Chapter 384: Entry into Yashan
Feng Yan once told Su Hao, “Artifacts” are the epitome of “Formations.” After Su Hao mastered the knowledge of artifacts, he finally understood the meaning behind Feng Yan’s words.
“Techniques,” “Artifacts,” and “Formations” mutually complement and promote each other. In the history of cultivation development, they cannot be separated.
“Formations” represent humanity’s ambition to overcome nature.
“Techniques” stem from the envisioned effects of formations.
“Artifacts” are the results of material and structural simulations based on the principles of techniques.
“Formations” can then be carried on artifacts to unleash powerful effects.
This forms a complete cycle of cultivation system built upon spiritual power.
After understanding the role of artifacts in the cultivation system, understanding the principles of artifact refining becomes very simple.
Before learning refining, it’s necessary to talk about the history of artifact development. Without the depth of history, artifacts seem to lack a soul.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the earliest cultivators, after a long period of summarizing, successfully organized a set of characteristics of how spiritual power transforms in different materials, which laid the foundation for what we now know as ‘material science’ in cultivation. For example, fire spirit steel, wind spirit stone, thunder element ore… When spiritual power passes through these special materials, it transforms into energy of different attributes.
Perhaps these ores were the weapons of the earliest cultivators.
During fights, everyone would take out a stone from their pockets and say, “Watch my fireball technique!” “Watch my gale technique!” “Watch me shock you!” “Watch me use water to soak you…”
Then, after a long time, someone suddenly took out something different. The spells released from this object were extremely powerful.
After changing hands multiple times, someone discovered that this was something a lucky person found in the mountains. This special stone, composed of multiple spiritual materials, could unexpectedly unleash extremely powerful effects.
This kind of special stone was the original ‘artifact.’ At that time, it was called ‘Spiritual Treasure’ or ‘Primordial Spiritual Treasure.’
Then, this kind of ‘artifact’ became the goal pursued by all cultivators. It was said that as long as you found a ‘Primordial Artifact,’ you would become invincible.
So, numerous cultivators flocked to various places in search of ‘Primordial Spiritual Treasures,’ and this trend prevailed for a long time.
Perhaps all the ‘Primordial Spiritual Treasures’ were taken, and then an unethical person discovered the secret of spiritual treasures from a ‘Primordial Spiritual Treasure’ and successfully imitated the second generation of artifacts, the ‘Postnatal Spiritual Treasure’…
Some people even comprehended ‘techniques’ from spiritual treasures, and without even taking out the spiritual treasures, they would just start attacking upon meeting someone.
Afterwards, cultivators kept spiraling inward, and artifacts kept being updated, culminating in the current category of ‘Refining.’
Su Hao benefited from this.
“The three most important basic factors of refining: first, special materials; second, artifact structure; third, control hub. Most of what I can obtain are just some basic materials, but that’s barely enough. As for artifact structure, that’s where my expertise lies. The current difficulty lies in the control hub! The core of the hub requires a special substance called ‘Divine Consciousness Stone,’ which I don’t have!”
Su Hao exited the pinball space, picked up an elongated sword-shaped artifact, and carefully examined it in his hand.
This artifact had a blade length of 80, was silver-white throughout, with sharp double edges on both sides.
This is the first usable artifact Su Hao has designed and refined during this period. After inputting spiritual power, a layer of high-frequency oscillating energy flow is generated on the surface of the flying sword. At this point, the flying sword becomes extremely sharp and unstoppable, capable of piercing through anything it stabs. If Su Hao’s “Second-level – Penetration” rune is added, it becomes a powerful armor-piercing weapon.
Unfortunately, it’s a semi-finished flying sword.
The reason it’s called semi-finished is that this sword lacks the core made of “Divine Consciousness Stone.”
“Divine Consciousness Stone” is a substance that can attach psychic force to it, serving as the core of the artifact. It allows cultivators to freely manipulate flying artifacts, summoning and controlling them with ease.
However, this “Divine Consciousness Stone” has always been strictly monopolized by major sects and rarely falls into the hands of individual cultivators.
Su Hao wants to obtain this “Divine Consciousness Stone,” but given his current status in the sect, it’s almost impossible unless he resorts to forceful means, like directly stealing it.
Su Hao sighed and put the long sword back on the shelf. “This artifact’s power is decent, but without the ‘Divine Consciousness Stone,’ I can only use it as a long knife… In this case, the flying sword doesn’t live up to its name!”
Without carrying psychic force through the “Divine Consciousness Stone,” when the artifact flies out, it is not controlled by the owner at all, rendering it meaningless.
“Should I sneak into the sect’s treasury and borrow some?” Su Hao thought about secretly borrowing some for experimentation from the sect, but immediately dismissed the dangerous idea. He still wants to continue studying more advanced cultivation techniques in the sect. If he were to borrow, it would be from other sects.
Su Hao rubbed his chin, his unfocused eyes staring at the flying sword artifact on the table, searching for a solution.
He always felt that there must be an alternative to the “Divine Consciousness Stone” to carry psychic force.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Su Hao’s mind, and he muttered to himself, “Why do I have to find a substitute for the Divine Consciousness Stone to carry psychic force? My goal is just to attach psychic force to it to flexibly control the artifact! Don’t I still have psychic tendrils and spatial modules?”
Psychic tendrils and psychic force are essentially the same thing, just manifested differently. In other words, Su Hao’s psychic power possesses both psychic tendrils and psychic force abilities. As long as his psychic tendrils attach to the artifact, it’s equivalent to psychic force being attached to the artifact!
How to attach psychic tendrils to the artifact?
Su Hao blurted out, “Spatial module! Use the locator stone as the core of the artifact!”
As long as Su Hao’s idea can be realized, the problem of the Divine Consciousness Stone is solved! And it’s more convenient than ordinary spiritual power. No matter how far away it is, Su Hao can control the artifact, achieving the true meaning of “defeating enemies from a thousand miles away.”
“I can also teleport myself to the side of the artifact at any time, and I can also recall the artifact at any time.”
Thinking of this, Su Hao couldn’t sit still and immediately entered the pinball space to design a new artifact, incorporating the locator stone as the core, and reconstructing a new control hub.
A few days later, Su Hao casually condensed a screwdriver, opened the buckle on the hilt of the sword, revealing the screws inside, then unscrewed the screws, and after a while, disassembled the sword-shaped artifact into parts! Revealing the complex and coordinated structure inside.
Su Hao indicated that the artifacts he refined only focus on the effect, regardless of whether they are mixed together.
All those special and complicated refining techniques that refining masters come up with are of little use to Su Hao.
Making each component separately and then assembling them together, isn’t it more convenient?
And you can also replace the components at any time.
Just like now, after adding the locator core, assembling it, it’s once again a handy artifact.
Su Hao installed the locator core, checked it for any errors, and then reassembled the flying sword, tightening the screws and sealing the buckle.
The entire flying sword fit together seamlessly, almost perfect in its unity, and from the outside, it was impossible to tell that it could be disassembled.
“Let’s give it a try!”
Su Hao infused spiritual power into the flying sword. The intricate structure within the flying sword was activated, emitting a dazzling yellow light that enveloped the entire sword.
With a probe of his psychic tendrils, Su Hao connected to the locator core on the flying sword, bringing the sword under his control.
Su Hao felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart: “It’s done!”
With a release of his hand and a slight mental command…
“Swoosh!”
The flying sword streaked with a beam of light, circling twice in the spacious laboratory before flying out of the window.
Moments later, the yellow light pierced through the wall and returned, stopping steadily in front of Su Hao as if passing through tofu.
The test was successful, and the long-standing problem of the Divine Consciousness Stone that had been troubling Su Hao was finally resolved.
“As long as a problem arises, the solution is not far away. The most fearful thing is not knowing what the problem is in the first place!”
Su Hao smiled faintly.
At this point, another blue sky was completely open to Su Hao! On the path of artifact refining, there was nothing that could trouble Su Hao anymore.
“Next, I need to think about how to use runes to replace refining materials!”
If he succeeds in substitution, the long sword he casually condensed with Diamond Armor would become a top-tier artifact.
With such artifacts, he could easily push the limits of what his psychic tendrils could endure by condensing them with Diamond Armor.
And then, he could use these artifacts to set up large-scale formations…
“I can take on a top-tier sect all by myself!”
So, can runes replace materials?
The answer is obvious. When Su Hao was studying formations, he had already thoroughly researched the properties of runes for converting spiritual power.
Using runes to replace special materials? No problem!
Just then, Su Hao sensed a message sent from the pinball space by Yashan.
“Yashan? Could it be that he has already arrived at the sect?”
After stabilizing the flying sword on the shelf, Su Hao entered the pinball space to check the message sent by Yashan.
A line of text appeared, accompanied by a photo of his standing on the reception flying boat.
“Boss Wei! It seems like I’m almost there. Are you currently inside the sect? I’ve successfully passed the test of the Yunzhong Wangyue Valley and am now flying through a canyon on the flying boat!”
Su Hao chuckled and pushed the door open, stepping out into the light. “It’s been three years since entering the sect!”
In other words, Su Hao could now break through the Foundation Establishment stage!
