Chapter 3974 — Sun Sikong's Disciple

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?

"Yes, but that was only something I said in passing. Don't take it seriously, Brother Lin. Whatever you do, don't touch the cave walls, and don't even think about digging out the spirit jade inside. If you accidentally disturb the protective array, neither of us will make it out alive." As he spoke, Scrap King took a glowstone he had prepared earlier from his robes and led the way deeper into the cave with practiced ease.

A thought stirred in Wei Zhao's mind, and he asked in puzzlement, "If I'm not mistaken, given how close this place is to Mining Areas One and Two, it should fall within the protective array's range. For all we know, we may already be standing on top of it. I just don't understand why none of the protective arrays have been triggered. How could a cave like this exist here for no apparent reason?"

Scrap King shook his head. "I don't know either. It may have something to do with my master. He was the one who brought me here the first time. After that, the old man left without a word, so apart from me, no one else has ever come to this cave."

"Sun Sikong?" Wei Zhao paused slightly. The first time they had met at the marketplace, Scrap King had mentioned that he had once studied for a few days under an artifact-forging master named Sun Sikong. That must be the master he was talking about.

"That's right. My master was a man of extraordinary abilities. Secretly carving out a cave beneath the protective array without Threefold Pavilion noticing might well have been within his power." The admiration on Scrap King's face was impossible to miss.

"A master of that caliber... If I ever have the chance, I would truly like to meet him." Wei Zhao, too, was filled with longing.

The cave looked simple enough, but the fact that it had appeared within such a tightly guarded protective array and had remained undiscovered all this time spoke of abilities that could not be explained in a sentence or two. Whoever had created it deserved at least four words: extraordinary and possessing boundless powers.

"Heh, that depends on fate. Masters like mine are always elusive, glimpsed only in passing and never seen again. Whether I will ever get the chance to meet him one more time in this life... I'm afraid the hope is exceedingly faint." Scrap King sighed deeply.

As they spoke, the two of them reached the depths of the cave. The space ahead was far more open than the passage, covering perhaps thirty or forty square yards. A number of strange and unusual implements were scattered throughout it.

Seeing Wei Zhao studying the implements with curiosity, Scrap King smiled. "These are auxiliary molds that might be used during the artifact-forging process. Whether any of them will actually be useful depends on what kind of weapon you want to forge. Speaking of which, Brother Lin, do you have any particular ideas or requirements?"

"I do. The reason I came to find you this time is that I want you to upgrade a weapon for me." As he spoke, Wei Zhao set down the bundle he had carried on his back since morning and took out an unremarkable firewood stick. It was none other than his refined-steel staff.

The moment he saw the refined-steel staff, Scrap King's eyes lit up. He took it, examined it carefully from end to end, and ran his hands over it once before smacking his lips and offering his assessment. "The materials are all excellent, and whoever forged it clearly had some ideas. But its properties have not been fully drawn out. What a waste."

Wei Zhao secretly wiped away a cold sweat and gave a wry smile. "I worked this thing out on my own through trial and error. I hope you won't laugh at me, Brother Wang."

Scrap King was startled. He stared at Wei Zhao with wide eyes, then said somewhat awkwardly, "So you're an artifact-forger too, Brother Lin? My apologies, my apologies. I was only talking off the top of my head just now. Please don't take it to heart."

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