Another day and night of forging passed, but this time it lasted longer, stretching from yesterday afternoon until today's sunset.
Xu Xian merged twenty-nine types of ore.
He obtained one piece of ordinary synthetic spirit ore.
His mental strength had reached its absolute limit.
Keeping the Pupil of Insight active for two and a half days left his complexion deathly pale, resembling a mortal who had just recovered from a severe illness.
Years ago, in the foundation establishment stage, the Pupil of Insight could last for twelve watches while masking his presence.
Now that he was in the nascent soul stage, it naturally lasted longer. However, the mental strain required for forging significantly surpassed that of a simple aura concealment.
"I can't go on, Master. I really can't hold out any longer. Let's stop here for now."
Ruan Hao stood up and paced behind him. He took the newly formed spirit ore, examining it in his hand. He discovered that its purity was even higher than the previous piece, coming incredibly close to an excellent spirit ore.
This proved that Xu Xian’s progress was rapid and visible.
Yet, he remained stubborn in his criticism. "So young and already exhausted? Even at my age, I haven't said I can't go on."
"Please, Master. What stage are you at? The peak of the great ascension stage—an immortal! I'm only at the early fifth stage. Can I really be compared to you?" Xu Xian said weakly.
Ruan Hao waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. If you're tired, get lost and go rest."
Xu Xian leaned against the forging table and asked curiously, "By the way, Master, how many merit points would this synthetic spirit ore I made be worth at the Merchant Hall?"
Ruan Hao clutched the iron in his palm—which was as large as a washbasin—protectively, as if guarding his own child. He said leisurely, "What, even masters and disciples must settle accounts clearly? Are you asking me for money?"
Xu Xian gave a weary smile. "How could I? I just want to know if forging spirit stones is profitable."
Ruan Hao glanced at him and spoke slowly.
"In the market, spirit ore is priced based on a standard weight of ten jin. Ordinary crude ore costs three to five spirit stones."
"Excellent spirit ore is ten spirit stones."
"Refined spirit ore is twenty spirit stones."
"Top-grade spirit ore is fifty spirit stones."
"As for immortal gold, because its density is much higher, it’s measured in units of one hundred jin. The cheapest is around two thousand spirit stones, with no upper limit..."
Pausing for a moment, the old man weighed the fist-sized spirit ore in his hand and continued his analysis.
"These two pieces of yours have no quality issues and the weight is sufficient. Together, they could sell for five to eight spirit stones. As for the merit points, calculate that yourself."
After hearing this, Xu Xian did a silent calculation. Five to eight spirit stones equaled five hundred to eight hundred merit points.
The material used was mortal iron.
At most, it cost less than half a spirit stone.
This meant the profit was more than ten times the cost.
Assuming it took two days, that was over four hundred merit points a day.
If he worked without rest, he could earn over ten thousand a month, which was slightly better than working for others in the sect.
And this was just the beginning. Once he became more proficient, his speed would increase, and he could forge larger, higher-quality spirit ores in a single session.
If he could forge one hundred jin of top-grade spirit ore at once, that would be five hundred spirit stones—equivalent to fifty thousand merit points.
The income was quite respectable. Most importantly, it didn't involve any danger.
Accumulating small amounts could eventually become a way to build up his initial capital.
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "That’s not bad!"
"Do you want to make money that badly?" Ruan Hao asked.
Xu Xian curled his lip and said frankly, "Of course. Who would complain about having too much money?"
Ruan Hao chuckled. "Then study hard. How much can you really make from ore? Once you become a true master forger, you’ll have plenty of ways to earn money. Have you ever heard of a top-tier master forger lacking funds?"
Xu Xian did not argue.
Master forgers were indeed wealthy, but his Sword Tower was an incredible money sink.
Just thinking about the second floor of the Sword Tower needing the skeletons of a hundred thousand fifth-grade beasts gave him a massive headache.
He had looked into it.
A complete skeleton of a fifth-grade beast cost at least a thousand spirit stones at its cheapest. How much would a hundred thousand skeletons cost?
One hundred million spirit stones. Converted to merit points, that was ten billion.
It was an astronomical figure.
He didn't even dare to think about it in detail.
However, it was understandable. Fifth-grade beasts had developed intelligence, and in today's Demon Suppression Abyss, they weren't exactly easy to hunt.
Furthermore, after a fierce battle, how many of them would have their skeletons perfectly preserved? Items were expensive when they were rare.
Moreover, he was in Fanzhou, a mortal realm where spiritual energy was scarce.
It was simply too difficult.
The little book spirit also expressed its helplessness, only comforting Xu Xian to take it slow. It even suggested that if all else failed, Xu Xian should just focus on his own cultivation first.
Once he was strong enough, he could take his sword and charge into the East Desolation or the North Sea, slaughtering until the world turned upside down.
Xu Xian felt internally resistant to that idea, though he didn't voice his disagreement.
To be fair, that was indeed the optimal solution. The costs were just too high for him to bear right now.
Even if he sold everything he owned, it would be a mere drop in the bucket.
Money wasn't even the biggest problem; the fear was that there would be no stock available on the market.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Xu Xian had dismissed the idea of buying them—at least until he could earn serious money.
However, if he could become the second immortal forging level master forger in the world and forge a few immortal swords, the problem might solve itself.
The rarity of immortal weapons was beyond doubt.
If he used them as bargaining chips, he could have the world's top experts hunt complete fifth-grade beast skeletons for him in exchange.
That would make it feasible.
Xu Xian had come to terms with it. Cultivation wasn't something achieved overnight, so why not change his perspective?
He felt that with his Pupil of Insight, becoming an immortal forging level master forger seemed much simpler than earning one hundred million spirit stones or hunting a hundred thousand fifth-grade beasts himself...
It was a long and difficult road!
Of course, these were just his current thoughts. Who knew what would happen in the future?
He set a small goal for himself: become a sixth-rank spirit forger first.
Pulling his thoughts back, he bid farewell. "Alright, Master, I'm heading back. I'll be back tomorrow morning."
"Mm!"
Xu Xian strode away. As soon as he left, Ruan Hao picked up his hammer. He refined the two pieces of spirit ore Xu Xian had forged once more and crafted a gleaming short blade.
He infused it with spirit, quenched it, and shaped it.
By dawn, a high-tier spirit weapon short blade was born.
"I'll leave this for you as a memento."
The next morning, after meditating for a day, Xu Xian's complexion had largely recovered. He returned to the forging workshop early in the morning.
Ruan Hao casually handed him the short blade.
Xu Xian gripped the blade, thinking it was incredible.
To forge a high-tier spirit weapon from two pieces of ordinary synthetic spirit ore in just one night—as expected of a ninth-rank spirit forge master.
One had to know that a high-tier spirit weapon like this would cost at least fifteen hundred spirit stones on the market.
This was an item many cultivators might not be able to afford in their entire lives.
Many sects only distributed two or three spirit stones a month. They couldn't just go without food or drink and never buy anything else.
Calculating it, earning fifteen hundred stones would take decades. Saving that much was an entirely different story.
After all, spirit stones in Fanzhou were truly expensive and had immense purchasing power.
Just like during the trip to Yecheng, those foundation establishment and core formation disciples from the demon caves only used low-tier spirit weapons, and some even used mortal weapons.
Ruan Hao patted the youth's shoulder and said amiably, "Work hard. In time, you'll be able to do this too!"
Xu Xian was suddenly filled with motivation.
He suddenly felt that his dream of building the Sword Tower was no longer far away.
It wasn't iron he was hitting. It was money that never ran out!
Rate on N.U.
