Chapter 1569: Withdrawing
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
"Hahaha, Brother Yi, you have to watch well. Although I'm no Crystal Refinement Master, I'm an excellent errand boy. Learn how I do it. If you master it, it will be an additional skill to your repertoire. If you attain my level of expertise, together with some luck, you might catch the eye of some powerful Crystal Refinement Master and become their apprentice. You will be rich when that happens," flaunted Tie Mu.
But beside him, Taishan called him out without a hint of mercy. He said in a low, muffled voice, "You still hope to catch the eye of some powerful Crystal Refinement Master with that standard of yours? Maybe in your next life! Do you think you are Senior Sister Songyue?"
As Taishan said that, he gave Songyue a fawning look.
Songyue said nonchalantly, "I'm still not an apprentice of Master Duanmu, just a candidate apprentice."
"Then doesn't it mean that it's just a matter of time?" chuckled Taishan.
"Alright, cut the bragging and get to work!"
Songyue did not enjoy fawning drivel. Instantly, everyone fell silent. The ores were filled up, while the array formations were powered. Clearly, Songyue held a very important position in the team.
Yi Yun also began studying how Songyue refined the ores. Although he had little strength left, his psyche energies were still far higher than Songyue's. He probed his perception deep into the Crystal Refining Furnace so that no energy fluctuation escaped his sight.
So this is crystal refining…
Yi Yun saw that Songyue first mixed her Yuan Qi with Taishan, Tie Mu, and company before gathering everything into nomological forces which condensed into marks.
Later, she inserted the marks into the Chaos Ores. Each mark was like a tiny Yuan-gathering array. The energy within the Chaos Ores was absorbed by the tiny marks that numbered more than a hundred. Meanwhile, the flames in the Chaos Ores burned away all the impurities in the ore.
This process lasted for several hours and Songyue remained fully focused on the Crystal Refining Furnace the entire time. She did not even blink.
Only when the final mark was fully satiated with energy did the ores, each the size of a fist, get reduced to a tenth of their original sizes amid the flames. The rest had been reduced to slag.
After all of that was finished, Songyue recovered all the marks.
She was perspiring profusely, her back completely wet while dense pearls of sweat appeared on her forehead.
At her realm, controlling more than a hundred marks not only drained her Yuan Qi, but it also placed a strain on her psyche. This drained away some of the color from her originally rosy cheeks.
"Senior Sister Songyue." Tie Mu looked at her as his heart ached for her. "Refining a furnace full of ores at the same time is just too demanding…"
"Cut the drivel. Hexagon Crystal!"
"Here." Tie Mu hurriedly passed a jade box over. Songyue took out a clear crystal from the box.
"Go!"
Songyue injected the marks into the crystal in one fell swoop. Following that, these marks began releasing their energies into the crystal, spreading out in patterns that resembled ice fractals.
When all the energy in the marks was released, the fractal patterns turned dim, but did not completely disappear. Instead, they remained in the crystal as patterns that looked extremely beautiful.
This was the entire process of crystal refinement.
Yi Yun sighed slightly. The crystal refinement process bore similarities to the way Desolate Heaven Masters refined relics, but there were many differences as well.
But at its most fundamental level, it was simply the extraction and condensing of energy. And in this aspect, Yi Yun's possession of the Purple Crystal meant that he was at a divine level of expertise, something no one could exceed.
Of course, no matter how good Yi Yun was, it was impossible to grasp it with self-teaching and immediately become a Crystal Refinement Master.
He memorized nearly all the marks which Songyue had condensed. With his realm, the laws employed by Songyue were very simple to him. Even at that very moment, if Yi Yun had the Yuan Qi, he could produce the same set of marks.
However, Yi Yun knew that Songyue was only a Crystal Refinement Master of the lowest ranks. Her marks were very crude, and there were countless aspects she could improve in.
The reason why Bai Yueyin recommended the Chaos Heavens had to do with how there were way more mighty figures there than the Sinkhole. Yi Yun did not belittle the experts of the Chaos Heavens. If he wished to extract and refine Chaos Crystals, he had to obtain the heritage of a Crystal Refinement Master.
"Brother Yi, how was it?" Tie Mu asked, feeling a little smug, as though he was directly responsible for the refined ore.
Yi Yun stroked his chin and suddenly realized that Tie Mu was likely secretly in love with Songyue.
Indeed, with such a beauty beside him, it was only normal for him to develop feelings for her beauty, bearing and excellence. However, Tie Mu likely knew the gap between them which was why he hid his feelings deep down. All he did was watch Songyue quietly while rejoicing in her improvements.
"I think I understand a little," said Yi Yun casually.
"Haha, don't brag. I was just making a passing remark. What can you learn in such a short period of time? In a while, you will have to join us. You are weak, so just go through the motions. You can't just stand there. There are people watching, so if you continue idling, they won't hand you a salary later."
As Tie Mu spoke, he dug out the slag from the Crystal Refining Furnace.
The slag had already turned grayish-black like coal ash.
Yi Yun looked at the slag as his mind wandered. He could clearly sense that there was about ten to twenty percent of energy left in the slag.
The nomological level of the marks which Songyue condensed were weak. She had failed to fully extract all the energy, or to put it another way, she was unable to extract the remnant energies.
"What is done to this ore slag?"
"Ore slag is of little use. However, it can be sold for some money. Some horticulturists will use ore slag as fertilizer. They usually plant spirit herbs or spirit food with the slag. Taixia isn't greedy about this tiny bit of profit. Usually, the slag is given to Crystal Refinement Masters for handling as a form of carrots," explained Tie Mu languidly. "Why do you ask?"
Is that so… Yi Yun felt a little disappointed
He originally guessed that high-ranked Crystal Refinement Masters would not stoop as low as to recycle the ore slag. After all, just refining the high-quality ores was already very time consuming.
As such, if low-ranked Crystal Refinement Masters were unable to process them, while high-ranked Crystal Refinement Masters found it beneath them to handle the slag, it was possible that they would be thrown out.
However, he never expected the Chaos Heavens to even use them as fertilizer. The resources here were really put to their fullest use.
Unfortunately, Yi Yun also knew very well that the Godly Monarch which presided over the pocket world would not place his attention on the slag. He could have secretly extracted the energy from the slag and restored his energies.
But now, Songyue had already put away the slag.
Songyue must have been accumulating quite a large amount of slag after all her years of crystal refinement…
With this thought in mind, Yi Yun immediately gave a self-deprecating smile.
He never expected himself to be in such a wretched state having just arrived in the Chaos Heavens. He did not even spurn ore slag, and was even having thoughts on the stock inside a woman's interspatial ring…
"Your name is Yi Yun, right? You can stand over here. Do as Tie Mu says and inject energy into the array. You can provide less energy, but don't just stand there idling."
Songyue had just absorbed a crude ore and regained some Yuan Qi. Her tone remained cold when she spoke to Yi Yun. In the Chaos Heavens where the law of the jungle ruled, there were just too many people that met with tragedy. If pity was given to everyone, there would not be enough to go around. One had to constantly become stronger or be eliminated.
In fact, Songyue already knew that Yi Yun was not only injured, but that he had also offended Cang Gu. He was unlikely to live long, but she could not help him either. Over her years there, too many people had perished in Taixia Ancient Mining.
Yi Yun stood in the middle of the array, but he did not inject his energies into the array like Tie Mu. Instead, he looked at Taishan who was filling the Crystal Refining Furnace with ores. A puzzled look flashed in his eyes.
What's up with this ore…
"Yi Yun, what's on your mind? Why aren't you beginning to work?" asked Tie Mu.
Yi Yun remained silent. He discovered that one of the ores was clearly problematic. There was a tiny array hidden in it, one that was not naturally formed. It appeared to have been tampered with…
Could it be that…
Yi Yun looked at Songyue who seemed completely oblivious. She was looking at Yi Yun unhappily. "What are you just standing there for? Do you want me to wait for you?" said Songyue unhappily.
Her mission today was very important. And the new errand boy was slow in everything he did.
"Your temper sure is bad. It's no wonder you have offended others…" Yi Yun said this out of the blue.
"What did you say?" Songyue pricked up her brows and clearly, she was infuriated.
"Brother Yi, what are you saying!?" Tie Mu was given a fright. For Yi Yun to suddenly say something like that out of the blue, he was truly at a loss if Senior Sister Songyue turned angry.
This Yi Yun had not only offended Team Leader Cang Gu, but he had also offended Songyue so shortly after joining their team?
"If you refine it, the furnace will explode," said Yi Yun lightly.
What?
Taishan and Tie Mu were dumbfounded by Yi Yun's remark. The explosion of a furnace during refinement was a tremendous loss. Even Songyue would end up in trouble. Therefore, the word was a taboo, but Yi Yun had so casually said it out.
"Interesting! I have been refining crystals for so many years, but I never expected to be mocked by a rookie who has no idea about refinement."
Songyue sneered. She could tell that Yi Yun was only playing to the gallery.
In fact, Songyue was not a headstrong person. On the contrary, she knew what her standing was. However, Yi Yun had even asked Tie Mu what a Crystal Refinement Master was previously. How could she believe such a person's warning?
"If you do not wish to work, you can withdraw. Of course, you will not be given any salary for today's crystal refinement. I have already done my best to let you watch from the side for a few hours. I never expected you to not only feel gratitude, but to even curse me with an exploding furnace," said Songyue coldly.
She wished to become Master Duanmu's apprentice. In recent days, she had been constantly forcing herself to make breakthroughs in the Crystal Refining Technique. She was already facing immense pressure and feeling frustrated. Now, with Yi Yun mentioning how she would explode the furnace, the rage in her heart was imaginable.
"I have already warned you. If you insist on ignoring it, there's nothing I can do. If you want me to withdraw, I'll withdraw. Rein it in yourself. But if there's any time you wish for my help, my salary will not just be a few crude ores…"