Immortal Refiner

The stallholder’s eyes lit up. ”Eighty spirit stones!” he declared. ”Don’t balk at the price—I risked my life to retrieve this antique from that cave abode!”

Hearing the price, the rogue cultivators who had been examining the corroded blade immediately lost interest. Eighty spirit stones could buy two Foundation Nurturing Pills! Why waste money on a piece of rusty junk? Most rogue cultivators, struggling to make ends meet, were ultimately practical. They were eager to find a bargain, but none wanted to be ripped off.

To everyone’s surprise, Shi Nantian hesitated only briefly before generously handing over the spirit stones. Witnessing this, the surrounding cultivators exchanged bewildered glances. Could there be some hidden secret within the dilapidated blade that they had overlooked?

With the transaction complete, the others watched Shi Nantian store the broken blade in his storage pouch, their faces a mixture of astonishment and suspicion.

”Hey kid, don’t get swindled!” one cultivator warned.

”Exactly!” another added. ”Anything put up for sale has been thoroughly examined. If there were any hidden secrets, they wouldn’t be on display.”

”A greenhorn fresh out of the nest, still wet behind the ears!”

The smiling stall owner’s cheerful demeanor instantly soured. ”Hey, hey, hey! Don’t go spreading baseless rumors! I guarantee these antiques were freshly unearthed from Daoist Ling Miao’s cave abode and brought straight to the Heavenly River Market for sale!”

”Besides,” he added defensively, ”Daoist Ling Miao’s cave abode only surfaced a few days ago. How could I have had time to inspect them so thoroughly? Maybe this Little Brother truly has some kind of spiritual connection to the item?”

A mocking voice rang out, ”Heh heh, if you swear a heart demon oath to the Great Dao, we’ll believe you.”

The stall owner’s face flushed crimson, then paled as he stammered platitudes about ”honest business practices” and ”fair dealings for young and old,” drawing roars of laughter from the crowd.

Having acquired the broken blade, Shi Nantian didn’t linger. With a faint smile, he departed from the stall.

Naturally, many had witnessed this exchange. Their eyes flickered with calculation as they etched Shi Nantian’s features into their memories, their thoughts inscrutable.

Li Qing watched Shi Nantian’s retreating figure, but remained hidden, refraining from revealing himself.

”Could this kid have actually stumbled upon some hidden secret that others have overlooked?”

”Should I warn him to be careful lately? Hmm... No need for me to meddle. After all, he’s a member of the Shi Clan. His powerful Third Uncle is undoubtedly watching over him from the shadows.”

Li Qing shook his head, dismissing the urge to interfere. He quietly examined the old, dirt-covered artifacts on the stall.

Alas, he lacked the Fortuitous Destiny to uncover a hidden treasure. Apart from their age, these items appeared unremarkable, merely antiques with no special properties.

In the cultivation world, antiques were practically worthless. Li Qing had no intention of wasting the spirit stones he had painstakingly earned from mining on such trifles.

After leaving the stall, Li Qing’s interest turned to the information hubs within Heavenly River Market. Staying informed about the latest developments in the cultivation world was always prudent.

Before major events unfolded, unusual signs often surfaced in various corners of the world. Gaining early access to such information could provide a crucial advantage.

”Fortunately, the Immortal Path is relatively peaceful these days, with no major wars between the great immortal sects. This is perfect for my plan to quietly develop my power,” Li Qing thought.

He soon paused at a stall in the plaza. The vendor primarily sold books and scriptures, but one item caught his eye: the Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement!

An incomplete artifact refinement inheritance being sold in the open? Li Qing squatted down, intrigued, to browse it. The stall owner, however, wordlessly pressed a hand on the manual, preventing him from opening it.

Sensing the man’s unapproachability, Li Qing tactfully withdrew his hand. ”Esteemed sir,” he asked with a smile, ”I’m interested in this Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement. May I ask what type of spirit patterns it contains?”

Though the vendor looked somewhat disheveled, his eyes held a steadfast integrity. ”It primarily details light and agile spirit patterns, with a small section on basic fire attribute patterns.”

No wonder it’s called the Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement, Li Qing mused inwardly. As an experienced cultivator, he knew that the best way for a Weapon Refinement Apprentice to begin learning artifact refinement was through the Five Elements Basic Spirit Runes.

Spirit patterns that enhance speed and agility, like these, have limited value and aren’t particularly useful for aspiring artifact refiners.

”Hmm, does this manual contain methods for crafting spirit boats?” Li Qing asked, posing a pointed question.

While speed and agility spirit patterns are crucial for crafting spirit boats, simply possessing their inheritance doesn’t guarantee success. Material selection and pattern combinations are equally vital factors. Li Qing’s question stemmed from his desire to eventually refine a spirit boat for himself, primarily for travel.

The stall owner shook his head. ”Fellow Daoist, you’re overthinking it,” he said. ”The methods for crafting spirit boats are closely guarded secrets within many major clans.”

”To be frank, this artifact refinement inheritance contains only a limited number of speed and agility spirit patterns. It’s simply impossible to craft a spirit boat using just this knowledge.”

As expected!

Li Qing felt a twinge of disappointment, but he still wanted to purchase the manual if the price was reasonable. ”How many spirit stones for this Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement?” he asked.

”Fifteen spirit stones.”

”Not bad, not too expensive!”

Li Qing immediately reached for his spirit stones, ready to purchase the Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement.

Seeing this, the stall owner hesitated. ”Fellow Daoist, are you an artifact refiner?”

Li Qing considered for a moment and decided there was no need to hide the truth. ”I know a little,” he replied.

Now it was the stall owner’s turn to fall silent. After a long pause, Li Qing thought he glimpsed a faint fire burning in the man’s eyes.

”Fellow Daoist, I’ll sell you this Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement for ten spirit stones. Furthermore, you can choose any cultivation manual or secret technique from my stall for just five additional spirit stones.”

”But I need you to promise me one thing!”

Something felt off. Li Qing immediately grew wary, unwilling to entangle himself in any karmic debt just to save a few spirit stones.

”You jest, esteemed sir. I’m merely a humble rogue cultivator with pitifully weak cultivation. I doubt I could be of any help to you.”

Undeterred, the stall owner persisted, ”What I ask is not difficult. Once your Artifact Refinement Technique improves, would you help me repair a high-grade magical artifact?”

”And I’ll compensate you handsomely afterward! What do you say, Fellow Daoist? This isn’t a binding request; I only need your word. There’s no need to swear to your heart demon, and it won’t matter if you forget about it later.”

Li Qing hesitated, his gaze sweeping across the books on the vendor’s stall.

At first, he wasn’t particularly interested, but upon closer inspection, he discovered a manual that truly piqued his interest.

It was a manual on spirit plants, but not a Spirit Herbalist’s inheritance. Instead, it detailed a secret technique for transplanting already-cultivated Spirit Herbs and spirit wood.

Its title: Secret Art of Sealing Wood.

Most Spirit Herbs and spirit wood lose their vitality when uprooted and stored in a storage pouch. While their medicinal power remains intact for the years they’ve already grown, they can no longer continue to grow if replanted.

But by employing the Secret Art of Sealing Wood, their vitality could be preserved, allowing them to continue growing even after replanting.

For many, this technique might seem rather impractical, but Li Qing found it utterly fascinating.

Li Qing slowly set down the Secret Art of Sealing Wood. ”Perhaps you could tell me,” he said, ”what grade of magical artifact you want me to repair?”

”A top-grade magical artifact!” the stall owner replied bluntly in a hushed tone.

Hearing those words, Li Qing felt a slight tremor within him. He chuckled bitterly. ”This puts me in a difficult position. Top-grade magical artifacts are coveted even by cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm!”

”Repairing such a thing requires at least the ability to refine high-grade magical artifacts. I’m just a Weapon Refinement Apprentice—I lack such skill.”

”No matter,” the stall owner insisted earnestly. ”I only need your verbal promise.”

Li Qing pondered for a long moment before finally nodding. ”I can agree to this, but I never take unnecessary risks. Do you understand?”

The unspoken implication was clear: if Li Qing deemed the task too dangerous, he would decline, regardless of his ability to repair the artifact. As for what constituted ”dangerous,” that definition ultimately rested with him.

”Of course!” The stall owner visibly relaxed upon hearing Li Qing’s agreement.

Li Qing retrieved fifteen spirit stones, took back the Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement and the Secret Art of Sealing Wood, and stored them in his storage pouch.

Without lingering, he immediately left the stall.

Not bad, today’s haul is pretty decent!

Still, he wanted to investigate the stall owner’s background.

Lost in thought, Li Qing continued wandering through the sprawling market square. Countless stalls displayed a dazzling array of goods.

Having secured the Secret Art of Sealing Wood, Li Qing now focused on acquiring spirit wood—even seeds would suffice.

If necessary, I can secretly plant a few spirit trees in the Liu Clan’s territory, seal them away when I leave, and replant them elsewhere.

Once the spirit wood has matured sufficiently, I can use it to cultivate the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual!

It won’t require too much effort or attention, so it’s perfect.

(End of the Chapter)

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