The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 175: The Grand Auction

Li Lang didn’t linger on the topic of whether his artifact spirits were once Qi beasts for long. He could investigate the matter later once he managed to create his first artifact. For now, the significance of the matter didn’t affect anything relating to his plans.

Now armed with the knowledge imparted by his artificer teacher, Tie Qian, Li Lang no longer hesitated and began crafting the printer that had been in his mind for years. For the first prototype test, he made generous use of the advanced equipment in his lab to produce the base components. He wanted to test what would happen during an attempt to birth an artifact spirit while within Ruby first before working towards simplifying its production process.

Ruby had said it wasn’t possible to simulate an artifact spirit within her realm, but he believed it should still be able to tell whether his attempts succeeded or not. It just meant it wouldn’t result in the actual creation of a new spirit, and he could still practice his methods within the artifact space.

With the automated modules of his powerful 3D printers available, the body of the talisman printer was quickly created within his lab.

He had adjusted the design to accommodate a beast core and channeled his artifice techniques in an attempt to create his first artifact. Unsurprisingly, his first few attempts failed before he got too far. He was unaccustomed to the process, so it was more of a learning experience than anything.

Days passed as he continued to make his attempts. With each failure, he inched closer to his goal.

He began with a standard printer, but slowly, the small changes he made added up, and it became increasingly complex. However, he hadn’t succeeded even once, with the resulting printer always producing results that only retained the appearance of a talisman, but none of the substance that made it work.

That all changed three weeks into his research.

With numerous attempts under his belt, and an expert like Tie Qian as his consultant, Ruby’s artifact space finally reacted in a new fashion upon completing the printer.

Upon reaching the penultimate step of inserting the beast orb, the entire printer shone with a bright white light. It only intensified when Li Lang then invoked his techniques to finish the process.

The luminosity of the light kept climbing until it began to flicker, as if it had hit a limit. Then, a loud shattering sound rang out before the light entirely disappeared.

“That’s new. Do you have any idea what happened, Ruby?” Li Lang asked.

“Umm, sorry, Master. I have no idea. I just felt the energies within me run wild for a split second.”

“I’m going to assume that was the reaction to trying to birth an artifact spirit within you. Let me try a few more times to see if anything changes. If not, I think it’s time for me to simplify this design and try to craft it in reality. After all, there don’t seem to be any life-threatening consequences for failing.”

With that, Li Lang began earnestly redesigning the artifact to something possible to create with his means in reality. That meant the entire base of the design had to be changed. It would no longer center around an electronic printer, but a mechanical one.

Li Lang didn’t mind too much from having to start over because he already had an idea in mind. Throughout history, there were numerous machines he could base his design on. He didn’t overthink it and decided to go with a mimeograph machine as the base.

It was simple, using a stencil to recreate a talisman, and then pressing ink through it onto paper to complete the printing process.

Having converted a machine into an artifact once, Li Lang progressed much faster this time. However, time was a limited resource. Before he could complete the design and bring it into reality, a little over a month had passed since his return to Emberglow City.

It was time for him to return to Polarity City to meet up with Sima Xue to spectate the final auction, and then explain things to Elder Cao, so that he could have an easier time returning to Yellow Qilin.

He could only do his research during the little spare time he would have.

First thing in the morning, someone knocked on the door to Li Lang’s room.

“B-boss, everyone is ready t-to set off.”

“Coming!”

With both Wei Ping and Long Yi joining him in Polarity, it became necessary to bring along all their new students.

The children had only been taught general knowledge so far and had yet to truly begin cultivating. The trip would serve as a precursor for what was to come.

Li Lang’s group easily made their way back to Polarity City. A constant stream of traffic could be seen congesting the city’s airspace. It made the once desolate city become one of the most vibrant cities on the entire Violet Isle.

Still, even with such a large crowd, Li Lang’s party was almost immediately able to reunite with Sima Xue. They had agreed to use the inn they had previously stayed as a meeting place, so they found her there without any fanfare.

Sima Xue appeared the same as always, but she was accompanied by several other people wearing the same clothes as her this time.

“Glad to see you three again,” Sima Xue’s senior brother, Jian Beiyun, greeted. “You guys seem to have taken in quite an interesting bunch.”

His gaze landed on the dozen of children in their group.

“Yes. You should already know the reason we came to the Luminescent Domain in the first place, so it should be no surprise to you,” Li Lang replied.

Back when they had first met, Jian Beiyun had informed Li Lang of a place where he could recruit the bodies he needed to perform his alchemy tests. It was the reason why the trio had braved the dangers and crossed over into the Demonic Cultivator Territory in the first place.

“Well, this event will be a good experience for young people. Anyway, the main auction will be starting shortly. You’ll have to excuse me.”

As friendly as Jian Beiyun was, it was easy to forget he was a powerful cultivator in his own right. He swiftly and tracelessly disappeared from the lobby of the inn, leaving Li Lang’s party with a group of Nightmoon Valley disciples.

Sima Xue immediately closed the distance to greet the trio, ignoring the gazes of her fellow disciples.

“We should go head out, too. Otherwise, all the best spots will be taken.”

“Umm, isn’t your senior brother going to save us some seats?” Long Yi asked.

“Hmm? Him? Oh, no. Juniors like us won’t be able to attend the actual event in person. My Senior Brother himself barely qualifies with his title of head disciple.”

“What?” Li Lang yelped. “Then why did you say we could spectate the auction before, then? If all we’re doing is listening to someone relay the news of what’s going on inside the venue, then I wouldn’t have made the trip to come.”

“Don’t m-mind him,” Wei Ping interrupted. “He’s been obsessed w-with something recently, and he’s just frustrated t-that he had to take a break from it.”

“Ha, come on, you guys. We can talk while we’re walking. I never lied. You just didn’t listen to me carefully enough. Everyone in the city will be able to spectate the event, so no worries on that part. To do it in comfort, however, we’ll need to leave right away!”

Without waiting any longer, Sima Xue led the charge onto the streets, leading the large group toward the main roads. They had almost thirty people between the new kids and other members of Nightmoon Valley. Many people recognized Nightmoon Valley’s group, so they cleared a path open for them.

Contrary to what Li Lang had expected, she didn’t lead them toward any grand auction halls or the like. Instead, she went directly to the same restaurant where he first ordered tofu pudding with her.

Ordering his fellow disciples around, they swiftly took control of a few tables laid out on the rooftop patio. Li Lang’s group didn’t have a chance to ask why until they all got seated.

“I thought we were in a hurry?” Long Yi said. “Why are we grabbing food instead of heading straight to the venue?”

His questions earned him a few looks from the other guests and Nightmoon Valley disciples.

“This is it. We made it in time before all the tables were taken. This restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so if we didn’t make it in time, we’d have to stand.”

Gesturing outside toward the main street, a large crowd could be seen. What was special about this scene was that the flow of traffic had almost come to a standstill. Most people were either sitting on blankets they placed on the ground or were merrily holding a drink while they stood. They all looked up at the sky.

Based on their gaze, Li Lang began to have a sneaking suspicion as to what was to come. Before he could ask about it, the skies above the city suddenly darkened. Grey clouds appeared, and everyone in the city quieted down at once. Hazy clouds began moving, undergoing transformations.

They stretched thin, facing down at the city at an angle. There were dozens of them spread throughout the city. The haze began to change color. To be more precise, the haze soon became a screen that projected a live feed of an extravagant venue.

“Here it is. Polarity City’s Grand Cloud Mirror Art,” Sima Xue excitedly stated. “We’ll be able to see everything that’s happening at the grand auction because of it.”