The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 237: Baby Steps

Artifact creation was not easy. Even experienced artificers couldn’t create them on demand. It required skill, preparation, and most importantly, luck. That was due to the fact each beast core used in the process was unique.

According to what Li Lang learned, the cores contained a remnant spirit of the beast it once belonged to. Just like humans, each beast had a unique disposition. This made every artificing session unpredictable.

One had to possess all the basic qualities first before they could even take part in this dice roll. There was a reason Li Lang and Long Yi had failed to create an artifact using the traditional methods when their cultivation was still in the Energy Gathering Realm.

Now that they both broke through, their chances of succeeding were much greater. In fact, Long Yi had already succeeded once, having created his green broadsword.

However, this artifact of his hadn’t made any notable waves since he obtained it. That was because it was only a Mortal-grade artifact. Just like with cultivators, there was a huge gulf between Mortal-grade and Earth-grade artifacts. Mortal-grade artifacts only provided a minimal boost to their combat capabilities.

It basically only allowed them to channel more Qi into their weapons without breaking apart. They had no special abilities to talk about. Regardless, they were still many times better than mundane weapons.

As an aspiring artificer, Li Lang had to take things step by step, focusing on mastering Mortal-grade artifacts first before moving on to Earth-grade ones.

After countless attempts and squandering a large sum of materials, Li Lang was currently nearing his first successful crafting session. The spear before him shone brightly, as it was filled with energy. There were only the finishing touches left before it was complete, but these final steps were also the most crucial. Messing up now could destroy the spear, so he had to be careful up until the last moment.

Spectators like Long Yi and Wei Ping couldn’t see much happening from their perspective. Only the artificer themselves would be able to grasp their current situation. That was due to the struggle taking place in the mental realm, where Li Lang’s spirit was facing off against the remnant soul within the beast core.

Li Lang had to carefully subdue his opponent without outright obliterating them. He couldn’t push too hard. He had to exert just the right amount of willpower to force the remnant sprit to conform to his wishes.

The better fit between the physical form of the artifact and its spirit, the higher the success rate. As the most crucial moment where the beast core’s spirit merged with the spear came, Li Lang was finally able to tell how compatible they were.

This—should be no problem! This is my best attempt yet.

Letting out a deep breath, the light from the spear began to fade. When it subsided entirely, a huge wave of Qi burst out from it. Thankfully, the trio had the foresight to set up a basic barrier to contain the shockwaves.

They had learned their lesson during Li Lang’s previous success during the auction. It drew a lot of attention last time, so they learned to use Qi barrier talismans. Still, the barrier had a limited range, so it couldn’t hide the disturbance from the two sitting right beside Li Lang. Long Yi and Wei Ping instantly recognized this as the phenomenon that happened when an artifact was successfully created!

“You did it!” Long Yi shouted. “About time, too!”

Opening his eyes, Li Lang nodded.

“Yes. This is quite a different experience from the time I created the Weave Press. I can feel the curiosity of the nascent artifact spirit. Too bad Mortal-grade spirits aren’t able to communicate anything more than some vague emotions.”

“But this experience should be helpful, right? Will you be working on an Earth-grade artifact from now on? Or will you be trying to create another Mortal-grade one again?”

“Hmm, I think I’m ready to try tackling the challenge, but we don’t have any Earth-grade beast cores yet. I’m going to try creating something for Wei Ping next until that changes.”

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“S-Stop bothering boss,” the man in question interjected. “He should b-be itching to test out his new weapon.”

“Let’s head to the courtyard, then. Why don’t we have a spar while we’re at it?” Long Yi suggested.

Seeing no reason to decline, the trio headed out of their room and went out back to a small courtyard behind the inn.

Li Lang carefully examined his new spear, doing a few test sweeps and thrusts to warm up.

His new spear was much heavier than his previous one. It was made entirely of metal. The silver shaft had many grooves on it to improve the user’s grip on it and was hollow to reduce the weight. All in all, it was a simple spear with no fancy frills to it.

Compared to his mundane spear, which had a hidden compartment to inject poisons, the appearance of his new weapon wasn’t too impressive. However, as an artifact, it was unquestionably better at conducting Qi and exponentially more durable.

“How w-will you employ your poisons now, boss?”

“Hmm, I have the same question. That’s something to think about in the future. I still have the needles if I really need them. My current arsenal of poisons isn’t that effective against opponents of our realm, anyway. I’ll have to focus on that next if I want to improve my combat capabilities.”

“It’s a good opportunity to practice your close combat skills the traditional way, then,” Long Yi added. “No offense to your poisons, but they’re useless if you aren’t good enough to inflict them against your opponent!”

Letting out a sigh, Li Lang spun the spear in a graceful arc and gestured for Long Yi to come at him. While he was reminded of his many shortcomings, Li Lang agreed it was a good opportunity to brush up on his Gliding Coil Spear Art. The sound of metal clashing resounded throughout the area as the two got into a heated exchange.

***

Another week quickly passed, and Li Lang’s group finally neared their destination, Sword Saint Isle.

They had left an entire month early in anticipation of any delays, so they were on pace to arrive a full two weeks early.

Sword Saint Isle, as its name implied, was an island. It was located northeast of the Luminescent Domain. It required traversing the ocean to reach, which was where most delays happened. Thankfully, their journey was smooth, having only encountered good weather instead of storms and powerful Qi beasts that lurked beneath the ocean.

As they drove over the glistening ocean, they soon spotted a figure in the distance. They were riding a Skysword close to the surface of the water. Having spotted them as well, the rider shot straight toward Li Lang’s group.

Neither Ma Kong nor Zhu Yi panicked upon seeing this, so the trio didn’t complain either. The newcomer soon came to a stop once they got close enough to converse.

“Greetings, friends from afar. I am Jun Hao, a disciple of Sword Saint Isle. May I ask if you’re here for the Dark Sea Arena?”

Zhu Yi clasped her fist toward the newcomer and nodded. She introduced herself as a member of Nightmoon Valley, escorting friends to the event. The Sword Saint disciple didn’t ask too many questions and simply told them to be careful before flying away in the opposite direction.

“Where do you think he’s going?” Long Yi asked. “Shouldn’t he be staying for the event as well?”

“He’s just patrolling the area around their island,” Zhu Yi answered with a smile. “As a neutral territory, they’re mindful about the safety of their guests coming into their territory.”

Seeing Long Yi’s confused expression, Wei Ping elaborated.

“Remember, c-cultivators from both the Luminescent Territory and the orthodox sects will be p-participating.”

“Oh.”

The group ignored Long Yi’s antics and continued on their way. Now that they encountered patrols, they were naturally close. Despite being early, Li Lang was eager to explore the island.

The Dark Sea Arena was an event that was big enough to attract members of two opposing factions. He believed there must have been numerous cultivators there already. He was eager to meet new people and gather information from them.

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Unlike disciples of big factions, Li Lang didn’t have any experts to guide them in the way of cultivation. This trip was his chance to bridge that gap.

Like that, their group soon spotted land. Instantly, their eyes were drawn to the towering mountain on the island. That was because it didn’t have the appearance of any normal mountain. Instead, it was shaped like a longsword! It stood upright with its tip buried in the island. It was as if a giant had left their weapon there.

However, Li Lang and his companions could tell it wasn’t a real sword. The mountain itself was shaped like a sword for some reason!

“I guess that’s why this place is called Sword Saint Isle, huh?” Long Yi muttered what was on his companions’ minds.

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