Immortal Refiner

Lingyun Sect, Refining Hall.

”So it has come to this after all,” Li Qing murmured, holding the identity token that symbolized his status as a Refining Hall Elder. He sighed softly.

Prolonged seclusion and arduous cultivation were not his path forward. Given his innate talent, earning Sect Contribution points to exchange for cultivation-enhancing pills was his best option.

”Greetings, Elder Li!”

”Greetings, Elder Li!”

Several qi refining realm disciples working in the Refining Hall immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Li Qing.

”Mm,” Li Qing nodded lightly in acknowledgment, then continued deeper into the Refining Hall with his hands clasped behind his back.

The Refining Hall wasn’t located on a mountain peak but rather in a sunken valley on the northern edge of the sect grounds.

While the rest of Lingyun Sect enjoyed perpetual spring-like warmth, the valley housing the Refining Hall felt like the height of summer.

As Li Qing acclimated to the familiar heat, curiosity stirred within him.

Lingyun Sect was situated in an extremely cold region without any earthfire veins beneath its surface. Why, then, was this valley so scorching hot?

The answer soon became clear.

Deep within the valley, a Second-Tier Grand Formation dominated by the fire attribute had been established. At each Formation Core, several Fire Essence Crocodiles were being kept.

These demon beasts were all late first-tier fire attribute creatures, capable of spewing scorching Demon Fire that rivaled the Innate True Fire of foundation establishment cultivators.

”Using the power of an array to raise fire attribute demon beasts and harnessing their Demon Fire for artifact refinement... this method is quite ingenious,” Li Qing murmured, stroking his chin in admiration of the novel approach.

Many newly ascended foundation establishment cultivators struggled to sustain their Innate True Fire for extended periods due to limited mana reserves. This method offered a clever way to conserve spiritual energy.

Before Li Qing could dwell further on his musings, the array suddenly flickered, revealing a passage.

A hearty, resonant laugh boomed through the air:

”Hahahaha! Who would have thought the new refining elder joining our hall would be Junior Brother Li himself!”

A lean, middle-aged man darted out of the array, his face alight with surprise and delight.

The moment Li Qing laid eyes on him, he recognized the man’s identity:

Wen Zihong, the second-in-command of the refining hall.

Aside from the Grand Refining Elder, Wen Zihong wielded the greatest authority within the hall, holding decisive power over many matters.

”I never imagined Senior Brother Wen would know of me. This junior brother feels truly honored,” Li Qing said, immediately adopting a warm smile. For a senior brother with such seniority, it was only proper to cultivate a good relationship with him.

Elder Wen laughed heartily. ”Junior Brother Li, you’re too modest! In recent years, you’ve been the elder most frequently mentioned by the sect’s disciples. Your famous aphorism still adorns the entrance of the Hall of Technique Transmission!”

”I’m just making a fool of myself! Please don’t mock me, Senior Brother Wen,” Li Qing replied, unwilling to appear arrogant about his words, especially since he had modified them himself.

After exchanging pleasantries, Elder Wen began explaining the basic duties of a refining elder.

The workload wasn’t particularly heavy. As foundation establishment realm elders, they weren’t assigned overly burdensome sect affairs. Their daily cultivation time remained ample.

”As refining elders in the refining hall, our primary task is simply artifact refinement,” Elder Wen explained. ”Periodically, the sect provides us with batches of artifact refining spirit materials. Each refining elder then claims their share, refines one or two artifacts, and submits them.”

”In addition to that, we also receive artifact refinement commissions from time to time. If Junior Brother Li is interested, you can take on one or two commissions. These tasks earn contribution points!”

Elder Wen patiently explained the details of joining the refining hall, providing a thorough account of the responsibilities and benefits. His extensive experience was evident in his detailed explanations.

Furthermore, every three months, a refining elder would share their insights on artifact refinement with the qi refining realm disciples of the refining hall, as a form of benefit for the disciples.

The elders took turns giving these lectures, each speaking once every three months. Given the number of refining elders in the hall, it would take a year or two before any particular elder needed to share their refinement insights or experience again—a manageable arrangement.

”Of course, Junior Brother Li, if you have any spare time, you can also offer guidance to other disciples on artifact refinement.”

”Oh, and there’s also a perk for us elders. If you need any specific spirit materials, you can submit a request to the Grand Elder. Future batches of spirit materials acquired by the sect might include what you need!”

Hearing about these benefits for refining elders, Li Qing’s heart stirred slightly. He immediately thought of the artifact refinement diagram for the Heavenly Net Banner, which he had obtained in the World of Eternal Night!

Li Qing hadn’t yet made any progress in gathering the spirit materials needed to refine the Heavenly Net Banner. He never imagined that joining the refining hall would solve this problem so quickly.

The benefits of joining a major sect are truly impressive!

If he were still a rogue cultivator, even one at the foundation establishment realm, he would have spent an immense amount of time just searching for these materials.

”Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Wen!” Li Qing said sincerely.

”Hahahaha, we’re all part of the refining hall now. No need for such formalities!” Elder Wen chuckled, waving his hand dismissively.

Under Elder Wen’s guidance, Li Qing familiarized himself with the Fire-Drawing Origin Formation’s access methods and how to harness the Fire Essence Crocodile’s Demon Fire. With this, he officially became a refining elder of the refining hall.

After Elder Wen departed, Li Qing curiously examined the Fire Essence Crocodiles living within the formation.

”I never imagined these ferocious-looking creatures could be tamed so docilely,” Li Qing remarked, his tone surprised.

This indirectly demonstrated the immense comprehensive strength of a cultivation sect. Whether it was alchemy, artifact refinement, formation arrays, talisman crafting, beast taming, or any other cultivation technique, the sect possessed experts in every field.

As he spoke, Li Qing produced a Red Leaf Fruit and tossed it to a Fire Essence Crocodile below.

Using the Fire Essence Crocodile’s Demon Fire was simple: just feed them their favorite Spirit Fruits.

After swallowing the fruit, these ferocious-looking crocodiles would lazily open their massive jaws and spew forth scorching Demon Fire.

True to form, the Fire Essence Crocodile that had just eaten a Red Leaf Fruit instinctively opened its mouth and unleashed a blazing tongue of fire.

Seeing this, Li Qing immediately activated the Second-Tier Grand Formation beneath his feet using his refining elder’s token.

The Fire-Drawing Origin Formation swiftly absorbed the Demon Fire the crocodile had expelled and channeled it toward Li Qing.

Nodding at the gathered Demon Fire before him, Li Qing realized he could now refine artifacts at any time using this readily available source.

”This is remarkably convenient—far better than using my own Innate True Fire.”

”The only drawback is the lack of secrecy. When refining my own powerful magic artifacts in the future, I should stick to my Innate True Fire to prevent others from discovering their existence.”

As his words faded, Li Qing withdrew his refining elder’s identity token, and the surging flames immediately dispersed.

Having familiarized himself with the process, Li Qing began to wander through the refining hall alone.

Recently, the sect’s artifact refinement quotas had already been divided among the other elders, so Li Qing, having just joined, found himself with little to do and plenty of free time.

However, since he had decided to become a refining elder, Li Qing’s primary goal was naturally to earn more contribution points.

With this in mind, he headed to the refining hall’s commission desk.

The disciples stationed here were responsible for receiving commission requests and coordinating with the General Affairs Hall for task assignments.

As soon as Li Qing appeared, many disciples turned to look, respectfully greeting him, ”Greetings, Elder Li!”

The disciples had naturally learned of the new refining elder’s arrival immediately.

”Hmm, I’m here to see if there are any artifact refinement commissions available,” Li Qing nodded. ”If any seem suitable, I might consider taking on one or two.”

”Yes, Elder. All the recent commissions received by the refining hall are listed here. Please review them at your convenience,” the disciple said respectfully, sliding over two racks laden with jade slips.

Each jade slip represented a commission. One rack contained requests from qi refining realm disciples within the sect, while the other held commissions from other sect elders.

The former type of request typically required Mid-Grade Magic Tools, with a few needing High-Grade Magic Tools, and only a rare few requiring Low-Grade Magic Tools.

The latter type, however, almost exclusively involved requests for Top-Grade and High-Grade Magic Tools.

Li Qing wasn’t surprised that the required quality of magic artifacts varied with the requester’s cultivation level.

”Two Flying Swords, one ice-attributed and one fire-attributed, Mid-Grade Magic Tools. Fire Cloud Stone and Profound Ice Jade provided.”

”Repair of a High-Grade Magic Tool, the Golden Sun Treasure Blade. Spirit materials needed to be discussed in person.”

”I have some Geng Metal Powder and wish to refine a Top-Grade Magic Tool with it.”

”...”

Most commissions fell into two categories. The first type involved the client directly specifying the type of magic artifact they wanted. After accepting the commission, the refiner would inform the client of the necessary spirit materials.

The second type involved the client providing some artifact refining spirit materials and allowing the refiner to freely create whatever magic artifact they could from those materials, the outcome depending entirely on the refiner’s skill.

There were also requests for repairing magic artifacts, but these artifacts usually originated from outside the sect. Having been accidentally damaged and with no way to find their original refiners, the owners had no choice but to seek assistance from the sect’s refining hall.

Overall, there were quite a few commissions available, each offering varying amounts of contribution points upon completion—a good way to earn them.

After all, as cultivators, especially disciples of a cultivation sect, there were frequent needs to venture out on missions or undergo trials.

When venturing out, magic artifacts served as the best means of self-defense and protection.

An excellent and well-suited magic artifact could drastically enhance one’s combat prowess. This wasn’t mere rhetoric; it was a truth every cultivator personally experienced and understood.

As Li Qing scrolled through the commissions, he stroked his chin, searching for one that suited him.

Finally, his gaze settled on the section for commissions from foundation establishment elders.

The jade slip detailed a request for a high-grade magical artifact, specifically of the binding type!

Moreover, the client’s tone was remarkably generous, as if spirit materials were no object. The commission explicitly stated that as long as the material requirements weren’t too outrageous, they could be procured!

”Hmm, I’ll take this one.”

(End of the Chapter)

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