Immortal Refiner

As the battle concluded, Liu Hanyue’s breakthrough in the cave abode atop the mountain neared its end.

The spiritual energy vortex that had formed high in the sky gradually diminished, while the aura of the cultivator undergoing the breakthrough grew increasingly formidable.

Finally, once Liu Hanyue’s mana had completely transformed into a liquid state, her aura reached a critical point.

Boom!

The entire mountain trembled faintly at that moment, as pure wood-attribute spiritual energy radiated outward. The vegetation on the mountain flourished, growing vigorously.

This was the effect of the Emeraldwood Divine Art, the wood-attribute cultivation manual she practiced. After entering the Foundation Establishment Realm, the quality of her spiritual energy became extremely high, transitioning from a gaseous to a liquid state, and she could now subtly influence the growth of ordinary plants.

Li Qing, who had just finished clearing the battlefield, looked up and knew that Liu Hanyue had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment.

”How enviable,” Li Qing sighed. ”Foundation Establishment grants a massive power boost, allowing one to roam freely between heaven and earth for two or three centuries.”

As Liu Hanyue completely retracted her aura, Daoist Qingyang floated down with a cheerful smile, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, ”Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on your successful Foundation Establishment. To achieve this at such a young age, Core Formation is certainly within reach.”

Seeing this, Li Qing stepped forward to offer his congratulations as well: ”Congratulations to Immortal Maiden Hanyue on her breakthrough! With another Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Liu Clan, your future is truly boundless.”

Not long after, Liu Hanyue emerged from her cave abode. Though her demeanor remained as aloof as ever, a genuine smile graced her exquisite features.

”I am deeply grateful for your invaluable assistance. Without your help today, I could never have achieved Foundation Establishment so smoothly!”

With that, Liu Hanyue swiftly produced the agreed-upon reward for the two men.

For Daoist Qingyang, she presented five pale purple spiritual herbs. Their texture was remarkably smooth and lustrous, resembling jade rather than the typical rough feel of spiritual herbs.

As Daoist Qingyang received the purple herbs, his expression shifted slightly. ”This is Purple Jade Herb! A crucial ingredient for refining the Purple Yang Pill!” he exclaimed in surprise.

His astonishment was understandable, as such a spiritual herb was indeed precious to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The reason was simple: once a cultivator reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, they could further refine their mana and enhance their cultivation by consuming certain pills.

The Purple Yang Pill was one such example. Refining it required two key Spirit Herbs: The Purple Jade Herb and the Yang Essence Flower.

The rarity of these two Spirit Herbs was comparable to that of the Essence Fusion Fruit, making them equally precious and exceedingly rare. They were difficult to find even in the deep mountains and ancient forests of the Great Wilderness Domain.

Seeing Daoist Qingyang recognize the Purple Jade Herb at a glance, Liu Hanyue chuckled. ”As expected of Senior Qingyang, to recognize such a rare Spirit Herb at a glance.”

”I’ll offer these few Spirit Herbs as compensation for your assistance, Senior!”

Daoist Qingyang didn’t refuse, but sighed, ”Such precious Spirit Herbs... I feel somewhat undeserving.”

Liu Hanyue smiled radiantly, her bright eyes and pearly white teeth outshining even the winter sun.

”Please don’t refuse, Senior. I had a stroke of luck in my early years and managed to obtain some Purple Jade Herbs. In the future, I’ll continue trying to collect Yang Essence Flowers. When I do, I might need to commission you to refine Purple Yang Pills for me!”

”Of course, of course!” Daoist Qingyang said with a satisfied smile, carefully storing the spiritual herbs in his storage pouch.

It was clear he was in an excellent mood. For merely cleaning up a few insignificant Shi Clan remnants, he had obtained several Spirit Herbs that were incredibly valuable to him. This deal was truly a bargain.

Afterward, Liu Hanyue turned to Li Qing with a smile. She produced a token and a fist-sized piece of silver metal from her storage pouch.

This silver metal was clearly not ordinary silver. Even Liu Hanyue seemed to struggle slightly to hold it.

”Fellow Daoist Li, my cave abode’s lease still has five years remaining. With this token, you will be its master for the next five years.”

”Senior Qingyang mentioned you might be an artifact refiner. I’m also giving you this Artifact Refining Spirit Material.”

Li Qing was genuinely surprised by Liu Hanyue’s reward. He had expected her to casually offer some spirit stones or Qi Refining Realm pills to dismiss him. Instead, she had presented him with something truly valuable.

”Senior Qingyang did most of the work during this Guardian mission. I’m truly undeserving of this!” Li Qing said, feigning humility. However, his hands moved with practiced ease, accepting both the token and the Artifact Refining Spirit Material he couldn’t yet identify.

He had thoroughly studied the Spirit Material Compendium, yet he couldn’t immediately recognize this material’s origin. However, he suspected it was extraordinary.

Daoist Qingyang, standing beside him, narrowed his eyes slightly and tentatively asked, ”Could this be Moon Gilt Gold?!”

Li Qing knew Daoist Qingyang’s knowledge was extraordinary, far surpassing his own. But he hadn’t expected the daoist to recognize even the artifact refinement spirit material at a glance.

Liu Hanyue nodded lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. ”Senior Qingyang’s profound knowledge truly leaves me in awe. Yes, this is indeed Moon Gilt Gold.”

Hearing the words ”Moon Gilt Gold,” Li Qing searched his memory in vain for any relevant information.

Yet as he held the material in his hand, he could clearly sense its extraordinary weight and silvery, moon-like texture. The spirituality contained within was astonishingly abundant, enough to serve as the base material for refining a high-grade magical artifact.

”I must confess my ignorance, Senior. May I ask what Moon Gilt Gold is?” Li Qing asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

”Hahaha, it’s perfectly normal for you not to know this material, young friend. Moon Gilt Gold isn’t found in the Azure Ridge Domain. It seems to be a unique artifact refinement spirit material from the cultivation world of another great domain,” Daoist Qingyang chuckled, stroking his chin.

From another great domain!

After reading Tales of the Azure Ridge Domain, Li Qing had learned that the world was vast, with other immortal cultivation realms beyond the Azure Ridge Domain.

He hadn’t expected the Moon Gilt Gold to be an extraterrestrial material, which explained why he’d never heard of such an artifact refining spirit material.

Liu Hanyue smiled, brushing a strand of blue hair behind her ear as she explained, ”Actually, when I first obtained this spirit material, I couldn’t identify its origin either. It was only after scouring the sect’s ancient texts that I found some clues.”

”This material is indeed Moon Gilt Gold. It can only be found in one place: the Great Wilderness Domain, an immortal cultivation realm beyond our own. There, in a Forbidden Land called Moonlit Ridge, legend says the land is bathed in starlight and moonlight for seventy percent of the year.”

Great Wilderness Domain... Moonlit Ridge!

Li Qing’s heart skipped a beat. This was the first time he’d heard of an immortal cultivation realm beyond their own. He immediately etched those names deep into his memory.

Then, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. It’s so easy for disciples of these great sects. They can access any ancient text they want.

It was a stark contrast to his life as a rogue cultivator, struggling at the bottom of the cultivation world. Compared to them, he felt truly ignorant.

”So that’s how it is. Thank you both for enlightening me!” Li Qing said gratefully.

”This kind of spirit material has a rather peculiar nature. I’m curious to see what kind of Magic Artifact you’ll refine from it, young friend,” Daoist Qingyang said with a smile.

Li Qing stroked the unfamiliar spirit material for a moment. He wanted to probe it with his divine sense, but in the presence of two Foundation Establishment Realm experts, he dared not reveal his own rather formidable divine sense.

”That’s hard to say. I’ll need to study it carefully later,” Li Qing said with a casual laugh.

Just as Li Qing happily stowed the spirit material back into his storage pouch, the sound of breaking air echoed from several nearby mountain peaks.

”Congratulations to this young Fellow Daoist on successfully achieving Foundation Establishment! Truly, the new waves push forward the old, and the future looks bright!”

”I never expected the mysterious cultivator who achieved Foundation Establishment here to be such a young and beautiful immortal maiden. What a pleasant surprise!”

”Congratulations...”

At that moment, several Foundation Establishment Realm rogue cultivators from other cave abodes arrived to offer their congratulations. Suddenly, the once-quiet mountain peak buzzed with activity.

Liu Hanyue handled the situation perfectly, graciously accepting their goodwill while offering a few kind words in return.

After the initial pleasantries, Liu Hanyue, now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, prepared to return to the Liu Clan.

Before leaving, however, she met with Daoist Qingyang and Li Qing one last time.

”Hanyue would like to invite you both to become honorary elders of the Liu Clan. There’s no need to reside in Longevity Valley; it would simply be a nominal affiliation.”

”If you accept, the Liu Clan will certainly not mistreat you. What do you think?”

Daoist Qingyang politely declined. ”Thank you for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist Liu, but at my age, I prefer to avoid entanglement with other factions.”

Li Qing, having once been a lowly spirit mine worker in the Liu Clan, had no desire to return in glory. He chuckled and said, ”I’m used to a carefree life, like a wandering cloud or wild crane. If I fail to reach Foundation Establishment, I plan to travel the world. I must decline your generous offer, Fellow Daoist Liu.”

”But I imagine that with you already in Foundation Establishment, the Liu Clan’s future will be quite smooth. Even without Senior Qingyang and me, it’s bound to flourish!”

Liu Hanyue had anticipated their response. Her inquiry was merely a tentative gesture, and she wasn’t surprised by their refusal.

”My apologies for the presumption. But the Liu Clan will always consider you both friends!” Liu Hanyue replied politely.

Afterward, she bid farewell to Daoist Qingyang and Li Qing, leaving Azure Radiance Pool and returning directly to the Liu Clan.

Watching Liu Hanyue’s figure disappear into the horizon, Li Qing sighed in relief. He then returned to his courtyard to pack his belongings.

As the one-year lease on his courtyard had expired, and he now had the right to reside in a Second-Tier Spirit Vein Cave Abode, Li Qing had no intention of wasting spirit stones on renewal. He planned to move as soon as possible.

(End of the Chapter)

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