txolops Chapter 14 Refining Magical Artifacts, Advancing Cultivation
Chapter 14 Refining Magical Artifacts, Advancing Cultivation
Inside a small courtyard in the market area.
Zhang Tie sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room, with the Mountain-Slicing Blade and the Yellow Sand Shield, two magical artifacts, placed in front of him.
The Mountain-Slicing Blade is, of course, a metal-attribute offensive magic weapon. When infused with spiritual power, it can unleash a blade aura that can extend three feet.
Fortunately, Zhang Tie possessed a metal-type spiritual root, making it relatively easy for him to use.
The Yellow Sand Shield, on the other hand, is an earth-attribute defensive artifact, which is more compatible with the Giant Spirit Technique and can be transformed into a three-sided giant shield for defense.
Refining magical artifacts is neither particularly difficult nor particularly easy!
Ordinary cultivators need to infuse their own spiritual power into the magic weapon and leave their own divine imprint inside. As long as they spend the time, they can basically succeed in refining it.
But for Zhang Tie, the problem was time. He was unwilling to spend ten days or half a month on refining. He could use causal value to speed up this step!
The causality value flickered and then disappeared by 100 points.
At the same time, the two magical artifacts in front of them flashed with light, as if they had become even more sentient.
"It would take an ordinary cultivator ten days to fully refine it, but for me, it only takes less than a hundred points of karma to refine it successfully in a moment!"
Zhang Tie took a deep breath and raised his hand to grasp the hilt of the Mountain-Slicing Blade.
Spiritual energy surged from his dantian, flowing into the magical weapon in his right hand. The Mountain-Slicing Blade trembled, and a yellow blade light emanated from its surface.
Upon entering the courtyard, Zhang Tie gripped the hilt of his knife and with a gentle flick, a foot-long blade of light extended from the edge, cleaving a millstone-sized stone in two.
"How sharp! This low-grade magic weapon alone can increase my strength by 30%. If I were to cultivate a sword technique in conjunction with it..."
Sheathed the Mountain-Slicing Blade, took out the Yellow Sand Shield, and infused it with spiritual power. Instantly, the shield transformed into three and a half-person-high light shields, hovering around Zhang Tie and protecting him firmly.
Ordinary cultivators, without magical artifacts, would probably not be able to break through the defenses of the Yellow Sand Shield.
Zhang Tie realized the importance of the magical artifact.
Zhang Tie quickly became adept at using the two magical artifacts in turn.
After refining the two magical artifacts, Zhang Tie began to focus all his efforts on improving his cultivation.
As time went by, Zhang Tie's aura in the cultivation room became more and more profound.
During this period, Zhang Tie cultivated by taking Yellow Dragon Pills almost non-stop every day, and Han Li refined several more bottles of high-grade Yellow Dragon Pills for him.
Zhang Tie did not refuse Han Li's offer, and his cultivation level steadily improved to the peak of the eleventh level of Qi Refining, just one step away from the great perfection of the twelfth level!
In the cultivation room, Zhang Tie opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
Although he hadn't broken through to the twelfth level after four months of arduous training, the peak of the eleventh level was enough. With the Mountain-Slicing Blade and the Yellow Sand Shield, he was confident he could fight a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.
After stretching his limbs, Zhang Tie walked out of the training room.
The courtyard was empty, and Han Li wasn't there either; he must have gone to the market trading area again.
With more than a month to go before the Ascension Ceremony, the market town is not as lively as before.
......
During the months Zhang Tie was in seclusion, Han Li also made some progress in the art of talisman making.
With the spirit stones accumulated from selling Yellow Dragon Pills, Han Li quickly purchased a beginner's talisman manual. Now he is able to refine beginner low-level talismans, mind-stabilizing talismans, and fireball talismans. Although he failed most of the time, it made Han Li happy for a long time.
On the other hand, because Han Li's Yellow Dragon Pills were of superior quality, he gained a reputation among rogue cultivators and accumulated many regular customers. Whenever he set up his stall, the pills would be quickly sold out.
Some people even came to our door wanting to order a batch of top-grade Yellow Dragon Pills, offering very high prices, eighteen spirit stones per bottle.
This made Han Li's heart flutter, but at the same time he was secretly conflicted, feeling that something was not quite right.
However, when the time for the transaction arrived, Han Li also arrived as agreed at a gathering place for independent cultivators in the southeast of the market. He heard that it was managed by an alliance of independent cultivators called the Azure Pattern Society, and its reputation among independent cultivators was quite good.
The transaction went smoothly, Han Li received the spirit stones, and the Qingwen Society placed another order for twenty bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills.
After several such transactions, Han Li's anxiety gradually subsided.
But today's transaction made Han Li realize something was wrong; he was being watched. Instead of returning to his courtyard, Han Li circled the market several times before finally leaving under the astonished gaze of his pursuers!
...
On the northern foothills of the Tainan Mountains, not far from the market town, lies a dense forest.
Han Li stopped in an open space.
"Come out. Aren't you tired of following me around like this for so long?"
The woods were quiet for a moment, then a few soft laughs could be heard.
"Hahaha, kid, you've got some nerve, knowing you're being followed, you still dare to run outside the market!"
A gaunt-looking man named Qingwen emerged from the woods, followed by four people, all of whom were late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Qingwen, the leader, had even reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining!
Looking at the familiar faces among them, it was indeed that group of cultivators!
Han Li's heart sank, but his face remained expressionless.
"Five people are following me? They think too highly of me!" Han Li said calmly.
"Kid, stop being so stubborn. Where's your buddy? Why isn't he with you?"
Han Li did not answer.
Qingwen didn't intend to waste words with Han Li. He raised his hand and waved, and the four people behind him attacked at the same time.
The burly man wielding the Ghost Head Greatsword was the first to rush forward, swinging the sword in a wide arc as if to cleave Han Li in two. At the same time, one of the others cast a spell to block Han Li's retreat, while the other two flanked him from the left and right, one casting a fireball and the other unleashing a wind blade.
These guys work together seamlessly; they've clearly robbed many cultivators!
But how could Han Li be unprepared?
While dodging and weaving, he took out two talismans from his storage bag and slapped them on his legs. These were speed-enhancing talismans!
The talisman transformed into azure light and disappeared into his legs, instantly increasing Han Li's speed. All four attacks missed their mark, failing to even touch the hem of Han Li's clothes.
Han Li had no intention of getting entangled with the group. He dodged left and right, broke through the encirclement, and fled directly into the depths of the dense forest.
"Chase him! Don't let this kid get away!" Qingwen watched this scene in shock and gritted his teeth.
The five pursued him closely. Although Han Li was fast, the enemy had a large number of people who split up and surrounded him several times.
Behind him was a gaunt old Taoist priest with nine fingers who seemed to have mastered some kind of profound movement technique. His speed was only slightly slower than Han Li's when he used the Divine Speed Talisman, making him the most troublesome and impossible to shake off.
At this moment, Nine Fingers lunged forward again, slashing a wind blade at Han Li. Han Li could only dodge, but the guy closed the distance again.
Han Li gritted his teeth, took out another stack of talismans from his storage bag, and threw them out without looking back. They were the fireball talismans he had made.
"What the hell... Boom!!!"
A huge fireball exploded in front of him, and Nine Fingers, unable to dodge in time, was blasted backward and crashed into a tree, his clothes tattered and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The four people behind him quickly arrived and were enraged when they saw this scene.
"You little brat, if I don't kill him today, I'll change my name to Qingwen!" Qingwen was furious, but the more they chased after him, the more terrified they became.
This kid seems to have an inexhaustible supply of talismans; he's already used six Swift Travel Talismans, which cost nearly a hundred spirit stones!
They were so incredibly wealthy that it fueled the four men's desire to kill and plunder even more!