Chapter 169: Discovering the Earthfire Furnace and Mastering the Art of Crystal Refining
Wei Xiongtie inhaled sharply, "Could the rumors be true?"
Shen Mo chuckled, "Whether they are true or not, the fact that the temperature here has risen dramatically is undeniable."
"Even if this isn't the third Earthfire Furnace of the Zhongding Sect, it might still be some other treasure, right?"
Wei Xiongtie scratched his head, "Young Master makes a valid point."
"Then I shall accompany you in searching for the source of this temperature surge, Young Master!"
Shen Mo shook his head, "No need. Elder Xiao and I will search. Elder Wei, you should focus on matters within Heavenly Water City."
"Alright, since it's an order from the Young Master, I shall comply!"
"Xiao Fan, you take the northern part of Heavenly Water City, and I'll handle the south," Shen Mo instructed casually.
"Understood, I'll take care of it," Xiao Fan nodded.
...
The next day.
Shen Mo departed from Heavenly Water City, heading south towards Thousand Bamboo Lake.
He moved swiftly, cloaked in a mantle that covered him entirely. Even if someone saw him, they wouldn't know he was Shen Mo.
"This is the place."
Shen Mo soon found a cave on the southern side of Thousand Bamboo Lake.
Just as described in the life panel, after some searching, he indeed discovered a concealed passage entrance.
Sturdy vines grew over the entrance, thick and lush.
If not for actively looking, it would be nearly impossible to find.
Shen Mo parted the vines, and a passage immediately appeared before him.
At first, the tunnel was quite narrow, but the deeper he went, the more spacious it became.
Shen Mo examined the walls of the passage, noticing intricate and elegant carvings.
This should be the architectural style of the Zhongding Sect.
Moreover, he realized that the tunnel did not gradually widen; it had been spacious all along. The narrowness at the entrance was due to accumulated rocks and soil.
"The construction of a natural Earthfire Furnace is a significant undertaking. It's impossible for the entrance to be this narrow."
Shen Mo continued his descent deeper into the passage.
Along the way, he encountered a few small demon beasts, but none were particularly powerful and were easily dealt with.
After descending about a hundred zhang (approx. 333 meters), Shen Mo began to feel the temperature in the air steadily rising. He smiled to himself and quickened his pace.
Another hundred zhang down, the passage opened up, revealing a vast underground chamber.
Before him stood a massive, three-legged furnace, towering thirty zhang (about 100 meters) high.
The entire furnace was made of pitch-black stone, still gleaming with a dark luster.
Beneath the furnace, flames flickered from a deep pit.
The source of the intense heat was clearly emanating from this pit.
This was the very vent of the Earthfire.
Given enough time, this Earthfire might even give birth to the Heavenly Flame of Creation.
Surrounding the Earthfire Furnace were three ring-shaped platforms, descending from top to bottom.
The platforms were connected by stone steps.
"Back then, the Zhongding Sect used this Earthfire to refine crystals. This place must have been bustling with activity. From now on, this is the domain of the Qingxuan Sect!"
Shen Mo's face lit up with joy.
His spiritual weapons, like the Thunder Sword, the Forest Sword Art, and the Demon Armor Bracers, could all be refined with fourth-grade demon crystals, enhancing their power significantly.
Previously, Shen Mo had only refined demon crystals into the Thunder Sword but had refrained from doing so with the Forest Sword Art or Demon Armor Bracers because third-grade demon crystals provided limited enhancement to earth-grade spiritual weapons.
Also, the failure rate was too high.
After careful consideration, Shen Mo decided it wasn't worth the risk.
But fourth-grade demon crystals could greatly enhance spiritual weapons compared to third-grade ones!
"My skills in crystal refining aren't bad. With more practice, I can further improve the success rate."
Shen Mo stepped lightly onto the platform and ascended to the highest of the three levels.
From here, he could directly see inside the Earthfire Furnace.
"There's something shining down there—must be the Hellfire Token!"
Shen Mo's eyes gleamed as he spotted something at the bottom of the furnace.
He flew inside, ignoring the searing heat, and easily retrieved the token.
The Hellfire Token was made of a special material that showed no signs of melting, even in such high temperatures.
Shen Mo stowed it in his storage ring, intending to use it later.
"Time to start refining crystals!"
With a wave of his hand, ten spiritual weapons of the profound rank and ten third-grade demon crystals flew out of his storage ring and into the Earthfire Furnace.
He channeled his spiritual energy, forming an invisible hand that lifted the furnace lid and set it on top.
With a loud rumble, the Earthfire Furnace was sealed tightly.
"First, we begin the calcination."
"After a brief calcination, use a hammer and chisel to create a hole, then pour the melted demon crystal into it."
"Once it cools, the crystal-refined spiritual weapon will take shape."
Shen Mo closed his eyes, mentally walking through the entire crystal-refining process. If he were refining crystals outside without the Earthfire Furnace, he wouldn't need to melt the demon crystals; instead, they would be directly embedded, a method that requires embedding fluid.
However, melting the demon crystals and injecting the liquid into the holes results in a better effect than direct embedding.
This method was recorded in the Crystal Refining Technique for Heavy Weapons, and it wasn't something Shen Mo imagined on his own.
Crack!
The first sound of shattering echoed.
Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.
Crack!
Immediately, a second and third shattering sound followed.
Shen Mo quickly opened the furnace lid.
To his dismay, two of the ten profound-ranked spiritual weapons inside had already shattered.
Many of the third-grade demon crystals had vaporized and, as soon as the lid was lifted, dissipated in an instant.
Shen Mo shook his head but didn't feel discouraged.
It was his first time using the Earthfire Furnace, and he wasn't familiar with controlling the heat, which led to this issue.
He had anticipated such a result.
Without hesitation, he retrieved more profound-ranked spiritual weapons and third-grade demon crystals to start the refining process again.
His storage ring had long been stocked with a large number of profound-ranked spiritual weapons.
Some were gifts from Murong Yue, while others were spoils of war from defeating Feng Lieshan, Lu Xinyue, and others.
Most were unused, piling up to form a small mountain.
As for third-grade demon crystals, he had even more.
Third-grade demon crystals came from third-grade demon beasts, which were equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Such demon crystals were abundant and easy to come by.
Using these to improve his crystal-refining success rate didn't bother Shen Mo at all.
In this vast underground space, the Earthfire blazed fiercely, occasionally accompanied by the sound of spiritual weapons shattering and demon crystals vaporizing.
It was monotonous, yet had a unique charm.
Soon, an entire day passed.
By dusk, Shen Mo's eyes gleamed as he opened the furnace lid.
Clang!
A brilliant blade light shot out.
Shen Mo extended his hand, and a massive saber landed in his palm.
Heavy and imposing, with immense weight and force.
This saber was the one Shen Mo had obtained after slaying the Water Tiger in Feiyu City.
It was called "Bear-Cleaving Mountain."
Already a heavy and powerful weapon, its hilt had now been infused with the demon crystal liquid of a "Earth-Splitting Bear," further enhancing its weight and strength.
Although it was a mid-grade profound spiritual weapon, after crystal refinement, its power now rivaled that of a high-grade profound spiritual weapon!
If he were to refine it with a fourth-grade demon crystal, its power could even surpass the best profound-grade spiritual weapons!
Wielding such crystal-refined weapons could allow him to surpass an entire minor realm in combat!
"I've mastered the crystal-refining techniques of this Earthfire Furnace. It's time to leave."
"If I stay any longer, Xiao Fan might start getting suspicious."
Shen Mo smiled in satisfaction.
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