After the refining furnace cooled down, Master Chen instructed the disciples to dismantle it.
Mo Hua continued to complete the unfinished arrays, including a First-Grade Molten Fire Array, a regular Cold Qi Array, and a Gold Stone Array.
The purpose of the Gold Stone Array was to reinforce the inner wall of the furnace, making it more durable.
The Cold Qi Array was to cool down the refining furnace.
After Mo Hua finished the arrays, Master Chen had the furnace reassembled.
With this, all the array hubs and arrays of the First-Grade Molten Fire Spirit Control Composite Array were completed.
Mo Hua let out a long breath.
This composite array was much more complicated than he had anticipated, and there were many unforeseen minor issues during the actual drawing process.
But now it was finally done.
Mo Hua felt somewhat proud and then instructed Master Chen to reassemble the refining furnace. He then activated the Spirit Gathering Array through the array hub.
Spiritual power circulated inside the furnace, and the furnace fire began to rise.
Master Chen circled the refining furnace, frowned, and said, "The fire doesn't seem to have grown; it even seems smaller than before."
Previously, even from a distance, he could feel the scorching heat of the furnace fire. Now, even when close to the refining furnace, he didn't feel the heat.
Mo Hua also noticed that despite activating the furnace fire, the surrounding temperature wasn't high.
"Did I draw something wrong?"
Mo Hua touched his chin and wondered.
At this moment, Master Chen took another look at the furnace fire and suddenly froze.
He pointed at the furnace fire with a trembling finger, "This fire... is bright red."
Mo Hua looked over and found that the flame was indeed different from before. It now looked purer and was glowing a bright red, almost as if it were solid.
"Bright red furnace fire..."
Master Chen murmured, full of disbelief.
"Is this good or bad?" Mo Hua didn't quite understand.
"Good!" Master Chen exclaimed.
He wanted to explain why it was good, but his excitement left him momentarily speechless.
Elder Yu collected himself and said to Mo Hua, "The purer the color of the furnace fire, the fewer impurities it contains, and the stronger the spiritual power. Such a bright and pure red furnace fire exceeds the realm of ordinary Qi Refining stage spiritual power and even shows signs of condensation."
"Condensation?"
"When spiritual power becomes pure and accumulates to a certain level, it condenses. The spiritual power of the Qi Refining stage is gaseous, while that of the Foundation Building stage condenses like liquid. It’s often said that spiritual power becomes like mercury when breaking through to Foundation Building."
Elder Yu explained, then flipped his palm, and golden spiritual power condensed in his hand, indeed pure and liquid-like, like mercury.
So this is the spiritual power of the Foundation Building stage...
Mo Hua was shocked and then asked, "Does this mean the furnace fire is at the Foundation Building stage?"
"It's not that simple," Elder Yu shook his head and looked at the furnace fire, "It only shows slight signs of condensation, far from the strength of Foundation Building stage spiritual power. But compared to ordinary Qi Refining stage spiritual power, it's much stronger."
Mo Hua nodded, feeling quite satisfied.
This was a true First-Grade Molten Fire Composite Array, and its effect was indeed extraordinary!
All the effort, time, spiritual awareness, and spirit ink he had spent on practicing and drawing the array was worth it.
Mo Hua nodded involuntarily.
Elder Yu remained calm, but he couldn't hide his inner shock.
Although he knew that the array Mo Hua was drawing was unusual, he hadn't expected it to be this extraordinary.
The furnace fire was pure, bright red, almost like a solid.
Could this really be an array drawn by a First-Grade Array Master...
Elder Yu glanced at the refining furnace again and felt something was off. He frowned and said, "Logically, this furnace fire should be stronger and the temperature higher. Why don't I feel the heat even when standing so close?"
"That's right," Mo Hua remembered.
He walked around the refining furnace, thought about the arrays in the composite array, and suddenly realized.
"It's the Cold Qi Array."
"Cold Qi Array?"
Mo Hua nodded and explained, "There's a Cold Qi Array in the composite array, drawn on the furnace wall to isolate the external heat. This way, the refining process won't feel as hot..."
Mo Hua hadn't considered this when drawing the array; he had just followed the array diagram. It was only now that he realized the significance of including a Cold Qi Array in the composite array.
This way, the refining master wouldn't be constantly subjected to the furnace heat, making the process less arduous.
The senior array master who designed this array was indeed very thoughtful.
Elder Yu also sighed, "This array is... very considerate..."
At this moment, Master Chen was still standing in front of the furnace fire, staring at the bright red and almost "luxurious" fire, feeling his blood boil and his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
Such pure furnace fire, he hadn't even dreamed of...
With the arrays completed on the refining furnace, the artifact crafting shop could now start operating.
The preparation of refining materials, the placement of the refining furnace, the arrangement of refining masters, the types and processes of refining, all of these were discussed and organized by Elder Yu and Master Chen.
Elder Yu had long commanded demon hunters, and Master Chen was experienced in refining.
The two of them, discussing and organizing, covered all aspects, arranging everything in the artifact crafting shop neatly.
Mo Hua wasn't familiar with these specific affairs, so he didn't ask about them.
But he was still a bit worried and asked Elder Yu, "Elder, how many First-Grade refining furnaces does the Qian family have?"
"About three or four," Elder Yu thought.
"We only have one refining furnace, is it enough?"
Elder Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Probably not, but this one refining furnace is very costly. Buying more would waste spirit stones."
"Can we make our own?"
Elder Yu looked somewhat helpless, "I asked Master Chen, and it's difficult to make one ourselves. The main issue is we don't have the refining blueprint for the refining furnace, so we don't know the method and can't start refining."
"Is this refining blueprint rare?" Mo Hua asked.
"A First-Grade refining furnace blueprint is rare. Few can make it," Elder Yu said, frowning in thought. "I'll think of a way. One refining furnace might indeed be insufficient."
A few days later, Elder Yu spent some spirit stones to acquire an old refining blueprint from a daoist friend with whom he had some past connections.
The refining blueprint was somewhat worn, the paper yellowed, and the handwriting was still legible, though somewhat blurry. Fortunately, the refining method for the refining furnace was clearly recorded.
Elder Yu said the blueprint was passed down from his daoist friend's ancestors.
His friend's ancestors had made a name through refining and had once been prosperous. However, their descendants were lazy and uninterested in refining, causing the craft to become unfamiliar over time.
Without the craft, they squandered their resources, and the family quickly declined.
By his friend's generation, there wasn't a single disciple in the family who knew how to refine. They survived through other means.
The refining blueprint had become a family heirloom, a keepsake, but it had no practical use.
It couldn't be sold because those capable of refining a First-Grade refining furnace naturally didn't lack the method. Other cultivators, even if they bought it, didn't have the skill to refine it.
Now, this refining blueprint had fallen into Elder Yu's hands.