MTLNOVEL Chapter 0487: Collecting Materials
In the secluded chamber, Chen Yu ended his closed-door cultivation with a refreshed feeling, and the training went very smoothly.
Back in Chu Country, each time Chen Yu engaged in closed-door cultivation, he would have to expend a tremendous amount of Primordial Stones to set up a Gathering Primordial Array, but in the special training grounds of the No Demon Academy, this was not necessary.
Half a month later, Chen Yu concluded his closed-door training.
"Within four years, I should have a chance to break through to the Middle Stage of the Guiyuan Realm," Chen Yu estimated, based on his training progress.
"Master repeatedly instructed me to prepare for the Tea Party; there must be some meaning behind it. The 'Nine Bone Demon Spirit Sword' is too precious to reveal, and the 'Giant Ruler Sword' is of too low a grade, no longer suitable for me now," Chen Yu mused.
In terms of grade, his 'Nine Bone Demon Spirit Sword' might even be a bit higher than a complete 'Heavenly Que Sword'.
Whereas the 'Giant Ruler Sword' was merely a Half Spirit Artifact and offered too little enhancement to Chen Yu's capabilities.
The Talent Tea Party gathered geniuses who ranked among the top fifty in the triennial Academy Tournament.
For instance, in the previous Tournament, Chen Yu had barely managed to defeat Ye Chengfeng and Yunhai Zhen, taking great risks. A slight oversight could have resulted in failure.
Both individuals had astonishing backgrounds; Ye Chengfeng was from one of the four great families, the Ye Family, while Yunhai Zhen belonged to the Imperial Yun Family. They didn't need to worry about resources, and their cultivation environments were excellent; coupled with their talents, their strength must have grown terribly fierce.
In the Academy Tournament, Chen Yu had defeated both of them, but to take on Ye Chengfeng and Yunhai Zhen now, the outcome was uncertain.
As for the latest Academy Tournament, it, too, was filled with talents, giving rise to eight cultivators who reached the Guiyuan Realm. The first place, Situ Lin Yu, reigned unbeatable, claiming the top spot.
A year and a half had passed since the Tournament, and they surely had digested the rewards, which meant significant improvements in their strength.
Apart from these two Tournaments, there were also the older members from the previous one.
Although the strength of each Tournament was said to surpass the previous, older members couldn't match the newcomers, given the same age. However, in this world, there was no fair play; with over a decade more experience, it was daunting to consider how much these older members had honed themselves.
The host of this Tea Party was supposed to be Chen Yu and the first place winner from the previous Academy Tournament, "Yun Yingwu."
But since Chen Yu couldn't be contacted, Yunhai Zhen took his place.
Yun Yingwu, Yunhai Zhen – both from the Imperial Family seemed to symbolize the strength of the Yun Zhao Country's Imperial Family.
Since the organizers were all from the Imperial Family, the Tea Party took place in the Yunyang Holy Mansion.
Preparations for the venue had begun several months ago.
"As the previous Tournament's champion, I cannot disgrace myself; I must forge a suitable weapon," Chen Yu decided and left the courtyard.
Before long, Chen Yu arrived at the Artifact Refining grounds of the No Demon Academy.
From a distance, he could feel a scorching aura emanating from a valley.
Chen Yu made no effort to conceal his cultivation aura. As he approached, several guards immediately bowed and then opened the barrier to let him pass.
In the canyon, rows upon rows of palaces and loft towers were constructed upon the cliff faces.
At the very center, a colossal palace shaped like a forge occasionally belched clouds of fire and smoke.
Chen Yu's arrival caught the attention of several Artifact Refiners.
"Chen Yu?"
"Chen Yu has come."
A few Artifact Refining Masters called out in mild surprise.
But as Artifact Refiners of high status, they did not fawn over him like some of the students, coming over immediately to offer flattery.
In a corner, a bald Artifact Refiner trembled slightly upon seeing Chen Yu.
"Master Liu,"
Chen Yu glanced over and recognized the bald Master, then walked over.
"Chen Yu, what brings you here this time?" Master Liu asked with a wry smile.
Years ago, Chen Yu had come here to refine a top-grade Spiritual Artifact.
Master Liu tried to cut corners, so he didn't put in his full effort, which annoyed Chen Yu, and the two had a dispute.
It so happened that Master Shen, the leading figure of the Artifact Refining grounds, appeared. Master Liu tried to frame Chen Yu, denigrating the 'Giant Ruler Sword,' unaware that this sword was one of Master Shen's youthful creations.
Offending Master Shen, Master Liu's status plummeted here.
This time seeing Chen Yu, his heart's fury and grievances reignited, yet he had to suppress them.
Firstly because Chen Yu held an exceptional position in the Academy, and secondly, he had undoubtedly broken through to the Guiyuan Realm; unless he fell prematurely, his future achievements were boundless.
If Master Liu held a grudge but couldn't best Chen Yu, it was better to forget the past.
"I'm looking for Master Shen," Chen Yu revealed his purpose.
Chen Yu knew Master Shen to possess the best memory of any Artifact Refiner in the grounds and was highly regarded throughout Yun Zhao Country.
Naturally, Chen Yu hoped for the best Artifact Refining Master to assist him in forging his weapon.
"Master Shen... Alright, I'll go and inquire for you," Master Liu hesitated but eventually obliged, heading deeper into the palace.
Ever since that previous misstep with Master Shen, every time Master Liu encountered him, he was never met with a pleasant demeanor, which made Liu Yuan somewhat fearful of Master Shen.
Boom boom!
Master Liu approached the chamber door and gently knocked. When there was no response inside, he knocked a few more times.
Suddenly, the chamber door swung open, and Master Shen glanced outside, his brow furrowing upon seeing Liu Yuan, "What's the matter?"
"Chen Yu wishes to see you,"
Master Liu slightly bowed his body and said.
"Oh? That kid is back?"
Master Shen's brows relaxed, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Let him come."
"Okay."
Master Liu left the place, relieved.
After a short while, Chen Yu came in.
"Master Shen, how about helping me refine a Spiritual Artifact?" he asked directly.
From their last encounter, Chen Yu felt that Master Shen was a man of temperament; whether you were respectful or not made hardly any difference to him.
"You kid, you're really not at all indirect. Don't you know that even some instructors and branch deans from the academy would speak to me with utmost courtesy when asking for my help in Artifact Refining?" Master Shen said with a sense of helplessness, but soon chuckled.
"We're already acquainted, after all," Chen Yu immediately tried to cozy up, approaching Master Shen and taking out the Giant Ruler Sword.
"My cultivation has reached the peak of the early Guiyuan Realm, so this sword is not of much use to me," Chen Yu stated plainly.
In Yun Zhao Country, some top geniuses or those with the backing of great powers who were at the early stage of the Guiyuan Realm wielded Spiritual Artifacts.
To Chen Yu, this Half Spirit Artifact was indeed a bit outdated.
"In addition, I will also be participating in the Talent Tea Party in half a year. Without a suitable weapon, I am afraid I might bring shame to the academy," Chen Yu added.
"You little rascal, are you saying that if you embarrass the academy then, it'll be my fault for not refining an artifact for you?" Master Shen said grumpily.
"I didn't say that," Chen Yu immediately denied.
"Bring out whatever materials you have," Master Shen said, getting back to the point.
As the top student of the last grand competition, a poor performance at the Talent Tea Party would indeed be embarrassing. Moreover, Chen Yu had a promising future. Helping him refine a Spiritual Artifact meant he would owe Master Shen a favor.
Chen Yu promptly took out some materials from the Smoke-spitting Pearl. Most of them were scavenged secrets within the last grand competition's secret realms, plus over a dozen dragon teeth from a Red-eyed Jiao.
"Your materials are decent, but the Spiritual Artifact refined from them might not match your Cultivation Technique very well," Master Shen assessed after a glance. "Additionally, since you favor heavy swords, these materials might not be enough to refine a high-quality Spirit-heavy sword."
Chen Yu did not understand Artifact Refining, and after Master Shen's analysis, he indeed felt he had not prepared thoroughly enough.
"With the materials you've brought out, I can probably help you refine a lower grade but exquisite heavy sword, and it still might not suit you well. If you can gather a few more precious materials, then I could craft a lower grade top-tier Spiritual Artifact for you," Master Shen said again.
A lower grade top-tier Spiritual Artifact was comparable to weapons at the level of the Heavenly Moon Sword, which was quite impressive. Moreover, a weapon refined by Master Shen was guaranteed to not be subpar.
Eager for a top-tier Spiritual Artifact, Chen Yu naturally didn't want one that was just exquisite.
"Then what other materials do I need?" Chen Yu asked. He had already decided to refine a lower grade top-tier Spiritual Artifact.
With progress in the Guiyuan Realm being slow, a weapon could be used for a very long time. Hence, Chen Yu hoped to craft a better, more suitable Spiritual Artifact as much as possible.
"I'll list some materials for you. If you can collect three types with sufficient quantities, that should be enough. Of course, the more the better," Master Shen said, writing down a list, and passing it to Chen Yu.
"Alright," Chen Yu responded, taking the paper and leaving the Artifact Refining area.
Spiritual Artifacts were expensive, as were the materials needed, especially for heavy swords. Chen Yu planned to refine a better Spiritual Artifact, which required a considerable amount of materials.
After leaving, he headed to the No Demon Main Hall.
The trading area here was full of goods, but those suitable for the Guiyuan Realm level were scarce. After browsing around, Chen Yu only found one material he could use, and in very limited quantities.
A mosquito may be small, but it's still meat, Chen Yu thought as he made his purchase.
"It seems that I won't be able to gather all the materials within the No Demon Academy, so I'll have to make a trip outside," Chen Yu sighed.
However, Chen Yu had just returned to the No Demon Academy and had made quite a commotion. Upon his return, he had killed three monks from the Unlawful Temple. No doubt the remaining sect powers were closely watching him.
Therefore, Chen Yu bought a special black robe that, once draped over, prevented Spiritual Sense from penetrating.
After leaving the No Demon Academy, Chen Yu donned this black robe, revealing only his face below the bridge of his nose.
Soon, he arrived at Tianhe Royal City.
Tianhe Prefecture had three giants: No Demon Academy, the Situ Family, and the Duan Family.
Hence, Tianhe Prefecture's economy was exceptionally prosperous, with countless shops, grocers, rare material stores, restaurants, and more.
Chen Yu went to a material shop in the Guiyuan Realm level section.
Materials suitable for the Guiyuan Realm were extremely rare and even fewer met Chen Yu's criteria.
In Yun Zhao Country, most resources were controlled by the major forces, which indeed allowed them to attract batch after batch of Cultivators.
After extensive browsing, Chen Yu selected a type of ore called Black Light Stone. It met the required quantity, and now he just needed to gather two more types of sufficient materials to refine a lower grade top-tier Spiritual Artifact.
Upon seeing Chen Yu select such a rare and costly material, the maidservant assumed he was a wealthy patron and suggested, "If the customer can't find suitable materials, you can try looking at the Blood-colored Restaurant."
"A restaurant?" Chen Yu was slightly startled.
Why would he go to a restaurant to buy materials?
But since the maidservant worked in the material shop and knew what Chen Yu was seeking, she wouldn't give pointless advice.
Leaving the shop, Chen Yu gave her a generous tip, leaving the maidservant beaming, "Please remember to come back here if you need anything else, customer!"