Qingxu Temple, a secluded courtyard in the back mountain.
This place differed entirely from the main sect buildings' solemn grandeur, the Law Enforcement Hall's cold iron-blooded resolve, even from the document room's bustling scene. The courtyard walls were covered with verdant vines, several crooked old pines with peculiar postures, and within the courtyard there were no orderly stone paths—only a foot-worn trail leading to several quite simple, even somewhat dilapidated wooden houses and stone chambers. The air carried faint mixed scents of sulfur, metal smelting, and various unknown spirit plants. Occasionally, low humming or slight explosion sounds would come from one of the buildings, then quickly return to silence, as if merely hiccupping.
This was the place the sect allocated for Luo Feng to recover from injuries and conduct "research." Disciples privately called it the "Peculiar Skills Courtyard," or more directly—"Second Senior Brother's Madman Courtyard." In the largest stone chamber, the scene was even more peculiar. No traditional meditation cushions or pill cauldrons. Instead, various bizarre metal components, containers of liquids glowing with different colors, platforms carved with complex runes, and complex linkage structures of countless tiny gears and bearings hanging from the ceiling filled the room. In the chamber's center, a man-high metal creation—resembling a pill furnace but covered with pipes and observation windows—emitted a steady, low hum.
From a pipe at its top, pure fire-attribute spiritual energy occasionally drifted out. Luo Feng sat in front of this metal creation on a strange chair made from countless assembled parts with wheels. His face still carried the pallor of unrecovered severe injuries, his aura faint, his cultivation had notably fallen to early Qi Refining, with damaged foundations—almost cutting off any possibility of further progress. That formerly carefree Second Senior Brother who loved researching various "unorthodox methods," now could only move about relying on this specially-made chair.
Yet his eyes were exceptionally bright, flickering with near-fanatical light. His thin fingers nimbly moved across a complex three-dimensional light-shadow diagram before him, the diagram composed of countless lines, runes, and energy flows, slowly rotating and changing. "Here. if the third energy circuit node uses a 'stacking wave' rune array instead of a single 'solid source' rune, stability should increase by thirty percent, though it will consume an extra half-breath during activation." he murmured to himself, completely immersed in his world. A young inner disciple named Chen Ming stood respectfully behind him, holding a jade slip and several pieces of oddly glowing metal.
Chen Ming was one of the few disciples in the sect interested in artifact refining, especially in Luo Feng's "unorthodox" ideas, and voluntarily came to help and study. "Second Senior Brother," Chen Ming stepped forward when Luo Feng temporarily paused his thoughts, presenting the jade slip and metals: "This is the 'bionic joint' component attempted according to your previous design, using 'soft silver' and 'wind bronze' fusion forging, along with calculation data regarding 'spiritual energy conduction non-uniformity.' Please review." Luo Feng took the jade slip, his spiritual sense diving in. After a moment, his brow relaxed: "Mm, data correspondence reached eighty-seven percent, not bad. This component. flexibility is acceptable, but buffering for high-frequency vibrations still needs improvement.
Next time, try adding a small amount of 'ethereal wood' powder, ratio controlled below three per thousand." "Yes, disciple will note this." Chen Ming quickly nodded, his gaze toward Luo Feng filled with admiration. Though Second Senior Brother's cultivation was destroyed, those ideas in his head—wildly imaginative yet seemingly pointing directly to core issues—and his near-instinctive deep understanding of artifact refining materials and rune combinations made even this proper Artifact Hall disciple feel inadequate. Luo Feng returned the jade slip to Chen Ming, his gaze returning to the light-shadow diagram, sighing: "Alas, this body of mine. many ideas can only remain on paper now." A trace of undisguised loneliness colored his tone. Once, he too could swing artifacts and fight demonic cultivators as a Golden Core cultivator.
Now he couldn't even personally forge a single lowest-grade artifact. Chen Ming quickly said: "Second Senior Brother, please don't speak that way! Your theories have already greatly helped the Artifact Hall! Instructor Wang said that the 'modular artifact construction' concept you proposed increased their efficiency in repairing damaged artifacts by no less than double!
And that idea about constructing gathering formations using waste spirit stone residue—if successful, it could save massive spirit stones for the sect annually!" Luo Feng smiled, somewhat bitter yet also relieved. The inability to restore his cultivation was eternal pain in his heart. But during these days of recovery, he invested all his energy into artifact refining theory contemplation and deduction. Unable to practice personally actually freed him from traditional frameworks, allowing him to analyze the relationships between runes, energy, and matter from more fundamental perspectives.
He read all the sect's collections, including those considered useless or erroneous refining classics, and combining his previous "failed" experiences, heheaven and earthaccept, summarized, and deduced. Gradually, a theory completely different from traditional refining systems took shape in his mind. He named it "Flow Form Artifact Theory." "Little Ming, bring me those jade slips by my bedside." Luo Feng instructed. Chen Ming brought three differently colored jade slips as told, respectfully placing them on the platform before Luo Feng.
Luo Feng caressed these three jade slips, his expression becoming solemn. These recorded his "Flow Form Artifact Theory" first draft. It didn't emphasize absolute material grades but stressed optimal energy circuit conduction; didn't adhere to traditional rune pairings but explored dynamically changing rune arrays; didn't pursue artifact omnipotence but focused on maximizing specific functions and free combination of different functional modules. This was a completely unorthodox path.
To traditional artifact refiners, it seemed like nonsense. But Luo Feng firmly believed this path contained enormous potential, especially suitable for smaller sects relatively lacking resources with disciples of varying talents. It might even bring transformation to the entire artifact refining field. "This is the foundation section of my 'Flow Form Artifact Theory' I organized," Luo Feng handed one azure jade slip to Chen Ming: "Take this back.
You may study it together with a few trustworthy fellow disciples. If there are questions or you discover errors, come ask me anytime." Chen Ming received the jade slip with both hands, his body trembling with excitement. He deeply understood this jade slip's value—this might be the opportunity to change his entire artifact refining path! "Thank you so much, Second Senior Brother!
Disciple will study diligently, not disappointing Senior Brother's high expectations!" Luo Feng nodded, then picked up the other two jade slips, one red, one yellow: "These two, one is 'Low-Rank Material High-Efficiency Utilization Initial Exploration.' Help me send them to the Scripture Repository. Say. they are this disciple's modest contribution to the sect. Ask the Archivist to consider whether they qualify for inclusion." He spoke lightly, but Chen Ming knew these were essentially the greatest contribution Second Senior Brother could currently make to the sect. Not guarding the sect with martial power, but attempting to open a new path for the sect with knowledge and thought.
"Second Senior Brother, you." Chen Ming's voice caught. "Go." Luo Feng waved his hand, returning his gaze to the complex light-shadow diagram. His thin silhouette in the dim light seemed somewhat lonely, yet contained an unyielding resilience. Chen Ming deeply bowed, carrying the three weighty jade slips, and retreated from the stone chamber.
Several days later, the Scripture Repository quietly added two new texts available for disciple borrowing, attributed—Luo Feng. Initially, they didn't attract much attention. But soon, some disciples encountering bottlenecks in artifact refining, or those with active minds, after flipping through these texts with novel viewpoints and peculiar ideas, seemed to open a door to a new world. Especially "Low-Rank Material High-Efficiency Utilization Initial Exploration," with its many clever ideas proposed—perfect for the resource-tight post-war reconstruction period.
Even several senior instructors at the Artifact Hall, after studying, fell into long contemplation, occasionally sending people to the "Peculiar Skills Courtyard" to consult that cultivation-destroyed nephew on certain questions. Luo Feng still stayed in his small courtyard, accompanied by his diagrams, his deductions, his strange creations. His cultivation hadn't recovered, his body remained weak. But he was no longer merely that "disabled" Second Senior Brother needing sympathy and care.
He found a new direction. A path using pen instead of hammer, thought as fire, opening a road through the starry sky of theory. His value no longer depended on the golden core in his dantian, but on the infinite sparks of wisdom in his mind. This resilience and talent in opening a new path from desperate circumstances began earning heartfelt respect from throughout the sect.
Qingxu Temple's legacy, beyond sword and technique, seemed quietly nurturing another possibility. And this possibility's source came from that secluded back mountain courtyard, from that "disabled" senior brother sitting in a strange wheelchair, his eyes still bright.