1131 Sword Refinery

The only drawback was that it consumed too much spiritual power. Just now, he had forcibly activated it only after he was almost sucked dry. Furthermore, his spiritual power was only enough to sustain communication for about one minute, including the time looking for people and connecting with them. It was rather difficult to even speak two sentences.

In the end, Lao Wang made the correct decision. He scrutinized the copper mirror in his hands and wanted to use it two more times. He wanted to try and find Mu Zi, as well as to see whether it could actually cover the entire Fifth Dimension. That way, he might be able to communicate with the Earth and Scarlet… However, the aching and numbness after his spiritual power was used up made Lao Wang give up on this idea.

This communication artifact should be a level-4 artifact, and it would be too difficult for him to use now. He looked up at the Fate Stone. The copper mirror could probably only be used here. If he used it outside, he might turn into a dried corpse.

He could wait until he further improved. If he was able to accumulate his Void Core more and reach the intermediate or even peak Void Core Realm, it should be much easier to use the copper mirror again. He would also be able to communicate for a longer period of time.

He first had to quickly raise his strength. This would also form his foundation.

Lao Wang kept the mirror. As for the black banner and the old seal, he did not even have the intention of trying them out. After all, the weakest copper mirror had almost turned him into a dried-up corpse. If he were to forcibly control the other two items, he might not even know how he had died.

…

It had only been two or three days since he had returned to the Heavenly Gates. After using the copper mirror back then, the residual effects of his spiritual power drying up were truly terrifying. Unlike the usual consumption of spiritual power, such forced deprivation of spiritual power would definitely harm the source of the Void Core to a certain extent. Lao Wang took two or three days to recover and ate Vitality Supplement Pills like beans while resting for an entire day.

"Pill Refinery Hall Mission: Collect a certain amount of ingredients for the level-6 Soul Moulding Pill. The names of the materials are as follows…"

A reward of 50 points would be given for completing this mission.

This was the first Pill Refinery Hall mission he had received after entering the Hall. The more points he accumulated, the better it would be. More importantly, Lao Wang could sense a hint of a new prescription.

The Soul Moulding Pill seemed to be related to the soul, but he did not know whether it was used to heal injuries to the soul or had other functions. However, there was no doubt that since it was called a level-6 pill, it was definitely a good item.

Besides that, the messenger had also dropped off a thick package. Lao Wang read the long list of ingredient names on the mission list. Then, Jhonas pushed open the door and entered the mushroom house. When he saw the package on the table, he was in high spirits and wanted to open it.

When he opened it to take a look, there were five thick books, volumes 1 to 5 of "Gateway to Pill Studies".

At the same time, Lao Wang also saw a row of words at the end of the mission list. "According to Teacher's orders, Wang Zhong has been given five volumes of Gateway to Pill Studies. He hopes that you will study them diligently and not forget Teacher's kindness." Yan Moyu had signed off at the end.

"Yan—Yan Moyu?" Jhonas widened his mouth and his eyes. He stared straight at the signature. "That Yan Moyu? The one from the Pill Refinery Hall?"

Lao Wang did not know many people in the Heavenly Gates, but Yan Moyu was definitely one of the people he recognized. There was no choice as he was too famous!

He was a current Senior in the Pill Refinery Hall. He was from the goblin race and one of the few pupils that Elder Yimo personally imparted knowledge to. His position in the Heavenly Gates was probably similar to that of Senior Lavel, and he was one of those with the highest hope of passing the Heavenly River Tide. Of course, if this was the sole reason, Yan Moyu would not be this famous. Most importantly, as his name suggested, he was as beautiful as jade[1]. The men of the goblin race were very handsome, but Yan Moyu was simply outstanding. Even before Yan Moyu had entered the Heavenly Gates, he had the title of the most beautiful male in the Land.

He was handsome and had good natural endowments and was a favorite among the gods. He was the definition of a born winner. It was said that even men would be infatuated when they saw Yan Moyu and could not help but want to fawn on him. They could not bear to see him furrow his eyebrows. His beauty had surpassed all genders. Even if the rumors were exaggerated, no one could beat him in looks.

The five volumes of Gateway to Pill Studies recorded the basics of pill refinery. These were not secret records in the Land. Even though these books were controlled by the Star Alliance, they were widely spread among the upper classes, and most of the Pill Refinery Hall pupils could recite these by heart from a young age. However, for ordinary pupils who did not have any background or foundation, especially newbies, these books were rather valuable.

Beside him, Jhonas excitedly chattered that Yan Moyu was one of the most popular "gods" in the Heavenly Gates and was more popular than many supervisors and elders. If it were not for Lao Wang's connections, Jhonas might not have had any interactions with him in his lifetime.

Lao Wang simply flipped through the Gateway to Pill Studies and took a look. Unlike the newly printed books he had imagined, he noticed that this was a set of old books. Furthermore, the books were filled with various dense circles and marks that had been drawn for emphasis or annotations. All these annotations were insightful and managed to capture the main points. The words were rather neat and radiated a delicate and refined atmosphere through the paper. This matched Senior Yan Moyu's gentle and elegant personality in the rumors.

"This is God Moyu's handwriting! It definitely is!" Jhonas shrieked like a pig that was being slaughtered. His eyes stared at the notes on the page and then turned to look at the signature on the letter… This was God Moyu's handwriting. Jhonas had the impulse to steal these and run.

On the other hand, Lao Wang had no feelings towards chasing a celebrity. Yan Moyu was very famous in the Heavenly Gates, and he definitely respected him, but he was a far cry from Jhonas's veneration. He was still more interested in the Gateway to Pill Studies books.

To masters who had become highly proficient in pill refinery, these five volumes of foundational books were obviously of low value. However, to Lao Wang, it was as if he had obtained a precious treasure. After all, he had engaged in pill refinery for only a short time. Although he had the help of Nini and Yiyi, as well as his natural endowments, allowing the beginning stages of his pill studies to be unusually successful, his foundation in various aspects was not solid. He even occasionally committed some mysterious minor mistakes. This was a reality that he had no choice but to admit. Elder Yimo had obviously seen this and asked his pupil to send the five volumes of Gateway to Pill Studies that he had once used to Wang Zhong.

People like Elder Yimo typically did not attend to Pill Refinery Hall matters. Back then, personally identifying Wang Zhong and making an exception for him to join the Pill Refinery Hall was unprecedented. Now, he had even asked someone to send him books. Lao Wang's calm heart was slightly touched. It was said that the Heavenly Gates was an emotionless place, but this depended on the individual. He had encountered several fellows like Balor and Gorst who were full of wicked ideas, but he was also able to meet people with kind intentions, such as Pavaro, Celeste, Supervisor Tsargesimon, and Elder Yimo. In particular, the supervisor and the elder were the backbone of the Heavenly Gates. They were not selfish towards their pupils at all and continuously provided help. To experts who had cultivated to their standard, being willing to spend their time teaching juniors was not a typical habit.

Lao Wang was sentimental and kept the books. When he went to take the list of materials for the mission, Jhonas grabbed it instead.

"Boss!" Jhonas firmly hugged the list. He mainly hugged God Yan Moyu's signature in the upper corner. "Are we still brothers? If we are, give this list to me!"

"…" Lao Wang did not know whether to laugh or to cry. "I still have to buy ingredients for the mission according to the list. Give it to me first."

Jhonas refused to let go, as if he was afraid that Wang Zhong would not give the list back to him after taking it away.

"Aren't they just ingredients for a level-6 pill? This is no big deal! I will buy them for you!" Jhonas's eyes were bloodshot. However, after saying these big words, he felt slightly distressed. These were ingredients for a level-6 pill. To gather just one portion of ingredients, he would have to spend his allowance for six months. Then, he quickly added, "But Boss, I can only buy one portion for you. Also, those ingredients will probably just be normal quality…"

The "normal" ingredients that he mentioned would only ensure that the ingredients were not dead.

Naturally, Lao Wang was well aware of this and was silently amused.

"Sure." As Lao Wang agreed, he conveniently handed over 5,000 Gold Star Stones. "Help me buy another portion of ingredients. Since your friend has many substandard goods, 5,000 should be enough."

He would need money everywhere he went now and would save whenever he could. In any case, Jhonas was rich, and a few thousand Gold Star Stones was probably his allowance. Lao Wang would simply return the favor in the future when there was an opportunity.

He agreed on this with Jhonas, who did not seem to mind the loss of several thousand Gold Star Stones. On the contrary, he hugged the signature excitedly and ran away very quickly as if he was carrying a child.

Was Senior Yan Moyu so popular? Was one signature worth several thousand Gold Star Stones?

Lao Wang scratched his head, showing that he was having difficulty understanding this.

Life in the Heavenly Gates was still relaxed and leisurely. As long as one did not force themselves to train bitterly, a large majority of people lived decent and comfortable lives in the Heavenly Gates.

Lao Wang had an appointment with Lavel the next day. Back then, he had broken through to the Void Core Realm and spent one month in the Illusion Sea World. When he came back and experimented with the communication mirror, his spiritual power had been sucked dry, and he took a few days off to recover. His continuous forging preparations had been disrupted for two months, and Lavel was already impatient.

He went to the Creation Star Ring in the morning with the auxiliary order that Lavel had sent to him. Lao Wang could now enter and exit the core region, which was not open to outsiders, anytime he desired.

"Only less than two months have passed… Your power is growing very quickly." The moment they met, Wang Zhong gave Lavel a surprise. She stared at Lao Wang for a long time. He had accumulated his Void Core, but unlike ordinary practitioners, Wang Zhong's Void Core did not seem to be vague. Instead, it was rather firm and solid. If Lavel had not known that he was still a Foundational Stage two months ago, if she simply looked at his current Void Core, she would have thought that he was a veteran Void Core who had accumulated his Core for at least ten years.

Even Lavel could not help but be surprised. Even though she had known through a messenger that Wang Zhong had accumulated his Void Core, Lavel never thought that a little fellow who had just advanced to the Void Core Realm could reach this state. However, she did not interrogate Wang Zhong on how he had improved so quickly. Along the path of cultivation, a large majority of geniuses would definitely have their own favorable turns and little secrets. Asking people about these was rather impolite. It was also a rather immature and rude move.

She nodded her head slightly. "Not bad. It looks like these two months of delay were not for nothing. With your growth in power, especially your accumulated Void Core, we can now directly move on to the second stage. Furthermore, the success rate is now much higher than before."

"Is there no more soul matching?" Soul matching was the first stage of this forging plan. Back when he had left, Lavel had said that they would have to do the first step of "preparations" for a few months.

"Only two or three sessions of soul matching are actually needed for us to understand each other," Lavel explained smoothly. "Back then, we had continuously repeated them so that I could quickly guide and increase your spiritual power…"

As she spoke, she flipped her wrist, and a silver-colored ingot appeared in her hand.

This ingot seemed out of the ordinary. It was obviously a non-living object, but there seemed to be ripples circulating on its surface. Furthermore, these ripples did not follow any rules and were as flexible as a conscious creature. It was obvious that it also contained Lao Wang's Soul Power and aura. In Nini's words, this was the pleasant-smelling "scent" on Wang Zhong's body.

During this period of time, Senior Lavel was not idle. Lavel had channeled a lot of spiritual power into many ingredients, and this Soul Steel was the final product of those ingredients.

"This is a Soul Steel embryo that has been forged. I have forged it according to your changing Soul Power waveband frequency. Like before, channel your thoughts and soul into the Soul Steel, and do the final authentication. This will bring an end to the first stage. At the same time, I also want to understand your demands," said Lavel. "This concluding stage will take at least three days. You should stay here for those days. You must finish this in one shot, and there cannot be any pauses in between. Once you are ready, you can begin."

After a period of soul matching and being frank with each other, Lao Wang slowly understood the reason why Lavel had looked for him. Back then, he had thought that this opportunity had fallen into his lap and was a great gain. However, this was not the case.

High-leveled artifacts that were level-4 and above had an "equipment spirit". Extremely powerful forging masters could produce an equipment spirit out of thin air. However, the two of them did not have any demands. After all, Lavel was still not a true master and was simply trying things out. Since Wang Zhong could easily change his Soul Power waveband, he could allow a piece of something non-living to be naturally activated and possess vitality. Along with Lavel's guidance, using this method to refine the equipment spirit was much easier than typical methods.

However, the rate of failure when using this method was very high, and it was only possible for one to refine an equipment spirit in theory. Thus, they could be busy for several months and still not obtain anything in the end. It looked as if Lavel was spending money and effort to help Wang Zhong refine equipment for no compensation, but there was also a high probability that Wang Zhong was spending a lot of effort to help Lavel for free… One would not take this seriously until they did it themselves.

[1] The character "Yu" means jade.