"This junior can divide the passage into 100,000 parts. I would like to ask the senior to invite experts in the art of weapon crafting to refine it together."
"Oh, you mean the method of using the Ancestral Master's House..." Long Shi suddenly realized that Xiao Wenbing's ingenious method of refining the Ancestral Master's House had been widely circulated in the cultivation world, and Long Shi had naturally heard of it.
“That’s right. In this way, although there are not enough Five Elements Stones, the distribution is too thin, so it is possible to use some Grade 1 Five Elements Spirit Stones as substitutes.”
A glint of light flashed in Long Shi's eyes. He fully agreed with the suggestion. After discussing it with Xiao Wenbing for a while, he immediately went out to send out invitations.
The power of the Dragon and Phoenix clans was extraordinary. In just two months, not only did many weapon experts from Tianding Star gather together, but also everyone who could make it in time, as well as weapon experts of some renown from the Demon and Phoenix clans, flocked to the area like a tide.
Several days later, a massive, nationwide weapon-forging event began on Tianding Star.
On this beautiful planet known as the cradle of artifact crafting in the cultivation world, a vibrant and thriving scene unfolds everywhere. Countless masters of artifact crafting hold simple jade slips, following the diagrams and imitating the designs, all dedicating themselves to a great undertaking.
With the help of the Mirror God, Xiao Wenbing broke down the blueprints of the magical artifact into ten thousand pieces and handed them over to Hui Zhe, asking him to find someone to refine it.
Because the highest-grade Five Elements Stones were in extremely short supply, Xiao Wenbing repeatedly lowered his requirements. The raw materials in these blueprints were mostly first-grade spirit stones. Although their quality was far inferior to the highest-grade Five Elements Stones, their quantity was enormous. His goal was clear: to exchange quantity for quality, and to achieve a qualitative leap through the accumulation of quantity.
A month later, the first batch of finished products was finally successfully produced. Long Shi and Hui Zhe personally came to the guest room of Yu Ding Zong to respectfully invite the chief designer Xiao Wenbing to inspect the results.
Xinran followed the two of them toward the main square, while Huizhe asked from the side, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, are you sure these things are usable?"
It's no wonder the old man was full of suspicion, because the magic treasures that Xiao Wenbing refined originally required top-grade spirit stones, but now he was only using some first-grade ones instead. Anyone with even a little knowledge of the art of crafting would inevitably be suspicious.
In the minds of experts, this is an ironclad rule. If Xiao Wenbing hadn't had a precedent of creating the Ancestral Master's Chamber, probably no one would have believed him at all.
"Sect Master, please rest assured, I will take care of everything."
“But…” Hui Zhe hesitated and said, “Fellow Daoist Xiao, steel and straw are absolutely incomparable.”
"Steel is indeed incomparable to straw, but a hundred layers of refined wood planks can definitely be equivalent to a single steel plate. My requirements are not high; I only need to be able to withstand the energy transmission of heavenly lightning for several days, and that will be enough."
"Ah, is that so?" Hye-cheol fell silent.
Soon, they arrived at the large square, where various finished and semi-finished products were scattered on the ground.
Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly. There's strength in numbers.
Although his cultivation has now reached the Separation and Union stage, the energy conversion within the Void Cauldron is much faster than before.
However, it's possible for him to create high-quality items like the Xuanwu Shield, but to ask him to create all these things out of thin air would probably take enough time to drive him insane.
For Xiao Wenbing, who uses the Void Cauldron, there is not much difference between quality and quantity. In other words, within the same amount of time, whether Xiao Wenbing creates high-quality magical artifacts or something similar to garbage on the ground, the total amount he can produce is the same.
And this is the biggest reason why Xiao Wenbing didn't manufacture it himself.
Looking at the countless parts on the ground, Xiao Wenbing sighed again, realizing that this magical artifact was indeed enormous.
As he casually picked up a thin piece of gauze, Xiao Wenbing's smile quickly froze.
"What's this?"
“This is…” Hui Zhe flipped his wrist and took out a jade slip. After comparing it, he said, “This is the seven thousand and eighty-second finished product.”
"Number 7082?" Xiao Wenbing glanced at the jade slip in Hui Zhe's hand. He curled his lip and said, "Sect Master, in this jade slip, I requested a white gauze robe."
"Yes. This is the white gauze dress." Hui Zhe examined the gauze for a few moments and confirmed, "Hmm, this is indeed the white gauze dress?"
A wisp of black lightly brushed across Xiao Wenbing's forehead. He took the gauze and said, "Sect Master, you seem to have forgotten. White gauze is one of the main materials for making high-grade Daoist robes. Its greatest characteristic is its toughness." As he spoke, he picked up a corner of the gauze with both hands and gently tore it in two.
"If this material is used to synthesize a channel, how long do you think it can withstand the impact of a thundercloud storm?"
Hui Zhe blushed. He said, "This...this quality is indeed a bit poor." As he spoke, he took the two tattered pieces of cloth, examined them over and over for a long time, and finally said, "This thing is at least a piece of white gauze."
"Huh?" Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. So, in this old man's mind, a white gauze dress was equivalent to a white veil...
He examined two more items; while not masterpieces, they were passable, albeit barely. However, having learned from the precedent of the white gauze dress, Xiao Wenbing dared not be careless and continued examining each item one by one.
When he came to the fourth item, Xiao Wenbing was stunned. He held it in his hand and examined it for a long time. It was a stick that was completely black. Its toughness and the even distribution of the material were perfect and impeccable. It was obvious at a glance that it was made by a master craftsman.
Hui Zhe stepped forward, stroked his beard, and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, this was personally refined by Daoist Ji Cang. What do you think of its quality?"
Nodding, Xiao Wenbing said honestly, "Sect Master, this item is indeed flawless. Senior Ji Cang's skill in crafting artifacts is truly admirable."
Hui Zhe smiled and said, "Of course, Daoist Ji Cang is one of the most famous experts in our cultivation world. His skill in weapon crafting is no less than that of the old Daoist and Junior Brother Hui Pu."
“Yes, yes,” Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly, “but…”
"But what?"
"But can anyone tell me what this is? What is it used for?"
"Hmm! Fellow Daoist Xiao, you must be joking. This was refined exactly according to your requirements."
"Is that so? But I don't seem to recall such an item being mentioned in the jade slip."
"Ah!" Hui Zhe was stunned. He took out the jade slip, carefully compared it for a long time, and finally smiled bitterly: "This, I may have made a mistake for a moment."
"A...a mistake?" Xiao Wenbing stared blankly at Hui Zhe, muttering, "How could this be a mistake?"
During the subsequent inspection, Xiao Wenbing was not only greatly disappointed, but also felt a surge of anger.
Among these finished products, some were excellent and some were substandard, but the number was small. Most products met the passing grade and were considered mediocre.
This result was exactly what Xiao Wenbing had expected, and among the tens of thousands of people involved in the refining process, it was the most reasonable outcome. After all, considering the overall level of the cultivation world, exceptionally outstanding individuals and occasional mistakes are quite normal.
However, what annoyed Xiao Wenbing was that almost half of these mediocre products were barely passable, hovering on the edge of passing. To paraphrase an ancient saying, they were typical "chicken ribs"—too good to throw away, but not good to use.
Volume Six: Scams and Deceptions; Chapter Seven: Tribute Immortal Artifacts
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Looking at the products scattered all over the ground, Xiao Wenbing couldn't help but feel a deep sense of powerlessness. To use these things to synthesize a channel? He didn't have the guts to do that. After all, his life was precious, and he didn't want to entrust his fate to these unreliable things.
“Fellow Daoist Xiao, what do you think? These are the culmination of the hard work of all the experts in weapon crafting from the human and demon races.” Hui Zhe stroked his beard and said with deep emotion, “Tens of thousands of people refining weapons together, what a magnificent scene this is.”
"Yes, it is indeed spectacular." Xiao Wenbing maintained his smile, but after hearing Hui Zhe's words, he suddenly realized that he could not show his dissatisfaction in public.
Tens of thousands of skilled weapon wielders from the human and demon races—what a powerful force! Offending them would be tantamount to offending half of the cultivation world. He would absolutely not do something so foolish.
"Sect Master, please ask the seniors to postpone the refining process and rest for a few days before proceeding."
“How can that be?” Hui Zhe said sternly, “This is something that the three holy lands and the Heavenly Thunder Palace have entrusted to us personally. Of course we must do our best. Fellow Daoist Xiao, don’t worry, it’s just 100,000 copies. In a few months, we will definitely gather them all for you.”
Xiao Wenbing's expression changed drastically as he looked at the finished products scattered on the ground. If they were all like this, he wouldn't dare use even a million units, let alone 100,000.
With a wry smile, Xiao Wenbing said helplessly, "Senior, I suddenly realized that my design concept has deviated slightly, so I need to rethink it, rethink it..."
"Is that so?" Hui Zhe suddenly realized and laughed, "It's alright, it's alright. Crafting such a magic weapon is no easy task, Fellow Daoist Xiao, please rest assured. Take your time designing it."
After bidding farewell to the smiling Hui Zhe, Xiao Wenbing returned to his guest room. Looking at Long Shi, who had a worried expression on his face, he finally asked, "Elder Long Shi, are you sure that those you invited are all true masters of weapon crafting?"
"Of course, Fellow Daoist Xiao can rest assured when Old Dragon gets things done."
"Reassured?" Xiao Wenbing said blankly, "It's not that I'm not reassured, it's that I'm too reassured." He pondered for a moment. Then, Xiao Wenbing flicked his finger, and a flash of light disappeared from his hand.
Long Shi's expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "A message delivered by flying sword?" His eyes widened, and he looked at Xiao Wenbing with a look full of doubt.
Flying sword message transmission is a unique skill of the Tribulation Transcending stage experts, but Xiao Wenbing is clearly a cultivator in the Separation and Union stage, so how could he use it beyond his level?
However, Lao Long only frowned in the end and didn't ask the question.
Xiao Wenbing smiled at him, offering no explanation. To be honest, he had no idea how the flying sword message was sent, just as he couldn't understand how the giant snake could transform. Such advanced skills were beyond his current capabilities.
However, just because he doesn't understand it doesn't mean his two avatars don't. Whether it's the serpent avatar or the demon avatar, they can easily send messages via flying swords, and that's the real reason he can use this skill beyond his level.
A moment later, a figure flashed into the room, and HP had already entered.
"Senior, you've finally arrived." Xiao Wenbing eagerly went to greet him and asked, "What's going on with them?"
HP shook his head with a wry smile, sighed after a long while, and said, "It was probably a momentary lapse in judgment."
"A momentary lapse?" Xiao Wenbing scoffed at this answer, sneering, "Senior, one or two mistakes are understandable. But what I find strange is that the level of weapon crafting in our cultivation world has suddenly regressed by an entire grade?"
Long Shi was taken aback. Anger flickered across his face.
Although the old dragon was somewhat puzzled by the poor quality of this batch of finished products, as a dragon clan elder, he possessed a strong sense of superiority and therefore did not suspect that his subordinates dared to disobey his orders. Now, reminded by Xiao Wenbing, he immediately understood, and his expression naturally turned sour.
HP was secretly alarmed. This gathering was a joint effort by the three holy sites, and their actions had greatly embarrassed them. If they were to retaliate...
Xiao Wenbing was also filled with regret. If he had known there would be so many unexpected events, he wouldn't have bothered so many people. He would have preferred to suffer for over a decade himself. As long as he had the Void Cauldron, he could have refined this magic weapon just the same. Unexpectedly, his haste had put him in a dilemma. Even if he asked everyone to stop now, the rift between them would be difficult to mend.
Suddenly noticing HP's bitter expression, an idea struck him, and he asked, "Ahem, senior, is there something troubling you?"
HP gave him a grateful look and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, three thousand years ago, our cultivation world was attacked by the demon race, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. This grudge is no small matter."
"Senior, three thousand years have already passed."
“I know, but the vast majority of those who came this time came from places ravaged by the demons. There aren’t many who can truly let go of their hatred,” he said, glancing at Xiao Wenbing, who seemed hesitant to speak. “We didn’t conspire beforehand; we all acted according to our conscience.”
Long Shi was stunned. Hewlett's last words had a profound impact on him. Although these people had arrived, they had all chosen to slack off. Given Hewlett's status, he wouldn't lie. Since he said there was no collusion, it must have been a spontaneous action by these people. This showed just how unpopular the orders from the three holy lands were.
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment, then said, "Senior, there's a reason we want to save the Flame Realm, mainly because of fire..."
“Ahem… Fellow Daoist Xiao,” Long Shi suddenly coughed, interrupting Xiao Wenbing’s words.
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback and looked at Long Shi suspiciously, while Hewlett-Packard had already understood what Old Long meant, cupped his hands and took his leave.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, it's best not to bring up the matter of collecting the Five Elements Spirits for now."
"Why?"
"The unification of the five elements is no easy feat. Without an extraordinary stroke of luck, achieving it is nothing short of wishful thinking. Even if one were to be fortunate enough to collect the spirits of the five elements, elevating the cultivation world to the immortal realm would be no easy task. If this were to be easily spread, it would undoubtedly cause a great upheaval in the world."
"What major change? Does anyone dare to provoke your Dragon and Phoenix clans?"
“A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.” Long Shi sighed and said, “If the news spreads far and wide, even immortals and gods will be tempted.”
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly. The allure of the Five Elements Spirits was simply too great. Let alone immortals, even ordinary gods would probably find it difficult to suppress their own greed.
"So what do we do now?"
A fierce glint flashed in Long Shi's eyes as he said, "I, Old Long, will personally go and supervise the work. Anyone who slacks off will be killed to set an example. I refuse to believe that the three holy lands really have no way to deal with these brats."
"No, absolutely not!" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in shock. If Long Shi did this, wouldn't it unleash a bloodbath?
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Long Shi understood the reasoning behind it, but as one of the top cultivators in the cultivation world, he couldn't swallow this insult.
“Hmm, I think…” Xiao Wenbing clapped his hands and said, “That’s right, if we don’t use the energy of the thundercloud storm to heal the Flame Realm, a hundred years later, when the storm spreads, it will destroy the cultivation world just the same. We are saving others, but we are also saving ourselves. If you tell them this, and they still try to sabotage us in secret, then we can do whatever we want with them.”
Long Shi nodded repeatedly and said, "Good idea, let's do it this way."