Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

With his hands in his back, Li Yao walked past every furnace slowly and pointed out the problems of the furnace. When he grew excited during his talk, he even activated the light beam of his crystal processor and drew the internal structure of the furnaces as quickly as flashes of lightning, illustrating the flawed parts and the reasons for the flaws.

The refiners of the Deep Sea Fleet including Ye Qingyun did not think much of it at the beginning and believed that he was just bragging.

However, after hearing what the guy said, those people began to have sweat the size of beans, and their mouths were wide open beyond their control as they stared at Li Yao in utmost disbelief.

Shocked!

Everybody couldn’t have been more shocked!

“Vulture Li Yao”, the refiner who had mysteriously arrived, couldn’t have visited the laboratory before, but he had described the characteristics of their refining most accurately based on the tiniest gaps or scrapes inside the furnace. He had even pointed out some of their habitual moments, or the advantages and disadvantages of a certain unique technique. He was almost like a ghost that had been haunting them and observing them during their refining work all the time!

Where… Where did this guy come from exactly? His sharp senses and his understanding of furnaces were too appalling!

Even Master Jin Tianzong was quite astonished. After a long daze, he asked Li Linghai, “Your Grace, did you show the videos of our furnace to this ‘Vulture Li Yao’?”

“Of course not.”

Li Linghai couldn’t help but put on a smile. “Master Jin, you wanted a miracle, and it seems that the miracle is already underway.”

“Fellow Cultivator Li!”

Inside the chamber, Ye Qingyun couldn’t hold it back anymore. Pointing at the furnace that Li Yao picked in the end, he asked, “So to speak, this is the best-maintained one of the nine furnaces in this room?”

The furnace that Li Yao picked in the end was the one that Ye Qingyun had been using.

Ye Qingyun was one of the best among the refiners in the Deep Sea Fleet, but he was certainly not half as good as Master Jin Tianzong.

Therefore, if Li Yao stated that the refiner was the best one in the room, it would mean that his eyes were just so-so.

But out of his expectation, Li Yao simply shook his head while smiling. “Not exactly. This furnace also has a myriad of problems. But compared with the other furnaces, it will do.”

“It will do?”

Ye Qingyun demanded angrily, “What are the problems of this furnace?”

“Most importantly of all, the joint of the components of this furnace is not tight enough. Many gaps that are invisible for the naked eye have appeared. Some of them may be too thin to affect refining normally, but they will hinder my senses and operations.”

Touching the furnace whose shell had been carved with abundant radial runes, Li Yao said solemnly, “It must be an expert who has been frequently using this furnace. His control over flames and his shaping skills are all very professional. It shouldn’t be difficult for him to devise and produce a crystal suit independently.”

With satisfaction on his face, Ye Qingyun snorted.

Li Yao, however, changed the topic and went on, “But the refiner’s problem is that he is too impatient and likes to show off. Let me give you a simple example. His favorite skill is to change the temperature of thousands of degrees at the center of the furnace to below zero abruptly in only a couple of seconds.

“The quick transformation of temperature can contribute to the reduction of the inner stress in the components and the improvement of the extension and the anti-interference abilities of the components. In such a way, the crystal suits produced will have a better chance of survival in a complicated battlefield.

“It is supposed to be an excellent skill, and the refiner is also very capable to achieve the transformation in only a couple of seconds.

“However…

“Just because you have mastered an awesome skill does not mean you have to use it in the production of every component, right? Except for the few critical components, it is not necessary to completely eliminate the inner stress of most regular components that can be easily replaced.

“The refiner’s skills, on the other hand, have not reached the most mature level yet. Or rather, adjusting the temperature at the center of the furnace so drastically every time will inevitably consume abundant spiritual and physical energy. Then, during the last few batches, negligence and loss of control will be unavoidable, which will lead to an increase in the faulty rate. Even the products that have passed the test may have hidden flaws and problems that can barely be noticed.

“The joints of the units of the furnace, because of the frequent thermal changes, also have metal fatigue due to the overflowing spiritual energy. They are more or less sloppy right now. They are all the prices of ‘showoff’.

“In fact, refining is very easy. Many mass-produced components have been crafted by predecessors since hundreds if not thousands of years ago. The most reasonable and standard refining procedures have long been figured out and written into the relevant operation manuals.

“In fact, I am quite excited to come to the refining team of the Deep Sea Fleet because I can tell that the team here is very young and creative. There is quite an air of innovation and insanity in your refining skills, which fits my appetite very well. Personally, I like the most unbelievably and crazy styles in refining better than anything else.

“However, the extremity in the style does not mean the exaggeration in the skills. Or rather, exactly because we are pursuing new, more creative ideas in overall designs, we have to be more dutiful and serious in the production of the basic components.

“If the ideas are crazy and the skills are crazy too, the magical equipment that is produced in the end will certainly be fickle.

“We are a real-life refining team that follows a fleet, not a team for experimental refining under a certain university or a research institute. Creations are indeed very important, but the most important thing is still to ensure the stable, efficient, and continuous output on a battlefield. Don’t you agree, Fellow Cultivator Ye?”

His eyes as clear as water, Li Yao looked at Ye Qingyun in the most sincere way.

Ye Qingyun truly lost all his temper because of what Li Yao said. While the guy’s words were full of provocation, they were put in such a way as if he was merely discussing the issue honestly with strangers. Ye Qingyun did not even know how he should throw his tantrum. After a long daze, he pointed at the furnace that Master Jin Tianzong had been using and asked, “What about this one? Why did you not choose this one?”

“This furnace can be called perfect.”

Li Yao complimented, “Judging from the internal corrosions, the fuel left on the wall inside, and the color of the metals, the refiner that has been using it is exactly what I described just now. He has the best basic skills and never shows off. He simply crafts all the components dutifully without overlooking any procedure.

“I am not saying that the refiner who uses this furnace is definitely much more skilled than other refiners, but he knows his limits very well, and he carries out his best during every refining process, no more and no less.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. The hardest thing for any person is to know themselves. You can never have such a deep insight about yourself without a hundred years of hard work.

“After a long time, even the smoke and earthiness of this furnace itself have been completely consumed by him. Just tilt your head and look carefully, and you will see a vague halo on the surface of the furnace, as if it were covered in milk. If I have to describe it in one word, it will be ‘smooth’.

“The furnace that has been used by a master of refining for a long time is like an enameled pottery that has been played by a great collector for a hundred years. It is so natural and flawless!”

The refiners of the Deep Sea Fleet were all astounded as they listened. Ye Qingyun couldn’t help but ask, “Then—”

“Then, why did I not choose this one?”

Li Yao said with a smile, “Every master of refining has their unique techniques and habitual movements, which will be deeply ‘etched’ into the furnace during their refining process, while the refiner and the furnace adapt to one another and approach perfection. It is the reason why a refiner is often only used to one furnace and why they do not change their device often.

“The stronger a refiner is, the more distinctive their personal characteristics will be, and the more capable they will be in ‘etching’.

“This best furnace has been polished by the master of refining for at least two years. Every unit has been deeply soaked in the master’s personal features. It is almost like he has stamped the furnace with his soul.

“If I am to use this furnace, I will have conflicts with the personal features of the master first and be affected by his soul stamp.

“On the other hand, if I am to test the furnace without caring about anything and completely erase the master’s features, wouldn’t I be ruining his multiple years of hard work? What can he use for refining next time?

“A gentleman does not take away what other people love. Since this is a furnace that a master has been using, I might as well choose a different one. So, I have conceded and picked the second best-maintained furnace of the nine furnaces here.

“Of course, I will erase all the personal features lingering on the furnace during my refining. I will even use some extreme techniques to fully unleash the potentials of the furnace. When other refiners use it in the future, they will inevitably find it difficult to control. Fellow Cultivator Ye and other fellow Cultivators of the Deep Sea Fleet, you wouldn’t mind it, would you?”

Everybody was more or less stunned.

Ye Qingyun stammered, “Not-Not at all.”

“Thank you very much.”

With a smile, Li Yao said, “Then, I would trouble Fellow Cultivator Ye to fetch the crystals of the water class, the fire class, the wind class, and the thunder class for me. The higher purity, the better. Five kilograms for every type, please. I am going to test the furnace.”

Furnace test was the test where a refiner performed some simplest refining work when they got in touch with a furnace that they had never used before in order to find out the performance of the furnace.

Of course, for the regular refiners, they could learn the performance parameters from the user manuals. Only the meticulous masters who pursued the best in the tiniest detail would find it necessary to test the furnace.