Translator: AnubisTL
As the trade fair concluded, participants gradually departed, each leaving approximately three minutes apart under the watchful eye of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This was to ensure secrecy, providing ample time for them to exit the clandestine Heavenly River Market.
Of course, some, unconcerned about exposing their identities, lingered leisurely in the outer trading area long after leaving the main venue.
Li Qing, however, left the cavern brimming with anticipation. He hoped to acquire a spirit wood seed at the next trade fair.
With a seed in hand, he could begin cultivating spirit wood and perfect his Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual. Achieving mastery of the manual would elevate his physical prowess to new heights, making him a terrifying trump card among Qi Refining cultivators!
Li Qing and Ye Feng exited the hidden trading area in quick succession. Li Qing's expression remained pensive, as if deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Ye Feng strutted smugly, boasting, "Well? What did you think of the trade fair?"
"Hmm, the only question is, why would a Foundation Establishment Realm senior host this trade fair? He didn't say a word throughout the entire event, only managing the proceedings. What benefit could he possibly derive from it?" Li Qing couldn't help but ask, firmly believing that no one would undertake such a task without some underlying motive.
Yet, throughout the trade fair, the senior remained silent. Beyond routinely managing the proceedings, he uttered no unnecessary words.
"I'm not sure," Ye Feng replied. "I only joined this circle recently, about half a year ago."
"But the participants are quite diverse. From what I've observed, there might be disciples from the Heavenly River Sect, as well as scions from established cultivation clans. For rogue cultivators like us, without any backing, joining requires at least one reliable cultivation technique to our name."
Hearing Ye Feng's explanation, Li Qing decided not to press the matter further.
For now, being able to participate in this relatively high-level trade fair was undoubtedly a tremendous advantage for him.
Li Qing had noticed people at the trade fair seeking the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill, suggesting that obtaining this crucial pill might indeed be possible there.
Returning to the bustling area of Heavenly River Market, Li Qing bid farewell to Ye Feng and retreated to his rented inn.
The following days brought a welcome calm. Immersed in the market's abundant heaven and earth spiritual energy, Li Qing devoted himself tirelessly to cultivation, unwilling to waste a single moment.
During the day, he set up a stall to sell Inferior-Grade Magic Tools, and at night, he returned to the inn to refine his Qi. His days were simple but fulfilling.
In his spare time, he secretly took out the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art he had recently acquired and studied it intently.
Although the manual was incomplete, containing only the Qi Refining Realm portion, it was perfectly suited to Li Qing's current needs.
"This technique differs significantly from the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual," he mused. "While spirit herbs can accelerate cultivation, they aren't strictly necessary for this technique."
Unlike the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual, which could cause serious harm through brute-force practice without the proper herbs—potentially depleting one's vital energy and making it impossible to sustain the technique—the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art offered a safer and more forgiving approach.
Even without the spirit herbs detailed in the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art, Li Qing could still refine his mana through diligent cultivation. The difference between using spirit herbs and relying solely on time lay only in the speed of progress.
After four or five days of dedicated study, Li Qing finally grasped the essence of the secret art. He closed his eyes and began cultivating.
The Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art comprised four stages: Entry, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfection. Reaching the Perfection stage would grant him nearly double the mana of an ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivator of the same level. Such abundant mana would provide an overwhelming advantage in combat against other cultivators.
Time slipped away, and Li Qing's days settled into a peaceful routine. In addition to his usual Qi Refining meditation, he now devoted some time to practicing the Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art. Without spirit herbs to aid his progress, the technique progressed at a snail's pace. After more than ten days, he had yet to even reach the Entry stage.
This was partly due to Li Qing's cultivation strategy. He focused most of his efforts on mastering the Fire Origin Art, prioritizing advancing his cultivation realm before considering other techniques.
Ultimately, realm advancement was the foundation of a cultivator's strength. Without a solid foundation, all other pursuits would be futile.
During this time, Li Qing continuously consumed mana-enhancing pills. Having been stuck at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm for so long, his cultivation finally began to advance, albeit slowly.
Although the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm still seemed distant, it no longer felt as unattainable as chasing a mirage in the desert.
With renewed hope, Li Qing naturally devoted himself even more diligently to cultivation, focusing almost entirely on Qi Refining.
Of course, Li Qing didn't neglect his Magic Artifact business. Benefiting from the recent turmoil in the cultivation world, Magic Artifacts were selling exceptionally well.
In just over ten days, he sold three more finely crafted Inferior-Grade Magic Tools, further solidifying his reputation as a skilled artifact refiner.
Finally, another customer approached Li Qing with an artifact refinement commission—but this time, it wasn't for a Low-Grade Magic Tool. The customer needed help repairing a Mid-Grade Magic Tool!
"I need you to repair a Black Wind Banner, a Mid-Grade Magic Tool," said a burly, dark-skinned man, standing before Li Qing's stall. "The flagpole is fractured, and some of the spirit patterns on the banner's surface are damaged."
"Repair a Mid-Grade Magic Tool?" Li Qing frowned slightly. To be honest, he had never attempted to repair another person's Magic Artifacts before.
Generally speaking, someone capable of crafting Low-Grade Magic Artifacts should also be able to repair Mid-Grade Magic Tools.
Of course, the most crucial aspect was the spirit patterns. If the newly inscribed patterns didn't integrate seamlessly with the original ones, the repair would be considered incomplete.
"Hmm, we can discuss the compensation," the burly, dark-skinned man said. "I don't have spirit stones, but I can trade Guangling Pills or other cultivation-enhancing elixirs that refine mana."
Li Qing pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I can give it a try. I can't guarantee success, but I can assure you that the repair process won't cause any further damage."
Seeing Li Qing's agreement, the burly man said nothing more and immediately produced the Mid-Grade Magic Tool.
The flagpole was snapped in two, but the break was remarkably clean and smooth, as if severed by a sharp blade.
The material used to craft the flagpole also surprised Li Qing. It resembled ordinary refined iron.
"Something's not right. This isn't ordinary refined iron!" Years of blacksmithing experience allowed Li Qing to immediately sense the flagpole's unusual composition with a mere touch.
The burly man nodded in satisfaction, impressed that Li Qing had so quickly recognized the unique material of the bannerpole. At least this artifact refiner has genuine skill, he thought, not just some charlatan.
"You're right," the man said. "While the primary material of my Black Wind Banner's pole is refined iron, it's alloyed with Inkleaf Stone!"
Inkleaf Stone!
Li Qing was inwardly startled. This was no ordinary substance; it was more accurately classified as an auxiliary material for artifact refinement than a primary spiritual resource.
Inkleaf Stone possessed abundant spirituality and exhibited excellent compatibility with most spiritual materials.
Even when mixed with refined iron intended for mortal-realm forging, Inkleaf Stone directly imbued the metal with traces of spirituality and significantly increased its hardness.
When ground into powder, Inkleaf Stone became one of an artifact refiner's most prized treasures. Adding it to nearly any Magic Artifact's refinement process greatly enhanced its durability.
Flying swords wielded by sword cultivators were particularly fond of this precious material.
"Fellow Daoist, if you're going to repair this, you'll definitely need Inkleaf Stone," Li Qing reminded him.
The burly man nodded. "Rest assured," he said, "I can supply you with Inkleaf Stone powder."
Hearing this, Li Qing felt he had no choice but to accept. Regardless of any other compensation, the Inkleaf Stone powder alone made this deal too good to pass up.
"Alright!"
He agreed without hesitation. The man then discussed the finer details of the repair with Li Qing.
Ultimately, they settled on a reward of three Guangling Pills and a twenty-day timeframe for repairing the Mid-Grade Magic Tool.
Taking possession of the tattered Black Wind Banner, Li Qing began examining it meticulously.
The broken flagpole required little attention. Simple smelting, casting, and forging posed no challenge for him; he could easily craft a complete replacement.
Of course, merely fixing the flagpole wouldn't have troubled the burly, dark-skinned man who had just been here.
The most crucial aspect of the Black Wind Banner was undoubtedly the spirit patterns etched onto its surface.
"It looks like it's suffered significant damage," Li Qing murmured, examining the tattered patterns. "But thankfully, the core spirit patterns remain intact. Repairing them shouldn't be too difficult."
He carefully studied the fragmented patterns, mentally cataloging every spirit pattern he knew. "First, there are the spiritual energy conduits. Many of these are missing, especially near the joint between the banner and the pole."
His fingertips traced the black fabric, effortlessly identifying most of the spirit pattern types.
Naturally, he couldn't comprehend the Black Wind Banner's innermost core patterns. The cultivator who forged it had layered secrecy Restrictions upon them. Forcibly probing them risked obliterating these crucial patterns.
Fortunately, the core patterns were completely preserved, leaving Li Qing with a path forward. Had they been damaged, he would have been truly helpless.
"Not too difficult," he mused before immersing himself in repairing the Magic Artifact.
(End of the Chapter)
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