Chapter 3974 — Sun Jichuan's Disciple
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Come to think of it, Wei Zhao had already tried his hand at artifact-forging back in the mortal world. That was how he had made his refined-steel staff. At the time, he had assumed that artifact-forging could not be all that difficult; he had simply been in the fumbling, ignorant stages of exploration, and every craft had its own specialization.
Yet now, from Scrap King's few scattered remarks, Wei Zhao could already sense just how broad and profound this field truly was. It was a discipline no less advanced than alchemy, and to show it even the slightest contempt was nothing more than proof of an outsider's ignorance.
The three men from earlier had all been peak early-stage Foundation Establishment experts. To slip something past their eyes—especially after setting the house ablaze—would ordinarily have been all but impossible for someone of Scrap King's level. Only an expert like Wei Zhao could normally have managed it.
And yet Scrap King had actually pulled it off. Clearly, the artifact-forger's unique method of calming the mind and steadying the breath was no ordinary technique.
"Naturally. And I am not boasting when I say this: even if one devoted an entire lifetime to artifact-forging, at best one could only glimpse the threshold and gain a superficial understanding. To master it completely is simply impossible." Scrap King's face was filled with yearning, and he seemed utterly unable to tear himself away from the thought. After a pause, he rubbed his hands together, barely able to contain his eagerness. "Brother Lin, time is precious. Shall we get started as soon as possible?"
Wei Zhao was taken aback. Seeing how impatient the man was, he could not help laughing inwardly. Pointing toward the ruins before them, he said, "I have no objection, but are we really doing it here?"
Scrap King immediately shook his head. "Of course not. Artifact-forging, like alchemy, places extremely high demands on its surroundings. Alchemy is a little better, at least because there are alchemy furnaces. Artifact-forging, however, has no such thing as an artifact-forging furnace. We can only find a suitable location for ourselves."
"Then where are we supposed to find such a place?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled.
Before Scrap King, he was a complete outsider. Since he had sought Scrap King's help, he could only leave the decision to the other man and do everything in his power to cooperate.
Scrap King gave him a faint, inscrutable smile. "I know just the place. Come with me, Brother Lin."
Wei Zhao naturally had no objection. Scrap King led the way, and the two of them walked for nearly half an hour before finally reaching their destination.
Before them was a cave entrance taller than a man, concealed beneath a tangle of wild grass. Wei Zhao clicked his tongue in surprise. "Brother Wang, if I remember correctly, isn't this place right beside the Spirit Jade Mine?"
"That's right. It's beside the Spirit Jade Mine, and not too far from the best mining areas, No. 1 and No. 2. If your luck is good, you might even dig up some spirit jade inside!" Scrap King ducked into the cave and answered without looking back.
"Not far from Mining Areas One and Two?" Wei Zhao was startled all over again.
If that was the case, then with a little determination, one really might be able to dig up spirit jade here. But if Scrap King knew of such a treasure trove, why had he ended up in such a miserable state?
After all, unlike the mining grounds controlled by Spirit Jade Hall, this place had no one supervising it. He could simply dig for spirit jade every day, and anything he found, no matter how much or how little, would be his own. He ought to have been living quite comfortably. How could he have been reduced to a state where he could not even afford a scrap of spirit beast material, forced to swallow his pride and rummage through things other people had thrown away?