89: Inscriptions, Mana, and Chi

Under Chen Cuo's forging, the pig iron embryo gradually took shape; the Impurities within it were continuously hammered out, then repeatedly refined and kneaded, and the kneaded wrought iron was fused with it. After more than twenty foldings, the entire embryo appeared dark black.

Dai Xiong stood by, watching carefully. It was evident that Chen Cuo's technique was not yet proficient; the pig iron was far from its limit and required many more arduous hammerings to become a qualified Magical Artifact embryo.

That's right, it was a Magical Artifact embryo. Although Chen Cuo's technique was not perfect, his control over the force was simply art. Each strike could precisely shake out the Impurities from the pig iron.

If it could complete a hundred forgings, it could be used as a Magical Artifact embryo, but this kind of insight and manual dexterity was not something just anyone could achieve.

Chen Cuo's control over forging force was almost perfect, coupled with his True Qi's guidance of the furnace flames, which facilitated tempering. All of this greatly astonished Dai Xiong.

Next was to trim the excess edges of the embryo and quench it. A cleaver slowly took shape, then it was refined and the blade was polished.

The final step was a test of patience. To forge a decent kitchen utensil, it would take about one or two days. Chen Cuo only reached the shaping step, which was enough. Dai Xiong immediately called a halt, and just like that, a morning passed.

"Not bad. Chen Cuo's talent is much stronger than I imagined. He should be able to get the hang of the Artifact Refining process very quickly."

Since Chen Cuo was only forging a cleaver at this time, he didn't need to use the Innate True Fire transformed from his chaotic True Qi. However, his talent was absolutely sufficient, which could be seen purely from his skill.

"Liu Clan Forging Method proficiency + 7, (98/600)."

When he obtained this Martial Skill, he had only casually touched upon it. To Breakthrough to Innate, various Cultivation Techniques progressed simultaneously, which was very taxing on his mind. Furthermore, other rare Martial Skills also required time to Cultivate, and Artifact Refining was not immediately useful, so it had been put aside. He had only touched the hammer twice and never increased its proficiency again.

"Master Dai, you can just call me by my name from now on. I have a question: what exactly is the difference between Magical Artifacts and Mortal Weapons? And how are they forged?"

"Hahaha, Chen Cuo is a man of character. Actually, even if you hadn't asked, this old man would have taught you. Since that's the case, there's no rush to eat. Just watch."

Dai Xiong held up a hoe, which was the same Low Grade Magical Artifact hoe he had forged yesterday. There was a faint spiritual light flowing on it, and also lines of patterns. Chen Cuo had seen them in the "Basic Fire Forging Method" given by White Egret; they were inscriptions, strengthening inscriptions.

Master Dai picked up the hoe with his right hand and then took out a long blade embryo from the side that had been forged seventy or eighty times.

He only injected a trace of True Qi, and the hoe gleamed with a cold light. He struck the blade with the hoe, and the long blade snapped into two with a crack.

"Chen Cuo, you have some foundation in forging. I can tell that the forging method you learned must belong to a good forging Great Master outside. However, you are not proficient with it. If you practice it well, forging hundred-forged refined iron will be no problem at all."

"Hundred-forged refined iron is the foundation for refining Magical Artifacts. This spiritual hoe in my hand is made by kneading pig iron with wrought iron and hammering it a hundred times, but the most important thing is the inscription."

"Whether there are inscriptions, and whether they can mobilize the power of heaven and earth, that is the difference between Magical Artifacts and Mortal Weapons."

"Engraving inscriptions is what allows Mortal Iron to transform into a Magical Artifact, and only hundred-forged refined iron can withstand the effect of inscriptions. Of course, this only refers to Low Grade Magical Artifacts and First-Grade Low Grade Magical Artifacts. To forge Medium Grade Magical Artifacts, refined iron alone as Materials is no longer enough; other rare Materials are also needed."

"The more inscriptions engraved, the higher the grade of the Magical Artifact. According to common sense, a Low Grade Magical Artifact would only have one inscription, while a First-Grade Low Grade Magical Artifact could have three inscriptions, and Medium Grade would have even more."

Speaking of this, Dai Xiong took out a pure black dagger from his sleeve, very similar in shape to the one Chen Cuo had snatched from Wu Xing back then.

As soon as the dagger appeared, a sharp intent was clearly felt, and as it was exposed to the air, it slowly refracted light, making it seem invisible and difficult to detect.

"This is a First-Grade Low Grade Magical Artifact, also one of my works back then. It has three Talismans engraved: 'Solid,' 'Sharp,' and 'Light and Shadow.' It is my proud work."

"You can feel it. Inject a wisp of True Qi and try it!"

Dai Xiong handed the dagger to Chen Cuo. After Chen Cuo took it, he injected a wisp of True Qi. The True Qi worked along the Talismans, making the dagger even more imperceptible, blurring one's vision, and making it slightly heavier.

"Inscription engraving is a rigid operation. As long as you memorize the inscription patterns and completely draw them on the Magical Artifact embryo, then inject True Qi to use the power of the inscription, the Magical Artifact is refined."

"Speaking of this, you must be curious about the function of inscriptions. In fact, to put it plainly, inscriptions are the application of magical power."

Chen Cuo was visibly startled at this point and asked the question he had long wanted to understand: "Master Dai, what exactly is the difference between magical power and True Qi?"

When inscriptions are engraved on the Magical Artifact embryo and operate smoothly, the Magical Artifact is formed, and the Magical Artifact can exert remarkable effects. For example, the hoe forged by Dai Xiong, with just a wisp of True Qi injected, could easily hammer and break a treasured blade that had been refined for a long time, and its inscription was only for solidity, not sharpness.

This is enough to show that inscriptions are the core of Magical Artifacts, provided, of course, that the Materials used for forging can withstand the power of the inscriptions.

Speaking of inscriptions, one must mention the difference between True Qi and magical power. Why is it that even a Low Grade Magical Artifact requires Innate Experts to forge? It's because inscriptions need to be engraved, and Acquired Martial Artists cannot do it.

No matter how magical Internal Energy is, it cannot mobilize the Origin Qi of heaven and earth. Even True Qi is far from enough; it can only barely do so.

"The difference between True Qi and magical power, that's really hard to say. Back then, I failed to absorb spiritual energy, and the True Qi in my body didn't completely transform, so I only have a partial understanding. If I really had to state the difference, based on my many years of Artifact Refining experience, it would be the ability to mobilize the Origin Qi of heaven and earth."

"Simply put, for example, your fire-attribute True Qi can generate intense flames, which originate from within. The Meridians in your body mobilize True Origin to stimulate your Physical Body, exerting force from within your Physical Body, entirely under your own control. A slight mistake can lead to obstructed circulation and severe backlash."

"Magical power, on the other hand, is about mobilizing and utilizing the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, emphasizing freedom. With a single thought, you can borrow the Origin Qi of heaven and earth to produce a large ball of intense fire. Its power is also far stronger than a Martial Artist's Innate True Fire, and it's also very convenient to control, so you don't have to worry about backlash due to improper use."

However, at this point, Dai Xiong glanced at Chen Cuo with a strange look, saying with some astonishment.

"Of course, you're a freak, kid. The power and control of your True Fire should be far stronger than the magical power of ordinary Cultivators. I really don't know how you Cultivated."

"The inscriptions for Artifact Refining are also a way of using the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, just like Talismans. To make an analogy, a Low Grade Magical Artifact is like a blood Talisman among Talismans, and a First-Grade Magical Artifact is equivalent to a First-Grade Talisman. Talismans can directly mobilize the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, while we use artifacts to mobilize the Origin Qi of heaven and earth."

"There's still a big difference, but I'm not familiar with the Dao of Talismans, so I can't explain it to you. You can go ask someone else about it."

"So, if you want to refine Magical Artifacts, the first step is to temper hundred-forged refined iron, the second step is to learn inscriptions, and the third step is to choose appropriate inscriptions to draw on different artifacts to exert suitable functions."

Chen Cuo nodded. Indeed, choosing inscriptions is also very important. Different Magical Artifacts aiming for different functions require the engraving of suitable inscriptions to achieve an effect greater than the sum of their parts.

The choice of inscription engraving will vary depending on the type and function of the artifact, and the Materials also play a significant role. Similarly, the arrangement and combination of various inscriptions, as well as their engraving and Fusion, will not conflict due to different attributes of the mobilized Origin Qi. All of these can only be grasped by Innate Experts.

Especially in this Jueling Realm, Innate Experts can forge First-Grade Medium Grade Magical Artifacts by virtue of the Xueshan City formation, while High Grade ones are extremely difficult.

This cleared up some of Chen Cuo's confusion, and he now understood his next direction. He would start by learning to forge Magical Artifacts. The signed contract was not simple and could not be violated; violating it would lead to major problems.