Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 54: Earth Fire Pond Refining Weapons

"Ah! Oh no!" Song Yu glanced at the shadows on the ground and realized with a start that it was already noon. "Junior Sister Shen is still young and playful. She's been out for most of the day and hasn't come back. I have to go find her."

Lin Jingchu also stood up: "Then Senior Sister Song can go find the person first. I also have some other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

The two parted ways on the spot. Song Yu hurriedly went to find his junior sister, while Lin Jingchu went straight to the weapon-refining pavilion on Tianquan Peak.

After returning to the clan, Song Yu didn't mention the treasures he had given Lin Jingchu during their separate operations in Tiantong City, so Lin Jingchu accepted them without hesitation.

As a family of alchemists whose ancestors had reached the Nascent Soul stage, Song Yu was certainly not lacking in treasures, and mentioning them repeatedly would only make him seem distant.

Among all the items, the most valuable was the precious cone infused with a considerable amount of gold essence.

Before starting to make tea, Lin Jingchu rented a fire chamber in the Refining Pavilion and placed the golden cone in the fire to continuously calcine and refine it.

I have nothing else to do at the moment, so I'll go check on how things are going.

The weapon-refining pavilion on Tianquan Peak is similar in design to the alchemy pavilion on the main peak, both consisting of several-story wooden buildings that encircle the central courtyard in a circular pattern, only slightly smaller in scale.

Lin Jingchu landed in front of the underground fire chamber he rented. The facade looked ordinary, like the upper room of an inn, but in reality, the door and walls were made of ironwood, and there were multiple magic arrays on it for fireproofing, soundproofing, and protection.

He pushed open the carved wooden door, and a long-accumulated wave of heat rushed towards him. The brocade outer robe that Song Yu had given him shimmered with a faint light, instantly keeping the heat out.

Upon entering the room, one sees a square, octagonal earth fire pool, about two zhang in size, constructed of black gold stone in the center. A refining furnace hangs high above, revealing the golden-red flames within the pool. The earth fire churns and surges like a pool of water, radiating an intensely high temperature.

Most of the heat was contained by the array around the pool, but even if only a trace leaked out, it accumulated over more than ten days and made the entire room extremely hot.

The golden cone, which had been scorched and refined for a long time, finally had its patterns crumble and its body soften and deform.

At this moment, only the general outline of the treasure cone can be seen. Its entire body is a dazzling white color, and it hangs quietly in the center of the flames.

Lin Jingchu estimated that it would take several more hours for the mixture to completely melt, and not wanting to travel back and forth again, he sat down on a wooden chair nearby.

He took out the "Miscellaneous Records of Weapon Refining" that he had found while renovating his cave dwelling and began to read it with a calm mind.

Although he had already "learned" Elder Feng's true teachings on weapon crafting, "among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me."

This miscellaneous record contains a variety of information, some of which are quite original, and the top-tier defensive magic artifact mentioned is also quite to his liking.

The earth fire in the pool rolled silently under the control of the array. He would occasionally stretch out his finger and draw in the air, simulating the spiritual array structure inside the magical artifact.

Time slips away unnoticed.

When Lin Jingchu looked at the Earth Fire Pool again, the golden cone had completely melted into a ball of bright, molten metal with a slightly flowing surface.

"Finally, it's melted away." Lin Jingchu's face lit up with joy. He quickly walked to the edge of the Bagua Pool and then lightly tapped his finger in the air.

As if possessing a spirit, the subterranean fire in the pool retreated in all directions, clearing the central area where the molten metal sphere was located. The molten metal sphere, on the other hand, was restrained by the magic array and remained firmly suspended in place.

Then, in the empty area, layers of array runes lit up one after another, enveloping the molten metal sphere. As Lin Jingchu's hand gestures changed, the molten metal sphere began to spin rapidly, transforming into a scorching golden tornado.

After about half an incense stick's time, the rapidly spinning tornado began to gradually separate into layers. All the spiritual materials used to refine this golden cone were separated one by one under the guidance of centrifugal force and the array.

When Lin Jingchu stopped operating the formation, the swirling tornado slowly calmed down and finally split into three spheres of liquid metal of different sizes, colors and materials.

Lin Jingchu left the smallest lump in the pool, while he scooped up the other two lumps from the air and threw them into a prepared mold, letting them cool and solidify into metal ingots.

His gaze returned to the Bagua Fire Pool, where the remaining clump of molten metal was only the size of a child's fist, clear in texture, and golden and bright in color.

This is the gold essence extracted from the treasure cone, and this single point alone is worth thousands of spirit stones.

Once the separation was complete, Lin Jingchu directly cut off the supply of ground fire.

Although the earth fire was persistent and fierce, it was ultimately difficult to control it precisely through array formations. Next, he needed to integrate this ball of golden essence into one of his magical artifacts. This process allowed no room for error; the slightest carelessness could damage the artifact.

Before the high temperature in the pool dissipated, Lin Jingchu summoned the Shattered Leaf Blade and placed it next to the Golden Essence. Then, he opened his mouth and spewed out a stream of true fire, beginning to scorch and refine the longsword.

After a while, the entire blade of the Broken Leaf Blade turned crimson. Lin Jingchu's expression was solemn. He kept burning his true fire and tapped his fingers repeatedly, causing countless intricate and subtle artifact patterns to appear on the long blade.

Under his precise control, the golden essence flowed like water, enveloping the blade and gradually seeping into it.

Time passed slowly. Even though his cloud-patterned robe had a cooling effect, fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Lin Jingchu's forehead.

As dawn broke, the golden essence finally and completely merged into the blade.

Lin Jingchu immediately drew his longsword and immersed it in the prepared spiritual liquid to quench it.

"Hiss—!" White steam billowed out!

As the mist dissipated, a long, feathered dagger hung silently in the air. The originally dark green blade now shimmered with a warm, pale blue luster, like jade in early spring, while the edge gleamed with an even stronger, chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine.

Lin Jingchu's fingertips lightly brushed against the cold blade, his heart filled with joy. This blade had already been promoted to the top-grade level among the highest-level magical artifacts.

"You have been reborn, and the blade is as green as spring water... From now on, I will call you 'Xiuchun'."

He lightly tapped his finger, and two ancient inscriptions appeared on the blade near the guard: "Embroidered Spring".

Having given the longsword a new name, Lin Jingchu put it away and sat cross-legged in the Earth Fire Chamber to regulate his breathing and recover his depleted mental and magical power.

A moment later, Lin Jingchu activated the earth fire again and put down the refining furnace. The room, which had been gradually cooling down, began to heat up again.

Next, he put the spiritual materials he had prepared in advance, such as spirit platinum, black tungsten, and green steel jade, into the refining furnace one by one. These materials were obtained by exchanging some of the resources from that level three falcon demon.

Before long, all kinds of spiritual materials melted one by one in the scorching earth fire.

Lin Jingchu formed hand seals, guiding the fusion and shaping of the spiritual liquid materials with different attributes, while simultaneously adding artifact patterns.

Under his dazzling series of manipulations, a small, close-fitting, and subtly lustrous silver-white scale armor slowly took shape in the refining furnace.

On its scaly chest, there is an elegant, mysterious, and noble dark blue bird with outstretched wings, poised to take flight.

It was the top-tier defensive magic weapon recorded in "Miscellaneous Records of Weapon Refining"—the Mysterious Feather Silver Scale Armor.

In addition to its amazing defensive capabilities, this inner armor can also activate a layer of "Silver Scale Spirit Shield," which can be adjusted at will to focus on protecting a specific area.

Lin Jingchu cast a spell, and the furnace door opened. A piece of radiant armor flew out, its temperature adjusted by the furnace's internal array, becoming no different from room temperature to the touch. He immediately donned it and activated his magic power.

A shield of spiritual light, woven from the illusory shadows of fine silver scales, instantly appeared.