My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

[A brain-check station has been opened for readers who may have forgotten to deposit theirs.]

.......

For the next few days, Zhao Zuo continued his closed-door Cultivation at home, following his usual routine.

By the beginning of the second month, he had finally forged ten Magical Artifacts. He went to the Moyun Market and sold them for one hundred sixty Spirit Stones, one hundred of which he used to buy five bottles of Spirit Ink.

The remaining sixty Spirit Stones covered his rent for the second and third months.

In the afternoon, Zhao Zuo returned to his small courtyard.

Before long, he felt a fluctuation of Mana from outside his gate, which triggered the outermost Guardian Array. The Mana was very faint and didn’t seem to carry much hostility. Instead, it felt more like a polite announcement of a visitor.

Zhao Zuo grew wary, but he still put on his Spirit Silk Gloves before pushing the courtyard gate open.

An old man who looked to be in his sixties stood at the entrance. He had a long, narrow face with a long beard on his chin, a ruddy complexion, and an energetic air about him. His frame seemed quite sturdy, and he exuded a faint Spiritual Pressure. Zhao Zuo could not see through his Cultivation.

Spiritual Pressure was a unique phenomenon produced by the accumulation of Mana within a Cultivator. It was said that a Foundation Establishment Stage expert could release their Spiritual Pressure and instantly render a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator powerless. If it were the Spiritual Pressure of a Golden Core Stage expert, it could directly crush a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator.

"Taoist Friend, you must be the new neighbor. I live in the courtyard right next door."

The two exchanged greetings and soon introduced themselves.

The man’s name was Xue Liang. He was at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer and made a living through Alchemy.

He had come over for two reasons: one was to get to know his new neighbor, and the other was to promote the Pill Medicine he refined. He was only a First-Tier, Basic-level Alchemist, capable of refining only Grain Avoidance Pills and Purifying Spirit Pills.

The former sold for ten pills per Spirit Stone, with each pill providing a full day of sustenance. The Purifying Spirit Pills, on the other hand, were four Spirit Stones each—one Spirit Stone cheaper than in the shops at the Moyun Market.

"Taoist Friend Zhao, since we’re neighbors... please accept this bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills as a welcoming gift."

Hearing this, Zhao Zuo’s internal alarm bells went off. Before she was poisoned, Shen Yunjiao never imagined that the Spirit Stone someone handed her would be coated in a colorless, odorless poison. This man before him seemed warm-hearted, but who knew if he’d added some insidious trick to these pills?

"As the saying goes, one shouldn’t accept a reward without earning it. Since we’ve only just met, I really can’t accept this gift."

Xue Liang understood Zhao Zuo’s refusal and didn’t insist. He casually returned the porcelain bottle to his Storage Bag, the smile on his face not changing in the slightest.

"Also, on the evenings of the fifteenth and thirtieth of every month, there’s a small trade meet at the end of this alley. If you have anything you want to buy or sell, Taoist Friend, you’re welcome to come and take a look."

Zhao Zuo nodded. He had heard Shen Yunjiao mention this private trade meet. It was like an alternative flea market, but only Loose Cultivators living in the core area participated. Most of them were powerful and wealthy, so it was possible to find some rather useful items there.

"I’ll definitely go check it out when I have time."

"Haha." Xue Liang stroked his long beard and smiled faintly. "I wonder, what Dao are you skilled in, friend?"

The rent in the core residential area was extremely high, even though it was safer. Any Loose Cultivator with the means to live here long-term was bound to have a profession to support themselves, such as Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Talisman Making.

"I consider myself to have a bit of brute strength, so I make a living by hunting Demon Beasts," Zhao Zuo said with a hearty laugh.

Hearing this, Xue Liang’s estimation of Zhao Zuo rose. After all, every Cultivator in the core area who made a living primarily by hunting Demon Beasts was more adept at combat.

Nearly half an hour passed before Zhao Zuo found an excuse to close the gate. In the four major districts, Loose Cultivators could die at any moment. This unstable environment made people instinctively more wary and probing of one another, and friendships were naturally shallow.

But the core area was different. There were basic rules here, so relationships between people were less guarded and had a bit more sincerity and warmth. ’But is this sincerity just a disguise?’

Back in the courtyard, Zhao Zuo stared speechlessly at the porcelain bottle in his hand. Just as he’d been about to leave, Xue Liang had produced the bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills again. His attitude made it clear that refusing the gift would be a great offense, a sign that Zhao Zuo didn’t want to be his friend. Ultimately, with no way to refuse the gesture, Zhao Zuo had no choice but to accept.

After returning to his house, Zhao Zuo tossed the Pill Medicine into the Earth Fire Furnace and used Refinement to turn them to ash. He then threw the porcelain bottle into a corner of the Earth Fire Chamber. He also washed his Spirit Silk Gloves several times over before cleansing them with a Cleaning Talisman.

Only after finishing all this did Zhao Zuo finally relax. ’Even with all this, I doubt Xue Liang could have left behind any means to harm me.’

Sometimes, Zhao Zuo couldn’t be sure if he was being overly cautious. But his past experiences had taught him... anyone around him could turn into a life-stealing demon.

That night, Zhao Zuo sat cross-legged in his bedroom, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. He had already decided to save up Spirit Stones to upgrade his Huayang Bead. He wanted to accelerate its ability to burn away Pill Poison, shorten the interval between taking Purifying Spirit Pills, and raise his Cultivation as quickly as possible.

Zhao Zuo figured it was about time he bought a Magical Artifact that could conceal the aura of his Cultivation. Otherwise, the speed at which his Cultivation was increasing might arouse the suspicion or greed of those around him.

The next day, as Zhao Zuo was in the courtyard practicing his swordplay, shirtless, Xue Liang paid another visit.

"Taoist Friend Zhao, I just successfully refined them! Care for a few Purifying Spirit Pills with ninety-five percent medicinal efficacy?"

The pills Zhao Zuo usually bought from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion generally had over ninety percent efficacy. The fact that Xue Liang’s Purifying Spirit Pills could reach ninety-five percent was proof enough that he was extremely proficient at refining them.

"Taoist Friend Xue, what unfortunate timing. I just bought some Purifying Spirit Pills from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion a few days ago." Zhao Zuo clasped his hands in a slightly apologetic gesture and, to add credibility to his words, deliberately took out the porcelain bottle.

Seeing this, Xue Liang curled his lip in disdain and said,

"The efficacy of that one is lacking. It’s not as pure as the ones I refine!"

’That much is true,’ Zhao Zuo thought. ’But there’s no guarantee of safety.’

Zhao Zuo immediately offered some polite compliments, and the two started chatting again. This time, they moved beyond mere pleasantries and found they got along quite well.

Before embarking on the path of Cultivation, Xue Liang had been a First-Grade Military Marquis in the Great Yue Country, a position of great power and influence. It was because of this status that he had the opportunity to encounter the Immortal Dao. Finally, at the age of thirty-five, he activated the latent Five-Attribute Spirit Root within his Innate Body. It had still taken him decades of cultivation to reach the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

Furthermore, he wasn’t sixty as he appeared; his real age was ninety-three.

In the Moyun Workshop, this age was definitely considered advanced. However, reaching Foundation Establishment was already a hopeless dream for him.

According to him, he had already given up on Foundation Establishment. All he wanted was to refine more Pill Medicine... to accumulate more cultivation resources for his grandson, who had joined the Moyun Sect.

The more Xue Liang spoke, the more animated he became, endlessly recounting his youthful adventures leading troops into battle. Zhao Zuo listened with great interest, gaining a better understanding of the overall situation in the Great Yue Country.

....

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Thank you, Yun Chen Yu San, for the 2100 Qidian coin donation. There will be an extra Chapter after the book is officially launched to show my thanks!