Chapter 75

Inside the long saber, three spirit array diagrams were interlocked. The main spirit array diagram was unfamiliar to him, with a rather peculiar structure, resembling a nebula and shimmering with starlight.

With a slight sense, he knew that the star points of the main array diagram were caused by the reaction of the star iron, a special material.

In other words, the nebula-shaped main array diagram was primarily used to activate the star iron, bringing out its wondrous properties.

Qin Lie was not familiar with the main array diagram and did not know its name. He could only vaguely discern its function, unable to replicate it or tamper with it.

The other two array diagrams were for spirit gathering and amplification, both of which were basic array diagrams.

Moreover, compared to the spirit gathering and amplification diagrams he mastered, the spirit gathering and amplification diagrams inside the long saber seemed to be simplified versions. In terms of precision and the required spirit lines for engraving, they were far weaker.

The spirit gathering and amplification diagrams were embedded within the main array diagram. The amplification diagram was successfully engraved, but the spirit gathering... it was only half-drawn and then stopped, not completed.

In other words, the spirit array diagrams inside the long saber were actually not successfully drawn.

They were merely half-finished products!

His eyes widened in surprise, and he took out the Dragon Bone Whip without showing any emotion, continuing to perceive it with his mental consciousness.

The situation was slightly different, but the overall situation was similar.

The Dragon Bone Whip was formed by four spirit array diagrams. The main array diagram was snake-shaped, long and twisted, filling the whip's interior, serving as the main vein and the core of the spirit array diagrams within the whip. It was the key to unleashing the whip's advantages—this main array diagram had no issues.

The other three spirit array diagrams were for spirit storage, spirit gathering, and amplification, with the spirit storage and spirit gathering diagrams fully engraved.

The problem was with the amplification diagram.

The amplification diagram inside the Dragon Bone Whip was also only half-drawn, and it seemed the alchemist discovered something and suddenly stopped.

The situation was the same as with the long saber.

Both were half-finished products. Apart from the main array diagram, which was more complex and mysterious, the basic spirit gathering, amplification, and storage diagrams were, in Qin Lie's view, extremely crude and lacked any technical content. Their structure was too loose and chaotic, far inferior to the three basic array diagrams he mastered.

The main array diagrams of the long saber and the Dragon Bone Whip were fine, but the issues were with the spirit gathering and amplification diagrams, both of which were basic array diagrams.

"Brother Tu, Sister Qian, the spirit array diagrams inside this long saber and the Dragon Bone Whip... seem to be incomplete. Why is that?" After a long silence, Qin Lie suddenly asked.

Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian were drowning their sorrows in alcohol, their moods low, and Kang Zhi and the others were gently consoling them.

They had also noticed Qin Lie's actions but thought he was just curious and did not take it seriously.

Upon hearing Qin Lie's question, Tu Ze finally reacted and said with a bitter smile, "It seems Brother Lie has learned a bit about alchemy from Master Yao. You're right; the spirit array diagrams inside the long saber and the Dragon Bone Whip were not fully drawn."

Qin Lie looked at him with a questioning gaze.

Tu Ze put down his wine bowl and explained, "Master Lu discovered during the alchemy process that the spirit gathering diagram and the main array diagram could not perfectly fit together. This might be due to the initial structure or a conflict in materials. In any case, even if the spirit gathering diagram was drawn, it would not be able to bring out the characteristics of the main array diagram, nor fully activate the star iron. This would make the spirit weapon's grade impossible to exceed the fourth rank of the Mortal grade, which he considered a defective product."

"Zhuo Qian's whip is the same. The amplification diagram could not truly integrate with the main array diagram, failing to bring out the material's power. As a result, even if the amplification diagram were completed, the whip's rank would be greatly reduced, failing to meet his expectations."

Tu Ze shook his head and said helplessly, "Master Lu can accept failures, but not defective products. So, once he saw that absolute success was impossible, he preferred not to continue rather than allow a low-grade defective product to appear. For him, a spirit weapon below the fourth rank of the Mortal grade is an insult, and he absolutely would not allow it."

"Master Lu is a second-rank Profound Alchemist. The spirit weapons he forges must be at least the sixth rank of the Mortal grade! A spirit weapon below the sixth rank of the Mortal grade would ruin his reputation, so he can accept failure but not low-grade spirit weapons." Zhuo Qian added and then said helplessly, "Do you understand now?"

Qin Lie nodded silently.

He had been with Master Yao for some time and had some understanding of the alchemy world. He knew that alchemists had this quirk—they could accept failure but not defective products.

Most alchemists were perfectionists and rarely compromised.

He also knew that before an alchemist drew the spirit array diagrams on a spirit weapon, they would often have a preliminary design.

They would design a composite array diagram using basic and main array diagrams, and they would first test it on different spirit plates. Only after passing all the tests on the spirit plates would they actually engrave it on the spirit weapon.

However, a composite array diagram designed specifically for a spirit weapon might work on different spirit plates but could encounter many unforeseen variables when applied to the spirit weapon.

The material of a spirit weapon, made from a mixture of many spirit materials, was far more complex than a spirit plate. High-grade spirit materials might have special forces within them...

As a result, a composite array diagram that worked on a spirit plate could have significant issues on a spirit weapon.

The sudden collapse of a spirit array diagram during the process was extremely common, and many alchemists had been injured as a result. Conflicts between the spirit array diagram and the material, and between different array diagrams, were also frequent, leading to the failure of alchemy.

"Ah, I had planned to take everyone out to hunt spirit beasts once these two spirit weapons were successfully forged, to earn some contribution points for everyone. Now that they have failed, the operation will be greatly affected." Tu Ze took a sip of wine and said regretfully, "We'll be overshadowed by Yan Ziqian."

"Yes, I heard that after Yan Ziqian broke through to the Origin Opening Realm, he has been active outside Ice Rock City and has already killed two second-rank spirit beasts. It seems that people from the Samsara Hall have heard of his name and are keeping an eye on him. To be remembered by the Samsara Hall... that is a great honor."

Chu Peng frowned, "This will be very beneficial for entering the Samsara Hall in the future. This guy really knows when to make a splash."

"Yan Ziqian's Ice Serpent Sword was custom-made by Master Lu, perfectly integrating with his cultivation technique. When he was at the Ninth Heaven of Body Tempering, he fought me with the Ice Serpent Sword, and I felt embarrassed. The Ice Serpent Sword could not fully unleash its power at the Body Tempering stage, but now that he has broken through to the Origin Opening Realm, the Ice Serpent Sword will be even more formidable and terrifying."

Tu Ze's face darkened as he took a breath, "In the future, Yan Ziqian will become increasingly difficult to deal with. If I encounter him again without a suitable spirit weapon, I might be at a disadvantage..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned heavy, their brows furrowed.

The relationship between the Ice Shattering Manor and the Nebula Pavilion had always been poor, and Tu Ze and Yan Ziqian were mortal enemies with deep-seated grudges. Conflicts would erupt upon meeting.

In the past, Yan Ziqian's cultivation realm was slightly lower, and he could not fully unleash the power of the Ice Serpent Sword, so Tu Ze could still hold his own.

Now that both had broken through to the Origin Opening Realm, the Ice Serpent Sword's power would greatly enhance Yan Ziqian's strength. Without a suitable spirit weapon, Tu Ze, who could not fully unleash the power of his cultivation technique, would have a high chance of losing if he faced Yan Ziqian now.

"The Nebula Technique I cultivate is the core spirit technique my father established when he founded the Nebula Pavilion. This technique is very powerful, forming clusters of nebulae when activated, with many profound mysteries. However, the long saber I used to use was inclined towards heat and was not in line with my Nebula Technique, completely unable to display its power."

Tu Ze looked at the defective product and said regretfully, "This long saber contains star iron, which is said to be fragments of a star explosion. It is a good material that can truly bring out the power of my Nebula Technique. If this long saber had been refined, I would have been confident in facing Yan Ziqian, but now... sigh."

"Brother Tu, Sister Qian, I am curious about alchemy. Can I study this saber and the snake bone whip for a while?" Qin Lie fell silent for a moment and then suddenly made a request.

Tu Ze shrugged indifferently, "It's already a defective product, not as good as my original weapon. You can play with it if you want."

"The spirit array diagrams are not fully drawn, so it's not even a spirit weapon. You can do whatever you want with it. It's already scrapped, so go ahead and experiment," Zhuo Qian also agreed.

"Thank you."

...

The next day.

Since Yao Tai was busy repairing spirit weapons and had no time to continue teaching him alchemy, he had a lot of free time during the day.

His contribution points were almost depleted, so he couldn't borrow books from the scripture hall or use the training room to refine martial techniques.

Therefore, he was idle in the Nebula Pavilion for a short time, with no suitable activities for him.

He wrapped the long saber and the snake bone whip in oilcloth and quietly left the Nebula Pavilion, heading for Li Ji's shop on the spirit material street.

Recently, after Yan Qingsong and Feng Kai recovered from their injuries, they had been helping Yan Ziqian hunt spirit beasts due to the threat of spirit beasts. They were all in the limelight, and even people from the Crimson Flame Association and the Water Moon Sect had mentioned the three of them.

With Yan Qingsong and Feng Kai not in Ice Rock City, Qin Lie didn't have to worry about any unexpected incidents on the way, and he felt a bit relieved and a little regretful.

"You've been holed up in the Nebula Pavilion lately. Haven't come over for a long time. Are you afraid of those two from the Ice Shattering Manor?" As soon as Qin Lie walked in, Li Mu's teasing laughter echoed.

"How did you know, Uncle Li?" Qin Lie was surprised.

"The girl who bought the spirit gathering plate came to the shop again. She saw the entire battle and mentioned it to me," Li Mu smiled. "She is very interested in the spirit gathering plate and offered two seventh-rank Mortal-grade spirit stones this time. Are you interested in earning some spirit stones?"

"Uh, how many spirit plates are left?" Qin Lie asked.

Before he left last time, he had taken many spirit plates to the Nebula Pavilion to practice engraving the spirit storage array diagram.

Practicing a new spirit array diagram was extremely material-intensive, so he had used up many spirit plates. It was only after Li Mu mentioned it that he remembered he might be running out of spirit plates.

"There aren't many left. Only thirty-five spirit plates remain. If you want to continue practicing engraving spirit array diagrams, you'll need to replenish your supply," Li Mu said with a smile.

"It seems I need to earn some spirit stones," Qin Lie rubbed his head, thought for a moment, and said, "If I add an amplification array diagram to the spirit gathering plate, it can double the speed of gathering heaven and earth's spirit energy. The enhanced spirit gathering plate should be more expensive, right?"

"You little rascal." Li Mu chuckled, "Go ahead and forge it. I'll make sure to sell it and get you a good price!"

"Thank you, Uncle Li. I'll go back to my room and think about it." Qin Lie smiled brightly, took the oilcloth-wrapped long saber and Dragon Bone Whip, and headed to the back courtyard. Just as he was about to leave the shop, he suddenly remembered something. He paused, turned to look at the lazy Li Mu in the rocking chair, and said seriously, "Thank you for the good wine, Uncle Li."

With that, he walked away and entered the small house in the back courtyard.

...

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