In the courtyard, Lu Jun finally laid eyes on the special alloy produced by the magic laboratory. Shaped into a heavy sword, it was a pitch-black, gleaming strip about four feet long (approximately 1.2 ters), exuding an impression of imnse weight.
"Zhenjin, the hardest tal in the world, cos from the depths of the universe and is mined from fallen teorites. If it weren't for its lack of magical properties or special effects, one might mistake it for a powerful magic tal," Lu i introduced.
She continued, "This alloy, made with Zhenjin as the main component and blended with other tals, boasts exceptional properties. It can withstand the strength of a Commander-level demon without breaking and remains completely undamaged even under the attacks of high-tier mages."
Demons were humanity's greatest enemy, categorized from the lowest Servant-level to Warrior-level, Commander-level, Lord-level, and King-level, corresponding to the five human magical stages: beginner, interdiate, advanced, and beyond.
Typically, demons possessed imnsely strong bodies and demonic magic. Their combat ability was equivalent to seven or eight mages of the sa level. This applied even at the Servant-level, and the gap widened significantly at higher tiers.
Only a handful of extraordinary individuals—those gifted with superior talent, magical equipnt, and spiritual seeds—could single-handedly confront demons of equivalent rank.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this must take super-tier fire magic to lt. What a steal."
Lu Jun realized how much of a bargain it was to acquire this alloy for just a million yuan.
"Go on, try it out!" Lu i urged excitedly, her curiosity evident. "I haven't seen any of the skills of this new magic elent yet. If it's powerful, I might awaken it in the future."
Hearing this, Lu Jun admired his sister's boldness and confidence in the new elent he had pioneered.
"Beginner Level 1: Forge · Sharpen!"
Lu Jun guided his star energy, casting the beginner-level tal magic. A platinum-colored star trail appeared, resembling a sharp flying sword.
This faint white streak didn't dissipate but instead hovered mid-air as a phantom, connected by seven shining stars.
Picking up the heavy Zhenjin sword, he directed the streak to fall upon it. A sizzling sound echoed as the black alloy, though incredibly hard and unyielding, was marked with glowing red lines under the influence of the magic.
Buzz!
Gripping the heavy sword with both hands, Lu Jun imbued it with a platinum glow that spread across its length, as though infusing it with a mystical vitality.
Soon, his face turned pale as his ntal energy dimd, his tallic stardust running dry.
Clang!
The Zhenjin sword emitted a resonant hum. Its black surface glead anew, now interwoven with golden patterns, exuding an aura of majesty and sanctity.
"Success! It's transford into a demon-slaying weapon!" Lu Jun exclaid in delight, sensing the sword's ability to rge into his tallic stardust for nurturing.
This was a defining characteristic of magical equipnt—once imprinted with a mage's spiritual signature, it could be stored within their ntal world, becoming a mark. When infused with energy, it would reappear in the physical realm.
The ntal world served as a sort of independent space.
For tal mages, they were restricted to a single piece of exclusive equipnt, akin to a life-bound magical treasure that accompanied them for life.
The newly-forged Zhenjin sword now bore intricate golden patterns. When inactive, it retained its tallic sheen; in combat, it radiated a platinum brilliance, bestowing unparalleled slaying power.
Lu i was astonished. She hadn't expected such a masterpiece to erge. Within the beginner stage, this magical weapon was undoubtedly top-tier. Its durability alone surpassed many Soul-level artifacts, instantly multiplying its value several tis over.
Her own shield, worth only tens of thousands, could barely withstand a full-power strike from an upper-mid-tier Servant-level demon.
As Lu Jun imrsed himself in his thoughts, a smile spread across his face. The Zhenjin sword, sharpened by tal magic, had reached new levels of durability, developing the additional effect of Fortitude. It could now endure the strength of a mid-tier Commander-level demon without breaking, hinting at its potential for immortality.
Advancing to interdiate, advanced, and super-tier magic would allow further enhancent by integrating various tals, imbuing it with multiple effects.
"This is like Mo Fan's innate Devouring Seed, but with minerals instead of spiritual seeds. A unique feature of the tal elent, offering the potential for everyone to craft their own treasures."
Lu Jun noticed a similarity. The so-called Devouring Seed was essentially a special spiritual seed. Ordinary seeds could occasionally grant additional effects, such as healing for water magic or poison for plant magic.
However, these effects were typically replaced when the seed was upgraded. The Devouring Seed, on the other hand, retained all effects, stacking them together.
If soone's natural talent included this effect, reaching the advanced stage and obtaining both spiritual and soul seeds would allow them to unleash triple-layered effects with a single skill—vastly superior to ordinary mages.
That said, while the Zhenjin sword was unyielding, its lethality wasn't solely determined by its sharpness. Even the sturdiest blade would be no better than a blunt stick without proper refinent.
The true power of the weapon ca from magic: beginner-level Forge · Sharpen, mid-level Enhance, and high-level tallic Radiance.
"Test its combat capabilities before you end up with a dud," Lu i suggested, bringing over a ten-centiter-thick steel plate out of curiosity.
Buzz!
Lu Jun raised the Zhenjin sword, channeling his energy. The golden patterns shimred brilliantly as he swung the blade down. Instead of the anticipated tallic clash, the sword seed to cut through effortlessly, as though slicing through mud.
With a tallic clang, the black blade cleaved the heavy steel into two halves, leaving its tip embedded in the ground. The severed pieces bounced aside.
Cuts through steel like butter!
Lu Jun inhaled sharply. However, the effort had drained his stardust completely, and the sword dissolved into platinum light, retreating into his ntal world.
Within his platinum stardust, a sword imprint floated, nourished by the warm aura of his White Tiger pendant.
"Ten-centiter steel plate," Lu i marveled, examining the smooth cross-section. "A Servant-level demon's keratinous armor shouldn't be this tough."
The destructive potential was staggering.
Beginner lightning or fire mages might need three or four spells, heavily shielded by their teammates, to kill a weaker Servant-level demon. In contrast, the tal elent offered a chance to slay with a single strike.
Yet, as an experienced hunter of over forty demons in two years, Lu i quickly identified a flaw, frowning. "But it's lee-only? This elent has a big problem."
Mages were too fragile. Even at super-tier, getting too close to a low-tier demon could be fatal. Close-combat mages were exceedingly rare, especially at the beginner stage.
Lu Jun understood. At the beginner level, fifty ters was the critical safety distance. A Servant-level demon could cover this in two or three seconds—the exact ti it took for a trained mage to cast a spell.
With two well-tid spells, they could fend off an approaching threat. While the tal elent might have greater lethality than lightning or fire, its lack of range was a critical weakness.
"This elent might be useless," Lu i sighed. "Fighting in lee is like a child swinging a blade, courting death with no room for error."
Lu Jun also wondered if he had the courage to wield this sword against ferocious demons. A Servant-level demon was more terrifying than any tiger or wolf. Casting spells from a distance was one thing, but engaging in close combat seed an impossible feat.
However, recalling the disasters to co, he steeled his resolve. Just as Mo Fan had honed his skills through city hunting before venturing into the wilds, he could also start small and grow steadily.
"No!" Lu Jun declared resolutely. "I'll practice tal magic and join the city's demon-hunting squad to sharpen my skills."
This winter break would be the perfect opportunity to improve himself.
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