Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Tenth Grade Refining Materials
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"Do your best when the time comes. Your master and great-uncle do not demand that you must achieve a ranking at the Zhong Zhou Convention. After all, your cultivation time has been short, and at this Zhong Zhou Convention, you're facing the powerhouses from the sects of various states. The timing of this convention is disadvantageous to us,"
the Taiyuan Sage sighed.
If the Zhong Zhou Convention had been set three thousand years earlier, his master could have joined the battle.
Now Mount Shu was in a transitioning period, at its weakest in terms of strength.
"Master, which elder of Mount Shu has the highest level of artifact refinement?"
Lu Changsheng thought of the Demon Lord's damaged treasure, the Demon Emperor Cauldron, and decided to repair it before the start of the Zhong Zhou Convention.
In doing so, he would have another superior Immortal Artifact, and one that was a spatial treasure at that.
"The elder with the highest level of artifact refinement in our Mount Shu should be Elder Xiao of Flame Mountain Peak.
Could it be that you're planning to repair the Demon Emperor Cauldron?" the Taiyuan Sage guessed Lu Changsheng's intention, "But an upper-grade spatial Immortal Artifact of the Demon Emperor Cauldron's level, even if the Refinement Sect still existed, might not be able to repair it.
It's not that they lack the refinement techniques, but the materials used to forge the Demon Emperor Cauldron may not be obtainable. You might as well visit Elder Xiao's cave abode to see if he has any solutions."
"Then, disciple bids farewell,"
Lu Changsheng, having understood the reality of the Star Pavilion, returned to Qingyun Peak to cultivate.
With some time left before the Zhong Zhou Convention, Lu Changsheng was not in a hurry.
The Star Pavilion was not a Demon Sect, with no enmity or grudge against Lu Changsheng.
After Lu Changsheng left Ten Thousand Swords Peak, Situ Kong fell into contemplation and turned to the old handyman sweeping aside: "Senior, do you plan to attend the next Zhong Zhou Convention?"
The old handyman shook his head, continuing to focus on sweeping leaves.
At Flame Mountain Peak, a Supreme Elder of Mount Shu in the Void Refinement Realm was in front of a lower-grade Immortal Artifact furnace, operating his cultivation technique, his True Qi transforming into roaring flames, melting ore.
Blasts of wind howled occasionally, making the forging fires burn even fiercer.
"Sect Leader?"
Elder Xiao, seeing Lu Changsheng arrive, was greatly surprised and hastily stopped his artifact refinement.
As Sect Leader, Lu Changsheng generally left the trivial matters within Mount Shu to the senior brother, Li Changye, while he focused on cultivation.
For Lu Changsheng to personally visit Flame Mountain Peak, there must be an important matter.
Xiao Yan, a Supreme Elder of Mount Shu at the sixth layer of the Void Refinement Realm, cultivated a unique fire cultivation technique and excelled at artifact refinement.
Xia State was known to have the highest level of artifact refinement among the Refinement Sect, and the other five major sects also possessed master refiners, who forged magical treasures and even Immortal Artifacts for their sects.
Xiao Yan was the elder with the highest level of artifact refinement in Mount Shu.
"Have you ever seen this item?"
Lu Changsheng turned his palm over, and a delicate ancient cauldron appeared in his hand.
This cauldron seemed to be a natural creation, with complex patterns, its only flaw being two cracks made by the piercing of divine swords.
Upon seeing this treasure, Xiao Yan was shocked and then his gaze turned passionate: "This is the Demon Lord's treasure 'Demon Emperor Cauldron,' an upper-grade Immortal Artifact." An upper-grade Immortal Artifact of such level was a rare sight.
"This object is damaged, do you have a way to repair it?"
Lu Changsheng casually tossed the damaged Demon Emperor Cauldron to Xiao Yan for him to examine the cracks.
Lu Changsheng already possessed an upper-grade Immortal Artifact, the Demon-Suppressing Sword, so he didn't regard the Demon Emperor Cauldron as an ultimate treasure.
Xiao Yan caught the Demon Emperor Cauldron cautiously, scrutinizing it carefully as if he were holding a sacred object: "I've read about it in an ancient text; the material used to forge the Demon Emperor Cauldron is called 'Demon Emperor Iron.' The crack on this cauldron isn't large; with just a small piece of Demon Emperor Iron, it can be essentially repaired."
"Do you have any Demon Emperor Iron?"
"Demon Emperor Iron is rated as a tenth-grade artifact refinement material, exceedingly rare and unparalleled. How could I possibly possess such a treasure?
Speaking of Demon Emperor Iron, it was originally a sixth-grade artifact refinement material known as Earthly Fiend Iron, which transformed into Demon Emperor Iron due to being exposed to the supreme Demonic Qi of an Ancient Demon Emperor in the cave abode for an endless epoch.
In other words, this miraculous substance can only be found in the cave abodes of Demon Emperors, making it incredibly rare…"
Xiao Yan lived up to his reputation as Mount Shu's top refinement master, recognizing the material of the Demon Emperor Cauldron and even recounting its origins.
Wait a second...
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Lu Changsheng keenly grasped the key information, "Then do you have Earthly Fiend Iron?"
"There is some, Earthly Fiend Iron is not as precious as Demon Emperor Iron. But Earthly Fiend Iron hasn't been imbued with the aura of the Demon Emperor, nor has it undergone countless years of transformation, so how can it replace Demon Emperor Iron?"
Xiao Yan was utterly astonished.
Could it be that Lu Changsheng wanted to use Earthly Fiend Iron to replace Demon Emperor Iron?
One is a sixth-grade refining material, the other is a tenth-grade refining material, they're worlds apart.
How could a sixth-grade refining material possibly repair a superior Immortal Artifact like the Demon Emperor Cauldron?
"Just give me several hundred thousand catties of Earthly Fiend Iron."
Lu Changsheng had a daring idea.
If Earthly Fiend Iron were imbued with the aura of the Demon Emperor, it would evolve into Demon Emperor Iron.
Therefore, rewarding his disciple with Earthly Fiend Iron might result in getting back Demon Emperor Iron.
The Demon Emperor Cauldron had only two sword marks as flaws, as long as he could return a small piece of Demon Emperor Iron, he would be able to repair the Demon Emperor Cauldron.
"Several hundred thousand catties? I've been saving up for so long, and I only have eight thousand catties, divided into eight pieces, each piece weighing a thousand catties..."
Xiao Yan gave a wry smile, took out eight palm-sized pieces of Earthly Fiend Iron, each small piece weighing a staggering thousand catties.
After all, Earthly Fiend Iron was a sixth-grade refining material. As an Elder in the Void Refinement Realm, he had saved for two thousand years, and after deducting what he had used, he had only eight thousand catties left after careful calculation.
Lu Changsheng mentioned several hundred thousand catties as if Earthly Fiend Iron was as common as cabbages?
"I'll take all this Earthly Fiend Iron. Here are one eighth-grade Elixir Pill and one ninth-grade Elixir Pill in exchange for eight thousand catties of Earthly Fiend Iron, will that suffice?"
Lu Changsheng casually took out two Purple Gold Bagua Gourds, each containing a top-grade Elixir Pill.
Lu Changsheng did not like owing favors.
"More than enough..."
Xiao Yan took the Purple Gold Bagua Gourds, ecstatic.
Getting two top-grade Elixir Pills in exchange for eight thousand catties of Earthly Fiend Iron was an incredibly worthwhile trade.
The new Sect Leader really was generous.
Lu Changsheng returned to Qingyun Peak with the eight pieces of Earthly Fiend Iron.
He had eight chances to reward Earthly Fiend Iron, and as long as he got back one piece of Demon Emperor Iron, he could repair the Demon Emperor Cauldron and obtain a second superior Immortal Artifact.
Lu Changsheng specifically called over the Demon Race disciple Ji Xuan to reward her with Earthly Fiend Iron.
"Master rewards me with a refining material, what is this for?"
Ji Xuan murmured to herself, finding it very strange.
She was not a Refinement Grandmaster.
But since it was something rewarded by her master, it couldn't be ordinary. She accepted it for the time being, to see if it would be useful later on.
[Ding, you have rewarded your disciple Ji Xuan with sixth-grade refining material "Earthly Fiend Iron", and obtained a twenty-fold return reward for mentoring: seventh-grade refining material "Demonic Qi-tainted Earthly Fiend Iron".]
[Ding, today's reward opportunities -1, remaining reward opportunities for today is 5.]
"..."
Lu Changsheng received this peculiar refining material and shook his head; it was still not the tenth-grade refining material he wanted.
Therefore, Lu Changsheng took out another piece of Earthly Fiend Iron.