Translator: AnubisTL
The day after reaching an agreement with Ye Feng, Li Qing arrived at the stall to collect the Artifact Refining Spirit Materials and the agreed-upon spirit stones.
Ye Feng, visibly nervous, remarked, "Fellow Daoist Li, I'm entrusting all these materials to you. I have complete faith in you!"
His words carried a double meaning. First, he worried that Li Qing's artifact refinement skills might be insufficient, leading to the destruction of the materials. Second, he was apprehensive that Li Qing might abscond with them.
However, Li Qing was far too shrewd for such short-sighted behavior. He planned to remain in the Heavenly River Market for an extended period, and ruining his reputation would make it impossible for him to continue earning his living as an artifact refiner.
For an artifact refiner, reputation and word-of-mouth were just as crucial as their skill. Once their reputation was tarnished, even the most skilled refiner would find it difficult to secure commissions.
Moreover, while Ye Feng's materials were valuable, Li Qing didn't particularly covet them.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, rest assured," Li Qing replied confidently. "I, Li Qing, am not one for petty gains."
"Just wait for my good news. I guarantee I'll deliver your Magic Artifact within a month!"
With these words, Li Qing clasped his hands in farewell and returned to his inn.
He had already decided where to refine the artifacts. This time, he would not only forge a Low-Grade Magic Artifact for Ye Feng but also craft some Mid-Grade Magic Artifacts for himself to sell.
A month wasn't a long time in itself. However, staying in Heavenly River Market would cost him three spirit stones per day, making the time investment quite significant.
To save these stones, Li Qing resolved to leave the market, find a secluded mountain forest, and then venture into the World of Eternal Night to refine his artifacts.
Coincidentally, the day to renew his inn token had arrived. Li Qing returned his Identity Token and departed the market immediately.
He didn't travel far. After confirming he wasn't being followed, he changed directions several times until he discovered a natural cave abode in a valley relatively close to the market.
The surroundings were beautiful. In the mornings, thick mist swirled through the dense forests, punctuated by the chirping of birds—a perfect place for seclusion.
Unfortunately, the spiritual energy here was insufficient to sustain his daily cultivation needs as a Mid Qi Refining Realm cultivator.
However, it was precisely this inaccessibility that made the place so secluded—perfect for his needs.
"If I could set up a Restriction at the cave entrance, that would be even better. Looks like I'll need to learn some techniques in that area," Li Qing murmured to himself, gazing at the roughly two-person-high cave entrance before ducking into the natural cave abode.
Inside the pitch-black cavern, Li Qing pondered for a moment before deciding to carve out a hidden chamber for himself. This was a precaution: if someone happened to witness his return from the World of Eternal Night, it would cause serious trouble.
Wielding his Night Star Pickaxe, he swiftly excavated a small chamber just large enough for one person to squeeze into. He then crawled inside and rolled a massive boulder into place, completely concealing his tall figure.
With these preparations complete, Li Qing closed his eyes and instantly teleported to the World of Eternal Night.
The surrounding environment rippled like water, and the temperature plummeted to bone-chilling levels, as if he had suddenly plunged into a frozen wasteland.
Li Qing opened his eyes again, gazing at the eternally unchanging crimson moon hanging in the sky.
He turned around and effortlessly dug Liu Tianbao's storage pouch out of a nearby pile of earth.
"I was in such a rush last time that I didn't even have time to inventory my spoils," he muttered. "Now's a good time to take a look."
The storage pouches of major clan scions were truly exceptional. This one was remarkably spacious, equivalent to the combined capacity of Li Qing's two existing pouches.
Channeling spiritual energy into it, the contents instantly became clear.
"Only two hundred-odd spirit stones? How poor!" Li Qing's lips twitched as he glanced at the meager pile of spirit stones.
Having been stored in the World of Eternal Night for too long, the spirit stones had lost a significant portion of their spiritual energy. He needed to transport them back to the Azure Ridge Domain as soon as possible; otherwise, they would become worthless once all their spiritual energy dissipated.
"What a huge loss! If only I'd taken the spirit stones out first. I was too rushed and completely forgot," Li Qing said regretfully. His expression softened as his gaze shifted to the other items in the pouch.
Fortunately, besides the spirit stones, there were several other valuable items inside.
There were three Magic Artifacts in total, two of which Li Qing had seen Liu Tianbao use before.
The items were a Profound Willow Shield, a low-grade defensive Magic Artifact, and a large fan made of gray feathers. Surprisingly, the unassuming gray fan turned out to be a mid-grade Magic Tool!
The third Magic Artifact was more ordinary—a low-grade vajra-like tool with dim and indistinct spirit patterns. Even among low-grade artifacts, it was of the lowest quality, its weak power immediately apparent.
Li Qing's gaze swept past the three Magic Artifacts as he continued to search through the remaining items.
"Not bad! A bottle of Qi Transformation Pills and a bottle of Guangling Pills, and their medicinal power is still potent, with minimal loss."
Li Qing smiled with satisfaction as he spotted the two white jade bottles filled with pills. His own supply was running low, making this a timely discovery.
"No wonder there were so few spirit stones. This fellow must have spent them all on pills. It seems he was well-prepared for next year's Ascension Conference."
Needless to say, Li Qing planned to keep these pills for himself.
Besides the spirit stones, Magic Artifacts, and pills, there were various miscellaneous items, including a set of surprisingly large everyday clothes.
Li Qing patiently inspected each item, ensuring nothing of value was overlooked, before discarding them.
"Hmm? A token?"
"It's his Identity Token. I can't take this out of here; it would be disastrous if the Liu Clan sensed it."
Soon, two more books caught Li Qing's attention.
After quickly flipping through them, a look of intense delight spread across his face.
They were the Liu Clan's primary wood attribute cultivation manual, the Emeraldwood Divine Art, and a secret technique he had long coveted!
The Emeraldwood Divine Art was the Liu Clan's Secret Classics, but unfortunately, it only contained the Qi Refining Realm chapters, which Li Qing found less interesting.
However, the secret technique that followed made his eyes light up with desire. It was none other than the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art he had seen in the Liu Family Scripture Pavilion!
Li Qing had once struggled between choosing the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual and the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art, ultimately opting for the former.
To now find this secret technique was an unexpected delight!
"It seems this guy's elder must have held a high position in the Liu Clan. Otherwise, they could have directly stored this secret technique in his mind via a jade slip at the Scripture Repository, instead of recording it in a book for later study!"
"What a stroke of luck for me!"
Li Qing's voice brimmed with delight. Although the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art was incomplete, only enhancing the mana density of cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm, it was more than enough for his current needs.
The Foundation Establishment Realm still seemed a distant dream, and Li Qing couldn't afford to dwell on such long-term goals.
He resumed rummaging through the storage pouch.
Soon, a handwritten manual caught his eye.
"Whoa! A fragmented Pill Dao inheritance? This guy must have some serious backing!"
The more Li Qing flipped through the pages, the more astonished he became. He realized he had truly caught a big fish.
After a cursory review, however, Li Qing felt a slight disappointment. The Pill Dao inheritance was severely incomplete, its value greatly diminished.
Focused solely on artifact refinement, he couldn't spare the energy to study pill refinement. To him, this inheritance was like a tasteless chicken bone—unappealing to eat, yet too good to discard.
"I can sell it later for spirit stones. No need to waste time studying this now."
Li Qing quickly made up his mind. Though blessed with a long lifespan, mastering the profound Artifact Refinement Technique alone would require all his dedication. There was no point in diluting his focus by learning pill refinement as well.
Mastering the art of artifact refinement would be enough to sustain Li Qing for the rest of his life.
After thoroughly looting the place, he found little else that caught his eye. He had initially hoped to uncover one or two rare artifact refining spirit materials, spirit herbs, or spirit wood, but no such luck.
Still, what he had obtained was more than sufficient. With a coveted secret technique, several Magic Artifacts, and enough pills to last him for some time, his wealth had expanded considerably.
"No wonder so many aspire to become Bandit Cultivators," Li Qing sighed. "Benevolence leaves corpses unburied, while murder brings golden riches!"
Suppressing his overwhelming joy at his gains, Li Qing remained grounded, refusing to let his newfound wealth cloud his judgment.
He had no intention of becoming a Bandit Cultivator himself. If he ever slipped up and crossed paths with a formidable foe, it would be his end.
The cultivation world teemed with extraordinary talents and hidden dangers. Walk often by the river, and your shoes will eventually get wet.
Focusing on his artifact refinement business at the Heavenly River Market was the true path forward.
"Alright, time to tidy up and start refining!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qing gathered all his spirit stones and medicinal pills into a storage pouch and returned it to a hidden chamber within his cave abode, hoping to prevent their medicinal and spiritual energy from dissipating during his prolonged stay in the World of Eternal Night.
He planned to remain in this realm for three months, using the time to refine the Magic Artifact Ye Feng had requested, as well as the Low-Grade Magic Tools he intended to sell. If his spiritual energy ran low during this process, he would retreat to his cave abode to replenish it.
"I should aim to complete all the artifact refining within a month," he mused. "That will leave me time to explore other regions of the World of Eternal Night."
"Also, I need to check on the progress of the Green Gang matters I entrusted to them earlier. A trip to Giant Rock City is necessary."
With these thoughts in mind, Li Qing began his preparations.
After a while, he first retrieved the Artifact Refining Spirit Materials needed to craft the Low-Grade Magic Tool for Ye Feng.
Among them was the Water-Condensing Sand, a substance he was very familiar with. He possessed six pounds of it, which he had been saving to refine the Water Entangling Net.
Next were the Profound Yin Serpent Skin and the Bloodthirsty Vine. The former was a demon beast material, while the latter was a spirit vine with a sinister aura.
Remarkably, the Profound Yin Serpent Skin was exactly that—a single, unblemished snake skin without a single scale attached.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Li Qing muttered to himself, examining the Profound Yin Serpent Skin. "Judging by its aura, this snake was only at the early first-tier, still in its juvenile stage. A fully grown specimen could easily reach the late first-tier."
"Still, it's more than sufficient for crafting a low-grade magic artifact."
He gathered the serpent skin and then retrieved the Bloodthirsty Vine from his storage pouch.
The vine, roughly the thickness of two fingers, possessed a dark crimson hue and radiated an ominous aura. Its surface bristled with rows of backward-facing thorns, threatening to tear flesh upon contact—a clear indication of its danger.
"Rumor has it that when Bloodthirsty Vines grow densely, even a careless cultivator in the late Qi Refining Realm could meet their demise without adequate protection!"
True to its name, the Bloodthirsty Vine slowly drains the blood of any creature it ensnares. As Li Qing considered this, he faintly detected a metallic scent of blood emanating from the vine.
"These thorns could be put to good use," he mused. "For a whip, combining water attribute spirit patterns with wood attribute patterns would be ideal."
As Li Qing pondered, a refining plan gradually took shape in his mind.
(End of the Chapter)
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