Linglong Mask (Damaged)
Grade: Third-Order Spiritual Artifact
Properties: Face-changing disguise, aura concealment, spiritual essence hidden.
A face-mimicking artifact crafted with Linglong Crystal, Illusory Moon Stone, and Scarlet Copper secret methods. After refining and attaching it to the face, it can generate three disguised human faces. Due to three hundred Years of corrosion, its spiritual essence has been lost. It needs to be soaked in four catties of exuviating spiritual water and nurtured with one hundred thousand wisps of Spiritual Qi for a period of time to be repaired.
Back at Xiao Liang Mountain, Li Mu immediately took out the Mask Spiritual Artifact. His Divine Ability talent, Identifying Myriad Spirits, activated, and the virtual box displayed the true attributes of the Mask Spiritual Artifact.
This was a damaged Third-Order Spiritual Artifact that had lost its spiritual essence.
exuviating spiritual water is a Second-Order Spiritual Item, primarily used to cleanse contaminated Spiritual Artifacts, possessing powerful exorcising and dust-removing effects. One tael costs about 5 medium spirit stones, so four catties would require 200 medium spirit stones.
Adding the one hundred thousand wisps of Spiritual Qi for nurturing, with one Low Grade Spirit Stone providing ten wisps of Spiritual Qi, the total estimated cost would be around 300 medium spirit stones.
300 medium spirit stones for a Third-Order Spiritual Artifact is completely worth it. However, the Spirit Stones in his Spirit Stone pouch were not enough!
He had to take it slowly!
No rush! After harvesting two more batches of Spiritual Plants, he would be almost ready to attempt Foundation Establishment. With Foundation Establishment Cultivation, he would be able to sell Second-Order Spirit Talismans openly and would no longer be poor.
Li Mu took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in his heart, and put the Linglong Mask into his storage slot.
"Woof woof!" Crimson Wolf wagged its tail, barking worriedly at Li Mu.
Li Mu smiled at Crimson Wolf. This little guy understood human nature and was quite the 'warm man.'
Li Mu took out a Medicinal Pill bottle, poured out a Spirit Nurturing Pill, and threw it to Crimson Wolf: "Here, for your excellent watch-keeping, this is your reward."
Crimson Wolf opened its mouth, caught the Spirit Nurturing Pill in one bite, swallowed it whole, and then rolled excitedly on the ground, exposing its belly to Li Mu, asking for pets and hugs.
Li Mu played with Crimson Wolf for a while, then began to check the effects of the several Formations.
The Gathering Spirit Formation set up in the courtyard not only did not affect the Yin Spirit Formation but actually enhanced the Spiritual Qi gathering effect. The four newly reclaimed acres of land were rapidly undergoing spiritualization.
With the significant increase in Spiritual Qi in the Xiao Liang Mountain Spirit Field area, the Emerald Spirit Fruit and spirit rice were growing even more vigorously and were in excellent condition.
Li Mu formed a hand seal, sending his magic power into the air, casting the Qingfeng Huanyu Technique.
The next second, a gentle breeze accompanied by rich Spiritual Qi swept through.
Soon, dense, rice-sized raindrops, carrying rich Spiritual Qi, fell continuously for about three hundred breaths.
Under the irrigation of the spiritual rain, the Spiritual Plants in the Emerald Spirit Fruit field and the White Jade spirit rice field were full of spiritual essence, and their vitality became even more vigorous.
Next, Li Mu instructed the laborer puppet to work, while also optimizing its plowing actions.
In the fields, a spirit peach wood Puppet, holding a hoe with both hands, mechanically tilled the land. It bent slightly at the waist, its left hand forward, its left foot also forward, changing posture with each step. The hoe struck with moderate force, the hoe blade paused instantly after digging, then adjusted depth before raking...
Under Li Mu's control and optimization, the laborer puppet tirelessly plowed and turned the land.
The laborer puppet's plowing actions were almost optimized. He left the five acres of Spirit Field for it to handle. In two more days, when the four new acres of land finished spiritualization, he could plant a batch of Wind Spirit Grass simultaneously.
After completing a day's farm work, Li Mu returned to the courtyard and began refining Spirit Talismans.
...
Days passed by.
Li Mu stayed hidden on Xiao Liang Mountain, farming. Occasionally, he would go to Qing'an Town to purchase talisman paper and various daily necessities. Every few days, he would set up a stall in Qingping Town to sell Spirit Talismans and buy Artifact Refining Materials. When he had time, he would make himself a grand spiritual meal; when he was busy, he would mix Spiritual Fruit and Grain Abstinence Pills. His life was quite comfortable and peaceful.
Just as Li Mu thought his days would continue to be so stable, without incident, until the next harvest of Spiritual Plants, reality dealt him a heavy blow.
"Reclaim my Spirit Field? Why?"
Li Mu looked at Lin Qiuhai, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Qingxuan Sect, and asked in surprise.
"Why? Because you are just a Utility Disciple, and the new Senior Brother Wang is a Deacon Disciple, that's why!" Lin Qiuhai looked at Li Mu coldly and reprimanded him.
"What a joke. I have a reclamation order and a tenancy contract. Even if a Sect Elder came, they couldn't just take my Spirit Field. Senior Brother Wang's order contradicts the Sect's tenancy rules, and I will not comply!" Li Mu smiled and shook his head, refusing to obey.
The death of Xu Lijin was confirmed by the Qingxuan Sect, so a new Deacon Disciple, Wang Feng, was sent. While inspecting the Qing'an Town properties, he discovered the potential value of the nine acres of reclaimed Spirit Field on Xiao Liang Mountain and now wanted Li Mu to hand over the Spirit Field.
Li Mu had painstakingly reclaimed the land, set up Spirit Formations, and cultivated the Spirit Field, spending thousands of lower spirit stones before and after, gradually advancing the Low Grade Spirit Field towards Medium Grade Spirit Field.
They wanted him to hand over the Spirit Field based on mere words? How could Li Mu let them have their way?
Xu Lijin even tried to kill him! They didn't even bother to use their brains, just shamelessly demanding it?
"Senior Brother Xu is dead. The authenticity of the reclamation order he issued is difficult to determine and cannot be counted. Junior Brother Zhao, I advise you to be sensible, don't ask for trouble." Lin Qiuhai frowned tightly and continued to persuade him.
"What does 'being sensible' mean? Letting me give away the Spirit Field I painstakingly reclaimed and cultivated for free? What a good plan, don't even think about it!" Li Mu glanced at Lin Qiuhai and dismissed him: "There's nothing good to entertain you with on Xiao Liang Mountain, Senior Brother Lin, please return!"
"Good! Good! You won't shed tears until you see the coffin, will you?! Then you wait!" Lin Qiuhai laughed in anger, dropped a harsh threat, and flew off on his sword towards Qing'an Town.
Watching Lin Qiuhai's disappearing back, Li Mu sighed softly, "Why is life so difficult?! I've been hiding in the mountains farming, trying my best not to go out and cause trouble, yet there are always people who don't know better coming to my door."
The identity of a Qingxuan Sect Utility Disciple was too low-end; even farming wasn't peaceful.
It seemed he had to find time to go to the Sect and get a promotion, to raise his status. Otherwise, despite his strength, in others' eyes, he would remain a weak and easily bullied Utility Disciple.
— — - — —
Qing'an Town, Qingxuan Sect 駐地, Deacon's Courtyard.
"He really said that?" Wang Feng asked Lin Qiuhai with a gloomy face.
"Yes! Senior Brother Wang, that guy values his Spirit Field more than his life, he's very stubborn!" Lin Qiuhai replied through gritted teeth.
In the Qingxuan Sect, Utility Disciples were there to provide Cultivation resources to the Sect. Even Outer Sect Disciples provided Cultivation resources to the higher-level Inner Sect Disciples and the Sect, it was just that they had more rights.
A mere Utility Disciple could reclaim so many acres of Spirit Field, and it even had the potential to become Medium Grade Spirit Field.
How could such Cultivation resources be held by a Utility Disciple?
He truly didn't know what was good for him!
"Stubborn? Is that so! Then I'd like to see how stubborn he is. You go, find a few reliable outsiders, and handle this cleanly!" Wang Feng chuckled indifferently and instructed.
"Understood!" Lin Qiuhai readily accepted the order and turned to find people.
Wang Feng lowered his head, looking at the ledger, not caring in the slightest about the life of a Utility Disciple.
In this Cultivation world where strength was revered, the lives of the weak were destined to be mere consumables, requiring no pity.