But these statements were not convincing even to himself, so how could he dare to tell others?
Guo Huaili also read the formula several times, his expression growing more solemn.
Most of the ingredients listed in the formula were common materials for refining magical treasures. One or two were less common, but there was nothing special that would affect the efficacy.
The entire formula had basic materials, auxiliary materials, spiritual energy fusion agents, and activation and propulsion agents. All elements were complete. There seemed to be no problem!
Large beads of sweat trickled down.
It seemed he was unable to escape death today.
But dying together with so many people, wasn't that a bit too unfair?
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear, "Let me see the formula."
Guo Huaili looked up and saw that it was Mo Qi, who had caused the noise earlier.
What he had said earlier was very reasonable, and it was his words that made everyone seem to grasp a lifeline. However, at this critical moment, it was not the time to add to the chaos.
Guo Huaili hesitated, as he wanted to let others take a look. He couldn't find the problem himself in a short time, but with everyone pooling their wisdom, they could surely find it.
"You can look later," Guo Huaili said calmly, handing the formula to Luo Jian beside him.
Luo Jian was a renowned artifact refining master in this refining room, and even in the entire Northern Frontier. His reputation was well-established, and his artifact refining skills even surpassed Guo Huaili's.
If even he couldn't find any problems, then it meant the formula truly had no issues.
But he hoped that, no matter what, Luo Jian would find some problem.
So, as Luo Jian took the formula and examined it carefully, Guo Huaili watched him intently, hoping to see a glimmer of hope in his expression.
But Luo Jian kept frowning, and the more he frowned, the heavier his heart became.
Captain Gu saw this and couldn't help but sneer, "You guys looked at this formula when you were refining it, didn't you? If there was a problem, wouldn't you have found it then? What can you discover by looking at it now?"
Indeed, they had looked at it during the refining process, and at that time, everyone believed there were no problems, which was why they proceeded with the refining.
Now, the reason they were repeatedly examining it was that they did not want to die!
However, after Luo Jian looked through it several times and still found nothing, he felt helpless and even looked apologetically at Guo Huaili.
Guo Huaili sighed heavily, feeling that it was hopeless.
All hope was lost!
He no longer wanted to show it to others; it was useless to look.
Moreover, he wanted to preserve some dignity for himself. He wanted to die with dignity, not to appear as someone clinging to life, so he intended to casually throw the formula away.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered that Mo Qi had asked to see it earlier. Even if he wasn't afraid of death, he couldn't lose his manners. So, he handed the formula back to Mo Qi, saying, "If you want to see it, then take a look. It doesn't matter whether you look or not. Don't force yourself. We are already very grateful that you spoke up for us earlier. However, artifact refining is not something that can be understood on a whim. It requires decades, even centuries, of tempering and polishing. Never be impatient for success in anything; don't be eager for quick gains. You must be able to endure loneliness, especially in a profession like artifact refining, where one might stay in a room for months without seeing any results. I see that although you seem idle, your heart is not bad. If you can calm down and dedicate yourself to one thing, you can achieve something. But I don't think artifact refining suits you..."
Guo Huaili's chatter was like a dam bursting, flowing endlessly.
A dying man's words are often kind, but who would have thought he would become so talkative.
"Artifact refining requires not only talent but also effort. I see you have neither talent nor willingness to put in the effort, so you will never achieve anything in this regard. People are not afraid of eating the wrong food, but they are afraid of taking the wrong path. Don't blame me for being long-winded or for speaking harshly. As the saying goes, 'Loyal words are unpleasant to hear'..."
At this moment, Mo Qi suddenly looked up at him, "I've found the problem."
"If you've found the problem, you must immediately find a way to correct it. Even if there's no way to improve it for now, don't give up. Always strive steadfastly towards your goals... What, you've found the problem?" Guo Huaili continued his earnest advice.
Only at the end did he suddenly realize that Mo Qi meant he had found the problem with the formula.
But he still felt it was unreliable. Could he, of all people, find the problem? Even if he did, it was probably just a guess.
For someone completely ignorant of a subject, everything is a problem.
Ignorance itself is the biggest problem.
Guo Huaili sighed and said, "Alas, don't mess around. This is not the time for games. Hurry up. Let me say a few more words to you. Remember as much as you can. If it can bring even a slight change to your future life, it would be good. Anyway, everything I say is based on my own bitter experiences. I am giving it to you now for free, so you don't have to pay the price of blood and tears to obtain it. For you, this is an extremely fortunate thing..."
Captain Gu was also getting impatient.
It wasn't because of Mo Qi's intervention, but because of Guo Huaili's nagging, which reminded him of his mother.
He felt his scalp tingle.
He couldn't tolerate him continuing to speak.
To stop him from speaking, he thought the best way was to have Mo Qi leave.
And these people couldn't leave for now. Who told him he had promised them the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?
"If you have nothing else to do, you should leave. There's nothing for you here. You don't want to go to the execution ground with them, do you?" Captain Gu looked at Mo Qi, his tone slightly threatening.
Mo Qi didn't move. Guo Huaili continued, "Although I don't know which family you come from, I assume your family is well-off and you have no worries about food and clothing. But if you just consume without effort, even a mountain of gold will be depleted. If you want to live a vibrant life, if you want your family to prosper for generations, you must rely on your own efforts. There is no free lunch in this world, and pies don't fall from the sky... To gain recognition from others, you must achieve something in some area..."
Mo Qi kept staring at him, trying to wait for him to finish before speaking. However, he was endless and ceaseless, and once he started, he showed no signs of stopping.
If he waited for him to finish, everyone would probably lose their heads.
Mo Qi had to cruelly interrupt him, "The problem with this artifact refining formula is that all the spiritual herbs and spiritual stones are either fire-attributed or neutral. However, after the neutral activating agent slate water was used to soak the spirit herb 'Wuweigen', it turned into a water-attributed spiritual herb. As the saying goes, water and fire are incompatible, so naturally, the artifact refining will be affected."
Guo Huaili was quite bothered by Mo Qi interrupting him and said angrily, "Affected? What are you talking nonsense about... Hey, it does seem to make sense."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he turned to grab Luo Jian's hands and shake them vigorously, "Yes, it does make sense! How did we not think of that?"
Luo Jian also seemed to have a sudden realization, his eyes shining, "The activating agent slate water cannot be added. But if that's the case, the refining time will become very long, possibly taking months to complete. I wonder who, in order to rush the production of the magical treasure, added the slate water, completely disregarding whether it could be refined."
Hearing them speak with such passion, Captain Gu remained completely unmoved. Since he didn't understand artifact refining, he could simply pretend not to hear.
Guo Huaili's eyes shone with a strange light, and he re-examined Mo Qi from head to toe.
"Young man, you're quite secretive. What exactly is your background?"
Ai Ren and the others, upon hearing that the problem was solved, also gathered around, eagerly inquiring about the specifics.
Luo Jian patiently explained it to them, and then everyone understood.
It's like a hidden problem; you don't realize it until it's revealed, but once revealed, it's actually quite simple.
However, everyone also cast looks of gratitude and admiration towards Mo Qi.
Ai Ren went up and punched Mo Qi, his eyes filled with tears, "How are you so amazing, kid? I thought you were useless and good for nothing. Truly, you don't speak unless you have something to say, and when you do, you shock everyone. And you've saved so many of our lives with this one action. You're incredible, kid."
Mo Qi waved his hands humbly, "It's not that serious. It's a small matter, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."
Everyone came up to praise and thank Mo Qi, and then they all returned to their positions, busy with their own tasks, completely ignoring Captain Gu's scolding and hoarse shouts.
Previously, they thought they had truly made a mistake, knew they were at fault, and felt a sense of guilt, so they were willing to cooperate, even if death was deserved.
But the situation was different now. It was clearly their responsibility, so why should they take the blame?
With justice on their side, they were naturally bold. Moreover, these people were fearless.
If it came to a fight with those few soldiers, it was uncertain who would win or lose.
In any case, they would not follow them. If those soldiers tried to force them to leave, a fight would inevitably break out.
Captain Gu was helpless. After assessing the current situation, he could only leave with a harsh threat and his subordinates.
Guo Huaili couldn't just sit and wait for death either. If Captain Gu returned with a large army, his few men would only be courting death.
Moreover, the other party came with a military order, so killing them would be in vain.
Therefore, Guo Huaili had to take the initiative and report the matter to a superior with sufficient influence in a timely manner. Only by resolving this erroneous military order at its root would his group be safe.
So, as soon as Captain Gu left, Guo Huaili immediately went out, taking the formula with him to find General Li.
Before leaving, he instructed Luo Jian that when Captain Gu returned, he must find a way to stall him, not to go with him, but also not to conflict with him.
This was inherently difficult and contradictory, but Luo Jian still agreed.
Because if he delayed even a moment longer, it could mean the end for everyone.
There was no solution for now, but they could only think of one slowly, and take it one step at a time.
The only principle that could keep everyone alive was for Guo Huaili to buy time, and for Luo Jian to delay.
After Guo Huaili left, everyone felt a bit lost. In fact, there was nothing they could do but wait for death.