Translator: AnubisTL
"Master Li, the quality of this Purple Veined Copper Mother is absolutely top-notch! With careful and repeated spiritual tempering to replenish its spirituality, it could undoubtedly become a prime material for refining a top-grade magical artifact!"
"What do you say? Why don't you take another close look?"
On the first floor of the Hundred Refinements Pavilion, a cultivator in the early stages of foundation establishment held a deep purple copper ingot in both hands, earnestly pleading with Li Qing.
Li Qing didn't even glance up. He calmly held a volume of Secret Manuals of Artifact Refinement, absorbed in its unique knowledge of artifact refinement.
"Fellow Daoist Qiu, I've already made myself clear. The spirituality of your material has deteriorated far too severely. I can't imagine where you dug it up from."
Ever since the Hundred Refinements Pavilion opened, Qiu Zhen had been a frequent visitor, his sole purpose being to persuade Li Qing to refine this Purple Veined Copper Mother into a top-grade magical artifact.
Normally, Purple Veined Copper Mother would be considered a precious material, perfectly suitable—even more than sufficient—as the primary component for refining a top-grade magical artifact.
From the moment Li Qing first examined the Purple Veined Copper Mother, he had already condemned this piece of spiritual material to death.
The truth was, the Purple Veined Copper Mother had lost far too much of its spirituality, even falling short of some inferior spiritual materials.
No matter how exquisite Li Qing's artifact refinement techniques were, he couldn't turn trash into treasure—refining a nearly worthless material into a top-grade magical artifact.
"To be honest, I unearthed this Purple Veined Copper Mother from a grand tomb," Qiu Zhen confessed. "Most of the burial items had returned to dust, leaving only this piece intact."
"Never mind, never mind. Since you can't refine it, I'll seek another expert!"
With that, Qiu Zhen pocketed the Purple Veined Copper Mother and turned to leave.
Yet his steps lacked conviction, halting every few paces. By the time he reached the doorway, he turned back with a forced laugh.
"Master Li, aren't you even a little curious about the grand tomb I discovered?"
"How about this? You do your best to refine this Purple Veined Copper Mother—any grade of magic artifact will do, as long as it's usable. A mid-grade magic tool would be fine too."
"In exchange, I'll share the tomb's location with you. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Li Qing remained unmoved. He yawned and said, "Fellow Daoist Qiu, I have no interest in other people's tombs. You should ask the other artifact refiners in the market."
With that, Li Qing turned another page of the Secret Manuals of Artifact Refinement in his hand, continuing to read with great interest.
"Master Li, you'll regret this! Based on my experience, that grand tomb likely belongs to a Royal Marquis from the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty—at the very least, a core formation realm cultivator. Only someone of that stature would warrant such a magnificent burial. Don't you want to explore the tomb mansion with me? We might find some heaven-defying opportunities!" Qiu Zhen persisted, trying to persuade Li Qing.
However, Li Qing remained calm and composed, showing no interest whatsoever in the so-called Royal Marquis's tomb. He found studying the Secret Manuals of Artifact Refinement far more worthwhile.
These secret manuals detailed unique artifact refinement techniques from the Great Wilderness Domain, offering Li Qing valuable insights. Though all followed the immortal dao system, significant differences existed between great domains, making exploration worthwhile.
Seeing Li Qing's indifference, Qiu Zhen sighed helplessly and left the Hundred Refinements Pavilion.
Li Qing wasn't bothered by the lost business. On the contrary, he took it in stride, his composure remarkably steady.
It was clear that Qiu Zhen had no genuine interest in artifact refinement. The tomb raider merely wanted Li Qing to accompany him into the tomb mansion as a companion.
"Because of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, the Great Wilderness Domain has far more Feng Shui Masters than the Azure Ridge Domain," Li Qing mused.
"Dragon-Seeking Geomancy, in particular, is so prevalent it's almost absurd—nearly on par with the four arts of alchemy, artifact refinement, formation, and talisman crafting."
"Unfortunately, with the dynasty's decline, these Feng Shui Masters who once served the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty have lost their primary source of income and been forced to become tomb raiders."
As he spoke, Li Qing couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle softly.
In the Great Wilderness Domain, being a Feng Shui Master truly is half an Iron Rice Bowl, he thought.
During the dynasty's peak, they sought auspicious burial sites for Royal Marquises, identifying terrain with favorable Feng Shui.
Now that the Immortal Dynasty had fallen, they could still transition into tomb raiders, plundering the graves of their predecessors.
"Specialization has its advantages!" Li Qing sighed, already envisioning a future where tomb raiding would flourish after the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's complete collapse.
The tombs of past Royal Marquises and even the emperors of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty were now at risk of being plundered.
Imagine the treasures buried with a cultivator in the nascent soul realm, especially one who had once ruled a flourishing Immortal Dynasty!
Even True Lords in the core formation realm would find it hard to resist the temptation.
In the past, the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's formidable power had deterred tomb raiders. But now, with the dynasty struggling to survive, no one cared whether the deceased had been a mighty ruler.
In short, the dead were dead. The only logic that mattered was whether a shovel could unearth treasures.
"Tomb excavation always carries immense risks, not just from other cultivators but from the tombs themselves."
"If we trigger any traps or countermeasures left by the tomb's master, even multiple lives wouldn't be enough to pay the price!"
"We must never touch this! Our lives are too precious!"
At that moment, Li Qing practically had the words "prudence above all" etched onto his forehead, his caution reaching its peak.
As the sun dipped below the western horizon, marking the end of another fleeting day, Li Qing finally put away the Secret Manuals of Artifact Refinement and stretched languidly.
His first day of business had yielded no actual transactions.
In the ten-odd days since opening, the Hundred Refinements Pavilion had seen virtually no customers. Only Qiu Zhen had been a frequent visitor, dropping by every two or three days to pester Li Qing.
Li Qing remained unconcerned. After all, he hadn't yet established a reputation in Nanyang Market. It was only natural that no one would seek his services so soon after his arrival.
Silently activating the pavilion's various restrictions, Li Qing prepared to close the doors and return to his cave abode for quiet cultivation.
But in that instant, a figure clad in black robes slowly approached. The newcomer was lean, his sharply defined features radiating a solemn air. Yet his youthful appearance suggested he couldn't be much older.
The boyishness in his features had already faded, leaving behind a presence akin to that of a silent, solitary wolf.
"Are you an artifact refiner?"
Li Qing, who was about to close the door, frowned slightly before nodding. "Yes. Do you require artifact refinement?"
The wolf-like youth nodded. "I want to refine a blade—a treasure blade capable of killing."
At these words, Li Qing paused his closing motions, thinking, Finally, a proper commission.
"Specify the magic artifact grade, whether you'll provide the materials yourself, and any other requirements you have."
"A high-grade magical artifact will do, but it must be well-crafted and easy to use. For the spiritual materials, let's use these!"
With that, the young man retrieved two jet-black, scythe-shaped objects from his storage pouch.
They were two halves of a Mantis Blade!
"Black-Legged Mantis!"
Li Qing, well-versed in various ancient texts, immediately recognized the origin of the Mantis Blade.
The Black-Legged Mantis was a rare creature of heaven and earth, possessing an exceptionally potent bloodline—a Heterogeneous Bloodline—similar to Shen Ningbing's Frost Jade Ice Butterfly.
Upon reaching adulthood, these insects could easily advance to the second-tier, boasting formidable strength.
Judging by the lingering malevolent energy emanating from the Mantis Blade, the Black-Legged Mantis had likely died recently, its malevolent energy still thick and distinct.
Yet the young man before him was only at the eighth layer of the qi refining realm. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for him to have hunted a second-tier Black-Legged Mantis alone!
Unless... unless he had a guardian watching over him!
Taking the Mantis Blade from the young man, Li Qing nodded. "With this blade, refining a high-grade magical artifact is definitely feasible. If you have any other spiritual materials or auxiliary ingredients, we could even attempt refining a top-grade magical artifact!"
"No need," the youth said in a low voice. "A high-grade magical artifact will suffice."
Since the customer had spoken, Li Qing had no objections. "A high-grade magical artifact costs five hundred spirit stones," he said. "Please pay a two hundred spirit stone deposit now, and you can collect the blade in seven days."
Thump!
Before Li Qing could finish speaking, the youth tossed a heavy pouch of spirit stones onto the table. Judging by its weight and the dense spiritual energy radiating from it, it contained at least three or four hundred spirit stones.
Li Qing instinctively scanned the pouch with his divine sense, his eyebrows rising in surprise. Inside were two mid-grade spirit stones, bringing the total to precisely five hundred and thirteen spirit stones!
Quite wealthy, aren't we?
"There are five hundred and thirteen spirit stones here," the youth said. "Now, I have a question for you. Consider it payment for answering."
"Since you took over this shop, have you ever seen the previous owner?"
The previous owner? Pill Master Yan?!
Li Qing's mind raced, thoughts colliding like a storm.
"No, I haven't," he replied. "I only recently moved here. I happened to see disciples from the Ghost Sword Sect dismantling the shop, so I took the opportunity to buy it."
"As far as I know, this shop used to sell medicinal pills. The owner's surname was Yan, and he seemed to have offended an elder of the Ghost Sword Sect, forcing him to flee in haste. I don't know much beyond that."
The young man fell silent for a moment before speaking. "I see. I understand. I'll return in seven days to collect the blade."
With that, he turned and left without a backward glance.
Li Qing watched his retreating figure, his eyes narrowing slightly as the chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually settled.
The man exuded a formidable aura, clearly someone whose hands had seen their share of blood.
He had casually handed over five hundred mid-grade spirit stones without a hint of concern that Li Qing might abscond with the money, displaying remarkable confidence.
A disciple of the Ghost Sword Sect!
And he was asking about Pill Master Yan, showing deep concern.
A name quickly surfaced in Li Qing's mind.
Gu Feng!
"This must be Gu Feng, the adopted grandson Old Man Mo mentioned. The materials for these Black-Legged Mantis Blades were likely obtained by the Ghost Sword Sect elder backing him."
"So he really did find a powerful backer."
(End of the Chapter)
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