nagpurpolice Chapter 81: Three Types of Refined Forging, Key Enhancement
Chapter 81: Three Types of Refined Forging, Key Enhancement
Seeing that Chen Yu had chosen the spinal sword, the old man hanging there laughed.
"Good lad! You have a good eye! This sword has been soaked in the riverbed for many years, imbued with the essence of blood, but it hasn't reached its limit yet; it can be said to be the most unfathomable!"
Chen Yu didn't reply. The moment he got the Vertebra Sword, he opened his weapon inventory and checked the details of the forging process.
[Weapon Slot (Tier 1 69%)]
[Weapon]: Vertebra Sword
[Quality]: Mid-grade, Level 10
[Enhancement]: Fine Forging (0/1)
[Status]: Not equipped
[Equipment Requirements]: Strength not less than 30 jin.
【Equipment Effects】: 1. Undying Bone; 2. Penetrating Strangulation.
[Tip]: The current equipment can be refined. Based on the material properties, there are three refinement directions: Soul Transfer, Karma Transfer, and Silk Entanglement.
【Soul-Piercing Vertebra Sword】
[New "Spine Parasite" effect: 1. The Vertebra Sword transforms into a mobile spine, merging with the wearer's spine and coexisting with it; 2. The wearer can freely control the Vertebra Sword within their body to attack, and can sense malevolent intent within a 3-meter radius and automatically extend its defense; 3. When the wearer is attacked, the Vertebra Sword can actively shatter, completely blocking one instance of damage. This effect can be triggered once every 60 days.]
[Equipment Effect Enhancement]: 1. Soul Transfer - Undying Bones; 2. Soul Transfer - Penetrating Strangulation.
【Soul Transfer - Undying Bones】: 1. The "Undying" effect has been changed. After 30 seconds, the user will not be forced to die, but will instead have their health locked at 1 point and enter a near-death state, with movement speed reduced by 90% and inability to attack, lasting for 5 seconds; 2. After the "Undying" effect ends, the Vertebra Sword will not be completely destroyed, but will be shattered into bone fragments, absorbing the life force of the surrounding area to slowly reassemble, and will automatically recover after 360 days.
【寄魂·透体绞杀】：1.「体内绞杀」不再有触发概率，改为每当你对生命值低于50%的敌人造成伤害时，必定触发一次；2.此效果仍受每1小时3次的总上限约束。
[Core Materials]: 1. One Regenerating Spine of the Undying Lizard; 2. 30 grams of Soul Crystal Marrow.
【The Regenerating Spine of the Undying Lizard】: Deep underground, there lives a thousand-year-old royal family of giant lizards, whose spines possess near-immortal regenerative abilities.
【Soul Crystal Marrow】: Crystallized in the deepest part of the mass grave, containing endless tormented souls and life essence.
【辅助材料】：1.活金丝×9缕；2.九头蛇之血×100毫升；3.寄生骨虫母虫×3只；4.自我之骨×1块。
【Living Gold Thread】: A strange metal that can grow and wriggle like muscle, replacing the original blood gold thread.
[Hydra Blood]: The heart blood of a hydra of monster level or higher. Tempering with this blood can endow divine weapons with terrifying self-healing power.
【Parasitic Bone Worm Mother Worm】: A demonic worm mother that parasitizes only bones, used to establish a symbiotic bridge between the sword and its host.
[Self-Bone]: Sacrifice a section of your own spine as a catalyst for merging with the sword.
"So powerful! And it has made up for the original fatal flaw!"
Seeing the effect of this fine forging, Chen Yu couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
"According to the description of the Soul-Possessed Vertebra Sword, its core lies in activation and symbiosis. This weapon is no longer an inanimate object, but a living spine capable of sensing evil thoughts and autonomously shattering to take the place of death!"
"Most importantly, the ironclad rule that the 'Undying' effect would guarantee death after 30 seconds has been broken. Instead, it now grants 5 seconds of near-death weakness before surviving. With the curse of forced death lifted, the cost of this sword is no longer just one life! This greatly enhances its practicality!"
"The second effect, the rules of 'Strangulation' have also been rewritten. It no longer relies on probability; as long as the target's health is below 50%, strangulation will be triggered every time damage is dealt!"
"This is tantamount to completely abolishing uncertainty, turning the kill line into an absolute death line!"
After reviewing the first precision forging direction, Chen Yu moved on to the second.
【Karma Report: Spine and Sword】
[New "Evil Detonation" effect: 1. For each negative effect originating from the wearer (such as slow, poison, armor penetration) on the target, or for every 10 instances of damage received from the wearer, a stack of "Evil Detonation" will be added; 2. The wearer can actively detonate all "Evil Detonation," each stack dealing true damage equal to 1% of the target's maximum health and stunning them for 0.5 seconds; 3. This effect has no cooldown, and "Evil Detonation" can stack up to 5 times.]
[Equipment Effect Enhancement]: 1. Karma - Undying Bones; 2. Karma - Penetrating Strangulation.
【Karma - Undying Bones】: 1. The duration of the "Undying" state is extended to 45 seconds, and the damage dealt during this period is increased to 50%; 2. After the "Undying" effect is triggered, a deep "crack" will appear on the joint of the Vertebra Sword, and all abilities will be temporarily disabled for 1 day. After accumulating three "cracks", the Vertebra Sword will be permanently destroyed.
【Karma Retribution - Penetrating Strangulation】: 1. The trigger probability of "Internal Strangulation" is increased to 75%, and the trigger limit is increased to 5 times per hour; 2. During the "Immortality" period, the true damage caused by Strangulation is additionally restored as an equal amount of health. When the accumulated health restoration exceeds the limit of 1000%, the forced death effect after the immunity ends will occur.
[Core Materials]: 1. One spine from the Cursed Lich's Life Box; 2. 30 strands of Thread of Cause and Effect.
【The Spine of the Cursed Lich】: On the Western Continent, the core remains of a great lich who forged his own spine into a casket, inscribed with the most vicious curses.
【Threads of Cause and Effect】: Can only be found in the Western Continent. They are threads found beside the loom of the Goddess of Fate in the Time Rift, which can directly bind "damage" and "evil consequences".
【辅助材料】：1.报死女妖的牙齿粉末×5克；2.怨魂结核×10克；3.三生石碎屑×1克；4.复仇女神的髮丝×1缕。
【Death Banshee's Tooth Powder】: Originating from the Western Continent, grind it into powder and apply it to a bone sword; its wails can shatter souls.
【Wraith Core】: The core dug out from the body of a vengeful spirit is an excellent amplifier of the power of curses.
【Fragments of the Three Lives Stone】: Fragments of the Three Lives Stone soaked in the River Styx, used to inscribe the law of cause and effect.
【The Hair of the Nemesis】: A strand of hair imbued with divine vengeance, serving as the ultimate recipient and executor of the curse.
"This Karmic Retribution Vertebra Sword is also very powerful. The 'Undying Bone' has an additional effect: while in the 'Undying' state, the true damage caused by 'Internal Strangulation' can restore an equal amount of health."
Chen Yu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"This means that on the boundary between life and death, instead of continuously weakening, it will frantically suck blood and heal itself with each strangulation, thereby achieving the effect of immunity to forced death."
Overall, it's not bad.
Finally, there is the third direction of precision forging.
【Silk-wrapped Vertebrae Sword】
[New "Strangulation Field" effect: 1. Upon activation, an invisible "Strangulation Field" is formed within a 10-meter radius centered on the wearer; 2. All targets entering the field will receive true damage equal to 1% of your attack power every 10 seconds, and their movement speed will be reduced by 30%; 3. The field lasts for a maximum of 60 seconds, with a 60-minute cooldown.]
[Equipment Effect Enhancement]: 1. Entangling Silk - Undying Bones; 2. Entangling Silk - Penetrating Strangulation.
【Entangled Silk - Undying Bone】: 1. During the "Undying" period, the damage and slowing effect of "Strangulation Field" are doubled; 2. Removes the forced death effect after the "Undying" state ends; 3. After the "Undying" effect ends, all attributes are permanently reduced by 99%.
【Entangling Silk - Penetrating Strangulation】: 1. The single-hit damage of "Internal Strangulation" is increased to 3% of the maximum health; 2. Each time it is triggered, all enemies within the "Strangulation Field" will also suffer an equal amount of damage.
【Core Materials】: 1. Time Squid Ganglia ×2; 2. Void Crystal ×30g.
【The Ganglion of the Time Squid】: A ganglion of a sealed, tentacle-like ancient monster, containing the fundamental laws of "entanglement" and "strangulation".
【Space Crystal】: A rare type of crystal that can solidify space and freeze the effect within a range.
【辅助材料】：1.秘银之丝×20缕；2.噬骨蚁后之颚×1；3.无形幽魂的残骸×10克；4.界断石粉末×20克。
【Mithril Threads】: Used to completely replace the original gold threads and construct a force field network. It is not only tough but also perfectly conducts power.
【Queen Bone-Eating Ant Jaw】: This ant can secrete an acid that dissolves bones. By incorporating its jawbone into a sword, the strangulation power can be imbued with an "armor-piercing" effect.
[Remains of the Unseen Spectrum]: Used to grant the Strangulation Field the properties of "Invisibility" and "Armor Penetration".
【Boundary-Severing Stone Powder】: A mineral used to stabilize spatial fissures, ensuring that the force field does not tear reality apart when it unfolds.
"The 'Silk-Entwined Vertebra Sword' is a bit too simplistic and crude in its forging approach."
"It can create a 'strangulation field' with a radius of 10 meters out of thin air. All enemies that enter it will periodically suffer true damage and be slowed down."
"In the 'Undying' state, the force field's damage and slowing effect are doubled! Even more powerful is that when 'Internal Strangulation' is triggered on a single target, all enemies within the force field will simultaneously suffer the same amount of strangulation damage."
"This is equivalent to turning individual executions into collective punishment; the larger the battlefield, the more terrifying the carnage!"
"However, the price of 'immortality' is a bit too heavy. Afterwards, all attributes are permanently reduced by 99%, which is practically useless! Compared to the costs of the other two paths, this negative effect is slightly more severe."
After much thought, Chen Yu felt that all three forging methods were acceptable.
The strength improvement in all three forging directions is enormous, and all can solve the most fatal defect of forced death.
"But the problem is, these materials look too high-end, so they probably won't be easy to obtain."
"The Regenerating Spine of the Undying Lizard, the Spine of the Cursed Lich's Life Box, the Ganglia of the Time Squid..."
"I've never heard of any of these things before. I wonder if Night Owl has any in stock? And are the prices within my budget?"
Just as I was pondering this, the old man suddenly spoke.
"Hey kid, have you seen enough? If you have some free time, could you loosen these chains for me?"
The silence in the cave lasted for a long time, long enough that the sound of water droplets dripping from the rock walls could be heard.
The old man, suspended in mid-air, was looking at him with his head tilted to the side, his eyes, filled with bloodshot bruises, were cloudy and murky.
"And you? Have you seen enough?"
Chen Yu's voice was calm to the point of being indifferent.
The old man slowly straightened his neck, and his cervical spine made a crisp "click" sound.
He looked down at Chen Yu, a slow, widening smile spreading across his face.
"young people."
His voice was incredibly kind, like an elder chatting with a younger person.
"It wasn't easy for you to get here. The fact that you were able to obtain the Xuanfeng Token for the eighth floor shows that you are quite capable."
He paused, and the chains he wore swayed slightly.
"I've been hanging here for so long, I can't even remember the exact date."
"These chains go through the gaps in my bones, and it hurts every time I move."
He lowered his voice even further.
"Do me a favor, just a small one."
"These chains have posts on the ceiling. Just follow the chains and unlock the latches on the posts."
"No need to open them all, just open three chains. Once those three chains are loosened, I can get down from here."
"After we come down, we'll split the remaining six weapons in this cave equally between the two of us, with each of us taking three more."
He paused, as if he had made some significant concession.
"No, you take five items, I'll only take one."
The old man leaned forward, and the nine iron chains tightened simultaneously, producing a piercing metallic clanging sound.
The chain on his shoulder blade was deeply embedded in the dry flesh.
The white stubble of bone can be faintly seen at the edge of the iron ring.
He was completely oblivious, managing to force a barely acceptable "gentle" expression onto his face.
Chen Yu listened without moving.
He stood there, looking up at the old man for a long time.
Those eyes were excessively calm.
It didn't feel like looking at a pitiful person who had been trapped for who knows how many years; it felt more like examining something of unknown origin.
Six murder weapons were scattered throughout the cave.
Each piece exuded a subtle, yet palpable, murderous intent.
"You said you wanted to split the weapons with me?"
Chen Yu spoke, but his voice was not loud.
"Who is the guardian of the eighth floor? Isn't it you? Or are you going to steal from the guardian yourself?"
The old man blinked.
"Why is no one guarding it?"
He answered casually.
"I'll be guarding the eighth floor, but look at me, what can I possibly guard? Those weapons can barely defend themselves!"
He smiled, a hint of self-deprecation in his smile.
"The manor lord nailed me here just to serve as a warning! Hanging me up here for people to see, to scare the ignorant younger generation."
He sighed, and the chains swayed slightly with the sound of his sigh.
"You are the first young person to make it this far. Looking at you is like looking at my own junior."
"After I come down, feel free to take whatever you like from this cave. This old man only needs to keep one item to take back with him."
"In the end, they're all old things from the manor. Whether I keep them or give them to you, it's all the same."
"You just said that weapons protect themselves."
Chen Yu repeated it and slowly nodded.
Then he raised his head, looked into the old man's eyes, and said, word by word, "Then you should also take care of yourself."
The old man, suspended in mid-air, remained motionless.
There was a silence that lasted for about three breaths.
"You're not willing to help me?"
The voice that was spoken was no longer the same gentle one it had been before.
Chen Yu didn't reply, but simply took a half step back without making a sound.
His caution was not without reason.
From the moment he stepped into the cave, he sensed something was wrong.
The air was filled with the smell of rust and the stench of stale blood.
The smell didn't seem to be coming from the weapons; it seemed more like it was coming from overhead.
Those seven weapons were too conspicuous, like bait deliberately placed there for someone to take.
It's illogical that an old man with nine iron chains piercing his bones, suspended from the ceiling, could speak with such knowledge about everything here, even accurately stating their value.
Most importantly, he kept pondering the old man's words.
"Opening three is enough."
"Once the three chains are loosened, I can get down from here."
Why only three?
A person who has been truly trapped for countless years will only beg you to unlock all the locks.
Every chain is torture, and I wish I could take them off immediately.
He only allowed us to open three, indicating that three would be enough.
That's enough for him to get down from up there.
That's enough for him to do other things.
If I am not careful, he could very well kill me.
The phrase "to hand in the task" is even more suspicious.
Who should a prisoner of the guard report to?
He's been stuck here for so many years, and there are still people outside waiting for his reply?
Chen Yu's pupils contracted slightly.
"Aaaaaah!"
The old man suddenly moved.
The nine iron chains were stretched to their limit at the same time, making a loud "bang".
Rust flakes fell from the iron chain, like a dark red snowfall.
The entire cave wall was trembling, and the bone curtains hanging from the cave entrance were rattling loudly.
"box!"
His momentum as he charged down was firmly held back by the iron chain.
"Aaaaaah!"
But he seemed completely oblivious to the pain, stretching his neck forward with all his might.
The cervical vertebrae protruded one by one, and the entire head leaned forward at an impossible angle.
The face was contorted beyond recognition, and all the carefully maintained "gentleness" on it had vanished.
The blood vessels covering his eyes spread out like a spider web, densely weaving a scarlet patch.
His pupils shrank to two tiny black dots.
There was no light in the black spot, only a pure malice that had been suppressed for countless years.
"Why won't you help me!"
"Hahaha!"
The old man's voice had completely changed.
That was no sound that a human throat could produce.
A deep roar was layered with a sharp hiss.
It's like two people talking at the same time, one shouting and the other laughing.
Why won't you help me!
"You little bastard!"
Chen Yu stood still, without moving.
He looked up at the face that was no longer human, still filled with doubt.
"Three chains."
"If you can get it down by opening only three bars, what are the remaining six bars for?"
The old man's roar abruptly stopped.
The distorted face froze for a moment.
"You guessed it?"
The voice suddenly returned to its previous kind tone, as gentle as if soothing a child to sleep.
"You guessed it."
"Yes, three chains are enough. Once the three chains are loosened, I can get down."
He tilted his head, his blood-red eyes staring intently at Chen Yu.
"Would you like to guess what the remaining six are for?"
Chen Yu did not answer.
"You can't hold me back, child."
The old man's voice suddenly became extremely low.
"Of these nine chains, only three are for me, the remaining six..."
He paused, then licked his chapped lips.
"It's for locking this hole!"
"Lock this hole?"
Chen Yu's eyelid twitched.
"The old master was afraid I would go out, but he was also afraid that something would come in."
The old man's body swayed gently on the iron chain, like a spider hanging in the center of a spider web.
"You think these seven weapons are for anyone to take? Hah!"
"They're used for feeding, and after so many years, they're almost full."
"Now all I need is someone capable to loosen three of the chains so I can uncover everything about Hidden Edge Cave!"
He leaned forward, and the chains groaned under the strain.
"You've reached the eighth level, you've obtained the Xuanfeng Token, you're the most capable person in recent years."
"Please, help me."
"Loosen three of these straps for me, and all seven items are yours. I don't want them, not a single one. I just want to get off here!"
Chen Yu looked at the thing in mid-air with a ferocious face and incoherent speech.
The old face no longer held any of the feigned kindness it had just displayed.
Instead, a kind of mad malice that had been suppressed for countless years was replaced by.
Chen Yu finally confirmed his judgment.
This person is definitely a very dangerous individual.
There was a reason why the manor owner locked him up here.
To be on the safe side, it's best to avoid dealing with this kind of person.
He didn't linger, quickly turned around, and walked back the way he came.
"Get back here!"
A heart-wrenching scream erupted from behind.
Clang! Ring!
The iron chains clattered wildly.
Cracks began to appear in the rock strata on the ceiling, and fine stone dust fell down in a flurry.
"Come back!"
"You come back here!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
"I'm going to take your bones out one by one!"
"I will use your soul to light the lamp!"
"I'm going to eat you up, spit you out, and then eat you up again!"
The old man's roars echoed as he chased after them.
"Who do you think you are!"
"A brat who can't even get into the ninth floor!"
"You think you can get away? You think you can leave this Sword Forging Manor alive? No one can survive!"
"Hahaha! Once it comes out, you'll all be dead!"
Insults turned into curses, and curses turned into incoherent howls.
In the end, he couldn't even speak anymore, only letting out one scream after another.
The sounds bounced back and forth in the narrow cave, like countless mouths shouting at the same time, pouring into the ears in layers.
But he was never able to catch up.
Nine chains, not one missing, were firmly nailed to the ceiling.
Chen Yu did not turn around.
The moment he stepped out of the cave, the bone door slammed shut behind him, cutting off all sound.
The madman who guarded the level, along with his insane curses, was locked in another world.
Outside the cave were long staircases, as quiet as if submerged underwater, with only the sound of his own footsteps tapping on the stone steps.
Chen Yu stood on the steps, closed his eyes for a moment, and then continued to walk up.
Soon, they arrived at the first level of the Hidden Peak Cave.
Chen Yu went inside and found Zhu Jingchun, the disciple guarding the level.
"Junior Brother Chen, you're really something! Last time you came, you were only on the first floor, and now you're a distinguished guest on the eighth floor!"
Zhu Jingchun looked at Chen Yu and couldn't help but tease him.
"Why did I suddenly think of coming here? Perhaps I didn't find a suitable weapon down there?"
Chen Yu shook his head: "No, I want to ask Senior Brother Zhu, what is the background of the guardian who is imprisoned on the eighth floor?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jingchun's originally enthusiastic face immediately turned serious.
"Stop! Don't talk about this! The master has a rule that we can't mention him!"
"So mysterious? Not a single detail can be revealed?"
Chen Yu pressed for an answer.
Zhu Jingchun gave a wry smile.
"That's not entirely true. It's mainly because of my status; I'm not high enough, and there are many things I don't understand!"
"Just remember he's a dangerous person, and don't get too close to him! The less you know about him, the better."
Having said that, Chen Yu couldn't ask any more questions.
"By the way, Senior Brother Zhu, the bronze talismans for suppressing the mountain are about to expire. Please replace them with three new ones."
Since obtaining the Deer-Slaying Knife, Chen Yu has been using the Mountain-Suppressing Copper Talisman to suppress its negative effects.
As long as the Mountain-Suppressing Copper Talisman is within its validity period, there is no need to use the Blood Sacrifice Knife to appease the deer spirit.
He had always been curious about the composition of this mountain-suppressing bronze talisman, which could have the same effect as a blood sacrifice.
"It's all prepared for you, here you go!"
As Zhu Jingchun spoke, he handed three bronze talismans to Chen Yu.
"Senior Brother Zhu, what exactly is this mountain-suppressing bronze talisman made of? How many processes did it go through?"
Chen Yu asked tentatively.
"hey-hey!"
Zhu Jingchun smiled again.
"I can't tell you that. If I did, you could make it yourself, and you wouldn't want to buy from me again."
"All right."
Left with no other option, Chen Yu had to pay and leave.