Chapter 193: Refining Grades
Mo Hua nodded proudly.
Master Chen was shocked. "How long has it been, and you can already draw First-grade Formations?"
"It's no big deal," Mo Hua waved his hand and continued, "With a First-grade refining furnace, plus a First-grade Molten-Fire Formation, we should be able to attract quite a few refiners."
Drawing a First-grade Formation, no big deal…
Master Chen's mind churned with mixed feelings. He sighed. "Don't worry. With a First-grade furnace and a First-grade Formation, no refiner could refuse."
A refiner's skill largely depended on their furnace. Across Tōngxiān City, there were very few First-grade refining furnaces, and even fewer that had a First-grade Formation inscribed on them.
Who in their right mind would turn that down?
"That's good," Mo Hua said, relieved.
Then a question occurred to him. "Master Chen, how is the grade of a refined artifact determined?"
"The grade?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded. "Like formation masters, nine layers of runes make a First-grade Formation. So what standard makes a spiritual artifact First-grade?"
Refining furnaces were technically spiritual artifacts, though used for cultivation production rather than combat or defense.
Ordinary cultivators in Tōngxiān City could not forge a First-grade refining furnace. The one Elder Yu promised had to be purchased externally.
But if some independent rogue cultivators were already First-grade refiners, why couldn't they forge First-grade artifacts?
"That's a long story…" Master Chen said.
Mo Hua sat on a small stool, looking ready to listen.
Master Chen took a sip of wine, organized his thoughts, and began.
"First, grading formation masters is the hardest. Only a Ninth-Level Qi Refiner can become a First-grade Formation master…"
He glanced at Mo Hua and cleared his throat. "Normally, only a Ninth-Level Qi Refiner can reach that level."
He continued, "Compared to formation masters, the grading standards for refiners, alchemists, and talisman makers are more lenient. As long as one reaches late Qi Refining stage, gains experience through practice, and achieves a sufficient skill level, one can forge a First-grade spiritual artifact and thus become a First-grade refiner."
"Then why can so few independent rogue cultivators forge First-grade artifacts?" Mo Hua asked.
"There are many reasons. First-grade artifacts are expensive, require rare materials, and ordinary cultivators can't afford them. Some lack inheritance; many refining manuals are simply unavailable to independent rogue cultivators, and some techniques cannot be learned…"
Master Chen sighed. "Of course, the most important reason is the lack of a good refining furnace."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "The furnace is really that important?"
"Absolutely," Master Chen said with a sigh. "The refining furnace is the refiner's weapon. Like a swordsman's sword, without a sword, how can you practice swordsmanship? Without a good furnace, how can you forge a spiritual artifact?"
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, finding this reasoning very convincing.
Master Chen pointed to his own furnace. "Don't be fooled by its old, modest appearance. Among independent rogue cultivators' refining shops in Tōngxiān City, it's already quite good."
He chuckled proudly. "Many people envy this furnace and want to borrow it, but I never allow it. How could you just lend it to anyone who comes to eat?"
"So many rogue cultivators fail to become First-grade refiners simply because they don't have good furnaces and therefore cannot forge First-grade artifacts?"
"Exactly," Master Chen said. "Without a proper furnace, there's no chance to forge a First-grade artifact. How can one then become a First-grade refiner?"
Mo Hua was curious. "Is the furnace really that crucial?"
Master Chen explained, "Refining iron ore from the cultivation world, even monster bones, is exceptionally tough. They must first be purified in the furnace before forging. Qi Refiners have no alchemical fire; they must rely on the furnace. If the furnace grade is low and the fire weak, the materials cannot be purified, making forging impossible…"
Mo Hua understood and asked, "Then if we have a good furnace with strong fire, how does one forge a First-grade artifact?"
Master Chen sighed. "That's a bit complicated."
Mo Hua poured him a cup of wine. "Have some wine and tell me slowly."
Seeing Mo Hua's eager expression, Master Chen gave a helpless smile. "Since you insist, I'll give a simple explanation."
"The grading of spiritual artifacts is determined by the Dao Court. A First-grade artifact must contain a certain amount of refined iron or equivalent materials, undergo a set number of processes, and be forged a certain number of times. These are the standards."
"The most important is the number of forging iterations. Normally, a First-grade artifact is forged a hundred times as a baseline. Depending on the hardness of materials, the uniqueness of the artifact's design, and the complexity of techniques, adjustments are made. After recognition by most refiners, it becomes customary, then officially recorded by the Dao Court."
"Sounds complicated…"
"That's because you're not a refiner. If you were, you'd follow the manual, swinging the hammer and forging iron for a few days, and it would all make sense."
Mo Hua looked at his small arms and legs, thinking better of it.
Master Chen laughed. "Simply put, it's about how many times you strike the iron. The more you strike, the higher the grade will be. As the saying goes: 'A thousand hammerings, a hundred refinings; after a hundred refinings, a masterpiece is born.' That's the principle."
"That's similar to drawing formations. The more formations you draw, the more runes they contain, and the higher the grade. It seems the world's principles are all connected," Mo Hua nodded.
Master Chen also laughed. "I don't know much about formations, but by your logic, that does make sense."
Mo Hua asked, "Is it the same with alchemy and talisman making?"
"Alchemy and talisman making… probably similar, but I haven't learned them, so I don't know the details. Different trades, different mountains, you shouldn't assume."
Mo Hua nodded; that was the truth.
Although he was proficient in formations, when it came to refining or alchemy, he only knew the basics. Many of the details he had never practiced himself, so they were confusing in his mind.
Even within formations, single formations and complex composite formations differed greatly. He was familiar with Five-Element formations, but other structures or elemental formations were unclear to him.
For example, the Three Talents Formation, or the Two Principles, Four Symbols, Seven Stars, and Eight Trigrams formations Mister Zhuang had mentioned.
Mastering and using them in practice would likely be very different from Five-Element formations.
Not to mention the forbidden formations—demonic, beast, evil, ghost, and corpse formations—which were cruel, unnatural, and officially prohibited by the Dao Court.
Then Mo Hua had another question. "Master Chen, are you familiar with talisman making?"
"Not much," Master Chen replied honestly.
"At least a little?"
Master Chen looked puzzled. "What do you want to know?"
"What's the difference between talisman making and formation drawing?"
While training at Tōngxiān Sect, Mo Hua had studied some basic talisman courses, but they were superficial, academic, and differed from practical cultivation reality.
When drawing formations, he often felt that his paper formations were very similar to the talismans he remembered from another world.
He had never fully understood the difference between the two.
(End of Chapter)