Chapter 250: Restoration

"Not complete?"

Hearing Franklin's words, Yang Yan's heart trembled, and she blurted out in surprise.

"Indeed. According to my estimation, the sword you currently hold is only half of the complete weapon. The groove on this sword is designed to fit with the other half. Because the other half is missing, it is incomplete. Normally, a treasure of the Immortal grade should already possess an embryonic spirit of its own, and I can faintly sense that a weapon spirit still exists within this sword, though it is extremely weak. Of course, this is likely related to the severe damage it suffered in the past."

Gently stroking the hollow space in the middle of the blade, Franklin slowly continued.

Yang Yan wore a thoughtful expression upon hearing this, taking the Moon Shadow Frost from him to examine it closely.

Long before this, Yang Yan had noticed the hollow space running down the center of the Moon Shadow Frost's blade. It looked as though it needed another matching half to complete it and form a true weapon.

Though he had entertained such a thought in his mind all along, he had always maintained a skeptical attitude. Yet now, upon hearing Franklin's words, he suddenly felt as though a great weight had been lifted, achieving a sudden realization.

Examining it carefully once more, that intuition in his heart grew increasingly strong and certain.

"I wonder if Master Franklin happens to know the whereabouts or any news regarding the other half of this weapon?"

Unable to suppress his excitement, Yang Yan eagerly asked.

"You overestimate this old man. Even the half you possess was obtained purely by chance. As for the other half, no one can say for sure where it might be. However, since you already hold one half, searching for it will undoubtedly be much easier for you than for anyone else. Because this sword possesses an affinity with its counterpart, it should react whenever it comes within a certain distance of the other half."

Franklin cast a mildly exasperated glance at Yang Yan before changing the subject.

Hearing this, Yang Yan could not help but let out a soft sigh.

It seemed he had indeed been too impatient. Even for ordinary people, acquiring that other half of the Moon Shadow Frost would be extraordinarily difficult. Should someone stumble upon it by sheer luck, they would likely treat it as mere scrap metal and discard it casually, much like Xu Tianlong had done previously.

Thinking back, the fact that Yang Yan had managed to obtain the Moon Shadow Frost in the first place was largely due to sheer fortune.

Fortunately, having half of the broken sword in his possession meant that as long as he drew close enough to where the other half lay, the Moon Shadow Frost would sense it and stir.

No wonder Yang Yan was so anxious.

Right now, war among the three major sects of the empire was on the verge of breaking out, and Yang Yan was inevitably dragged into the vortex. Therefore, his most urgent desire was to enhance his strength and combat capability.

Now that his cultivation had reached the peak of the Spirit Connection Realm, it remained exceedingly difficult to step into the Spirit Sea Realm in a short period of time, something even Yang Yan lacked absolute confidence in achieving.

As for his spiritual soul power, it had only just broken through to the Great Accomplishment stage of the Spirit Realm, and advancing to the next stage was even more arduous than cultivating spiritual energy.

What Yang Yan needed right now was to elevate his overall strength and combat prowess from every possible angle, preparing himself for any unexpected circumstances that might arise.

Although the Black Dragon Annihilation Seal was a treasure of the Medium-grade Spirit Tool tier, it was generally unsuited for prolonged combat. The martial arts attack it unleashed was limited to its inherent Black Dragon Roaring Sky Seal. While formidable in power, it could not sustain a protracted battle.

If he could repair the Moon Shadow Frost, however, the boost to his combat effectiveness would be monumental.

After all, a weapon of the legendary Immortal grade was something even Yang Yan had never witnessed before. Just imagine—the Medium-grade Black Dragon Seal was already vastly superior to ordinary Low-grade Spirit Tools, let alone a legendary Immortal-grade artifact.

Consequently, for Yang Yan at present, finding the other half of the Moon Shadow Frost to drastically enhance his combat power in the short term was of paramount importance.

"Then, Master, this half of the Moon Shadow Frost can surely be repaired, right?"

After pondering for a moment, Yang Yan asked.

While the primary issue with the Moon Shadow Frost was locating its missing half, the half currently in his possession had also suffered damage due to various reasons. Repairing this half first would undoubtedly be the best course of action.

"It is not impossible. If this half of the Moon Shadow Frost can be repaired, I believe it should at least reach the tier of a Low-grade Spirit Tool. However, the materials required are extremely rare; even our Refiner Guild lacks a few of them."

After pondering for half a moment, Franklin spoke with a somewhat troubled expression.

"Master, you can rest easy about that. I have already prepared all the materials."

Hearing this, Yang Yan smiled, waved his hand across the Qiankun pouch at his waist, and instantly a variety of diverse materials appeared upon the table.

"Golden Crispy Jade Steel, Phoenix Bloodstone, Night-Eating Fire Beast Fur, Phoenix Volcanic Rock... You little fellow never cease to amaze. While these items may not be supremely precious, they are rather difficult to acquire. I never expected you to have gathered them all. Moreover, given your level of weapon-refinement knowledge, it would be impossible for you to know which materials are needed to repair the Moon Shadow Frost. Judging by this, the weapon-refinement skills of that mysterious master behind you are certainly no lower than my own."

After a brief moment of shock, Franklin recovered his wits and praised him with a chuckle.

Yang Yan simply smiled, offering neither confirmation nor denial.

In truth, long ago, Elder Yang had already informed Yang Yan of the materials required to repair the Moon Shadow Frost. Over the course of time, Yang Yan had continuously collected these components through various channels.

He had obtained quite a few materials suitable for repairing the Moon Shadow Frost from the ancient ruins of Mangdang Mountain, and acquired many more through auctions and from the Qiankun pouches of enemies he had slain. Thus, the materials he had prepared were more than sufficient to repair this single half of the Moon Shadow Frost.

"Very well, you little rascal. You toss such a massive burden onto my lap the moment you arrive, and I'll be busy for quite a while."

Franklin cast a helpless glance at Yang Yan and spoke.

Although he was a Fifth-grade Refiner, forging a spiritual treasure under normal circumstances was no simple task, typically requiring five or six days of painstaking effort.

Although repairing the Moon Shadow Frost only involved restoration, its high inherent grade, coupled with stringent demands on both materials and the refiner, meant that the time and energy Franklin would expend to help Yang Yan would be entirely comparable to forging a brand-new Low-grade Spirit Tool.

"In that case, I offer my deepest thanks to the Master."

Yang Yan smiled at Franklin and said.

For Franklin, this was not actually a difficult task. Given the cultivation talent and strength Yang Yan had displayed, paying this price to win a personal favor from Yang Yan was an excellent trade.

Fortunately, he had possessed the foresight early on to recognize Yang Yan's extraordinary potential, generously imparting the martial art he had painstakingly acquired for cultivating soul power. This had left an exceptional first impression on Yang Yan.

Dealing with someone of Yang Yan's temperament by befriending him before he possessed anything or before his brilliance was recognized by the world was infinitely better than attempting to draw close after his talents were revealed to all.

This was what people called adding flowers to a brocade versus sending charcoal in the snow—the latter was exceptionally difficult. Therefore, if one wished to reap extraordinary rewards, one must sometimes be willing to take risks that others dared not touch.

Having accepted Yang Yan's commission, Master Franklin did not hesitate in the slightest, entering closed-door seclusion for refinement that very day.

Meanwhile, Yang Yan had no choice but to remain in the Great Lin City for a few days to wait.

Over the past two days, the bond between the two girls, Xue Qing and Qing'er, had grown increasingly close, and they frequently clung to each other. When they invited Yang Yan to accompany them out for a stroll, he ruthlessly refused.

His prompt and decisive refusal left many members of the Refiner Guild dumbfounded. Being invited by two such pristine beauties was something no male creature could normally resist, yet Yang Yan went against the expectations of the majority.

Yang Yan could only feel helpless about this, occasionally finding himself nostalgic for the days when he was considered good for nothing.

Back then, he knew nothing of his biological father, and he bore nowhere near the burdens he carried now. At worst, he merely suffered bullying from his two older brothers.

By his side were Zhang Tai and Zi Ling for company, so he had never felt truly lonely.

Later on, although his cultivation talent was restored and he surpassed most of the younger generation, he also learned the truth about his biological father. From that moment on, Yang Yan was destined to endure what ordinary people could not bear.

Reflecting on it, it seemed he had not enjoyed a single day of genuine rest in all this time.

People only knew him as a favored son of heaven with enviable talent and strength, yet they only ever saw his glorious exterior, never imagining the price he had paid for it.

Although the process of repairing the Moon Shadow Frost was exceedingly difficult, Yang Yan had never expected that Franklin's seclusion would last for as long as half a month.

Throughout these fifteen days, Yang Yan remained in his room day and night in deep meditation, continuously refining the spiritual energy within his body.

Although his strength had already reached the peak of the Spirit Connection Realm, and he had previously experienced a heaven-shaking battle against Sun Tianyang at the Kunyang Gate, his advancement had been too rapid, leaping directly from the fifth level of the Spirit Connection Realm to the ninth. Consequently, the spiritual energy within his meridians remained slightly unstable.

Yang Yan utilized these entire fifteen days to hammer and temper the spiritual energy in his spiritual axis over and over again. He only stopped after Elder Yang checked him and confirmed that not a single hidden flaw remained.

As for Franklin's prolonged seclusion, Yang Yan felt somewhat puzzled. Even though the Moon Shadow Frost was different from ordinary treasures, it was, after all, only half of a weapon being repaired; it shouldn't have taken such a long time.

Just as Yang Yan was growing slightly impatient with the wait, Franklin finally reappeared at noon on the sixteenth day.

"Good lad! Not only are your personal fortune and opportunities immense, but even the treasures in your hands are the same."

The moment the two met, before Yang Yan could speak, Franklin took the initiative, undisguised envy evident in his tone.

"What is it, Master? Was it successful?"

Hearing this, Yang Yan's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

"What do you think?"

Franklin chuckled. With a wave of his hand across his Qiankun pouch, a slender long sword glowing with a faint, silvery-white luster resembling moonlight materialized before Yang Yan.

At this moment, the Moon Shadow Frost had undergone a subtle transformation, both in its outward appearance and the aura it emitted.

Overlapping the gentle, moonlight-like silvery-white radiance was a thin, gauze-like layer of pale blue light. As this transformation manifested before Yang Yan, the weapon seemed to respond to some invisible guidance, its blade trembling slightly before leaping from Franklin's hand and flying straight into Yang Yan's grip, to Franklin's astonishment.

"Truly a marvelous item, already possessing an embryonic sentience and recognizing its master."

Franklin could not help but exclaim in admiration.

Overjoyed, Yang Yan gripped the hilt of the Moon Shadow Frost, carefully feeling the fluctuations pulsing from within it, before letting out a wild cry of disbelief.

"A Medium-grade Spirit Tool?!"

He could clearly sense that the fluctuation emanating from the Moon Shadow Frost at this very moment far surpassed the Low-grade Spirit Tools he used to shatter with his Tongbei Demonic Fist. This meant that the Moon Shadow Frost had now officially ascended to the tier of a Medium-grade Spirit Tool.

"Many thanks, Master! I, Yang Yan, promise that as long as I draw breath, the Refiner Guild shall endure forever within the Flying Cloud Empire!"

At this moment, Yang Yan was filled with boundless excitement as he clasped his fists toward Franklin in a solemn salute.

He had originally thought that even after repair, the Moon Shadow Frost would still be incomplete, and he would have been thoroughly satisfied if it merely reached the level of a Low-grade Spirit Tool. He had never imagined that it would be restored to a Medium-grade Spirit Tool in Franklin's hands.

While part of this was due to the extraordinary nature of the Moon Shadow Frost itself, Yang Yan knew it was inextricably linked to Franklin's remarkable craftsmanship.