Chapter 185: Flame Crystal Battle Armor and a Two Ton Transcendent Battle Halberd (II)

When Chen Chu arrived at the logistics department, he saw someone familiar.

Not far away, a tall girl dressed in maroon battle armor was queuing up. She carried a 1.9 meter long sword on her back.

Chen Chu walked over and smiled. " An Fuqing, long time no see."

An Fuqing turned around and gave Chen Chu, who stood behind her in line, a quick nod. "Almost two months. It has been quite a while."

After returning from Kyrola, An Fuqing had immediately applied to enter the mutated beast battlefield.

Curious, Chen Chu glanced at the ordinary metal sword she carried and asked, "An Fuqing, are you preparing to refine a transcendent weapon?"

After reaching the Fourth Heavenly Realm, cultivators could forge transcendent weapons. An Fuqing had gone into the mountains a few days ago, so Chen Chu figured that she must’ve had quite the harvest.

An Fuqing nodded slightly. "Yes?"

Chen Chu smiled. "What a coincidence, I'm planning to exchange for materials too. What are you planning to exchange for?"

The girl didn’t hide her answer, saying, "I'm planning to exchange for a Shatter-Space Jade and a Soul-Swing Crystal to enhance my sword’s space-cutting ability and spirit suppression. How about you, Chen Chu?"

"My halberd’s characteristic is its weight, so I'm planning to exchange for an Abyssal Ore and some Cloud Mountain Steel for durability," Chen Chu replied.

After reaching the Fourth Heavenly Realm, combat power was greatly impacted by the possession of a transcendent weapon. Zhang Lin, the late stage Fourth Heavenly Realm student whom Chen Chu had previously defeated, had an actual combat power that only reached the beginning stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm. However, his transcendent armor and weapons boosted that power, allowing him to approach the middle stage of the Fifth.

While battling, Chen Chu hadn’t dared to engage Zhang Lin head on with his halberd. If the true power he had been using to shield the halberd had collapsed, it would have become a normal weapon that would have been severed in two strikes.

Of course, if Chen Chu hadn’t wanted to assess Zhang Lin’s overall combat structure, he could’ve defeated him with a single full-powered strike. The disparity between their weapons wouldn’t have mattered at that point.

Transcendent materials were objects that had special properties and could extend the reach of energy. The Shatter-Space Jade that An Fuqing was planning to exchange for was capable of cutting through both energy and matter, creating an illusion of cutting through space itself.

Meanwhile, the Abyssal Ore Chen Chu was exchanging for was an extremely heavy material, with a density over ten times that of osmium[1]. Just a block the size of a human head would weigh over two tons. More importantly, this kind of ore was excellent for conducting energy, and when used to refine transcendent weapons, gave them a greater weight.

Soon, it was An Fuqing's turn. With a thirty percent discount, she exchanged for two transcendent materials with just 100 contribution points.

Chen Chu was up next. “I’ll have one block of Abyssal Ore, one piece of Cloud Mountain Steel, one piece of Wind Spirit Steel, and one shard of Fiery Crystal Ore."

"Abyssal Ore, 100; Cloud Mountain Steel, 90; Wind Spirit Steel, 50; Fiery Crystal Ore, 50. After discount, your total is 203 contribution points."

Seeing Chen Chu exchanging so many transcendent materials in one go, several seniors waiting in line couldn't help but look over.

One of the girls exclaimed, "You’ve exchanged for so many major materials when this is your first time refining a transcendent weapon, aren’t you afraid you’ll fail?”

They had overheard Chen Chu and An Fuqing’s conversation earlier, so they knew this was Chen Chu’s first time refining a transcendent weapon.

Under normal circumstances, a junior’s first attempt at refining transcendent weapons was controlled at around 100 contribution points’ worth of materials. This was due to both success rate and the degree of material fusion. More materials didn't necessarily mean better results; if the materials were haphazardly combined, their special abilities wouldn’t be fully utilized.

Chen Chu smiled. "I plan to use these materials to forge both a transcendent weapon and battle armor separately. There shouldn't be a problem fusing just two materials at once."

The girl nodded in understanding. "I see."

Once he received his materials, Chen Chu went to the cultivation area and reserved a room specifically designed for durability, closing the heavy door behind him.

The Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd, a reinforced saber, a block of Abyssal Ore the size of a human head, and a large piece of Cloud Mountain Steel.

While the Abyssal Ore’s most significant characteristic was its weight, the Cloud Mountain Steel not only had excellent energy conductivity, but also a durability characteristic that would significantly enhance the halberd’s after fusion.

Even if his true power was depleted, Chen Chu would still be able to wield the halberd with formidable physical strength and engage in fierce combat. This way, the weapon wouldn’t suffer a significant decrease in combat effectiveness.

After removing several materials from the Sumeru Bracelet and stacking them together, Chen Chu prepared to begin the refinement process. Gripping the tip of the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd in his right hand, his voice echoed in his mind.

Consume 50 attribute points to strengthen the halberd.

The attribute page instantly changed from 148 to 98 attribute points. Suddenly, a white force flowed from Chen Chu's hand, enveloping the halberd, saber, and ores.

Under the white glow, the saber dissolved first, turning into a liquid metal that engulfed the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd. Next was the dense and heavy Abyssal Ore, silently turning into countless particles.

Once the Abyssal Ore powder and liquid saber uniformly covered the halberd, the Cloud Mountain Steel slowly melted...

Compared to the secret art of refinement, which used the spirit of fire to ignite vitality and one’s own blood as a catalyst to forge transcendent materials, Chen Chu’s process of refining transcendent weapons was much simpler. As the saber and transcendent materials completely covered the halberd, however, a line of transparent text appeared before his eyes.

"Please infuse a drop of blood containing your vitality and spiritual will into the transcendent weapon to imprint your mark as its host."

"...I still have to use blood?" Chen Chu paused, then emitted sharp true power from his left fingertip. With a bit of struggle, he slashed the tip of his middle right finger, tearing a small wound. He immediately circulated his vitality, slowly gathering a glowing drop of red blood.

Plop!

The drop of blood landed on the halberd, instantly merging with it, and Chen Chu suddenly felt a faint connection between himself and the halberd. With a subconscious thought, the words "Eight Desolations" gradually appeared on the halberd’s handle.

Hum!

With the name engraved, the halberd emitted a slight hum. A heavy aura emanated from it, as a black and red light circled it.

Refinement successful!

Simultaneously, a line of transparent text appeared before Chen Chu's eyes.

"Durability +10, Sharpness +10. A low-level transcendent weapon possessing both heavy and durable characteristics as well as good energy conductivity. Weight: 2 tons."

To do a job well, one must first sharpen their tools. With 190 contribution points, the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd had become a transcendent weapon, and Chen Chu was not disappointed by the results.

There were also some subtle changes in its appearance; while it was still colored black, the golden patterns winding around its shaft had become denser, resembling dragon scales.

The blade and its edges had become sharper, emitting a faint white glow and an aura that cut through the air. Coupled with the faint black and golden glow emanating from the weapon, it looked magnificent and imposing.

Chen Chu reached out and grabbed the halberd, effortlessly lifting it. Under his enhanced strength that could now hold twenty six tons, the two-ton weapon felt as light as a normal weapon would for an average person.

Even then, however, if he wanted to swing the halberd with his full strength, he still needed to explosively channel his true power to amplify his strike.

Chen Chu felt a smooth flow of true power surging into the halberd, completely different from the superficial feeling he had before. With the drop of his blood infused into the halberd, it now felt to Chen Chu as if it were an extension of his arm, seamlessly integrated.

Hum!

The black and red glow on the halberd intensified. The edge started emitting a light over a meter long, and its aura grew so sharp that it cut through the hard ground, leaving rifts in its wake.

Simply channeling true power into the blade made the strength of its light grow by ten percent. Not only did it become sharper, but the consumption of true power had also decreased significantly, a basic property of transcendent weapons in general..

At that moment, Chen Chu suddenly swung with force. The halberd’s heavy aura stirred up the air, and its edge compressed it into a powerful gust of wind.

Boom!

With one casual swing, the entire cultivation room shook violently with a fierce and resounding boom, and a jet-black vacuum space, four meters long and over ten centimeters wide, appeared in the air. Rather than immediately slam back together, however, it persistently lingered under the heavy aura’s influence.

Seeing this formidable power, Chen Chu couldn’t hide the excitement on his face. He nodded in satisfaction. "Now, this is the kind of power a transcendent weapon should have."

The halberd’s successful refinement now allowed him to push his strength even closer to its limits.

After taking a bit to get acquainted with the weapon, Chen Chu stowed it away and then took out his cleaned armor, along with the Wind Spirit Steel and Fiery Crystal Ore, stacking them together.

This time, Chen Chu had prepared to refine both the transcendent weapon and the armor in one go. For cultivators, having a powerful set of transcendent armor was like having a second life. Not only did it significantly amplify their true power’s defense, it also offered various special functionalities.

The Wind Spirit Steel Chen Chu had exchanged for was exceptionally durable while also possessing the special characteristic of purifying air. This ability would be very useful in places filled with miasma or poisonous gas, and it could even allow Chen Chu to briefly breathe underwater.

Meanwhile, as the name suggested, the Fiery Crystal Ore possessed a scorching high-temperature characteristic. When integrated into the battle armor, the true power’s defense emanating from it would carry an intense heat.

This feature was primarily used to counteract attacks with poisonous gas, hallucinations, and other similar special abilities. Together with the Wind Spirit Steel, it formed a dual-layered defense.

Unfortunately, the two materials together only cost 100 contribution points. As such, even with a successful refinement, the transcendent armor could only be considered moderate in terms of strength.

1. Osmium is a hard, brittle metal in the platinum group of the periodic table. It is the densest naturally occurring stable element, with a density of 22.59 grams per cubic centimeter. ☜