One hundred breaths later, under Li Mu’s control, the four Spiritual Swords flew around in the most concealed manner, avoiding everyone, and quietly returned to Yue Qiong Peak, entering the Qinglian Water Pool to continue transforming into Spirit Fish, patrolling around.
After doing all this, Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately dispersed his Divine Sense.
The Star Cloud Contemplation Method truly lived up to its reputation as a Heaven-Grade High Grade Cultivation Technique; after the Gathering Spirit Chapter was elevated to the Minor Achievement Realm of Level Five, the derived Divine Sense Divine Ability—Star Concealment—was extremely effective.
The ‘Star Concealment’ effect was too powerful; during this Divine Sense release, Li Mu confirmed that even True Lords and Nascent Soul Old Ancestors would not be able to detect his Divine Sense peeking while in the Star Concealment state.
From now on, he could boldly use his Divine Sense within the Sect!
Li Mu was overjoyed.
During this Divine Sense release, Li Mu also roughly ascertained the true strength of the Qingxuan Sect: the seven main Peaks were guarded by three Nascent Soul Old Ancestors and seventeen Nascent Soul True Lords, so the Sect’s strength was quite formidable.
However, one of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestors and three other Nascent Soul True Lords seemed to be in a somewhat poor state, as if they had been in a fight with someone?
Li Mu frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, his expression slightly solemn.
The Qingxuan Sect also had a mountain-protecting Formation, as well as several Spirit Treasures guarding the Sect; with such strength, lasting another few hundred years should not be a problem!
By then, he should be able to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm!
Even if the Sect were destroyed, if he wanted to run, no one should be able to stop him.
Li Mu gave up on exploring this question, rose with his sword, remotely controlled the 90 mu of harvested Heavenly Wind Grass, and flew to the back mountain to dispose of it, while also checking the growth status of the Purple Yang Spiritual Mushroom and Yin Soul Fruit.
These two Spiritual Plants were related to the progress of his Yin Yang Five Elements Scripture cultivation and, more importantly, to whether Li Mu could successfully advance to the Golden Core Realm.
Therefore, Li Mu paid great attention to them, caring for them very diligently, almost needing to inspect them every day.
...
Time flew by, and another three months passed.
During this period, Li Mu harvested another 90 mu of mature second-tier Exquisite Spiritual Grass, obtaining a large number of Spiritual Plant light clusters. The Spiritual Plant rewards from Exquisite Spiritual Grass were affinity attribute values, which had very limited effect on strength improvement, not as effective as the free proficiency points obtained from the Heavenly Wind Grass Spiritual Plant.
Immediately, Li Mu replanted the other 90 mu of Spiritual Fields with Heavenly Wind Grass.
In a blink of an eye, more than a year had passed since his 'seclusion'.
Today was the day he had agreed upon with Elder Yin, and Li Mu needed to go collect Artifact Refining tasks; otherwise, he would have to pay the Sect rent for borrowing Yue Qiong Peak.
Li Mu rose with his sword, flew away from Yue Qiong Peak, and headed towards Hundred Refinements Peak.
The Qingxuan Sect did not support its Disciples for free; all Sect Disciples had to contribute to the Sect.
Li Mu’s contribution to the Sect was to refine artifacts for the Qingxuan Sect, unlike other Sect Disciples who had no special skills and had to risk their lives for the Sect, fighting on the battlefield.
During this time, being bored, Li Mu often used his Divine Sense to probe the overall situation of the Qingxuan Sect, gradually learning a lot of information about the Sect.
The Qingxuan Sect was currently in a semi-wartime state. Most of the Sect’s combat power was needed to deal with the five-Sect joint exploration operation and the invasion by Nine Demon Sect Disciples from the Demonic Cave. The entire Qingxuan Sect was now like a powder keg, only a fuse away from initiating a full-Sect combat mobilization.
Being in the Sect, Li Mu did not want to get involved in the front lines of combat; he could only continue Artifact Refining, highlighting his value in Artifact Refining.
Hundred Refinements Peak was still bustling with activity, and there were more Disciples queuing for Artifact Refining than ever before.
Li Mu, wearing his golden Artifact Crafting Elder robe, passed unimpeded, flying into the Hundred Refinements Pagoda and arriving at the reception room of the Peak Master, Yin Xianwen.
“Greetings, Elder Yin!” Li Mu stepped through the door and said, looking at Yin Xianwen, who was studying an artifact blueprint.
“Elder Li, you’ve finally come out of seclusion! Quick, please take a seat. Xiao Zhuo, quickly brew the Qingxu Spirit Tea.” Yin Xianwen put aside the blueprint, quickly greeted Li Mu to sit down, and then instructed the maid outside the door.
“Yes, Master!” The maid responded and went to brew the tea.
“You’re too kind!” Li Mu replied with a smile.
Before long, the maid returned and presented Li Mu with a steaming cup of Spirit Tea.
“Elder Li, your Artifact Refining skills are truly remarkable. I wonder if you have any understanding of the refining of ships?” Yin Xianwen looked at Li Mu and asked with concern.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu’s heart stirred, wondering if Yin Xianwen had another intention in asking this.
Ever since he saw the thunder spiritual ship of the Wanbao Pavilion, Li Mu had been unable to forget it, and he had even considered refining a Spiritual Vessel himself. However, he also had to take care of Spiritual Plants, raise Spirit Beasts, refine artifacts, and craft talismans, so he simply couldn't spare the time.
“I have a little interest, but I haven’t had the opportunity to come into contact with it,” Li Mu answered truthfully.
“Hmm, refining such ships generally requires reliance on large organizations. It’s normal that you haven’t had contact with it before. Coincidentally, the Sect intends to Cultivate a group of Spiritual Vessels Artifact Refiners. If you are interested, I can help you sign up. With your Artifact Refining skills, you should be able to get started very quickly,” Yin Xianwen looked at Li Mu and indicated with a smile.
“Oh! Is the Sect preparing to refine Spiritual Vessels themselves?” Li Mu asked curiously, looking at the blueprint in Elder Yin’s hand, already having some guesses.
During this time, with his Divine Sense released, Li Mu had roughly learned some of the high-level 'movements'. The Qingxuan Sect had been discussing purchasing Spiritual Vessels from outside to strengthen the Sect’s war foundation, but it seemed they had not succeeded.
Now, was the Sect preparing to refine Spiritual Vessels themselves?
“That’s right! The Xuan Tian Sect’s war Spiritual Vessels are too expensive, and even if you want to buy them, you can’t get them without queuing. Even if you could, they would be stripped-down versions. Currently, if the Sect wants to break through the current predicament, only by building more Spiritual Vessels can we reverse the situation. This is a third-tier Golden Flame Spiritual Vessel manufacturing blueprint that the Sect painstakingly obtained. Would you like to study it and see if you can get started?” Yin Xianwen handed Li Mu an animal hide blueprint and introduced it.
Li Mu nodded, unrolled the Spiritual Vessel manufacturing design blueprint, immersed his Divine Sense into it, and began to ponder and study it.
Refining Spiritual Vessels was completely different from refining Spiritual Artifacts, yet there were some similarities. The same basic array foundation was laid, but instead of condensing artifact patterns on this foundation, various Formations were laid out: flight Formations, Spirit Control Formations, defensive Formations, offensive Formations, and all sorts of other Formations.
For example, this Spiritual Vessel blueprint in hand, using third-tier Golden Flame Spiritual Wood as the hull, with a ship body of thirty-six zhang, required laying down hundreds or even thousands of array patterns, linking various Formations, and so on.
With Li Mu’s Artifact Refining and Formation levels, if he diligently studied for a period, refining this Spiritual Vessel would be effortless.
However, Li Mu had reservations and was unwilling to get involved in this matter.
If he joined the team for refining Spiritual Vessels, his status in the Sect would definitely be greatly elevated, bringing him into the sight of the Sect’s high-level members.
Spiritual Vessels involved the core of the Sect, and by then, he would definitely need to meet with the Sect Master and Nascent Soul True Lords to discuss various issues, which was precisely what Li Mu wished to avoid.
“Elder Yin, thank you for your regard, but I really can’t get a grasp on this kind of Spiritual Vessel. I’ll just continue with Artifact Refining! I came here this time to receive a batch of Artifact Refining tasks. Refining this kind of Spiritual Vessel is quite troublesome, so I won’t get involved.” Li Mu handed the Spiritual Vessel blueprint back to Yin Xianwen, firmly refusing.
“Uh! Alright! Since Elder Li is unwilling to refine Spiritual Vessels, I won’t force you! Coincidentally, I have a batch of urgent Artifact Refining tasks on hand; I’ll assign them to you!” Yin Xianwen nodded with a wry smile, took back the Spiritual Vessel blueprint, and indicated.
“Thank you, Elder Yin!” Li Mu was overjoyed and quickly handed over his identity token.
Soon, Yin Xianwen quickly assigned Li Mu ten fourth-tier Spiritual Artifact refining tasks, once again confirming the current tense situation in the Sect. Many Golden Core Disciples, with the Sect exhausting its resources, were heavily engaged in Artifact Refining, practicing militarism.
After receiving the Spiritual Artifact tasks, Li Mu did not chat with Elder Yin for too long. After drinking the Spirit Tea, he bid him farewell.
Leaving Hundred Refinements Peak, Li Mu changed into a low-key Disciple uniform and headed to the Contribution Hall on Tai Xuan Peak to exchange for resources.
Having raised Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa, two big feeders, Li Mu’s demand for high-tier Yao Beast resources had increased significantly.
In particular, Xiao Jin, who was cultivating the Spirit Devouring Life Nurturing Art, had already reached the Peak of second-tier Yao Beast and was on the verge of breaking through to the third-tier, doubling its demand for high-tier Yao Beast meat.
In addition, Li Mu himself was also cultivating the Spirit Devouring Life Nurturing Art, requiring the meat of over a dozen third-tier Yao Beasts per month.
“Elder, the third-tier Yao Beast meat has been exchanged completely. There are still a few fourth-tier ones. Would you like to exchange for the fourth-tier ones?” The Managing Disciple in charge of resource exchange at the Contribution Hall recognized Li Mu and said apologetically.
This Artifact Crafting Elder in front of him was quite well-known in the Contribution Hall.
His Artifact Refining skill was beyond words, and the resources he exchanged were quite peculiar: Spiritual Plants, Yao Beast meat, and various spiritual items for cultivating Spiritual Plants. As an Artifact Crafting Elder, he strangely did not exchange for any Artifact Refining related Materials.
“Fourth-tier, huh! That’s too expensive! But give it to me!” Li Mu frowned and decided.
Once he completed the ten Artifact Refining tasks, his contribution points would increase significantly, and he wouldn't have to be so frugal anymore.
“Alright! You still have 62,000 contribution points. Would you like to exchange for one thousand two hundred fifty catties of fourth-tier Yao Beast meat?” The Managing Disciple looked at Li Mu with a smile and indicated.
“What kind of Yao Beast meat is it, that it’s so expensive?” Li Mu’s heart ached, and he asked with concern.
“It’s fourth-tier Blood Hell Tiger. It’s 50 contribution points per catty, not expensive at all. The spiritual essence contained in this Yao Beast meat is dozens of times that of third-tier Yao Beast meat, absolutely worth the price. This kind of Yao Beast meat is especially effective for the advancement of Spirit Beasts. Of course, if Elder Li consumes it yourself, please be careful; fourth-tier Yao Beast meat is not that easy to digest,” the Managing Disciple looked at Li Mu and kindly reminded him.
Upon hearing that fourth-tier Blood Hell Tiger meat was effective for Spirit Beast advancement, Li Mu was immediately tempted. Xiao Jin had been stuck at the second-tier Peak for a while now, and perhaps it could break through to the third-tier with the help of the spiritual essence from this Yao Beast meat.
“Okay, help me exchange it!” Li Mu nodded happily.
“Alright!” The Managing Disciple smiled and nodded, deducting a large sum of contribution points from the token.
The next moment, a large wooden box emerged from the small teleportation array. Inside the wooden box lay half a side of Blood Hell Tiger meat, emitting a terrifying Yao Spirit Aura.
“Elder Li, here’s your token, and the Yao Beast meat. Please confirm.” The Managing Disciple handed the token back to Li Mu and indicated with a smile.
“Thank you!” Li Mu took the token, waved his hand, and put the Yao Beast meat into his nine storage spiritual pearl.
Flying back to Yue Qiong Peak on his sword, Li Mu scanned with his Divine Sense and flew towards the ‘Spirit Beast Garden’.
Although it was called a Spirit Beast Garden, there were actually no buildings, just a large expanse of spiritual mountain wasteland. It was a bit far from Yin Yang Valley, and Li Mu had cast spells to build two giant ‘caves’ that could accommodate Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa for rest.
Li Mu’s figure had not yet arrived, but he had already notified them through the Spirit Control Contract Seal, and Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa came out of the cave together to greet him.
Li Mu descended on his sword, looking at the two giant beasts standing before him, who had grown considerably larger than a few days prior, and for a moment, his heart was filled with emotion.
Xiao Jin was a miniature version of ‘King Kong,’ but having cultivated the Spirit Devouring Life Nurturing Art, Xiao Jin’s body was more slender, less bulky; standing upright, he was nearly four meters tall, his Aura restrained, and his muscles faintly shimmered with golden light.
Xiao Wa, on the other hand, strongly resembled ‘Godzilla’; his body was twice the size of Xiao Jin’s, bearing a thick, heavy black rock giant shell on his back, exuding the profound Aura of a fourth-tier Yao Beast; Xiao Jin was like a younger brother in front of him, and he looked at Li Mu with a pair of innocent, guileless big black eyes, revealing a simple and honest demeanor, a stark contrast to his appearance.
Li Mu smiled slightly, took out half a slab of Blood Hell Tiger meat from the nine storage spiritual pearl, cut off a piece, and then gathered a ball of Five Elements Spiritual Fire to roast it.
In a short while, the bloody tiger meat turned into a steaming, fragrant piece of roasted tiger meat.
Li Mu divided the several dozen catties of tiger meat into two and handed them to the two beasts.
“Eat!” Li Mu said with a smile, gesturing.
As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, the two big fellows, who had been waiting impatiently, snatched the meat and stuffed it into their mouths, gulping it down.
Li Mu took a small piece of roasted tiger meat and began to enjoy it.
Upon ingesting the fourth-tier tiger meat, a powerful spiritual essence immediately erupted in Li Mu’s stomach, and he quietly circulated the Spirit Devouring Life Nurturing Art.
Soon, this powerful Spiritual Pressure disappeared, and under the effect of Spirit Devouring Body Refining, it quickly transformed into pure vital energy, strengthening Li Mu’s body.
A piece of fourth-tier roasted tiger meat, weighing two to three catties, was thus consumed by Li Mu.
Li Mu swung his fist, immediately producing a fierce sound of breaking through the air, capable of easily destroying boulders and thick wood.
Just as Li Mu was satisfied with the physical strength enhancement provided by the fourth-tier tiger meat.
“Roar!”
A roar suddenly burst from Xiao Jin’s mouth; at this moment, Xiao Jin pounded his chest, “Thump, thump,” looking up at the sky.
The massive Green-Eyed Golden Ape shimmered with golden light all over, the color of his fur deepened, and his Aura became as dense as a raging fire, instantly increasing severalfold, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to change color.
He advanced a Realm!
Seeing this, Li Mu couldn't help but recall the third-tier Ape Yao King under the Five Elements Giant Sword, which had broken through a Realm during battle; his Breakthrough was in the same state.
“Wa wa!” Xiao Wa glanced at Xiao Jin, then looked at Li Mu and cried out pitifully.
“I know!” Li Mu sighed, took out the other half of the tiger meat from the nine storage spiritual pearl, and cut off a large piece with his knife.
Li Mu thought for a moment, Xiao Jin had now advanced to the third tier, so his appetite must have increased; he immediately cut off another large piece, totaling over two hundred catties.
Li Mu conjured the Five Elements Spiritual Fire and once again became the cook for the roasted meat.
Seeing his master roasting meat, Xiao Jin stopped his ‘celebration’ and huddled with Xiao Wa, their eyes fixed on the sizzling tiger meat, drooling.
Soon, two hundred catties of fourth-tier roasted tiger meat went into the stomachs of the two fellows, yet they still looked at him with unsatisfied eyes.
Meeting their gaze, Li Mu’s scalp tingled.
No! This couldn't continue; to feed these two fellows, relying on him alone, no matter how much Contribution he earned, it wouldn't be enough.
“You two have also grown up; you can’t always rely on me to feed you, you should be self-sufficient, right!” Li Mu said, looking at Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa.
“Squeak, squeak!” Xiao Jin’s eyes darted, and he barked at Li Mu, indicating that he could participate in beast-fighting.
“Wa wa!” Xiao Wa looked at Li Mu blankly, not understanding what his master meant, was he complaining that he ate too much?
“Wait for me, I’ll take you hunting later.” Li Mu smiled slightly, gesturing.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa both rejoiced.
After speaking, Li Mu rose on his sword, flew out of Yue Qiong Peak, and prepared to go to Qingyun City to get two large Spirit Beast Pouches for them to hunt Yao Beasts.
There was no other way; the two fellows ate too much, and low-tier Yao Beasts couldn’t even fill their bellies.
Now, Li Mu’s Divine Sense could extend two to three hundred li away, allowing him to foresee many dangers in advance, making his travels much safer; taking Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa out hunting would, first, alleviate the tense food resources, second, hone their combat skills, and third, Li Mu, having been still for too long, decided to relax, killing several birds with one stone.
Of course, the several hundred mu of Spiritual Plants on Yue Qiong Peak still needed care, so Li Mu would not take them too far, probably within a two to three-day round trip.
Qingyun Peak, Wanbao Pavilion!
“A large Spirit Beast Pouch? Of course, we have it, Master Li, please wait a moment, I’ll have someone get it right away!” Gongsun Chu called a maid and gave a few instructions.
Before long, the maid returned with a tray.
“Master Li, this is a Grade A Spirit Beast Pouch, capable of holding eighteen large pack beasts, and the environment inside is also extremely excellent.” Gongsun Chu handed the Spirit Beast Pouch on the tray to Li Mu, introducing it.
“Hmm! This one will do! Deduct the cost from my commission! By the way, have you found any leads on the three Five Elements Spirit Beasts I asked you to inquire about?” Li Mu accepted the Spirit Beast Pouch with satisfaction, looking at Gongsun Chu and asking.
“Master Li, your requirements are too high; Yao Beasts with sixth-tier Aptitude, and even cubs, are not that easy to acquire! For fifth-tier, there is currently a fire-elemental fifth-tier Phoenix Bird, but the price is a bit high.” Gongsun Chu looked at Li Mu, introducing it tactfully.
“How much?” Li Mu asked curiously.
“This item is for sale by a True Lord; I can help you with the introduction, but you’ll need to prepare about 50,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones.” Gongsun Chu indicated.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu fell silent.
50,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones was roughly 5 million medium spirit stones; however, there was a certain negotiation in the exchange between High-Grade Spirit Stones and medium spirit stones, which would amount to 5.5 million medium spirit stones.
How many Spiritual Artifacts would he have to Artifact Refining to exchange for one fifth-tier Spirit Beast!
“Forget it, let’s drop this matter!” Li Mu waved his hand, deciding.
Once he achieved Golden Core Cultivation, and the Star Cloud Contemplation Method reached Perfection, allowing him to perceive even greater distances, he would then enter the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range; what high-tier Yao Beasts wouldn’t he encounter? He would just catch them himself then.
“Alright!” Gongsun Chu smiled and nodded.
“Master Li, are you free to Artifact Refining recently? We have some Artifact Refining commissions here.” Gongsun Chu looked at Li Mu and asked awkwardly.
Master Li’s whereabouts were uncertain, and it was rare to see him, so Gongsun Chu wouldn’t miss this opportunity to request Artifact Refining.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu frowned; one duck was a chase, two ducks were also a chase, so he did not refuse.
“Are the Materials for Artifact Refining ready? Give them to me!” Li Mu looked at Gongsun Chu and indicated.
“Alright! Master Li, please wait a moment!” Gongsun Chu nodded excitedly and personally went to organize the Artifact Refining Materials.
About half an hour later, Gongsun Chu arrived late, carrying two Storage Pouches, and respectfully handed them to Li Mu, saying: “Master Li, there are a total of seven Artifact Refining commissions this time, with seven Jade Slips for introduction, and fourteen sets of Materials in total; please Artifact Refining as much as you like, any extra ones produced will be subject to a 50% commission, and if you fail to Artifact Refining them, our Wanbao Pavilion will bear the loss, and you can come back for more Materials.”
“In about ten days, I’ll have them ready for you!” Li Mu rolled his eyes at Gongsun Chu in annoyance, was he looking down on him? How could he possibly fail to Artifact Refining them.
After speaking, Li Mu hurriedly left the Wanbao Pavilion.
High-tier Artifact Refining has a certain chance of failure, so typically, when commissioning an Artifact Refiner, the commissioner needs to prepare two sets of Artifact Refining Materials, and the Artifact Refiner must guarantee the success of at least one piece; this is an industry standard.
The Wanbao Pavilion’s acceptance of Artifact Refining commissions was also like this; for every extra Spiritual Artifact refined, they could earn another Spiritual Artifact.
Unlike Artifact Refining for the Wanbao Pavilion itself, where Artifact Refining Guest Elders earned commissions based on how many pieces they refined, without guaranteeing success or failure; however, this calculation had its pros and cons, as Artifact Refiners could also secretly keep Artifact Refining Materials.
Soon, Li Mu flew back to Yue Qiong Peak on his sword, paused for a moment, then piloted the Light Cloud Spirit Boat and sped towards the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.
Li Mu piloted the Light Cloud Spirit Boat at full speed, traveling a thousand li within half a day, keeping his Divine Sense constantly extended to avoid potential threats, and finally landed near a ‘Needle Peak’.
In the Needle Peak mountain range, Peaks rose like needles, and looking out, it was as if a thousand long needles stood in this world, a thousand Peaks like needles.
Li Mu descended from his boat, landed in an open area nearby, put away his Spirit Boat, and then released his sentinel spider Puppets, set up an Illusion Formation, and used earth-elemental spells to build a temporary camp.
Then, a flash of spiritual light.
Li Mu released Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa from his Spirit Beast Pouch and gestured: “Go play! There are quite a few second-tier and third-tier Yao Beasts nearby, catch whatever you want to eat.”
Li Mu smiled slightly, then transmitted the Yao Beast groups he had detected with his Divine Sense into their minds through the Spirit Control Contract Seal, and then looked at the two Spirit Beasts, encouraging them: “I’ll give you two days to compete and see who catches more; the winner gets a mysterious reward.”
The next second, Xiao Jin strode out, sprinting, his big feet thudding on the ground, and with the momentum of a thunderbolt, he charged towards the habitat of a third-tier Black Scale Yao Python.
Seeing Xiao Jin get a head start, Xiao Wa immediately became anxious, quickly buried his head and began to dig the earth with “thump, thump, thump” sounds, and in a blink of an eye, he burrowed underground and disappeared.
Only a ‘ground dragon’ could be seen moving underground at a speed barely discernible to the naked eye, heading northwest, ten li away, towards a group of second-tier Giant Tusk Yao Pigs.
Xiao Wa arrived first, releasing an Earth Spike spell.
With a “boom,” in an instant, hundreds of thick earth spikes pierced up from the ground, ensnaring the entire group of Giant Tusk Yao Pigs, big and small, a family of more than a dozen Giant Tusk Yao Pigs, some five or six meters long, others one or two meters long, with a pair of long, pointed tusks, like a small mountain at first glance; however, they were all impaled by the suddenly emerging spikes, hanging on the stone pillars, struggling in pain and screaming.
‘Seeing’ this scene, Li Mu ‘shivered’ and couldn’t bear to watch.