The high-quality Hunter Blade material greatly encouraged Jiang He.
He impatiently opened his pouch, taking out batches of demon materials one after another and laying them neatly on the table.
The Craftsman was slightly surprised by the sheer number of materials, glancing a few more times at Jiang He's pouch before continuing the appraisal.
"C-rank demon material, Explosive trait, strength insufficient, lower-middle quality, I suggest making it into consumable items, that way it can bring out more effects…"
"C-rank material, Deflection trait, can distort ranged attacks, increases dodge probability… it's just a little lacking in strength. Medium quality, can be made into armor."
"Rebound trait, this one is good. High quality. With a matching talent, it can be crafted into a fine item…"
The Craftsman picked through the pile, and within moments, more than half of the transcendent materials were appraised.
Jiang He felt slightly disappointed upon hearing the results.
The Hunter Blade Demon's Hunter Blade material was of near top-tier transcendent quality.
But its strength was ordinary. Among the demons the three of them killed, it couldn't even rank in the top fifteen.
Jiang He originally thought that materials from those stronger demons would be far more precious and had pinned high hopes on them.
Unexpectedly, after the Craftsman appraised them all, most only received a medium evaluation, and some were even judged lower-middle.
Only one Rebound Demon's material was appraised as high quality.
Was there really nothing wrong with this?
Clearly, the Craftsman had heard similar doubts many times.
He explained: "Energy level is energy level, quality is quality. The two have only slight correlation, they cannot be mixed together."
"It's just like transcendent talents—does a C-rank transcendent's talent necessarily mean its quality is higher than that of a D-rank transcendent?"
"So when collecting demon materials, you should pay more attention to the 'traits,' not just the 'strength.'"
"You're actually in a better situation than most."
"In fact, many students today, due to insufficient storage space in their pouches, chose to abandon low-energy-level materials in order to fit in high-energy-level ones… yet the lower-level ones they discarded often had higher, better quality."
So it was really like dropping a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds?
Those students must be feeling heartbroken and were surely about to start cramming relevant knowledge.
Jiang He felt lucky and curiously asked:
"Then how many high-quality materials have you seen today?"
"Counting the two you have here, twenty-seven types in total," the Craftsman said. "Among them, the materials brought back by Du Lingwei and Yunyang were not only close to top-tier quality, but their energy levels also reached B-rank."
"They were the best transcendent materials I saw today."
B-rank materials!
That meant Du Lingwei and Yunyang had both defeated B-rank demons with their own strength—perhaps not just one each?
Truly powerful!
Jiang He couldn't help but marvel.
With B-rank materials near top-tier quality, crafting exclusive B-rank transcendent items would be absolutely no problem.
Even Jiang He's Phoenix-Resting Wooden Blade was only a B-rank item!
It was foreseeable that the two of them would soon see another leap in strength.
After a few more words, the Craftsman buried himself once again in the appraisal—
The number of materials Jiang He had brought out was simply too many, easily over a hundred, and the earlier batch had only been a fraction.
As the appraisals continued, two more high-quality materials were unearthed.
One was from the Four-Armed Demon, with elemental traits, near top-tier quality.
The other was from the Fission Demon, bearing the Fission trait, also near top-tier quality.
By this point, Jiang He was already quite satisfied.
Out of nearly three hundred students, only just over twenty high-quality materials existed in total. Yet his squad alone held four of them, an incredibly high drop rate.
But when he placed a long severed leg of the Half-Bodied Demon on the table—
The Craftsman's gaze froze, then he suddenly leaned forward, his eyeballs nearly pressed against the demon leg's surface.
"What pure Speed trait… this is a true top-tier material!"
"After spending all day here, I've finally seen something truly good!"
Jiang He had known it! Those Leg Demons were definitely not simple!
After all, even with multiple skill boosts, pushing his stats to their peak, and stacking the fifth-stage Instant to gain thirty-two times his speed, only then could he keep up with the Leg Demons' movements…
Even Old Jiang had given them a strong C-rank evaluation.
So they were indeed top-tier materials!
Jiang He eagerly asked: "With top-tier material, what transcendent items can be crafted?"
"Even with poor craftsmanship, as long as it succeeds, it will still be a superb C-rank item… If paired with a suitable talent correction and refined skill, crafting an outstanding B-rank item is not impossible!"
"Unfortunately, the energy level is a little low, only C-rank… if it were B-rank material, then it would have been an A-rank item."
The Craftsman straightened and sighed regretfully.
Jiang He, however, felt no disappointment at all.
A C-rank Leg Demon had nearly wiped out their whole squad. If it had been a B-rank Leg Demon, Du Lingwei and Yunyang might well have been instantly killed.
That was nothing but a mirage, visible but forever out of reach.
So the top-tier C-rank material was already the finest material the students could hope to obtain at this stage—perfectly suited for Jiang He at present!
His heart was filled with anticipation—
With C-rank Speed legs, what transcendent item could be crafted?
Speed Boots? Speed Legs?
Jiang He's prosthetic legs?
The Craftsman noticed his thoughts and reminded: "Top-tier materials are extremely rare. I suggest you don't use them casually… it would be best to first find someone with a matching Speed talent before considering production."
"As for craftsmen, you don't need to worry. We'll be staying at the school, training together with you."
Suppressing his urge to craft immediately, Jiang He obediently replied: "Alright."
After all the materials were appraised, he didn't leave right away but instead drew out the Phoenix-Resting Wooden Blade from his waist and placed it before the Craftsman.
"I want to ask—can this item still be repaired?"
The Craftsman took the Phoenix-Resting Wooden Blade, saw the tiny notches on its edge, and hissed softly: "These are cutting marks. Did you use this against the Blade Demon?"
"This wooden blade was crafted specifically to nurture flames and enhance the body. It's a growth-type item… and you actually used it for combat, tsk…"
Jiang He's expression turned embarrassed.
The Phoenix-Resting Wooden Blade not only nurtured strength but could also amplify firepower.
And though it appeared to be a wooden blade, in reality, as a B-rank transcendent item, even enduring the strikes of a B-rank transcendent would not easily damage it—it was extremely sturdy.
Back then, since Jiang He lacked offensive means, he had treated it as a weapon.
Who could have expected to encounter demons with Cutting traits…
"Fortunately, the transcendent traits haven't suffered any real damage. With some minor repairs, it can be restored as new." The Craftsman handed the blade back and warned: "But it isn't truly a melee weapon. Even if you use it in battle, it should only be for casting support."
"You must take care to protect it in the future."
Jiang He accepted the wooden blade and let out a breath of relief.
So long as it could be repaired. Otherwise, the heartbreak would have been unbearable.
That said—
"Since transcendent items can be repaired, can they also be strengthened?"
"Of course." The Craftsman nodded. "The essence of transcendent items is the manifestation of 'transcendent traits.'"
"As long as you have enough matching materials, you can accumulate more traits into the item, thereby strengthening its effects, even raising its rank."
"From C-rank to B-rank, or even to A-rank, it's all possible."
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