txolops Chapter 85 This time, we might have to take a risk!
Chapter 85 This time, we might have to take a risk!
"good!"
Master Gu clapped his hands and laughed, then said seriously, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I always strive for perfection in crafting weapons. This time, I will not charge you any labor fees for crafting them for you."
You only need to pay the cost price of the auxiliary spiritual materials I added!
He paused, his eyes gleaming with appreciation for the top-quality materials and absolute confidence in his own skills: "If, during the refining process, any magical artifact is damaged or fails to meet expectations due to my mistakes..."
I will compensate you with three times the current market value of these materials! The Divine Weapon Pavilion guarantees this!
"Master, you are so generous! Then I will trouble you!" Lin Chuan's last trace of doubt dissipated.
These conditions demonstrate the other party's sincerity and confidence.
The two parties immediately signed a simple contract, which was stamped by the Divine Weapon Pavilion as proof. Lin Chuan paid a portion of spirit stones as a deposit for auxiliary materials.
"Fellow Daoist, you may come back in half a month to collect it. If you have any questions during this period, you may come to the Divine Weapon Pavilion to inquire with the manager." Master Gu was already impatient and waved his hand to start cleaning the stone platform, preparing to begin work.
Lin Chuan stopped bothering him and took his leave.
For the next two weeks, Lin Chuan stayed temporarily in Shenbingmen Market.
During this time, he also visited other shops and replenished some commonly used talismans and pills, but did not purchase or order any other magical artifacts.
The half-month period will soon be over.
Lin Chuan returned to the weapon-refining room on the fourth floor of the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
The stone door opened, and a mixture of lingering, scorching spiritual energy and a faint, crisp metallic scent wafted out.
Master Gu looked slightly tired, but his eyes were bright and he was in high spirits.
Upon seeing Lin Chuan, he laughed heartily: "Fellow Daoist, you've come at the perfect time! I've successfully completed the mission; all three magical artifacts are finished!"
He led Lin Chuan to a display stand on one side of the stone chamber, where three magical artifacts, radiating spiritual light, lay quietly on a jade plate covered with soft brocade.
The first item was a pair of curved swords, each about half a zhang long and a palm wide, with a smooth shape like a mantis's forearm, a dark gold color throughout, and a blade that gleamed with a faint black light.
The two blades were placed side by side, their blades trembling slightly and emitting a soft resonance. Even though their sharpness was restrained, it still caused a faint stinging sensation on the skin.
"I've named this sword 'Golden Mantis Twin Blades'!"
Master Gu explained, "They can be separated or combined. When separated, they are two independent, top-tier, supreme-grade greatswords, incomparably sharp and incredibly fast. When combined,..."
He gestured for Lin Chuan to look at an intricate latch on the hilt, "It can be transformed into a double-edged blade, or a much more powerful giant curved sword, the choice is yours. As for its sharpness, I dare say, even a top-tier defensive magic weapon would find it extremely difficult to withstand!"
Lin Chuan reached out and grasped one of the handles, channeling a wisp of true energy into it.
"Buzz—!"
The blade hummed softly, its dark light surged, and an incomparably sharp intent, seemingly capable of cutting through any obstacle, entered the mind.
With a casual wave of his hand, without expending much magical power, a piece of refined iron used for testing on the stone platform next to him was silently sliced off like tofu, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
"A fine knife!"
Lin Chuan's eyes revealed satisfaction. With this powerful weapon, his attack methods would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.
The second item is a ritual implement shaped like a shuttle, about seven feet long, with a grayish-brown body, faint golden patterns flowing on the surface, and a pair of thin, retractable wings on each side.
"This is the 'Greywing Boat'."
Master Gu said, "It is made primarily of mantis wings, combined with other materials such as ethereal wood. When infused with magic power, the wings can fully unfold to two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters). Not only is its flight speed extremely fast, far exceeding that of ordinary flying magical artifacts, but it is also agile and quick in turning, giving it a significant advantage in short-distance aerial maneuvers. Long-term use also consumes slightly less magic power than ordinary flying magical artifacts."
Lin Chuan tried it out, slightly activating it, and the Gray Wing Boat immediately floated up, incredibly light. With a slight thought, it made several nimble turns in the air, truly extraordinary.
The third item is a close-fitting soft nail, dark gold in color, woven from thumb-sized nail plates with matching edges. It feels slightly cool to the touch and has a soft and flexible texture.
"This is a 'mantis beetle'."
Master Gu's tone became more indifferent, "The defensive power is acceptable, able to withstand the direct strikes of most top-tier magic weapons and the impact of ordinary spells, but the protective effect against talismanic treasures or certain special attacks is limited. It's better than nothing."
Lin Chuan took it; it felt good in his hand and was very light. As a spare defensive inner armor, it was quite satisfactory.
"Master Gu's skills are superb; I admire him greatly! Thank you, Master!"
Lin Chuan sincerely bowed and thanked him. He was very satisfied with the result of this refining process.
"Haha, I'm glad you're satisfied, fellow Daoist! I've been itching to handle such fine materials myself; it's been quite a spree!"
Master Gu laughed heartily and then announced a figure: "The total cost of the three magical artifacts, along with various auxiliary spiritual materials, is 1,800 spirit stones. Once you have verified the cost, we can settle the account."
This price was within Lin Chuan's expectations, and even lower than he had anticipated. (The latest chapter of "The Story of Master Gu" is highly anticipated! Come to Cola Novels!) Clearly, Master Gu did not increase the price for the auxiliary materials.
He readily paid the balance and carefully put away the three newly acquired ritual implements.
After thanking him again, Lin Chuan left the Divine Weapon Pavilion, feeling quite pleased with himself.
He did not linger in the market. After leaving the market, he took out the "Grey Winged Boat" he had just obtained and infused it with magic power.
"Whoosh—!"
The wings on both sides of the Gray Wing Boat fully unfolded, transforming into a hazy gray streak of light, carrying Lin Chuan into the sky. The speed was indeed more than twice as fast as the "Flying Feather" magic weapon he used before! Moreover, it was easy to control, as if it were his own arm or finger, and the turning and speed changes in the air were exceptionally smooth.
"As expected of a specially crafted flying magical artifact, the spirit stones were well spent!"
Lin Chuan felt the whistling wind rushing past his ears, and his heart was filled with joy.
He determined the direction and flew towards the general location of Huangfeng Valley in Yue Kingdom, intending to return to his cave first and familiarize himself with the newly acquired magical artifacts.
Especially the power of the Golden Mantis Twin Blades.
However, after he had been flying in the Greywing Boat for about a day and a half...
When they flew over a wide, winding river in the central part of the Yuanwu Kingdom.
A golden light appeared before my eyes.
The divination results for the new day are refreshed.
Today's divination result: Minor misfortune.
[The divination reads: Today, as you flew over the Panlong River in Yuanwu Kingdom, you stopped at the riverbank to test the power of your Golden Mantis Twin Blades. However, an hour later... a group of cultivators from the Tianxing Sect of Yuanwu Kingdom hurriedly arrived at this place. In the river near where you were, they forced out a heavily injured Level 5 Bloodline Flood Dragon that had been pursuing you for a long time. Suspecting that you intended to harm the Bloodline Flood Dragon, one of them tried to drive you away!]
"A Bloodline Dragon? A Level 5 demonic beast?!"
Upon seeing the divination result, Lin Chuan was suddenly startled.
A level-five demonic beast is a powerful being equivalent to a human in the early stages of Core Formation!
Its strength is far beyond that of a level four demon beast, and even when it is seriously injured, it is not something that a Foundation Establishment cultivator can easily provoke.
But then, an extremely bold, even somewhat crazy, idea suddenly burst forth in his heart like wildfire!
"Spirit Summoning Seal!"
He had only recently obtained the secret technique—the Spirit Control Seal—from that acrostic ancient book!
This technique can use powerful divine sense to condense a spiritual seal and forcefully inject it into the soul essence of a demon beast that has not yet developed its intelligence, thereby enslaving it!
"If... if this Bloodline Dragon is truly severely injured, its strength greatly diminished, and its soul weakened... while my current spiritual strength, after cultivating the Great Evolution Technique and the Awakening Insect Divine Sword, far surpasses that of cultivators of the same level, and even approaches that of a Pseudo-Core cultivator..."
"If we can take advantage of his severe injuries and weakness, use the 'Awakening of Insects Divine Sword' to interfere with his soul, and then forcibly enslave him with the 'Spirit Subjugation Seal'..."
If successful, he will possess a spirit pet with combat power equivalent to that of a Core Formation stage cultivator!
Even though he was still seriously injured and his strength was diminished, it was enough for him to be able to do whatever he wanted during the Foundation Establishment stage!
This will be an incredibly powerful trump card!
The risks are certainly enormous.
Even if a level-five demon beast is severely injured, its final counterattack is no joke.
Moreover, the divination indicates that a group of cultivators from the Tianxing Sect will arrive in an hour. They have been tracking this dragon for a long time and will certainly not allow others to get involved, making conflict almost inevitable.
But... the opportunities are equally amazing!
"The divination indicates that the Heavenly Star Sect cultivators arrived an hour after I did..."
A glint flashed in Lin Chuan's eyes.
A rapid weighing of options.
One hour!
If handled properly, he might have a chance to investigate, make contact with, and even... attempt to enslave the Bloodline Flood Dragon before those Heavenly Star Sect cultivators arrive!
Fortune favors the bold! Such an opportunity is rare indeed!
Lin Chuan steeled his heart, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes.
Instead of avoiding this "minor misfortune" divination, he decided to take the initiative to face it!
The gray-winged boat made slight adjustments to its direction and slowly descended towards the riverbank of the vast river known as the "Panlong River".
After landing, Lin Chuan quickly stowed away the Gray Wing Boat, without rushing to explore.
Instead, he first focused his mind and calmed his spirit, activating the Hidden Spirit Technique to its fullest extent, while also draping the Hidden Spirit Veil he had obtained from the cultivator of the Hidden Moon Sect over his body.
With double concealment, his aura almost completely blended into the surrounding environment, making it extremely difficult for even a pseudo-core cultivator to detect him with their divine sense.
After doing all this, Lin Chuan took out a bead the size of a longan, entirely blue, and warm to the touch from his storage bag—a water-repelling bead.
He bought this item by chance when he was traveling through the market in his early years. Although it was not very valuable, it was quite convenient for short underwater operations.
He avoided the water droplets and slowly stepped into the river.
The beads emitted a soft blue light, forming a waterless space about ten feet in diameter.
Lin Chuan can breathe and move freely underwater without using any breath-holding techniques.