Chapter Twenty-Nine: Could He Really Forge Artifacts?

Upon hearing that Mo Xuan intended to make a purchase—and more importantly, that he had actually asked to borrow money—Meng Yao was overjoyed. She concluded that Mo Xuan must have had a change of heart and was finally ready to fight back.

"I... I will lend you four million! Bid whatever you like! If it's not enough, I'll give you more."

"There's no need for that much." Mo Xuan felt that if the price went too high, Chen Pengfei might not be able to cover it, and besides, reaching the threshold was all that mattered. If he could buy it, great; if not, so be it. It wasn't a necessity.

"I bid four million spirit coins." Mo Xuan’s opening salvo was bold, projecting an air of absolute certainty, as if victory were already within his grasp.

Mo Xuan’s move left Chen Pengfei bewildered, yet this clearly signaled a determination to win. Perhaps he now realized that Mo Xuan’s previous antics were mere deceptions and that this move was the real deal. For a moment, he felt a grudging sense of respect.

Meng Yao was equally impressed by Mo Xuan’s strategy and couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up. By using a series of prior actions to make others think he wanted certain items, he had waited until only two lots remained before striking, driving the price up to its maximum. Surely no one would dare to outbid him now. Moreover, with the grand finale still to come, if anyone kept bidding, they would likely have to forfeit their chance at the last item.

Chen Pengfei was naturally furious. With only one item left, if he pushed the bid higher, he would have to give up on the final piece. Yet, losing his composure, he let his temper get the better of him and shouted, "Five million spirit coins!"

He expected Mo Xuan to continue, but there was nothing. Mo Xuan had stopped.

"Thanks for the two million spirit coins."

"What do you mean?" Meng Yao was confused by Mo Xuan’s remark.

"Actually, I was just testing him. I didn't expect him to be so relentless, so I figured I’d just let it go." After all, that was the limit of what he could afford.

"Are you really willing to just give it up?" Meng Yao felt a tinge of regret for him.

"I was just scaring him. I never intended to buy it anyway. Besides, the Sword Saint’s legacy contains many techniques of high rank. I can always just learn swordsmanship later, haha," Mo Xuan replied.

"That’s great! Welcome to the club," Meng Yao said, choosing not to comment further, though she was clearly pleased.

"Also, since I’ve helped you eliminate a major rival, if the final item can be divided, would you sell me a portion?" Mo Xuan asked.

"Oh, you even managed to rope me into this! I thought you were unwilling to accept anything from me!" Meng Yao was genuinely surprised by Mo Xuan’s shift in attitude.

"Cough, cough. It doesn't matter to me, as long as I pay the fair price!" Mo Xuan replied.

To prevent Mo Xuan from buying worthless items, Chen Pengfei had squandered over ten million spirit coins. He now stood no chance for the final item, and the Chen family wasn't wealthy enough to simply ignore the loss of ten million coins.

The final auction item was a material called Blue-Red Profound Gold, one of the essential components for crafting divine artifacts. A divine artifact is a level of equipment that surpasses a standard magical treasure. Magical treasures are categorized as low, middle, high, supreme, and ultra-grade, with divine artifacts sitting above them. Although this was a material for divine artifacts, it could still be used to enhance ordinary treasures. Items crafted with Blue-Red Profound Gold could be refined further, making it a highly practical and valuable resource. It was no wonder so many people were here to bid on it.

Divine artifacts were legendary, and records of them in this land were scarce, so it was almost certain that this material would be used for high-end magical treasures. Even so, it was incredibly precious. A high-grade treasure would rarely sell for less than a million spirit coins, let alone one of supreme or ultra-grade quality, so its value was clear.

The starting bid was five million spirit coins. Its true value was far higher, but because the piece of Blue-Red Profound Gold on auction was only the size of a human hand, it was relatively affordable. Even so, it remained expensive; only a few families in Luochuan City could afford such a price.

Consequently, only a few parties competed: the Bai family, the Jun family, and the Yu family. The Chen family was absent, but the others were unwilling to overspend. In the end, it fell to Meng Yao for twelve million spirit coins. Her extravagant spending was breathtaking, leaving many to speculate about her background.

"Sigh, it’s just too small. If only it were bigger!" Meng Yao said, shaking her head in dissatisfaction. "My materials aren't complete yet, so if you want to use some, I can share."

She really didn't care at all. Mo Xuan thought to himself that if he had Meng Yao’s help, he could save a lot of effort. "Thank you, I won't stand on ceremony. I currently need a middle-grade treasure."

Regardless, Mo Xuan had helped Meng Yao save a significant sum; otherwise, she likely would have had to pay much more to secure it. Mo Xuan paid Meng Yao one million spirit coins.

Meng Yao seemed to think it was a bit low. "Give me another five hundred thousand, plus the materials, and I’ll craft a weapon for you. No, make it a million. You have plenty, and it won't be a waste. Perhaps I can even craft a high-grade treasure for you." She said the last part softly, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Mo Xuan didn't sense anything amiss. After a brief hesitation, he felt the price was reasonable. With the infusion of Blue-Red Profound Gold, a middle-grade treasure had the potential to be upgraded to a high-grade one; even if it failed, it would still be superior to an ordinary middle-grade item. Following the principle of equivalent exchange, he agreed, though he realized he would have to put his plans for the supreme-grade medicinal potion on hold.

There was one more thing—he was surprised that Meng Yao knew how to craft weapons. "Can you really do it?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"I just thought that as a girl, you wouldn't be interested in such a profession."

Meng Yao felt like her head was about to explode. She glared at him and snapped, "Hmph, I didn't take you for that kind of person." With a cold snort, she turned and left, ignoring him entirely.

Mo Xuan was left completely baffled, having no idea which words had offended her, and thus had no way to apologize. Since he had spent the five hundred thousand spirit coins he had earned, he couldn't answer to Lan Bing. In the end, he had to tell her the truth.

Lan Bing didn't seem to mind. As a master of supreme-grade potions, earning spirit coins was easy for her; she could just spend ten or fifteen days brewing some third or fourth-grade potions to recoup the loss. When she heard why Meng Yao was angry, she couldn't help but laugh. "You, oh, you."

Through Lan Bing’s guidance, Mo Xuan finally understood his mistake. He shouldn't have brought up the subject of weaponsmithing. While it might be fine for ordinary craftspeople, Meng Yao was the young sect leader of the Fire-Heart Fox clan—and a young woman at that—so mentioning such things so casually was inappropriate.

For the next while, Mo Xuan tried to unlock the second stage of the Seven-Heart Technique, but it remained difficult, and he seemed to have hit a bottleneck. He recalled the opening incantation: "Spirit unified with the seven, three realms etched in the heart; clearing the meridians, guiding the source, tempering the body, gathering the myriad origins into the spirit pulse!"

It was said that each line corresponded to the depth of a book, but after mastering the basics, Mo Xuan could find no opportunity to advance. He had finished reading the content, which wasn't overly complex, but he couldn't find the catalyst for his breakthrough. He didn't know why the second half of every book was blank, containing only a table of contents with no substance.

Currently, based on his entry-level mastery and his interpretation of the existing content, he had only reached the first stage—"Inch of Heart." This meant maximizing the utilization of one's own power. Since he didn't understand, he went to ask Lan Bing.

Before he could even ask, Lan Bing preempted him. "I can't help you anymore. The first stage you’ve realized is likely very different from mine. The path ahead is yours to walk."

Mo Xuan knew this, but he wanted to seek experience. "I just want some guidance. Also, I don't understand why the second half is blank. Do I need to see it with my mind's eye?"

Lan Bing slapped him on the head and said, annoyed, "You fool, haven't you tried?"

"I did!"

"And?"

"Nothing!"

"So you aren't completely hopeless after all, haha." Lan Bing looked a bit sheepish. "Well, I don't know either. You'll have to find a way to solve it yourself. Just remember one thing: the content and methods each person realizes are different; it must be based on your own characteristics."

Truth be told, Lan Bing had said something similar at the start, and Mo Xuan had noted it down, but he hadn't taken it to heart. Now, it seemed to carry deeper meaning.

"Based on my own characteristics..." Mo Xuan returned home and thought carefully. What was his greatest feature? It was his illusion techniques. This ability allowed him to square off against opponents who were even two major levels above him.

Suddenly, a door seemed to open. This time, he used his own illusion techniques to look with his mind's eye again. The second half of the book revealed faint, blurry text. It wasn't physical; the words were there, but he couldn't see them clearly. Was his method of opening it wrong? He tried several more times, but the result remained the same.

As he continued to experiment, Mo Xuan gained a deeper realization. There was an intangible sensation, as if a sky separated him from that door, preventing him from reaching it to open it. He vaguely sensed that this was because his current realm was insufficient.

Yet, he was happy. He had found the road to the next stage. Perhaps it only required constant trial and error. Gradually, he felt he had found a lead—a key to the next realm. The general approach was to constantly try to integrate the technique with his most proficient skill.

Afterward, Mo Xuan tried other methods, including endurance and speed, but the results were unsatisfactory. Some could be integrated, others could not, and those that could were almost all related to the "Inch of Heart" stage. Only then did he truly understand that the first stage was not as simple as it seemed.