Chapter 10 - CH9: Refinement || More Refinement

After a few moments, Shi Feng stored the notebook and inspected the next two items. A metallic box that contained a map. The map lead to the [Philosopher's Stone]. 'Hmm, pretty good' Shi Feng faked a nonchalant attitude towards the map. The last item shouldn't have dropped at this stage in the game. It was the blueprint for a flying fortress, almost identical to the one created by Arcus Maddox. Shi Feng didn't even look at the requirements and stored it, as the game had just launched. He decided to put this in the back of his mind for now.

"Alright everyone, continue grinding here. I have a few matters to take care of." Shi Feng advised the group.

Everyone nodded and off they went to continue leveling. Shi Feng walked towards a secluded area and took out the map that pointed towards the Philosopher's Stone. 'Hmm, running there and sneaking my way through shouldn't be too much of an issue'. Shi Feng headed to the Scarlet Lake.

After 30 minutes of close calls and countless turns, Shi Feng encounterd a human shaped ghost.

[Brave One, Floyd]. (High Lord)

Level 25

HP 360,000/360,000

With widened eyes and a slight frown, Shi Feng did not move. When he saw that the ghost did not attack, he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Absolutely no way in hell I can beat that.'. Shi Feng found a spiral staircase heading downward. At the bottom, there was a bright light. Shi Feng walked down the stairs and arrived at the entrance of a majestic hall.

System: Player has discovered the Sun Temple.

'I've never heard of the Sun Temple. Maybe it was never activated before.' Shi Feng went into the golden hall and saw an altar, with two white and gold statues holding greatswords standing at each side. On the altar, sat a golden ċhėst. When he stepped onto the altar, the statues suddenly moved and stared at Shi Feng. As Shi Feng met their gaze, he felt a chilling sensation running down his spine. He paid no mind to this, went and opened the ċhėst. After the golden glow subsided, Shi Feng saw three items inside the ċhėst. A thumb-sized red stone, the [Golden Greatsword], a Level 10 Fine-Gold weapon, and a palm-sized glass cube with a golden miniature sun hovering in the middle.

[Philosopher's Stone] (Damaged)

Epic-rank Special Item (Dropped after death)

Active Effect: Due to being damaged, the Philosopher's Stone possesses less than a tenth of its original strength. It is only possible to use it for Alchemy Conversion and Elemental Refinement.

'What a shame. Nonetheless, this is great for now. I'll look into locating the other four pieces after I get stronger. The sword is outstanding for its level. I might give it to Lonely Snow when he reaches Level 10. But what in the world is this cube?.' Shi Feng was elated with the first two items, but the last one...

[Seraphic Flare](Unknown)

Key to use the Codex of Light

'The codex of light again?' Shi Feng was dumbfounded at this. Suddenly, he remembered a certain white-gold gemstone he had in his inventory. He took it out.

[Heavenly Judgement](Unknown)

Key to use the Codex of Light

When he did, the gemstone flew out of his hand and moved next to the cube. The two items started hovering next to each other. A few seconds later, Shi Feng felt the temple start to shake, and he sensed a monstrous surge of Divine Might madly rushing towards him, along with extremely faint Divine Might starting to radiate from the items. 'Nope nope nope.' In a panic, Shi Feng stored both items in his inventory and everything went back to normal. 'That confirms it. Definitely not normal.'. When Shi Feng was done, the Golden Statues' eyes turned red and they readied their greatswords.

[Sol Conscript](Great-Lord Rank)

HP 1,200,000

'This damn game wants to cripple my account, doesn't it?. Nope, i'm outta here!'

Shi Feng hastily teleported back towards Floyd. 'Hmm, now that i think about it, I haven't taken a look at that Sword Intent Refinement Manual'. Shi Feng went into his training space, and modified the environment to a vibrant plateau decorated by the orange glow of a setting sun.

He took out the manual, and as he did, he felt the air around him change.

{DING! Activate 1-Star Sword Intent Refinement!}

The manual flew off into the clouds. After a few moments, a resounding explosion shook the surroundings and ground where Shi Feng stood. A red beam of light descended and crashed onto the ground, whipping up a dense cloud of dust.

Seconds later, the dust cleared, and in the middle stood a silver-haired man, clad in dark red armor. The sword at his waist was an orange longsword shrouded in a golden-red tint. He focused his heavy gaze on Shi Feng, making him retreat a few steps.

[Merrick, Sword of Bravery](Sealed)(???)

(Virtuous Sword Emperor)

"Calm down kid, I'm not here to harm you. More importantly, I was tasked with helping you refine that Sword Intent of yours." Merrick said matter-of-factly.

Shi Feng stood rooted on the spot, afraid of moving even an inch. This did not escape Merrick's eyes. Akin to a thunder cloud, Merrick's voice turned deep and profound. "Who I am, you do not need to understand. What you need to understand is what I represent. My Sword Intent embodies the concept of bravery. All you show is fear, distress, and trepidation in the face of adversity. Your Sword Intent is shackled, immature, and holds no meaning. That which holds no meaning is weak in nature!." he paused for a moment, and veered even deeper into Shi Feng's being.

The next chain of events lasted about 5 days in the training space.

"Now tell me, what does bravery mean to you?"

"...does it mean standing tall no matter how impossible a task may seem?" Shi Feng answered in an unsure tone.

"You only see the surface of the concept… Wrong!" Merrick started lecturing Shi Feng, all the while slowly focusing his sword intent on him. With gritted teeth and a contorted face, Shi Feng could not move and could only listen. Merrick's Sword Intent carried the aura and weight of an Emperor; although it was sealed, it was still multiple Tiers above that which Shi Feng could handle.

"Bravery is a human virtue, which can be defined as the will power that a person can possess to carry out an action despite the impediments. Moral courage allows you to act correctly despite receiving discredit, shame, dishonor or social reprisals."

Shi Feng stayed silent, deep in thought. He felt as if something was awakening within him. Through his experience as a Swordsman, his past 10 years of life, and the teachings of Merrick, his Sword Intent was reshaping itself.

"Fear is a challenge. Instead of letting fear and uncertainty control you, learn to control it. If you really want something, but are afraid of all risks or mistakes that you might face along the way, fear has already won you over!"

"Never let an opponent make you feel weak enough for doubt to consume you. Most of the fears you have are imaginary and do not represent real risk. Open yourself up to fear, let it settle within you, and then become rational again. Once you are in control, use it as your motivator to overcome difficult situations, and purge that fear!!"

Shi Feng's being was in a state of change, and reshape. At an incresing rate, his Sword Intent was becoming more and more fearless and unrestrained. Now in a low tone, he said: "fear is motivation, not a setback..."

Merrick, seeing this, decided it was time to make a final push. He unleashed more of his Sword Intent and shrouded Shi Feng. One would expect Shi Feng to completely cave in under pressure, but…

Shi Feng slowly opened his eyes: "The Brave. He who acts with courage and determination in risky or difficult situations."

Merrick's Sword Intent, now fully unrestrained, was bearing down on Shi Feng. In turn, Shi Feng said: "To be brave is to have the courage to overcome what is in front of us!"

Shi Feng, albeit slowly, under pressure, had begun standing up, and his Sword Intent started pushing back Merrick's Sword Intent. "Bravery is a challenge to which we expose ourselves in order to grow, learn and improve". The pressure started to lessen, but it was not because Merrick started pulling back. Rather, it was because it started to match that of Merrick's.

"Do not suppress fear! Confront it and let it drive you to greatness!"

In an instant, Shi Feng's eyes widened, his Sword Intent now matching that of Merrick's, and along with Merrick, he spoke: "To be brave, is to recognize fear! To be brave is not to ignore fear!". Now at the breakthrough point, Shi Feng seemed to completely grasp the concept of Bravery, further cementing it into his Sword Intent.

With a monstrous explosion, the sky was dyed dark orange, and the clouds started swirling. With an earth-shaking roar, they said: "TO BE BRAVE… IS TO EMBRACE FEAR AND BE FREE!!!"

{DING!}

{Sword Intent Proficiency +999!}

Before he could register what happened, he blacked out. The storm disappeared, as if it had never happened, and the sky returned to it's warm sunset glow. Merrick retracted his Sword Intent, and with a slight smile, he said: "My work is done. It is up to you now. Trust in yourself, even if the road is fraught with calamity, remember that there is always a way out, and remember your final goal. Be brave kid". Merrick turned into a red streak of light and shot into the sky, disappearing from sight.

After another day in the training space, Shi Feng woke up. His mind was still in a daze at what had just taken place. Normally, he would need to leave his Gaming Pod to stretch and rest for a bit before continuing, but the Pod and the Origin Elixir allowed him to stay inside without compromising his health. How was he supposed to know he would encounter a Tier 4 NPC, albeit sealed, and receive in-depth guidance from him?. After a few moments, the surroundings turned dark. Night suddenly descended and a dark-red moon appeared in the sky.

{DING!}

{1-Star Sword Intent Refinement Trial has begun!}

{If you fail, you will ultimately lose your Sword Intent! Good Luck, Host!}

As an ominous breeze started blowing, a figure clad in shimmering black armor, covered in a purple miasma appeared in the distance and strode menacingly towards Shi Feng. The figure gave off an aura of nightmare and despair. When he was within 20 yards away from Shi Feng, he could see his name.

{Hadeon, Sword of Fear}(Sealed)(???)

HP ???

Shi Feng was immediately on alert, and did not want to attack. "...hahaha..." Hadeon started chuckling in a raspy voice. "You're not strong... Why do you keep trying?. Your bravery is nothing but a joke." The dark miasma started extending towards Shi Feng. "you speak of embracing fear, confronting it."

Shi Feng squinted his eyes a bit, and recalled Merrick's Teachings.

"The light of bravery is nothing before the gloom of fear. You. Will. Fail!!" Hadeon unsheathed his sword and was about to rush at Shi Feng, who was now standing in the miasma. The last words seemed to strike a chord in his mind.

"... the brave, acts with courage and determination..."

His Sword Intent flowed out and started pushing back the Miasma.

"...the brave, overcomes the impossible..."

"...the brave..."

Shi Feng abruptly opened his eyes, and a faint orange aura started spreading, consuming the miasma.

"EMBRACES FEAR!!!"

Wasting no time, with all his might, he focused his Sword Intent on Hadeon, and his stats immediately changed.

{Hadeon, Sword of Fear(Sealed)(Projection)}(Elite-Rank)

Level 10

HP 8500

Hadeon was not willing to concede, and started pushing back. With a serious tone, Shi Feng spoke: "You're in my way. I'll make you one of the stepping stones for my success."

"Keep deluding yourself!"

With that, the two Swordsmen rushed at each other and started clashing at high speed. At the beginning, Shi Feng was on the losing side, despite having higher combat standards than Hadeon. He noticed that he was fighting with caution, not letting Hadeon strike him. Yet Hadeon was always aiming for the kill, taking advantage of the fear still holding Shi Feng back.

He still had a tinge of fear holding him back, fear of failure. 'No more. I've already failed once. Everything was taken away from me once already. Never again!'. With that, the fear plaguing Shi Feng slowly extinguished, and he became more and more attuned to his Sword Intent.

2 hours later, Shi Feng had finally defeated Hadeon, and he got a notification that he had leveled up his Sword Intent. He sat down to catch his breath a bit, and checked the Skill.

[Sword Intent] (Passive)

Requirement: Swordsman Class

Upon Release, will manifest on your weapon when attacking, as well as a radius around you.

Decreases opponent's attributes by 15%, within an area of 50-Yards.

Increases Sword Damage by 50%

**Special Trait 1: Untethered Resolve

Reduces all incoming damage by 10%

Immune to the Fear Status effect

**Trait Factor: Unyielding Spirit

If HP reaches 0, you will become immortal for 5 seconds

HP will rise to 50%, after immortality period ends.

Cooldown: 7 Days

Level 2 | Proficiency (0/5000)

"Well, would you look at that. A Domain Skill already. How flippin' nice. Still though, I've heard of multiple Tier 4 NPCs in the past, but I've never heard of Merrick."

Putting that thought to rest, Shi Feng left his space and teleported back to Red Leaf Town, into a nearby alleyway. 'I guess now's as good a time as any to start practicing forging.'. He made his way to the Trade Area, set up a stall, and started purchasing materials left and right. Every player that had Magic Essence or Stones, made quite a bit of money, much to Shi Feng's fortune. About an hour and a half later, he had acquired an insane amount of materials. After spending a bit of Coins, he acquired 1000 stacks of Magic Essence and 1500 Stacks of Stone. It was odd that none of the players noticed how one player had managed to keep buying and storing what they sold to him. How did he pay for it all?. How did he store it?. Was that a player?. A generous NPC?. No one cared about that, all they cared about was the Coins they made from this tycoon.

After making numerous purchases, Shi Feng walked to the Forging Association and rented an Intermediate Forging Room for 3 hours. After strategically dodging gold diggers, bootlickers, and ȧsskissers, he walked upstairs and entered the room. 'Now that i think about it, this might take longer than I thought if I were to refine the Stones one by one. System, do you think you could apply the system refinement to the Elemental Refinement Skill, making it into Mass Refinement?. That way I could refine multiple pieces of Ore at once.'

'Elemental Refinement. Will extract the Metal Element of up to 1000 pieces of Ore at a time.

Awesome. Instead of 1 by 1, I can refine 10 stacks of Ore at a time. Heheh, perfect'

Immediately, Shi Feng took out 10 stacks of Stone, covering up a sizeable chunk of the room.

System: Do you wish to use the Philosopher's Stone for Elemental Refinement?

After he clicked yes, the Philosopher's Stone started glowing, and sent multiple threads of red light to the Stones.

Ssssshhhhh!!!

Now, a small mountain of sand lay sprawled in front of Shi Feng. He used the 'Clean' feature of the room, and now, on the floor, was a multitude of metals. A few exuded a brown color, and most had an orange-reddish ŀuster. Shi Feng's attention was caught on 1 palm-sized dark purple piece of Metal. After storing them, he now had a tiny bit more than two stacks of Copper Ore, and 13 more pieces of Bronze Ore. He put the dark-purple Metal aside, and continued refining.

1 hour later…

As tedious as the process seemed to be, Shi Feng managed to refine everything. In the end, he obtained multiple stacks of copper and bronze respectively. As for the mysterious dark-purple metal, he obtained a stack of 100.. When he inspected it, he was shocked to find out it was actually a lightning-type metal ore.