Immortal Refiner

[Successfully refined a high-grade magical artifact: Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope. Reward: 50 years of lifespan!]

This spirit binding rope was an exceptional masterpiece, even among high-grade magical artifacts!

Its successful refinement immediately granted Li Qing an additional fifty years of lifespan, significantly more than the lifespan gained from refining a Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Spear.

The creation of the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope had attracted considerable attention.

By the time Li Qing retrieved the rope, several figures had gathered outside the formation, all watching him intently.

Holding the coiled, five-colored spirit binding rope, Li Qing paused in surprise before smiling and clasping his hands in greeting:

”Li Qing greets all senior brothers!”

The newcomers were refining elders from the refining hall. Given their seniority, they naturally outranked Li Qing, who had only recently joined. Addressing them as ”senior brothers” was entirely appropriate.

Upon seeing Li Qing, a solemn expression appeared in many of their eyes.

”Heh heh heh, I wondered who it was. I never expected Junior Brother Li to be here refining artifacts.”

”That rope, as massive as a sky-piercing python, must have been crafted by Junior Brother Li!”

”Junior Brother Li’s artifact refinement skills put me to shame. I doubt I could ever refine a high-grade magical artifact of such quality.”

”...”

The refining elders present were all renowned artifact refiners, and they immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the magic artifact Li Qing had just refined.

Hearing these compliments, Li Qing remained unfazed, responding humbly, ”Senior brothers, you flatter me too much. I merely had a stroke of luck.”

”Hahahaha, Junior Brother Li, you’re too modest! With your addition to the refining hall, our strength has undoubtedly reached new heights.”

”Not at all! I still have a long way to go. My skills pale in comparison to the mastery you senior brothers have achieved in artifact refinement.”

”...”

After exchanging pleasantries with the refining elders, Li Qing finally excused himself and left Artifact Refinement Valley.

”Phew! The elders in the hall are certainly enthusiastic. Drawing this much attention was unnecessary. I’ll need to find a way to suppress the energy fluctuations when refining magic artifacts in the future.”

Li Qing wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking that if each successful magic artifact refinement continued to cause such a commotion, he would soon become famous again within the sect.

He had no desire for fame or attention. In his worldview, quietly and discreetly developing one’s strength was always the wisest course. That way, when the sky fell, there would always be taller figures to bear the brunt.

Of course, occasionally demonstrating his value could be beneficial for building relationships with the other foundation establishment elders in the sect.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Qing steered his flying magic artifact and gracefully landed before Elder Xu’s cave abode.

”Ahem, Senior Brother Xu, I’ve come to deliver the magic artifact,” Li Qing called out softly, clearing his throat as he stood before the cave entrance.

Moments later, the Restriction guarding the cave rapidly dissipated, and Xu Changyun emerged.

The red-faced elder still wore his usual sour expression, as if the world owed him several thousand spirit stones.

”What? You’ve actually refined the magic artifact I requested?” Elder Xu’s gaze locked onto Li Qing.

Hearing this, Li Qing smiled faintly, then flipped his right hand, revealing a five-colored rope in his palm.

”Go!”

Li Qing commanded, channeling a surge of spiritual energy within him.

In the next instant, the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope sprang to life, shooting forward like a living creature.

Words were useless. Letting the elder personally experience the magic artifact’s formidable nature would be far more effective than any flowery rhetoric.

The Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope coiled and twisted, transforming into a colossal, sky-piercing serpent as it lunged toward the red-faced elder.

Xu Changyun’s heart jolted with alarm at the sight of the rope, but his guard relaxed slightly upon realizing Li Qing intended to test the artifact’s power on him.

Understanding this, Elder Xu snorted coldly. ”Don’t think some mere rope can easily deal with this old man!”

With a swift motion, Elder Xu retrieved a large bronze bell from behind his back and rapidly struck its surface several times.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Waves of resonant bell chimes erupted outward, attempting to repel the sweeping spirit binding rope.

But the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope was no ordinary opponent.

The five-colored rope, as swift and agile as a giant serpent, surged forward, its earthen-yellow spiritual light effortlessly repelling the bell waves from the bronze bell.

Li Qing chuckled softly. ”Senior Brother Xu, prepare to witness the true tenacity of this Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope.”

With a flick of his wrist, the spirit binding rope’s speed surged dramatically, its length extending rapidly as it flew.

In the blink of an eye, the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope had coiled around Elder Xu’s bronze bell, its five-colored spiritual light surging forth to sever the elder’s control over the artifact.

And it didn’t stop there. The spirit binding rope continued to extend, swiftly circling around Elder Xu himself.

Swish!

In an instant, the five-colored rope had bound both the elder and the bell together in a tight embrace.

”Petty tricks,” Elder Xu scoffed, preparing to break free from the spirit binding rope’s suffocating grip.

Xu Changyun quickly found himself unable to speak.

He noticed his spiritual energy flow suddenly becoming sluggish. Waves of gentle water attribute spiritual power continuously invaded his body, hindering his ability to mobilize mana.

Moreover, the green wood binding patterns glowed with spiritual light, preventing him from physically struggling.

Other binding spirit patterns suppressed the circulation of spiritual energy within him. Though Xu Changyun cultivated a superior wood attribute cultivation manual, it seemed powerless against these restraints.

The Five Elements operate on mutual generation and restraint. Whenever he attempted to mobilize his spiritual energy, the spirit binding rope emitted a crimson glow, nourishing itself through the principle of wood generating fire.

Additionally, the metal suppressing pattern immediately activated, suppressing his cultivation manual’s operation and leaving Elder Xu with a constant feeling of unease, as if thorns were pressing against his back.

”A Five Elements binding magic artifact! Hahahaha, excellent, excellent! Junior Brother Li, quickly withdraw your divine ability. This old man is thoroughly satisfied with this spirit binding rope!”

Having experienced the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope’s formidable nature firsthand, Xu Changyun immediately abandoned his sour expression and burst into hearty laughter, clearly pleased.

Hearing this, Li Qing merely smiled faintly and released Elder Xu from his restraints.

”I’m glad Senior Brother is satisfied with the Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope,” Li Qing said with a light chuckle. ”Though I do wonder...”

Elder Xu held the spirit binding rope in his hands, examining it with obvious satisfaction. He nodded in approval. ”Five Elements Spirit Binding Rope—an excellent name! With this rope, capturing the Ice Spirit Toad alive should be no problem at all.”

”Rest assured, Junior Brother Li,” Elder Xu continued. ”I am a man of my word. Since you have fulfilled the commission, I will not resort to any underhanded tactics.”

With that, Elder Xu promptly handed Li Qing the token signifying completion of the commission.

Seeing the elder’s straightforwardness, Li Qing accepted the token with an even brighter smile.

”Hahaha, then many thanks, Senior Brother Xu.”

Just as Li Qing was about to leave, Elder Xu’s expression suddenly softened considerably. He laughed heartily. ”Junior Brother Li, why not join me for a drink in my cave abode? I was a bit abrupt earlier—please forgive my rudeness!”

It was true that Elder Xu had a peculiar temperament, but that depended on whom he was dealing with. Would he dare to put on such airs with the Grand Elder of the Refining Hall or Sect Leader Xu Yun of Lingyun Sect?

Normally, he showed little courtesy to ordinary elders, his behavior notoriously capricious.

But when he encountered someone like Li Qing, who was worth befriending, he became remarkably straightforward.

Hearing this, Li Qing hesitated briefly before readily accepting the invitation.

”Then, senior brother, I’ll shamelessly impose on you.”

In truth, Elder Xu’s direct and forthright nature made him easy to get along with. Li Qing despised dealing with those who acted one way in public and another in private.

Elder Xu wore his emotions on his sleeve—anger was anger, joy was joy, without a trace of pretense. It was far easier to deal with such honesty than to constantly second-guess others’ motives.

Elder Xu’s cave abode was simple and unadorned, furnished only with essential tables and chairs.

”I never imagined you’d possess such skill in artifact refinement so soon after joining the sect, Junior Brother Li! You’re far more capable than those lazy, sinecure-holding refining elders!”

”Whenever I asked those elders to refine artifacts, none could manage it. Every time, we had to trouble the Grand Elder of the refining hall to personally handle it.”

As Xu Changyun spoke, he produced a jar of aged Spirit Wine and poured Li Qing a full bowl.

The rich, potent aroma of the wine instantly filled the air. A single whiff invigorated Li Qing’s spirit, and he felt a faint stirring of mana within his body.

This wine actually benefits the mana of foundation establishment cultivators!

Li Qing dared not continue Xu Changyun’s line of conversation. Speaking ill of a fellow sect elder behind their back—especially one who also served in the refining hall—would be highly inappropriate.

Li Qing took a small sip of the wine, his eyes lighting up. ”Truly excellent wine! Rich and mellow on the palate, with an endlessly lingering aftertaste. Not only does it leave a fragrant aroma on the lips and tongue, but it also has a refreshing, invigorating sensation!”

”May I ask, Senior Brother Xu, what kind of Spirit Wine is this?!”

Elder Xu raised his head proudly. ”This is a Spirit Wine recipe I created myself. You won’t find it anywhere else!”

”It’s called Zuiyue—’Drunken Moon.’ Even the bright moon in the sky would be intoxicated and collapse at the horizon if it drank this!”

”To brew a single jar of Zuiyue, you need at least fifteen types of spirit herbs and carefully selected Spirit Grain. I won’t reveal the exact ingredients, though!”

It turned out Elder Xu was a highly experienced Spirit Brewer, knowledgeable in crafting numerous spirit brews. His unique Zuiyue Spirit Wine was particularly favored, even by some of the sect’s supreme elders.

After hearing this, Li Qing finally understood why Elder Xu possessed such influence and could so easily gather vast quantities of spirit materials.

He was a brewing Great Master!

(End of the Chapter)

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