Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 251: Equipment Refining Workshop

The lights of Xinghe City were dim under the night, and there seemed to be a hint of uneasiness hidden in the silence. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li returned to their residence, and they both tacitly did not turn on the lights. With the weak moonlight, they could feel each other's tense nerves.

"Xuan Yu's reaction tonight shows that the place we found is very important to him." Nan Li was the first to break the silence, with a serious tone, "He is eager to practice evil skills, maybe it is related to that secret room."

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart. His mind kept replaying the scenes in the secret room - those strange runes, the crystal stone emitting a faint blue light, and the ancient book that Xuan Yu treasured as a treasure. All of this was like a fog, surrounding him tightly.

"I remember the words 'soul control' seemed to be written on the cover of that book..." Gao Xingchen tried hard to recall, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, "Could it be that Xuan Yu practiced evil magic in order to control other people's souls?"

"Soul control?" A cold light flashed in Nan Li's eyes. "This evil art has long been lost. It is said that if you practice it to the extreme, you can control the minds of others at will. It is terrifying."

Gao Xingchen's heart sank. If Xuan Yu really mastered this evil technique, the consequences would be disastrous. He searched through the books and scrolls he brought back from the secret room, trying to find more clues.

"Look at this!" Gao Xingchen pointed to a page of torn parchment, on which was recorded a recipe for refining a weapon in ancient characters. "It mentions a magic weapon called 'Soul-Catching Bell', which requires a special crystal as its core..."

Nanli took a closer look and found that the crystal stone recorded on the parchment was exactly the same as the one they saw in the secret room, emitting a faint blue light and exuding a strange aura.

"It seems that Xuan Yu has been looking for this kind of crystal stone to refine the Soul-Catching Bell." Nan Li said in a deep voice, "If he succeeds, the consequences will be disastrous."

Gao Xingchen clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with determination: "We must not let him succeed! Nanli, do you know where to find this kind of crystal?"

Nanli shook her head. This kind of crystal stone was extremely rare. She had only seen records of it in ancient books and had never seen it with her own eyes.

"But..." Nan Li paused, as if thinking of something, "I heard that outside Xinghe City, there is a weapon refining master named Master Zhang. He may know the whereabouts of this crystal."

Gao Xingchen's eyes lit up and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart.

"Without further delay, we will go find this Master Zhang tomorrow!"

Nan Li shook her head. This kind of crystal was extremely rare. She had only seen records of it in ancient books and had never seen it with her own eyes. "But..." Nan Li paused, as if she had thought of something. "I heard that outside Xinghe City, there is a master of refining weapons named Master Zhang. He might know the whereabouts of this crystal."

The next morning, the morning light shone through the window lattice into the room, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were already ready to go. In order not to attract attention, they deliberately avoided the crowd and left Xinghe City from a remote path.

According to Nan Li's description, Master Zhang lived in seclusion in a valley 300 miles outside the city, where the spiritual energy was abundant and it was a treasure land for weapon refiners to practice. The two of them traveled through mountains and rivers and finally found Master Zhang's residence at sunset.

It was a simple wooden house, surrounded by weeds. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that a weapon refining master would live here. Gao Xingchen went forward and knocked on the door. After a while, an old voice sounded: "Who is it?"

"I am Gao Xingchen, a junior, and I would like to meet Master Zhang." Gao Xingchen said respectfully.

The wooden door creaked open, and an old man with gray hair and wearing coarse linen clothes appeared in front of them, with a hint of vigilance in his cloudy eyes.

"What do you want from me?" asked Master Zhang.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other and told Master Zhang everything about their discovery of the "Soul-Catching Bell" formula and their search for the special crystal.

After listening to this, Master Zhang's face became extremely solemn. He pondered for a moment, sighed and said, "The crystal you are talking about is called 'Netherworld Crystal', and it is indeed the key material for refining the 'Soul Capture Bell'."

"Then do you know where I can find the Nether Crystal?" Gao Xingchen asked anxiously.

"The Nether Crystal is extremely rare. I have only seen it once..." Master Zhang recalled, "That was many years ago. At that time, I was traveling around the continent and accidentally found this crystal in an ancient ruin. It emitted a faint blue light and exuded an evil aura..."

"Do you know where the ruins are?" Nanli asked.

"I am old and my memory is not good. I can't remember the exact location..." Master Zhang shook his head, with a hint of regret in his tone, "But I remember that in the ruins, there was also a stone tablet that recorded the origin of the 'Soul-Catching Bell'..."

"What's its origin?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li asked in unison.

Master Zhang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It is said that the Soul-Catching Bell is not an ordinary magic weapon, but an extremely dangerous weapon. It can release a special sound wave to control a person's mind and turn him into a walking corpse..."

"It is said that in ancient times, there was an evil weapon refiner who used the 'Soul-Catching Bell' to control countless powerful people, causing a bloody storm and ultimately causing great suffering to all living beings..."

"Later, this evil magic weapon was sealed up, and the Nether Crystal, as the core material of the 'Soul-Catching Bell', was also sealed together..."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were horrified when they heard this. They had not expected that the seemingly ordinary "Soul-Catching Bell" could possess such terrifying power.

"If this evil magic weapon falls into the hands of someone with ill intentions, the consequences will be disastrous..." Master Zhang said in a heavy tone, "You must stop Xuan Yu and never let him refine the 'Soul Capture Bell'!"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, and both felt a heavy pressure in their hearts. They realized that they were not just facing an enemy who practiced evil skills, but a huge threat that could bring disaster to the entire star field...

Master Zhang's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's ears. They had never thought that the secret they accidentally discovered would actually affect the safety of the entire star field. Gao Xingchen felt an unprecedented pressure. He clenched his fists and looked determined: "We must not let Xuan Yu succeed!"

Nan Li walked up to him, gently held his hand, and gave him silent support. Her eyes were clear and firm, and her tone was full of unquestionable determination: "No matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are ahead, I will stay by your side and stop him together!"

Gao Xingchen held Nan Li's hand with his backhand, feeling the warmth of her palm, and a warm current surged in his heart. He nodded solemnly, and the two smiled at each other. The tacit understanding and trust between them were sublimated at this moment.

They bid farewell to Master Zhang and prepared to set off to find the Nether Crystal. Master Zhang looked at their departing backs, a trace of worry flashed in his cloudy eyes, he sighed and murmured to himself: "I hope you can succeed..."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li followed the clues provided by Master Zhang and headed northwest. They crossed mountains and ridges, passed through dense jungles, and finally came to a desolate Gobi Desert.

"According to ancient records, the Nether Crystal should be nearby." Nan Li pointed to a ruin eroded by wind and sand in front of him and said, "It used to be a prosperous city, but it was destroyed in a war."

The two approached the ruins cautiously, and an ancient and desolate atmosphere hit them. The broken walls and overgrown weeds told of the former glory and current desolation of this place.

"Be careful, there may be danger here." Gao Xingchen warned. He felt a faint evil aura permeating the ruins.

At this moment, a low and hoarse voice suddenly sounded in Gao Xingchen's ears: "Don't go any further, that is the land of death..."

Gao Xingchen was startled and turned around suddenly, only to find that there was no one behind him. He looked around, and there was no movement except for the whistling wind.

"What's wrong?" Nan Li noticed his abnormality and asked with concern.

"I seemed to hear someone talking just now..." Gao Xingchen frowned, his eyes full of doubts, "But when I looked back, I found nothing..."

"Could it be your illusion?" Nan Li guessed, "There is no one living here, how could there be someone?"

Gao Xingchen shook his head. He was sure that the voice he had just heard was not an illusion, but a real voice. But who was secretly warning him? Was it the guardian of the Nether Crystal? Or was it...

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li continued to walk forward, but the scene in front of them surprised them. Deep in the ruins, there was an abandoned weapon refining workshop! Could this be the clue they were looking for? And what was the connection between that mysterious voice and this place?