Chapter 373: Chapter 373: The Luo Family’s Disaster
With just one glance, Master Lu Li was certain that the flying Spiritual Treasure recorded on Ye Xuan’s blueprints was a heaven-defying creation from some ancient ruin.
The diagrams were complex, the materials numerous, and the ingenuity of its design was far beyond what an ordinary Artifact Refining Master could conceive.
After his initial shock, his eyes shone with intense focus as he quickly immersed himself in the blueprints, examining them closely.
The more Lu Li analyzed the blueprints, the more astonished he became. He couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at the designer’s concepts.
’Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.’
The flying Spiritual Treasure documented in these blueprints was not of a particularly high tier; the materials used would not exceed the Tier Seven King Level at most.
But the required precision, as well as the smelting and compatibility between materials, reached an outrageous level, allowing not even the slightest flaw.
Not only that, but the number of components was immense, and each part was so exquisitely joined together it could be considered a work of art.
"Master Xuan Ye, are you certain I can craft this flying Spiritual Treasure?"
Master Lu Li asked in a somber tone.
The craftsmanship requirements for this flying Spiritual Treasure were far too strict. The demands for each part were outrageous, requiring absolute perfection. Dimensions, weight, heat control, smelting degree, material compatibility—not a single aspect could have the slightest error.
But Artifact Refining was inherently a risky business. Even a Tier Seven King Level Artifact Refiner like him couldn’t guarantee he could get through the entire process without a single mistake.
More importantly, looking at the Spiritual Treasure on the blueprint, even he would have difficulty discerning some of the more subtle flaws.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Haha, you don’t need to worry about that, Master Lu Li. I will be the one primarily handling the crafting process. You just need to assist from the side."
"What?"
Lu Li’s eyes widened. His expression immediately turned serious, and he said in a low voice, "Are you saying you want me to be your assistant?"
As a Tier Seven King Level Artifact Refiner, one of the most famous masters in the Dream Realm Plain, no one had ever dared to ask him to be an assistant.
"Do you have a problem with that, Master?"
"A problem?" Master Lu Li chuckled and said meaningfully, "I don’t have a problem, per se. You can have me as an assistant, but if the crafting fails, that reward you mentioned..."
"The reward is the Hundred-Turn Tempering Skill. Rest assured. Whether the crafting succeeds or not, I will teach you the Hundred-Turn Tempering Skill."
How could Ye Xuan not know what Lu Li was thinking?
"Good. When do you plan to begin crafting?" Master Lu Li was already impatient. He also wanted to see just how Ye Xuan was going to craft that flying Spiritual Treasure.
Judging from the blueprints, even Lu Li himself couldn’t say for sure that he could craft this flying Spiritual Treasure. Ye Xuan’s expertise in Artifact Refining was high, but knowledge alone wasn’t enough without the necessary power.
Ye Xuan gave a wry smile. "No rush. I haven’t finished preparing the materials yet."
"You haven’t even prepared the materials?"
Master Lu Li was dumbfounded. ’This kid isn’t playing me, is he?’
"It’s not that I’m completely unprepared. I plan to use Star Profound Iron for the main frame of the flying Spiritual Treasure. The plumage will be crafted from Qingyu Mithril, fused with Blue Thunder Crystal, and a Broken Feather from a Thunder-Lightning Eagle. These main materials are all ready. The only things missing now are some of the auxiliary materials."
With every material Ye Xuan named, Master Lu Li’s heart skipped a beat.
Star Profound Iron, a Tier Seven King Level material, was characterized by its extreme hardness. Used as the frame, it would greatly enhance the flying Spiritual Treasure’s resistance to attacks, making it impervious to even a Tier Seven King Level expert.
Qingyu Mithril, a Tier Six material, was characterized by its incredible lightness. Using it for the wings would greatly reduce the flying Spiritual Treasure’s weight, lessen the Martial Artist’s energy consumption during flight, and increase flight speed.
Furthermore, Qingyu Mithril had good Profound Power conductivity. For the same amount of Profound Power, it could be sustained for a longer time, allowing for a greater flight distance.
What shocked Master Lu Li even more were the last two materials.
Blue Thunder Crystal and the Broken Feather of the Thunder-Lightning Eagle. The Blue Thunder Crystal was a Tier Six material that could absorb the power of thunder and lightning from the heavens and earth and release it when stimulated.
And the Thunder-Lightning Eagle was a Tier Seven Profound Beast Demon King. Its Broken Feather was also a Tier Seven Lord Level treasure that possessed the thunder and lightning attribute.
When the two were combined, they could greatly increase the flying Spiritual Treasure’s flight speed and even add a lightning attack.
"HISS!"
After quickly running through the properties of all the materials in his mind, Master Lu Li couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
A flying Spiritual Treasure crafted from these materials, following the exquisite blueprints before him, would absolutely be a Lord Level Spiritual Treasure of immeasurable value.
If they truly succeeded, this flying Spiritual Treasure would absolutely become the most heaven-defying masterpiece in his artifact-refining history.
At this moment, Master Lu Li was already itching to get started.
He immediately said, "Since the main materials are ready, the auxiliary ones should be easy to find. I have quite a few suitable auxiliary materials right here. For example, for this connection point here, I have a piece of Rock Crystal we could use..."
"No." Before Master Lu Li could even finish, Ye Xuan shook his head. "That connection point must be crafted with Domain Star Iron or a Luminous Rock Stone. Rock Crystal is absolutely out of the question."
"Why is that?" Master Lu Li frowned. In his opinion, Rock Crystal perfectly matched the characteristics required for that connection point.
Ye Xuan explained, "It’s because although Rock Crystal can perfectly fuse with the materials at that point, its properties include a partial Earth Attribute, which is a poor conductor for lightning. It would disrupt the overall harmony of the entire flying Spiritual Treasure. Moreover, Rock Crystal itself is too brittle and has very low resistance to attacks. If we use Domain Star Iron or a Luminous Rock Stone instead, these problems won’t exist."
Hearing this, Master Lu Li was dumbfounded, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant. That spot should indeed use Domain Star Iron or a Luminous Rock Stone." Master Lu Li’s eyes lit up, his mind reeling.
He had previously only considered the properties of the local materials and had failed to take the entire Spiritual Treasure into account. Ye Xuan’s words had undoubtedly taught him a valuable lesson.
Next, the two of them entered into a deep discussion about the selection of materials for each component.
At first, Master Lu Li was quite proactive, citing classics and precedents to support his opinions. But after several of his material suggestions were rejected by Ye Xuan, he felt utterly defeated.
Ye Xuan could always analyze the properties from various angles to reject his proposals, and what’s more, Ye Xuan’s reasoning was always so sound that it left him unable to refute it.
What shocked Master Lu Li the most were the materials Ye Xuan himself proposed.
Each time a material was proposed, it sounded unremarkable at first, but upon deeper consideration, he would discover that its use in that specific place was undoubtedly the most ingenious choice, giving him a feeling of sudden enlightenment.
After this happened a few times, a bitter smile touched Master Lu Li’s lips.
He was even starting to doubt whether he was still a Tier Seven King Level Artifact Refiner. Compared to Ye Xuan, his expertise in materials was practically at an elementary school level.
After a period of research and discussion, Ye Xuan and Master Lu Li finally settled on the last few auxiliary materials.
When he saw the complete list of materials written out on paper, Master Lu Li’s heart filled with admiration for Ye Xuan.
’I’m so old... Have I just been wasting my life all these years?’
In the end, Master Lu Li took charge, telling Ye Xuan that he would handle the purchasing and preparation of all the auxiliary materials. Of course, Ye Xuan would have to cover the costs.
Ye Xuan couldn’t have been happier. Although these auxiliary materials were only Tier Five or Six, there were a lot of them, and several were extremely rare.
If he had to buy them himself, he might not be able to find them all even if he searched the entire Imperial Capital.
But with Master Lu Li’s status, it probably wouldn’t take long to gather all the materials.
This was also one of the reasons why Ye Xuan had gone to such lengths to meet Lu Li.
"Master Xuan Ye, in my entire life, I’ve never admired anyone. You are the first."
Master Lu Li said with deep emotion.
Although Ye Xuan was young, his attainments in Artifact Refining were so profound that even he, a Tier Seven King Level Artifact Refiner, had to concede defeat and admit his own inferiority.
This young man’s vision and knowledge were definitely not something that could be cultivated in the Dream Realm Plain.
He couldn’t imagine who in this world could possibly have mentored such a disciple.
"You just focus on your preparations. It’ll take me three to five days at the quickest, or half a month at the slowest, but I will definitely find all the materials," Master Lu Li said, patting his chest.
"By the way, where are you staying, Master? My Artifact Refining Workshop has plenty of guest rooms, if nothing else. If you don’t mind, you could stay here. That way, I won’t have trouble finding you once I’ve gathered the materials."
He had benefited immensely from his conversation with Ye Xuan; he had gained more in just a few short hours than he normally would in an entire year.
How could Master Lu Li bear to let Ye Xuan leave? He wished he could have the opportunity to discuss things with Ye Xuan every day.
However, Ye Xuan politely declined.
Seeing that Ye Xuan was intent on leaving, Master Lu Li didn’t insist. Instead, he gave Ye Xuan a Token, telling him that with it, he could freely enter and exit the Artifact Refining Workshop at any time and enjoy the highest level of treatment at any place in the empire that cooperated with the workshop.
In other words, with this Token, Ye Xuan’s status in these places within the Imperial Capital was not much different from that of Li Xu and his peers.
...
"Sigh, I guess the Luo family is finished this time."
"Yeah, I don’t know what the Luo family was thinking, offending the Qin family. One is just a noble house, while the other is a great clan of our Imperial Capital. Isn’t the Luo family just courting death?"
"Offending the Qin family is one thing, but I heard that at the Artifact Refining Workshop’s trade fair today, a disciple of the Luo family, Luo Cheng, caused trouble and angered the workshop. Even the great Murong family has abandoned the Luo family now."
"The Luo family is just a minor noble house. Who gave them the guts to offend the Artifact Refining Workshop? No wonder the Murong family abandoned them."
Having settled one matter, Ye Xuan was preparing to return to his inn when he overheard this conversation on the street.
"What exactly were you just talking about?"
Ye Xuan’s expression darkened. He immediately stopped the group and asked in a cold voice.
