My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Hidden Blade Giant Sword

On the stall owner’s black cloth lay a single Magical Artifact: a giant sword nearly 1.4 meters long and about 20 centimeters wide. It was as black as ink, as if it could devour light itself.

The blade was exceptionally smooth from hilt to tip. Its spine was about three centimeters thick at its widest, and the edges were honed to an incredible sharpness. Judging by its weight and edge, it could undoubtedly cleave through the defenses of a One-Tier Middle-Period Demon Beast’s hide armor with ease.

Zhao Zuo immediately fell in love with the massive weapon. ’Now this is a real man’s choice.’

"Can I touch it?" Zhao Zuo asked.

"Of course." The stall owner was a tall young man of about twenty. He wore a brown short-sleeved shirt, and his hair was cut so short his scalp was faintly visible. A simple, honest smile was on his face, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Since Zhao Zuo was wearing gloves, he didn’t have to worry about his safety and reached out to touch the giant sword’s surface.

His first reaction was one of disbelief at the extravagance. ’Someone actually used Ink Pattern Steel, a material for Middle-Grade Magical Artifacts, to forge a Lower-Grade one.’ His second thought was that this giant sword was a perfect fit for his combat style.

[Level: Lower-Grade Magical Artifact · Hidden Blade]

[EXP: 0/200]

[Status: Not upgradeable]

Zhao Zuo slowly channeled his Mana into the Hidden Blade Giant Sword, and his expression gradually grew strange.

’Why would such a heavy Magical Artifact have Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns inside?’

Based on its size, the sword had to weigh at least two hundred pounds. It would be impossible to wield without the Mana intensity of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The problem was, no Foundation Establishment Cultivator would ever choose a Lower-Grade Magical Artifact as their weapon. That made the Hidden Blade Giant Sword completely impractical.

"It was a new experiment. If it had succeeded, it would have changed the entire field of Artifact Refining," Li Ge explained. His expression was solemn and grave, like a lonely Path Seeker fulfilling a grand ideal.

"I don’t quite understand. Could you be more specific?" Zhao Zuo asked, confused.

"It was a failed attempt at refining an Upper-Grade Magical Artifact. I poured my heart and soul into it, so I couldn’t bear to just destroy it."

"Ah, now I get it," Zhao Zuo said, the light dawning on him. ’So it’s just a reject.’

"How much is it?"

"Five hundred Spirit Stones," Li Ge said.

"Forget it."

Zhao Zuo immediately got up to leave. The Hidden Blade Giant Sword was forged entirely from Ink Pattern Steel, the primary material for Middle-Grade Magical Artifacts. Logically, the price was fair, but it was far more than he could afford.

"Wait! How many Spirit Stones are you willing to offer?" Li Ge asked, anxiously stopping Zhao Zuo from leaving. He had already wasted too much time on this flawed sword, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to destroy it.

"Two hundred and thirty," Zhao Zuo said with complete honesty. It was every Spirit Stone he had in his Storage Bag.

"That’s too big of a difference." Li Ge shook his head. Still, he knew that no one would ever buy it for the price he had in mind. Those who could afford it wouldn’t want it, and those who wanted it couldn’t afford it.

Zhao Zuo turned to leave, clearly holding no hope for the transaction. ’If it were me,’ he thought, ’I’d rather melt this giant sword back down into materials than sell it for such a low price.’

"I can sell it to you, but you have to promise me two things," Li Ge said, stopping Zhao Zuo again.

"I’m listening."

"First, if anyone asks, you have to say you spent five hundred Spirit Stones to buy this Magical Artifact. Second, you cannot melt it down for its materials. You must treat it well," Li Ge said earnestly. To him, every Magical Artifact he spent months designing and forging was like his own child.

"I promise. Do I need to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath?" Although Zhao Zuo was baffled by the two conditions, they weren’t going to stop him from getting the Magical Artifact at such a low price.

"No need." Li Ge shook his head and took the Spirit Stones Zhao Zuo offered without even bothering to count them. To him, a few hundred Spirit Stones was pocket change. All he really wanted was to find a suitable owner for the creation he had poured his heart into.

’This man also practices Body Refining. He’s a perfect fit.’

Zhao Zuo slung the Hidden Blade Giant Sword onto his back. It was only then, feeling its full heft, that he realized it weighed around three hundred pounds. Of course, for him... that much weight was nothing.

’What a nice guy. A weird one, too.’

On the way home, he remembered that he’d forgotten to buy the Golden Body Technique. But with all his Spirit Stones spent, he would just have to wait until next time.

When Zhao Zuo got home, he handed the Replenishing Essence Pill to Shen Yunjiao.

Shen Yunjiao had already prepared dinner—Spirit Rice and roasted Demon Beast meat. Zhao Zuo quickly devoured several large bowls of rice, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and immediately headed for the Earth Fire Chamber.

On the way home, he’d finally come to a realization.

’Women only slow down my Cultivation speed.’

Inside the Earth Fire Chamber, Zhao Zuo took the Spirit Wood out of his Storage Bag, held his breath, and focused his mind.

In truth, Zhao Zuo had never given up on learning the Path of Artifact Refining. His progress from fumbling on his own had been disappointingly slow, but now that his strength had broken through to a new level, he finally had the confidence to attempt the Artifact Refining Technique.

After a few minutes, Zhao Zuo entered a state of absolute focus, where the world could fall apart around him and his mind would remain clear of all stray thoughts.

WHOOSH.

Mana flowed rhythmically through his body. Like silver ink, it spread from his fingertips, falling evenly onto the surface of the Spirit Wood and instantly leaving behind a series of silver traces. In the blink of an eye, the fifty-eight strokes of the Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns were perfectly inscribed on the wooden board.

There was order within the chaos, a perfect result formed from the interplay of expansion and contraction. It was as if they held the supreme principles of the universe. No wonder some called Spirit Patterns the very script of heaven and earth.

Zhao Zuo mentally calculated the time he had taken and realized he’d broken the five-second barrier. A wave of intense joy surged through him. Five months of diligent practice had finally led to mastery over the Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns. In that moment, all his past efforts had finally paid off.

This meant he could officially begin practicing Artifact Refining. He had already prepared the tools for inscribing Spirit Patterns long ago.

First, he dumped all the Refined Iron from his Storage Bag next to the Earth Fire Furnace. Then, he poured the Spirit Powder into the Quenching Barrel, completing his initial preparations. He placed the Token into a slot on the Earth Fire Furnace, and the Array activated, swiftly drawing up the Earth Fire from deep within the ground.

Orange flames billowed from the furnace’s opening, distorting the air above it. A searing wave of heat washed over him. Zhao Zuo stripped off his outer shirt and undershirt, then picked up a pair of tongs with his right hand.

Zhao Zuo immediately used the tongs to place a piece of Refined Iron into the flames, beginning the first round of forging it into Spirit Iron.

Thanks to his breakthrough in Body Refining, his speed at forging Spirit Iron had increased even further. He spent about three hours forging ten pieces of Spirit Iron, gaining 0.5 Creation Points in the process.

These pieces of Spirit Iron would be the materials for his first attempt at Artifact Refining. Zhao Zuo placed the Spiritual Liquid on a nearby platform and took a Spirit Pen from his Storage Bag. The pen was made of an extremely heat-resistant material that looked like some kind of metal, and it had a hollow chamber inside for storing Spirit Ink.

Zhao Zuo first filled the chamber with Clear Water and practiced drawing the Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns dozens of times on a flat tabletop, just barely adapting to the feel and speed of using the Spirit Pen.

Once everything was ready, he finally filled the Spirit Pen with Spiritual Liquid and set it aside for use.

.....

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I’ve taken some suggestions from reader comments. I’ll be adding more to the main plot and speeding up the cultivation progress.

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