Food System in Cultivation World-Chapter 458 - 424: Unleashing Inner Strength, Tempered Through a Thousand Strikes

Chapter 458: Chapter 424: Unleashing Inner Strength, Tempered Through a Thousand Strikes

Next, Chen Xu followed Master Mao to begin learning the basics of forging and understanding some fundamental minerals.

It was then he realized that although the Shenji Sect specialized in artifact forging, its focus was primarily on treasure armors and puppets.

The six arts of cultivating immortality, each could be regarded as vast and profound with a gigantic system.

A sect like the Sixth Grade Shenji Sect having two major focal areas is already considered quite remarkable.

In fact, not to mention the Shenji Sect,

but even some Fifth Grade and Fourth Grade sects, though centered on artifact forging, often only excel in crafting specific types of magical treasures.

To be skilled in every aspect would require a sect above the Third Grade to achieve.

However, the foundational techniques are generally universal among all sects.

Master Mao first taught Chen Xu to recognize a hundred types of ordinary minerals, then selected two basic ones for him to personally forge a chest-protecting mirror.

This is the simplest artifact to forge, not even requiring the engraving of formation patterns.

As long as it’s a Ninth Grade and above spiritual material, after a hundred refinements, it can naturally exhibit a slight spiritual quality, thus becoming a low-grade artifact.

However, a hundred refinements are not easy, Master Mao chanted with a slow melody, guiding Chen Xu:

"Open the furnace to obtain leaving fire, forge to channel Geng Metal.

Leave the essence soul with a thousand hammers, listen to the tool sing thrice as it quenches.

Disciple, it’s crucial to pay attention to both the intensity of the heat and force, and the angle when striking iron.

Listen to the sound of each hammer strike, does the Xuan Yang refined iron resonate with you?

Observe, is it stretching or fracturing?

Are you removing impurities bit by bit and retaining the essence, or heading in completely the wrong direction without a promising end...

Here, strike here with three parts of strength.

Hey, at this point, use nine parts of energy! Just like this, quickly now, my disciple.

Strike, strike the iron like swift rain, let the hammer fall like starfire.

Disciple, is your True Yuan sufficient, or are you running out of energy? Beware, initially when forging iron, do not rush by infusing True Yuan all at once.

Use your own strength, for this also trains your physical body, preparing you for the Hundred Refinements Forge Spirit Technique later on!"

Master Mao guided Chen Xu bit by bit.

In the forging chamber, the furnace fire gradually rose, the intense glow making the entire crafting room seem like a burning forge.

Chen Xu usually appeared as a genteel gentleman; even when cooking, he always displayed calm demeanor, dressed meticulously, the most elegant among chefs.

But now in this forging chamber, he removed his outer garment, rolled up his sleeves, and even slightly loosened his collar.

This was a style Chen Xu had never shown before.

He raised the hammer and started pounding relentlessly on that piece of Xuan Yang refined iron heated to crimson red atop the workbench.

Initially not knowing the method, he gradually found the rhythm, and Chen Xu suddenly discovered the joy of forging.

He realized that Master Mao teaching him to strike the refined iron at different angles and with varying force was also simultaneously training his physique.

Chen Xu’s Tri-Attribute was inherently high, with robust Qi Blood and a body full of Divine Power.

However, in daily life, this Divine Power seldom found a place to be utilized, and sometimes, when his attributes increased, he found it hard to distinctly feel the changes himself.

After all, when attribute values reach a certain height, slight improvements appear like raindrops merging into the lake, hardly stirring much ripple.

Recently, it seemed as though these attribute values had become useful mainly for transforming True Yuan.

But today, Chen Xu realized the fact was not so.

Ultimately, it was his inadequate utilization of his physique; he focused on cultivating True Yuan but almost neglected forging his body.

The Firewood Splitting Knife Technique doesn’t temper the body; the Stove Fire Body Protection Technique does, but that tempering merely helps to pile up and increase the body’s strength and serves a protective purpose.

At its core, it focuses on a passive attribute.

This resulted in Chen Xu constantly lacking autonomous control over his body physique.

In other words, he could be called adept in employing True Yuan magic, yet in terms of mastering his own physical form, he was almost entirely acting on instinct—

He couldn’t even be considered a beginner.

Yet until this moment, as he proceeded with the hammering before him, Chen Xu suddenly discovered his strength was increasing!

This wasn’t really his strength increasing, but rather that at the same moment, the power he could control had increased.

Gradually, his whole body’s Qi and blood surged.

The formerly mere numerical stacking of his Tri-Attribute began to release, and with each hammer fall, Chen Xu even felt like he could smash the refined iron into iron slag!

This is his strength.

But strength should not only be released, it must also be contained.

Good refined iron, really if hammered into iron slag, then what would be left to forge?

Chen Xu held the hammer, veins bulging at his wrist.

Thud, thud, thud!

He hammered the refined iron before him, realizing that containing strength was more difficult than releasing it.

But the control effect gained from containing the strength was also stronger.

At some point, Chen Xu also noticed his eyesight improving, with Qi and blood surging around him, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s.

He could even faintly see through sight which parts of the refined iron before him needed impurities removed and which parts needed the essence to be preserved.

Master Mao’s guiding voice continued incessantly near his ear.

Yet, Chen Xu’s attention completely focused on the refined iron in front of him.

Not only did he hear Master Mao’s voice in his ears, but also seemed to hear the breathing of the iron block before him.

A breath out, removing impurities.

A breath in, as the spiritual essence within the refined iron aligned, converged under the guidance of the hammer, orderly advancing!

Eventually, who knows how long had passed when Chen Xu struck the final hammer blow. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Only to hear Master Mao’s loud cry beside his ear: "Quench quickly! Now is the moment, do not delay.

Quick, immerse in the cold pool water seven parts deep!"

Chen Xu grabbed the iron with tongs, holding the mirror-like iron piece, and immersed it in the cold pool water beside him.

The iron piece was submerged seven parts deep in the pool water, neither more nor less.

Hiss—

The gaseous mist evaporated from the pool water, and the immersed iron piece even emitted a humming vibration.

For a moment, Chen Xu even felt that what he held in the tongs wasn’t an iron piece, but like a living being!

He needed to apply slight pressure to ensure the iron piece remained pinched by the tongs.

Then, Master Mao exclaimed with delight: "Alright, quickly take it out.

The spiritual pattern of the artifact, excellent, although this is merely the simplest Ninth Grade artifact, with the emergence of the spiritual pattern, this chest-protecting mirror can already be considered a middle Ninth Grade artifact."

Chen Xu retrieved the iron piece from the pool water, released the tongs, and held the round mirror-like iron piece in his hand.

At this time, the sensation of his whole body’s Qi and blood boiling had not yet faded.

His body radiated heat, and his palm was also extremely hot and forceful.

The round mirror-like iron piece was held in his hand, at first glance, it was as bright as a mirror, the brightness capable of reflecting faces.

At a second glance, the edge of this chest-protecting mirror naturally bore a flame-like entwining pattern.

This was definitely not a pattern manually engraved by Chen Xu.

His heart slightly surged with emotion, he couldn’t help but ask Master Mao: "Master, what does middle Ninth Grade mean?

Even with a spiritual pattern, is it only middle Ninth Grade?"