[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dark-and-dawn-light-years":3,"chapter-dark-and-dawn-light-years-dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-137":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dark and Dawn Light-Years",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264737,4420,"Chapter 137: Artifact","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-137",137,"\u003Cp>Although it was night, Li Lin closed all doors and windows, mainly to prevent outsiders from seeing what he was doing inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He relit the candle, then swiftly rotated the immortal artifact back and forth before its flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed… when rotated clockwise at high speed, the scattered light points underwent a clear change—they were no longer chaotic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no complete image formed; likely because either his hand speed was insufficient or the rotation amplitude too small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this did not trouble Li Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fetched a ruler, measured the artifact’s dimensions, then drew a schematic of a hand-cranked gear system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He built a mounting bracket to secure the artifact, then used three gears to accelerate its rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stayed awake all night to finish the blueprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing his excitement, he went to work as usual, indistinguishable from any other day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he took the blueprint to the Artisan Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The craftsman who greeted him was the same one who had sold him the alchemy furnace before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“County Wei , your blueprint is quite challenging,” the craftsman said hesitantly. “You want it made in a single day? That’s far too rushed. Making these toothed celestial wheels from iron takes immense time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, gears had already existed in the previous dynasty, though under different names—this era called them “toothed celestial wheels,” typically used in large devices like water-powered astronomical instruments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin asked: “How long would it take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three months for this small device?” Li Lin was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s just three gears, a hand crank, and a mounting platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it would take three months!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Toothed celestial wheels made of iron are truly difficult.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there any way to speed it up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you use hard wood, it’ll be much faster—just carve it directly,” the craftsman said after a pause. “But it won’t be very durable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How long would a wooden one take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can finish it by tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then use wood,” Li Lin placed a silver ingot in the craftsman’s hand. “This is the deposit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too much, too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The extra is a tip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The craftsman immediately beamed: “Thank you, County Wei , thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin returned home, sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed, calmed his emotions with the Spring Revival Nourishing Art, then resumed cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First he practiced the Thunderfall Spell, summoning several bolts of lightning, after which Li Yanjing ran out from the altar to inspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your thunder art has already gained considerable power,” Li Yanjing observed, smiling. “But it’s still inadequate against stronger ghosts or martial cultivators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not powerful enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s one issue. The other is your casting speed is too slow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin agreed wholeheartedly—he had long sought ways to overcome this weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why he invented the Thunderfall Talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But recently, he’d discovered its flaw: the maximum thunder power it could store was limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could no longer keep pace with the growth of his thunder art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was due to the materials—ordinary thunderwood had a hard upper limit on the lightning it could attract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To raise the Thunderfall Spell’s power ceiling, he’d need better materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or he’d need a new theoretical breakthrough in talisman crafting to produce high-grade talismans from low-grade materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if slow, every spell has its place,” Li Lin said with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Thunderfall Spell was indeed slow—but its power was immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thunder art used by an eighth-rank Ghost Hunter inflicted damage comparable to that of a sixth-rank Ghost Hunter’s techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reached sixth rank, its power would grow further still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s precisely why, despite its slow speed, he persisted in rigorous training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanjing rested her chin on her hand. “I don’t understand thunder art, but I know all thunder spells can be enhanced—or their casting time reduced—by artifacts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Artifact?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t have an artifact?” Li Yanjing chuckled. “No way—you’re this powerful and still don’t have one? How did you ever practice your spells before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A good artifact reduces the difficulty of casting spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, nearly every spell cultivator owns at least one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Su Huafang and Bai Zhiwei don’t either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you know they don’t?” Li Yanjing laughed. “They have them—they just don’t carry them around. Artifacts are precious. Almost every Ghost Hunter with some means, even a modest one, owns one—bought, stolen, or inherited.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin understood Yanjing’s meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhiwei and the others had artifacts—they just didn’t use them during practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t carry them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If something happened, leaving the artifact at home ensured their descendants could still use it, rather than having it stolen from their corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only those who can craft artifacts carry them constantly—they have many, so losing or breaking one doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sighed. “I can’t help it—I’m poor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about a trade?” Li Yanjing drifted beside him, pressing close with a seductive smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have an artifact?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. Though I can’t use it, I’ve lived long enough to accumulate some treasures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five mouthfuls of your qi-blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, this was nearly giving him the artifact for free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was merely calculating whether his qi-blood could spare it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five mouthfuls is still too steep,” Li Yanjing pouted. “Then four. I won’t go lower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin calculated the days until his next offering at Shangkou Village—he had several days before then, and could recover from losing four mouthfuls. He nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait here—I’ll go get it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Li Yanjing drifted away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin practiced the Thunderfall Spell again until his yin energy nearly depleted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Yanjing returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her hand was a black short sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here—it’s my long-hidden artifact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin took it and saw the blade’s sheath and hilt were black; when drawn, the blade itself was blood-red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This artifact was seized by me over thirty years ago from a Daoist,” Li Yanjing smiled. “It’s valuable, but I can’t use it, so I kept it hidden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’ve saved up a lot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanjing had been smug, but then she sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All earned by selling the flesh of women I possessed. No matter how much, it’s tainted money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin didn’t know how to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He changed the subject: “What’s this artifact called?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shagou Zhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the origin of the name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long ago, a great ghost named Sha was found by a Daoist, who used its bones and mixed them with poison wine to create a toxic elixir. Then he carved a sword from yin wood and soaked it in the elixir for nine years. The yin wood absorbed the elixir’s yin energy and became an artifact—perfect for Ghost Hunters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was the Daoist a Ghost Hunter too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He was a heretic cultivator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin’s yin energy was low, but upon holding the short sword, he felt a resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tucked the artifact into his sleeve, pressing it against his arm’s skin, then formed the hand seals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bolt of bluish-red lightning struck the stone ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed powerful,” Li Lin said in admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the artifact, his yin energy consumption dropped significantly, and casting speed increased slightly—it was clearly an excellent tool for spell practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t I lie to you?” Li Yanjing leaned in with a sultry smile. “Now, your promise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin extended his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yanjing seized it eagerly, her expression ravenous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she licked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her so excited, Li Lin expected to lose a great deal of blood—she’d said four mouthfuls, but he assumed she’d gulp them down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to his surprise, Yanjing sipped only tiny amounts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each sip, she closed her eyes and savored it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, consuming four mouthfuls took considerable time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re being this restrained?” Li Lin asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanjing gently touched her lips and smiled: “I can tell the difference between one full meal and occasional snacks. If I really sucked greedily, you’d never make another deal with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin raised an eyebrow. He felt Li Yanjing was smarter and more self-controlled than he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder she became a Great Apparition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin began practicing short sword techniques again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had “thrown away” his previous short sword; from now on, he’d carry this magical short sword when he went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike other Spirit Hunters who possessed magical weapons, he believed weapons were meant to be “used.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keeping them locked away at home felt like a waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was just a personal philosophy—it didn’t mean Bai Zhiwei and the others were wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time quickly arrived at the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the morning, the craftsman arrived with the hand-cranked gear device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After paying the full crafting fee, Li Lin moved it into his study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he summoned Huang Qing and Hong Luan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qing watched as Li Lin shut the study door and closed the windows. She blushed, thinking of something, and said: “Are you trying to kill me? This is a study—and it’s still daytime… Don’t be reckless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Luan, by contrast, looked eagerly expectant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did your mind go?” Li Lin said helplessly. “This is serious business—important, and only the three of us must know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin’s serious expression, Huang Qing immediately nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Luan, however, looked disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin lit a candle and took down the Immortal Artifact from the bookshelf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two women had seen this object before and knew its value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin secured the Immortal Artifact in its mount and said: “If any text or images appear on the wall, record them somehow—understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both nodded vigorously; Huang Qing even fetched paper and ink from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could read and was skilled in fine brushwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin took a deep breath, then spun the hand crank rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gears drove the mount into swift rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The candle’s light passed through the center of the black-and-white spheres, casting a spot of light on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the spot spun faster, images gradually began to form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two women were startled by the sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the images remained blurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like characters…” Huang Qing said. “But still too unclear to read.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin increased the speed of the hand crank, nearly using every ounce of strength he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hand-cranked gear device clattered loudly, as if about to fall apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Immortal Artifact spun into a blur within its mount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-and-white spheres, spinning rapidly, seemed to merge into a gray sphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Hong Luan cried out: “I can see clearly now—it’s text, so much text!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qing was already recording furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1753,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","83fed465c1bbfafb38d6003f855e979a315a2db354f1395db967ee71f2fdb018","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-138","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-136",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]