When enchantments are inscribed on the blank vessel, the blank vessel will also gain similar abilities due to the effects of these miniature formations themselves.
However, the enchantments inscribed in this way are only the simplest kind. The abilities they bring, such as tearing and sharpness, can enhance the power of the magic weapon itself, but they are often far inferior to the magical powers contained in naturally generated enchantments.
To create enchantments naturally, one must use more advanced artifact refining techniques. It is not about simply forging the material in its original form, but rather about completely changing the shape of the material, fusing it all together, reshaping it, and recreating it into a completely new object, which is the magic weapon. Only then will the magic weapon itself generate natural miniature formations. And these natural miniature formations, according to the original properties of the material and many other influencing factors, can absorb power under the guidance of the artifact refiner and give birth to special magical powers.
Now, with only Qi refining cultivation, if Ye Shu wants to use such sophisticated refining methods, he must wait until the Foundation Establishment stage, when the Triple Yang True Fire forms.
The Lei Ting is a magical weapon, crafted by an artifact refiner at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage, by fusing lightning-attributed materials into a black bead. Under the guidance of an artifact refiner, a special enchantment is generated that allows the bead to be thrown and activated, transforming it into lightning with extremely strong attack power. Another method, though not as powerful, involves an artifact refiner creating a blank vessel and inscribing a blank enchantment onto it using a secret technique. Then, an formation master activates this blank enchantment to attract lightning into it, causing the Lei Ting to take shape. However, lightning is domineering, and if too much lightning is absorbed, the Lei Ting will be destroyed. Therefore, out of dozens of Lei Ting blanks, typically only one to a few real Lei Ting can be formed, making it quite inefficient.
Ye Shu, being proficient in both formations and artifact crafting, naturally has more methods at his disposal compared to ordinary artifact crafters. When making Lei Ting, he borrows from the second method, inscribing the blank enclosure up to ninety-nine percent before having Yan Changlan infuse it with thunder-attribute spiritual power and simultaneously completing the enchantment. However, these Lei Ting have only half the power of genuine Lei Ting and require spiritual power to activate when used. Even so, these beads are already extremely useful for the cultivators at the Qi Refining stage.
Yan Changlan was unaware of the profound principles behind what seemed to be Ye Shu’s casually handled crafting. Nonetheless, since Ye Shu needed him to infuse spiritual power, he complied without any hesitation.
Approximately three to four hours later, over a hundred Lei Ting were finally completed.
As the sky darkened, Ye Shu’s fingers trembled slightly. “Changlan, can you still continue?”
Yan Changlan circulated his spiritual power and nodded. “Of course.” He paused suddenly. “Azhuo, do you plan to make more?”
Ye Shu replied, “We don’t know what might happen on this trip. It’s always better to be more prepared.”
Yan Changlan wasn’t afraid of the fatigue but was concerned for Ye Shu. “Over a hundred Lei Ting… isn’t that enough?”
Ye Shu sighed lightly. “If we don’t encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would indeed be enough. But if we’re unlucky enough to face one, throwing dozens of Lei Ting might just carve out a path for us. In such a case, it might not be sufficient.”
Yan Changlan frowned slightly but ultimately agreed with Ye Shu’s idea.
Although he did not believe that this escort mission would involve encountering an enemy Foundation Establishment cultivator, as Ye Shu mentioned, it was better to be prepared. It was preferable to endure some hardship now and risk making unnecessary preparations rather than finding themselves unprepared and losing their lives when the time came.
Ye Shu said, “I intend to use the remaining materials to make more Lei Ting.”
Yan Changlan replied, “I’ll stay with you, Azhuo.”
Ye Shu’s expression softened, and without further words, he quickly began to make more Lei Ting prototypes.
His fingers moved extremely fast, creating an illusion of afterimages with his movements. Yan Changlan, not wanting to fall behind, quickly swallowed another low-grade Ninglu Dan, converting its medicinal power into spiritual power to replenish what he had just expended, preparing it for Ye Shu’s use.
Several more hours passed, and through their combined efforts, they managed to create over a hundred more Lei Ting. In the end, they had an astonishing total of 270 items in their hands!
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Ye Shu nodded, “If we get separated, prioritize staying alive.”
Yan Changlan replied, “I understand.”
After finishing the Lei Ting, there were less than two hours until dawn.
After returning to their room, Ye Shu and Yan Changlan, exhausted, collapsed onto their bed without attending to anything else.
Soon, they were fast asleep.
…
The next day, Ye Shu and Yan Changlan got up.
As cultivators, a brief sleep had already dispelled their fatigue. They prepared some food, ate, and then took the necessary items they had organized the previous day, heading together to Jinghua Lou in the market.
The agreed time was at Chen Shi.
Zhu Yao and the four fellow senior and junior disciples arrived early. Ye Shu and Yan Changlan had barely sat down for half a stick of incense’s time when they pushed the door open and entered.
Yan Changlan greeted them with a wave.
Zhu Yao placed a plaque on the table, saying, “This is the token for the task. We will take this to Tanxin City to pick up someone from the Su family.”
Ge Yuanfeng said, “Since this task was accepted by Eldest Senior Brother, the token should remain with him. Eldest Senior Brother, please take charge of this mission. I will follow your instructions.”
Ruan Hongyi and Xia Yuqing had always followed Zhu Yao’s arrangements and did so this time as well.
Yan Changlan stated, “Azhuo and I will do the same.”
Ye Shu nodded slightly.
Zhu Yao smiled warmly. “Thank you all for your trust. I will make sure none of you are at a disadvantage.”
Thus, it was decided.
When a group takes on a task together, it’s necessary to have a leader, and Zhu Yao was indeed the most suitable person for the role.
Despite his gentle appearance, Zhu Yao was very efficient in his actions.
As the leader, he quickly rented a carriage from the sect, harnessed to six horses, and brought it over with great fanfare.
Zhu Yao explained, “Originally, we could have rented a Qing Bird, which can cover several thousand miles in a day and would complete the task much faster. However, the cost of renting a Qing Bird is one spirit coin per day, which is quite expensive. These horned horses, on the other hand, can cover a thousand miles a day, and renting both the horses and the carriage costs only ten taels of gold per day.”
With this explanation, everyone understood.
Indeed, the point of taking on a task is to earn, and if the expenses are too high, it would defeat the purpose.
However, Zhu Yao did not immediately board the carriage. Instead, he said, “Let’s put the carriage into a storage bag first and ride the horses.”
Everyone agreed, “That sounds good.”
Since they were going to escort someone, it didn’t seem appropriate to ride in a carriage in a grand manner.
Seeing that no one objected, Zhu Yao personally untied the reins and, with a wave of his hand, stored the carriage in a storage bag.
Ge Yuanfeng couldn’t help but ask, “What’s this storage bag?”
Ruan Hongyi was a bit surprised. “Little Junior Brother, you don’t know? Storage bags can be exchanged at the sect’s task hall for ten thousand gold coins each. If you want a better one, it costs extra.” She then turned to Yan Changlan and said, “Third Senior Brother, it seems you don’t have one either? You should check it out when we return.”
Ge Yuanfeng laughed awkwardly, “Ten thousand gold coins, huh? I need to save up for that.”
Yan Changlan thanked Ruan Hongyi, but he didn’t intend to get one—because he remembered that his close friend, Azhuo, had promised to personally make one for him once his skills improved.
Ye Shu also recalled this and, after some thought, said, “I can make one with limited capacity. I’ll make one for you when we get back.”
Yan Changlan was immediately content, smiling.
Ruan Hongyi’s eyes widened. “Taoist Ye can make storage bags?”
Ye Shu reiterated, “With limited capacity.”
Xia Yuqing sighed, “Although many disciples in the sect now have storage bags, they are not easy to make. Even the elders specializing in artifact crafting within the sect can only produce a few after many attempts, hence the high cost.” She then praised, “I didn’t expect Taoist Ye could make them too. Even if the capacity is limited, it’s enough to earn a significant amount of gold and silver for cultivation.”
Ruan Hongyi giggled, “Artifact refiners are already quite successful, so they shouldn’t be lacking in money! I think Fellow Taoist Ye is like this, he definitely has no shortage of resources!”
Ye Shu said calmly, “My skills are still unrefined; I have a long way to go.”
Yan Changlan didn’t boast about Ye Shu but smiled and said, “Azhuo will certainly make the best ones in the future.”
As they conversed, everyone mounted their horses.
Zhu Yao snapped the whip and said, “Let’s go to Tanxin City!”
…
Jiutai City and Tanxin City are not far apart. The group traveled by day and, if they found an inn at night, they stayed there; if not, they took out the carriage and made do for the night.
After just two days, they arrived at Tanxin City.
The Su family of Tanxin City was well-known in the city. They had once held the position of city lord, and even after stepping down, the Su family remained a prominent clan. The Su family had about ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, many offspring, and had recruited numerous talents. Why, then, would such a powerful family need to send their daughter to live with relatives, especially to the extent of posting a task for outsiders to assist?
Since Zhu Yao had taken on this task, he had some understanding of the situation.
Zhu Yao explained, “This Miss Su is the legitimate daughter of the Patriarch Su, but her aptitude is poor, having four spiritual roots. Fortunately, two of these roots are relatively pure, just enough to qualify her as lower middle-grade. She is now sixteen years old and, despite being nurtured with good medicinal materials since childhood, has only reached the second level of Qi Refining. Therefore, although she is favored by her father, she is not well-regarded by the clan and holds a common status.”
At this point, he suddenly fell silent, as if he was somewhat hesitant to continue.
Xia Yuqing sighed lightly, “I heard not long ago that there were people in the clan who were not happy with her ‘wasting’ resources, so they plotted against her. This caused her to encounter hardships outside, fortunately without any major harm. However, this incident still angered her father, who intends to send her away for a while, to reorganize the family and restore their reputation. Due to the previous plotting, Patriarch Su no longer trusts anyone in the clan except for a few close confidants. However, most of these confidants need to stay in the clan to keep others in check. Therefore, he had to find a way to use the identities of the sect disciples to escort his daughter, and perhaps also draw out one or two confidants to accompany her.”
Upon hearing Zhu Yao and Xia Yuqing’s explanation, everyone finally understood.
Patriarch had indeed made a thoughtful decision. Regardless, they took on tasks under the banner of the Qixiao Sect, and most people always gave a little bit of face. At least those in the Su family who harbored evil intentions should not have dared to act recklessly. And their cultivation level was just ordinary, so when they were on the road, Patriarch Su probably didn’t necessarily require them to do all the work.
Having understood the reasons behind the task, they wasted no time and went directly to the Su family’s residence.
There, a middle-aged steward-like person was already waiting. Seeing the six spirited horses approaching, he hurried forward and greeted them, “Are you the disciples of the Qixiao Sect?”
Zhu Yao clasped his hands and replied, “I am Zhu Yao of the Qixiao Sect.” Then he added, “These are my junior martial brothers and sisters.” He did not mention Ye Shu, as the steward only needed their identities and didn’t need to know everything about them.
The middle-aged steward quickly greeted them and warmly invited them inside.
Why do I feel like this trip is going to be difficult? 😯
Well, they need to find a use for the 270 black pearls and already mentioned that they are effective even beyond foundation establishment, so I’m expecting a lot of action and explsions.
That’s true. 😅