Immortal Refiner

After advancing to the mid divine transformation realm, Li Qing remained in his cave abode, carefully considering his next move. He finally decided to focus on the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

This spirit treasure had been with him for many years, and through constant nourishing, it had already reached the level of a profound grade spirit treasure. Yet Li Qing remained unsatisfied, determined to further enhance its power.

”The Night Owl Clan’s feathers are truly remarkable. No, the most precious thing about the Flying Spirit Clan is their wings—they’re practically born treasures.”

”By dismantling these true feathers one by one and refining them into the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings, I can significantly amplify its power.”

With that, Li Qing began to act. He carefully plucked each glossy black true feather, each one brimming with spirituality and serving as exceptionally valuable spiritual material.

Channeling his mana, Li Qing refined these black true feathers into his Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

The originally bare silver-purple bone wings now shimmered with a layer of glossy black feathers. Even in the darkness, these black feathers radiated a faint glow, giving them an extraordinary appearance.

Li Qing continued to refine the wings with his true essence, purging the original master’s aura and truly making them his own.

”Incredible! Even in the dead of night, these feathers can autonomously draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth!”

”No wonder that battle was so difficult. It seems the Night Owl Clan’s power is amplified at night.”

After completing the refinement, Li Qing sensed the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings’ transformation. Their nighttime amplification ability had evolved into a natural divine ability.

At night, the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings would unleash even greater power, far surpassing their daytime capabilities, without any drawbacks.

Li Qing named this divine ability ”Starnight.” Perhaps the wings should even be renamed ”Wind-Thunder Star Wings.”

Covered in black feathers, the silver and purple luster had vanished, replaced by a layer of pitch-black that shimmered faintly in the dark.

However, Li Qing wasn’t particularly concerned with such details. He continued to call them the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings out of habit, finding the name more familiar.

”The Flying Spirit Clan truly has no simple members. I wonder what innate divine abilities those male and female Luan Birds possess.”

Within the Heavenlight Secret Realm, the pair of male and female Luan Birds from the Flying Spirit Clan posed a true threat. They weren’t ordinary members of their clan; their bloodline was extraordinary. Legend had it that they had awakened the True Spirit Blood within them, initiating a return to their ancestral form.

Such beings possessed power far surpassing that of the Night Owl Clan, whose wings Li Qing had forged into his own.

”Ah, what a pity about these wings. No one in Profound Ancient City would dare buy them. I’ll just have to enjoy them myself,” Li Qing chuckled self-deprecatingly as he retrieved the pair of featherless Night Owl wings. Once magnificent and heroic, they now lay bare and bald, resembling ordinary bird wings.

Without the enhancement of their unique feathers, the wings had lost much of their spirituality. Combined with Li Qing’s complete extraction of their essence blood, their value had plummeted.

He casually tossed one wing into the Annihilation Furnace and ignited a golden flame beneath it.

Boom!

”One roasted, one for soup. Consider it interest collected for all the dead and injured mortals.”

Using the Immortal Slaughtering Sword as a makeshift spit, Li Qing began roasting the remaining wing over the furnace fire.

Inside the Annihilation Furnace, Li Qing poured in spirit spring water and added several ancient medicinal herbs he had brought from the lower realm—nourishing ingredients perfect for enhancing the flavor.

Under the scorching heat of the Great Sun Golden Flame, a pot of rich broth simmered, bubbling gently and releasing wisps of medicinal fragrance that were intoxicating even to smell.

Meanwhile, the other wing, skewered on the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, sizzled as its skin crisped to an impossibly brittle, golden-yellow hue, cracking slightly to reveal the tender, juicy meat beneath.

Even without seasoning, the massive roasted wing emitted an irresistible aroma.

Li Qing couldn’t resist the urge to dig in. He picked up the wing, still skewered on the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, and devoured it with gusto.

”Whew~! Whew! A bit hot, but the flavor is truly excellent. Just a tad bland—next time, I’ll add a pinch of fine salt to season it.”

It had been a long time since Li Qing had indulged in such a hearty meal. Since embarking on his cultivation journey, he had practiced restraint and detachment, rarely indulging in such gluttonous feasts.

Before long, Li Qing’s mouth was dripping with oil as he devoured a massive roasted Night Owl wing, leaving nothing but bare bone.

A surge of potent spiritual energy soon flooded his body, the residual spirituality from the bird’s wing now completely refined by Li Qing without wasting a single trace.

”Truly satisfying,” he murmured. ”It’s even consolidated my recent breakthrough, saving me a great deal of cultivation effort.”

”What a pity I have to enjoy this delicacy alone.”

”If Fatty Wu were here, with a few jars of fine spirit brew, this would be the ultimate indulgence.”

Li Qing smacked his lips, then extinguished the Great Sun Golden Flame beneath the furnace and began to gulp down the simmering broth.

The essence of the ancient medicinal herbs had fully infused the soup, blending perfectly with the rich flavor of the Night Owl wing.

If Li Qing were to truly indulge, even a mountain of food wouldn’t satisfy him. Yet today, merely devouring a pair of wings from a late divine transformation realm Flying Spirit Clan member had already left him feeling slightly full.

He devoured the entire furnace of old soup, leaving not a single bone or scrap behind. Every last morsel vanished into Li Qing’s stomach.

A potent surge of life essence coursed through his body, leaving him feeling flushed—a sign of excessive nourishment.

With a satisfied expression, Li Qing refined the essence, converting it into his own power. Despite already possessing jade bone, his fleshly body’s strength surged anew.

After the hearty meal, Li Qing rose and slowly walked out of his cave abode.

The opening of the Heavenlight Secret Realm was drawing near, no more than a month away. Soon, he would accompany the city lord to the realm’s entrance.

Further secluded cultivation now seemed pointless. He decided to stroll through the market, hoping to find something of interest.

He also planned to purchase the Lihuo Profound Jade. As an artifact connected to the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch, even if it were a useless spirit jade, Li Qing wanted to collect it—after all, he had promised the Profound Yellow True Flame.

I wonder if that stall owner is still there after all this time.

After wandering around for quite some time, Li Qing finally spotted the same stall owner from before in a corner of the market.

The Lihuo Profound Jade remained unsold. Upon closer inspection, it was clear why: the jade had completely lost its spirituality. Aside from its ornamental value, no one would bother buying it.

Seeing this, Li Qing approached with a faint smile. ”Fellow Daoist,” he asked, ”what’s the price for this Lihuo Profound Jade that has lost its spirituality?”

The stall owner crossed his arms, not even lifting his eyelids as he replied, ”Thirty thousand merit points!”

Just like before, it was still a flat price of thirty thousand merit points.

But Li Qing was no longer the naive ascended he had been upon first arriving. He now understood the true value of merit points.