Chapter 149: Magic and Artifice

Two days later.

Wang Yu sat cross-legged in the meditation chamber, a thin book now in his hand, its yellow cover boldly inscribed with the characters "Yu Qi Shu."

After a moment, he closed the book, then shut his eyes and fell into quiet contemplation.

As he had previously understood, the so-called Yu Qi Shu of the Qi Condensation stage was a secret technique that condensed spiritual sense into threads to remotely manipulate magical tools.

This method was clearly easy to understand but hard to master, allowed control of only one tool at a time, and required extensive practice to improve.

But for those with strong spiritual sense, this Yu Qi Shu offered significant advantages: the stronger the spiritual sense, the longer the control duration and the faster the manipulation speed.

Of course, using Yu Qi Shu consumed not only spiritual sense but also vast amounts of spiritual energy; even Qi Condensation cultivators who had learned it rarely engaged in direct combat using it.

"Hengjiang Sword"

For some reason, the moment Wang Yu finished reading this book on Yu Qi Shu, he immediately thought of this weapon.

……

Ten days later.

Wang Yu stood in the alchemy chamber of his cave dwelling, staring at the table piled with countless materials, his brow tightly furrowed.

He had gathered all eighteen materials required for the Zi Mu Fu You Mirror, using his free quota plus additional purchases from the General Affairs Hall, but had borrowed several thousand spirit stones from Sun Shi.

Given the mirror's extreme complexity, he would not delay; having fully comprehended the blueprints and instructions, he began crafting the component blanks today.

"Overclock Mode"

As Wang Yu picked up a fist-sized crimson metal ingot, he uttered a low chant, his eyes glinting with crystalline light, his five senses rapidly amplified, the world around him slowing to a crawl as his mind entered an unimaginable superstate.

He gazed at the metal in his hand, his mind flashing through page after page of component blueprints, finally settling on one depicting a flat disc.

Wang Yu tossed the metal into the air, using his Jin Jin Shu sensitivity to make it hover before him; with a single hand gesture, a flame burst from a nearby furnace, instantly engulfing the material.

Wang Yu watched as the metal softened rapidly in midair, gradually reshaping—imperfectly, yet broadly matching the disc-like form on the blueprint.

He waved his hand; the flattened metal shot outward, landing precisely in a large water vat filled with cold spring water, rolled once within, then rose again, steaming white vapor trailing behind, settling steadily onto a nearby iron anvil.

At this point, Wang Yu picked up a pitch-black iron hammer—this was where his overclock precision control would be tested.

Soon, the alchemy chamber rang with the sharp, rhythmic "ping-ping-pa-pa" of hammer strikes, each blow identical in volume, each interval precisely equal, as if operated by a machine.

……

One month later.

Wang Yu stood at the center of the training ground, eight black rods, each about a foot long, arranged on the ground around him.

He raised one hand; all eight rods rose simultaneously, circling his body slowly at first, then accelerating until they became streaks of shadow.

Suddenly, a faint golden spiritual rune flashed in Wang Yu's eyes and vanished—the black rod-shadows shattered like sand, dissolving into specks of golden light.

"Go."

Wang Yu uttered a low command; from the specks of golden light, a flash of cold brilliance erupted, a hissing roar filled the air as countless golden needles rained forward like a storm.

……

Two months later.

Wang Yu remained busy in the alchemy chamber; a dozen completed component blanks now sat on the nearby table.

At this moment, he was using a homemade, simple grinding wheel to polish a yellow, tube-shaped part.

When the polishing was complete, the tube's inner and outer surfaces gleamed smooth and polished; he grasped both ends and pressed gently.

"Puh."

The tube contracted into a bundle, becoming a thick, ring-like object.

He then picked up a transparent, lens-like component from the workbench and pressed it into the ring—it fitted perfectly, with not the slightest deviation in size.

Wang Yu's face broke into a satisfied smile; he placed the ring on the table, then picked up a white, plaster-like material and placed it in a large iron bowl, beginning to pour in various colored powders.

……

Three months later.

In the training ground, Wang Yu stood motionless, his hand seals constantly shifting, murmuring incantations under his breath.

A gentle breeze blew, and a few strands of white clouds drifted past.

Wang Yu vanished without a trace, leaving not a single trace of his presence.

……

Four months later.

In the cave's earth-fire furnace room.

A golden bead, the size of a thumb, floated quietly above the earth-fire furnace, wrapped in delicate tendrils of flame.

Wang Yu hovered in midair, his eyes gleaming with crystalline light, one hand holding a inscription needle as he etched runes onto the bead's surface; his breath was faint, his wrist utterly still, his face expressionless—he had become something inhuman, like a machine.

……

Five months later.

Outside the cave, Wang Yu's hands moved rapidly through seals, his incantations continuous; on his lower legs, a pale green aura swirled, while a crimson firelight flickered faintly.

Suddenly, the green and red auras intertwined; eleven green-red spiritual runes surfaced simultaneously, and two luminous wheels, each about a foot in diameter, began to form above his feet.

But at that moment, both wheels flickered and exploded outward.

Wang Yu felt his body grow light, his feet burn hot—and he shot forward.

"Plop!" He plunged directly into the pond ahead, leaving two deep furrows in the ground behind him.

Da Lü and Xiao Bai, playing in the pond, were startled; they widened their tiny eyes, staring at their master as he rose from the water, cursing under his breath.

Wang Yu waded out of the pond, his legs covered in wounds, his heart filled with helplessness.

The original eleven-rune spell could not possibly be mastered by ordinary means—he would have to rely on overclock mode to solidify the spell imprint.

But his spiritual sea already held three solidified spells: Fire Shield, Fire Bullet, and Golden Needle Technique; adding an eleven-rune spell was possible, but it would leave no room for other spells.

For someone who needed flexible adaptability in battle, this was unacceptable.

Yet the Wind-Fire Wheels technique was crucial—he must be able to activate it at any moment; he would have to reset one of his existing spells.

Wang Yu redirected his spiritual sense into his spiritual sea, gazing at one of the spell imprints, pondering his choice.