Translator: AnubisTL
The Liu Clan's Clan Festival proceeded smoothly, without any interference. After witnessing the ancestral rite, all the visiting cultivators remained on Lake Heart Island to enjoy the various spirit foods provided by the Liu Clan.
Rumors occasionally trickled in from the rogue cultivator section, claiming that for the past three days, Spirit Wine, Spirit Rice, and Spirit Fish had been served freely on Lake Heart Island. They even said one could sample precious Demon beast meat.
Combined with the dense spiritual energy emanating from the core of the Second-Tier Spiritual Vein, Lake Heart Island temporarily resembled a paradise on earth.
During the Clan Festival, several disciples from the Heavenly River Sect publicly announced the reward bestowed upon the Liu Clan by their Core Formation Realm Ancestor with a Thunder Attribute Spiritual Root.
The reward consisted of a top-grade offensive magical artifact, several Spirit Condensation Pills, and a thousand low-grade spirit stones!
Rumor had it that the Core Formation Realm True Lord who cultivated Thunder-based techniques was highly satisfied with the Thunder Spirit Crystal they had received and planned to use it to forge their Natal Magic Treasure.
Natal Magic Treasure!
For Core Formation cultivators, this was the most crucial possession. If they could obtain sufficiently powerful heavenly treasures to craft it, it would significantly boost their strength!
Upon hearing this news, Li Qing remained utterly unmoved, still immersed in his study of the Artifact Refinement Technique.
Thus, with the lively Liu Family Ancestral Rite concluded, several months swiftly passed.
During this time, Li Qing had descended into the spirit mine four more times. Combined with the spirit stones remaining from the trade fair, he had accumulated nearly two thousand spirit stones!
To be precise, he possessed one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine low-grade spirit stones and one mid-grade spirit stone!
Having been with the Liu Clan for almost a year, Li Qing, still in the early stages of artifact refinement, had amassed such a staggering fortune—truly astonishing!
With an annual income of two thousand spirit stones, this terrifying wealth allowed Li Qing to rival even some Qi Refining cultivators in the Mid Qi Refining Realm with considerable skills.
"Here in the Liu Clan, fresh from the spirit mine, earning two thousand spirit stones a year..."
His pockets now considerably thicker, Li Qing couldn't have been more pleased. Even the frustration of his Artifact Refinement Technique stagnating for months had eased somewhat.
"This is the last piece of Ink Gold. If this one loses all its spirituality, the Peerless Hammer will be useless for quite some time."
Returning to his courtyard, Li Qing retrieved the final piece of Ink Gold from his belongings.
Indeed, over the past few months, repeated failures in inscribing runes had completely drained the Ink Gold within the Peerless Hammer of its spirituality.
Later, Li Qing melted another piece of Ink Gold into the Peerless Hammer, but he still failed to seize the opportunity. The spirituality was completely lost, and the metal became useless scrap.
Now, Li Qing had only one piece of Ink Gold left. If he wasted this one too, the Peerless Hammer would truly face early retirement.
Gazing at the Ink Gold in his hand, Li Qing hesitated for a moment, gently caressing it with his fingers before resolutely tossing it into the furnace.
Boom!
As the Ink Gold burned, Li Qing casually prepared himself a lavish spirit food feast.
It consisted of grilled spirit fish and a large pot of spirit rice. This rich combination was a monthly ritual after his return from the mines.
For a rogue cultivator, this was an extravagant indulgence. Qi Refining Realm cultivators typically ate only three or four ounces of spirit rice per day.
But Li Qing had a hearty appetite. To maintain his robust Grandmaster physique, he consumed a full pound of spirit rice every day!
Occasionally, once or twice a month, he would treat himself to the exquisite flavor of spirit fish, a delicacy he never tired of, no matter how often he ate it.
Of course, to avoid drawing attention, Li Qing had expanded his sources for purchasing spirit rice. He now bought from a spirit farmer surnamed Jiang and the Liu Clan's own spirit rice sales.
During this time, Li Qing wasn't just holed up in his courtyard refining artifacts. He actively sought out other cultivators, cultivating relationships with them. He even knew cultivators from both the Jia and Yi districts, including rogue cultivators.
"Gulp, gulp~"
Li Qing poured himself a cup of Jade Spirit Brew. This was the Spirit Wine he had bought at the last trade fair, and the bottle was now nearly empty.
The other jar of Clear Mind Brew was also more than half gone.
Clear Mind Brew was even more precious. During this period, he had taken a small cup each time he studied the Five Elements Basic Spirit Runes in the Artifact Refinement Technique inheritance. This helped him maintain absolute focus, slightly enhancing his comprehension.
"The second trade fair is coming soon. I'll need to buy several more jars of Spirit Wine this time."
After speaking, Li Qing drained his cup of Jade Spirit Brew. As the Spirit Wine's effects began to take hold, he wasted no time. He sat cross-legged, preparing to cultivate Qi and continue his assault on the Mid Qi Refining Realm bottleneck that had stalled him for nearly half a year.
The Ink Gold in the furnace still needed considerable time to fully refine.
Li Qing had gained ample experience in handling Ink Gold.
"I heard that disciples of the Heavenly River Sect use Earthfire Veins to ignite their furnaces for Pill Refinement and artifact refinement. This Earthfire is far more potent than mortal flames, comparable to the Dao Fire of the Foundation Establishment Realm!"
"Joining a major Immortal Path sect has its perks, that's for sure."
Li Qing sighed, then plunged back into cultivation.
The large bowl of spirit rice and two spirit fish he had just consumed flooded his body with abundant spiritual energy.
This pure spiritual energy settled within him, and aided by the effects of the Jade Spirit Brew, Li Qing's efficiency in absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy had increased significantly.
Working in tandem, Li Qing focused intently on circulating the Fire Origin Art, striving to absorb and refine the spiritual energy as quickly as possible, afraid of wasting even a single breath.
Such lavish consumption of spirit food naturally yielded substantial benefits. At the Early Qi Refining Realm, he had already reached the peak, and the bottleneck that had been holding him back had been worn down to a mere sliver!
After a long while, the effects of the Jade Spirit Brew gradually faded, and the spirit rice and spirit fish he had consumed just now were fully transformed into mana within Li Qing's dantian.
Only the final push remained!
Li Qing opened his eyes, awakening from his deep cultivation.
"Hah!"
"Spending so many spirit stones on food over the past half year has proven to be quite worthwhile," Li Qing said with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, clearly satisfied with his current cultivation progress.
Before the last trade fair, he had already broken through to the Third Layer of Qi Refining. He believed that reaching the Mid Qi Refining Realm before the next trade fair wouldn't be too difficult.
"Even with poor aptitude, as long as I keep pouring in spirit stones, with a constant supply of spirit rice, spirit fish, and spirit brew, my cultivation progress is still remarkably swift!"
If other rogue cultivators knew that Li Qing was eating such lavish meals every day in the Early Qi Refining Realm, they would surely cry out in disbelief at the waste.
Generally, cultivators in the Early Qi Refining Realm, cultivating on a Second-Tier Spiritual Vein, could naturally break through to the Mid Qi Refining Realm by simply grinding away for a few years.
Few rogue cultivators would spend so many spirit stones on food just to save a year or two of cultivation time.
After all, spirit stones were incredibly precious. It would be better to save them until the Mid Qi Refining Realm and then use them strategically.
Of course, Li Qing didn't have such concerns. He was currently quite wealthy in spirit stones. If he could, he wouldn't mind popping pills for mana cultivation even in the Early Qi Refining Realm.
Unfortunately, he still hadn't found a reliable source to purchase pills.
After finishing this cultivation session, Li Qing felt the surge of spiritual energy within him. Having been in the Liu Clan for nearly a year, his physical body had been thoroughly nourished by spiritual energy. His spirit was vibrant, and his eyes shone with vitality.
"I can't skip the spiritual rice and fish during this period. Though the Jade Spirit Brew is finished, I can increase my daily intake of spiritual rice by another pound. I'll strive to break through to the Mid Qi Refining Realm as quickly as possible!"
With those words, Li Qing turned his gaze to the furnace, where the Ink Gold had been roasting for quite some time.
Let's get to work!
This time, he was brimming with confidence, feeling the moment was ripe. He was certain he wouldn't fail this time in refining the Peerless Hammer into a Magic Artifact!
(End of the Chapter)
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