Chapter 520: Basic - Artifact Refinement Prodigy (6/6)
Zhang Yu had been eagerly anticipating Yu Xinghan’s 3rd-tier Dao Seed for a long time.
After all, every increase in his companion’s strength would become nourishment for his own advancement.
Now that Yu Xinghan’s Third Eye Mystic Power had reached this 3rd-tier, Zhang Yu conducted a series of tests and gradually deciphered its new capabilities.
Previously, the Third Eye Mystic Power had primarily enabled Yu Xinghan to replicate others’ movements, observe the flow of spiritual energy, discern the power buildup in techniques, perceive the world in a 360-degree view, and achieve microscopic observation of the human body.
But with its upgrade, the Third Eye Mystic Power now possessed the ability to instantly memorize any martial art technique.
In essence, any boxing method, swordsmanship, or saber technique — anything at all — would be instantly and indelibly imprinted in the mind after a single glance through the Third Eye Mystic Power.
Moreover, if the user understood the Magic Power Circulation underlying a particular martial art, the Third Eye Mystic Power would transform mere observation into actual cultivation.
This meant that, with the Third Eye Mystic Power’s enhancement, even without diligent practice, one’s martial art proficiency would naturally increase simply by watching others demonstrate techniques.
Realizing this, Zhang Yu immediately thought of combining his Third Eye Mystic Power with the Feather Book.
Could watching others practice cultivation increase the Feather Book’s cultivation progress? If so…
But after some experimentation, Zhang Yu quickly discovered that it didn’t work.
Sigh, the Third Eye Mystic Power can’t influence the Feather Book’s cultivation progress?
That makes sense. No matter how many cultivation manuals I study or how much guidance I receive from teachers… none of these theoretically cultivation-enhancing activities have any effect on the Feather Book’s cultivation progress.
The Feather Book’s cultivation requires steady, step-by-step practice.
Though disappointed that the Third Eye Mystic Power couldn’t affect the Feather Book, Zhang Yu soon discovered the true benefits of his upgraded Divine Power.
The Microscopic Observation effect has been further enhanced, and my perception of Magic Power flow and spiritual energy circulation has also increased.
If I use this to assist with artifact refinement, Zhang Yu thought, it would enhance my ability to manipulate the Magic Power Circuits of magical artifacts, improving the efficiency and success rate of rune etching.
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “If I encounter any issues with the Magic Power Circuits of magical artifacts during refinement in the future, I can temporarily switch the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo (Spirit Root) to the Third Eye Mystic Power (Spirit Root) to troubleshoot the problem.”
As for using the Third Eye Mystic Power for daily martial arts practice, Zhang Yu found it far too inefficient. It would be better to keep the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo active, allowing the Divine Spirit Root to further enhance its adaptability.
Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan, having grasped the function of the Third Eye Mystic Power, immediately grew excited.
“Observe to cultivate?”
Yu Xinghan quickly pulled up cultivation art videos on his Bionic Eye and began playing them. With each viewing, his understanding of the art deepened and his mastery grew, as if he had personally practiced the techniques multiple times.
“Excellent, excellent!” Yu Xinghan thought to himself. “Now I can work and watch videos simultaneously, effectively cultivating martial arts every moment!”
Gazing at Yu Xinghan’s 3rd-tier Dao Seed, Zhang Yu mused, “A 3rd-tier Dao Seed already allows for martial arts practice through observation. If it continues to upgrade, will it eventually allow one to learn entire cultivation arts just by watching them once?”
However, a faint unease also stirred within him. “If it reaches that level, it might not be a good thing. Martial arts like the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao, which can be learned after a single glance… that would be troublesome.”
“And if it truly reaches that stage, could this Third Eye Mystic Power evolve into a Divine Spirit Root?”
“If someone were to discover that Yu Xinghan has developed a Divine Spirit Root…”
At this thought, Zhang Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, and he recalled Le Mulan.
Whether it was the potential for Yu Xinghan’s Third Eye Mystic Power to evolve into a Divine Spirit Root, or Le Mulan’s Profound Cold Meridian’s life-extending capabilities, he sensed a dangerous undercurrent in both.
Glancing at Yu Xinghan again, Zhang Yu thought, “To upgrade the Third Eye Mystic Power to Level 4, I’ll need 8,000 Magic Power — the level of a Golden Core Stage cultivator.”
“There’s still time.”
“But regardless, I must become wealthier and more powerful to upgrade the Dao Seed with greater confidence.”
Late May
Zhang Yu had originally planned to rent a laboratory with Senior Sister Ye Xingli that day, but he learned she had her own Artifact Refinement Laboratory.
Entering her laboratory, Zhang Yu gazed enviously at the rows of equipment on the workbench. “Senior Sister, how much did this laboratory cost you?”
Zhang Yu knew that for artifact refinement cultivators, having their own laboratory made an enormous difference, practically separating them into two distinct classes.
Owning a laboratory not only saved significant rental fees but also eliminated the hassle of queuing and competing for equipment, allowing cultivators to focus more time and energy on refining artifacts.
Taking it a step further, one could aspire to become like True Monarch Magnetic Pole, who possessed her own production line for mass-producing magical artifacts and Bionics.
Ye Xingli smiled faintly. “It didn’t cost me much. The Myriad Paths Artisan Group invested in it.”
“They hired me to improve some of their products.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s envy deepened. He thought to himself, “My senior sister truly has a gift for artifact refinement. No wonder she made it into the top five among a hundred schools in the Design Competition.”
Zhang Yu knew that every magical artifact, upon its creation, held vast potential for refinement and improvement.
The first person to create a flying sword was undoubtedly remarkable, but the technology embedded in that initial flying sword was undoubtedly inferior to any expert-grade flying sword available on the market today.
Major corporations compete fiercely, constantly innovating and improving their products. In addition to their in-house cultivators conducting research and development, they often collaborate with outstanding faculty and students from universities.
Ye Xingli, standing before Zhang Yu, was clearly one such student favored by a corporation.
Ye Xingli continued, “There are six experimental platforms here, but I usually only use five. If you want, I can rent you one. As for the lab equipment, you can consult my experimental schedule and use it when I’m not busy. We can set the rent at the lowest possible rate.”
In Zhang Yu’s eyes, Ye Xingli possessed a Dao Seed, making her a gifted Heavenly Chosen.
Conversely, in Ye Xingli’s eyes, Zhang Yu was no less a Heavenly Chosen — gifted in artifact refinement, favored by True Monarch Magnetic Pole, and blessed with the opportunity of the Spirit Transformation Bionic.
Particularly over the past two months, Zhang Yu had taken on numerous magical artifact commissions from Ye Xingli, revealing to her that he had mastered several more artifact refinement techniques. This further enhanced her high regard for her Junior Brother.
As they were talking, Zi Yunzhen, wearing a Bionic badge, entered Ye Xingli’s laboratory with two other students.
Zhang Yu sent a private message: “Senior Sister, are these your hired assistants?”
Zhang Yu knew that many artifact refinement cultivators hired assistants to improve their efficiency. After all, the refinement process involved numerous tedious tasks beyond the complex problems, such as material cleaning, refining, element extraction, and document organization. These repetitive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive chores could be delegated to assistants, freeing up the cultivator’s time and energy for more critical tasks.
Many Artifact Refinement Department students were eager to work as assistants. This allowed them to practice their skills without needing to rent a laboratory or purchase materials, all while receiving guidance from experienced seniors.
Ye Xingli nodded and replied privately: “The magical artifact I’m improving this time is related to fiend energy.”
Ye Xingli: “You know how troublesome Earthly Fiend Qi can be.”
Ye Xingli: “Poor cultivators have to deal with fiend energy themselves. Wealthier ones buy specialized artifacts, but I’m telling you, when handling fiend energy, even the best artifact is no match for a good assistant.”
Ye Xingli winked at Zhang Yu, smiled, and privately messaged him: “Against the insidious contamination of fiend energy, an assistant is the best protective magical artifact.”
Ye Xingli then asked “I heard from Master that you’re skipping the Design Competition and going straight to building the prototype mechanism for the Heavenly Sun Radiance God?”
Zhang Yu replied: “Yes, that’s my plan. I’ve already started studying the design blueprints.”
Ye Xingli cautioned, “Aren’t you biting off more than you can chew? You should really enter the Design Competition first and try to secure a military-grade cultivation technique. With that, crafting military-grade magical artifacts later would be much easier.”
Ye Xingli: “Trying to create a military-grade magical artifact prototype right away will take far more effort.”
In Ye Xingli’s view, even with Zhang Yu’s exceptional talent, mastering the myriad essential technologies within a military-grade magical artifact prototype without the support of a military-grade cultivation technique would likely take several years, if he succeeded at all. It required meticulous, step-by-step accumulation, with few shortcuts available.
But with a military-grade cultivation technique, many intermediate steps could be bypassed, allowing for far greater progress in much less time.
As for the Design Competition itself, there were numerous tricks and shortcuts to exploit.
Zhang Yu replied, “Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I know what I’m doing.”
Ye Xingli shook her head inwardly, deciding not to press the matter further.
She herself had once harbored similar delusions, believing her innate talent would allow her to achieve what others couldn’t. But after half a month of futile attempts, she had given up.
The Zhang Yu before her was similarly overconfident. He would only learn to adapt after hitting a wall.
Turning to Zi Yunzhen and the other two disciples, Ye Xingli said, “I’ve already explained your tasks, haven’t I?”
“Today’s assignment is simple: prepare for tomorrow’s experiment. Clean and sort all the materials…”
Zi Yunzhen asked curiously, “Senior Sister, is Zhang Yu here to be an assistant too?”
Ye Xingli replied flatly, “Zhang Yu is borrowing one of my lab benches and some equipment. Don’t concern yourselves with his work.”
From then on, Zhang Yu frequently visited Ye Xingli’s lab to practice his artifact refinement techniques.
Before long, by the end of May, he had successfully mastered the sixth cultivation art of the Artifact Refinement Prodigy.
Basic - Artifact Refinement Prodigy (6/6): Doubles the practice efficiency of artifact refinement production techniques.
Staring at the Artifact Refinement Prodigy’s effect, Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened, and he murmured inwardly, “Excellent.”
Zhang Yu knew that these so-called “artifact refinement production techniques” differed from artifact refinement arts like the Fire Control Divine Mirror, which enhanced one’s overall refinement ability. Instead, they referred to the specific techniques required to craft various magical artifacts according to detailed blueprints.
Azure Heaven Sand and Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill were both examples of artifact refinement production techniques.
The doubled practice effect meant that whenever Zhang Yu practiced a production technique from a magical artifact blueprint, each practice session would count as two sessions in the Feather Book.
“Excellent! The University Sacred Body only enhances the efficiency of cultivating cultivation arts, but this Artifact Refinement Prodigy actually improves my learning efficiency for blueprints.”
“With this doubling effect, to master a Level 20 magical artifact, I’ll not only save half the time, but more importantly, I’ll only need to produce half the usual number of practice artifacts. That’s essentially halving the cost of materials!”
“However, thanks to the Supreme Clarity Realm, I could simulate the blueprint learning process in the Spirit Realm without consuming any real materials anyway.”
“Regardless, halving the time required is a tangible benefit.”
Seeing the impressive effects of the Artifact Refinement Prodigy’s first level, Zhang Yu’s confidence in mastering the prototype manufacturing of the Heavenly Sun Radiance God grew even stronger.