Immortal Refiner

Whoosh!

The last wisp of Spirit Wood Essence from the Jade Locust Tree branch before Li Qing drifted into his body like a wisp of azure smoke.

In an instant, the entire branch crumbled as if it had weathered a thousand years.

Not a single trace of the spirit wood’s vitality was wasted; Li Qing had completely absorbed all the Spirit Wood Essence contained within the Jade Locust Tree branch in one go.

Thump! Thump!

A powerful heartbeat echoed through the silent cave abode, sounding like a drumbeat so exaggerated it seemed impossible.

It was hard to believe that such a thunderous sound was merely Li Qing’s heartbeat!

The first layer of the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual had been fully mastered!

Li Qing opened his eyes, a fleeting hint of azure flashing in his pupils.

At that moment, he no longer suppressed his Vital Energy but unleashed it completely.

Boom!

A torrent of Vital Energy surged through Li Qing’s body, as vast and vigorous as a surging ocean.

”Hah!”

Li Qing exhaled deeply, spreading his hands and gazing at his forearms, feeling the pulse thrumming beneath his skin.

”Not bad! With my physical strength alone, I should be able to hold my own against a cultivator in the Mid Qi Refining Realm.”

Having mastered the first layer of the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual, Li Qing’s physical body had once again grown immensely powerful. Already a Grandmaster of the Martial Dao, he could now rival cultivators in the Mid Qi Refining Realm with his raw physical strength alone.

He felt an inexhaustible reservoir of power coursing through him, as if he could shoulder an entire mountain peak.

Crack!

Li Qing exerted slight pressure with two fingers, without even activating his Transformed Strength. Yet, relying solely on his physical might, he crushed a solid rock into fine powder.

”Impressive. And this is just the first layer. If I master the second and third layers, how much stronger will my body become?”

The thought startled him. Could he truly stand a chance against Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators with nothing but his physical body?

He quickly suppressed the notion.

Don’t reach for the stars!

”I’ve heard that upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, a cultivator’s mana within their dantian qi sea liquefies, vastly surpassing Qi Refining cultivators in both quantity and quality.”

”If I were to truly battle a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, unless they were foolish enough to engage in close combat, my chances of victory would still be slim against their vast mana reserves.”

Li Qing murmured to himself, suppressing the flicker of pride that had arisen. He still held deep reverence for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Leaving his cave abode, Li Qing stretched lazily as he gazed upon the majestic panorama of interconnected mountain peaks stretching into the distance. His physical strength had improved significantly once more, leaving him invigorated, his Vital Energy abundant, and his spirit vibrant.

This cultivation session had lasted ten days, but Li Qing wasn’t in a hurry to emerge. He quickly retreated back into his cave abode.

Continue Qi Refining. My cultivation level is the foundation of everything!

Li Qing resumed his meditative posture, retrieved a Guangling Pill, and swallowed it without hesitation. Activating the Fire Origin Art, he rapidly refined the pill’s medicinal power.

He had prepared for at least a year of secluded cultivation, stockpiling pills purchased from the market. He had no intention of attending the upcoming secret trade fair, resolved to devote himself entirely to enhancing his cultivation.

Until his strength improved dramatically, he would shut himself off from the world, single-mindedly pursuing the path of the Great Dao.

Thus, a year passed swiftly, like grains of sand slipping through clenched fingers—the tighter he gripped, the faster they flowed away.

During this time, the cultivation world was far from tranquil, its waters churning with renewed turmoil.

Deep within his secluded cave abode, Li Qing finally opened his eyes with a languid stretch.

”Hoo!”

Li Qing exhaled deeply, his tangled hair and beard giving him the appearance of a wild man. Yet he paid no heed to his unkempt appearance, a flicker of joy dancing in his eyes.

”Finally, I’ve broken through!”

Indeed, after a year of dedicated cultivation in this cave abode overflowing with spiritual energy—and after consuming a considerable number of pills—Li Qing had finally ascended to the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, becoming a true immortal cultivator!

The entire process felt surprisingly anticlimactic. To Li Qing, this smooth, natural breakthrough seemed almost understated, as if he had simply drifted into the new realm.

This marked Li Qing’s first true period of secluded cultivation. Previously, whether in the wilderness or at the Liu Clan, his training had always been sporadic, constantly interrupted by various distractions.

”No wonder they say ’cultivation knows no years,’” he mused. ”Time truly slips away unnoticed during this process!”

Li Qing sighed deeply. If he hadn’t clearly seen a year deducted from his lifespan, he would have sworn no more than a few months had passed.

Stepping out of the cave abode once more, a sense of profound detachment from the world washed over him, as if he had returned from another world.

He immediately retrieved the Wandering Dragon Dagger, trimmed his tangled beard and hair, and then cleansed himself with the Purifying Water Technique.

In an instant, Li Qing regained his refined appearance, shedding his wild, unkempt look.

”Damn it! I need to help Fellow Daoist Nine Heavens repair his spirit boat as soon as possible!”

Suddenly remembering this urgent task, Li Qing rushed back to his cave abode without a second glance. To save time, he immediately teleported to the World of Eternal Night and began repairing the spirit boat there.

In a secluded corner of the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing retrieved the ice-blue spirit boat Nine Heavens had entrusted to him and carefully examined it.

”The hull damage is minimal, but the spirit patterns are severely damaged. This guy must have run into a formidable opponent who used Blood Dao techniques to corrupt some of the patterns.”

As he spoke, Li Qing placed his hand on the spirit boat, meticulously assessing its condition. At that moment, he resembled a skilled physician precisely diagnosing the flaws of the battered vessel.

”Even though I’ve studied some speed and agility-enhancing spirit patterns, repairing a spirit boat won’t be easy.”

Frowning, Li Qing poked at the damaged spirit patterns with his finger.

Strands of spiritual energy swiftly flowed into the spirit boat, coursing through the intricate spirit patterns etched across its hull. As the energy reached the damaged sections, it dissipated, allowing Li Qing to precisely determine the original function of each flawed pattern.

”This section is a spiritual energy transmission pattern,” he mused. ”I could replace it with a similar pattern from my own knowledge.”

”Hmm, I’m familiar with these lightness-enhancing patterns. Repairing them should be straightforward.”

”But these few damaged areas... they’re beyond my current capabilities.”

Li Qing meticulously examined the entire Ice Blue spirit boat, leaving no section untouched. As he’d suspected, several parts fell outside his domain of expertise. He couldn’t even decipher the original purpose of some of the damaged spirit patterns.

This realization caused him to furrow his brow in frustration.

Lost in contemplation, Li Qing struggled to deduce the precise functions of those enigmatic patterns. He let his mind wander, reconstructing a detailed mental image of the entire spirit boat within his mind.

”If I were to refine this spirit boat, what capabilities should it possess?”

This spirit boat, equivalent in quality to a high-grade magical artifact, naturally boasted a complex array of functions.

Speed was paramount. Without sufficient speed, all other capabilities would be meaningless.

The spirit boat was fully equipped with fundamental speed-enhancing spirit patterns, which formed its core functionality.

Next came defensive capabilities.

”Those spirit patterns composed of wood and earth attributes must be defensive in nature. Repairing them shouldn’t be too difficult.”

But what about offensive capabilities?

Li Qing pondered this carefully. Given its status as a high-grade magical artifact, he believed the spirit boat should undoubtedly possess combat abilities.

A glint sparked in Li Qing’s eyes as he focused on a damaged spirit pattern near the boat’s edge.

”An Ice Attribute offensive spirit pattern! I’m certain of it. This section was forged from Snow Silver Iron and some kind of ice-cold spiritual material.”

Confirming this, Li Qing’s bitter expression hardly softened. His brow remained tightly furrowed.

The Artifact Refinement inheritance Li Qing had received focused primarily on basic Five Elements spirit patterns, lacking any knowledge of these exotic attribute patterns.

Even knowing the type of spirit pattern that was missing, he couldn’t fully restore it.

In that moment, he finally understood why it was often said that a skilled artifact refiner needed not only exceptional refinement techniques but also vast knowledge.

The more spirit patterns one mastered, the higher an artifact refiner’s potential ceiling!

”Sigh, the path of artifact refinement is truly profound and boundless!” Li Qing muttered with a wry smile. He realized this craft demanded not only ingenious creativity but also extensive erudition and broad experience.

Undeterred, he began earnestly considering whether other spirit patterns could serve as substitutes.

”An Ice Attribute offensive spirit pattern... After all, the spirit boat’s primary function is for travel. I doubt the original refiner put much effort into its offensive capabilities.”

”Perhaps...”

Before he could finish the thought, a glint flashed in Li Qing’s eyes as he conceived a decent alternative solution.

(End of the Chapter)

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