My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

"There’s someone dangerous in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. You can’t go wrong by trusting me," said Zhao Zuo.

Having struggled in the Outer Sect for so many years, Liu Heng was naturally skilled at reading people. Seeing the faint displeasure in Zhao Zuo’s eyes, he immediately remembered his place.

"As you command."

"Remember to sell them at several different shops. And be careful," said Zhao Zuo.

This time, he sold everything he had accumulated over the past month: a total of 1,070 magical artifacts, equivalent to 17,000 Spirit Stones. In addition to the advancement materials for the Black Flame Saber, Zhao Zuo also purchased materials to advance the Communication Jade and the Source Water Bead, along with some for the Breath-Concealing Ring.

In truth, achieving such a high volume was mainly thanks to Liu Heng’s help. Zhao Zuo also spent his spare time polishing and fine-tuning the artifacts. This, combined with his one hundred percent success rate in inscribing Spirit Patterns, was what made such a miracle possible.

After Liu Heng left, Zhao Zuo took out a Tracking Insect. He had already made it memorize Liu Heng’s aura. If Liu Heng truly had some trick to break the Master-Servant Contract and tried to flee with the magical artifacts, Zhao Zuo had a way to deal with him.

Even though they were getting along pleasantly now, Zhao Zuo still didn’t trust Liu Heng completely.

After recovering some Mana in the Earth Fire Chamber, he stoked the flames to their most intense level. Before long, the room’s temperature neared fifty degrees, and orange motes of light danced in the air like sparks.

Zhao Zuo sat cross-legged beside the Earth Fire Furnace, completely unaffected by the high temperature. With each breath, golden motes of light began to merge into his body. In his Dantian, the Huayang Bead started releasing energy, drawing in and manipulating the orange motes.

A deep inhale... A slow exhale...

Inside his body, two streams of heat began to flow into his limbs and torso, ultimately promoting the advancement of his Spiritual Root. Some time ago, Zhao Zuo had upgraded the Huayang Bead again, bringing it to the absolute limit of an Upper Grade Spiritual Object, which further strengthened its effect on his Spiritual Root.

Zhao Zuo estimated that within two months, he would be able to reach the bottleneck of the late Qi Cultivation Period.

He would be able to break through before September.

After about half an hour of absorbing the orange motes, the energy in the Huayang Bead within his Dantian was depleted, and it entered a recovery state. Zhao Zuo stood up and waved his hand, using a Cleaning Talisman to remove the grime from his body.

After leaving the Earth Fire Chamber, he headed to the central platform of the Outer Sect to wait. This was the spot where he and Liu Heng had arranged to meet. The distance between the Moyun Sect and the Market wasn’t great; a fast walker could make the round trip in an hour. Adding the time it took to sell and buy, he figured he wouldn’t have to wait too long.

Zhao Zuo found a rock and squatted down to observe it.

He easily achieved the state of meditation described in the *Sutra of Calming the Mind*. Zhao Zuo guessed his rapid progress was likely related to his cultivation of the *Soul-Forging Technique*. However, when it came to the state of Constant Calm, he felt he had hit a bottleneck.

Constant Calm meant maintaining a state of serenity in daily life. It could be described as a kind of transcendent detachment, an emotional stability so profound that one would not lose their tranquility due to external influences.

This was the realm one had to reach to use the Melt Casting Technique. Only in this state could one slow down their Mana—and crucially, it had to be slowed at a uniform rate, without any fluctuations or changes.

When he reached a point where even extreme joy or sorrow could not sway his mind, he would have truly accomplished something and fully entered the state of Constant Calm.

The cultivation method for Constant Calm was divided into two paths: inward and outward. The inward path was to observe oneself: to find, pursue, and hold fast to one’s true nature. This meant discovering one’s deepest desires while maintaining rationality in their presence.

The inward path was a battle against one’s own heart—against emotions such as greed, anger, and jealousy.

The outward path required one to observe all living beings and contemplate nature.

Zhao Zuo, squatting and studying the rock, was practicing the step of contemplating nature. In his eyes, the textures and patterns on the stone’s surface seemed to take on new meaning; even its uneven pits and holes were imbued with significance.

The words of the *Sutra of Calming the Mind* flowed through his mind. Zhao Zuo’s eyes grew tranquil, and his Qi and Blood stilled.

The textures on the rock came from the ceaseless action of the wind over many years, while the pits were the result of rushing rainwater. The traces of soil on its surface signified that it had rested in this place for a very, very long time.

Zhao Zuo placed his hand on the rock’s surface. Under the influence of the *Sutra of Calming the Mind*, he felt as if he were becoming the rock itself. His mind stopped thinking, and his eyes grew vacant. He felt the pulse of nature, the surge of Wind Attribute Spiritual Power, and the dense Power of the Earth Element.

As the sun set in the west, a chill settled over the land.

Only then did Zhao Zuo emerge from his state of contemplating nature. Liu Heng was standing respectfully behind him.

"Have you been waiting long?" Zhao Zuo hadn’t seen Liu Heng, yet he could feel his presence. ’It’s as if I have some kind of incomprehensible intuition,’ he thought, ’perhaps the beginnings of Divine Thought.’

"Not long at all. It is my duty," Liu Heng replied respectfully. In truth, he had been back for a long time, but after observing Zhao Zuo’s state, four words had surfaced in his mind: Unity of Heaven and Man.

That was a state only those with a Celestial Spirit Root or a special constitution could enter—a state of becoming one with nature.

That was why he hadn’t dared to make a sound and disturb Zhao Zuo. It also made his determination to follow him even firmer.

Zhao Zuo turned around, his eyes radiating a gentle, warm glow. It was like Spiritual Light, yet imbued with a profoundly peaceful energy. As that gaze swept over Liu Heng, he was suddenly overcome with a sense of shame, feeling completely unworthy of meeting such a person’s eyes.

A moment later, that warm glow receded.

Zhao Zuo exhaled softly. Although he still hadn’t entered the state of Constant Calm, he could already sense the threshold. Now, he just needed to find his true nature and enter the state of observing all living beings a few more times, and he would be able to cross it.

In short, he had gained a great deal.

"Did you get all the materials?" Zhao Zuo asked casually, still maintaining his state of meditation. His tone was exceptionally calm, one that would instinctively put others at ease.

The two strolled casually across the central platform.

"I got everything. The Abyss Shadow Crystal was quite rare, so I had no choice but to go to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to purchase it."

Liu Heng had originally planned to hide the fact he had gone to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, but for some reason... he instinctively chose to tell the whole truth, holding nothing back.

"Good. You’ve worked hard," said Zhao Zuo. Since Liu Heng had returned safely, there was no point dwelling on his trip to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.

"Besides the materials, there are five hundred Spirit Stones left over." Liu Heng took a Storage Bag from his waist and handed it to Zhao Zuo. "The Artifact Refining materials and the Spirit Stones are all inside."

"Good." Zhao Zuo reached out, took the Storage Bag, and hung it from his waist.

"Tomorrow, we’ll continue refining Lower Grade Magical Artifacts. We’ll meet at the usual place."

"As you command."

The two walked side by side in a comfortable silence, with only a gentle breeze on their faces and the swaying shadows of the trees for company.

"What did you do before you became a Cultivator?" Zhao Zuo asked, his curiosity piqued. He and Liu Heng had been doing Artifact Refining together every day for some time, but they had never chatted so casually before.

"A blacksmith," Liu Heng answered, then elaborated.

"I was thirteen when I inherited my father’s blacksmith shop, along with a Qi Cultivation Technique manual. I followed it and practiced for over half a month before I finally managed to get to the Entry Level. After that, a Guiding Envoy brought me to the Moyun Sect. Unfortunately, my talent was lacking, and I failed to become an Outer Sect disciple." His tone was laced with a hint of lament and nostalgia.

"Later, relying on the craft my family passed down, I became an Artifact Refining Apprentice. It took me three years to pass the evaluation and become a Moyun Sect disciple again. After that, it was just doing tasks to earn contribution... and then more tasks."

"Do you have any dreams? Or a goal you want to achieve?" Zhao Zuo asked.

"No," Liu Heng replied almost without thinking.

"Well, my father hoped I would marry a good woman and have a few healthy sons. If I can’t reach Foundation Establishment in the future, I might just..." Liu Heng trailed off. He had suddenly remembered that he was no longer a free man, which meant the path of returning home to marry and have children was closed to him.

"It’s still good to have dreams. You never know, they might just come true," Zhao Zuo said reassuringly.

........

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