Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 363 The True Lord of Shattered Gold - The Art of Spirit Fusion (4K)

Xiao Chen stayed at the Cai family's house for another whole month.

During this period, he not only successfully mastered the basics of the "Star Tracking Technique".

He also successfully used five water-based spiritual objects to advance the "Azure Wave Penetrating Needle" from beginner to advanced level.

Although theoretically speaking, spell cards that only require basic skills are the most cost-effective.

While continued cultivation can bring some improvement in strength, the consumption of spiritual resources will only increase.

However, Xiao Chen would not only consider cost-effectiveness and ignore the upper limit of combat power, lest he be defeated when encountering experts from powerful forces.

For example, those monsters in the Holy City that seem to have been cultivated by feeding the Twin Jade Orbs.

If you only have basic spells, even with Hextech boosts, you might not be guaranteed a win.

In short, Xiao Chen has always been very willing to invest in his own strength.

Just as he was about to consume his sixth water-type spiritual item, Grandpa Cai finally brought some good news.

After a long and arduous effort, they successfully contacted a master craftsman who had a prior relationship with the Cai family's ancestors.

He expressed his willingness to help forge the magical artifact, based on their past relationship.

However, the other party mentioned two requests in the letter.

The first requirement is that I can help, but I cannot cover any losses.

The Cai family must bear the costs of the mid-grade spirit stones consumed to power the refining platform and furnace, the special spirit fire used, and the depreciation of the refining tools.

This is a very common requirement, whether it's alchemy or weapon crafting.

Although some weapon refiners may not explicitly state it, they will include it directly in the processing fee.

In short, they definitely won't lose out.

The second requirement is that, regardless of the type of magical artifact being customized, he must charge one million spirit stones as a processing fee.

Honestly, it's a bit expensive.

Even for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, one million spirit stones is a considerable sum.

This is especially true for newly promoted True Lords who haven't had time to save money.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen wasn't short of money: "One million it is, do you have any other requirements?"

Grandpa Cai nodded first, then shook his head: "There should be more, but the letter didn't mention it."

"Senior Suijin said that if we are willing to accept these two requirements, we should arrange a time to meet with him at Qingquan Fudi to discuss the specific details of the customization."

"If you can't accept it, then there's no need to meet, so as not to waste each other's time."

"Shattered Gold" was the Buddhist name of that weapon-refining master.

As for Qingquan Paradise, it's not too far from here; according to the map, the nearest border is less than 300,000 li away.

The blessed land itself wasn't very large; with Xiao Chen's speed, he could get there in just a few days.

Of course, it's not close for a Golden Core cultivator, which is probably why it took so long to make contact.

But to be honest, judging from the tone of the Broken Gold True Lord, he doesn't seem to be an acquaintance of the Cai family.

However, it was already good enough that he was able to contact the person, so Xiao Chen didn't dwell on these details.

He also happened to want to discuss the details of the magical artifact in person.

Since it's a custom order, it must be tailor-made, which means prior communication and decision-making are essential.

"No problem, let's try to schedule it as early as possible."

Xiao Chen readily agreed and then continued to study magic.

Several more days passed before the two sides agreed to meet at Wangpu Mountain in Qingquan Fudi seven days later.

"Senior, you may have to make the trip yourself."

Grandpa Cai also reported, "This senior, Suijin, really enjoys communicating with guests about the refining process; you have to make all the decisions about those details yourself."

"But please rest assured, I have already made arrangements in advance."

"This time, I'm customizing a spiritual artifact for another family friend."

The title "family friend" was a new identity that Xiao Chen and Grandpa Cai agreed upon after discussing it.

Nominally, they were good friends whom the Cai family ancestors met six hundred years ago in the secret realm of Qishan.

I'm here to visit an old friend and stay for a few days.

The Qishan Secret Realm is very large, and the people who entered it back then were also very chaotic, making it difficult for outsiders to deduce anything from this alone.

These days, when facing the servants of the Cai family and even some of the collateral relatives, this is the same explanation I've given.

This made many members of the Cai family's branch families particularly happy, as they never expected that their family would have such connections.

The only problem is that Xiao Chen needs to disguise his appearance; he looks far too young.

That's not difficult to do. All you need to do is wear a bamboo hat and use the "Silent and Shadowless Spell" to block divine sense from probing.

Moreover, by doing this, there's no need to worry about Lord Shattered Gold having any ulterior motives.

After all, this is a custom-made magical artifact, which requires a very high level of secrecy.

The importance of magical artifacts to every cultivator goes without saying.

Ideally, no one except the cultivator himself should know exactly how many spiritual artifacts he possesses or what their effects are.

This way, the enemy won't find out and prepare countermeasures in advance.

However, unless the cultivator himself is skilled in weapon crafting, he will inevitably need a weapon crafter to customize a spiritual weapon.

Therefore, it is quite normal for people to seek out weapon refiners from other places to keep their identities secret when customizing magical artifacts, while also concealing their specific identities.

It's not exactly common, but it's certainly not something that would make someone a target.

Seven days later.

Xiao Chen arrived at Wangpu Mountain early in the morning.

As its name suggests, this place offers a perfect view from the mountaintop, where you can see a massive waterfall stretching thousands of feet over ten miles away.

As the sun rises, it looks like a white ribbon hanging down from the mountainside, which is quite a sight.

But looking around, the Broken Gold True Monarch was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn't until around noon that the other party finally arrived.

"But was it Fellow Daoist Jin Guang in person?"

The Broken Gold True Lord, dressed in a black robe with cloud patterns, cupped his hands and said, "Oh dear, I'm really sorry."

"Something urgent happened in the sect this morning, which caused a slight delay. I apologize for keeping Fellow Daoist Jin Guang waiting."

"Please sit in the Waterfall Viewing Hall this way. I brought some Qingquan Huangya tea with me. Let's drink and chat."

Qingquan Huangya is a fourth-grade spiritual tea, a specialty of Qingquan Blessed Land. Its production is relatively small, so it is not usually sold to the public and is reserved for a few True Lords within the territory.

It is often used to entertain guests.

Xiao Chen waved his hand: "It's okay, I just arrived not long ago."

Grandpa Cai also stepped forward to pay his respects, and the three of them exchanged pleasantries.

He also sampled a cup of spiritual tea before tactfully taking his leave, making it easier for the two to discuss the specific details.

"I'm sure you already knew about my skills before you came, so I won't boast about them."

The Broken Gold True Monarch asked directly, "I wonder what kind of spiritual artifact Fellow Daoist Golden Light plans to forge?"

"Please elaborate on the specific effects and requirements."

Xiao Chen didn't answer, but instead asked, "I'm planning to customize a few fusion spiritual artifacts, the kind that incorporate fragments of magic treasures." "Of course, I believe this shouldn't be a problem for you, fellow Daoist."

"I've never done a fusion of spiritual artifacts before, so I'd like to ask if there are any differences in this aspect?"

Actually, he had never made any magical artifacts, but saying it like that made him seem more experienced.

Furthermore, Xiao Chen had also learned from the Cai family's ancient books that custom-made fusion spirit artifacts were more expensive, so it was normal that some True Monarchs did not have them.

As expected, True Monarch Shattered Gold wasn't curious as to why an old man who was several hundred years old hadn't fused with a spiritual weapon.

Instead, his eyes lit up, and he looked Xiao Chen up and down.

In his view, the golden-haired fellow Daoist in front of him was likely an old cultivator who had basically given up hope of breaking through.

In this situation, if you want to improve your combat strength, you can only try to find a way from external sources.

That's why they went to great lengths to ask him to customize a fusion artifact.

According to the experience of the Broken Gold True Lord, such guests are generally quite generous.

They've saved up spirit stones their whole lives, so they certainly wouldn't mind spending a little to forge spirit weapons.

Therefore, he immediately sat up straight and carefully explained the difference between ordinary custom-made spiritual artifacts and fused spiritual artifacts.

Aside from some minor details, the main difference between the two is that when fusing spiritual artifacts, the influence of magic weapon fragments must be taken into account.

To put it simply, we need to fully utilize the effects of the magic weapon fragments first.

Then consider the compatibility with the cultivator.

In other words, if Xiao Chen wants a custom-made spiritual weapon that perfectly suits his own situation, he either has to give up on fusing spiritual weapons and choose conventional fourth-tier spiritual materials.

Alternatively, one needs to provide fragments of magical artifacts that fit their own needs.

"Then please take a look at these two items, Fellow Daoist Broken Gold, and tell me what you think of them?"

Xiao Chen took out the spearhead and flying sword fragments he had collected earlier and handed them over directly: "If you use one of these two fragments as the main component, you can forge a fusion spiritual weapon that focuses on offense."

Which one should I use to see better results?

Upon seeing this, True Lord Shattered Gold thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

He knew that these old folks who had lived for a long time would always have some savings.

He immediately took the two fragments of the magical artifact and began to use detection spells to examine them carefully.

He quickly put down the fragment of the flying sword and focused on studying the half-inch-long spearhead.

Then, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a treasure! It must have killed a fifth-tier ferocious beast back then."

"Unfortunately, it's too old; I'm afraid it can only be restored to less than 30% of its original effectiveness."

After saying that, he examined the flying sword fragment again before commenting, "These two fragments each have their own advantages and disadvantages. It depends on what you want to choose, fellow Daoist."

"In my opinion, this fragment of the flying sword is of good quality, but unfortunately it is not the tip of the sword."

"It can improve the overall toughness of spiritual artifacts, greatly enhance the speed of true essence circulation and reduce consumption, but it is slightly less effective in making breakthroughs."

"This spearhead, on the contrary, is best suited for attacking and killing."

"However, to maximize its effectiveness, it will probably require a lot of rare and precious materials for repair and improvement."

"In addition, these two items are naturally most suitable for refining flying swords and spears, respectively."

"Generally speaking, I would recommend flying swords, but if you have some knowledge of the path of Qi and Blood, you might as well consider a spear."

"Please think carefully, Fellow Daoist Jin Guang, which one is more convenient to use."

Although the Broken Gold True Lord actually possesses many kinds of magical artifacts, the fusion of magical artifacts must primarily be based on the original form of the fragments of magical treasures.

Is it related to "qi and blood"?

Xiao Chen thought about it and felt that choosing a spear seemed like a pretty good option.

Although he hasn't made a breakthrough in physical cultivation yet, he estimates it won't be long.

After all, he had absorbed so many blood crystals one after another, and had already reached the True Monarch realm. His internal energy and blood were extremely vigorous, making it easier for him to break through.

But then again, he also has his natal flying sword.

Xiao Chen is, after all, a half-sword cultivator, so he can naturally enjoy the benefits of sword cultivation.

That is, when breaking through to a higher realm, one's natal flying sword will also improve along with one's own cultivation level.

By then, he will have two flying swords at his disposal.

Since that's the case, why not choose the flying sword first? That way, the sword techniques you've mastered can be seamlessly integrated later.

Otherwise, he would have to learn another marksmanship technique.

However, on the other hand, he does have Hextech, so learning another marksmanship doesn't seem to be a problem.

"In terms of offensive capabilities alone, how much difference is there between a flying sword and a spear?"

After thinking about it, Xiao Chen decided to take actual combat strength into consideration.

"That's a difficult question to answer."

However, the Broken Gold True Lord said, "Normally speaking, the spear is definitely more powerful."

"However, it also depends on your own situation, such as your proficiency with spells and how much spiritual material you are prepared to invest."

"A magical artifact costing a million cannot be compared to one costing ten million."

What he meant was that the more expensive one is more powerful. If they are equally expensive, then the longer spear is more powerful, since the base material is the spearhead.

However, Xiao Chen heard another important piece of information—the cost was tens of millions!

Wait a minute, can this thing really be this expensive?

You should know that a fairly ordinary spiritual weapon can be bought starting at just 100,000 spirit stones.

That's a hundred times worse.

Adhering to the principle of asking questions when you don't understand, he naturally asked directly.

Unexpectedly, True Monarch Shattered Gold simply smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Golden Light has misunderstood; it's more than a hundred times."

"Especially fused magical artifacts, theoretically speaking, have almost no upper limit on cost."

"From a practical point of view, ten million spirit stones is just the starting point."

“Throughout history, those fusion artifacts costing 20 million, 30 million, or even 50 million spirit stones are by no means isolated cases.”

After saying all that, she finally saw the surprised and puzzled look in Xiao Chen's eyes.

The Broken Gold True Lord then explained with satisfaction, "The reason it's so expensive is mainly due to the Spirit Fusion Technique."

"Fellow Daoist may not know this, but most of the spiritual materials used to refine spiritual artifacts can actually be fused together."

"For example, if I have two ordinary Xuanxing Sand here, and I fuse them together, I can get a refined Xuanxing Sand."

"Compared to before the fusion, both the strength and toughness can be improved by 50% and 30% respectively."

"If all of these fused spiritual materials are used, the total refining cost will at least double."

"The original cost of a custom-made magical artifact was six million, but with the cost of damage, it will probably cost more than thirteen million."

hiss~!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen gasped in shock; no wonder it was so expensive.

It should be noted that some extremely rare fourth-tier spiritual materials are worth millions.

If the main materials cost a million, the auxiliary materials can't be too bad either. All in all, it will cost at least four or five million.

If everything were doubled, it would cost at least tens of millions of spirit stones.

(End of this chapter)