Translator: AnubisTL
In Li Qing's secluded courtyard, a burst of earthy yellow and fiery red spiritual light erupted.
Instantly, the dense heaven and earth spiritual energy surrounding him surged into a frenzied agitation.
Vast quantities of spiritual energy flowed like a torrent toward the Peerless Hammer, causing every intricate pattern etched upon its surface to glow brilliantly.
After a long while, the dazzling light subsided, and a message appeared before Li Qing's eyes, filling him with excitement:
[Successfully refined a Low-Grade Magic Artifact: Peerless Hammer! Reward: Nine years of Lifespan!]
After such a prolonged effort, the weapon Li Qing wielded with greatest ease had finally been elevated to the rank of a Magic Artifact.
And not just any Magic Artifact, but a Low-Grade one—a truly joyous occasion!
Li Qing carefully stroked the hammer's handle, the familiar texture of the wood comforting his palm.
"Finally!" he murmured. "Heaven rewards the diligent!"
Two hundred and twenty-nine years!
Li Qing's lifespan had once again surged dramatically. The successful refinement of the Peerless Hammer had granted him an additional nine years of life.
Li Qing surmised that crafting a Low-Grade Magic Artifact would extend his lifespan by around ten years, since he had already gained one year upon successfully forging the Peerless Hammer initially.
No time for such thoughts, Li Qing told himself, gripping the hammer's handle tightly with both hands.
He channeled a sliver of spiritual energy into it. The spirit patterns on the Peerless Hammer glowed faintly, and the entire weapon seemed to radiate a profound sense of weight. Beyond that, a faint heat permeated its core.
Suppressing the urge to test its power immediately, Li Qing casually swung the hammer through the air a few times. He could already sense its immense strength.
At his current Early Qi Refining Realm, his combat prowess was already remarkably formidable.
Leaving aside the Wandering Dragon Dagger—a pseudo-magical artifact nearing Mid-Grade status—this newly forged Peerless Hammer was undoubtedly a devastating offensive weapon.
The Mid-Grade Magic Tool, the Crimson Shadow Umbrella, on the other hand, offered both potent offensive and defensive capabilities.
In addition, Li Qing carried several talismans and possessed a Grandmaster-level physical constitution, honed through years of Martial Dao training.
Of course, he couldn't overlook Fan Tong, his Blood Contract-bound beast companion. Having devoured countless Beast Nurturing Pills and Beast Taming Pellets, the gluttonous creature had grown remarkably vigorous and powerful.
With all these improvements, Li Qing felt confident he could hold his own even against a cultivator in the Mid Qi Refining Realm!
Reluctantly, he stored the Peerless Hammer back into his storage pouch, instantly feeling a great sense of relief. For days, he had been worried that the hammer might be completely ruined. If the spirituality within the Ink Gold had been lost entirely, he would have had to search for new materials all over again.
Boom!
In an instant, Li Qing heard something within his body shatter and crumble. The dense heaven and earth spiritual energy around him stirred once more, but this time, it converged rapidly toward his body.
Sensing this change, Li Qing was overjoyed rather than alarmed. He immediately sat cross-legged and began quietly circulating his breath to refine the energy.
As the spiritual energy continued to gather, his mana surged relentlessly upward, causing his aura to rapidly intensify.
After a long while, when his aura had finally stabilized, Li Qing opened his eyes, his face beaming with delight.
"Fourth layer of Qi Refining—finally, I've reached the Mid Qi Refining Realm!"
"What a stroke of luck! I never expected the bottleneck that had been holding me back for so long to break today."
Li Qing felt a surge of emotion, tears welling up in his eyes.
While breaking through from the third to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm might seem insignificant to others, Li Qing had struggled tirelessly for this achievement. He had expected to be stuck for at least another month, but today, the breakthrough had come naturally, like a ripe fruit falling from its branch.
The Mid Qi Refining Realm!
"Who would have thought?" Li Qing mused. "When I first forged the Peerless Hammer, I had just become an External Strength Martial Artist."
"Now that I've refined the Peerless Hammer into a Magic Artifact, my cultivation has also reached the Mid Qi Refining Realm. Truly a double blessing!"
Beaming, Li Qing savored the changes within himself, unable to suppress the wide grin spreading across his face.
"Hmm, first off, my mana has become significantly denser and more abundant. Before, I had to conserve every drop when casting even basic spells, but now I can wield them more freely without worry."
With a casual flick of his wrist, Li Qing silently recited an incantation. Instantly, several scorching fireballs materialized out of thin air.
Since he cultivated a fire-attribute cultivation manual, casting fire spells came naturally to him, and their power was amplified considerably.
When casting spells of other attributes, Li Qing felt a slight hesitation, and their power was somewhat diminished.
For example, he could still cast the Wood Entangling Technique or the Earth Spike Technique, but their potency paled in comparison to that of practitioners who cultivated cultivation manuals specifically focused on the wood or earth attributes.
"Moreover, my spiritual sense has greatly improved. Previously, I could barely manage internal observation, but now, while I still can't project it beyond my body, its strength is undeniable. My perception has become far more acute."
Li Qing closed his eyes, and even the slightest rustle of wind through the grass couldn't escape his heightened awareness.
Of course, this wasn't solely due to the strengthening of his spiritual sense. His Grandmaster-level Martial Dao cultivation also played a crucial role. His robust physical body had significantly enhanced all five of his senses.
"Excellent. Now I can finally consider myself a proper cultivator, barely able to secure a foothold in the cultivation world."
Li Qing's tone brimmed with satisfaction. In just under a year since joining the Liu Clan, he had advanced from the second to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm—a qualitative leap forward!
Reflecting on the goals he had set for himself some time ago, Li Qing realized he had already accomplished quite a few.
Short-Term Goals: Accumulate spirit stones and improve his Artifact Refinement Technique!
He had now amassed nearly two thousand spirit stones, barely enough to refine low-grade magic artifacts, which he considered a partial success.
Mid-Term Goals: Break through to the Mid Qi Refining Realm and find time to visit the Heavenly River Market!
He had just achieved the former, while the latter remained his current focus.
It would be reckless to venture alone into the market without any prior knowledge. Over the past few months, Li Qing had been befriending other rogue cultivators, specifically to gather information about the Heavenly River Market.
He knew that beyond spirit farmers and spirit miners, the Liu Clan employed various auxiliary laborers, such as rogue cultivators hired to escort the clan's goods to the Heavenly River Market for sale. These cargo-escorting cultivators had become Li Qing's primary targets for networking.
"Thanks to the ability to travel to the World of Eternal Night, spirit mining remains quite lucrative. Unless something changes, there's no reason to quit anytime soon."
"I need to keep milking this spirit stone mine while I can. Who knows when such an opportunity might come again?"
"The biannual trade fair is also worth attending. With my current strength, I should qualify to compete for medicinal pills there."
"Finally, there's the Liu Clan's Scripture Repository. The inner chambers are off-limits, but we might get a chance to browse the outer sections."
"If possible, I should find an opportunity to borrow some encyclopedic tomes, like The Complete Compendium of Spiritual Materials for Artifact Refinement, The Illustrated Bestiary of Demon Beasts, or The Directory of Spirit Herbs."
As Li Qing pondered these things, a commotion suddenly arose outside the courtyard.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Li Qing, are you there?"
Startled by the knocking, he cautiously stepped out of the courtyard, his face a mask of confusion.
Jin Chuan stood outside, his expression grave, as if something terrible had happened.
Li Qing's heart skipped a beat. Could they have discovered my secret stash of spirit stones?
He quickly dismissed the thought. He had been meticulous in his precautions, leaving no trace. Even the excess rubble and dirt he would haul away and dump into the World of Eternal Night.
Besides, he had been doing this for a year now. If they were going to find out, they would have done so already. There was no need to scare himself.
"What's wrong, Jin Chuan?" Li Qing asked warily.
"Ah, terrible news! Old Zhou is dead!" Jin Chuan sighed heavily.
Li Qing froze, stunned. It took him a long moment to regain his composure.
Old Zhou is dead?!
After digesting Jin Chuan's words, Li Qing belatedly opened his mouth, his expression stunned. "How could this happen?" he exclaimed. "The Liu Clan sent a Late Qi Refining Realm cultivator to deal with the Flying Eagle Bandits. Even if the mission failed, Old Zhou shouldn't have died!"
Looking back, the past six months had been incredibly busy and fulfilling for Li Qing. He'd barely given Old Zhou a second thought. It was only when he was alone at night, sipping Spirit Wine under the moonlight, that he'd occasionally recall the eccentric old senior with a gruff exterior but a surprisingly kind heart. When Li Qing had first joined the Liu Clan as a clueless newbie, Old Zhou had taken him under his wing, teaching him the ropes and helping him navigate the early stages of his cultivation journey.
Now, hearing of Old Zhou's death, Li Qing felt a pang of unease, dimming the joy of his recent breakthrough. He'd been looking forward to showing off his success to Old Zhou upon his return.
Suddenly, Li Qing's heart felt hollow.
Jin Chuan shook his head. "It's true. An unforeseen incident occurred during the campaign. A second Late Qi Refining Realm cultivator emerged among the Flying Eagle Bandits, and their strength was considerable."
"Oh, and before Old Zhou died, he left a final message... for you."
Li Qing froze, then asked, "What was it?"
(End of the Chapter)
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