Chapter 138

Tool refining didn't amount to only drawing inscriptions, and needed to go through many steps. Like smelting, extracting, mold creation, casting, folding, and polishing.

Chen Ming designated the male disciples to be in charge of the physical steps, and the female disciples for the inscription drawing steps.

What? Putting mere youngsters to swing heavy hammers?

Zhuo Qingyao could do it!

One requirement for Dao Sense realm cultivator to break through to Dao Initiation realm was to improve his body power, to be able to lift thousands of catties!

There was no need to mention swinging a hammer when they could mold common mortal weapons with their bare hand, and even shape them in any way the liked!

And so, with Zhang Ming, the first to advance to the Dao Initiation realm taking the lead, the first group of tool refining masters was established.

Towards pill refining, even Archfiend would get to use some of them for their benefit, since cultivating with pills was a long-established tradition. But when a spiritual weapon popped up, not even an Archfiend might get it, least to say about a Regalia soldier touching one.

On Yan Mountain, the ones still left were the Tool Refining Workshop and a Regalia regiment defending the area. As Chen Ming approached the workshop he heard the reports from within. He didn't bring Chen Lingyu with him since only he could refine tools, "Spiritual gold is in the process of melting. The melting is uneven, still containing impurities. It requires a higher temperature…"

…

"Extracting step. Spiritual gold is concentrated. Beginning compression with spiritual power."

"Spiritual gold compression finished, begin extracting spiritual gold's essence…"

"Begin mold creation for defining the shape of the King Slaying Sword. Somewhat mixed structure and needs minor adjustments. Continuing mold creation… "

"Pouring the spiritual gold essence into the mold. Waiting for slow cooling, to avoid cracks…"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Chen Ming heard the hammer strikes, denoting it entered the forging phase. This came down to shaping the spiritual gold into its final form and also removing any cracks formed from heating and cooling.

Chen Ming was done waiting and burst in, then started giving them directions. He showed them how to hold the hammers while striking the metal. With the level of refining, he was at, forging even prototype immortal equipment, making spiritual weapons couldn't be easier.

"You need to be careful of the rhythm of the blows here. It's just like music, you need to alternate between high and low, controlling the force of the strikes…"

Chen Ming gave thorough explanations until they understood, "Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

…

After an arduous process of hammering for six hours, it has finally entered the next step, polishing. This step didn't require as much precision.

A hint here and there from Chen Ming soon settled it.

The last step was the drawing phase, in which a girl, under the watchful gaze of Chen Ming, became nervous, missing one of the brushes by a bit. The spiritual weapon was declared a failure and would end up being recycled since the inscription was botched.

Through the course of fifteen days, the first King Slaying Sword was finally born. Chen Ming took it in his hand and found it close in quality to his own refining. It was only rough around certain details, but not something affecting its performance.

A sound suddenly echoed in Chen Ming's mind, just as he was testing the King Slaying Sword.

"Ding! Due to your knowledge of warfare and craftsmanship, you have created a war altering masterpiece. You earned the achievement Warmonger. You obtained 50,000 spiritual knowledge and the Warmonger Aura. "

Eh? The system evaluated the King Slaying Sword as a war altering masterpiece?

Isn't it too high?

Why didn't I receive it when this Immortal Master refined it before? Is it because the disciples made a large amount?

After all, this King Slaying Sword had no real use by itself, barely any different from other flying swords. But King Slaying Sword had the effect of turning quantity into quality.

He couldn't refine all Regalia Legion's gear by himself, but if he let others master it, then it would turn into a sharp weapon, one that could accomplish the glorious feat of surrounding and killing an Archfiend at the Dao Initiation realm!

An Archfiend that couldn't win in a Dao Initiation realm battle would choose to flee. He could come and go on a whim, bearing great pressure on the other Dao Initiation realm cultivators. Like when a Regalia company of hundred soldiers faced with an Archfiend. They could circle around him and make sneak attacks, yet unable to tie the enemy down.

This would ultimately result in the company killing their enemy's armies, striking fear in those they couldn't be restrained, making terror emerge in their hearts and then turning into a feeling of defeat, thus ending with their downfall.

The most powerful weapon on the battlefield was fear. This was why all cultivators had the belief of one-man army.

But with this King Slaying Sword, the chance for an Archfiend to roam the battlefield would be shaky at best.

But this Immortal Master refines tools in peace, so what does it have to do with this Warmonger achievement?

Chen Ming opened his status and checked the Warmonger Aura.

'Warmonger Aura

Description: For pacifists, danger awaits. While to those who excel in war, death embrace them.(1)

Effect: once enabled, spiritual power operates 10% faster.'

Eh? The effect of this aura is much like adrenaline!

With an increase of 10% in spiritual power's speed, it would increase the speed of using it, launching powerful strikes faster. With him close to having a nine hundred danger value, it was barely enough to consider him a Grand Archfiend. After all, danger value didn't include auras and control over one's attribute.

Adding to that the King Slayer Aura, he would pass off as a bare minimum Grand Archfiend. Wasn't Moon Fiend with his danger value at 1080 a Grand Archfiend? After getting to know Golden Howl's danger value was at 1440, he felt Moon Fiend was the shame of all the Grand Archfiends…

Moreover, Golden Howl also had the Control Aura lvl 2, while Jin An had it at lvl 1. Since they all had it, did it mean this was the innate aura of the lion clan? The style of a king? Worship to the lions?

Golden Howl was at the danger value of 1440, and at four hundred years old. He was wildly known for being at the edge of the Sovereign rank. Chen Ming might not know the power of a Sovereign but he reckoned it wasn't just 1500, that it should be 1800, in the least. This difference was too large.

When danger value reached the 300 mark, one was considered an Archfiend, but Chen Ming has yet to see one with a value less than 350. Once a Fiend General broke through, a fundamental change happened, improving the quality of one's power. Similar to Black Python, who had a danger value of 480 before advancing to the Divine Palace stage, yet rushed straight to 560 afterward.

At the end of it all, he reckoned the difference between a Grand Archfiend and a Sovereign was tremendous.

(1) A twist of the saying: those who like to go to war will perish; those who forget war will be in danger. A detailed explanation here: https://www.chinesethought.cn/EN/shuyu_show.aspx?shuyu_id=3971