Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Chapter 288 A multi-pronged approach

"why?"

"Meteorite iron, as a primary material for divine weapons, is extremely rare; a single piece might only appear once every few decades or centuries. Each appearance, even a tiny fragment, causes a tremor across the entire continent, sometimes even triggering large-scale battles. I remember eighty years ago, when I was just over ten years old, I accompanied my father to Pancheng, the capital of the Yan Kingdom, to purchase materials for forging weapons. That day, while we were negotiating business with the shopkeeper at a supplies store, a shop assistant suddenly burst in, disregarding etiquette, and directly told the shopkeeper that their master was in trouble and that the shopkeeper should quickly find a way to provide assistance."

The shopkeeper, who had been so composed, instantly changed his expression. He abandoned all conversation with us, even forgetting to greet us, and rushed out. We were their most frequent customers, and they always treated us with utmost courtesy. They had never been so rude before.

My father sensed something was wrong and, after leaving the shop, inquired around and finally learned the reason. It turned out that the owner of this equipment shop was a moderately well-known family in the country of Dan. It was said that they were a branch of the Dan sword family and had some connections with the Dan royal family. So, although they were not as powerful as the prominent families, few dared to mess with them, and over the centuries, their family strength had grown considerably.

Even so, the entire clan could be wiped out in an instant. This was because they had become arrogant and touched something they shouldn't have. This thing was a newly discovered piece of meteorite iron ore weighing fifty jin (approximately 25 kg). The head of this clan was already a third-level Heavenly Rank expert at the time, and for many years had wanted to obtain meteorite iron to forge his own divine weapon. One day, a scout reported that someone was selling a piece of high-grade meteorite iron weighing fifty jin (approximately 25 kg) at a high price on the black market. The clan head was overjoyed and immediately went to the market, finally spending several million gold coins to buy the meteorite iron after much trouble. But unexpectedly, disaster followed.

After bringing the meteorite iron home, before they could even refine it, several unidentified individuals arrived outside the family compound. These were all rare and highly skilled individuals. The family was suddenly surrounded by danger. As a middle-class family with some strength, how could they easily compromise? In addition to the entire clan fighting back, they also sent people to contact their main family, hoping that the main family could step in to quell the chaos.

Before the Jian family could send anyone, the clan suffered a fatal blow. Hundreds of martial artists in the stronghold, including two early-stage Heaven Rank experts, were killed, except for the third-stage Heaven Rank clan head who fought his way out to escape. Even the elderly, women, and children of the clan were mostly wiped out.

Those powerful figures, having failed to obtain the meteorite iron, did not stop there. Instead, they relentlessly pursued and killed their prey, turning what was originally a covert attempt into an open robbery. More powerful figures joined the chaotic battle, and even the Jian family's forceful intervention could not stop this ruthless plunder.

The situation lasted for half a month, with three of the six powerful families involved. Finally, with the intervention of the Feather Emperor Palace experts, the four powerful families divided the fifty-pound meteorite iron into four parts. The Sword Family and the Feather Emperor Palace each received fifteen pounds, and the other two families each received ten pounds, thus calming the storm.

That middling family vanished completely. The family head, a third-level Heavenly Rank expert, also disappeared without a trace.

"Is it really that exaggerated? Just for a few dozen kilograms of meteorite iron? What would happen if it were tens of thousands of kilograms of meteorite iron?" Mo Yuming couldn't imagine.

"This is not an exaggeration at all, because you haven't truly understood the terrifying power of the artifact. If you had, you wouldn't say that."

Weapons used by martial artists can be categorized into ordinary iron weapons, refined iron weapons, mysterious iron treasures, soul iron spirit weapons, attribute spirit treasures, meteorite iron spirit treasures, meteorite iron holy weapons, and divine weapons.

Everyone is very familiar with ordinary iron, refined iron, and black iron weapons, so I won't go into detail here. We've also seen soul iron spiritual weapons to some extent. Most martial artists with some resources use them as their natal weapons. I'm sure everyone knows how much help they provide to martial artists. When a martial artist with a soul iron spiritual weapon as their natal weapon fights against a martial artist of equal strength who doesn't have a natal weapon, they are almost invincible. Unless the martial artist with the natal weapon is extremely unlucky, it's impossible for them to lose.

The so-called Soul Iron Spiritual Weapon is actually an upgraded version of the Profound Iron Weapon. A decent Profound Iron weapon, after having a portion of Soul Iron added and various inscriptions engraved on it, becomes a Spiritual Weapon. The greatest advantage of a Spiritual Weapon is that it can establish a soul connection with the user, allowing the martial artist to nurture it within their sea of ​​consciousness. Thus, as the martial artist's cultivation level increases, the weapon's quality also improves. Furthermore, it can be remotely controlled using soul power to kill from afar.

Above the Soul Iron Spiritual Weapons are Attribute Spiritual Treasures. These Attribute Spiritual Treasures actually still belong to the category of Mystic Iron Weapons, as their main component is still Mystic Iron. However, in addition to the addition of Soul Iron, they also incorporate gem cores of different attributes. This gives the weapon all the functions of a regular Soul Iron Spiritual Weapon, as well as the characteristics of attribute gems, such as the most common ice, fire, and poison damage.

These attribute-enhanced spiritual treasures, made from attribute-enhancing ores, are one level higher in damage than attribute-free Soul Iron artifacts. However, as Xuan Iron weapons, they have reached their limit at this stage, and their power can no longer increase. The top-tier Xuan Iron weapons can nearly double a martial artist's strength. Therefore, possessing a top-tier Soul Iron artifact is equivalent to having an ally close to one's own strength. In battles between martial artists of the same level, one can almost take on two opponents without being defeated.

To elevate one's weapon to a higher level, the primary material must be replaced with meteorite iron. Meteorite iron is an extraterrestrial object, not originally belonging to this world. Its extraordinary properties are unacceptable to this world, so every piece of meteorite iron that falls is struck by heavenly lightning. Unless an accident occurs or it is shielded by an object, it is usually reduced to almost nothing before hitting the ground. Therefore, surviving pieces of meteorite iron are historically quite small; a few kilograms is considered large, and over ten kilograms is considered exceptionally large. The fifty-kilogram piece of meteorite iron obtained by that family patriarch is practically a once-in-a-millennium exceptional specimen, and it's no surprise that it attracted the attention of numerous powerful figures.

By adding 10% meteorite iron to a Soul Iron weapon, it can surpass the level of a Spirit Treasure-grade Soul Iron weapon. Its sharpness, toughness, and compatibility with the martial artist will all be upgraded by one level. With good luck, the weapon may even develop a weapon spirit.

Therefore, given the scarcity of meteorite iron, weapon refiners combined it with black iron to create a type of weapon that falls between meteorite iron weapons and black iron weapons. These weapons are collectively known as meteorite iron spirit treasures, and their quality increases with the amount of meteorite iron they contain. These meteorite iron spirit treasures can further enhance a martial artist's combat abilities on top of their existing soul iron weapons, allowing the user to increase their strength once again. Martial artists possessing these weapons can at least challenge stronger opponents of higher levels without being defeated.

Brother Dugu searched for two hundred years, and what he wanted was just this one spiritual artifact, half meteorite iron and half black iron. As far as I know, more than 99% of the meteorite iron spiritual treasures on the entire continent are of this type.

Weapons made entirely of meteorite iron may exist, but there are definitely no more than five; perhaps two or three are the most likely.

Weapons made entirely of meteorite iron are collectively known as meteorite iron sacred artifacts. They are further divided into acquired sacred treasures and innate sacred treasures. Some people also call them acquired spiritual treasures or innate spiritual treasures, but in fact they are all weapons made entirely of meteorite iron.

Artificially crafted meteorite iron weapons are all acquired spiritual treasures; human weapon refiners are currently unable to forge weapons of the innate spiritual treasure level. The strength of weapons forged entirely from meteorite iron is still uncertain. It is rumored that acquired spiritual treasures, after resonating with a martial artist, can develop a weapon spirit, thus acquiring their own sentience and the ability to protect their master autonomously. They will automatically defend themselves when they sense danger to their master. Even the lowest-grade acquired spiritual treasure possesses the strength of a Heavenly Rank 1 weapon on its own, and its combat power will increase exponentially when used in conjunction with its master. Furthermore, the weapon spirits generated by these acquired spiritual treasures are far more powerful than those generated by meteorite iron spiritual treasures, far surpassing those of half-meteorite iron spiritual weapons.

Therefore, possessing a meteorite iron artifact allows one to withstand attacks from even a Heavenly Realm expert, even if the user is only at the Human Rank.

This is the extraordinary nature of acquired spiritual treasures. Therefore, even a small piece of meteorite iron can drive martial artists mad. Do you think this meteorite iron is still worth selling?

As for innate spiritual treasures and divine artifacts, they are legendary existences, born naturally from heaven and earth, treasures that seize the creation of heaven and earth. From the moment of their birth, such treasures possess their own will, have a high level of spiritual awareness, and can choose their own master. It is said that divine artifacts can even transform into living beings and walk between heaven and earth. Only those with great fortune can obtain them.

"What if all this meteorite iron is made into weapons? What will happen when you all have a post-natal spiritual treasure in front of the world? Will the world fall into chaos?" Mo Yuming suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem.

"This meteorite artifact should not be brought out into the world lightly. At least one should not use acquired spiritual treasures unless one's life is threatened. It can only be used when life and death are at stake. However, once a meteorite artifact has been refined and recognized by a master, it has gained the recognition of this world. Its appearance is similar to that of a soul weapon. If one does not tell others about its use, no one will recognize it. Only top-tier masters of profound arts may be able to discover some clues about the meteorite artifact."

"There's no need to be so careful. A martial artist must have the heart of a martial artist. Divine weapons are good, but they are just icing on the cake. You can't lose your nature because of external things. Striving to improve your own cultivation is the unchanging foundation. Spiritual treasures are good, but they also have two sides. Although they can improve your combat ability, they will also attract more powerful enemies. So if you rely too much on external things and give up your own pursuit, it's better not to have them at all."

"We should not be anxious about losing something we are about to possess; we should just treat it with a calm mind."

……

"Let's think about how to gather the auxiliary materials first! We can't just wait around. Let's see if there are other ways to obtain them, or if we can find some substitutes. After all, these auxiliary materials are not a small amount."

"Gold-devouring turtle bile, ethereal gold, thunder-hidden stone, fire dragon scales, and earth flame crystals are all essential materials for refining meteorite iron artifacts. Among them, ethereal gold is rare, with only a few large mines producing small quantities. Moreover, ethereal gold is also the main raw material for storage bags and other dimensional storage devices, so the demand is huge and the price is very high, but it can still be bought as long as you have money."

The Gold-Eating Turtle is a magical beast that survives by devouring metallic materials, living in mountain streams and caves rich in metal ore. Its strength is at the peak of level six, roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Heavenly Rank. However, because it can devour metal, its defensive capabilities are extremely formidable; even experts below the third level of the Heavenly Rank find it difficult to break through its defenses. Its scales, harder than black iron, are covered with countless tiny bone spurs containing corrosive toxins. When disturbed, it will shoot out a dense barrage of bone spurs at its enemies. These spurs are as thin as cow's hair and as sharp as steel needles; human martial artists can easily be struck if they are not careful. If the spurs are not removed in time, they will cause skin ulceration. In mild cases, the entire body will fester; in severe cases, it can be life-threatening. Therefore, collecting the Gold-Eating Turtle's bile is a dangerous task with a low success rate. Furthermore, the bile from a single turtle is limited, making it very expensive. However, those interested can collect it themselves. Besides the bile, the Gold-Eating Turtle's scales and bones are excellent materials for refining weapons. With your skills, the return on investment is quite high.

The same goes for the Fire Dragon's scales. An adult Fire Dragon can reach the peak of level seven, which is about level three of the Heavenly Rank. Although only the row of scales in the middle of the back of an adult Fire Dragon is usable, the Fire Dragon is large, and the scales from one Fire Dragon are enough to forge twenty or thirty weapons. Moreover, its hide and gallbladder are excellent materials for forging weapons, not to mention its inner core. Furthermore, the Fire Dragon's meat is extremely delicious; snake soup made from Fire Dragon meat is an absolute delicacy!

As for the main production areas of Thunder Concealment Stone, they are located in several regions of the Tianxuan Continent that are frequently struck by lightning. As long as you enter a lightning-prone area, you may be able to find Thunder Concealment Stone. The only thing to be careful about is to avoid being struck by lightning.

Earthfire Crystals are found in volcanic craters and underground lava rivers; they have a chance to be found wherever lava flows. As for volcanic craters and lava rivers, I don't need to explain them; you all probably have some understanding of them.

"Since we can gather them ourselves, what are we waiting for? Let's use multiple methods: buy what we can, and collect what we can ourselves, as long as we can gather enough materials as quickly as possible."

"I'll contact the Ji family's fur trading company to see if they have any stock. Although we've broken away from the Ji family of Yijianxuan now, we still have a few old acquaintances. I'll ask them too. I don't care about the quantity or type; I'll get as much as I can!" Ji Xianlin said.

“I’ll also go back to the Li family to take a look. Although the Li family’s main business isn’t equipment, as a large family, we still have industries in this area. After all, refining magic arrays requires a lot of equipment. However, I’ve been separated from the Li family for a hundred years. Although I’m luckier than you all, the Li family still recognizes me as an old man and posthumously recognized me as a Supreme Elder, but these are just honorary positions with no real power. I can’t use much of the family’s resources, so even if the Li family has materials they can provide, you, Ming’er, will have to pay for them. This old man doesn’t have any spare money.” Li Mubai said.