Chapter 401: Driving Down Artifact Refining Costs

Chapter 401: Minimizing Crafting Costs

Zhang Yu gazed at the "Azure Sand Level 1 (0/10)" entry in his Feather Tome, sighing at the long, arduous road of artifact crafting that lay ahead.

Yet, the next moment, a chill born of the ritual’s power surged through his heart, a sharp reminder to persevere that cut his lamentations short.

Zhang Yu immediately suppressed his wandering thoughts and began the second refinement of Azure Sand.

"I’ve paid for the copyright, rented the lab, and secured the equipment—it cost me nearly one spirit coin. How could a single attempt ever be enough?"

He checked the time; the first batch had taken over twenty minutes, and he had rented the lab and equipment for six hours.

"Keep refining!"

Zhang Yu channeled his internal energy, sweeping it toward the raw materials nearby.

His movements were far more fluid this time, his energy weaving through the materials and tools with practiced ease.

It struck him that the process of refining Azure Sand bore a striking resemblance to his daily cultivation.

It was as if the raw materials were his own flesh, being reshaped by immortal techniques to achieve a desired, transcendent effect.

The path of progress was identical: the more skilled one became in the technique, the more potent the output. The higher his proficiency in refining Azure Sand, the better the quality of the final product.

Beside him, Ye Xingli watched him begin his second attempt. At first, she paid little mind, but suddenly, her brows furrowed. "Isn't that a bit light on the ore?"

Zhang Yu smiled, explaining, "I want to save on material costs so I can practice more often."

Ye Xingli cautioned him, "The quantity of ore changes everything—the subsequent steps, the application of energy and mana, and the heat of the Li-Fire furnace all require different adjustments."

"As a novice, you should stick to the standard proportions. Only once your skill level has risen should you consider adjusting the amounts yourself."

Zhang Yu, naturally, did not take her advice.

Seeing his stubbornness, Ye Xingli shook her head and stopped trying to persuade him, thinking to herself, "This kid... his talent for crafting is mediocre, but his temper is certainly stubborn."

She wasn't surprised; novices were often like this.

Especially those who had already achieved success in other fields were often overconfident, needing to stumble a few times in the craft before they learned to keep their feet on the ground.

Ye Xingli watched as Zhang Yu continued refining the small portion of sand; in the end, only half the material was successfully refined, while the rest was ruined.

She shook her head vigorously, assuming Zhang Yu would finally understand.

But Zhang Yu, looking at the "Azure Sand Level 1 (1/10)" in his Feather Tome, nodded secretly. "As expected, even with a change in quantity, it still counts as an attempt."

He decided to further reduce the portions, testing the absolute minimum amount of material required to trigger the Tome's effect.

"If I can do this, I can further compress the costs of my crafting practice."

With that thought, he turned to Ye Xingli. "Senior Sister, since I’m only refining Azure Sand and don't need the rest of the lab's equipment, would you like to use it?"

Ye Xingli felt a stir of interest.

It wasn't about the money—the rental fee was negligible to her—but since she was already standing there, she might as well make use of the time.

A few spirit coins meant little, but a few extra hours of study and cultivation were invaluable.

Ye Xingli nodded. "I happen to be adjusting my dharma-bone, so I could certainly use the equipment here."

"I won't take advantage of you; we shall split the rent."

"If you have any questions regarding crafting, feel free to ask me."

Zhang Yu watched as she detached her right arm, manipulating the dharma-bone with her energy before placing it into a device, observing the data while channeling specialized mana into it.

"My current work is too simple," Zhang Yu thought. "It’s a waste for me to occupy the lab alone."

"If I can share the rent with others in the future, I can save even more spirit coins."

Ever since his first successful refinement, he had been obsessing over how to lower his expenses to fuel his progress.

"If I could sell this Azure Sand, maybe I could even turn a profit?"

He quickly dismissed the thought. "No, I doubt I could make money—at best, I might recoup some costs."

He knew that for basic materials like Azure Sand, large corporations and factories had long since achieved mass production.

Not only were their costs lower than his, but their average quality was also superior.

If he tried to sell his, he would likely have to sell at a loss just to recover a fraction of his investment.

"And mass production is impossible for me under these conditions."

He understood that whether it was a magical treasure or a dharma-bone, there was a world of difference between hand-crafting items one by one and the efficiency of an assembly line.

"To set up a production line, I would need either a massive capital investment or advanced crafting techniques."

Clearly, he possessed neither at the moment.

"For now, I must build my foundation and focus on improving my craft."

Zhang Yu continued to adjust the material ratios, experimenting repeatedly. Eventually, he discovered that as long as he used at least one-tenth of the standard amount, each successful refinement would increment his Tome's progress.

"Excellent," he thought with delight. "This way, I can cut my practice material costs by ninety percent."

Having mastered the ratios, he began adjusting his movements and timing, hoping to shorten the duration of each attempt.

He understood that the Tome's specialization ability functioned differently from standard cultivation.

Just as with his previous techniques, a single complete cycle would grant a progress point, eventually raising the level.

As for the process itself, his movements and quality could be slightly altered or compressed, provided they remained within a certain threshold.

He had always used this method to accelerate his cultivation.

Of course, the Tome had its flaws.

Every time he switched to a new specialization, he had to start from Level 1, grinding through repetitions to level up.

Even though he had mastered many similar martial arts and defensive techniques, there was no shortcut; he still had to start from zero, stacking attempts one by one.

He viewed his crafting skills the same way.

"It requires repeated practice to push the level higher."

"But the quality and time spent during that practice can surely be compressed."

"My logic of cultivation is entirely different from the way ordinary people practice their arts."

As Zhang Yu refined his process, Ye Xingli observed him from time to time, growing increasingly speechless.

"This guy... what a mess he's making."

"Not only is he skimping on materials, but he's also haphazardly adjusting his movements and timing?"

She knew that since the ten great sects had standardized and digitized immortal cultivation, every aspect of the craft had been systematically designed.

Crafting was no exception.

Unlike the past, where every sect operated like a small workshop and treasures were categorized only by rough tiers, the modern system of evaluation and refinement was incredibly refined.

To improve one's craft and create higher-level treasures, a cultivator needed rigorous study and high-quality practice.

"Zhang Yu, this chaotic way of training will get you nowhere."

Ye Xingli could not help but offer a word of caution: "If you wish to economize on your practice, there are far more systematic and formal methods than this."

"For instance, the Azure Sand you refine could be sold to recoup some of your expenses."

"After all, Azure Sand is a fundamental material required for many artifacts, and there are plenty of professors and students in the Refinement Department who would gladly purchase it."

"You could also utilize the Spirit Realm’s simulated laboratories for your practice; the costs are significantly lower than working with physical materials."

Zhang Yu was, of course, well aware of the cost-saving measures Ye Xingli mentioned.

Yet, judging by the efficiency of his current cost-cutting efforts, he felt he could drive expenses even lower than the simulated labs, all while retaining a portion of the finished Azure Sand.

Ye Xingli, naturally oblivious to his internal calculations, continued to suggest other ways to reduce overhead.

"It is not just simple products like Azure Sand that can be refined with reduced costs."

"The same applies to more advanced artifacts; beyond the simulated labs, you can substitute expensive materials with cheaper alternatives, practicing by producing inferior versions."

"As for high-end artifacts, once the initial forging is complete, you can refine your craftsmanship through repeated maintenance, adjustments, and enhancements, which costs far less."

"Take my master’s Nine Heavens Yuanyang Pagoda, for example; through endless tempering, repairing, and strengthening, its artifact level was elevated step by step from level 31 to level 40."

"In that process, my master’s own refinement skills improved immensely, and the manufacturing technique for the Nine Heavens Yuanyang Pagoda reached level 40."

Zhang Yu understood that for the manufacturing technique of the Nine Heavens Yuanyang Pagoda to reach level 40 meant that, given the proper materials and environment, Master Ciji could directly forge a level 40 artifact.

"But just hearing the name makes it sound expensive and labor-intensive," Zhang Yu mused. "Unless someone pays a fortune, Master Ciji likely wouldn't produce a second one easily."

In truth, Ye Xingli had left out one vital method for saving money: participating in the school’s refinement projects, using the allocated funding to purchase materials, lease facilities, and acquire equipment to advance one's own cultivation.

After all, the craft of refinement was notoriously expensive; even with her own wealth, Ye Xingli always felt her funds were insufficient and her budget perpetually overdrawn.

Thus, top students in the Refinement Department like her were almost all involved in various research projects.

In her view, soliciting funding was an essential skill for any aspiring master, one that simply had to be mastered.

However, as a student of the Civil Engineering Department who had only just begun his journey, Zhang Yu was still too far removed from such things, so she saw no point in mentioning it.

Just as Ye Xingli was finishing her exhortations, Zhang Yu successfully completed another batch of Azure Sand.

Azure Sand Level 2 (0/20)

Thanks to 'Changhuan' for the ten-thousand-point reward.

(End of chapter)