143: Chapter 143 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Ninety-One)

Time gradually slipped away.

An hour later, Chu Shi finally picked up his carving knife and slowly began working on a weapon blank.

The first cut was too shallow; the lines were barely visible, and the primordial energy could not be retained at all.

The second cut was too deep, causing the iron blank to crack right open.

The third cut went astray. The final stroke was off by a hair, and the entire rune was completely ruined.

Chu Shi did not lose heart.

He carved over and over again.

In his hands, one weapon blank after another turned into scrap metal.

His hand was steady, becoming steadier with every attempt.

His cultivation at the peak of the Iron Skin Realm not only granted him immense strength but also provided him with superb control.

He could precisely control the pressure of the carving knife, ensuring the depth of every cut was exact.

After just one day, Chu Shi had carved a perfect single Sharpness Rune.

Shi Tie and the other two were no longer surprised.

They had long understood that the world of a genius existed in a different dimension than their own.

The next day, Chu Shi began attempting to carve two Sharpness Runes.

This time, the difficulty increased sharply.

The two runes could not be too close, or they would interfere with each other.

Nor could they be too far apart, or they would fail to coordinate.

Furthermore, the flow of primordial energy for the second rune had to connect perfectly with the first.

The first time, the two runes were too close; the primordial energy clashed, and the iron blank shattered into pieces.

The second time, the connection point was slightly off, hindering the flow of energy, and the runes flickered once before fading out.

The third time, the fourth time...

Another two and a half days passed...

When Chu Shi carved two perfectly connected Sharpness Runes onto a weapon blank, a subtle, imperceptible cold light flashed across the surface of the iron.

A faint aura of sharpness radiated from the iron blank.

Chu Shi took the weapon blank and casually swiped it against a piece of wood nearby.

The three-inch-thick hardwood was sliced in two silently, as if it were tofu.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror.

Chu Shi's eyes lit up.

He did not pause and immediately began attempting the third Sharpness Rune.

The three runes needed to form an equilateral triangle.

Each rune had to connect perfectly with the other two.

Forming a stable triangular rune array.

This was the core of a Basic Magical Artifact.

This time, it took Chu Shi a full seven days.

Until evening, when the last rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto the forging table.

Chu Shi took a deep breath and held it.

The carving knife descended.

One, two, three...

His movements were fluid, without a single pause.

The moment the final stroke was completed.

"Hum!"

The three runes lit up simultaneously, emitting a slight humming sound.

A pale white light flowed across the surface of the iron blank once before slowly sinking into its interior.

A clear and stable aura of sharpness radiated from the iron blank.

It was many times stronger than when it had two runes.

Chu Shi picked up the dagger-shaped weapon blank and gently swiped it against the anvil beside him.

"Screech!"

A harsh metallic scraping sound rang out.

A mark half an inch deep was carved into the hard anvil.

A Basic Magical Artifact, completed.

Just then, the door to the inner room of the forging chamber opened.

Elder Jin walked out.

His gaze fell upon the dagger in Chu Shi's hand.

The old man fell silent for a moment, his eyes complex.

"One month."

His voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling.

"From a layman who knew nothing, to forging your first Basic Magical Artifact, it took only one month."

Chu Shi bowed respectfully, "It is entirely due to Elder Jin's guidance."

Elder Jin waved his hand.

"It is not my credit. It is your own talent."

Having said that, the old man paused, his tone becoming solemn.

"Practice well, do not waste your talent. In my life, I have seen countless forging geniuses, but not one of them could compare to you."

"Disciple understands."

Chu Shi gripped the carving knife in his hand and bowed respectfully.

The two fell silent...

A moment later, Elder Jin waved his hand and returned to the inner room of the forging chamber.

The dull sound of hammering iron rang out once again...

Chu Shi did not indulge in the joy of his initial success.

A Basic Magical Artifact was only the beginning.

Afterward, he solemnly placed the first magical artifact he had ever forged into his storage bag.

His gaze returned to the remaining thirty-five basic runes on the animal skin scroll.

Elder Jin had said that the combination of runes was far more important than the quantity.

A single Sharpness Rune array could only increase sharpness, but if paired with a Durability Rune, one could create weapons that were both sharp and durable.

If paired with a Heavy Rune, the power of a strike could be raised to another level.

Chu Shi spent three days practicing until he had mastered all thirty-six types of basic runes.

He firmly memorized every single rune.

Until he could carve every line accurately even with his eyes closed, with the depth, curvature, and direction being perfect.

Shi Tie and the other two became his most loyal assistants.

Without needing Chu Shi to ask, they would have the furnace preheated, forge the iron blanks into the most suitable refined iron, and sharpen the carving knives to an extreme degree.

When Chu Shi was forging, they would stand quietly to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing him.

That evening, Chu Shi put down his carving knife, looked at the thirty-six weapon blanks neatly arranged before him—each carved with a different basic rune—and took a deep breath.

"Let us begin."

An Intermediate Magical Artifact required six runes to form two coordinated rune arrays.

Chu Shi chose the most classic combination: three Sharpness Runes + three Durability Runes.

It seemed like merely combining two primary rune arrays, but in reality, the difficulty increased sharply.

The two rune arrays could not interfere with each other; they also had to share primordial energy to produce an effect where one plus one was greater than two.

On his first attempt, Chu Shi carved the Sharpness Rune array on the blade and the Durability Rune array on the spine of the sword.

As a result, the primordial energy flow of the two rune arrays was in opposite directions, causing them to clash.

With a "Bang," the weapon blank exploded into fragments.

Flying iron shards grazed Chu Shi's cheek, leaving a thin, bloody scratch on his face.

Shi Tie turned pale with fright and quickly handed over a cloth strip, "Senior Brother! Are you alright?"

"I am fine." Chu Shi wiped the blood from his face, his eyes remaining calm.

"I was wrong. The placement of the runes was incorrect, and the flow of primordial energy was not connected properly."

He did not rush to try again, but instead sat on the ground, took out paper and brush, and repeatedly deduced the positions and flow of the two rune arrays.

The Mind-Focusing Technique slowly circulated. In his mind, countless golden lines seemed to appear, intertwining, colliding, and merging.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Shi suddenly opened his eyes.

"So that is how it is."