Immortal Refiner

An alchemy cauldron suitable for a Foundation Establishment cultivator was naturally quite extraordinary.

As soon as Daoist Qingyang produced it, Li Qing confirmed that this Pill Refining Cauldron was equivalent to a high-grade magical artifact.

Though it appeared to be made of ordinary brass, it was far from it. The moment Li Qing touched it, he sensed its abundant spirituality.

Li Qing’s mind raced, and before long, he identified the cauldron’s material.

”Is this alchemy cauldron refined from Secret Copper Essence? And the quenching technique used is quite remarkable. It seems additional methods were employed to enhance its spirituality.”

Hearing Li Qing’s astonished voice, Daoist Qingyang smiled contentedly. ”Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Er Niu’s artifact refinement skills are truly exceptional. You recognized the origins of this treasure at a glance.”

”Indeed. When I refined it, I used Secret Copper Essence. After quenching, I specifically used Radiant Reflection Dust to further enhance its spirituality.”

Radiant Reflection Dust!

The mention of these four words deepened Li Qing’s amazement.

The name might sound ordinary, but once you understood its function, it would captivate many, especially artifact refiners like Li Qing.

This time, the Radiant Reflection Dust had only one function: to imbue spiritual materials with greater spirituality.

The grade of a Magic Artifact depended primarily on its spirit patterns and the spiritual materials used during refining. These two factors were complementary, even indispensable.

However, the Radiant Reflection Dust could directly enhance the spirituality of spiritual materials, indirectly improving the quality of the Magic Artifact itself.

”Senior Qingyang, your Pill Refining Cauldron would be considered extraordinary even among high-grade magical artifacts,” Li Qing remarked with admiration.

Daoist Qingyang chuckled softly. ”When the Heavenly River Market fell, I was targeted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Shangqing Sect. If not for that, the cauldron wouldn’t have been damaged.”

Li Qing tactfully refrained from asking about the fate of the Foundation Establishment cultivator. Daoist Qingyang’s presence here unharmed spoke volumes.

”Fellow Daoist Er Niu, how does it look? Can you repair it?”

Standing before the Copper Pill Refining Cauldron, Li Qing pondered for a moment before nodding. ”Senior Qingyang, if you still have Secret Copper Essence, I can give it a try.”

Though he spoke cautiously, Li Qing was actually quite confident in his ability to repair the cauldron.

The Copper Pill Refining Cauldron, though of exceptional quality, wasn’t severely damaged. Repairing the damaged Fire Control spirit patterns by re-engraving and connecting them would be relatively simple.

In truth, even if the cauldron wasn’t repaired, it could still be used for combat and pill refinement without significant impact.

Especially for the Fire Control spirit patterns. Daoist Qingyang was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could already summon his own Innate True Fire. For him, whether the cauldron was repaired or not was inconsequential.

However, Qingyang smiled and produced three fist-sized pieces of Secret Copper Essence, handing them all to Li Qing. ”I’ll leave this to you, young friend!”

Li Qing carefully accepted the Secret Copper Essence and clasped his hands in a respectful bow. ”Senior Qingyang, repairing the cauldron might take some time—at least a month. During that month...”

”Hahaha, don’t worry. I have no plans to refine pills in the near future. Take your time with the repairs.”

With Qingyang’s assurance, Li Qing felt relieved. He took the Copper Pill Refining Cauldron and prepared to rent a small courtyard in the outer area of the Azure Radiance Pool for a year.

”Two hundred and eighty spirit stones? That’s so cheap!”

Li Qing was surprised. He hadn’t expected that renting a courtyard in this Spirit Vein Land for a year would cost less than three hundred spirit stones.

It wasn’t just cheap; it was an outrageously good deal.

The Heavenly River Sect disciple in charge of rentals smiled kindly. ”Fellow Daoist, since you possess the token of a Heavenly River Sect disciple and are a retainer of Senior Qingyang, we’ve given you a thirty percent discount!”

Ah, so that’s why.

This immortal cultivation world truly valued personal connections and social etiquette. Even renting a courtyard in a Spirit Vein Land involved so many considerations.

In the end, Li Qing dutifully produced three hundred spirit stones. The extra twenty spirit stones went straight into the Heavenly River Sect disciple’s pocket.

The disciple exchanged a knowing smile with Li Qing before swiftly and efficiently completing the spiritual contract and issuing the receipt. The entire process was remarkably quick.

”Fellow Daoist, here are your spiritual contract and receipt. Please keep them safe. You may reside here for the next year. If you wish to stay longer, you can extend your stay using this contract.”

Li Qing clasped his hands in a respectful bow. ”Thank you, Fellow Daoist!”

With the formalities completed, the Heavenly River Sect disciple departed contentedly.

”Staying here for a year will give me time to cultivate and deepen my relationship with Daoist Qingyang. Afterward, I can ask him to keep an eye out for anyone refining Foundation Establishment Pills.”

Li Qing muttered to himself. He still had a decent supply of spirit stones on hand, and if he ever truly ran short, he could always sell some Heavenly Star Grass.

Renting this courtyard for a year would only cost him three hundred spirit stones, a mere trifle.

As long as he could find an opportunity to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, everything else was secondary.

Having lived for so many years, Li Qing was far from a miser. He deeply understood that the most important thing was to convert his spirit stones into personal strength.

Wealth was external; enhancing one’s own power was fundamental!

After seeing off the Heavenly River Sect disciples, Li Qing opened the courtyard gate with satisfaction and surveyed his new residence for the next year.

”Not bad at all. This place is close to the inner layer, where the spiritual energy is dense, and the scenery is beautiful. Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, it’s an ideal spot for seclusion!”

Gazing at the azure, secluded pool just beyond the courtyard gate, a gust of cold mountain wind swept through, leaving Li Qing feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The courtyard was spacious. Li Qing immediately released Fan Tong, letting it find a comfortable spot to settle down.

After completing these tasks, Li Qing exhaled deeply and muttered, ”Time to repair the alchemy cauldron!”

Clang!

A copper alchemy cauldron, its inner layer showing some cracks, appeared in the middle of the courtyard. Li Qing took out a copper block and began melting it directly inside the cauldron.

Boom!

With a casual wave, he cast a Fireball Technique, and soon a scorching inferno erupted within the cauldron.

Because it was ordinary fire, the melting process was slow and arduous, destined to take a long time.

There was no Earth Lung Fire Vein near the Azure Radiance Pool, so Li Qing could only proceed step by step.

”Once I’m stronger, I must obtain my own spirit fire. Then I can refine artifacts anytime, anywhere.”

”If that’s not possible, catching a few Demon beasts that can breathe Demon Fire would do.”

”Melting spirit materials with ordinary fire like this is just too time-consuming.”

Sighing, Li Qing began forging the three pieces of Secret Copper Essence Daoist Qingyang had given him.

This spirit material was incredibly heat-resistant—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been used to make alchemy cauldrons. After all, it had to withstand the heat of a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s Innate True Fire, so heat resistance was a fundamental requirement.

Li Qing wasn’t worried about burning the Pill Refining Cauldron. After undergoing Spirit Quenching and Inscription, the cauldron itself was equivalent to a high-grade magical artifact, incredibly sturdy and durable.

The heat required to melt the Secret Copper Essence wouldn’t damage the cauldron itself.

He continued the calcination for a full twenty days—an unusually long time!

Finally, the three fist-sized pieces of Secret Copper Essence were completely melted.

Li Qing carefully used the molten metal to repair some cracks in the inner layer of the alchemy cauldron, then proceeded with Spirit Quenching to ensure the repairs adhered as closely as possible to the original material.

”It’s a pity Senior Qingyang doesn’t have any Radiant Reflection Dust left. The repairs would have been perfect then.”

”Because the repaired material has slightly different spirituality, even after the repairs are complete, there will still be some imperfections.”

Radiant Reflection Dust could significantly enhance a material’s spirituality—far beyond what ordinary Spirit Quenching methods could achieve. No matter how carefully Li Qing performed the Spirit Quenching, he couldn’t make the spirituality of the newly melted Secret Copper Essence match the original material of the Pill Refining Cauldron.

Time flew by, and seven more days slipped away unnoticed.

In the early morning, Li Qing’s fingertips slowly connected the final Fire Control spirit pattern, completing the spirit pattern circuit within the alchemy cauldron!

With the repairs finished, Li Qing gazed at the cauldron, now as good as new, and couldn’t resist testing it.

Boom!

The copper cauldron, originally half a person tall, suddenly expanded dramatically.

As the spirit patterns flashed, wisps of scorching flames erupted from within the cauldron walls, radiating an terrifying heat!

”Impressive. If I had a cauldron like this, I could easily suppress ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivators.”

Just by sensing it, Li Qing could feel the immense power contained within the cauldron.

This cauldron was far more than just a tool for alchemy. If a cultivator were to fall into it and have the flames within intensified, or even if Innate True Fire were used, most cultivators would likely be reduced to ashes in an instant.

However, activating the cauldron consumed a staggering amount of mana. Li Qing quickly stopped infusing it with his own.

As the cauldron returned to its normal size, Li Qing put it away and immediately brought it to Daoist Qingyang’s cave abode.

”Senior Qingyang, I’ve completed the task!”

(End of the Chapter)

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