736 Putting Me in My Place? (2/2)

”There's still use for this Void Piercing Awl. Send it to Liu Mingfei. He has a day to extract the Void Piercing Stones inside. I want at least seventy percent of the stones out!”

The young cultivator was at the late-stage Core Formation realm. He seemed to be a master at refining armaments. He only needed a single glance at the materials or artifacts in order to identify the problem with the item. He was curt, and his words filled with impatience.

He threw a Dharmic Artifact over to another cultivator and instructed the latter on what to do with it. It was then that he noticed Wang Baole's arrival. He lifted his head, frowning slightly as his eyes fell on Wang Baole.

”Greetings to Senior Brother Li Chen!” The moment the young man's eyes fell on them, the middle-aged cultivator next to Wang Baole trembled and stepped forward. He cupped his fists and gave Li Chen a deep bow. His attitude towards Li Chen was more respectful and deferential than what he had displayed towards Wang Baole.

Wang Baole finally recognized who stood before him. Long Nanzi's memories pinned him as the disciple under the fifth elder's personal guidance. He was gifted at armament refinement and considered a prodigy in the Holy Crest Sect. Their social circles didn't intersect with one another, generally. Now that Wang Baole had seen Li Chen, he couldn't help the sudden idea that popped up in his head. He assessed the feasibility of transforming into this person.

Now wasn't the right time to strike, but the gears in Wang Baole's head spun furiously. He decided to set this idea aside for the moment.

Just as Wang Baole shelved his idea of killing the young man, the latter, who had no idea he had just escaped death, waved his arm. He didn't spare a glance at the middle-aged cultivator who had greeted him. Instead, he glared at Wang Baole impatiently, then said angrily, ”You're late, Long Nanzi! Every second is precious as we work to repair the battleship. Don't repeat this mistake!”

”I'll hand this Spirit Illusory Ore to you. Go and find a station that's unoccupied. You have twenty-four hours to distill Spirit Illusory Liquid from the ore. There shouldn't be more than twenty percent wastage!”

The young man waved his hand and flung a stone at Wang Baole. It was the size of one's fist and gave off a purple glow. Li Chen ignored Wang Baole after that and continued to attend to other materials and their treatment. Long Nanzi was of little significance to him. There wasn't a need for him to spend too much time talking to someone like that. If Long Nanzi couldn't complete the task given to him, he'd just have to pack up and leave.

”Hmm?” Wang Baole raised one eyebrow as he caught the Spirit Illusory Ore. It was an ore unique to the Divine Eye civilization. He had read about it in the records before. With certain special treatments, the ore could be melted down into a spirit liquid called Spirit Illusory Liquid. The liquid was generally used to increase the success rate of refinements.

However, wastage would inevitably occur during the process of melting down the ore. The acceptable range of wastage was fifty percent and below. Twenty percent was… going to be a challenge.

Is he trying to put me in my place? Wang Baole glanced at the youth, then laughed suddenly. He had never been the sort of person to take things lying down. Besides, he was in his avatar form now with his true form safely hidden in the coffin. If things went south, he could take on another identity immediately. He wasn't planning to cause trouble if no one caused trouble for him, but should someone offend him, Wang Baole wasn't going to simply let them go. He didn't care who it was, even if it were the Grand Supreme Elder of the Holy Crest Sect.

Wang Baole flipped the hand that was holding the Spirit Illusory Ore, and a blue flame flared inside his palm and enveloped the ore. The technique to melt down the ore appeared in Wang Baole's head. Even though this was his first time doing it, his talent and solid foundation in armament refinement allowed him to master the technique almost instantly. The fire in his palm grew increasingly hotter, and its color began to change rapidly.

The sight caught everyone's attention. Unhappiness flashed across Li Chen's eyes, and he turned around, his eyes cold. However, the look on his face soon shifted to shock.

”Spirit Illusory Ore can be melted down by alchemical fire. Between each count, the fire will undergo six hundred and ninety-six cycles and change colors two hundred and thirty-three times. By ensuring that the rate of burning is apace with one's breathing, we can introduce Spirit Qi and further nourishment to the melting process, ensuring a successful distillation. During the process, we'll have to watch out for any inscriptions that may appear as cracks on the ore and adjust the heat accordingly. Even though zero wastage cannot be achieved, theoretically speaking, we can reduce wastage to something approaching zero!” Wang Baole explained coolly as he refined the ore.

”Of course, that is beyond my humble means. What I can do is… to reduce wastage to ten percent!” Wang Baole continued casually. Everyone around him, including the middle-aged cultivator, watched with astonishment as he waved his right hand and extinguished the flames. A ball of liquid exuding a strange purple light appeared above his palm!

It was a purple, clear liquid that sparkled like treasure. Everyone was drawn to it subconsciously. This was… Spirit Illusory Liquid!

”My god, this is… supreme-grade Spirit Illusory Liquid!” The middle-aged cultivator standing next to Wang Baole gasped. Shock descended upon the public square.