Chapter 311: Xuan Grade Thunder Stone Treasure

BOOM—

"How did it blow up again!"

"Are these Feique Sect Cultivators any good or not? How many times has this happened this month?"

"Sigh, what do you expect? They’re researching Thunder Stone. A few explosions are normal."

...

Things were different inside the Netherworld Sect.

Due to the cooperation between Wang’an County and the Netherworld Sect to excavate ore, the Longevity Sect sent a batch of players on a monthly rotation to mine Thunder Stone.

However, the batch that was actually sent consisted entirely of players who specialized in Artifact Refining.

Ever since they learned about the properties of Thunder Stone, Shuang Xiahuai and the others knew that Thunder Stone Treasures would be their greatest asset in future battles.

Therefore, their top priority was refining Thunder Stone Treasures.

Liang Xueyao gazed at the Flying Saber-shaped Thunder Stone Treasure that had materialized in his palm.

The Flying Saber spun quietly in his palm.

This was an offensive-type Xuan Grade Magic Treasure, the best one Liang Xueyao had managed to create so far.

It could even be used by those at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He had based the Flying Saber’s design on something from Blue Star. On the surface, it looked like it was made of steel, but it was actually crafted entirely from the materials of demon beasts.

But when activated, the Flying Saber instantly split, multiplying into ten blades, each one radiating a frosty aura.

Within these flying sabers, butterflies shimmered in and out of existence.

A Magic Treasure refined with Ice Butterfly Ore, and with the properties of Thunder Stone, no less.

Not only could the Flying Sabers harm someone, but the butterflies could also injure a Cultivator.

And what’s more, it required no energy to sustain.

Even among Xuan Grade items, this Magic Treasure was considered a rare masterpiece.

He had spent a month and a half researching and developing this Flying Saber.

He had poured all his best materials into it.

The moment the Flying Saber was successfully refined, Liang Xueyao even felt his own cultivation becoming unstable. All he needed was to go out and gain some experience, and he should be able to break through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

Shuang Xiahuai pushed open the door to the Artifact Refining Room and came inside. When he saw the Magic Treasure in Liang Xueyao’s palm, his eyes lit up. "You finished refining the Magic Treasure you wanted?"

Liang Xueyao nodded. "A Thunder Stone Flying Saber, fused with Ice Butterfly Ore. When it splits, each blade is also imbued with the Ice Attribute. Someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage can use it, and it wouldn’t be a problem to challenge a Cultivator one Level higher with it."

"Holy shit! It’s that badass?" Shuang Xiahuai was also an Artifact Refiner, so he knew how difficult it was to work with Ice Butterfly Ore, let alone fuse it with Thunder Stone.

That level of difficulty was astronomical.

He was skilled at researching materials, but when it came to the actual practice of Artifact Refining, he found it somewhat elusive. He looked at Liang Xueyao with a hint of envy. "Don’t tell me you’re a legendary genius?"

’He has to be.’

After all, among the current players, Liang Xueyao had the highest talent for Artifact Refining.

A corner of Liang Xueyao’s mouth twitched into a smile, not because of Shuang Xiahuai’s praise, but because he said, "My brother will have a more suitable Magic Treasure now."

He planned to give this Magic Treasure to Jiang Tianya.

It was, after all, the first Xuan Grade Thunder Stone Treasure he had personally crafted, and its properties were truly formidable. In Jiang Tianya’s hands, its effectiveness would be doubled.

"I thought you were going to use it yourself." Hearing that Liang Xueyao was giving it to his brother made Shuang Xiahuai even more envious. An item like this was impossible to find on the market.

Liang Xueyao shook his head. "I’ll continue to refine a Magic Treasure that’s suitable for me. My brother is always out gaining experience, so this Magic Treasure is more suitable for him."

In fact, he had refined this Flying Saber-type Magic Treasure for Jiang Tianya from the very beginning.

Shuang Xiahuai looked at the Flying Saber. "This Flying Saber is so perfectly fused with the Thunder Stone. Wouldn’t replacing it be a huge hassle?"

Liang Xueyao nodded. "That’s why an average player probably couldn’t use it. It requires precise control to replace the Thunder Stone."

He raised his hand, and the Flying Saber reverted to its original form before suddenly splitting into two halves.

Inside the steel blade, which was already as thin as a cicada’s wing, the Thunder Stone had been endlessly refined and compressed, integrating it into the body of the saber.

"I’ve made some improvements. If you’re careful, it will automatically absorb four Thunder Stones. But if there’s even the slightest deviation during the replacement, the Thunder Stone will explode. So it has to be done in a safe place."

Another heaven-defying aspect of Thunder Stone Treasures was that even before the Thunder Stone’s energy was depleted, they could also be controlled with Spiritual Energy.

It was a two-pronged attack, utterly game-breaking.

He withdrew his hand and asked Shuang Xiahuai, "How are the other players progressing?"

"It seems okay, but I can’t say it’s great." Shuang Xiahuai sighed. "There’s only one female player named Zhaixing who can currently refine stable Mortal Item-grade Thunder Stone Treasures. She’s from the newest batch of players, and the fact that she can even keep up with your progress means she’s exceptionally talented. Her potential for future growth is immense. As for the other players, including me, we’re still no good at this kind of fusion refining. For ordinary Spiritual Energy Magic Treasures, our output rate is pretty good, but most of them are useless and only serve as practice."

Due to the properties of Thunder Stone, refining a Thunder Stone Treasure was a whole level of difficulty higher than refining an ordinary Magic Treasure.

"There’s no need to rush," Liang Xueyao said softly. "We’ve only been here for a few months. You know how fast other Sect Disciples progress. They don’t have such a massive supply of materials for practice. Our progress has already surpassed what others might achieve in over a decade."

The materials that a typical Sect acquired were always limited.

It was impossible to provide an unlimited supply to the disciples.

There were even limits on how many times each disciple could perform Artifact Refining per week.

The Taohua Sect had the same rule for Alchemy.

It was nothing like the players now, who farmed their own materials and consumed them internally, creating a self-sustaining loop.

Shuang Xiahuai nodded. "I know. There’s something else. We’ve managed to build a simple generator. It’s not very effective, but using Palm Thunder produces some results. If we really went all out, we could probably start industrializing within a few years."

Liang Xueyao looked at him in surprise. "You actually figured it out?"

"It’s mainly a combination of Spells. We’ve been to a lot of places and found quite a few related ore resources. It’s just... we can’t do it yet. The changes brought by industrialization would be too massive. Our main focus is still Cultivation, so we’re not ready to make such a big move."

Liang Xueyao understood. For industrialization, Wang’an County’s current area was still too small. Besides, in their current situation where they didn’t have to worry about food or drink, being too rash would only attract the attention of other Sects.

They would have to conquer and unite the lands of several surrounding Sects before they could seriously consider such modern changes.

Liang Xueyao nodded. "So, did you arrange for two more furnace explosions today?"

Shuang Xiahuai shrugged. "Yep. We have to. The people from the Netherworld Sect are watching."

Ever since they came to the Netherworld Sect, it had been for the sole purpose of mining Thunder Stone.

"It’s a shame our luck’s been bad. We still haven’t found any Fourth Rank Thunder Stone."

The Netherworld Sect’s Thunder Stone Mine was indeed larger than the one at the Feique Sect, but it was also difficult to excavate. Most of what they found was Second Rank, and even Third Rank stones were rare.

Third Rank Thunder Stones could already be used to power low-grade Magic Treasures, and they were scarce.

Only someone at Liang Xueyao’s Level would be confident in using them, so they couldn’t just be handed out casually.

Liang Xueyao commented, "The fact that Third Rank stones are appearing at all is already a good sign. We haven’t been here for very long."