Chapter 214 - 207: Artifact Refining Token
That morning, Li Yuan was in his courtyard drawing Talismans.
His efficiency in Talisman Making after reaching Foundation Establishment was on a completely different level than during the Qi Refining Stage. With his Tier One Talisman Making Skill perfected and his precise control over liquefied Spiritual Power, every finished product reached the pinnacle of quality for a Tier One Talisman.
As he finished drawing the twelfth Rejuvenation Talisman, a knock came from the courtyard gate.
Li Yuan set down his brush and walked to the entrance.
When he opened the gate, two people were standing outside.
The one in front was Ji Huaiyuan.
The old man’s complexion was better than the last time they met. The wrinkles on his face hadn’t faded, but his eyes were bright. He stood a little straighter than before, and his breathing was steadier.
Following behind him was a younger cultivator who looked to be in his thirties. He wore a deep blue robe, and his features somewhat resembled Ji Huaiyuan’s, with high cheekbones and a pointed chin.
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
His spiritual pressure was restrained but stable. Unlike the faintness of Ji Huaiyuan’s, which felt as if it were about to burn out, this man’s spiritual pressure was like a newly lit lamp—the flame wasn’t yet strong, but it was steady.
A newly advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Ji Huaiyuan bowed slightly to Li Yuan with his hands clasped.
"Li Dao You, thank you for the Breaking Element Pill."
"My grandnephew has successfully reached Foundation Establishment."
They entered the courtyard. Ji Huaiyuan sat on a stone stool, and Li Yuan sat opposite him.
Ji Huaiyuan placed his hands on his knees and began to recount what had happened.
After he took the Breaking Element Pill back, the Ji family deliberated for three days, finally deciding to let his grandnephew, Ji Mingyuan, attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment.
After taking the Breaking Element Pill, Ji Mingyuan entered the Ji family’s Seclusion Chamber for five days and successfully broke through on the night of the fourth day.
The Ji family finally had a second Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
As long as Ji Mingyuan was around, the Ji family’s status as a Foundation Establishment family was secure. Even if Ji Huaiyuan’s lifespan ran out, the Ji family’s lineage would not be broken.
Li Yuan nodded but didn’t say much.
Ji Huaiyuan took a brocade pouch from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table.
"This is an additional gift from the Ji family, beyond our previous agreement. Some Spirit Stones and a few materials. It’s not much, but it’s the best the Ji family can offer at the moment."
Li Yuan took the brocade pouch and glanced inside. It contained several hundred Spirit Stones and a few well-packaged Spirit Grass materials.
"Thank you."
Ji Huaiyuan waved his hand, as if feeling this small token was far from enough to express his gratitude, but he truly had nothing more to give.
Li Yuan put the brocade pouch away and looked at Ji Huaiyuan.
"Ji Huaiyuan, there’s something I’d like to ask you about."
"Please speak freely, Li Dao You."
"It’s about Artifact Refining." Li Yuan got straight to the point. "Part of our previous agreement was that the Ji family would custom-make two Magical Artifacts for me. I’d like to understand the specific process. What materials are needed, what grade of ores, and what level can the Ji family’s Artifact Refiner achieve?"
Ji Huaiyuan’s expression relaxed slightly; practical questions like these made him more at ease than polite pleasantries.
"The Ji family’s Artifact Refining heritage goes back more than three hundred years." He rested his fingers on the tabletop and laid out the details one by one.
"Currently, I am the only Artifact Refiner in the family who can forge Tier Two Magical Artifacts. My success rate for creating Tier Two Low Grade Magical Artifacts is decent, but I can’t manage anything higher, and the material requirements are extremely strict."
"As for materials, all sorts of ores and the bones or hides of Demon Beasts are best."
"For the two free Artifact Refining sessions, you must provide your own materials; the Ji family provides the labor, not the supplies. If you can’t gather the materials right now, there’s no rush."
He paused and glanced at Li Yuan.
"And you don’t necessarily have to use this offer for yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"These two free Artifact Refining slots can be transferred."
Ji Huaiyuan took two Tokens from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
The Tokens were slightly smaller than a standard Pass Token, made of a dark gray jade. The front was engraved with the character for "Ji" and a simple Spirit Pattern.
"Each Token represents one free Artifact Refining opportunity. The holder of a Token can bring materials to the Ji family, and I will forge one Magical Artifact for them free of charge."
He pushed the two Tokens toward Li Yuan.
"You can use them yourself, or you can trade them."
Li Yuan picked up the two Tokens and examined them. The jade was smooth and warm to the touch, and the Spirit Pattern’s structure was simple but stable. The craftsmanship was not sloppy.
"I’ll accept them."
Ji Huaiyuan nodded and stood up.
"Li Dao You, the gates of the Ji family will always be open to you. If you need any help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask." Ji Huaiyuan clasped his hands in a bow toward Li Yuan.
Li Yuan saw the two men to the courtyard gate. As Ji Huaiyuan’s figure disappeared down the side alley, the old man’s back seemed much straighter than when he had last visited.
Li Yuan closed the gate and stored the two Artifact Refining Tokens in his storage pouch.
He returned to the table and sat for a moment without resuming his Talisman Making.
’I’ll put Artifact Refining aside for now. I haven’t secured the core materials yet, and they aren’t things I can get my hands on easily.’
Li Yuan stood up, organized his storage pouch, and left his home, heading for the south gate of Yunyang Market.
「Ghost Mist Forest.」
The permanent trait of Evil Essence Symbiosis had made collecting and utilizing Evil Qi a fully automatic, passive effect, but the passive gathering range was limited. To absorb a large amount of Evil Qi for Body Tempering cultivation, he still had to go to the place with the highest concentration.
The Ghost Mist Forest was the best choice.
He left the city through the south gate and headed southwest along the main road. Activating Divine Movement Step, his speed was a notch faster than during the Qi Refining Stage. His Spiritual Power was far more abundant after reaching Foundation Establishment, making the Spiritual Power consumption of Divine Movement Step almost negligible.
About four hours later, a wall of grayish-white mist appeared in the distance.
Li Yuan didn’t linger outside the mist wall but walked straight in.
The moment he stepped into the dense fog, the Evil Essence Symbiosis trait automatically activated.
The sensation was completely different from when he was in the Qi Refining Stage.
Back in the Qi Refining Stage, when he entered the Ghost Mist Forest, the passive gathering range for attracting Evil Qi was only a few dozen feet around him.
Now, the range had expanded by nearly three times.
With Li Yuan at the center, the Evil Qi within a radius of over a hundred feet was slowly being drawn toward him. The Evil Qi flowed like countless tiny streams, converging on him from all directions.
The leap in his total Spiritual Power and the carrying capacity of his meridians after reaching Foundation Establishment meant the passive effect of Evil Essence Symbiosis had risen in tandem.
Li Yuan walked deeper into the forest for a while and found the clearing where he had set up the array last time.
Traces of the Gathering Evil Array were still there. The Array Foundation Stones were scattered on the ground, and most of the Conductive Spirit Sand had been washed away by rain and mist. He had already taken the Nascent Soul Stone last time.
He didn’t need to set up the array again.
The passive gathering effect of Evil Essence Symbiosis, combined with the inherently high concentration of Evil Qi deep within the Ghost Mist Forest, meant the Evil Qi around him was already sufficiently dense.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing and began to circulate the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill.
The Iron Wall Body Refining Skill was already perfected. The tempering path of the technique itself had reached its limit, and he could no longer improve its proficiency by circulating the skill.
But Body Tempering was not the same as the Cultivation Technique.
A perfected Cultivation Technique meant that it had taught the body everything it could. But the strengthening of the body itself had no upper limit.
Muscles could become denser, bones harder, fascia more resilient, and internal organs more durable.
After perfecting the Cultivation Technique, Body Tempering became purely a matter of piling on materials. He had to continuously scour his physical body with Evil Qi, medicinal pills, and Spiritual Power, pushing its various metrics higher bit by bit.
Without the guidance of the technique, his efficiency was much lower than before. But the advantage was an extremely abundant supply of Evil Qi.
Evil Essence Symbiosis continuously drew in the surrounding Evil Qi, which seeped into his fascia and bones, slowly but persistently strengthening his muscle fibers and bone density.
At the same time, a portion of the Evil Qi was converted into Spiritual Power, replenishing what he consumed during cultivation.
Li Yuan cultivated in the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest for the better part of the day.
Although the tempering effect of the Evil Qi was slower than when guided by a technique, the absolute amount was not low. The concentration of Evil Qi deep in the Ghost Mist Forest was extremely high, and the gathering effect of Evil Essence Symbiosis concentrated it even further. After most of a day, he could feel a perceptible increase in the density of his muscles and bones.
He stopped his cultivation, rose to his feet, and walked back the way he came.
He passed through the wall of mist, leaving the Ghost Mist Forest behind.
Sunlight shone on his body, the warmth dispelling the gloomy chill he had picked up in the forest.
He traveled along the main road toward Yunyang Market.
Before he even reached the city gates, he saw the changes from a distance.
The foot traffic in the direction of the main street was at least two or three times greater than before. A long line of people snaked from the city gate, stretching for hundreds of yards. The number of guards on both sides of the gate had increased from eight to twelve, and two of them had noticeably higher Cultivation. The heavy spiritual pressure of Early-stage Foundation Establishment weighed on the air at the entrance.
The Loose Cultivators in the line were dressed in various attires, their Cultivation levels uneven, and many were unfamiliar faces who had traveled from other places.
「The Immortal Sect Assembly.」
The Primordial Yang Sect’s disciple recruitment had officially begun.
The main street was several times more bustling than usual. Crowds thronged the entrances of the shops on both sides. The stalls in the Loose Cultivator gathering area had spilled out from behind the stone railings to line the main street, and even the entrances to alleyways were crowded with temporary sheds.
Discussions about the Immortal Sect Assembly were everywhere.
"...The assessment starts tomorrow. Have you signed up yet?"
"I did, I did, but I heard the competition is fierce. Several hundred people just in the Late-stage Qi Refining alone have shown up."
"Several hundred? Then how many will they accept?"
"I don’t know. Apparently, they only take twenty or thirty people in past years."
Li Yuan passed through the crowd without stopping.
’The Immortal Sect Assembly has nothing to do with me.’ He was already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and held the status of a Protector in the Primordial Yang Sect; he didn’t need to pass an assessment to join the Sect.
He returned to his courtyard and closed the door.
He took out the few Evil Stones and ores he had brought back from the Ghost Mist Forest from his storage pouch, put them away, and sat on his bed to continue his cultivation.