Immortal Refiner

The first step in repairing the Black Wind Banner was naturally to smelt its flagpole into a complete form.

The burly man had given Li Qing only a small amount of Inkleaf Stone powder—barely enough to fill a small porcelain bottle. Yet even this meager quantity would fetch at least two to three hundred spirit stones if sold at the Heavenly River Market!

It was the kind of item that was always in high demand but rarely available, disappearing almost instantly whenever it surfaced.

Boom!

The Black Furnace roared to life, its flames reaching scorching temperatures as Li Qing tossed an iron ingot into its fiery maw to be tempered.

Before long, the ingot glowed red-hot. Li Qing then added the Black Wind Banner’s flagpole to the furnace.

As the tempering continued, Li Qing removed the iron ingot from the forge and began hammering it rhythmically.

The process was remarkably smooth. Soon, a crude prototype of the flagpole, shaped similarly to the original, emerged from his skilled hands.

Of course, it still needed to be infused with Inkleaf Stone powder. Mortal iron alone wasn’t worthy of becoming a component for a Mid-Grade Magic Tool!

”So this is Inkleaf Stone powder,” Li Qing mused, marveling at its abundant spirituality.

Li Qing retrieved a small porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and gazed eagerly at the Inkleaf Stone powder within.

This tiny vial held the power to elevate ordinary mortal iron, imbuing it with abundant spirituality and significantly enhancing its hardness. Moreover, when mixed with Artifact Refining Spirit Materials that already possessed spirituality, it could dramatically improve their quality.

”I’ll try adding it to the flagpole first and see if I can save any,” Li Qing murmured to himself, filled with anticipation. He gently sprinkled the Inkleaf Stone powder from the bottle.

The fine, jet-black powder seemed to absorb all light, as if made of pure darkness. It settled evenly across the still-glowing red surface of the flagpole and seamlessly seeped into the metal, leaving no trace behind—a truly wondrous sight.

Watching this unfold, Li Qing slowly lowered his hand. Only a fingernail-sized amount of Inkleaf Stone powder remained in the bottle.

”Perhaps I was too greedy,” he sighed. ”This powder is incredibly rare and hard to come by. Preserving even this much is a stroke of luck.”

Li Qing muttered to himself before instinctively claiming the remaining Inkleaf Stone powder.

Though only a small amount—mere scraps—it would suffice to add a touch to future artifact refinements, subtly enhancing their power.

As expected, the mortal iron infused with Inkleaf Stone had indeed undergone a remarkable transformation.

Li Qing quickly melted the half-finished flagpole he had forged into the Black Wind Banner, completing its repair.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a series of muffled metallic clangs, the flagpole of the Black Wind Banner was fully restored.

Under Li Qing’s expert craftsmanship, the flagpole bore no trace of its former break, appearing completely renewed.

However, the true test of an artifact refiner lay in repairing the spirit patterns etched onto the artifact.

Li Qing unfurled the banner and ran his hand across its cool surface, meticulously examining the engraved spirit patterns.

”The core spirit patterns remain intact,” he observed. ”I only need to retrace the peripheral ones.”

”If the core patterns had been damaged, I would have been powerless to fix it. Only the original artifact refiner could have restored them.”

The most crucial aspect of artifact refinement lies in the spirit patterns. Some unique spirit patterns are closely guarded secrets, possessing immense power.

When a Magic Artifact containing such hidden spirit patterns is damaged, repairs often require the expertise of the original artifact refiner who created it.

Thus, artifact refinement, like formation mastery, isn’t always a one-time transaction. Occasional repair commissions can also yield substantial spirit stones.

As for why the burly man approached Li Qing instead of the original refiner of the Black Wind Banner, there could be several reasons.

Perhaps the banner’s origins were dubious—possibly obtained through murder and plunder, or perhaps the original refiner had encountered some trouble.

Li Qing had no interest in delving into the specifics.

Strands of mysterious spirit patterns began to materialize beneath Li Qing’s hands. On the surface of the Black Wind Banner, the fragmented patterns rapidly filled in, coalescing into a unified whole.

Li Qing proceeded with meticulous care, terrified of failure.

Repairing a Magic Artifact is unlike refining one; the margin for error is extremely small. Too many failures could cause the artifact’s spirituality to dissipate, irreparably damaging its core spirit patterns.

Buzz!

As the final spirit pattern was completed, the patterns on the Black Wind Banner began to glow and circulate.

The spiritual energy in the surrounding environment instantly became agitated, surging towards the banner and flowing into it in torrents.

With this, the restoration of the Black Wind Banner was complete!

Li Qing casually lifted the mysterious black banner with one hand, striking a rather imposing figure.

”Let’s test its power. I wonder what these enigmatic spirit patterns actually do.”

He channeled his pure mana into the Black Wind Banner.

Instantly, the spirit patterns on the banner shimmered faintly. With a slight wave, a gust of ghostly yin wind materialized out of thin air, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.

”Hiss... No wonder the spirit patterns were so carefully concealed. This is a demonic path Magic Artifact!”

”I think ’Yin Wind Banner’ would be a more fitting name. ’Black Wind Banner’ is probably just a smokescreen.”

Li Qing sighed inwardly. This sinister Magic Artifact was undoubtedly of complex origin, likely crafted by a demonic path artifact refiner.

Demonic cultivators were rare in the Azure Ridge Domain, mostly rogue cultivators who operated in the shadows. This was because the three major Immortal Path Sects, renowned for their righteous ways, dominated the region, leaving little room for Demonic Path cultivators to survive.

Of course, the cultivation world varied greatly from region to region. Some areas tolerated both righteous and demonic sects, while others were outright ruled by Demonic Path Sects, becoming veritable Demonic Domains.

But let’s not dwell on that.

Repairing the Black Wind Banner didn’t take long. Within a few days, Li Qing had completed the task.

”Hahaha! Excellent, excellent! Fellow Daoist, your craftsmanship is truly remarkable!” The burly man roared with laughter, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he admired Li Qing’s handiwork. He immediately reached for the banner, intending to leave.

Seeing this, Li Qing’s eyebrows furrowed, and his tone turned icy. ”Fellow Daoist, haven’t you forgotten something?”

Before starting the repairs, Li Qing had only accepted two Guangling Pills upfront, holding the third in escrow until the work was fully completed. Now, it was time to collect his final payment.

Li Qing never expected this. After confirming the Magic Artifact was repaired, the man snatched it and tried to leave, clearly intending to withhold the final Guangling Pill.

”Heh, what was I forgetting?” the burly man smirked. ”Oh, right! I don’t recall ever promising you more. Before the repairs, I gave you all the Guangling Pills I had.” Confident in his position, since there was no written contract—only a verbal agreement—he knew Li Qing would have no recourse, even if he reported the matter to the Heavenly River Sect’s patrolling disciples.

Hearing this, Li Qing’s expression turned icy. He couldn’t believe the man would resort to such tactics, trying to cheat him out of even a single Guangling Pill. Repairing the Magic Artifact hadn’t granted him Lifespan, and while not overly difficult, it had still cost Li Qing five solid days of his time.

Enraged, Li Qing couldn’t believe this was happening. His voice grew colder still. ”Fellow Daoist, this isn’t proper. Before the repairs, I only accepted two Guangling Pills. Our agreement was three for the entire job.”

The dark-skinned, muscular man raised an eyebrow disdainfully. ”What? You think you can fight me here?”

Fighting was strictly forbidden in the Heavenly River Market, and the consequences for violating that rule were severe.

Li Qing responded calmly, ”Are you sure you want to just walk away? This Magic Artifact looks like it belongs to the demonic path. I’m considering notifying the Heavenly River Sect’s Enforcement Disciples to come and authenticate it.”

The burly man remained unfazed, bursting into hearty laughter. ”Hahaha! I obtained this by slaying a Demonic Path cultivator myself! Even if you report me to the heavens, I won’t be afraid!”

With that, he turned to leave, dismissing Li Qing’s persistence.

Watching the man’s retreating figure, Li Qing’s anger simmered. He seemed powerless against this brazen act.

This was the first time anyone had dared to stiff him on a bill.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Li Qing called out loudly to the burly man’s back, ”Heh heh... This humble one isn’t very skilled, but while repairing this Magic Artifact, I subtly altered the flow of a few spirit patterns and inscribed some unique runes.”

”As for their effects... heh heh... I hope Fellow Daoist will use it with peace of mind in the future!”

The burly man halted abruptly. He turned around, retrieved the Black Wind Banner, and examined it closely.

Unfortunately, his lack of knowledge in the Art of Artifact Refinement prevented him from detecting any anomalies or understanding the altered spirit patterns. He had no idea that the spirit patterns on the Black Wind Banner had been tampered with.

His face darkened completely. ”You dared to tamper with it like that?! Are you courting death?!”

Li Qing burst into carefree laughter. ”Hahaha!”

(End of the Chapter)

📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c298. [+2/4.1k].

🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.

🔥Translated [700+] Chapters and [1.42M+] Words.