Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 2119: Improved formation (2)

Ye Zhongming opened the first box and took out a piece of material. He looked at it from left to right, then gently placed his hand upon it, his eyes half-closed. A faint, indistinct glow emanated from his palm and slowly infused into the material.

Witnessing this scene, Huo Zhiʼs eyebrows rose directly.

As the saying goes, amateurs watch the spectacle while experts watch the craft. As an elder of the Su Clan and a true formation master, Huo Zhiʼs research into formations had reached a profound depth. His natural talent was exceptional, and he had dabbled in various fields, naturally contemplating countless methods to enhance formations.

However, the Ten Great Formations were the precious legacy accumulated by predecessors over countless years; improving them was certainly not easy.

Upon seeing Ye Zhongmingʼs action, Huo Zhi understood what he was doing.

He was… refining the materials!

This was simple to say but difficult to execute.

Ordinary materials were naturally less laborious to refine, and anything made from refined materials was superior to the original.

This was the simplest method of enhancement.

But the materials for major formations were different. Setting up a formation inherently required a balance of energy, circulation, stability, and restraint.
For such formations, the required materials need to have compatible properties. Therefore, very few people could refine the materials used to set up formations, because even the slightest carelessness, altering the tiniest detail in the materials, could cause the formation to fail.

Thus, although everyone knew this was the most direct way to enhance a formationʼs power, they could do nothing about it.

It required an exceptionally skilled formation master, material processor, or artisan to achieve perfect refinement of the material.

Such individuals would live extremely well among the cosmic races, especially within the Su Clan.

Huo Zhi knew Ye Zhongming was a competent craftsman, but he had not expected him to dare attempt material refinement.

This demanded too much. Not only meticulous control over energy, but also extremely high physical strength, mental fortitude, and perception…

Yet Huo Zhi did not stop Ye Zhongming, nor was he afraid that he would ruin these nearly unique materials. He wanted to see what surprises this young man, who had repeatedly astonished people, could bring him this time.

Ye Zhongming was now extremely cautious, knowing the stakes were high and not daring to be careless.

This material kept rotating in his hand. If one looked closely, it was actually not touching his hand at all, controlled solely by his power. This skill heightened Huo Zhiʼs expectations further.

However, Huo Zhi also began to worry whether the young manʼs physical strength and mental stamina would suffice…

After a few minutes, the power in Ye Zhongmingʼs hand slowly dissipated, and the material settled back into his palm.

”Fortunately, I have lived up to the task.” Ye Zhongming set this material aside and picked up a second piece.

Huo Zhi did not stand on ceremony. He directly picked up the refined material, examined it carefully, and found that its quality had indeed been substantially improved, and all its internal structures perfectly met the requirements of the Golden Soldier Killing Formation.

Satisfied, he set the material down and continued watching Ye Zhongming refine the second type.

And so it went. Within a few minutes, Ye Zhongming would finish refining one piece of material. The consistent pace was astonishing. Furthermore, Huo Zhi, a top-tier expert, keenly sensed that although it seemed Ye Zhongmingʼs time for refining each material was the same, the speed was actually slightly increasing. Comparing the time taken for the first material with that for the current one, the difference was at least a dozen seconds.

These materials, however, were all identical.

This only indicated that Ye Zhongming was becoming proficient, shedding his initial awkwardness.

This young manʼs talent was truly enviable.

After all the materials of this type were processed, Huo Zhi checked the time. Less than an hour had passed. Notably, this was the most numerous type of material, accounting for about a quarter of the total.

After completing this, Ye Zhongming sat in silence. Huo Zhi knew he was recovering his strength and mental energy. After a momentʼs thought, he took out potions for these two aspects and handed them to the Cloud Peak King.

Medications that Huo Zhi carried on his person were naturally top-tier. Ye Zhongming did not refuse; he examined them, expressed his thanks, and set them aside.

This puzzled Huo Zhi. What, not using them now?

Ye Zhongming truly did not need them at the moment. His physical strength and mental stamina were such that few among the cosmic races could compare.

He picked up the second type of material.

As with the first, he was cautious at the start, taking considerable time to refine each piece, but gradually became faster. Soon, he had finished refining the second type as well.

Huo Zhi was somewhat surprised. The young manʼs physical stamina, mental fortitude, and concentration were truly impressive.

Ye Zhongming rested with his eyes closed for a few more minutes, then picked up the third type of material. The potions for restoring physical strength and mental energy remained untouched beside him.

Huo Zhi hesitated, wanted to speak, but thought better of it and said nothing.

Ye Zhongming finished refining the third type of material. Including the previous ones, he had used two and a half hours in total.

He picked up the fourth type.

Huo Zhi finally could not help but say, ”Donʼt you need to rest a bit?”

Ye Zhongming thought very seriously for a moment and replied, ”It depends. If the energy consumption for this type is similar to the previous ones, then I wonʼt need to rest for now.”

Huo Zhiʼs lips twitched. He thought to himself, ” Alright, then gestured with his hand for him to continue.

Ye Zhongming continued and finished refining the fourth type of material in over forty minutes.

By now, Huo Zhi no longer doubted it. This young man truly could enhance the power of the Golden Soldier Killing Formation. His claim of at least a 20% increase likely referred to his ability to successfully refine these materials.

This kid really had some skills.

However, Huo Zhiʼs joy did not last long. The more he watched, the more astonished he became. Ye Zhongmingʼs pace of refining materials did not slow down at all. Although later on, as the materials became more complex, the time required to refine individual pieces might not have been fast, he maintained high overall efficiency.

Huo Zhi was afraid he might accidentally ruin the materials. Some materials could be replaced with spares, but others truly were irreplaceable.

By the time Ye Zhongming began refining the final few crucial materials, Huo Zhi himself was too tense to speak. He had forgotten that Ye Zhongming had hardly rested at all, remaining continuously in a working state. When he finally remembered, the Cloudtop King was already refining the last piece.

Huo Zhi checked the time. Nine hours and twenty-five minutes. He estimated that all work would be completed within 9.5 hours. During this period, this fellow had rested for just over half an hour.

The final piece of material was successfully refined. Ye Zhongming let out a long sigh of relief. This focused refinement had consumed immense physical and mental energy. His current state was at only about one-tenth of his capacity.

”Elder Huo Zhi, set up the formation first. Afterwards, I will tell you about the other method of enhancement.”

Ye Zhongming said.

”Alright.” Huo Zhi nodded, waved his hand to collect all the materials, and then looked at the two bottles of potion he had offered earlier. He said, ”Since you didnʼt use them, then…”

Before he could finish, Ye Zhongming had already put the two bottles away. Then, with a suspicious look, he said, ”Elder, you wouldnʼt be trying to take back something you already gave away, would you?”

Huo Zhi: ”…”