treasure into a complete Magical Artifact or Magical Treasure will not be counted toward the results of the Cultivation Aspiration.

Refining a Magical Artifact whose value is lower than the materials used will not be counted toward the results of the Cultivation Aspiration.

Cultivation Rewards:

Refining an Inferior Magical Artifact rewards ten years of Cultivation;

Refining a Lower Grade Magical Artifact rewards twenty years of Cultivation;

Refining a Middle Grade Magical Artifact rewards forty years of Cultivation;

Refining an Upper Grade Magical Artifact rewards eighty years of Cultivation;

Refining a Quasi-Magical Treasure rewards one hundred and twenty years of Cultivation;

Refining a Magical Treasure rewards two hundred years of Cultivation.]

Li Yinsheng’s heart skipped a beat.

This Cultivation Aspiration offered the most generous rewards he had ever seen. The final tier alone awarded two hundred years of Cultivation, matching the reward of the Cultivation Aspiration where he obtained the Life Breathing Creation Pill to help his Martial Uncle rebuild after destruction. But that previous Cultivation Aspiration had a maximum cap of two hundred years, whereas this one offered two hundred years just for the highest tier. If he added up all the preceding tiers, it totaled a staggering four hundred and seventy years of Cultivation!

Li Yinsheng currently possessed just over three hundred years of Cultivation. This reward was fifty percent higher than his entire current cultivation base!

However, after glancing at the requirements for the Cultivation Aspiration, he felt the rewards were justified. Refining a Magical Treasure within ten years was a feat not meant for normal humans. Though he didn’t understand Artifact Refining, considering that a Magical Treasure was an existence that only a Daoist could wield, wouldn’t the refiner need to be a Daoist themselves to create one? Even if their Artifact Refining attainments were extraordinarily high and could compensate for a lack of Cultivation, their minimum Cultivation couldn’t be much lower than that of a Daoist, right? The difficulty of reaching this final tier was probably higher than simply asking someone to become a Daoist within ten years.

As for the slightly lower tier—the Quasi-Magical Treasure—though he had never heard of the term, its meaning wasn’t hard to deduce. It likely demanded a high level of Cultivation as well.

Furthermore, Cultivation was only the basic requirement; the corresponding Artifact Refining attainments would be even harder to elevate. While one could rely on Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to rapidly increase their Cultivation, how was one supposed to fast-track their Artifact Refining attainments?

Moreover, the final few requirements of the Cultivation Aspiration completely blocked off any avenues for cutting corners. By mandating independent Artifact Refining, he couldn’t just invite an Artifact Refining Master to "collaboratively refine" with his Junior Sister. Nor could he directly convert an Innate Spiritual Object like he had done when refining the Celestial Cyan Sword.

The final rule—that one couldn’t refine a Magical Artifact with a value lower than its material cost—was particularly malicious. This meant Li Yinsheng couldn’t take a pile of Upper Grade Magical Artifact materials, have his Junior Sister slap together a Middle Grade Magical Artifact, and make do with claiming the reward.

Given how stringent this Cultivation Aspiration was, it was only fitting that it offered such massive rewards.

After pondering for a few breaths, Li Yinsheng snapped back to reality. He dispelled the Golden Characters before his eyes and looked at Mu Xiaoyu, who was still nodding furiously at him.

"Since you keep nodding, Junior Sister, it seems you are also quite interested in the path of Artifact Refining," Li Yinsheng proposed. "Why don’t we give it a try?"

Mu Xiaoyu, still mid-nod, had a mouthful of unswallowed pastries. Upon hearing Li Yinsheng’s words, she nearly choked to death. Her face flushed red as she stared blankly at him.

"Senior Brother, that was not your attitude just a moment ago!" she screamed internally.

"Excellent! Since both Li and Mu are interested, I happen to have a few beginner books on Artifact Refining. I’ll gift them to you." Kunjun let out a hearty laugh and handed several books to Li Yinsheng.

"Furthermore, whether it is repairing the White Rainbow Sword or refining the Vein Casting Rope, both will take some time," Kunjun continued. "Please stay in our temple for a few days, Li and Spiritual Phoenix Daoist. During this time, I can also arrange for a suitable junior to personally instruct Mu and help her grasp the basics of the Path of Artifact Refining."

The third Daoist, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, looking toward Zhao Xuan. "Junior Brother, doesn’t your lineage have a junior with considerable attainments in Artifact Refining who is currently in charge of the Fire Cloud Hall?"

"Indeed. I have a grandniece who is not yet fifty years old, yet she can already reliably refine Upper Grade Magical Artifacts. She achieved this two years earlier than I did back in the day," Zhao Xuan said with a smile. "If I didn’t want to keep her from being distracted, I would have appointed her as the Temple Master. There’s no need for her to just stay at the Fire Cloud Hall."

"It’s right not to make her the Temple Master. Having such attainments at a young age, if she focuses on cultivating and Artifact Refining, she might even become a Daoist in the future," Kunjun said, nodding. "Junior Brother, have that girl put down whatever she’s working on and personally guide Mu through the basics of Artifact Refining."

"Alright, Senior Brother. I will have someone arrange it immediately!" Zhao Xuan clapped his hands, and a flash of red light darted out. A moment later, he said, "It’s done. I’ve already told that girl to wait outside Li’s guest room."

"Thank you, my three Fellow Daoists," Li Yinsheng said, cupping his hands in gratitude.

"Hahaha, you’re too polite, Li."

"It’s just a small effort, a small effort..."

The three Daoists of Zulu Temple waved their hands, insisting there was no need for such formalities. For a time, the three of them and Li Yinsheng chatted harmoniously.

In the corner, Mu Xiaoyu’s eyes widened as she watched the four of them happily chatting away.

"Does anyone here even care about me?!" she cried out in her mind.

"Sigh, little girl, you have to Minor in Artifact Refining now."

A slender, snow-white hand landed on Mu Xiaoyu’s head, seemingly to comfort her.

Mu Xiaoyu looked at Shangguan Ling’Er, deeply moved by her righteous intervention.

"So there is still someone who cares about me!" she thought.

"Your talent is already so poor, and now you have to Minor in Artifact Refining. It’ll probably be hard for you to achieve anything. Just treat it as a hobby..." Shangguan Ling’Er said, shaking her head.

Mu Xiaoyu was left utterly speechless.