Chapter 66 – War Preparations (3)
After leaving the medicinal pellet store, Lu Ping went to Old Man Chen’s smith shop. The smith shop was still the same as the last time he came. Old Man Chen wasn’t around but Chen Lian was there and recognized Lu Ping.
Chen Lian saw Lu Ping and hurriedly welcomed him. He walked to Lu Ping and exclaimed, “Ho, Junior Martial Brother, you’ve entered the Blood Condensation Realm! Amazing! Have you found the spirit materials to upgrade your Landslide? What is it? Is it the Deep Sea Frosty Iron? Or the Golden Crow Iron? Or the Windblown Dusty Iron?”
When Lu Ping saw Chen Lian’s reaction, he immediately knew that this senior martial brother was a passionate smith. He quickly smiled and answered, “No luck with the Deep Sea Frosty Iron and Golden Crow Iron. But I did find a piece of Windblown Dusty Iron. But it’s only the size of an egg, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”
The Windblown Dusty Iron was looted from Qiao Xipeng. Lu Ping naturally remembered what he needed for Landslide and so he kept it for himself.
Chen Lian scratched his head. “Haha, I apologize for my impatience. Landslide’s specialty is its forceful attack. In order to upgrade it, we need a large sum of spirit materials. An egg-sized Windblown Dusty Iron is far from enough.”
Lu Ping said, “If we need a lot of them and the material is hard to acquire, why not gather all three metals and use them together? This will definitely simplify the process.”
Chen Lian shook his head rapidly. “No good, no good. That way, the furthest Landslide can become is a high-grade mystic instrument. It will be almost impossible to upgrade it into a Mystic Artifact in the future.”
Lu Ping was clueless about smithery, and so he quickly asked, “Why is that so?”
Chen Lian answered seriously, “All iron spirit materials are of the gold element in nature. However, the Deep Sea Frosty Iron also has properties of the water element, the Golden Crow Iron has the fire element, and the Windblown Dusty Iron has the wind element. It’s perfectly fine to use any one of the three to upgrade Landslide.
“However, if we use all three together, those extra elements will clash. We can only give up trying to upgrade it into the ranks of a mystic artifact.”
Lu Ping learned something valuable today. “Does it also depend on the cultivator’s cultivation method?”
Chen Lian nodded. “Yes, yes. I almost forgot, what’s the element of your cultivation method?”
“It’s a water cultivation method.”
Chen Lian dipped his head. “Then it’s best to use the Deep Sea Frosty Iron, it’s the most compatible. In fact, the best iron is actually the Golden Iron Diamond, a pure gold element spirit material. But then again, it wouldn’t reach its full potential in the hands of a water element cultivator like you.”
Suddenly, Chen Lian remembered something. “Oh right, what brings you here today?”
Lu Ping laughed. “And I was just thinking you wouldn’t ask. I’m actually here to consult you on the natal weapon.”
Chen Lian smiled awkwardly. “Ah, the natal weapon. Your cultivation method should have explained it to you, no?”
Although Lu Ping’s [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture] was not one of Zhen Ling Sect’s five true heritage cultivation methods, it was relatively completed up to the Avatar Realm. It did mention the procedures of forging his natal weapon.
The natal weapon was a necessary component of a complete cultivation system. Hence, Lu Ping was here to understand more. After all, the natal weapon was not a small matter, he would naturally be very diligent about it. “But I still want to listen to a professional’s opinion.”
Chen Lian was obviously flattered. He mulled it over for a second and said, “When talking about a natal weapon, naturally we have to talk about its spirit materials. First and foremost, the spirit materials have to be compatible with one’s cultivation method in order to enhance their prowess to its fullest potential.
“One of the main features of the natal weapon is that it becomes stronger as the cultivator progresses. But the growth differs between each weapon. One of the reasons for this difference is the quality of spirit materials used.
“Secondly, the mystic instruments are imbued with nine Mystical Inscriptions. If the spirit materials are inferior, there’s a chance it may shatter after a few Mystical Inscriptions.
“In addition, the Mystical Inscriptions cannot be repeated and must somehow be of the same heritage and element. Any differences will surely affect the mystic instrument’s power.
“And of course, it also depends on your cultivation method, arcane energy, mastery, and skills. Last but not least, don’t forget that you also need a good smith like me!”
Lu Ping looked at Chen Lian’s expression and understood what he was implying. He was grateful for the detailed explanation and so he promised, “I will definitely look for you to forge my natal weapon.”
Overjoyed, Chen Lian quickly agreed. “For real? Hehe, that’s great! So far, I’ve only forged a natal weapon for myself. But don’t worry, I promise to make you the best mystic instrument!”
Lu Ping was sweating at hearing this and he quickly changed the topic. “You mentioned that spirit materials are a heavy factor. Then what kind are the best to use?”
“Naturally, the best are the heaven-and-earth spirit items that have lost their spiritualities.”
Chen Lian quickly noticed Lu Ping’s look of puzzlement and he explained, “They’re spirit items with various elements naturally born in heaven and earth. One example is our Chen Family’s Pebbly Jade Fire; it’s a Mystic-class low-grade spirit item.
“Heaven-and-earth spirit items are divided into three classes. But the classifications are largely based on their uses and not just their powers. In fact, they’re a rare material to obtain, and exceptionally precious.”
Lu Ping actually knew a bit about this, mostly because he also possessed a heaven-and-earth spirit item—Sheng Tao’s Mystic-top Azure Spirit Fire. The Pebbly Jade Fire was more of a raging fire, hence it was suitable for smithery; whereas the Azure Spirit Fire was gentler, making it suitable for alchemy.
Chen Lian was happy to see Lu Ping listening carefully, so he was willing to explain in more detail. “Although these spirit items are born naturally, they won’t last forever. As time passes, they will lose their spirituality and regress into high quality spirit materials.
“For example, if not for father’s care, the Pebbly Jade Fire would have regressed into a piece of jade a hundred years later. These spirit materials are the most suitable for natal weapons. Not only is it easier to upgrade them into mystic artifacts, they are also stronger in power.”
Lu Ping lamented, “But how can we find such good materials in such a short time!”
“Don’t worry, there’s no need to rush. A natal weapon is strong, but not significantly more powerful compared to other mystic instruments in the Blood Condensation Realm. Your Landslide is actually stronger than an ordinary high-grade natal weapon.
“But of course, a natal weapon’s rank will increase with your cultivation base. Only Late Blood Condensation Realm cultivators can own a high-grade natal weapon. It still depends on the cultivators using the weapons.
“That said, the best time to forge a natal weapon is before the Core Forging Realm. Otherwise, it will affect their future growth as a mystic artifact. Why is that so? I have no idea. I’m not at the level of learning such things yet.”