Zhang Yu stared at the Feathered To, where “Azure Sand Lv. 1 (0/10)” was displayed, and couldn’t help but sigh at the long road ahead for artifact refinent.
But the chill of ritual energy rising in his chest the next second cut off that sentint, urging him to press forward.
He imdiately refocused and began his second attempt at refining Azure Sand.
“I bought the rights, rented the lab and equipnt—it all cost nearly 1 spirit coin. Refining just once? Not even close to enough.”
He glanced at the clock. The first refinent had taken just over twenty minutes, and he’d rented the lab and gear for a full six hours.
“Keep going!”
Zhang Yu summoned his Martial Qi, sweeping up the materials nearby.
This ti, his movents were noticeably more practiced. Martial Qi surged out in smooth waves as he manipulated the materials and tools simultaneously.
He felt like the process of refining Azure Sand wasn’t so different from cultivating a technique.
It was as if he were treating the raw materials as a stand-in for his own body—applying various Immortal Dao technologies to transform them, ultimately achieving the desired effect.
Just as refining a technique improved its output the more familiar he beca with it, the higher his proficiency in refining Azure Sand, the better the quality of the resulting product.
Off to the side, Ye Xingli noticed Zhang Yu beginning his second batch of Azure Sand. At first she didn’t pay much attention, but then her brow furrowed slightly.
“Are you using less ore than before?”
Zhang Yu smiled and explained, “Trying to save on materials—this way I can get more practice runs in.”
Ye Xingli cautioned, “Changing the amount of ore changes everything. The Martial Qi, the mana input, even the timing of the Fire Furnace—they all have to be adjusted.”
“If you’re just starting out, stick with the standard proportions. Wait until you’ve leveled up before experinting.”
But Zhang Yu had no intention of following her advice.
Seeing that, Ye Xingli just shook her head and let it go, thinking to herself, This guy… average talent for refinent, but stubborn as hell.
She wasn’t too surprised. Newbies were often like this.
Especially ones who had already achieved sothing in other fields—they tended to brim with overconfidence and usually had to eat a few losses in artifact refinent before learning to keep their feet on the ground.
She watched as Zhang Yu continued refining his mini batch of Azure Sand. In the end, only about half the materials were successfully refined; the rest were wasted.
Ye Xingli shook her head, thinking, That should’ve taught him a lesson.
But Zhang Yu was secretly pleased as he glanced at the Feathered To: “Azure Sand Lv. 1 (1/10).”
So it still counts, even when I reduce the quantity.
He decided to keep cutting down the proportions to see just how far he could go and still have the To register it.
“That way, I can really cut down the cost of leveling up in refinent.”
With that thought, he looked over at Ye Xingli and asked, “Senior, since I’m just refining Azure Sand and don’t need most of the equipnt here, do you want to use so of it?”
Ye Xingli was tempted.
It wasn’t that she was trying to save on the lab rental fee—she had more than enough spirit coins for that.
But if she was going to be standing around watching him, she might as well make use of the ti.
A few extra spirit coins didn’t matter to her—but extra hours for study and cultivation? That was invaluable.
She nodded. “I’ve been adjusting my Law Husk lately. I could definitely use so of this gear.”
“And don’t worry—I won’t freeload. We can split the lab cost fifty-fifty.”
“If you have any refinent questions, feel free to ask.”
Zhang Yu watched her detach her right arm and manipulate the Law Husk using Martial Qi, then place it into a device that fed back data while she infused it with specialized mana.
The stuff I’m refining is still way too simple. Working alone in a lab is overkill.
If I can start splitting lab rentals with soone else, that’s another way to save spirit coins.
Ever since his first successful Azure Sand refinent, Zhang Yu had been fixated on one thing—how to push his artifact refinent path forward while burning as little money as possible.
If I could sell the Azure Sand too, maybe I could even turn a profit?
But he quickly dismissed the idea. No way. I probably can’t make a profit—best case, I just break even.
He knew that sothing like Azure Sand, being the most basic of materials, was already mass-produced by countless companies and factories.
Not only were their costs lower, their average quality was better too.
If he wanted to sell Azure Sand, it would probably have to be at a loss—just to recover so materials.
And large-scale production? That’s way out of reach for right now.
He knew that whether it was Law Husks or artifacts, producing them by hand one-by-one was nothing like running a production line.
“To set up a mass production line, you either buy one outright—which costs a fortune—or build one yourself, which costs a lot less but demands way more technical skill.”
Obviously, he didn’t have the funds or the skills yet.
Better to focus on building a solid foundation and improving my actual refinent skills.
Zhang Yu continued experinting, tweaking the material proportions and refining Azure Sand again and again.
Eventually, he found that as long as he used at least one-tenth of the standard amount, the Feathered To would still count it as one completion.
He grinned. Perfect. That ans I can cut my material costs down to ten percent.
After testing the material quantities, he moved on to optimizing other variables—his movents, timing, and overall process—to shave down the ti needed per refinent.
He understood well that using the Feathered To’s specialization chanic was different from other kinds of cultivation.
Just like with his old techniques—completing a full cycle added one practice count, gradually leveling it up.
The exact process could be sowhat sloppy, as long as it stayed within acceptable bounds.
That was how he had always accelerated his technique training.
Of course, the To’s specialization system had its limits.
Every ti he switched a technique over to the To, it started at Lv. 1, and had to be leveled up from scratch by grinding repetitions.
So even if he had practiced tons of similar martial techniques—body refinent, protective thods, etc.—learning a new one still ant starting from zero and leveling it through sheer repetition.
Artifact refinent, he realized, was no different.
“It all cos down to repetition.”
“But the quality and timing of each session—those can be compressed.”
“My cultivation logic is totally different from how other people refine artifacts.”
While Zhang Yu was repeatedly optimizing his process, Ye Xingli occasionally looked over—and her expression grew increasingly speechless.
“What is he doing? This looks like total chaos.”
“He’s cutting down on materials, and now he’s ssing with the steps and timing too?”
Ye Xingli knew that Immortal Dao cultivation had long since been standardized and digitized by the Ten Major Sects. Every aspect of Immortal Dao technology was now backed by systematic design.
Artifact refinent was no exception.
Gone were the days of scattered sects making things by hand. Even artifact grading, once vague, was now thoroughly systematized.
If a cultivator wanted to improve their refinent skills and make higher-level artifacts, they had to study hard and practice at a high standard.
“Zhang Yu, you can’t just ss around like this.”
She reminded him, “There are proper, systemized thods to save on training costs. No need to wing it like this.”
“For example, you can sell your refined Azure Sand to recover so costs.”
“Lots of teachers and students in the Artifact Refinent Departnt need Azure Sand for crafting. It’s a common base material.”
“You could also use the simulation lab in the Spiritual Realm. It’s way cheaper than working with physical materials.”
Zhang Yu already knew about these cost-cutting thods.
But based on the results he was getting, he believed he could drive costs even lower than the simulation lab—while still getting so usable Azure Sand.
Ye Xingli didn’t know what was going through his head, so she continued offering other ideas.
“It’s not just simple stuff like Azure Sand that you can train on cheaply.”
“Even more advanced artifacts can be practiced on by using low-cost substitute materials to make a lower-grade version.”
“And once you’ve completed the first refinent of a high-grade artifact, you can keep upgrading, modifying, and repairing it over ti to level up your skills—that costs much less too.”
“Like my master’s Nine-Heavens Solar Yang Pagoda—it was gradually refined, polished, and enhanced over ti, going from Lv. 31 all the way up to Lv. 40.”
“In the process, my master’s artifact refinent skill also shot up—the manufacturing tech for the Nine-Heavens Solar Yang Pagoda hit level 40.”
Zhang Yu understood. That ant, with all materials and production conditions in place, True Lord Magneto could now directly produce a level-40 Nine-Heavens Solar Yang Pagoda.
Just hearing the na sounds expensive—and probably a pain to make. he thought. Unless soone’s paying a ridiculous price, there’s no way True Lord Magneto is cranking out a second one.
Ye Xingli still hadn’t ntioned one of the best ways to save money: joining school-sanctioned artifact refinent projects.
Those ca with project budgets that covered materials, lab ti, and equipnt—helping push your refinent path forward at no personal cost.
After all, artifact refinent burned through cash like a furnace. Even Ye Xingli, who was well-off, always felt strapped for funds. Her budget was perpetually overdrawn.
That’s why nearly every straight-A student in the Artifact Refinent Departnt took part in multiple project teams.
In her eyes, budget negotiation was a core skill for any serious refiner.
But since Zhang Yu was just a newbie from the Civil Engineering Departnt, still barely getting started, she decided not to bring it up.
Just as she was lecturing him, Zhang Yu completed another round of Azure Sand refinent.
Azure Sand Lv. 2 (0/20)
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