Immortal Refiner

After returning to Profound Ancient City, Li Qing finally let out a sigh of relief, but he remained vigilant.

Having personally killed a member of the Flying Spirit Clan, he knew this was no small matter. If the Flying Spirits learned of it, retaliation was almost certain.

Whether Profound Ancient City could withstand such an attack depended entirely on whether the Giant Spirit Race would intervene to mediate.

Unbeknownst to Li Qing, after he left, all the Flying Spirits had been slain by Old Black Bull and Old Lord Hei You, an event destined to ignite a storm.

”Finally back. Now I must focus on strengthening my cultivation without delay.”

Upon returning to his cave abode, Li Qing immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate and cultivate.

He first tended to his injuries, swiftly healing the wounds he had sustained during his great war with Mo Ying.

Several days later, a major incident shook the city.

The Golden Abundance Trading Company’s merchant caravan, returning from Giant Spirit Royal City, had been ambushed!

Nearly seven-tenths of the caravan members had gone missing, presumed dead. Only a handful of survivors managed to limp back to Profound Ancient City.

When Li Qing heard the news, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of astonishment.

”So they were indeed attacked, just as I suspected. I wonder how Patriarch Si Kong is faring,” Li Qing murmured with a sigh.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Si Kong appeared outside Li Qing’s cave abode just as he finished speaking.

”Fellow Daoist Li, this Sikong has come to pay you a visit. May I have a moment of your time?”

Outside the cave, Si Kong’s face was pale, and his aura flickered erratically, clearly indicating he was still injured.

Li Qing immediately stepped out of the cave abode, asking with concern, ”Fellow Daoist Si, I’ve heard what happened. Are you alright?”

Si Kong forced a bitter smile. ”I nearly died. If not for my High-Grade Void Escape Talisman, I might never have returned from this journey.”

Hearing this, Li Qing’s expression turned grave. He hadn’t imagined that even Patriarch Si Kong, a cultivator nearing the void refinement realm and on the verge of a breakthrough, could have been nearly killed. The attackers must have possessed extraordinary strength.

”How terrifying! Who were these attackers? Which clan did they belong to?” Li Qing pressed.

Si Kong shook his head. ”All I know is that the attacker was a void refinement realm expert. They were shrouded in dense mist, making it impossible to discern their identity or race.”

”However, on Tonggu Continent, only a handful of clans can casually deploy void refinement realm experts.”

Aside from the four great clans, only the Fishfolk Clan and Fur Clan have multiple void refinement realm experts.

While the attacker’s identity remains uncertain, Si Kong is certain they were after the Void-Breaking Pill.

”Fellow Daoist Sikong, it’s a miracle you survived. As long as you’re alive, there’s always hope. At least you managed to preserve your life.”

”But why did you seek me out instead of focusing on recuperating and healing your injuries?”

Hearing Li Qing’s question, Si Kong smiled bitterly. ”After you left Giant Spirit Royal City, Senior Tunhai gifted the Jade Bone Pill he won at auction to a junior in his clan.”

”The pill’s efficacy far exceeded Senior Tunhai’s expectations. The junior, utterly captivated by its effects, immediately placed an order for two hundred pills, requesting priority supply for the Giant Spirit Race.”

”I came here specifically for this matter. Given my current injuries, it would be difficult to discuss this with you later.”

”I’ll send someone else to collaborate with you. Just give the refined Jade Bone Pills to them.”

So, he was here for the Jade Bone Pills. Li Qing pondered for a moment before agreeing without hesitation.

”No problem. Starting tomorrow, you can send someone once a month, and I’ll deliver a batch of Jade Bone Pills to them.”

The two then discussed the details of the Jade Bone Pill arrangement at length, ultimately settling on a price of three thousand merit points per pill.

This price wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t exorbitant either. After all, the Brahma Clarity Pill, which enhanced cultivation in the Divine Transformation realm, cost twenty thousand merit points per pill!

”I’ve explained everything I need to. Now I must return to heal my injuries. Once I’ve recovered, I’ll consider advancing to the Void Refinement realm.”

Pale-faced Si Kong left Li Qing’s cave abode after delivering these words.

Having obtained a Void-Breaking Pill at the auction, Si Kong’s top priority was naturally to break through to the Void Refinement realm.

Hearing this, Li Qing felt a surge of respect. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, ”May Fellow Daoist Sikong achieve swift success!”

After seeing Si Kong off, Li Qing returned to his cave abode.

He pondered for a moment, then retrieved the Annihilation Furnace and the spirit herbs for refining Jade Bone Pills.

”With the spirit herbs I have on hand, I can open the furnace ninety-eight times. Even accounting for potential failures, I should still produce around ninety furnaces, yielding over four hundred Jade Bone Pills.”

”After deducting the pills I need for myself and the Golden Abundance Trading Company’s one-tenth cut, my net merit points should exceed one million!”

Li Qing’s heart nearly skipped a beat as he calculated his potential future earnings.

Given the Giant Spirit Race’s immense wealth, he had no doubt he could sell every Jade Bone Pill.

Over one million merit points—this was an absolutely staggering sum, sending Li Qing’s imagination soaring.

However, when he recalled the top-tier items on the merit point exchange list in the Giant Spirit Royal City, he let out a wry chuckle.

While one million merit points was indeed a substantial fortune, it still fell far short of the astronomical prices demanded for those coveted treasures.

With that, Li Qing began refining the Jade Bone Pills.

Boom!

Spirit fire blazed within the cave abode as Li Qing skillfully began refining. One after another, spirit herbs were fed into the Annihilation Furnace, their medicinal essences extracted by the spirit fire.

Thirty days passed in the blink of an eye. Li Qing, who had been meticulously repeating the detailed steps of the pill formula, finally reached his limit.

Pill refinement was inherently monotonous and tedious. Once mastered, it became a test of one’s divine soul and willpower, offering virtually no novelty.

Over the past thirty days, Li Qing, both physically and mentally exhausted, had opened the furnace twenty-two times to refine Jade Bone Pills. Several attempts failed, resulting in a total of twenty successful furnaces.

”One hundred nine Jade Bone Pills,” he murmured. ”As my proficiency increased, the yield improved too, now averaging nearly six pills per furnace. I should be able to maintain this average of six pills per furnace consistently.”

With that, Li Qing extracted fifty Jade Bone Pills and divided them into five white jade porcelain bottles, ready to deliver to the Golden Abundance Trading Company for sale.

The remaining fifty-nine pills, combined with his existing stockpile, would be more than enough to refine his own Jade Bone.