Immortal Refiner

From then on, every morning a seven- or eight-year-old child would kneel before Li Qing’s gate, tears welling in his eyes, a truly pitiful sight.

This continued for over two months, the child persisting relentlessly, likely driven by his mother.

One night, Li Qing gazed at the layer of frost forming outside his window and sighed softly.

He had been at the Azure Radiance Pool for nearly a year, and another harsh winter was approaching.

Li Qing took out his Soul Nurturing Bell and, as usual, infused it with spiritual energy. He then carefully wore it, allowing the bell to nourish his divine soul and strengthen his spirit throughout the day.

He had been doing this repeatedly for four years now.

Thanks to this four years of nurturing his divine soul, combined with the Heavenly Star Grass he had consumed in the secret realm, his divine soul’s strength now rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

”If my divine soul grows a little stronger, I might even be able to seize the body of a Foundation Establishment cultivator,” Li Qing mused with a self-deprecating smile, then shook his head and pulled a copy of the Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement and a brush from his storage pouch.

This incomplete artifact refinement inheritance was purchased by Li Qing years ago at the Heavenly River Market. The Meng Clan stall owner had included a copy of the Sealing Wood Technique as a bonus, asking only for a future promise to help repair a top-grade magical artifact.

Later, the Heavenly River Market was destroyed, and Li Qing never learned what happened to the impoverished Meng Clan cultivator.

”Now that the Shi Clan has fallen, only a few remnants remain, scattered outside,” Li Qing mused. ”If I ever gain the ability to repair top-grade magical artifacts and happen to meet him again, I’ll help him. I no longer need to fear the Shi Clan’s retribution.”

With that, Li Qing picked up his brush and began adding his own annotations to the Fragmented Manual of Artifact Refinement. He also included some of his own blacksmithing experience. After some thought, he added two pages of the Five Elements Basic Spirit Runes he was familiar with.

At this point, the incomplete artifact refinement inheritance was nearly complete. If one mastered everything within, refining Low-Grade Magic Artifacts would pose no problem—a valuable asset on the path of cultivation.

If someone couldn’t even grasp these simple teachings, with such poor aptitude and comprehension, even if Li Qing took them as a disciple and personally instructed them, they would never achieve much in the art of artifact refinement.

”Consider it sowing good karma for a good harvest,” Li Qing said.

As his words faded, he slipped the completed artifact refinement inheritance onto his doorstep under the cover of night and then firmly closed his courtyard gate.

That night, the first snowflakes of winter began to fall, making the weather even colder.

A young boy in simple clothes, shivering from the cold, approached the courtyard gate where he had been kneeling for over two months.

In his young mind, that gate, which had always remained closed, felt colder than the winter weather itself.

But he had no choice. His parents’ orders were absolute. Thinking of his mother’s relentless pressure, he had to brave the frigid winter night and continue kneeling in his plea for mentorship.

The thought made the boy clench his small, reddened fists, tears welling up in his eyes.

He carried a bag of spirit rice, a delicacy he rarely tasted. Yet now, in his desperate pursuit of mentorship, he was offering it to someone who wouldn’t even accept it.

At such a young age, he was already experiencing the harsh realities of being a rogue cultivator at the bottom rung of the immortal cultivation world.

Reaching the courtyard gate, the boy, his heart numb with despair, prepared to kneel as he had done countless times before, until dawn.

Just as he lowered his head, a book lay before the courtyard gate!

The cold winter wind rustled the pages, revealing a few pristine, ink-fresh pages.

The boy immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times, tears streaming down his face as he cried out, ”Thank you, Master Li! Thank you, Master Li!”

Afterward, he left a bag of spirit rice at the gate, then clutched the artifact refinement inheritance and hurried back.

In the courtyard, Li Qing’s spiritual sense had recorded everything that had just happened.

”I’m still not cold-hearted enough,” he muttered with a self-deprecating smile, then shook his head and gestured for Fan Tong to retrieve the bag of spirit rice from the gate.

The next morning, as Li Qing cooked a pot of spirit rice, he gazed at the snowy scenery outside.

The Azure Radiance Pool in winter was especially breathtaking. The green mountains were capped with white, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the tranquil, clear pool, turning it into a smooth, reflective mirror.

Just as the fragrant and delicious spirit rice was cooked and Li Qing was about to eat, a Spirit Bird slowly flew over and placed a sealed letter at his courtyard gate before quickly flying away.

Li Qing was stunned. He picked up the letter from the gate.

The two simple words written on the letter stirred ripples in Li Qing’s otherwise tranquil heart.

”Come quickly!”

Signed by Daoist Qingyang, Li Qing took a deep breath, then summoned a ball of scorching flames from his hand, reducing the letter to ashes.

After a year of diligent effort, the Foundation Establishment Pill he had been seeking finally showed promise!

”Let’s go!”

Stepping onto the Peerless Hammer, Li Qing soared into the sky, flying at breakneck speed toward Daoist Qingyang’s cave abode.

As if anticipating his arrival, the Restriction at the entrance of the cave abode was wide open, offering no resistance.

Seeing this, Li Qing didn’t hesitate. He strode directly inside, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting. ”Senior Qingyang, your junior, Li Qing, has come to visit!”

Upon entering the cave abode, the first person he saw wasn’t Daoist Qingyang, but a slender woman!

Li Qing was stunned for a moment, completely taken by surprise.

The woman was none other than Liu Hanyue!

She wore a pale blue leather jacket, the collar revealing a patch of snow-white mink fur that added a touch of elegance to her aloof demeanor.

Sensing the commotion, Liu Hanyue turned around. When she saw Li Qing, she couldn’t help but freeze, her eyes widening in undisguised surprise.

Though they had only met a few times, Liu Hanyue had a certain impression of Li Qing.

She hadn’t expected that the rogue cultivator who had once worked as a helper in her family’s home had now become a Late Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

Li Qing reacted quickly, suppressing his surprise and clasping his hands in a respectful bow. ”Greetings, Immortal Maiden Hanyue!”

Liu Hanyue nodded slightly, her voice still cool as she replied, ”Mhm.”

Inside the cave abode, Daoist Qingyang, who was sitting cross-legged, laughed heartily. ”Hehe, Miss Liu, this is the person I wanted to introduce to you for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. It seems I don’t need to say much more—it’s good that you already know each other.”

At this moment, Li Qing openly examined Liu Hanyue. Her brow clearly showed signs of fatigue, likely due to the family matters that had been troubling her in recent years.

As for her cultivation, she had reached the tenth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, achieving the Great Perfection stage in that realm.

However, for her, this level was somewhat low.

When Li Qing had first met Liu Hanyue, she was already at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. He hadn’t expected that after so many years, she still hadn’t achieved Foundation Establishment.

Liu Hanyue nodded at Li Qing, then spoke bluntly: ”Let me be clear: the Spirit Herbs I’ve brought are complete, missing only three auxiliary ingredients.”

”If this batch of Foundation Establishment Pills yields only two pills, I’ll take both. I’ll compensate you for the three auxiliary ingredients you provided at market price in Spirit Stones.”

”If the batch yields three pills, you can keep one, but you’ll need to give me some additional Spirit Stones as compensation.”

”Consider this proposal. If you disagree, I’ll simply gather the remaining three auxiliary ingredients myself.”

Her words were clear and concise. Li Qing considered the offer briefly before agreeing.

The most valuable component of the Foundation Establishment Pill was the main ingredient. The remaining auxiliary ingredients could be gathered with a little time and effort.

If Li Qing had refused, Liu Hanyue’s abilities would have allowed her to collect the remaining three auxiliary ingredients in no time.

”Alright, I agree!” Li Qing nodded.

Seeing Li Qing’s agreement, Liu Hanyue didn’t waste words. She immediately took out all the Spirit Herbs from her storage pouch—more than a dozen varieties.

All were ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, but the most striking was a single white fruit among them!

This is the Essence Fusion Fruit! The main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill, a Spirit Herb so rare in the immortal cultivation world that its value needs no further explanation. Even without elaboration, it’s clear how precious this single fruit is.

”Hehe, young friend, you only need to produce the Profound Ice Leaf, Eight-Cornered Grass, and Illusory Heart Fruit,” Daoist Qingyang said with a gentle smile.

Li Qing, without hesitation, retrieved the three Spirit Herbs from his storage pouch.

With the addition of these, the total number of Spirit Herbs reached nearly twenty, finally completing the set needed to refine a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Witnessing this, Li Qing’s emotions stirred, and even the usually aloof and icy Liu Hanyue’s expression softened considerably.

”We’ll leave the rest to Senior Qingyang,” Liu Hanyue said softly.

”I will do my best, young friends. Please rest assured,” Daoist Qingyang replied with a hearty laugh.

”Now, I shall begin the Pill Refinement. You may observe from the side and serve as my Guardians. Remember, do not make a sound to disturb me.”

Hearing Daoist Qingyang’s instructions, both Li Qing and Liu Hanyue nodded in agreement, saying in unison, ”Of course.”

With that, they both stepped back, silently watching as Daoist Qingyang retrieved his bronze cauldron.

Boom!

Daoist Qingyang lightly patted the Pill Refining Cauldron with one hand. The spirit patterns within its walls shimmered, and the Fire Attribute Spiritual Mark glowed brightly. Soon, a blazing flame erupted within the cauldron.

This flame was merely mortal fire, naturally unsuitable for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

However, though Li Qing was an artifact refiner, he knew that this step was meant to warm the cauldron—one of the most basic steps in pill refinement.

It could be understood as preheating the wok before cooking, though the underlying principles were far more complex.

While pill refinement wasn’t as time-consuming as artifact refinement, which could take ten days or half a month, refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills would undoubtedly take considerable time.

Li Qing remained silent, glancing at Liu Hanyue’s exquisite face from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but mutter inwardly.

The Liu Clan was a great cultivation clan affiliated with the Heavenly River Sect. After losing an Essence Fusion Fruit a few years ago, they had somehow obtained another.

Li Qing suspected that Liu Hanyue had exchanged this fruit for Sect Contribution points from the Heavenly River Sect. Otherwise, with her accumulated contributions within the sect, she could have long ago exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

As for why she chose to spend more contribution points on the Essence Fusion Fruit instead of directly exchanging for a Foundation Establishment Pill, Li Qing believed it was a decision made for the clan’s benefit.

Judging by Liu Hanyue’s current aura, with a hint of weariness between her brows, it seemed she had begun to handle family affairs.

What puzzled Li Qing was why she hadn’t sought a Pill Refiner from the Heavenly River Sect for the refining process. Instead, she had hired a rogue cultivator Pill Refiner from outside.

Surely the vast Heavenly River Sect must have at least one Alchemy Elder?

Li Qing only murmured this question to himself, not daring to voice it aloud. After all, the Heavenly River Sect was enormous, rife with factions and complex power dynamics. Such internal reasons wouldn’t be surprising.

As if sensing Li Qing’s gaze, Liu Hanyue frowned slightly, turning her delicate face away.

Li Qing was inwardly startled. He hadn’t expected her spiritual awareness to be so sharp that she could sense his peripheral glances.

Quickly, Li Qing straightened his gaze, focusing intently on Daoist Qingyang’s Pill Refinement steps. He watched carefully, analyzing how this process differed from his usual artifact refinement.

Daoist Qingyang now formed a seal with both hands, and a wisp of blue flame, unlike ordinary fire, rose from beneath the Pill Refining Cauldron.

Innate True Fire!

This flame, only usable after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, was perfect for Pill Refinement and artifact refinement.

Li Qing’s eyes held a hint of envy. If only he could possess such a flame, artifact refinement would become far less laborious, and many Spirit Herbs could be easily melted down.

Next, Daoist Qingyang casually retrieved the Spirit Herbs.

The refining of the Foundation Establishment Pill began!

(End of the Chapter)

📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c342. [+2/3.6k].

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

🔥Translated [900+] Chapters and [1.79M+] Words.

🎯For Every 1 Review, I will Upload 5 Extra Chapters0/5 reviews reached.