Immortal Refiner

During the final stretch of their journey back to the Liu Clan, Old Zhou, riding on horseback, glanced at Li Qing from time to time.

”Only those with exceptional talent can join the Heavenly River Sect. There’s no need for us to compare ourselves to them. Just focus on living our own lives well.”

After drinking together for half a year, Zhou Tong had come to regard the honest young man as a junior.

His words now were meant to comfort Li Qing, hoping to prevent him from being discouraged by their earlier conversation.

However, having clawed his way up from the secular Jianghu, Li Qing was far from disheartened. Instead, his determination to pursue the Dao grew even stronger.

”I understand, thank you for the advice, Old Zhou,” Li Qing replied with a smile, casting a grateful glance at the old man.

Old Zhou waved his whip casually, musing, ”The requirements for joining a Cultivation sect are extremely strict, especially for rogue cultivators like us. It’s nearly impossible to meet them.”

Hearing this, several spirit mine workers grumbled in agreement.

”Yeah, Qi Refining Realm Stage 6 by age twenty? That’s just making things difficult!”

”Hehehe, you’re right, but if your Spiritual Root is exceptional, if you possess a Heavenly Spirit Root, even if you only start cultivating at thirty, I believe those Cultivation sects would make an exception and accept you as a disciple.”

The moment the words ”Heavenly Spirit Root” left his lips, countless people rolled their eyes.

If having a Spiritual Root already made one in a million, the likelihood of possessing a Heavenly Spirit Root was even more infinitesimal.

Cultivation geniuses with such aptitude were no longer measured by quantity but by time. They were the kind of prodigies that appeared only once in a century.

They could cultivate directly to the Core Formation Realm without any bottlenecks, truly favored by the heavens.

Of course, the above was just one path to joining an Cultivation sect. Besides that, cultivation clans like the Liu Clan, which had deep ties to the Heavenly River Sect, could occasionally recommend their clan members to the sect.

”Not entirely. Rumor has it that when these great Cultivation sects were first established, they received considerable assistance. After they grew powerful, they distributed Ascension Tokens.”

”Hmph, Ascension Tokens are too ephemeral. It’s been ages since anyone has used one to enter these sects.”

”That’s right! As long as you have a Spiritual Root, no matter your Spirit Root aptitude, you can become a disciple of a Cultivation sect with just one Ascension Token. And you’ll even be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill!”

The miners’ spirits were immediately ignited. They began discussing various rumors circulating in the cultivation world, broadening Li Qing’s horizons considerably.

A Foundation Establishment Pill significantly increases a cultivator’s chances of successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if the attempt fails, the pill protects the heart meridian, preserving the cultivator’s life.

For rogue cultivators with poor aptitude, who might remain stuck in the Qi Refining Realm their entire lives, a single Foundation Establishment Pill is more precious than any elixir.

Li Qing, who had been listening silently, felt ripples of emotion stir within him.

Ascension Token!

He silently etched the two words into his memory, outwardly remaining indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard anything at all.

But his grip on the reins tightened almost imperceptibly.

Upon returning to the Liu Clan, Li Qing immediately retreated to his courtyard.

The trade fair organized by the hired hands was about to begin. Li Qing, naturally, wouldn’t miss this semi-annual event.

He began rummaging through his belongings, inventorying his assets.

”Half a human-head-sized piece of Extraterrestrial Meteorite Iron and two pieces of Ink Gold—these are spiritual materials I set aside from artifact refinement work I did for people in the mortal world. I can’t just sell them off easily.”

”One complete early-stage Qi Refining Realm bear demon hide and ten sharp bear claws. I can sell the hide, but I should keep the claws; they might be useful as spiritual materials for artifact refinement.”

”The Earth Essence Heart-Protecting Plate and the Night Star Mining Pickaxe—both are Low-Grade Magic Tools. No! I can’t reveal my artifact refinement skills here, so I can’t sell any Magic Artifacts, not even Low-Grade ones.”

”The inheritance of cultivation techniques is even more precious than I thought. If word gets out, I’ll likely be targeted by other rogue cultivators. If I want to sell them, I’ll have to wait for an opportunity to sell them at the Heavenly River Sect’s official market.”

Li Qing’s eyes flickered briefly before he suppressed the idea of selling the Magic Artifacts for now.

”All that’s left are a few jade slips containing cultivation manuals, but they only cover basic Qi Refining Realm techniques and aren’t worth much in spirit stones.”

Shaking his head, Li Qing realized he had very little he could sell at the trade fair.

Fortunately, he wasn’t exactly strapped for spirit stones.

Thinking of this, Li Qing smiled again.

After six months of mining and transferring spirit stones through the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing had accumulated a total of 673 spirit stones!

This amount of spirit stones earned in half a year was an astonishing sum for any worker in the Liu Clan.

Unfortunately, he had spent the entire period in a barren mining area and hadn’t unearthed any special spirit materials. Mid-grade spirit stones remained beyond his reach.

Even so, Li Qing felt completely satisfied.

The feeling of being a parasite, of fleecing a major sect, was simply too exhilarating!

His gaze swept past the spirit stones, and he turned his attention to a jade token he had kept hidden at the bottom of his chest.

The token was made of white jade, cool and smooth to the touch, feeling comfortable in his hand.

Each side was engraved with a character: Ling and Yun.

Seeing these characters, Li Qing frowned and fell into thought.

”The major Cultivation sect in Maple Country is called the Heavenly River Sect. The one in neighboring Liang Country is the Shangqing Sect. And the cultivation power in the Grasslands is the Holy Temple Tribes...”

”I’ve never heard of any sect called the Lingyun Sect.”

Li Qing sighed and put the token away, planning to discreetly inquire about it in the coming days.

Afterward, Li Qing turned his attention back to the upcoming trade fair.

Holding over six hundred mid-grade spirit stones, he knew he had to spend them, but he couldn’t do so ostentatiously.

As a newcomer to the cultivation world for only half a year, spending spirit stones lavishly would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention.

Li Qing was well aware of this. Over the past six months, he had spent very little spirit stones within the Liu Clan, mostly on purchasing spirit rice from Jin Chuan. He had carefully concealed his wealth.

To outsiders, his spending seemed perfectly reasonable.

”The trade fair will be different,” Li Qing mused. ”Rogue cultivators from all three districts will gather there, and my presence will likely go unnoticed.”

”Still, I must remain cautious. I’ll start by selling the bear hide at my stall, then use my own identity to purchase what I need. Afterward, I’ll disguise myself—preferably with multiple identities—to avoid drawing attention.”

Li Qing muttered to himself, immediately devising a plan.

To maximize efficiency, he began listing the items he needed.

”First, there are the pills Fan Tong needs. I’ll have to buy some Beast Taming Pills and Beast Nurturing Pills.”

”Also, I can take this opportunity to buy some spiritual fish. This specialty of the Liu Clan is even more precious than spiritual rice.”

”Besides that, I’ll need a spirit beast pouch. Riding this brute around is just too flashy. And a storage pouch. If I see one for sale, I should get a larger, better one.”

As Li Qing listed his needs one by one, his scalp began to tingle with anxiety.

If he hadn’t secretly stashed away a considerable amount of spirit stones from the World of Eternal Night, he would be truly desperate facing this upcoming trade fair. He might even have to sell a few of the Magic Artifacts he had forged himself.

”I heard there are also pills that enhance Qi Refining Realm cultivation. Those are a must-have.”

”Wait, I heard Spirit Wine might be sold at this trade fair. I should buy a couple of jars to try it.”

”Hiss! Will my six hundred-plus spirit stones even be enough?” Li Qing exclaimed, his voice filled with worry.

(End of the Chapter)

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