Inside the Artifact Refining Room, within the Artifact Refining furnace, the Yan Yang Spiritual Fire blazed, emitting terrifying high temperatures.
A mass of geng metal and a mass of Taiyi Fine Gold, suspended within the furnace, glowed red and softened under the scorching of the Yan Yang Spiritual Fire, yet they did not melt for a long time. On the other side, a large mass of red gold stone had already melted into a metallic liquid.
Li Mu's Divine Sense was fully engaged, laboriously 'kneading' the geng metal and Taiyi Fine Gold, shaping them into a shield surface. Afterwards, he manipulated the red gold molten liquid to envelop them, forming the embryo of a large shield. Then, he used Divine Refining Art to construct the Formation base within it.
Soon, the Yan Yang Spiritual Fire in the Artifact Refining furnace extinguished, and the spiritual shield embryo gradually solidified. Under Li Mu's Divine Sense control, the Artifact Refining furnace lid opened, and he slowly took out a seven-foot tall, two-foot eight-inch wide golden shield embryo from inside.
The sounds of 'clang, clang...' hammering continuously echoed from the Artifact Refining Room.
After three hours, a third-order top-grade defensive Spiritual Artifact – the Geng Metal Shield – was finally born in his hands.
Using fifteen catties of third-order geng metal, seventeen catties of Taiyi Fine Gold, and over five hundred catties of red gold stone, Li Mu refined a third-order top-grade shield for himself that possessed extremely strong defense and extreme hardness.
After Li Mu refined the Geng Metal Shield, he found it somewhat strenuous to use.
However, this Geng Metal Shield, with third-order geng metal and third-order Taiyi Fine Gold as its shield surface, supplemented by a large amount of red gold stone to increase its weight, defensive strength, and imbued with twelve defensive artifact patterns—condensation, solidity, resistance, displacement, rejection, steadfastness, and spirit transfer—had a defensive power capable of easily withstanding even the attacks of a Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivator.
Li Mu mastered Puppet Art, sword Formations, Formation, Divine Sense, Talisman, and various other sharp offensive methods, but he lacked outstanding defensive capabilities. Now, with this third-order top-grade Geng Metal Shield, his defensive shortcomings were finally addressed.
Li Mu experimented by fully attacking the third-order geng metal Shield with his Mystic Iron Sword, but it didn't even leave a single mark.
third-order geng metal and Taiyi Fine Gold are incredibly hard Materials, rich in sharp metallic Qi, making them top-grade Artifact Refining Materials for refining third-order spiritual swords. Few people refine them into spiritual shields, as such a practice would be a great waste of resources.
However, for Li Mu, it was very meaningful. In future battles, he would use this shield to withstand attacks, allowing him to fight more calmly without worrying about defense.
After putting the Geng Metal Shield into his Storage Pouch, Li Mu continued to activate the Yan Yang Great Formation of the Artifact Refining furnace. The remaining second-order red gold ore could still be used to refine two spiritual swords, so he decided to refine them all at once, preparing to take them to the Wanbao Pavilion for auction.
Half an hour later, Li Mu emerged from the Artifact Refining Room with a smile. After the third-order top-grade Geng Metal Shield, he successfully refined two third-order Low Grade spiritual swords using over a hundred catties of red gold ore, achieving great gains.
Back in his room,
Li Mu took out a leather waterskin from his Storage Pouch, then brought out a wooden basin, and retrieved the bronze mask from his Storage Pouch.
【Linglong Mask (Damaged)】
【Grade: Third-order Spiritual Artifact】
【Attributes: Face-changing and disguise, aura camouflage, spiritual essence hidden.】
【A face-mimicking artifact made from Linglong crystal, Moon-Illusion stone, and refined red copper using 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 requires soaking in four catties of exuviating spiritual water and nurturing with one hundred thousand wisps of Spiritual Qi for a period of time to be repaired.】
Looking at the mask's attributes, Li Mu placed it in the basin. Then, he pulled out the wooden stopper from the waterskin and poured the exuviating spiritual water into the wooden basin with a 'gurgling' sound.
Soon, wisps of white mist rose from the mask, and the four catties of exuviating spiritual water gradually became cloudy. The moss on the mask slowly disappeared, and a whirlwind inexplicably appeared, drawing a large amount of spiritual power towards the wooden basin.
Li Mu sensed the abnormal flow of Spiritual Qi. The Linglong Mask began to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi. Immediately, he took out a large quantity of Low-Grade Spirit Stones and Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and poured them all into the wooden basin.
The Spirit Stones filled the wooden basin, exuding a spiritual aura. However, before the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Stones could dissipate, the Linglong Mask generated a powerful suction force, completely devouring all the Spiritual Qi.
The Spirit Stones gradually turned mottled gray and white, their surfaces cracking and showing numerous fissures.
Not long after, all the Spirit Stones in the basin lost their spiritual power and turned into dregs, and the Linglong Mask also stopped absorbing spiritual power.
The Linglong Mask should have recovered!
Li Mu quickly took the Linglong Mask out of the wooden basin. What appeared before him was a crystal-clear, highly spiritual, and incredibly thin transparent mask, exuding a mysterious and extraordinary aura.
Li Mu poured his Divine Sense into it and condensed spiritual power in his hand. It didn't take long for him to refine it. When he put it on his face, he immediately felt a cool, transparent object tightly adhering to his face, just like a face mask. He could clearly feel it, yet it was invisible to the naked eye, truly miraculous.
Li Mu understood how to use the Linglong Mask. It could generate and store three human faces. The Linglong Mask currently had no facial features stored, so before transforming into another person's face, he first needed to sculpt a face himself.
Li Mu walked to a bronze mirror, thinking of his original face from his previous world.
Soon, the face in the bronze mirror blurred, revealing a plain, square face of someone around twenty-four or twenty-five Years old, with single eyelids and a high nose bridge.
Li Mu was stunned for a moment, a complex expression on his face. This was truly his face! Although it was a bit uglier than the face of his current body.
He couldn't go back now!
Li Mu silently manipulated the Linglong Mask to store this face.
After fiddling with the Linglong Mask for a while and confirming that his appearance and aura would change when he wore it, providing a very strong disguise effect, Li Mu happily put it into his Storage Pouch, knowing that he would surely have many opportunities to use it in the future.
After clearing the table, Li Mu began to take out a Talisman brush and second-order Talisman paper to start Spiritual Charms Drawing.
Time passed bit by bit, and in a blink of an eye, a night had passed.
The next day.
After Li Mu woke up, he took a sickle and went down to the spirit rice field to start harvesting the White Jade Spirit Rice.
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption takes effect. You absorbed a cluster of plant spirit. Cultivation +2.】
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption takes effect. You absorbed a cluster of plant spirit. Cultivation +1.】
...
Li Mu harvested the spirit rice stalks while collecting the plant spirit light clusters. His cultivation increased little by little, but there was still a huge distance to the next level.
"It's not cost-effective!" Li Mu finished harvesting one mu of spirit rice stalks, his expression somewhat displeased.
One mu of spirit rice field yielded about 100,000 cultivation points, but it required 500,000 cultivation points to advance from Qi Refining tenth level to Qi Refining eleventh level. This was only one-fifth. After his cultivation improved, planting spirit rice became somewhat uneconomical.
He could only harvest once every six months. It would be better to plant Wind Spirit Grass, which could be harvested twice for free proficiency points.
Or perhaps planting Emerald Spirit Fruit would also be suitable, as it could enhance Divine Soul, or should he switch to planting other Spiritual Plants?
"Forget it, I'll plan it when I get back!" Li Mu sighed and continued with his farm work, collecting the spirit rice.