Chapter 473 - 343: Lifebound Magical Treasure 2
The Valley Master of Star Moon Valley was very surprised to hear this.
"So one of the Low-grade Golden Core Pills wasn’t newly refined."
"Yes. It seems Senior Fang of the Celestial Cloud Sect failed to refine that batch of Spirit Medicine for the Golden Core Pill."
"It seems Fang Yun’s luck in refining the Golden Core Pills was both good and bad this time."
The good part was that he refined a Middle-grade Golden Core Pill. The bad part, of course, was that he failed to refine one cauldron of Golden Core Pills.
The Sect Leader of the Celestial Cloud Sect had long since promised that for however many sets of Spirit Medicine for Golden Core Pills they were given, the Celestial Cloud Sect would refine that many Golden Core Pills—not a single one less.
"What a situation... It almost makes me feel bad for the Celestial Cloud Sect," Shi Yaoyang said. "This was their first time refining Golden Core Pills for a client, and they’ve taken quite a loss."
One of the reasons Shi Yaoyang felt bad was that the Celestial Cloud Sect had been generous enough to give them the Middle-grade Golden Core Pill.
Compare that to the Purple Mist Sect.
The difference between the two was obvious.
"I’d hold off on feeling sorry for them, Vice Valley Master Shi. Based on what you said earlier, and considering the current situation, perhaps the reason the Celestial Cloud Sect didn’t swap out the pill is that they have no more Golden Core Pills left to make an exchange. The only Low-grade Golden Core Pill they could have used is the one we now have in our hands."
"This..."
Shi Yaoyang thought about it. The Valley Master had a point.
"In any case, we profited greatly from having the Celestial Cloud Sect refine these Golden Core Pills. We can just find an opportunity to compensate them later."
"Also, the Vast Sea Sect has sent people over to inquire about our Golden Core Pill refining. Just tell them the truth."
"Understood."
As two neighboring Core Formation Influences,
their relationship with the Vast Sea Sect was the best.
The Vast Sea Sect already knew a few things about them seeking out the Celestial Cloud Sect to refine Golden Core Pills.
Now that the transaction for refining the Golden Core Pills was complete, they could tell them the rest.
They had given the Celestial Cloud Sect three sets of Spirit Medicine for Golden Core Pills, which also provided Fang Yun with experience in refining them.
This time, Fang Yun had managed to refine a Middle-grade Golden Core Pill. Although it was a stroke of luck, the alchemy experience gained from it was certainly greater than that from refining a Low-grade Golden Core Pill. This had, in a way, raised Fang Yun’s skill level in refining them.
With them paving the way, the Vast Sea Sect wouldn’t have to worry about what would happen if a refinement failed and the Celestial Cloud Sect had no Golden Core Pills to compensate.
Once the Vast Sea Sect learned of this,
the matter of seeking out the Celestial Cloud Sect to refine Golden Core Pills would surely be put on their agenda as soon as they acquired the necessary Spirit Medicine.
...
While Shi Yaoyang and the others at Star Moon Valley were discussing Core Formation matters, over at the Celestial Cloud Sect, Fang Yun was preparing to refine his first Lifebound Magical Treasure.
The Half-Hidden Spirit Boots!
After Sect Leader Duan Qingyun obtained the Hidden Silk, he quickly went through the sect’s procedures and handed it all over to him.
For the past few days, he had other things to attend to.
Only now did he have the time to refine his first Lifebound Magical Treasure.
Due to the unique nature of his Cultivation Technique,
refining his Lifebound Magical Treasure was far more difficult compared to what most Core Formation Cultivators faced.
However, for an Artifact Refiner like him, crafting the Lifebound Magical Treasure was still relatively simple.
Especially at his current level of Artifact Refining, he should be able to refine a Magical Treasure with Three Prohibitions.
’It’s time to begin refining.’
Arriving at the Artifact Refining Room, Fang Yun entered a state of closed-door seclusion for Artifact Refining and quickly began the process of refining the Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots.
The process of refining a Lifebound Magical Treasure is quite different from that of refining an ordinary Magical Treasure.
His Artifact Refining skill was very high.
Refining the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots was easy for him, but Fang Yun didn’t let his guard down.
He treated the refining of this Lifebound Magical Treasure with utmost seriousness.
Thanks to his cautious approach, the refining of the Lifebound Magical Treasure went exceptionally smoothly, without the slightest pause.
This was a rare feat among Artifact Refiners.
"Done!"
A complete pair of Half-Hidden Spirit Boots floated in the air.
Fang Yun examined them carefully from top to bottom.
Unlike the Lifebound Magical Treasures of normal Cultivators,
a normal Cultivator’s Lifebound Magical Treasure is primarily nurtured, its power slowly increasing over time. The addition of Spiritual Materials is secondary, and only specific, suitable Spiritual Materials mentioned in their Cultivation Technique can be integrated to increase its power.
His Lifebound Magical Treasure, however, was primarily empowered by adding Spiritual Materials.
As for how to add the Spiritual Materials?
It relied more on his own initiative as an Artifact Refiner—a testament to how the Core Formation Technique, the Skillful Heaven-Stealing Technique, was suited for Artifact Refiners.
For them, nurturing was merely supplementary.
This was good news for Fang Yun. Continuously nurturing a Lifebound Magical Treasure to enhance its power required cultivators to expend a portion of their energy during daily cultivation.
This would naturally have a certain impact on their daily cultivation.
The impact on him in this regard was far less than for other Core Formation Cultivators, though collecting Spiritual Materials in the future would be more troublesome.
Every Cultivation Technique has its pros and cons. What matters is finding one that suits you. Generally, when cultivating a suitable technique, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
’Excluding some special Cultivation Techniques, the Lifebound Magical Treasure most Core Formation Cultivators refine is only slightly more powerful than a Magical Treasure with One Prohibition.’
Fang Yun looked at his first Lifebound Magical Treasure.
The power of his Lifebound Magical Treasure depended more on the Artifact Refiner’s techniques and the Spiritual Materials used.
In this respect, his Lifebound Magical Treasure had an advantage.
He had personally carved the Prohibition patterns on the Lifebound Magical Treasure. When it was time to strengthen it by adding more Spiritual Materials later, he would also be the one to handle any issues with the patterns.
For a normal Cultivator’s Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Prohibition patterns inside the treasure would gradually manifest during the continuous nurturing process, which also consumed a great deal of energy.
If there was one major similarity between his Lifebound Magical Treasure and that of a typical Core Formation Cultivator, it was that both could be stored in the Qi Sea.
A short while later,
within Fang Yun’s Qi Sea, a pair of boots now floated above his Golden Core.
Compared to an ordinary Magical Treasure, a Lifebound Magical Treasure could be summoned much faster, almost instantaneously.
’With the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots as my Lifebound Magical Treasure, my stealth abilities have been greatly enhanced. Some of my plans can now be put into motion...’
With his overall strength further improved, Fang Yun’s thoughts turned to dealing with the Demons.
Eight years had passed since he first put his plan into action.
As far as he knew, the plan was proceeding smoothly.
Now, he had the ability to accelerate the plan.
A major war hadn’t even begun, yet having a Core Formation Stage cultivator take action was unprecedented in history.
His involvement had to be predicated on his stealth abilities being powerful enough.
He left the Artifact Refining Room.
Song Qiaoqiao was sitting in the main hall, waiting for him.
Song Qiaoqiao was clearly well aware of roughly how long it would take him to refine the Lifebound Magical Treasure.
"Husband, how did the refining of your Lifebound Magical Treasure go?"
"The refining process went very smoothly." Fang Yun said, then took the opportunity to mention his plan. "Now that this Lifebound Magical Treasure is complete, my stealth abilities have improved. I can finally operate within the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory."
"Husband, are you planning to make a move against the Celestial Demon Sect’s vassal Foundation Establishment Influences?"
"Mm, that’s right." Fang Yun nodded. "Unlike before, this time when I make my move, not a single shred of information will get back to the Celestial Demon Sect from their vassal Foundation Establishment Influences."
This was the confidence Fang Yun now possessed.
By the time the Celestial Demon Sect realized something was wrong, it would be because they had to proactively seek out the Demons in their vassal territories.
"When will you make your move?"
"There’s no rush. Before I take official action, I need to have a talk with the Wind Ling Sect."
The ultimate goal of the plan he had contributed was to eliminate the Celestial Demon Sect.
And eliminating the Celestial Demon Sect was no easy task.
When the Celestial Demon Sect faces a true crisis, it will surely seek help from all quarters. Both the Demon Spirit Sect and the Dragon Demon Palace would be the most likely candidates for them to ask for aid.
The reason for finding the Wind Ling Sect was to hope that they could tie down the Dragon Demon Palace at the critical moment.
Now was the time to discuss this matter.
"Should we have Elder Miao go and negotiate?"
"Elder Miao would certainly be more than happy to do it."
Based on Fang Yun’s current understanding of Miao Qinghong, she would do anything to accelerate the Celestial Demon Sect’s demise, even without being paid any Contribution Points.
"But she’s not the right person for the job."