Innate Great Emperor

Chapter 14: Artificing

Ye Jin thought it over and felt relieved. A normal cultivator would need years to reach his level. He did it in half a month with equipment.

A miracle. Comprehending three skills was a massive stroke of luck.

He flipped through the "Five Thunder General Slaying Blade Art." Elder Xiong gave it to him.

He knew to focus on purity, not quantity. He reached Layer 10 in the first two arts. The blade art was mid-tier rank three. He only practiced it a little.

Yet his insane talent pushed it to Layer 5. So blessed, yet so blind! Ye Jin spat at himself.

He stood up and stretched. He walked to the back courtyard vault.

The underground vault glowed softly under the night pearls. Ye Jin reached a corner. No chests here. Just a pile of black, glossy stones.

They shimmered like obsidian. These weren't ordinary stones. They were Black Crystal Iron Ore. Rare. Born only in basalt.

Refined Black Crystal Iron was top-tier spirit metal. Priceless. A little mixed into ordinary weapons turned them into iron-cutting treasures.

Refining this ore was brutally hard. Mortal charcoal fires couldn't melt it. So this pile sat here, forgotten.

Ye Jin stayed in the vault for days. He searched every corner. It was huge. Like an underground parking lot.

Finally, luck rewarded him. No divine weapons, but he found a large chunk of dark iron ore and a small piece of mithril.

"Activate Artificing!" Ye Jin took a deep breath. He opened his Artificer interface. He equipped the Rank 2 blueprint: "Blazing Sun Blade."

A green light flashed. The small cauldron on the ground grew to two feet tall. Ancient beast patterns covered its body. Purple dragon-shaped flames poured from its mouth.

Magic equipment and talismans needed books. Weapons, artifacts, and pills needed blueprints.

Since entering the game, Ye Jin only had three blueprints: Blazing Sun Blade, Demon Suppressing Bell, and Purple Thunder Mirror. The game's drop rate was abysmal. Blueprints were rarer than phoenix feathers.

Ye Jin shouted. Two streams of qi wrapped around the cauldron's ears. The flames roared, fed by oil. A fire dragon danced inside.

It felt just like the game. He tossed in the Black Crystal Iron ore piece by piece. Even the Empire's finest craftsmen failed to melt it. But under the Purple-Green Cinnabar Fire, it yielded.

The ore melted into red iron water. Impurities oozed out like wax. They hit the cold air and turned into shiny slag.

"Activate Metal Purification!" Ye Jin shouted. The purple-blue fire became a vortex. The iron water turned bright blue-white. It spun, compressed, refined.

The small mountain of ore bubbled like porridge. In the end, only a small ball of refined iron remained.

Ye Jin clicked the blueprint. The bright blue sphere twisted. It stretched into a two-foot sword blank. "Blazing Sun Blade!"

He focused his Spirit on the blueprint. The fire exploded. Countless tiny runes linked like silver snakes onto the pitch-black blade.

A water-like light flowed around the indigo edge. Fish-dragon patterns rippled along the spine. "Done!"

Ye Jin slapped the cauldron. The short sword spun into the prepared saltwater. Hiss. White steam rose. The blade was formed.

The handle was a blazing sun. The blade was three feet three inches. Palm-wide. The front was straight and sharp. The back had fine serrated teeth. Wide and heavy. Ruthless.

Ye Jin flicked the blade. A clear ring. He drew it. One swing. A black dragon of light coiled. Swish! Swish! Swish! A dozen strikes. Cold light filled the room. Pitch-black flashes.

Satisfied, he sheathed it. He picked up the blade and a silver mirror. The mirror was octagonal. Copper lotus patterns. Mithril edges. Lightning and flame runes. Filled with scorching yang energy.

He barely had enough materials for the blade and this spirit mirror. The Blazing Sun Blade had a "Sharp Metal Spirit Array." Added Geng-metal sword aura damage.

The Purple Thunder Mirror could summon a spirit shield. Block one fatal hit. Very practical. His internal energy was new. He could only craft Rank 1 or 2 weapons.

He also had a Rank 2 artifact blueprint, the "Demon Suppressing Bell." But he lacked materials. He set it aside.

"Still need stronger equipment to boost my stats. My cultivation will improve faster." Ye Jin sheathed the blade. He pondered.

Ten silver wrist guards and leg guards lay nearby. The material was trash—plain silver. But Ye Jin carved three gem sockets into each. With the right gems and spirit arrays, they'd become powerful.

"Almost out of materials. Tomorrow, I'll visit the jewelers. Better gems mean faster cultivation!" Ye Jin felt confident. He turned and walked out.

Back in his room, bathwater and clean clothes awaited. He never dared dream of this before. Knock knock.

"What is it?" Ye Jin's voice was cold.

The steward's respectful voice came from outside. "Young Master, the Master is back. He asks for you."

Ye Jin's face turned ashen. His fingers spasmed. He took a deep breath. "I know. I'll go with you."

They walked through the garden and wing rooms. At the hall, Ye Jin grinned at the steward.