I Can Upgrade My Talent Infinitely-Chapter 36 - 316: A Comparison of Pill and Artifact Refining

Chapter 36: Chapter 316: A Comparison of Pill and Artifact Refining

"Senior Sister, you’re so kind," Fang Yun said gently.

That was what Fang Yun said.

However, once he returned the one hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones to Song Qiaoqiao, he had no intention of borrowing any more.

He was past the initial stage now and no longer needed a starter fund.

"Ah... Junior Brother Fang, let’s not talk about this. Let’s go over there and pay," Song Qiaoqiao said, pointing to the counter beside the Library Pavilion’s entrance.

Before Fang Yun could reply, Song Qiaoqiao had already walked past him.

Seeing this, Fang Yun followed.

After paying the fee for the books, Song Qiaoqiao walked out.

"Steward, I’m Disciple Fang Yun. I’d like to borrow these two books."

"Two Lower Grade Spirit Stones." The Steward glanced at the books in Fang Yun’s hands.

"Okay."

As Fang Yun placed the two Lower Grade Spirit Stones on the table, he heard the Steward speak.

"You’ve got some nerve, kid."

He hadn’t clearly heard what Fang Yun and Song Qiaoqiao were discussing, but from the look on her face as she walked over, he knew it was something serious.

"Steward, don’t get the wrong idea." Fang Yun knew exactly what the man was implying.

’It’s because of Senior Sister Song’s great-grandfather!’

He left it at that and said no more. Things like this were difficult to explain; the more he tried, the more convoluted it would become.

"Alright then."

While the Steward registered the borrowed books, he gave Fang Yun an "I get it" look, as if Fang Yun reminded him of his younger self.

After leaving the Library Pavilion, Fang Yun had thought Song Qiaoqiao would have left already.

To his surprise, Song Qiaoqiao was waiting for him by the entrance.

Song Qiaoqiao’s expression had returned to normal.

"Junior Brother, where are you heading now?"

"I’m heading back to my residence."

Song Qiaoqiao remembered Fang Yun saying he lived in the Outer Sect’s C Zone, but she didn’t know which specific room in the C Zone.

"We’re heading the same way for a while," Song Qiaoqiao said.

"Then let’s go together."

"Mm."

Today, Fang Yun wasn’t in as much of a hurry as usual.

They chatted as they walked, and taking this opportunity, Fang Yun heard some interesting stories about the Celestial Cloud Sect from Song Qiaoqiao, things he had never known before.

Not long after they parted ways, Fang Yun immediately channeled Spiritual Power into his Light Spirit Shoes, increasing his speed.

Fang Yun had enjoyed the relaxed and pleasant chat with Senior Sister Song Qiaoqiao.

For now, the Steward’s insinuation and the matter of Senior Sister Song’s Supreme Elder great-grandfather didn’t bother him.

His long-term goal was to take the Sect Leader’s seat in the Celestial Cloud Sect!

The master of a sect has the highest status.

Currently, the Celestial Cloud Sect was a third-rank sect, with four Core Formation Stage Cultivators: three Supreme Elders and one Sect Leader.

This was quite good for a third-rank sect. Maybe before he even became powerful, the Celestial Cloud Sect would become a fourth-rank sect. That way, the bonus Talent Points he received each month would increase significantly.

First and second-rank sects were Foundation Establishment Sects, while third and fourth-rank sects were Core Formation Sects.

Lost in thought as he organized his plans, Fang Yun found himself back in the Outer Sect’s C Zone before he knew it.

After returning to his residence, he started to read the basic books on Artifact Refining that he had borrowed from the Library Pavilion.

He hadn’t drawn a Combat Talent yet, so for the next two months, he didn’t need to invest too much time in Artifact Refining. He had to ensure he refined at least thirty batches of Cyan Jade Pills each month.

Last month, he had refined forty batches of Cyan Jade Pills.

Currently, in refining Cyan Jade Pills, his best result from a single batch was two Upper Grade, one Middle Grade, and three Lower Grade pills.

He had been stuck at this level for a long time.

He was undoubtedly being held back again by the quality of the materials used for refining Cyan Jade Pills.

With the quality of the Spiritual Materials he had, two Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pills per batch was the absolute limit.

His three-star Alchemy Talent allowed him to reach this limit sooner. If he still had a two-star Alchemy Talent, he would probably only be producing one Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pill per batch right now.

After spending half the day reading, Fang Yun now had a very basic understanding of Artifact Refining.

Compared to Alchemy, with its tedious steps in the Pill Formula and various strict requirements for each step, Artifact Refining was much simpler in this regard. But this didn’t mean Artifact Refining was easy.

Becoming a good Artifact Refiner was harder than becoming a good Alchemy Master, but becoming an average Artifact Refiner was easier than becoming an average Alchemy Master.

Given the same set of materials, how to bring out their properties to the fullest extent—this was the test of an Artifact Refiner’s talent.

Also, compared to the resources consumed to train an Alchemy Master, training an Artifact Refiner was generally much less costly.

With a set of materials meant for refining a Middle Grade Magical Artifact, if a mistake was made during the refining process, most of the time the materials wouldn’t be completely ruined. Instead, it would result in a Lower Grade Magical Artifact.

This was why in the Disciple Marketplace, some senior brothers and sisters, when selling the Magical Artifacts they refined themselves, would say: "Junior Brother, this isn’t an ordinary Lower Grade Magical Artifact. It’s more durable than some Middle Grade ones."

An outsider might not get it, but an insider would understand instantly.

It just meant that the Artifact Refining had failed, and they hadn’t been able to produce a Magical Artifact matching the grade of the materials used. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

In the last few pages of the "Beginner Refining Technique," there were also a few sketches of common Magical Artifacts.

The book only provided sketches of their final appearance. The ability to refine materials into that general shape was the most fundamental test for an Artifact Refiner.

For example, when trying to refine a Lower Grade Magical Artifact, a Long Sword, forget about success or failure for a moment. If the final product didn’t even resemble a long sword and the blade was twisted and crooked, it was a clear sign that you had absolutely no talent for Artifact Refining.

Fang Yun continued to read for a while longer, then glanced at the sky outside, took out an Upper Grade Qi Nourishing Pill, swallowed it, and began to refine and absorb it.

No matter how busy he was in a month, he had to refine and absorb at least forty Upper Grade Qi Nourishing Pills. This was the most basic requirement he set for himself in his cultivation. Otherwise, by September, he wouldn’t be able to reach the peak of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

If he didn’t reach the peak of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, he couldn’t even think about breaking through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

...

「Two months later.」

Fang Yun was at the Disciple Marketplace.

"Junior Brother Fang, come take a look at this month’s newest harvest of Qi Nourishing Grass."

"No thanks, Senior Brother. I’m not buying any Qi Nourishing Grass today."

"Alright then. Next time you need Qi Nourishing Grass, remember to come to me."

"Will do."

This time, Fang Yun had come to the Disciple Marketplace not to get Alchemy Materials, but materials for Artifact Refining.

He had more or less mastered the basic theoretical knowledge of Artifact Refining and was going to start practicing this month.

It was worth mentioning that when his Talent Points were settled for the past two months, he had drawn for a Combat Talent both times.

The first time, he drew a Sword Type Talent fragment.

The second time, he drew a Shoe Talent fragment.

If he had been lucky and had drawn the same talent both months, he would have a one-star Combat Talent. In that case, choosing what Magical Artifact to refine first would have been an easy decision.