35: Chapter 35 The Liver Emperor Forges Iron: From Mortal to Magical Weapon

Lin Ze sat cross-legged before a tripod furnace that was dark red all over and carved with intricate fire-cloud patterns.

This was the Legacy treasure that the Family's Third Elder had risked half his life to bring back, a Tier 1 High Grade Magical Artifact, the black flame artifact refining furnace.

Beside Lin Ze, a mountain-like pile of mundane iron Ore shimmered with a cold and coarse metallic luster.

A full thousand catties of raw mundane iron Ore; this was the Family foundation poured out by The Old Patriarch Patriarch Lin Zhenhai for him to practice with.

Any Artifact Refiner apprentice from the main branch would have likely opened the furnace to refine Magical Artifact blueprints long ago upon seeing so many free practice Materials.

But Lin Ze did not.

He pushed the pile of expensive Magical Artifact blueprints aside.

In the path of Artifact Refining, the greatest taboo is to aim too high.

Since he was going to grind proficiency, he would start from the lowest-grade mundane items to build his foundation.

A hint of fanaticism flashed in Lin Ze's eyes as he slapped the wall of the black flame artifact refining furnace with one hand.

Buzz.

The tripod furnace vibrated, letting out a low roar.

Lin Ze did not activate any fire-attribute Spell to ignite the earth fire.

He possessed a triple-attribute Pseudo Spiritual Root of Water, Wood, and Earth; he didn't have a single bit of fire-attributemagic power in his body.

But he had his own way to break the deadlock.

Lin Ze flicked his finger, and the Heavy Water Vortex within his Dantian spun wildly, as a drop of deep blue, profound Limit-Breaking Heavy Water fell straight into the fire-gathering array patterns at the bottom of the black flame artifact refining furnace.

When water reaches extreme cold, things turn into their opposite.

Under the terrifying catalysis of the black flame artifact refining furnace's array patterns, that drop of Heavy Watermagic power, compressed to the extreme, instantly transformed into the most violent high-temperature spiritual steam.

That blast of steam, carrying staggering pressure, actually generated high temperatures through sheer friction.

"Rise."

With a wave of his sleeve, dozens of catties of mundane iron Ore were lifted by invisiblemagic power and cast into the furnace.

Facing the heavy Impurities within the raw Ore, Lin Ze did not struggle with the heat like an ordinary Artifact Refiner; instead, he pressed his fingers together and directly cast the hand seal he was most proficient in.

"Major Achievement Water Purification Art — Microscopic Removal."

Enveloped by the high-temperature steam transformed from the Limit-Breaking Heavy Water, the power of the Major Achievement Water Purification Art followed the steam, permeating every inch of the iron Ore's texture.

The mixed sand and waste gases, which would normally require hours of intense fire to burn away, came gushing out of the exhaust vents.

The hard mundane iron quickly melted into glowing red molten iron.

Lin Ze performed the forging within the furnace chamber.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

Half an hour later, the furnace lid lifted.

Over a dozen glinting mundane refined iron harpoons, along with reinforced fishing nets weighted with heavy iron sinkers, emerged from the furnace and scattered onto the wooden floor with a clatter.

"Too crude, the heating was uneven, and impurity removal only reached seventy percent."

Lin Ze shook his head slightly, extremely dissatisfied with the quality of this batch of finished products. However, when his consciousness swept through his mind, faint golden light jumped out from that golden panel.

[Hundred Arts: Artifact Refining Technique (Uninitiated) Exp +1]

[Hundred Arts: Artifact Refining Technique (Uninitiated) Exp +1]

Lin Ze's eyes lit up, as if he had found the ultimate shortcut to grind experience in this dull world of immortal cultivation.

Over the next month, the Mortal fishing village on the outskirts of Reed Island welcomed a celebration.

Village Chief Lin Cang led a group of Mortal youths to kneel before the floating wooden walkway, receiving the fishing gear personally bestowed by the Immortal Master.

Those refined iron harpoons were incomparably sharp, easily piercing even the shells of the hardest Tier 1 demonized Green Rock Crabs in the shallow waters.

The reinforced fishing nets were even more capable of withstanding the frantic struggles of giant Mortal fish weighing hundreds of catties without breaking.

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for bestowing these treasures."

The Mortals were full of drive, and the daily catch from the fishing grounds more than doubled.

Meanwhile, in the wooden house, Lin Ze had completely transformed into an emotionless blacksmithing machine.

He worked day and night without rest, knowing no fatigue.

When hismagic power was exhausted, he utilized the endless nature of the Azure Wave Art to frantically devour the Cold Spring Spiritual Qi to recover quickly.

When his Divine Sense grew weary, he would bite the tip of his tongue to force himself awake.

Those thousand catties of mundane iron were consumed completely within a single month.

As the last refined iron harpoon hit the floor.

The numbers on the panel in Lin Ze's mind finally stopped at a junction.

[Hundred Arts: Artifact Refining Technique (Uninitiated) 99/100]

He was just one step away.

Lin Ze's eyes were bloodshot.

He knew that the limit of mundane iron could only go this far.

To truly cross into the Initiated Realm and become a Tier 1 Low Grade Artifact Refiner recognized by the entire world of cultivation, he had to break through the shackles of the mundane and refine a true Magical Artifact.

With a wave of his sleeve, his water-attributemagic power swept away the mundane iron residue covering the floor.

Then, Lin Ze took out a piece of material from the deepest part of his Storage Pouch.

This was not one of those conventional spiritual Ores from the Family treasury.

It was the spine of the Tier 1 Medium Grade Peak Blue-Scaled Demon Python he had personally slain in the deep-water dark river.

Along with the water-attribute top-tier spiritual material he had exchanged Spirit Stones for at the Cloud Mist Water Market, deep water cold iron.

The deep water cold iron was pitch black all over and cold to the touch, naturally compatible with water-attributemagic power. The demon python spine was even more incredibly tough, carrying a hint of the fierce aura of a great water demon.

Fusing the two would absolutely create the most ruthless base for a water-attribute Magical Artifact.

The Canglang Sword Array, if it lacked a physical Flying Sword to suppress the array eye, would ultimately be nothing more than a superficial rootless weed.

Lin Ze picked up the scroll of the water-attribute Magical Artifact blueprint, his gaze cold and hard.

"Tier 1 Low Grade Magical Artifact, water shadow snake bone sword. I shall use you to sharpen my edge."

Lin Ze closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, taking a full hour to adjust his state to the absolute Peak of the Early Stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Then, he opened his eyes and flicked his finger.

A piece of deep water cold iron, along with a section of the demon python spine, fell into the black flame artifact refining furnace.

Melt.

The steam earth fire transformed from the Limit-Breaking Heavy Water instantly surged, tightly enveloping the cold iron and snake bone.

Purification and impurity removal, the most tedious and time-consuming step in Artifact Refining, had become Lin Ze's best skill.

"Water Purification Art, wash them for me!"

He pushed his Major Achievement level Water Purification Art to its limit; his water spirit affinity combined with the overbearing trait of "Microscopic Removal" transformed into countless microscopic water blades within the furnace's high-temperature steam.

The hidden rock within the deep water cold iron, as well as the residual violent waste blood and fierce aura in the demon python spine, were forcibly removed and "washed" pure by this irrational power.

Purification, impurity removal, and shaping.

These first three steps, supported by the terrifying experience of a month of mundane iron forging and combined with his unique "Water Purification Artifact Refining Method."

Lin Ze performed them with fluid grace, unable to find even a single flaw.

In less than half an hour, a sword embryo about three feet long, radiating a bone-chilling cold and a slight snake-like curve, slowly took shape within the furnace chamber.

Next was the most critical and expensive step: inscribing spiritual runes.

The reason a Magical Artifact is a Magical Artifact, capable of possessing the power to overturn seas, is because of the micro array patterns inscribed within that can communicate with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Lin Ze's Divine Sense probed into the furnace chamber, preparing to inscribe the most basic water-gathering spiritual runes inside the sword embryo.

With the first stroke, a spiritual light appeared.

With the second stroke, Spiritual Qi gathered.

However, at the very moment the third stroke was about to connect start to finish.

Because of the internal resistance of the demon Materials he was encountering for the first time, Lin Ze's Divine Sense trembled slightly, and a deviation occurred in the output of his water-attributemagic power.

Crack.

Inside the furnace chamber, the sword embryo, which had been flowing with dark light, suddenly let out a wail.

Its internal spiritual structure instantly collapsed.

Bang.

A dull explosion sounded, and the thousand-catty black flame artifact refining furnace shook violently; the furnace lid was nearly blown off by the internal air currents.

A cloud of black smoke shot out from the exhaust vents, making Lin Ze cough repeatedly.

The first attempt was a furnace explosion.

Lin Ze opened the furnace lid and used fire tongs to pull out the charred residue that had completely turned into scrap iron, his fingers trembling slightly.

This single explosion meant the cost of several Low-Grade Spirit Stones had turned to ash.

Lin Ze's heart twitched violently.

This wasn't iron being burned; this was his very life being burned.

"Again."

Lin Ze did not feel discouraged in the slightest; the Peak of the Hundred Arts of cultivation was built upon a foundation of corpses and massive amounts of resources.

He cleaned the furnace chamber and put in the second set of cold iron and snake bone.

Two hours later.

"Bang."

The second furnace explosion.

This time, the temperature control during quenching was not uniform enough, causing the sword embryo to snap on the spot amidst the alternation of extreme heat and extreme cold.

"Again."

The third time, themagic power output was too forceful during the inscription of array patterns, and the sword body could not withstand that Demonic Qi. furnace explosion.

The fifth time, impurity removal was incomplete, leading to an obstruction in the flow of Spiritual Qi. furnace explosion.

The tenth time...

Lin Ze fell completely into a state of obsession.

He seemed to forget the passage of time in the outside world, and the wind and snow of Yunmeng Marsh.

Failure after failure, he summarized experience from the ashes time and again.

The floor of the wooden house gradually became piled with strange-looking scrap iron remains, each emitting a burnt smell.

Every dull thud of a furnace explosion represented a massive amount of resources vanishing into the water without even making a sound.

When the thud of the thirtieth furnace explosion sounded, Lin Ze's face was already as pale as paper.

Spiritual Qi conflict.

Even though he possessed the abnormal microscopic vision of Water Wave Perception, when it came to inscribing spiritual runes, that kind of spiritual compatibility that could only be felt but not described remained like a natural chasm blocking his path.

"Bang."

The forty-third furnace explosion.

Huff... huff...

Lin Ze slumped onto the Profound Ice Stone, panting heavily.

The entire spine of that Blue-Scaled Demon Python had been used up in the previous attempts.

What he used afterward were all residual bones of water-attribute sea demons he had secretly exchanged for with Low-Grade Spirit Stones at the bazaar.

He had burned through a full ten or more Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

What a terrifying consumption this was.

Any of those pampered Artifact Refiner apprentices from the main branch would have had their legs broken by the Elders and their Dao Heart would have collapsed on the spot after exploding the furnace over forty times.

But within Lin Ze's bloodshot eyes, a frantic flame burned, like a hungry wolf driven into a corner.

"I can feel it, it's just one last layer of paper away."

"I already know the path of the array patterns by heart; the muscle memory has formed."

"What's missing is that touch of spiritual charm that turns stone into gold."

Lin Ze bit the tip of his tongue and swallowed a mouthful of sweet essence blood, forcibly stimulating his parched and withered Divine Sense.

He took out the final set from his Storage Pouch, which was also the most perfectly matched piece of deep water cold iron and bone spike.

The forty-fourth time.

Success or death.

Cold iron and demon bone entered the furnace, and the Heavy Water earth fire roared upward.

This time, Lin Ze did not stare fixedly at the furnace fire; instead, he entered a mysterious and empty state of clarity.

Themagic power of the Azure Wave Art flowed slowly through his body; he no longer deliberately pursued it but rather let that drop of Limit-Breaking Heavy Water intertwine with the extreme heat.

Yin and Yang aided each other, water and fire fused.

The snake bone sword embryo was shaped.

His Divine Sense transformed into the sharpest carving knife, resolutely falling into the interior of the sword embryo.

water-gathering spiritual runes.

The first stroke was as steady as a rock, themagic power as fine as silk.

The second stroke was as fluid as floating clouds, without the slightest hesitation.

At the moment the final spiritual rune was outlined and connected start to finish, forming a perfect closed loop.

Inside the furnace chamber, a clear and resonant sword cry suddenly erupted, accompanied by the sound of a snake's hiss.

This sound was no longer the wail of scrap iron shattering, but the cheer of cold metal being forcibly endowed with life by Heaven and Earth.

"Buzz."

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, All Laws Break Through Barriers.]

[Hundred Arts: Artifact Refining Technique (Uninitiated) Breakthrough to (Initiated) 0/300]

[Effect Update: First Glimpse (Increases success rate of refining Tier 1 Low Grade Magical Artifacts by 30%, grants artifacts a faint spirituality).]

It was a success.

Lin Ze opened his eyes.

He slapped the thick wall of the black flame artifact refining furnace with his palm.

"Open furnace!"

The furnace lid soared into the sky, bringing with it a visible wave of air.

A dark sword light, enveloped in rich and pure water-attribute Spiritual Qi and a hint of fierce demonic power, spiraled and flew through the air of the wooden house, letting out a sword whistle.

The sword was three feet long and only two fingers wide.

Upon the sword's body, the natural snake bone texture and the inscribed water-gathering spiritual runes were perfectly fused, radiating a dark sharpness.

Tier 1 Low Grade Magical Artifact, water shadow snake bone sword.

Lin Ze reached out, and the Flying Sword drew a graceful arc in the air, landing steadily in his palm.

It was ice-cold to the touch; as soon asmagic power was poured into it, the sword's edge instantly spat out a half-foot-long water-blue sword glow.

It sliced a nearby piece of hard Profound Ice Stone in half; the cut was as smooth as a mirror, without even kicking up a single stone chip.

A transformation from zero to one.

Lin Ze gently stroked the cool sword body, feeling that thrill of being connected by Bloodline.

Although this was only a Tier 1 Low Grade Magical Artifact, the lowest grade in the world of cultivation.

But its significance far exceeded the painful loss of those ten-plus Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This meant that as long as there were Materials and time, he, Lin Ze, could become an assembly line, mass-producing qualified Flying Swords.

The Canglang Sword Array was no longer just a theoretical plan that required drawing from river water.

Lin Ze carried the bloodless water shadow snake bone sword and strode to the edge of the terrace.

The gale whipped his green robes as he looked toward the inner sea of Yunmeng Marsh outside the great array.