Qin Changsheng glanced at Chen Erniu across from him before asking, "Brother Chen, I have a few questions. Could you please answer them for me?"
"Brother Hu, I can answer three questions for you for free..." Chen Erniu held up three fingers.
Qin Changsheng slowly asked, "I possess a high-grade Earth-level magic treasure, which has been accidentally damaged. Its spiritual energy is leaking out, rendering it unusable. Do you know how to repair it?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Erniu's smile froze slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes before he regained his composure, though his expression became more serious.
He clearly hadn't expected Qin Changsheng to suddenly ask about repairing magic treasures. He paused for a moment, then slowly composed himself and began to think carefully.
Qin Changsheng knew that Chen Erniu was a reincarnation of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
He naturally possessed Earth-level magic treasures and knew how to repair such items.
A moment later, Chen Erniu's face showed a troubled expression, and his tone became heavy: "Brother Hu, to be honest, repairing a high-grade Earth-level magic weapon is no easy task; it's practically impossible!"
"As you know, Earth-level magic weapons are rare to begin with, and high-grade Earth-level magic weapons are even rarer. Their craftsmanship is exquisite, their internal patterns are complex, and they contain rich spiritual energy. Once damaged, repairing them not only requires extremely high skill from the craftsman, but also necessitates the use of various rare and special materials. Neither can be lacking."
"Let's talk about the craftsmen first. Ordinary craftsmen find even forging a low-grade Earth-level magic weapon extremely difficult, let alone repairing a high-grade Earth-level one."
Chen Erniu paused, then continued, his tone tinged with awe, "To repair a high-grade Earth-level magic weapon, at least a Grandmaster craftsman is needed!"
"Only a Grandmaster craftsman can see through the complex patterns inside the magic weapon, precisely repair the damaged areas, and guide the flow of spiritual energy back to restore its former power."
A glint of understanding flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes. If it were truly that easy to repair, the Heavenly Sword Sect wouldn't have allowed the Spirit-Stabilizing Pearl to remain in its treasure vault for so many years.
And allowed Qin Changsheng to acquire such a treasure so easily.
"Are Grandmaster craftsmen hard to find? Besides that, what other special materials are needed?" Qin Changsheng asked again.
Chen Erniu gave a wry smile and nodded: "It's more than just rare! Throughout the entire Southern Region, there are very few master weapon refiners. Most live in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs. To persuade a master weapon refiner to repair a magic weapon requires not only a massive amount of spirit stones, but also considerable luck and connections. Otherwise, even with a fortune in spirit stones, you might not be able to even meet a master weapon refiner."
When discussing the required materials, Chen Erniu's expression grew increasingly troubled: "As for special materials, they are even rarer. Repairing a high-grade Earth-level magic weapon requires at least three core materials: Spirit Marrow Jade, Profound Iron Essence, and Thousand-Year Black Crow Essence. Each of these three materials is extremely rare."
"Spirit Marrow Jade is only found deep within the spiritual veins of deep mountains and marshes; Profound Iron Essence needs to be mined in towering volcanoes; and Thousand-Year Black Crow Essence is extremely rare, appearing only once every hundred years. Besides these, various auxiliary materials are needed. Gathering all the materials is no less difficult than persuading a master weapon refiner."
"So, this magic weapon is almost impossible to repair?" Qin Changsheng sighed slightly.
Chen Erniu quickly waved his hand, saying, "It's not entirely impossible, but extremely difficult. If Brother Hu can gather all the materials and get a master craftsman to help, there's still a chance to repair the magic weapon. However, the process is incredibly difficult, time-consuming, and requires a great deal of luck."
"It's better to try your luck in the ancient secret realm; perhaps you can even obtain a low-grade magic weapon!"
After saying this, Chen Erniu raised his teacup, gesturing for Qin Changsheng to continue asking questions.
"Brother Chen, in recent years, the number of demonic beasts in the north seems to be increasing, and there have even been instances of demonic beast uprisings. Do you know why this is?" Qin Changsheng inquired.
Chen Erniu remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Brother Hu, do you think the monster rampage is merely a coincidence? Not at all. Behind it lies the fundamental law of the universe's operation—the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth."
Qin Changsheng quickly pressed, "Could it be that the monster rampage is related to the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth?"
Seeing Qin Changsheng's question, Chen Erniu took a deep breath and slowly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of awe for the laws of Heaven: "The cause of the Great Calamity is never accidental, but rather an imbalance of energy between Heaven and Earth."
He paused, then continued, his gaze becoming more solemn: "You and I are both Nascent Soul cultivators, and we both know the essence of cultivation is to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth to strengthen ourselves, in order to achieve immortality and break through realms."
"But have you ever considered that while we constantly extract spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth, very few cultivators give back their own energy? Cultivation is inherently defying Heaven; it is a plundering of the universe's energy."
"As the number of cultivators and demonic beasts increases, and their cultivation levels rise, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is constantly being consumed, leading to a deficit. Furthermore, cultivators inevitably accumulate karmic debts during their cultivation process. These karmic debts and energy deficits accumulate, and once a critical point is reached, a great calamity will be triggered."
"The Heavenly Dao is ruthless, yet it possesses a benevolent nature. Its sole purpose is to maintain the balance of heaven and earth. When the energy imbalance becomes irreversible, the Heavenly Dao has no choice but to 'reclaim' the plundered energy through large-scale slaughter."
Although Qin Changsheng remained outwardly calm, his heart was inwardly turbulent.
While he knew of the existence of calamities, he had never heard its fundamental cause so clearly before.
"So, the monster riots are the way Heavenly Dao reclaims energy?"
"That's right." Chen Erniu nodded emphatically, his tone resolute. "Monster riots are the most effective and efficient way to cleanse the world. A large-scale
war can cause countless cultivators and monsters to perish rapidly. The cultivation and spiritual energy these fallen cultivators and monsters have painstakingly accumulated will return to the world the moment they die, completing a rapid replenishment of energy and alleviating the crisis of energy imbalance in the world."
At this point, a hint of strangeness appeared in his eyes: "More importantly, before the great calamity descends, an invisible calamity aura will permeate the world."
"This calamity aura, though seemingly invisible, can subtly influence the minds of cultivators and monsters, amplifying their fighting spirit, greed, and jealousy."
"Even normally docile monsters will become irritable and belligerent under the influence of the calamity aura."
"This is why a great calamity has occurred every tens of thousands of years!"
Chen Erniu slowly raised his hand, picked up the spiritual tea on the table, drank it all in one gulp, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and continued, "Ultimately, a great war is the optimal solution for the Heavenly Dao to maintain balance. Through the mutual slaughter between cultivators and demonic beasts, the Heavenly Dao can quickly complete the 'cleanup' task without personally intervening."
"And now, the increasingly frequent demonic beast uprisings are a sign of the impending great calamity. The calamity's aura has already begun to permeate, even affecting the demonic beasts in the mountains, making them violent and restless, and causing them to rampage."
"Within a hundred years, this great calamity will naturally arrive!"
"At that time, countless demonic beasts will become extremely violent!"
"Countless cultivators and demonic beasts will also die in this calamity!"
Listening to Chen Erniu's words, Qin Changsheng remained outwardly calm, but his heart was already churning with shock.
He originally thought the demonic beast uprisings were man-made.
But he never expected it to be a great calamity.
Moreover, the next great calamity of heaven and earth is less than a hundred years away.