Chapter 19
An Expert?
Screee
Chu Shen grabbed his ears in pain. An eagle swooped down and landed on the ground. However, there was something wrong with this eagle. It was as big as a house and carried a carriage on its back!
Once his ears stopped ringing Chu Shen started marveling at the beast. “Come on Chu Shen, we don’t have all day.” Master Lang walked towards the beast
“Yes, coming Master Lang.” Chu Shen immediately ran up to the beast. He walked up the rope ladder and climbed into the carriage. Soon after he got into the carriage the beast took off with another cry.
Screee
“Dang. This bird has really got to stop doing that or I’ll go deaf.” Chu Shen rubbed his ears in dismay.
“Haha. You just might. The Mountain Eagle has been known to kill normal people with its war cry, lucky for you that’s just the warning and not its battle cry. Not to mention the fact that it’s still growing up.” Master Lang kindly informed Chu Shen.
As they flew through the air they rocked back and forth. The movement of the beast was almost hypnotic, quite soothing to the soul. Slowly Chu Shen became relaxed and imagined he was on a ship and not on a beast over a mile in the air.
“Chu Shen, you remember the weapons you asked me to forge correct?”
“Yes master, of course I do.”
“Well, I finished it.”
“That is great Master!”
“Here, I wanted to give it to you.” After saying so a hammer appeared in Master Lang’s hands. It had the same dimensions as the hammer Chu Shen originally had in the trials. It was 1 and a half meters long with a heavy head and a spike mounted to the end.
Inscribed on the head of the hammer was ancient arcane symbols that gave off a faint sense of power. Chu Shen recognized the symbols as the inscription patterns that he had asked for.
Inscribed on the hammer was two inscriptions. The one on the handle was a [Channeling Inscription]. It’s a very useful inscription no matter your cultivation level. The inscription essentially lets someone channel their Qi into the weapon easier, making the weapon harder and sharper.
It also let you use less Qi to make the same effects. Normally it would boost the Qi by 30-35% if made by both a Master Blacksmith and Inscription Master, but this was a weapon crafted by a Master Artificer. It actually boosted the Qi by 45-50%.
The other inscription was something that was best used for heavy weapons. It was actually an inscription created by Master Lang. Inscriptions are often copied and sold to other people however legacy inscriptions such as this one were only pa.s.sed down from master to disciple.
This inscription called the [Earth Shattering Inscription]. The inscription changed the weight of the object, making the weapon as light as a feather while swinging it or making it more than 100 times its weight.
This let heavy weapons, such as the hammer, become as agile as a swordsman but hit as hard as they did originally and with more force. Imagine the weight of 1,000 pounds suddenly falling on you. It could certainly shatter the earth. What was even scarier was the fact that there was no limit.
The more Qi you fed it the more weight the hammer gained. Master Lang had taught Chu Shen about inscriptions and helped him learn about them. Though he could not make inscriptions, he could easily identify and recommend inscriptions on weapons he forged. That was how Chu Shen knew what inscription to request of Master Lang.
Because he could not make inscriptions he was not qualified to be called an Artificer. However, since he could nullify his Qi’s affects he could finally pursue his pa.s.sion and become an Artificer. He didn"t know how to tell Master Lang this though, it seemed to be too suspicous.
Master Lang looked on Chu Shen as he studied the hammer with pride in his eyes. Chu Shen looked up at Master Lang with appreciation all over his face. “Thank you Master Lang, it is truly all I could ask for and more.”
Master Lang beamed with pride. “Haha! I knew you would like it. Now, you probably don’t know what material this is made of.”
Chu Shen shook his head. “Truly the metal is curious. It’s only as hard normal steel, I didn’t think this kind of metal would be suitable for a cultivators weapon.”
“You brat.” Master Lang smacked Chu Shen upside the head, though love could be seen in the violent gesture.
“This metal that is so feeble, as you put it, is called Living Steel. It’s a steel that can actually cultivate and grows as it does.” Chu Shen gazed at the hammer in respect.
“By mixing it with different minerals it can actually take the properties of them and when the metal absorbs Qi it transforms into a metal similar to it.” By now Chu Shen had a completely different outlook on the hammer.
“My master gave me a fist sized chunk of this Living Steel. I have nurtured it and used it in some of my finest creations. However, I have run out of money and materials. This is the last of my good resources but I do have a fragment of black iron.”
“I will show you how to do the a.s.similation.” Master Lang stood up and walked towards the hammer.
BOOM
SCREEE
A large explosion rocked the carriage. The bird yelled out screech of pain. Chu Shen looked around in befuddlement before he was suddenly grabbed by Master Lang. Immediately Master Lang ran outside the carriage with Chu Shen under his arms.
Outside the wind howled as it rushed past their ears. The eagle was still flying though some of its feathers had cracks in them but no blood flowed. The feathers of the Mountain Eagle might look soft but they were harder than steel and they had the defense like a mountain.
Flying beside them was ten small flying beasts of different varieties, all in the late Tiger stage with a cultivator of unknown strength on its back. Their Mountain Eagle was actually in the early Dragon stage.
A scaled bird opened its mouth and spat out a large yellow fireball. The fireball exploded on the Mountain Eagles feathers where they had been damaged causing even more cracks to spread.
BANG
SCREEE
Master Lang cursed quietly before putting down Chu Shen.
“Master, who are these people and what do they want?”
Master Lang sighed. “They"re bandits. They"re probably trying to shoot down the Mountain Eagle. No cultivator can survive a fall like that unless they can fly. Apparently they will pick up our belongings after we fall.”
“Now I will show you my strength. I was planning on telling you about it later on so I could see your face but I guess I will settle for this.”
Saying this Master Lang withdrew a mace from his s.p.a.cial ring. This was the reason he had researched and come up with the [Earth Shattering Inscription]. It was to magnify his combat ability.
Gripping his mace firmly Master Lang prepared to fight.