Many cultivators were skilled in artifact refining, talisman creation, and alchemy. Precisely because they understood these crafts, they also understood deeply how difficult it was to produce mid-grade or high-grade talismans and pills. It was three parts strength and seven parts luck. If luck favored you, it might succeed. If not, there was no hope. And now, Yi Tianxing was claiming that low-grade items could be combined into mid-grade, high-grade, or even top-grade ones.
This was simply unbelievable.
Even the zombie cultivator looked stunned, his expression full of shock.
"You're saying we can really combine them? Really improve their quality?"
One cultivator couldn't help but ask, visibly intrigued.
"Of course," Yi Tianxing said calmly. "Since I dare to hang this signboard, I can naturally guarantee that synthesis is possible. But success is not guaranteed. There's always a failure rate. Whether the synthesis succeeds depends on your own luck. If you're lucky, it works. If not, it fails. No one can interfere with that."
There was no need to lie about this sort of thing.
"What's the success rate?"
Someone asked immediately. The surrounding cultivators perked up and leaned in to listen.
"A 20% success rate. Out of ten attempts, about two should succeed. Of course, if you're lucky, you may succeed more often. The synthesis is done by you personally, not by me. I won't interfere, nor can I. But two out of ten is guaranteed."
Yi Tianxing stated naturally.
Of course, the synthesis used the Creation Cube (造化魔方), which had been integrated into the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda (鸿蒙天帝塔). As the pagoda advanced, the cube's success rate increased to 30% or even 40%, occasionally reaching 50%. But Yi Tianxing didn't disclose that. Stating 20–30% was already impressively high.
Even at those odds, it was immensely attractive to the surrounding cultivators.
After all, the same item, if of higher quality, could be ten or even a hundred times more valuable.
"When you say we do the synthesis ourselves, what do you mean? Can we see it for ourselves?"
Someone asked.
Seeing is believing. This strange new method wouldn't be accepted until it was witnessed firsthand.
"Sure, watch."
Yi Tianxing smiled calmly. With a thought, a cube appeared before him—it was a third-level Creation Cube, though this wasn't the true body. It was a projection from the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda.
Even as a projection, it looked real and retained all the original functions. It didn't affect synthesis. More importantly, projections could be generated in multiples—dozens even—without any limitation. This allowed many cultivators to synthesize simultaneously, fully maximizing the cube's utility.
"In front of me is the Creation Cube, used for synthesis. You can treat it as my innate divine ability. Here are ten low-grade Wind Blade Talismans (风刃符). I'll now place them inside. Note that while two is the minimum, three is better. The more you put in, the higher the potential quality of the final product."
As he explained, Yi Tianxing started the demonstration.
He tapped open the cube. Grid slots appeared. He inserted the talismans into the cube, which began to spin, radiating a dark-golden light.
Just a few breaths later, the cube stopped. A talisman glowing with spirit light emerged from the cube.
"This is... a Wind Blade Talisman? No—it's a high-grade Wind Blade Talisman!"
"My heavens! He put in ten low-grade ones, and the result is a high-grade? That's incredible! The power difference between low and high is dozens or even a hundredfold! And the value—it skyrocketed instantly!"
A ghost cultivator gasped in disbelief.
Normally, the power difference between low-grade and mid-grade was tenfold, and the same went from mid- to high-grade. So low-grade to high-grade? That was two tiers of difference—completely incomparable.
The value of the high-grade talisman was far beyond ten low-grade ones.
This was turning trash into treasure.
Yi Tianxing didn't pause. He pulled out three crossbow bolts and placed them into the cube. The light flickered. But this time, no new bolt emerged. Instead, a small pile of powder trickled out.
"This was a failed attempt. All the materials turn to powder—completely unusable. You lose everything."
The surrounding cultivators were sobered instantly. So this was the risk.
If you used rare treasures or valuable materials and failed, it was total loss.
"Of course, what I just showed was synthesis between identical items, which results in higher quality. But if you combine different materials, the result will be a brand new material. It could be trash, or it could be a top-tier treasure. Whether you succeed still depends on your own luck. I just provide the platform. How you use it is up to you."
Yi Tianxing remained calm and composed.
As for how to combine different materials—synthesis recipes were needed. These only came through trial and error. He himself had tested combinations when bored and discovered a few recipes.
For instance, combining Red Copper, Cold Iron, Purified Crystal, and Immaculate Spirit Jade could produce something called Yin-Yang Icefire Jade (两仪冰火玉). Originally, those base materials were common, but after synthesis, the result became an upper earth-grade material, valuable for artifact crafting and talisman creation.
This clearly showed how valuable synthesis recipes could be. And these were exclusive to Yi Tianxing. Without the Creation Cube, you couldn't recreate them—not even with traditional smelting methods. Only those with synthesis-type abilities or treasures could do it.
"Fellow Daoist, how is this synthesis charged? Do we pay in money or trade items?"
The zombie Daoist couldn't resist asking.
This was too miraculous to miss. But of course, it wouldn't be free. Best to ask first.
"Very simple. Each synthesis requires two sets of materials. One is the fee—that goes to me. The other is your synthesis material. Whether it succeeds or fails, the result is yours. Fair and transparent. If you can't supply duplicate materials, I'll accept equivalent value—spiritual herbs, treasures, anything of value."
Yi Tianxing explained.
Was this price outrageous?
Not at all.
It was similar to hiring an alchemist. Usually, you'd provide ten sets of ingredients for one desired batch of pills. If the alchemist succeeded on the first try, they'd keep the remaining nine sets as payment. If they failed until the last set, they still delivered one batch, and that was all you'd get.
This was a well-established rule in the cultivation world. No one saw it as unfair. Mastering a craft was a cultivator's greatest advantage. The same applied to artifact crafting, though it usually required three sets of materials instead of ten.
The profits involved were immense.
By comparison, one set as payment for synthesis was incredibly cheap.
And it was essentially a zero-risk business for Yi Tianxing. He didn't guarantee success or failure—it all depended on the user's luck.
"This is interesting. Let me try! I want to see if my Corpse-Suppressing Talismans (镇尸符) can be upgraded."
The zombie Daoist said excitedly.
He handed three talismans to Yi Tianxing, and then placed ten more into the cube.
The cube glowed brilliantly and began to spin.
Swoosh!
With a flash, a talisman emerged.
It was visibly more refined, with intricate runes and a far more powerful aura.
"High-grade Corpse-Suppressing Talisman! It really worked! I knew my luck was amazing! First try success—this synthesis is real! I'm gonna strike it rich!"
The zombie jumped up and down, clearly thrilled.
Trash turned into treasure.
Value multiplied instantly.
"I want to try too! I dug out loads of Xuan Yin Stones (玄阴石) from the mines. They're common in the underworld, but if I can get Xuan Yin Iron or Xuan Yin Essence, that's worth a fortune!"
A ghost cultivator stepped up, flushed with excitement.
"Me too! My pills are all low-grade. If I can synthesize them into mid- or high-grade pills, it'd be perfect!"
An alchemist joined in eagerly.
Low-grade and high-grade couldn't even be mentioned in the same breath. High-grade items were true treasures.
Having seen it with their own eyes, many people were now burning with excitement.