The first couple of layers weren’t too taxing . There was a lot of room available in the suitcase . Even if you made mistakes , you could comfortably place the items inside . But the more mistakes , the quicker the suitcase would fill up . By the point you reached the later stages of the Cosmic Cycle , the suitcase was already filled to the brim . Unfortunately , you couldn’t just take things out and repack the suitcase . At least not until he mastered Cosmic Extraction] , though Zac wasn’t sure that was how the method worked .
Luckily , there were many things Zac could do to make the process more efficient . The most obvious was to improve his skill in using Cosmic Forge] . The higher his skill , the more efficient the infusion . But that was just part of the equation . Improving your technique was the first of the three pillars you needed to maximize the result of Cosmic Infusion] . Or maximizing the result of most crafting methods , really .
The second pillar was a comprehensive understanding of materials . The better Zac understood the materials , both the treasure to extract and the tool you wanted to infuse , the better the result . Each material was unique and required him to adjust the extraction process slightly . Like how he needed to cut a precise incision in this branch and extract the essence from within . There were few shortcuts in accumulating this sort of comprehension . It required endless trial and error . He could somewhat sidestep that requirement for items resonating with his Dao , but practice makes perfect .
The final pillar of crafting was the recipe . Some pills required dozens , even thousands of herbs . But would you throw them all into the cauldron blindly? Of course not . Concocting a pill required exact order and timing to produce the optimal result . Any small changes and the pill might be reduced to toxic gunk .
It was the same for Cosmic Infusion] . The results would be vastly superior if he followed a - recipe . ’ For example , the Life-attuned Sundew Stalks] followed by the Beast Core of a Transcendence Larva could set a stable foundation to add more infusions . Reverse the order , and you’d have a mess on your hands . The interlocked essence would grow so unstable he could only add one or two infusions from that point .
Cosmic Forge] didn’t contain any finished recipes for creating multi-cycle infusions . Instead , it contained comprehensive sets of rules and concepts that allowed you to build a sturdy theoretical foundation . From there , Zac could either work on instinct or create recipes to allow him to craft High-quality items repeatedly . Zac was far from mastering these theories , but he had already started to get an intuitive sense of what materials were needed for proper progression . Of course , that was only for his own Daos so far .
In addition , he’d discovered a few tricks that helped . The most basic rule of Cosmic Infusion] was that the first cycle only required Low-quality items . That alone was quite impressive—the ability to create a Middle-quality item with only Low-quality materials . And that was nothing compared to the fourth cycle—the ability to reliably create Supreme-quality tools with only Peak-quality materials .
It wasn’t unheard of for a skilled craftsman , but you almost needed the stars to align to accomplish something like that . They’d have to enter a temporary state of enlightenment like when he created Pillar of Desolation] . And even then , it required a hefty amount of luck . Of course , the skill and planning required to accomplish something like that were undoubtedly staggering even for a top-tier method like Cosmic Forge] . Even the quest for Cosmic Extraction] only asked him to infuse two cycles and create a High-quality item .
Interestingly , Zac had long found that Low-quality materials were not just the minimum for the first cycle , they were the optimal choice . Zac had mountains of High-grade materials to practice with , but they contained too much essence and energies that were too complex . Using those kinds of materials right off the bat increased the complexity and difficulty without improving the result .
It was better to start at the bottom of the pole . Dirt-cheap attuned materials you’d only buy in bulk were optimal choice for the first couple of infusions . From there , you’d use better and better Low-quality materials until you used something right at the threshold of Medium-quality for the final infusion of the cycle .
Small streams floated from the essence blob in Zac’s hand toward the axe waiting on the workstation . They formed one mysterious pattern after another until the whole weapon was covered . At that point , the axe floated into the air and turned over , allowing Zac to coat the back . Sweat poured down Zac’s forehead as he strained his soul to maintain control .
Cosmic Forge] had confirmed his energy control with Void Energy was extremely high in contrast to his control over Cosmic Energy and Miasma . But using his Dao to complement the process put pressure on even his Three Fates Soul . To perfectly utilize his Dao , he had to infuse every single rune with a separate stream of Mental Energy . His current limit was fifty-four streams—twenty-seven streams from each of his two souls . Any more than that , and he’d get so slow and clumsy that it would do more harm than good . Still , it was a great step forward , and the practice even helped him with his Dao Braids .
Of course , he’d already found an alternative route in that regard .
A full hour passed as the branch grew increasingly withered while the axe started radiating an oppressive aura . Suddenly , the weapon released a weak shockwave that turned the branch into ash . A smile spread across Zac’s face as he grasped the axe out of the air .
A full Cosmic Cycle . The unadorned practice axe emitted an ominous aura of Death , and it was clearly sturdier and sharper than before . Scanning it with his senses found no major imperfections . The interlaced layers of Cosmic Forge] were mostly harmonious , though too many mistakes had been made for it to reach a second Cosmic Cycle . It was only halfway to finishing the quest , but it was still great progress . It had taken two full years reaching this point , though most of that time had been spent looking for items to feed his Omnitool .
Swinging it a few times , he felt far more in tune with the weapon than before .
What about now? - Zac asked into the air .
I told you . No bounty , - an exasperated Null answered . - None of your Void methods , no matter if we’re discussing your Body Tempering Manual or the Craftsman heritage , are worth any Mana . And no , I don’t know why . I applied and got denied . Try inventing normal things instead if you want that kind of bounty . -
Well , worth a shot , - Zac grunted .
Having reached this point , it was time to finally focus on that ominous feeling . It was like a blade had been trained at his neck for weeks , but he couldn’t pinpoint the source . At first , he’d thought he was being paranoid since things had run so smoothly lately . But the feeling wouldn’t go away , and he could tell something was afoot .
He walked out of his workshop at the bottom of Mount Illumination and began his ascent . As he walked , he opened his Status Screen to make sure he hadn’t gained any Mana for creating an attuned axe . No changes .
Mana : 41 , 023]
He’d barely averaged 1 , 000 Mana a month since getting his hands on Cosmic Forge] . And that was after running himself ragged . It wasn’t bad by any means , but it was quite a pathetic haul compared to getting almost 20 , 000 Mana in less than two months . Certainly , part of the reason for the slow climb was spending a decent chunk of Mana on the simulation array and Enlightenment Chambers to speed up his comprehension of Cosmic Infusion] .
However , the biggest explanation was that some of the zones had been beyond his skill to deal with reliably . Red Zones were no joke , even for him . Getting a Mana domain had helped a bit . Still , it wasn’t like a low-level barrier was enough to keep a Red Zone’s incredibly powerful and unpredictable environments at bay . Besides , he had only visited zones that weren’t aligned with his path .