Immortal Refiner

More than three months had passed since Li Qing assumed the position of refining elder. Time always slipped by silently, catching people off guard and prompting them to sigh, ”Time really flies!”

Of course, Li Qing was never among those who lamented the passage of time. He would never lament how quickly time passed, not only because of his long lifespan but also because he understood the importance of living in the present and seizing the moment.

His recent frenzy of artifact refinement had earned him a considerable number of contribution points.

However, he had now stopped accepting new refinement commissions. The sect’s new batch of medicinal pills was about to be released, and it would soon be time for the external affairs elders to exchange their contribution points for pills.

”Finally, I can exchange for pills again! I’ve been waiting three whole years! This time, I’m definitely getting more Purple Yang Pills!”

”Hahaha, Senior Brother Zhao, do you even have enough contribution points? I don’t remember you taking on many Sect Missions these past few years.”

”I happened to complete Martial Aunt Bing Yun’s collection mission the other day. I don’t have many contribution points, but at least I have some.”

”Tsk tsk tsk, Senior Brother Zhao is truly wealthy, hiding his deep reserves so well.”

”That’s absolutely right. I vaguely remember Ancestor Bing Yun’s mission was to collect Second-Tier Ice Attribute demon beast crystal cores, wasn’t it?”

”Even though the Forbidden Speech Snowfield still teems with Ice Attribute demon beasts, Second-Tier Demonic Beasts aren’t exactly easy to find!”

”...”

The place where Lingyun Sect members exchanged contribution points for cultivation resources was called the Hall of Merit, perched atop the sect’s central mountain peak.

It was a grand, pale golden hall, unlike any other structure in the sect. The Hall of Merit truly stood above the mountain, the entire pale golden hall suspended in mid-air, supported by a second-tier formation array beneath.

Don’t underestimate this second-tier formation. It could link with Lingyun Sect’s Sect-Protecting Grand Formation, unleashing terrifying power.

A large group of external affairs elders, including Li Qing, arrived together, forming small groups of three to five, their faces beaming with anticipation as they flew toward the Hall of Merit.

Li Qing naturally blended into the crowd, chatting and laughing with several refining hall elders, making himself inconspicuous.

Soon, after most of the elders seeking medicinal pills had gathered, a cry of alarm rang out:

”What?! This year’s allocation of Purple Yang Pills is drastically reduced—a full 30% less than usual!”

The exclamation sent a jolt through the external affairs elders who had gathered.

”Is this true? Why would the allocation of Purple Yang Pills be so much smaller?”

”Did something happen? I thought the supply of Purple Yang Pills had always been stable!”

”Are we short on spirit herbs?”

Li Qing frowned slightly as he observed the scene from the crowd.

Exchanging pills had always been a case of too many wolves and too little meat. Now, hearing the elders’ concerns, it seemed the pill allocation had been further reduced.

How unlucky! My first time exchanging pills at the sect, and this happens, Li Qing grumbled inwardly, refraining from voicing his frustration like the others.

Hearing the elders’ complaints and questions, an elderly elder overseeing the matter at the Hall of Merit chuckled. ”Fellow Disciples, please remain calm. There have indeed been some unexpected circumstances this year.”

”However, the reason isn’t what you might think. Last year, elders from the Heavenly River Sect purchased a batch of spirit herbs used for refining Purple Yang Pills from us.”

”The sect initially planned to reject the offer, but the Heavenly River Sect’s price was too good to refuse. After careful deliberation with the supreme elders, Senior Brother Sect Leader ultimately approved the transaction—but only this once.”

Li Qing was slightly taken aback. The events had occurred last year, when he was still in the World of Eternal Night, so he was completely unaware that the Heavenly River Sect had visited the Lingyun Sect.

”I knew there had to be a reason why the Heavenly River Sect sent an envoy last year, breaking all precedent!”

”What kind of price did the Heavenly River Sect offer to make Senior Brother Sect Leader and the supreme elders agree so readily?”

”No one knows.”

The elderly elder of the Hall of Merit chuckled. ”Don’t focus solely on the Purple Yang Pills, everyone. Look! The Hall of Merit has recently acquired a wealth of top-grade spiritual materials, including rare and precious ingredients for array formations—spiritual objects rarely seen before.”

”Moreover, while the supply of Purple Yang Pills has decreased by thirty percent, the Clear Profound Pills remain unaffected. They’re still highly effective for enhancing mana in the foundation establishment realm!”

As he spoke, the elderly elder gestured repeatedly, reminding everyone not to fixate solely on the Purple Yang Pills.

”Indeed, Profound Jade Marrow is quite rare.”

”That’s right. This moon crystal stone is exactly what I need to study formations.”

”...”

It wasn’t just the elders who noticed. As an artifact refiner, Li Qing immediately recognized a crucial artifact refining spirit material he needed:

”A shadow spider silk pouch!”

The Heavenly Net Banner!

Li Qing instantly recalled that one of the primary materials for refining this top-grade magical artifact was precisely the spider silk from six-legged shadow spiders.

He never imagined he’d stumble upon an entire spider silk pouch at the Hall of Merit—a truly astonishing find.

”If I buy this spider silk pouch, my remaining contribution points will barely cover a single bottle of Purple Yang Pills or two bottles of Clear Profound Pills!”

Li Qing frowned, his mind once again torn.

If he could refine a top-grade magical artifact, his combat prowess would undoubtedly increase exponentially.

But he couldn’t hesitate for long. The other elders had finished examining the items and were already starting to exchange their contribution points for what they wanted.

Despite the abundance of other precious spiritual materials, pills that enhanced mana and advanced cultivation remained the most coveted and sought-after commodities.

If he didn’t make a decision soon, there would be hardly any pills left for him!

Just as Li Qing was about to speak, he suddenly noticed a young girl in the crowd, a foundation establishment cultivator with a distinctly youthful air, staring intently at the shadow spider silk pouch with a conflicted expression.

The girl was none other than Chu Lingyi, the eccentric young woman who considered herself a once-in-a-century talismanship prodigy.

Li Qing had been preoccupied with other matters and hadn’t noticed her earlier. He hadn’t expected to see her here exchanging pills.

But then he remembered that Chu Lingyi, like him, was the sect’s external affairs elder, so her presence here wasn’t entirely surprising.

At first, Li Qing thought she might be trying to steal the spider silk pouch. But then his brow lifted, and he quickly pushed his way forward, saying, ”Junior Sister Lingyi, what a small world! I never expected to see you here.”

”Are you also interested in the shadow spider silk pouch? Why don’t we exchange for it together? I only need half the silk!”

Li Qing’s smile was warm and sincere, but his words came out in a rapid-fire burst, leaving no room for hesitation.

Chu Lingyi turned back in surprise, but when she saw the identity token at Li Qing’s waist, signifying his status as a refining elder of the Refining Hall, she immediately agreed:

”Alright! No problem! But I’m only giving you half the Spider Silk, and the pouch is mine!” Chu Lingyi winked mischievously, her eyes gleaming like a cunning fox.

The pouch?

Although the spider silk pouch was useless to him, Li Qing felt he was getting the short end of the deal.

But time was running out; any further delay would mean the pills would be snatched up. Then he remembered Chu Lingyi had once given him a Beast Transformation Talisman for free.

Fine, I’ll consider this repaying that favor!

”Agreed!”

With that, the two quickly informed the Hall of Merit elder of their respective exchange requests.

Before long, Li Qing emerged from the crowd with a bottle of Purple Yang Pills and a bottle of Clear Profound Pills, followed by Chu Lingyi, who was beaming so brightly her eyes narrowed into crescent moons.

”Hehe, Senior Brother Li, here’s your half of the Spider Silk. The quantity is definitely correct—I even gave you a little extra!” Chu Lingyi said with a smile, handing Li Qing a cold, tangled mass of Spider Silk.

Taking the shadow spider’s silk, Li Qing let out a small sigh of relief. Judging by the quantity, it was more than enough to refine the Heavenly Net Banner.

”Looks like I’ve been out of the loop,” Chu Lingyi said, approaching with the spider silk pouch in her arms. She tilted her pretty face upward to look at Li Qing. ”I didn’t realize Senior Brother Li had become the refining elder of the refining hall. It seems we’ll have opportunities to collaborate in the future.”

Li Qing smiled in response and stored the spider silk pouch in his storage bag. ”It would be my honor to befriend a talismanship prodigy like you, Junior Sister Chu. Such talent is rarely seen in a century.”

Having not seen her for over a year, Li Qing noticed that Chu Lingyi retained her youthful exuberance, still resembling a carefree butterfly. Her demeanor seemed unchanged by the passage of time.

She stuck her tongue out at Li Qing playfully. ”Befriending a genius Talisman Master like me is undoubtedly the luckiest thing you’ll ever do in your life!”

”Heh, then perhaps this talismanship prodigy could explain to a mere mortal like me what the purpose of this spider silk pouch is?”

To be honest, if Chu Lingyi hadn’t brought it up, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought. After all, the only thing of value to him was the Spider Silk itself. Even if Chu Lingyi had taken the pouch without a word, he wouldn’t have minded.

But after Chu Lingyi’s deliberate mention, he found himself increasingly curious.

Chu Lingyi’s small face grew wary. ”Hmph, Senior Brother Li, going back on your word isn’t the behavior of a proper senior brother!”

”You already promised to let me have the pouch. You can’t try to take it back now!”

Li Qing chuckled, momentarily speechless. ”I was just curious. I wouldn’t ask you to give it up.”

Hearing this, Chu Lingyi finally relaxed, her cheeks dimpling sweetly. ”Of course, it’s for drawing talismans! I’m developing a brand-new kind of talisman, and this pouch might give me unexpected results!”

Once she started talking about talisman-making, Chu Lingyi became unstoppable, her words flowing like a torrent of celestial wonders.

Li Qing wasn’t particularly interested. He knew nothing about talismans and felt like he was listening to gibberish, the words going in one ear and out the other.

The compatibility between talismanic patterns and Talisman Paper, the unique properties of the shadow spider’s silk pouch—these might have promising applications for the shadow evasion talisman she was developing.

After her lengthy explanation, only the words ”shadow evasion talisman” remained in Li Qing’s mind. The rest of her words vanished into the back of his mind.

”Shadow evasion talisman?” Li Qing asked, his curiosity piqued.

”Exactly! I’ve been researching escape techniques lately. Since shadows are the most ubiquitous thing in the world, I thought I’d create a talisman that allows one to merge with shadows and then escape through them!”

Shadow evasion was indeed an intriguing concept. Li Qing nodded in agreement, then added, ”I once saw a unique wood-based technique called Wood Shadow Escape. It allows for rapid escape through forests.”

Chu Lingyi replied with the familiarity of someone listing treasured possessions, ”Wood Shadow Escape is just a basic escape technique. It only works in dense forests, the range is very short, and it doesn’t actually involve traveling through shadows. It’s more like moving between trees.”

”It’s called Wood Shadow Escape simply because it creates the illusion of shadows,” Chu Lingyi explained.

So that’s how it works, Li Qing thought, feeling slightly enlightened. He then said, ”Well, I’ll eagerly await your good news, Junior Sister Chu. If the talismans prove effective, I might buy quite a few!”

As if she had been waiting for this very moment, Chu Lingyi, who had already marked Li Qing as a potential big client, replied with a giggle, ”Hehe, Senior Brother, if you buy them, I’ll definitely give you the biggest discount!”

”Alright, enough talk. I need to return to the talisman hall and continue researching new talismanship techniques!”

The talismanship prodigy, Chu Lingyi, gracefully floated away on a colorful silk sash.

Li Qing nodded briefly before swiftly flying back to his cave abode.

To obtain the shadow spider silk and the long-coveted medicinal pills, he had nearly exhausted the contribution points he had painstakingly accumulated over a long period.

Now, he couldn’t wait to return to his cave abode and convert these pills into tangible strength!

(End of the Chapter)

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