312: Chapter 312 This is what you call a magic weapon? It's utter garbage!

Xu Ruyu turned a deaf ear to the discussions, focusing intently on the copper tube.

He did not need the "Spirit Forging Method" to guide the spirituality of the Materials, because what he wanted was not the "spirit" of the Materials themselves, but for them to possess specific physical and energy conduction properties.

What he needed was precise temperature control and uniform heating.

After heating it for a while and seeing the copper tube soften, he immediately took it out, placed it on a stone anvil, and picked up a heavy forging hammer.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

He began to hammer the copper tube, attempting to forge it thinner, lengthen it, and make the inner wall smoother. However, his hammering technique was completely devoid of method; the force was uneven, sometimes heavy and sometimes light, which made the Disciples outside the door shake their heads repeatedly.

"This technique... it's even worse than when I first started!"

"I really don't know what Elder Qingli saw in him..."

"Just wait, this Wind Copper Tube is definitely going to be ruined by him."

Xu Ruyu, however, ignored all this. While hammering, he carefully observed the deformation of the copper tube, while simultaneously calculating factors such as force application, temperature loss, and material resilience in his mind.

After several rounds of hammering and heating, the copper tube had indeed become somewhat crooked, with uneven local thickness, far from the "straight, thin-walled, smooth bore" standard he desired.

Unconcealed sneers came from outside the door.

Xu Ruyu stopped, looked at the failed copper tube, and frowned.

Pure manual forging, as expected, made it difficult to guarantee precision, and the efficiency was also too low.

He was not discouraged and tossed the waste tube aside.

Then, he walked to the workbench, took out several pieces of hard "Obsidian" and "Refined Steel" he had prepared earlier, took out a charcoal pen and a ruler, and began to draw lines, measure, and then carefully carve them with a carving knife.

This time, he was making simple "molds" and "sizing gauges."

He spent the better part of a day manually grinding out a set of rudimentary "wire-drawing molds" with different apertures, as well as a "straightening bench" with a V-shaped groove.

Then, he took another Wind Copper Tube, heated and softened it, hammered one end into a conical shape, passed it through a slightly smaller wire-drawing mold, gripped the other end with pliers, and pulled hard!

"Sss—!"

The scorching copper tube was forcibly pulled through the mold, its diameter was compressed, its length increased, and the inner wall also became relatively much smoother due to the friction with the mold!

Although it was not uniform or straight enough after the first draw, he then placed the copper tube on the V-shaped groove of the straightening bench and used a wooden mallet to gently tap and adjust it.

After repeating the heating, drawing, and straightening process several times, a copper tube that was much straighter than before, with uniform wall thickness and a consistent inner diameter, had actually taken shape in his hands!

The sneers outside the door gradually subsided, replaced by some surprised whispers.

"This... what kind of technique is this?"

"Never seen it before... without using Spiritual Qi to guide it, just pulling it hard with a mold?"

"It looks like... there might be something to it? At least the tube has become straight."

"Hmph, just opportunistic tricks! Without the infusion of Spiritual Qi, the material performance is greatly compromised; even if the shape is right, it's still waste!"

That shrill voice rang out again; it was a troublemaker among the Artifact Refining Disciples named "Mo Ran," who seemed particularly dissatisfied with Xu Ruyu.

Xu Ruyu still ignored him.

He picked up the roughly formed copper tube, carefully measured the inner and outer diameters and length, and checked the smoothness of the inner wall against the light; he was fairly satisfied.

Then, he began to process the other components.

Using a similar method, he crafted several of his envisioned "compression chamber" metal casings (rough cylinders), a simple "trigger linkage mechanism" (made by cutting and bending Refined Steel sheets), as well as the casing for the "Spirit Turtle Shield" and the layered metal flakes and insulating spacers inside.

When he placed these strange-looking metal parts—which looked nothing like any known Magical Artifact components—together with the wooden models he had made earlier to attempt an initial assembly, the discussions about him within the Fire Cloud Cave reached a small climax.

"Look! That guy in Ding-Wei Seven has put those pieces of junk together!"

"What the hell is that thing? A long tube plus a box, with a curved handle at the back? Can this be called a Magical Artifact?"

"And that one, it looks like a turtle shell, with messy thin flakes sandwiched inside..."

"If this can be refined into a Magic Treasure, I'll eat my 'Hundred-Forged Hammer' raw!"

"It's simply an insult to the Dao of Artifact Refining!"

"What on earth is Elder Qingli thinking? Letting someone like this mess around in the Fire Cloud Cave?"

Even some Artifact Refining Disciples who were originally neutral, upon seeing the ugly, strange, unaesthetic, and even somewhat comical "collection of parts" that Xu Ruyu had assembled, shook their heads one after another, feeling that this "Saint Master" might have outstanding qualities in other aspects, but in the Dao of Artifact Refining, he was definitely a complete layman, or even a joke.

An Artifact Refining Elder responsible for the daily management of the Fire Cloud Cave, with the Daoist name "Perfected Golden Toad"—a short, stout old man with a kindly Face but sharp eyes—was also disturbed.

He personally came outside the Ding-Wei Seven room to observe for a while, and watching Xu Ruyu fiddling with those "pieces of junk" there, his brows also furrowed tightly.

He summoned the deacon Disciple who had brought Xu Ruyu in and asked in a low voice, "Did Elder Qingli give any special instructions on her end?"

The deacon Disciple shook his head, "She only said it was to borrow the venue and Materials, and to try our best to satisfy Sect Master Xu's needs and not to disturb him."

Perfected Golden Toad stroked his beard and sighed, "Elder Qingli has always acted prudently, how could she... Sigh. Forget it. Since it was the Elder's instruction, let him be. However, keep an eye on him; do not let him damage the Earth Fire Formation or cause any accidents. As for those Materials... just treat it as giving Elder Qingli some Face and throwing them down the drain."

Between his words, it was clear he did not think Xu Ruyu would be able to make anything of it.

Inside the stone room, Xu Ruyu completely shut out the discussions and gazes from the outside.

He was concentrating fully on the most critical step—attempting to engrave the unique "source energy rune array" he had designed inside those roughly formed metal components.

This was the true core of his "technological Magical Artifact"!

It was the bridge combining modern weapon principles with the energy rules of the Cultivation World!

He picked up a specially made engraving needle crafted from "Spirit-Conducting Silver" mixed with "Star Sand," took a deep breath, infused a wisp of pure "Haotian True Qi" into his fingertips, and carefully touched it to the inner wall of a copper tube along the needle.

What he was about to engrave were not traditional runes like "Sharp Metal," "Armor-Piercing," or "Gale," but a complex energy circuit structure he had deduced and designed himself, used to guide, compress, and accelerate "aerodynamic energy" or "source energy" of specific frequencies!

As the first stroke landed, the engraving needle rubbed against the metal, emitting a faint sizzling sound, and a barely perceptible energy ripple, distinct from the surrounding Spiritual Qi fluctuations, quietly rippled outward...