Chapter 430 - 396: Yuding Peak
Chapter 430: Chapter 396: Yuding Peak
"Ice Blade Skill!"
At Zhao Lin’s thought, a crystalline, translucent ice blade materialized out of thin air three feet in front of him.
The entire process, from the gathering of Ice Spiritual Qi to the blade’s formation, took only the blink of an eye.
At the Major Achievement level, an offensive Magic could be cast within an eighth of a breath. At the Perfection level, that time was halved again to a mere sixteenth of a breath!
It might not seem like a huge improvement, but in a lightning-fast duel, it was enough to decide the flow of battle.
The ice blade hovered in the air. When Zhao Lin reached out to touch it, an icy chill spread from his fingertip.
If he closed his eyes, it felt no different from cold iron.
"Go!"
With a soft cry from Zhao Lin, the ice blade shot forth, zipping back and forth above the courtyard and leaving streaks of silver light in its wake.
Thanks to the protection of the Fog Illusion Array, he could cast magic freely at home without worrying about outsiders prying.
"Something’s not right. It’s still missing something,"
After a while, Zhao Lin stopped, shaking his head and muttering to himself.
Ever since his Ice Blade Skill had been elevated to the Perfection level, his control over the blade had become increasingly refined.
But for some reason, he always felt it wasn’t truly "perfect."
Practicing magic was like climbing a tall mountain: Entry, Proficient, Minor Achievement... always climbing upward.
Reaching the Perfection realm was like arriving at the very summit.
Zhao Lin knew full well that he had not yet reached that pinnacle.
Previously, when the Spirit Cultivation Map had raised the level of one of his spells, he could master it completely after just a few hours of practice—a day or two at most.
This time, however, was different.
He recalled how Miao Kefa, when demonstrating the skill, had used an ice blade to strike small metal balls, keeping them suspended in the air without letting them fall.
To test his theory, Zhao Lin decided to try it for himself.
He went to a mortal blacksmith on Cuiwei Peak and had him forge three small, hardened steel balls, roughly the same shape and size as the ones Miao Kefa had used.
Back in his courtyard, he tossed the three small balls into the air.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent an ice blade flying.
"Split!"
With a low cry from Zhao Lin, the ice blade instantly split into three, each one striking the underside of a ball.
CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!
The three balls shot upward, flying off in different directions.
Zhao Lin quickly directed the ice blades to strike them again.
After a series of crisp impacts, one of the balls hit the ground.
A moment’s lapse in concentration, and with two soft thuds, the other two balls fell to the ground in succession.
"Just as I thought."
Zhao Lin slowly walked over and picked up the fallen balls.
Miao Kefa could keep all three balls suspended in the air, making them collide with one another. His control over the force and angle of each strike was perfect, utterly effortless.
’I, on the other hand, am still far from that level.’
’True mastery lies in the details. If I were to duel Miao Kefa now, I’d lose for certain!’
"I get it now!"
A look of sudden realization dawned on Zhao Lin’s face as he muttered to himself.
The six levels of magic grew progressively harder to master.
For most cultivators, as long as they were willing to put in the hard work, they could eventually achieve Mastery in a spell.
But reaching the Major Achievement level required exceptional talent and ten to twenty years—or even decades—of painstaking effort.
As for the Perfection realm, it was a state that countless cultivators strived for their entire lives but could never achieve.
’Even though I’ve grasped all the insights and principles of the Ice Blade Skill, to think I could reach Miao Kefa’s level with just a week or two of practice... I’ve been underestimating what a Perfection-level spell truly entails.’
’This is going to take much more time. Maybe three to five months, or even half a year to a year. That wouldn’t be surprising.’
’Only through constant practice can I truly internalize it.’
At this thought, Zhao Lin felt a sense of relief.
’I’ve only been cultivating for three years, and I already have three spells at the near-Perfection level. That’s unprecedented. What more could I ask for?’
"Since it’s going to take some time to perfect my magic, it’s about time I had a magical artifact made!"
For a given level of magical skill, a magical artifact could enhance both speed and attack power.
The last time Zhao Lin had been at sea, he’d fought a cultivator from the Earth Dark Sect. He had suffered a considerable disadvantage when he used his magic to clash head-on with their eyebrow blade.
No matter how hard and sharp his condensed ice blades were, they couldn’t compare to a magical artifact forged from refined metal.
Zhao Lin had checked the market before, but the magical artifacts for sale were mostly standard models, suitable for the average cultivator.
They felt too light and unwieldy in his hands, so he decided to find an Artifact Refiner to have one custom-made.
On his next day off, Zhao Lin took the three eyebrow blades he had seized and headed for Yuding Peak.
Yuding Peak was located in the western part of Han Chi County. It was rich in earth-fire resources, so both the Alchemy Hall and the Artifact Refining Hall were situated on the mountain.
Zhao Lin followed the mountain path upward. Halfway up, he came upon a circular plaza paved with massive stone slabs.
The plaza was lined with stone buildings. Many cultivators bustled in and out, their robes marked with a character representing either "Alchemy" or "Artifacts"—they were all apprentices from the two halls.
Zhao Lin was about to ask for directions when he spotted several Alchemy apprentices and Artifact Refining apprentices arguing loudly, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
This wasn’t a rare sight. Both Alchemy and Artifact Refining used earth-fire and many of the same materials, so the two disciplines often competed for resources and held a mutual disdain for one another.
"I reserved this batch of Mars Sand last month! What gives you the right to take it?" a short, stocky Artifact Refining Apprentice demanded, his voice filled with righteous indignation.
The Alchemy apprentice across from him refused to back down, sneering, "Last month? That’s hilarious. Why don’t you just reserve a whole year’s worth of Mars Sand while you’re at it?"
"Besides, Alchemy is a delicate craft. We need Mars Sand to control the fire. You lot from the Artifact Refining Hall just swing big hammers all day. What do you need it for?"
The other Alchemy apprentices in the crowd roared with laughter at the remark.
The Artifact Refining apprentice grew furious. "Nonsense! Fire control is the most critical part of Artifact Refining! You lot from the Alchemy Hall are nothing but a bunch of pill-rollers, what’s there to be so smug about?"
"Who are you calling a pill-roller? If you’ve got the guts, then don’t you dare take any of the pills we make."
"Fine, I won’t! And you lot can stop using the magical artifacts we make!"