Chapter 226: The Situation and an Attempt to Repair

Chapter 226 -165: The Situation and an Attempt to Repair

Zhao Zuo looked up at the ceiling and sighed softly.

After a brief inspection, he placed the Spring and Autumn Cicada back in its spot close to his chest. He had specifically sewn a small pocket into the lining of his clothes to hold it.

‘Then there’s… the Clear Heart Jade Pendant and the Soul-Shaking Bell. They’re still with Chen Xiaorong.’

Zhao Zuo wasn’t worried that Chen Xiaorong would keep the two Magical Artifacts for herself.

‘Letting Chen Xiaorong use the Magical Artifacts was the best solution I could think of.’

His life had been on the line, leaving no time to think about anything else. Leaning back on a comfortable cushion, Zhao Zuo reviewed the recent events in his mind. He had been wearing the Hundred-Change Mask during the battle.

However, the Hundred-Change Mask’s abilities probably couldn’t affect a Foundation Establishment Divine Thought. This meant Xue Wuxing had likely seen his real face. Therefore, the powerful expert backing the Blood-clothed Man would very likely retaliate.

This was the risk and consequence he had to bear.

Of course, it wasn’t without its benefits. The other expert from the Moyun Sect, also at Foundation Establishment Perfection, must have developed a favorable impression of him. Combined with Chen Xiaorong’s friendship… this trip was definitely not a loss.

‘It’s a pity Chen Xiaorong is crippled.’

Otherwise, the situation would have been even more perfect.

Zhao Zuo sighed again, but then he thought of his shattered Sky-Breaking Saber, and a pang of heartache hit him. He sat up straight, went to the wooden table, and took the fragments of the Sky-Breaking Saber from his Storage Bag. Then, he took out a sheet of white paper, drew the original shape of the saber, and began to piece it together like a puzzle.

The Sky-Breaking Saber’s dual Spirit Patterns had been detonated, unleashing an incredibly powerful strike. The cost and the result were both clear: the saber had shattered into seventeen pieces.

The pieces included the hilt, parts of the body, the edge, and the tip, all in various sizes.

Following the drawing on the paper, Zhao Zuo began to assemble the fragments. He spread a layer of tree sap on the broken edges. It was a natural adhesive secreted by a Spirit Tree. Because its attribute was Gold, it was often used in the repair of Magical Artifacts, though it usually needed to be combined with other materials.

Of course, Zhao Zuo didn’t expect this sap alone to repair the Sky-Breaking Saber. He just wanted to piece it together temporarily to see if it would trigger his Golden Finger for a proper repair. In any case, damage of this severity was beyond his own abilities.

The process was meticulous and required great care. It took Zhao Zuo about forty-five minutes to assemble all the fragments of the Sky-Breaking Saber. Before testing it, he needed to let the sap at the seams solidify.

Zhao Zuo placed his finger on the surface of the Sky-Breaking Saber and carefully channeled Gold Attribute Mana into it, patiently waiting for the sap at the seams to harden. After about three minutes, he gently tapped the saber’s surface again.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

This time, the familiar transparent panel did not appear. This meant the Sky-Breaking Saber couldn’t be repaired. There was only one viable path left… reforging it.

Zhao Zuo stood up and went to the Forging Chamber.

He skillfully activated the Array, and the Earth Fire ignited. Zhao Zuo took the Sky-Breaking Saber apart again and tossed the fragments into the refining furnace to heat them. Due to the special nature of the materials, he deliberately pushed the Array’s effect to its maximum.

He also injected his own Fire Series Mana to fuel the Earth Fire. This was precisely why Artifact Refiners needed a Fire Series Spiritual Root. During more advanced refining processes, one had to use the Fire Series Spiritual Power converted from their spiritual root to raise the flame’s temperature. Only then could High Level materials be melted.

As he injected his Mana, the temperature in the Forging Chamber rose rapidly. Even Zhao Zuo felt a bit of the scorching heat.

But the Sky-Breaking Saber fragments inside the refining furnace changed very little. Only the edges turned slightly red, showing a faint tendency to melt, but this was far from enough.

Zhao Zuo continued injecting his Mana and took a Spirit Revitalizing Pill to replenish his reserves, attempting to accelerate the Refinement of the Sky-Breaking Saber’s fragments. Yet, even with the continuous infusion of Mana, a long time passed with little change. A cold light still glinted from the fragments’ edges.

At the same time, the edges of the fragments continued to radiate a tyrannical Wind Attribute energy, as if resisting the flames, unwilling to be refined.

“You… don’t want to die, do you?”

Zhao Zuo knew this was the remnant Spirit within the Sky-Breaking Saber resisting, which was why it was so difficult to melt. In other words, the saber itself did not want to die. If it were reforged, its shape and abilities might be no different from the original Sky-Breaking Saber, but its Spirit would never be the same one.

The Spirit and the Magical Treasure existed in a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationship.

This led to an unbreakable iron-clad rule:

Once a Magical Treasure is completely destroyed, its Spirit will perish.

If a Magical Treasure’s materials are reforged, its Spirit will also perish.

Zhao Zuo stared at the Sky-Breaking Saber fragments in the furnace. They were still radiating Wind Series energy, not to resist the Refinement, but more like a self-preservation instinct, a will to survive.

Zhao Zuo thought for a moment, then withdrew his Mana and extinguished the Earth Fire.

He had ultimately chosen to give up.

‘Since you’re not willing to give up, old friend, then I’ll give it another try.’

Since the Sky-Breaking Saber’s Spirit was still present, it meant the Magical Treasure was not completely destroyed.

Zhao Zuo once again used the sap to glue the Sky-Breaking Saber back into one piece. He then took out a Spirit Pattern brush, dipped it in Spirit Ink, and began to draw on the saber’s surface. He was attempting to reconnect the extremely damaged Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns as best he could, trying to complete them.

As for the Spirit Seal, which originated from his Golden Finger, there was naturally no way for him to complete it.

Zhao Zuo carefully moved the brush while using his other hand to channel Mana and perceive the broken Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns inside. He drew bit by bit… trying his best to connect the broken points, especially the three most important nodes.

He was very focused. After about half an hour, he had completed one-tenth of the drawing. As he injected his Mana, the Spirit Patterns began to show signs of Vitality. The Sky-Breaking Saber trembled slightly, as if it were struggling.

But in the end, it failed to break free from gravity’s pull. Like a fish flopping on the shore, it twisted its body but couldn’t return to the ocean where it could survive. Zhao Zuo did not disturb its autonomous reaction.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes—the Sky-Breaking Saber still didn’t give up.

Zhao Zuo shook his head and said softly.

‘Looks like there’s still a problem with the Spirit Pattern repair.’

He reached out and began to inject Mana again, only to discover that the one-tenth he had just repaired had partially fractured once more. In other words, his repairs had been rejected.

‘Thankfully… it didn’t revert to its original state.’

‘Rest… I need to rest. I’ll continue the repairs after a while.’

Eight hours passed in the blink of an eye. Zhao Zuo returned to the Forging Chamber to continue the repairs. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to rest longer; an image of the Sky-Breaking Saber kept appearing in his dreams, struggling on the tabletop, unable to float.

This was the spontaneous subconscious of a weak Spirit, nothing profound, but it had a powerful impact on him. No matter how bad the situation, as long as one didn’t give up, there was always a chance.

This was the spirit Zhao Zuo sensed from the Sky-Breaking Saber. Thinking back now… simply checking that his Golden Finger didn’t react and then sentencing the Sky-Breaking Saber to death had indeed been a bit hasty.

‘Then let’s continue the repairs.’

Zhao Zuo spoke softly, then took out the Spirit Pattern brush, dipped it in Spirit Ink, and continued tracing the form of the Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns along the marks from his last attempt. Because it wasn’t heated, the Sky-Breaking Saber’s absorption efficiency for the Spirit Ink was very low, so he often had to trace a single section of the pattern many times before it took hold.

With each success, his proficiency with the Controlling Objects Spirit Patterns increased slightly.

Amidst the ruin, he noticed many details he had previously overlooked.

「Three hours later.」

Zhao Zuo put away the Spirit Pattern brush. The repairs were about one-fifth complete.

The Sky-Breaking Saber vibrated continuously. A cyan wind coiled around its body as it slowly began to rise. Its speed was slow, and it even wobbled, but at the very least, it was flying.

Its… spirituality was being reawakened.

After about a dozen seconds, the Sky-Breaking Saber fell back onto the tabletop.

[Level: Lower Grade Magical Treasure · Sky-Breaking Saber] (Shattered State)

[Experience: 15/200]

[Status: Cannot Be Upgraded]

This meant he was on the right path.