New Techniques

'First of all... I will take the upgraded version of the Earthly Submission. It possesses a double area of influence and a slight yet considerable increase in gravity power.'

The first book he chose was the Primordial Chaotical Technique, Earthly Submission.

Choosing this kind of technique was important because these types of ranks signify the beginning of the proper path toward the peak.

The Mortal Technique and the Martial Chaos Technique were only a small appetizer of the Cultivation World. Their only purpose was to show the world what awaits beyond a mortal life.

They were also used to grant a minimum of protection in this dangerous world, yet they were useless against the true experts.

For example, using the Earthly Blessing will become pretty useless from now on because every attack will be loaded with a terrible corroding power from the enemy's Chaos Energy.

Indeed, Atlas had used this technique so little during his adventure that he regretted his stupid choice back then.

He could have brought a better Mortal Technique, but it was impossible to change the past.

"This scroll even contains the version of the Ruler Domination Technique... Great..."

The Ruler Domination Techniques were clearly a stage higher than the Primordial Chaotical Technique, and a significant quantity of Chaos Energy was required to be used.

Indeed, typically, only the Epoch Descendant Ruler Realm expert could use them.

Atlas kept looking through them, but there was no upgraded version of the Eternal Grasp Martial Chaos Technique.

"That's a pity... It was helpful against an enemy's group... Let's find something similar..."

He needed something that could freeze his enemy, like the deviant Ice Element, an advanced variation of the Water Element.

"... Well... this should be enough for the time being... it requires more Chaos Energy than a typical Technique of this rank, but it may come in handy."

In front of Atlas, there was the Mother Earth Grip, a Primordial Chaotical Technique, which could create a giant hand made of earth and use it to seal the enemy's movement.

It was a bit more flashy and costly than the Eternal Grasp but worthy of learning since, in addition to the Ruler Domination Realm, there was even the Overlord Oppressor Technique, a technique used only by those at the Eon Redemption Overlord realm.

After choosing them, Atlas started looking for Defensive and Offensive techniques.

He didn't learn them before because the mortal version of this kind required an excessive amount of Chaos Energy, making it almost impossible to use them all the time.

There was a tall pile of scrolls in front of him, so it took him a while to find what he was looking for.

"Well... Impenetrable Stone Dome and Rocky Hands... Those are the only ones with fewer disadvantages..."

Indeed, the Earth Element was suitable for defensive and sometimes offensive purposes.

Unfortunately, there were some drawbacks, such as slowed movements, a double-edged sword in battle.

'Impenetrable Stone Dome... create a defensive barrier made of rock all around. The defensive properties depend on the quantity of Chaos Energy used to create the dome... It's pretty good. It can save my life in case of needs... as for the other one...'

'Rocky Hands... A layer of rock will cover your hand, granting them defensive and offensive properties.'

They were both Primordial Chaotical Techniques with the Ruler Domination Technique included.

Once chosen all the necessary Techniques, Atlas found an excuse and ran away from Grandma River's shop.

He couldn't take any more of her lessons, so to avoid more trouble, Atlas switched to the last target on his list before embarking on a new adventure.

August told him to visit Old Mold and take some new equipment.

Even if Old Mold's character was sometimes too much, his skill in forging artifacts was one of the best in the West Continent.

Indeed, when Atlas reached his shop, a long line of customers was waiting for their turn, even outside of the crowded entrance.

Clearly, he didn't need to wait all this time and entered the shop from the back door.

DING!! DING!!! DING!!!

"Steve... bring me more metal scraps..."

DING!! DING!!! Roong!!

"Steve... What the hell are you doing?"

The shop's back was where all the magic happened.

There were two sophisticated structures with Chaos Hearth, three anvils of different sizes and materials, floor mandrels, swage blocks, and vice.

Various tools for jewelry and rune crafting can be found.

These were essential for an expert in this field.

Once inside, Atlas found the old Dwarf seated on a tiny stool.

He was shooting like a madman as if he was too busy to do anything else, but actually, he was only drinking wine and eating grapes.

Atlas had seen this scene many times, so he wasn't so shocked by it.

"Grandpa Mold... What are you doing? There are so many customers outside... If you keep going like this, no one else will ever come to your shop..."

"Oh... little Atlas..." Old Mold stood back immediately after seeing Atlas come from the back door: "... It's just a little break. They can scram to another place if they don't want to wait..."

The old Dwarf was arrogant like any other day.

But with his fame, he could do this without any problem.

"Hehehe... but since you are here... why don't you help me? Of course, you can't slack off now that you can use Chaos Energy..."

Atlas spent a lot of time learning with old Mold, so even if he couldn't cultivate like all the other cultivators, forging artifacts of the lower grade was still doable since Old Mold had two Chaos Hearths in the laboratory.

The mighty flames inside could help the crafter with their work, speeding up the process by a lot.

Atlas used them to improve his forging skills, but now that Chaos Energy was inside his body, he was curious to check his current level.

He considered his proposition for a bit, but after looking at the board filled with orders, he couldn't help but grin deviously.

"Hmm... Grandpa Mold... I will help you, but I will stay only for two days..."

Gulp! Gulp!

Hearing his words, old Mold looked sad, but he knew his heart and conceded: "Fine, but there will be no break until that day... You will work incessantly and show me all I have taught you in the last few years..."

Atlas wasn't scared by his words but motivated instead.

"Hehe... I'm not anymore, the weak youth of the past... Let's see how long it will take me to complete all these orders... I will start with the Artifacts made of Orium..."

Motivated by the old Dwarf's words, Atlas started working with the Chaos Hearth.

One after another, the chunks of minerals liquefied under the incredible strength of the fire.

Preparing enough of the mineral for the next stage took almost an hour, but in the meantime, the table was ready for the refining process.

"The Orium... a good mineral used primarily for fine pieces of jewels and rings... Atlas, don't let it reach the critical temperature. Otherwise..."

Old Mold stood on the side, looking at the process carefully.

He tried to stay quiet but couldn't help but give out a few tips in the end.

"I know... if the Orium reached the critical temperature, there would be minor imperfection inside the artifact..."

"Hmm... then be careful, you are almost there..."

Atlas focused all his attention on the mineral, and then when he noticed a slight change on the surface...

"NOW!!"

"Now..."

Both shouted simultaneously, and Atlas removed the grand container filled with boiling material from the Chaos Hearth.

The process was simple and effortless since the left side had a complex mechanism made of chains and other tools.

"Use the Lirium wood for the rings and the Oricium metal for the necklace... Let's see if you can handle these types of materials too."

Atlas followed his orders and divided the liquefied mineral properly.

Almost two-thirds of it was necessary for the necklaces, which took him more time and precision.

"Don't forget to tap the Oricium form's side with the hammer... You can't leave any trace of the gas inside..."

"Hmm... I had to suffer a lot in the past, but now, with the Chaos Energy flowing inside my body... it's so simple..."

The young man was quite elated, discovering that the process that took him many efforts was now so easy.

Following the Dwarf's words, he filled all the molds, leaving behind only a tiny portion in case of need.

"Remember... You have only half an hour... Prepare all the crystals and gems. You must move fast when the time comes..."

After checking all the molds, he opened the narrow drawers under the tabletop.

Once opened, hundreds of crystals with different colors and rarity were exposed, showing an amount of wealth that left him speechless.

"Damn... Grandpa Mold... where did you get all these treasures? Last time, there was only a small portion of it..."

"Don't waste time... Choose three ruby, one amethyst, and four topazes, each with a different rank of purity. Choose them carefully. They must be around 40 to 70 percent of purity..."

Hearing his request, Atlas turned severe and started searching inside.

Distinguishing the degree of quality was easy, but understanding their purity level was a different story.

It took a trained and detail-oriented eye.

When he was younger, he had trained a lot in this field, but he had never been able to reach such high percentages.

Time passed, and in a quarter of an hour, Atlas had managed to find only half of the required gems.

"Damn..." He was worried but also a bit unsure, so he couldn't help but ask: "Grandpa... are you sure I can find all of them here? I carefully examined them, but I found only some of the better or lower quality other than these..."

Gulp! Gulp!

The old Dwarf gulped down a bit of alcohol but didn't answer, making him even more nervous.

"Hey... We don't have much time left..."

"We??" This time, Old Mold looked at him strangely and questioned: "What are you talking about... this is your work... As you can see, I'm already quite busy doing my stuff. Anyway, if you can't find them there, then... why don't you open those barrels."

Atlas followed his short finger and noticed ten barrels on one side of the laboratory: "Don't tell me... they are all filled with jewels... How is that even possible..."

Wasting no time, Atlas lifted the lid of the closest and found something unexpected inside...