Chapter Twenty-Six: The Refining is Complete

Qi Xiao immediately felt uneasy, almost as if sitting on pins and needles. Since his arrival on the Lake Heart Island, this was the first time he had encountered his teacher in the dining hall. After some hesitation, he finally spoke up, “What brings you to the dining hall today, Teacher? Could it be that Chef Biggs has learned some new dishes, and I might be fortunate enough to savor them as well?”

Midiel hung his cane to the side and looked at Qi Xiao with amusement. “Not quite. I just heard you were here and thought I’d stop by. I’ve always wondered where you learned those peculiar, tongue-twisting yet perfectly intelligible expressions. Was it from your hometown? You’ve never told me much about it.”

Qi Xiao found it difficult to answer and could only change the subject. “It’s just the way I am—born with it, I suppose, and quite used to it. By the way, since you’re here, there’s something I wanted to ask about—the conclusion derived from the fourth formula of spatial transmission…”

Though he was trying to shift the conversation, Qi Xiao did genuinely have questions on the matter. Midiel took out paper and pen, placed them before Qi Xiao, and began to explain, working through the calculations as he spoke.

Not long after, a blood-servant appeared in the distance with a tray, hesitating to approach because of Midiel’s presence. Midiel glanced at the servant out of the corner of his eye but paid no real mind. He turned back to Qi Xiao and said, “That’s the gist of it. Any other questions? If not, have your meal. Remember to take proper breaks; just keep the alchemy shop running without worrying about profits or losses—don’t invest too much energy.”

Qi Xiao nodded humbly, expressing his gratitude.

Midiel lowered his voice and continued, “In a few days, I’ll have Merc bring the auction item to you. Find some time to make a trip out—don’t spend all your days cooped up in the organization. For a sorcerer, experiencing the outside world is a form of study as well.”

Without waiting for a reply, Midiel tapped his cane lightly, and in a blink, he vanished.

The blood-servant finally drifted over and set his lunch on the table. Starving, Qi Xiao began wolfing down his food.

The dining hall was empty that day, so he didn’t need to maintain appearances. He devoured his meal with gusto, finishing with a large cup of black tea in one gulp, exhaling with satisfaction as if revived.

Once full, Qi Xiao regained his composure. He wiped his mouth and hands with a handkerchief and offered a slight bow in the direction of the head chef before strolling back to the alchemy chamber.

He gently picked up the bracelet, tracing its contours as he considered where next to carve his runes. Magic patterns could not be inscribed endlessly; each vessel had a limit, and the patterns themselves could conflict with each other. The true measure of an enchanter-alchemist’s skill was how well they could harmonize multiple runes on a single vessel, even making them complement one another. Reaching this level marked true initiation into the art, and no knowledgeable alchemist would dare look down on you with the arrogance of prejudice.

Qi Xiao was now facing this very challenge. After a long deliberation and mapping out the placement of runes, he felt in good shape and, without further rest, picked up his carving blade and set to work.

Unlike the previous rune, which mainly acted as a conductor and amplifier for magical energy among the bracelet’s materials, this pattern drew its strength from the costly materials comprising the band itself, focusing more on the power of the rune itself.

He incorporated multiple inscriptions—his current limit—granting the bracelet’s wearer automatic defense when attacked and the ability to actively trigger a protective barrier: a highly sought-after protective artifact.

Both runes Qi Xiao chose leaned toward auxiliary effects. Firstly, bracelets were ill-suited as offensive alchemical items. Secondly, the bracelet only reached the “fine” tier of quality through a clever trick; offensive runes wouldn’t have yielded much better results than standard items. Therefore, versatile abilities like “clarity” and “defense,” useful to every sorcerer, were the most suitable.

Inscribing two runes on a single vessel was fraught with difficulty. Even with a blueprint to follow, Qi Xiao still encountered unexpected problems during the actual process. He adapted on the fly, altering the carvings of several runes to minimize conflict between them.

The bracelet trembled slightly, its core heart-ice gem flickering. Qi Xiao paid it no heed, focusing intently on etching the magic patterns before him.

As he integrated the five runes—“defense,” “perception,” “buffer,” “shock absorption,” and finally, with a determined final stroke, “repulsion”—the pattern became increasingly stable and exclusive. Each cut felt like an exertion of his full strength.

At last, the hardest cut fell, fusing the sixth inscription. The final stage, with the runes now unified, was much easier. Once the magic pattern was complete, Qi Xiao had nothing left to give; the blade slipped from his grasp.

He collapsed onto the floor, panting like a dead dog. A glance at the time revealed a whole day had passed—it was now one o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, he only needed to arrive by five, so there was no need to rush.

After lying there for nearly half an hour, Qi Xiao recovered some strength, staggered to his feet, and admired his handiwork. His tired face broke into a smile of relief and satisfaction. The bracelet had undeniably reached the “fine” tier. For an apprentice of Qi Xiao’s level to craft such a high-quality artifact in just three days was astonishing.

Yet Qi Xiao felt it had not been worth the time. In these three days, he had done almost nothing else—a waste, but it was necessary to establish Tiangong Alchemy Shop’s reputation. After this, it would be best to wait until he became an intermediate apprentice before attempting such work again.

After all, this bracelet was just barely “fine” quality, using two of the few runes he had truly mastered. It was a one-of-a-kind creation. Crafting another would bring no further benefit from the system, and making other fine-tier items came with a high risk of failure. The best course was to wait until he could reliably produce them in a short time.

As for innovating without a design, Qi Xiao admitted he was not yet at that level. He needed more practice and experience, otherwise it would just be a waste of materials.

Regardless, he had successfully crafted a fine-tier alchemical artifact. Such an apprentice would command respect, even among full sorcerers. For if an alchemist of this level, on a good day and with a bit of improvement, managed to create an excellent-tier artifact, it could compel even the most exalted sorcerers to pay a high price for it.

Qi Xiao slipped the bracelet onto his wrist and headed to the newly renovated artifact testing chamber, ready to put his creation to the test.