In the sunless Earth Fire Chamber, the intense heat made the air shimmer. Bright sparks occasionally danced on the air currents, and the rhythmic clang of metal striking metal radiated outwards.
Zhao Zuo was sweating buckets. The Clear Heart Spirit Jade hanging from his neck emitted a cool aura, doing its best to ward off the oppressive heat and ease his body's fatigue.
Despite several days of hard work, he still hadn't achieved a breakthrough in his technique for forging Spirit Iron.
A long time ago, Zhao Zuo could transform Refined Iron into Spirit Iron with just five strikes. He had been stuck at this stage for about twenty days now. During that time, he had more or less figured out how to break through this bottleneck. What he lacked was either a stronger physique or more powerful Mana.
If he could achieve a breakthrough in either his Body Refining or his Cultivation, his technique for forging Spirit Iron would naturally improve as well. As it stood, the only thing limiting Zhao Zuo's progress was his Cultivation.
But that was something that couldn't be rushed; it could only be built up over time.
Zhao Zuo sometimes used the original owner's memories to analyze the Moyun Sect.
'The Moyun Sect's structure is a lot like a corporation. The Sect Leader is the CEO, responsible for managing the entire sect's affairs while receiving a wealth of resources. The Supreme Elders are like shareholders; they provide the muscle and only need to focus on their Cultivation to obtain bountiful resources.'
'Personal disciples are the core employees, Inner Sect disciples are long-term staff, and Outer Sect disciples are like regular, contracted employees. They can all receive commendations from the Moyun Sect and can also obtain resources and rewards through their labor.'
'And I'm basically a probationary intern who hasn't even officially joined the company yet. I have to crush the competition just for a chance to get into the Moyun Sect.'
'Every spring, the Earth Fire Hall recruits Outer Sect disciples for its forging division. If the body's original owner had successfully joined the sect back then, he would have chosen the Earth Fire Hall too. Now, I'm just starting over from scratch.'
Zhao Zuo already had over one hundred Contribution Points, which was enough to register for the assessment.
The assessment for the Earth Fire Hall's recruitment of Outer Sect disciples was one's skill in forging Spirit Iron. If Zhao Zuo could manage to succeed with just four strikes, joining the Outer Sect would be no problem at all.
'A Foundation Establishment Technique and secret manuals for the Nourishing Body Realm... these are the reasons I have to join the sect.'
Zhao Zuo handed over the finished Spirit Iron through a window slot, then sat on the edge of his wooden bed with a bowl of Spirit Rice. He chewed large mouthfuls and quickly swallowed, wolfing down the food. Although the key that activated the forge had been removed, the temperature in the Earth Fire Chamber was still an unbearable fifty degrees Celsius.
After his meal, Zhao Zuo assumed a posture. His muscles swelled slightly, and as he began his practice, they started to tremble rapidly, as if being tempered and refined into pure gold.
The pores on his skin opened, beginning to expel excess heat from his body along with a large amount of moisture. An hour later, Zhao Zuo adjusted his posture, ending his Cultivation session. The rate at which his body absorbed the Spirit Rice had quickened again, a sign that his physique had grown stronger.
A sudden cramp seized his abdomen, and Zhao Zuo had no choice but to step out to take care of some unavoidable business.
In the end, Spirit Rice was only the lowest tier of Spiritual Object for Cultivation. While it contained some absorbable Spiritual Power, it was also full of impurities. To significantly increase one's Cultivation, one had to rely on Pill Medicine.
Pill Medicine was generally very expensive, which meant he needed to speed up his money-making efforts.
After returning from the latrine, Zhao Zuo felt his Mana was replenished and immediately began to channel it into his Sky-Breaking Saber.
Based on the experience he'd accumulated, the Sky-Breaking Saber would be able to complete its third-stage upgrade tomorrow. After that, Zhao Zuo planned to use his Golden Finger's ability to repair the Golden Light Mirror.
The Earth Fire Chamber's unique properties meant that even with the forge's key removed, the room remained scorchingly hot, making for extremely poor sleep. However, the Clear Heart Spirit Jade allowed Zhao Zuo to get a good night's rest.
The next day, Zhao Zuo woke early but didn't begin forging Spirit Iron. Instead, he started circulating his Mana, making the Sky-Breaking Saber dance around him. After more than a month, the Sky-Breaking Saber was finally ready for its third upgrade.
Once his Mana was depleted, the Sky-Breaking Saber fell back into his palm, and a translucent panel materialized before him.
Zhao Zuo skipped past the text on the panel and directly tapped 'Upgrade!'
A black light, denser than ever before, spread out from the saber. It felt like wisps of a gentle, purposeful breeze, completely harmless to Zhao Zuo.
Gradually, the Sky-Breaking Saber defied gravity and began to float in mid-air. The surrounding air currents started to accelerate. He could feel the saber becoming purer and lighter. Before, its flight had been about cutting through the air, but now it felt as if the Sky-Breaking Saber was mastering the flow of the air itself.
It was all so incredible, yet it was unfolding right before Zhao Zuo's eyes.
It was attempting to master the very creation and cessation of airflow within a certain range, turning these intangible currents into its allies. This was why the Sky-Breaking Saber's flight path now seemed so graceful, like a bird riding the wind.
A sliver of anticipation welled up uncontrollably in Zhao Zuo's heart. He was eager to see what kind of state the Sky-Breaking Saber would transform into. 'If its power can rival a Middle Grade Magical Artifact... my chances of survival will increase dramatically.'
After all, a Middle Grade Magical Artifact was basically the pinnacle for a Loose Cultivator. Only a handful of Cultivators at Qi Cultivation Great Perfection possessed Upper Grade Magical Artifacts.
But then Zhao Zuo remembered that among the Moyun Sect's Inner Sect Cultivators, an Upper Grade Magical Artifact was standard issue, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
As time passed, the black light faded.
The Sky-Breaking Saber's color hadn't changed, but it had shrunk slightly. It had originally been about ten centimeters long, but now it was eight at most. A biting, cold glint shone from its edge, and as Zhao Zuo held it, he could clearly feel its intimidating sharpness.
It had originally been a mass-produced Standard Magical Artifact, born from a mold. Now, its surface was smooth and its form so exquisitely crafted that it showed no signs of being worked by a tool, looking more like the meticulous creation of a master Artifact Refiner.
[Upgrade Description: Slightly increases flight speed. Slightly increases its own Sharpness.]
Zhao Zuo waited quietly for the text to disappear, then immediately checked the advancement conditions.
[Initial Tier Advancement: Two taels of Spirit Iron and two Creation Points. After advancement: moderate increase in flight speed.]
[Intermediate Advancement: Two taels of Spirit Iron and four Creation Points. After advancement: moderate increase to both flight speed and Sharpness.]
[High Level Advancement: Four taels of Spirit Iron, four taels of Fire Mother Stone, eight jin each of bone and blood from a Tier One Wind Attribute Demon Beast, and ten Creation Points. After advancement: large increase to flight speed and Sharpness, and a slight increase to Wind Series damage.]
Zhao Zuo immediately decided to choose the High Level Advancement. Ten jin of Spirit Iron cost three Spirit Stones. A large piece of Fire Mother Stone could be bought for just a few Spirit Stones, and the bone and blood of a Wind Attribute Demon Beast wouldn't cost more than five Spirit Stones.
The High Level Advancement for the Sky-Breaking Saber would cost less than ten Spirit Stones in total.
Ten Spirit Stones for a Sky-Breaking Saber more powerful than a Middle Grade Magical Artifact? That wasn't expensive at all!
Supporting Magical Artifacts leveled up quickly, but their advancements were often gated by enormously expensive materials. Combat Magical Artifacts leveled up slowly, but since their materials were cheap, they were actually easier to upgrade.
However, the advancement also required one thousand experience points, which would take him about forty more days to accumulate. Zhao Zuo couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. The Sky-Breaking Saber was great... it just leveled up far too slowly.
He still had a long way to go before he could truly "break space" with a single slash.
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