Did Luo Chen have a talent for artifact forging?
In truth, he had a little bit of it.
Back when he first obtained the method to forge the Hunyuan Cauldron from the Azure Pill Valley, he had entertained the idea of forging it with his own hands.
Thus, he had spent some time deliberately learning the fundamentals of artifact forging under Duan Feng.
Duan Feng's smithing techniques originated from the Duan clan.
And the Duan clan's smithing inheritance had been acquired from a cultivator of Tianfan City during the opening war all those years ago.
Though it lacked the ultimate essence, when it came to foundational theory, it was exceedingly authentic.
Under Duan Feng's tutelage, Luo Chen had come to understand the path of artifact forging.
To forge an artifact, one first had to master the properties of various ores and minerals along with their corresponding processing methods. Second came control over the heat and flames. Lastly, and most importantly, came mastery over formations.
None of these three requirements was particularly difficult on its own; with a bit of study, one could attain basic proficiency.
Even the path of formations, which demanded the most natural talent, posed little challenge to a Golden Core cultivator when dealing with low-grade formations.
Yet once the three were combined, the difficulty surged severalfold, even dozens of times over.
When Luo Chen sought instruction back then, he had attempted to forge some basic Dharma artifacts under Duan Feng's guidance. Due to the urgency of the opening war in the Howling Moon Mountain Range, he had never managed to forge even a single low-grade Dharma artifact before time ran out.
Even so, Duan Feng had once praised Luo Chen as having a certain talent for smithing.
The reason for this, setting aside Duan Feng's polite flattery, was that Luo Chen's understanding of mineral and ore properties was genuine and solid.
After all, alchemy did not rely solely on botanical ingredients.
More often than not, alchemy also required minerals and stones.
For example, in the Jade Marrow Pills of Luo Chen's early days, the primary ingredient was Huan Jade; later, when refining Jade Dew Pills, one of the three primary ingredients was Blue Smoke Jade, and so on.
To advance his alchemy, Luo Chen had always maintained an impressive grasp of various mineral materials.
Take Blue Smoke Jade, a second-grade mineral: alchemy required only extracting the jade smoke from within it. But if that jade was used to forge a Dharma artifact, the jade smoke was useless waste that would destabilize the artifact instead.
By inverting the logic, the mineral's properties were entirely under his control.
On top of that, over the past hundred years, Luo Chen spent almost all his spare time reading: cultivation manuals, records of mountains and seas, local customs, flora and minerals—he devoured them all indiscriminately.
It was fair to say that understanding the properties of various ores was hardly difficult for him.
In particular, he had no ambition of becoming an artifact forging master. If he only needed targeted knowledge regarding the specific minerals required for a single magic treasure, spending some extra time cramming would suffice.
Of course, the manual techniques of forging also had to be mastered to perfection.
And when it came to anything related to proficiency, Luo Chen never worried!
As for the second factor—controlling the heat and flames during forging—it might be extraordinarily difficult for an ordinary person.
For Luo Chen, however, it was the simplest matter of all. When it came to flame control, if he claimed second place, hardly anyone among his peers would dare claim first.
Between his years of alchemy, his mastery of fire methods, and his transition to the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, his control over fire had reached an extraordinary height.
One could say the single greatest bottleneck limiting Luo Chen's smithing was the matter of formations.
And this bottleneck did not restrict Luo Chen alone; it constrained countless low-grade smiths.
Simply put, the Dao of formations was far too complex.
From broad matters like understanding geomancy and geography down to microscopic details like engraving formation runes and restrictions, every element influenced the formation's might.
Without innate talent for formations, one simply could not walk far along this path.
Because of this, many low-grade smiths invited formation masters they knew well to help engrave formations once an artifact took rough shape.
In fact, it was not just low-grade smiths!
Even some top grandmaster smiths had to invite outside help when encountering formations outside their expertise.
For instance, when Tianyezi forged the Hunyuan Cauldron for Luo Chen, he had invited both Han Zhan and Demon Sovereign Qingshuang to engrave the formations together. Although Tianyezi had an ulterior motive of studying Qingshuang's spatial formations, it was also true that Tianyezi was not proficient with spatial formations himself.
The relationship between artifact smiths and formation masters was roughly comparable to that between alchemists and spirit plant cultivators or herb gatherers—if not even closer!
When it came to the bottleneck of formations, Luo Chen had initially lacked confidence.
Even with instruction from Min Longyu and Fu Jiusheng, he had barely crossed the threshold back then, and the formations he set up could hardly be considered refined.
Yet after arriving in the Northern Sea, he had consciously sought guidance from Han Zhan.
Coupled with his proficiency panel, nearly twenty years of study had allowed his formation skills to achieve modest success, even if he could not yet claim grand mastery.
First- and second-grade formations could be laid out with a casual wave of his hand, and given sufficient preparation, he could manage to set up third-grade formations as well.
He felt that with his current foundation, forging a defensive magic treasure of his own by hand should not be excessively difficult.
This was part of why he felt confident enough to do it himself rather than rely on outside hands.
After all, only a weapon crafted by one's own hands felt truly fitting!
Yet as Luo Chen delved deeper into the forging method recorded on the iron slip, his brows knit tighter and tighter until they were practically knotted together.
Han Zhan had been watching Luo Chen's progress all along and naturally noticed the subtle shifts in his expression.
When Luo Chen set down the iron slip to rest, Han Zhan could not help but ask, "What is it?"
With a dark, uncertain expression, Luo Chen asked in return, "Senior, do you know anything about the artifact-forging methods prior to antiquity?"
Han Zhan was taken aback, then replied, "I know a bit. Today's mainstream forging methods are renowned for their intricate subtlety, whereas ancient methods revered nature, favoring simplicity and antiquity. If I were to put it vividly... let me give you an analogy!
"Say you were given the skull of a Hammer Ox Demon, the hardest part of its body, and asked to forge a Skullcrusher Hammer magic treasure. If you used the ancient method, you would hollow out the flesh and blood, pack it with minerals and metals, lay down a formation, and the Skullcrusher Hammer would be finished. But using today's mainstream methods, one would most likely purge its impurities, extract its essence, melt it down into liquid, mix in various potent materials that augment the Hammer Ox's properties, cast it in a mold, and finally engrave the formations to produce a formidable Skullcrusher Hammer.
"The former is straightforward and crude, handled in a direct, blunt manner. The latter is intricate and profound; not only is its power greater, but the cultivator can wield it far more smoothly. That is because the added materials include special substances tuned to the cultivator's Dharmic power and spiritual sense.
"Of course, that isn't to say the ancient ways have no merits. At the very least, 'simple' isn't just a derogatory word; it also means convenient to craft. As long as you have the materials, a weapon can be produced in short order."
Han Zhan drew upon his own knowledge to broadly explain the differences between the two eras' smithing methods.
In general, techniques had trended toward greater refinement and continuous evolution.
Still...
Why had Luo Chen suddenly brought up pre-antiquity forging methods out of nowhere?
They were people of the present day; various crafts and cultivation theories had iterated countless times since then.
Could it be...?
"Could the iron slip be recording an ancient method of forging magic treasures? But when I skimmed it earlier, it looked very complex—plainly modern craftsmanship!"
Luo Chen gave a bitter smile. "Naturally, Senior did not misread it; it is indeed modern craftsmanship. However, the method recorded within combines both the ancient and the modern. It innovates while preserving certain advantages of ancient smithing."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Except the fucking difficulty of forging it has completely exceeded my estimates!"
Rarely had Luo Chen dropped his usual poise, but he couldn't help letting out a curse.
As Luo Chen elaborated, Han Zhan finally understood why he was so incensed.
When it came to material selection, the method in the iron slip inherited the virtue of the ancients: the core material had to be supreme!
Yet for supplementary materials, it followed modern meticulous refinement, adding numerous rare ores—some of which Luo Chen had never even heard of.
And above all, the formation!
What it employed was not a third-grade formation used for ordinary magic treasures, but a fourth-grade formation known as the Two Instruments Six Jia Formation!
After finishing his explanation, Luo Chen said in a subdued voice, "I don't know whether that Yu Gao deliberately set a trap for me. With a method like this, even a grandmaster smith might not be able to forge it."
"So, do you still want to forge it or not?" Han Zhan asked.
Luo Chen gritted his teeth. "Forge it! Why wouldn't I! My main material is the husk of a Demon Sovereign—doesn't that perfectly meet the requirement for a supreme primary material? As for the other obstacles, I'll just overcome them one by one."
Han Zhan parted his lips, but seeing Luo Chen's resolute expression, he swallowed his words of dissuasion.
Some people simply wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall.
He only hoped that if it all ended up as fetching water with a wicker basket, Luo Chen would be able to withstand the failure.
...
Evidently, once Luo Chen set his mind to something, giving up halfway was out of the question.
With both materials and method in hand, how could he bear to abandon it so easily?
As for the problems, he would tackle them one by one!
And right now, just the right opportunity presented itself to resolve the majority of those issues.
As winter arrived with its first bite of cold, the Feileng City Grand Auction commenced as scheduled.
Above bustling Feileng City, streaks of escaping light flitted like mayflies from all directions, darting toward the tallest and most conspicuous palace in the city.
Below, countless low-grade cultivators looked up, their eyes brimming with envy and veneration.
They all knew that those eligible to attend this pinnacle gathering were all powerhouses at Foundation Establishment or above.
There might even be old monsters of the Nascent Soul stage among them!
And among those streaks of light, Luo Chen was numbered.
Withdrawing his Dharmic power, Luo Chen came to a stop before the gates of the towering palace.
[Cold Palace]
"That's not the most auspicious name," Luo Chen muttered under his breath as he stepped forward to the two Golden Core cultivators guarding the entrance.
Perhaps because of the sheer volume of attendees today, the two Golden Core cultivators tasked with verifying credentials no longer wore much of a smile.
Even so, upon sensing the spiritual pressure of the Golden Core stage emanating from Luo Chen, they forced a polite smile.
"Fellow Daoist, please present your invitation."
Luo Chen asked, "Can a rogue cultivator without an invitation enter?"
One of the Golden Core cultivators replied, "Certainly, though there won't be a designated private seat; you'll have to sit in the rogue cultivator section. In addition, before the auction begins, you must proceed to the side hall behind Cold Palace for wealth verification."
Wealth verification?
Luo Chen paused before understanding what the man meant.
An invitation implied the organizers had vetted and recognized your financial power. That way, if you bid aggressively on items during the auction, it wouldn't devolve into nonsense.
Without an invitation, you had to prove your financial standing through your actual reserves.
Otherwise, if someone got carried away during the auction and placed reckless bids, the organizers might hold them accountable afterward, but the disruption caused to the auction could not be undone.
If word got out, it would become an utter laughingstock.
"It seems this auction is quite formally run."
After a moment's thought, Luo Chen retrieved an invitation from his storage ring.
Its cover was distinctly black and white.
At the sight of it, a flash of surprise crossed the gatekeeping Golden Core cultivator's eyes.
"Ah, an esteemed guest of Tianyuan Tower! Fellow Daoist, this way, please. Once inside, an attendant will guide and receive you."
Luo Chen nodded and stepped straight into a brightly lit corridor.
He had not used the gold-embossed invitation Wu Qi had delivered through the Flying Swallow Caravan; instead, he used the standard Tianyuan Tower VIP invitation he had requested from Shan Shubao.
The latter was more than sufficient to prove his wealth.
After all, anyone who could become a VIP at Tianyuan Tower, a subsidiary of the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance, had to possess considerable assets.
Upon entering the corridor, his eyes were greeted by two neatly aligned rows of exceptionally beautiful maidens, all of whom possessed late Qi Refining cultivation.
In terms of appearance, none was inferior to Gu Caiyi or Cheng Haixin.
What they lacked was merely that distinct temperament.
Then again, truly hideous individuals were rare in the cultivation world.
Bathed in spiritual energy and having undergone basic marrow cleansing, fair skin and pleasing features were the simplest things to attain.
Unless a cultivator neglected personal maintenance entirely or practiced some strange technique—like Luo Chen—leading to alterations in skin tone, facial features, or limbs.
The moment Luo Chen entered, a maidservant took the initiative to welcome him.
"This humble girl is Ah Qing. Master, this way, please."
With bright eyes, white teeth, and a radiant smile, she instinctively moved to take Luo Chen's arm as she guided him.
Luo Chen glanced at her, and she tactfully checked the motion, maintaining a poised, natural demeanor as she led the way beside him.
Before long, the lighting dimmed, and Luo Chen entered a slightly shadowy private booth.
Though not large, it was thoroughly equipped.
Tables, chairs, a soft couch, tea sets, wine chalices, floral arrangements, bonsai, calligraphy, and paintings—nothing was lacking.
Luo Chen cast a brief glance around before his attention turned to the view outside the booth.
His booth was located on the second floor, offering an overlooking view of the auction hall below.
At present, the lower hall was pitch-black and quiet.
Yet when he extended his spiritual sense slightly, he could tell the hall below was already packed with over ten thousand people, buzzing with clamor.
"The soundproofing of these booths is quite well done," Luo Chen noted inwardly, then glanced upward.
The first floor was for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators and the vast crowd of rogue cultivators.
The second floor was reserved for ordinary Golden Core cultivators and certain Foundation Establishment representatives sent by Golden Core factions.
The third floor was prepared for factions affiliated with the organizers or Golden Core cultivators who had received special invitations.
Luo Chen had only used a Tianyuan Tower VIP invitation upon entering.
Had he used an invitation issued directly by the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance or the Moluo Sect invitation sent by Wu Qi, he likely could have gone to the third floor as well.
As for the fourth floor...
Luo Chen shook his head, not letting his gaze linger for even a second.
Turning around, he saw the maidservant Ah Qing presenting a thick booklet catalog.
"Master, there are many auction lots today. This is the catalog of items. If anything catches your interest, you may note when it will be put up for bidding in advance. You can also instruct me, and I will remind you when the time comes.
"Additionally, because some sellers arrived late, new lots have been added. The invitations you previously received might not list these additions, so you may look over them to see if anything piques your interest.
"Master, would you prefer tea or wine? We have prepared thirteen kinds of spirit tea, seven fine wines, as well as fruits and pastries..."
Luo Chen waved his hand. "Plain water will do. Nothing else is necessary."
Such meticulous service and special treatment were surely unavailable in the rogue cultivator section.
In particular, without advance knowledge of the supplementary lots, rogue cultivators might spend their funds on other items and find themselves unable to bid when the new lots came up.
He wondered what additional privileges the cultivators on the third floor enjoyed.
Luo Chen mused idly as he opened the thick catalog booklet.
The names of item after item greeted his eyes, accompanied by detailed descriptions.
Origin, properties, applications, starting price, transaction conditions... Some lots even explicitly noted the seller's identity.
Luo Chen read swiftly yet thoroughly.
This time, he needed not only to win herbs related to the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, but also to gather materials for his defensive magic treasure.
Common, widely circulated auxiliary materials were one thing, but important, rare materials were items he was unwilling to miss.
Just as Luo Chen was scanning through the pages, a voice transmission suddenly resonated in his mind:
"Luo Chen, win that piece of Soul Nourishing Wood for me!"
Luo Chen betrayed no reaction, merely waving a hand to signal the maidservant to step outside.
Once the room fell silent, he flipped the booklet back to the previous page.
The details of one particular lot entered his sight:
[Soul Nourishing Wood: Three thousand years of age, roughly an inch in size. Sourced from the Sunken Sea; tainted with gloomy miasma, making its quality somewhat inferior compared to similar Soul Nourishing Wood. Suitable for crafting soul-type magic treasures. Starting price: two hundred thousand spirit stones; trades may be considered at discretion if the seller's special conditions are met.]
A simple few lines of information, yet Luo Chen examined them with utmost care.
"Senior, you want it?"
Han Zhan, who had separated from the Ten Thousand Soul Banner to reside within Luo Chen's natal magic treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, answered with a trace of excitement in his voice, "Naturally, I want it. This item may help me restore a portion of my strength."
Luo Chen kept the booklet open before him. "A treasure like this won't be easy to secure, I'm afraid."
Within the booth, the red-faced Daoist clad in black spoke in a tranquil, distant tone.
Chapter 577