"Heavenly Fire is indeed something an Artifact Refiner yearns for throughout his life. It greatly aids in Artifact Refining and has the effect of seizing the fortune of heaven and earth. Master Li, although your Artifact Refining skills are excellent, this item cannot be refined by a Nascent Soul True Lord. It's more suitable for you to first refine a Spiritual Fire."
At the end of the introduction, Wang Wenbao looked at Li Mu and advised him.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu frowned slightly and sighed silently in his heart.
Heavenly Fire is so difficult to obtain, so the spirit control treasure bracelet, a six-tier spirit treasure, will probably have to remain in the Storage Pouch for a while longer.
The spirit control treasure bracelet, a high-tier Spirit Treasure, cannot be relied upon in the short term, and the Spiritual Luck Black Tortoise Armor is probably the same. Li Mu could only focus on the five-tier Lightning Book first.
"Forget it, I won't think about Heavenly Fire anymore!" Li Mu waved his hand, looked at Wang Wenbao, and then asked for help, "Manager Wang, I've been researching the refining of lightning-attribute Spiritual Artifacts recently. Could you help me find some lightning-element Formations or lightning-element Materials?"
"No problem, I will do my best to collect them for Master Li. I'll go to the storeroom to search later. There should be quite a few lightning-element Spiritual Materials stored there," Wang Wenbao readily agreed.
"Good, I should also go to Artifact Refining. Which Spiritual Artifacts do you need me to refine for you? Please arrange it quickly! I'll help you resolve it as soon as possible. I have to leave again in two days and won't return to Gangyang City until two months later," Li Mu explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Wang Wenbao was so anxious he almost jumped. He had thought that Master Li would stay at Wanbao Pavilion for a long time this time! Who knew he would only stay for a few more days?
"Master Li, shall we go to the Artifact Refining Room now? Let's arrange the Artifact Refining matters right away," Wang Wenbao immediately stopped being polite with Li Mu and made an inviting gesture.
Li Mu smiled and nodded, following Wang Wenbao towards the Artifact Refining workshop.
"By the way, when does Daoist Ling's private Auction begin?" Li Mu curiously asked Wang Wenbao.
"It starts when there are enough people, there's no set time. Does Master Li want to participate?" Wang Wenbao asked with a smile.
"Hmm! If I have time, I'll participate. If not, then forget it!" Li Mu said with a smile, not taking it too seriously.
With his Heavenly Talent - Identifying Myriad Spirits, he might be able to pick up a bargain at such a Foundation Establishment trade fair. However, he had already picked up many high-tier Spirit Treasures that he could only look at but not use, which made Li Mu feel a bit disheartened.
"Master Li, if you wish to participate, I will do my best to arrange it for you," Wang Wenbao responded with a smile. Connections were too easy for him to manage. To help him get the cloud mist spiritual tea seeds, he also needed to have a good talk with Daoist Ling.
"Thank you!" Li Mu said with a smile.
As they spoke, the two arrived at the Artifact Refining workshop.
"Manager Wang, Master Li!" Liu Zhong saw their arrival and quickly stepped forward to respectfully greet them.
"Liu Zhong, go fetch all the Artifact Refining Materials for refining 'Soul Severing Blade,' 'Soaring Heaven Bow,' and 'Town Sealing Pagoda.' Master Li wants to refine artifacts!" Wang Wenbao looked at Liu Zhong and urged impatiently.
Time is money, and Wang Wenbao cherished Master Li's time immensely.
"Okay, okay!" Liu Zhong responded and immediately went to the warehouse to fetch the Materials.
"Manager Wang, you go get busy! I'll leave the tea seeds to you," Li Mu greeted Wang Wenbao and then walked into Artifact Refining Room No. 1.
Watching Li Mu's back as he entered the Artifact Refining Room, Wang Wenbao sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
The two-tier cloud mist spiritual tea had always been Daoist Ling's treasured possession. To obtain his spiritual tea seeds, he would likely have to pay a significant price!
Wang Wenbao gritted his teeth. If you don't sacrifice the child, you can't catch the wolf. After thinking it through, he immediately left Wanbao Pavilion and went to Daoist Ling's Daoist temple to seek the spiritual seeds for Li Mu.
Time flew by, and two days passed.
For two days, Li Mu stayed in Artifact Refining Room No. 1, continuously refining Spiritual Artifacts, efficiently producing thirteen High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifacts, completing most of Wanbao Pavilion's Artifact Refining tasks.
Looking at the newly refined High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifacts, Wang Wenbao was overjoyed. Amidst his joy, his smile suddenly vanished, and his face became very unsightly as he thought of some sad things.
The other Artifact Refiner Guest Elders of Wanbao Pavilion found it incredibly difficult to refine a single High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifact, even needing to burn incense and meditate to increase the success rate of Artifact Refining.
However, it was vastly different for Master Li. He was proficient in the Divine Refining method. The Spiritual Artifacts he refined were all high-quality, stable in quality, extremely efficient in refining, and had a very high success rate. The consumption of Artifact Refining Materials was minimal, and the profit obtained from refining a three-tier Spiritual Artifact was several times that of other Artifact Refiner Great Masters.
Spiritual Artifacts have four Ranks: High Grade, Medium Grade, Low Grade, and Supreme Grade. One-tier Low Grade and Medium Grade Spiritual Artifacts are consumed by Qi Refining Early Stage and Middle Stage Cultivators. Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivators are capable of consuming and using one-tier High Grade and Supreme Grade Spiritual Artifacts, or a few two-tier Low Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators with insufficient financial resources can also use two-tier Medium Grade and High Grade Spiritual Artifacts. Foundation Establishment Cultivators with abundant financial resources begin to pursue three-tier Medium Grade and High Grade Spiritual Artifacts, striving to defeat two-tier Yao Beasts.
Spiritual Artifacts are extremely important for improving a Cultivator's combat power. Yao Beasts' overall strength is a notch higher than Human cultivators, and only by relying on the power of high-tier Spiritual Artifacts can they be defeated.
Therefore, three-tier Medium Grade and High Grade Spiritual Artifacts not only sell well but also fetch a good price. For Foundation Establishment Hunter Cultivators who put their lives on the line, obtaining a handy High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifact might allow them to single-handedly challenge a two-tier Yao Beast, obtaining huge profits and thus entering a virtuous cycle.
As for Spiritual Artifacts above four-tier, those are only affordable by Golden Core cultivators, and Master Li should not yet be capable of refining them.
However, the 'Master Li' who could consistently produce High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifacts was simply a treasure trove in Wang Wenbao's eyes.
Wang Wenbao wished he could lock 'Master Li' in the Artifact Refining Room and make him refine artifacts continuously.
Unfortunately, this fellow was a restless sort who simply wouldn't listen to persuasion. It was impossible to make him stay obediently in the Artifact Refining Room to refine artifacts and earn Spirit Stones.
If he said two days, it was two days; he wouldn't stay an extra day, even if they were willing to pay him double the Spirit Stones. Master Li was as stubborn as a donkey and didn't care at all.
He even said nonsense like, "It's enough if I have enough Spirit Stones to spend. Carrying too many Spirit Stones makes it easy to encounter bandit Cultivators," and so on.
Wang Wenbao pleaded and begged, but he couldn't convince him.
He was even harder to serve than his own grandfather.
"Manager Wang, is Daoist Ling's Auction still happening? If not, I'm leaving and will return to Gangyang City in two months," Li Mu happily accepted two Storage Pouches. These contained the Spirit Stones from his Artifact Refining commission, as well as a bag of 'specialties' prepared by Wang Wenbao, including cloud mist spiritual tea seeds, thunder stones, thunder Spirit Stones, Spirit Pills, and other items.
"Yes, it starts tomorrow. Master Li, why don't you stay one more night and also refine the remaining Spiritual Artifacts?" Wang Wenbao looked at Li Mu pitifully and tried to persuade him.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Li Mu frowned, suspiciously scrutinizing Wang Wenbao.
This old fellow had been trying every possible trick to coax him into staying and helping refine Spiritual Artifacts these past few days. If Li Mu hadn't been firm in his resolve to return to farming, he would have long been tempted by wealth, Dao Companions, supreme Cultivation Techniques, high-tier Artifact Refining Materials, and so on.
"Don't worry, Master Li, if I say tomorrow, it's tomorrow. I would never dare to deceive you!" Wang Wenbao patted his chest and guaranteed. If he could keep Master Li for one more night, he might be able to refine two, no, three High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifacts.
This substantial profit, even if Daoist Ling was unavailable to hold this private Auction tomorrow, would be enough for him to use all his connections to make it happen.
Li Mu thought seriously for a moment. Before coming to Gangyang City, he had set up a Formation with abundant water-element Spiritual Qi for the hundred acres of spiritual fields in Green Dragon Valley. The hundred acres of spiritual plants should be fine. At most, Crimson Wolf would go hungry for a bit, but that fellow could already catch fish in the pond, so staying one more day shouldn't be a problem.
"Alright! I'll stay one more day and go to the Auction tomorrow!" Li Mu nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Master Li!" Wang Wenbao thanked him profusely and quickly made an inviting gesture, leading Li Mu towards the Artifact Refining Room, while excitedly introducing, "Master Li, this time Fairy Ning wants to refine a fire-element Spiritual Whip. She provided twenty catties of three-tier Flame Marrow Crystal, fifty catties of three-tier Crimson Rainbow Steel, and a two-tier Fire Python spine bone. Also, Daoist Friend Wang wants to refine a metal-element Spiritual Sword, ..."
Li Mu helplessly followed Wang Wenbao to the Artifact Refining Room.
"Understood, you can leave now! Remember to have someone send in more two-tier Yao Beast meat," Li Mu returned to Artifact Refining Room No. 1, dismissed Wang Wenbao, and instructed.
"No problem! If you don't have enough to eat, just tell Liu Zhong," Wang Wenbao happily agreed.
...
The next day, early in the morning.
Li Mu sat on a Spiritual Boat arranged by Wanbao Pavilion and flew towards a spiritual mountain near Gangyang City, directly landing at a Daoist temple built on the mountain peak.
"Master Li, this Spiritual Seclusion Daoist Temple is Daoist Ling's Daoist temple. I'll escort you down!" The Foundation Establishment guard arranged by Wanbao Pavilion looked at Li Mu and gestured.
Li Mu nodded, and under the escort of the Foundation Establishment guard, he flew down to the entrance of the Spiritual Seclusion Daoist Temple.
At this time, a lean Daoist in a green Daoist robe, with a ruddy complexion, about fifty years old, stood at the entrance. He was probably the owner of this Daoist temple - Daoist Ling, accompanied by two young Daoist children about ten years old.
"You must be Master Li of Wanbao Pavilion! Please, please, come in. All the Fellow Daoists are about to arrive, and the Auction is about to begin!" Daoist Ling greeted Li Mu warmly with a brilliant smile.
"Master Li, you go in! I'll wait outside. Remember to call me if you need anything!" The Foundation Establishment guard looked at Li Mu and gestured.
"Okay!" Li Mu nodded with a smile.
"Master Li, please go in first. I'm waiting for two Fellow Daoists," Daoist Ling said to Li Mu, then instructed the Daoist child on his right, "Little child, please take Master Li in!"
"Master Li, please follow me," the little child nodded, leading the way with a sweet, childish voice.
"Hmm!" Li Mu responded with a smile, only realizing from the voice that this handsome little Daoist child was a little girl.
Soon, following the female Daoist child, Li Mu arrived at the Auction hall.
In the large hall, there were already more than a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered, including Daoists, female Cultivators, Sword Cultivators, bare-armed men with wine gourds, and scholars.
About a quarter of an hour later, Daoist Ling arrived with two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and all the participants for this private Auction were present.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone. All participants for this private Auction have gathered. Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for attending. This private Auction officially begins!" Daoist Ling announced with a smile, looking at everyone.
"Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Ling. Everyone here knows each other, and they are all Foundation Establishment Cultivators. However, this young friend is very unfamiliar, and his Cultivation Base is only at Qi Refining ninth-tier. He doesn't have the qualifications to participate, does he?" At this moment, a burly Cultivator with a full beard looked at Li Mu and asked bluntly.
Upon hearing this,
The numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, whether curious, watching the show, or indifferent, quietly awaited Daoist Ling's explanation.
"Fellow Daoist Chen is right, it's my fault, I forgot to introduce him to everyone!" Daoist Ling smiled apologetically, then calmly introduced to everyone, "This young friend is Master Li, the Artifact Refining Guest Elder of Wanbao Pavilion. He is a high-tier Artifact Refining Great Master. Previously, many High Grade three-tier Spiritual Artifacts at Wanbao Pavilion's Auction came from Master Li's hands. This time, Master Li was interested in participating, so I allowed it. I apologize for not informing everyone in advance, please forgive me, Fellow Daoists."
Upon hearing this, the numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators suddenly realized. No wonder old Daoist Ling would allow a Qi Refining Cultivator to participate in this Auction. It turned out this young man was Master Li of Wanbao Pavilion.
"So it's Master Li, welcome, welcome!"
"Master Li, to be so young, I've long admired you!"
"Master Li, whatever you need for the Auction later, just say it. I, Xu, will do my best to gather it for Master Li."
"I was wondering why Wanbao Pavilion's Guard Hu was waiting outside. So he was here to send Master Li!"
...
For a moment, the numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators cupped their hands and greeted Li Mu, expressing goodwill.
"Fellow Daoists, are there any more questions? Then this Auction shall begin!" Daoist Ling surveyed the entire hall and asked with a smile.
After speaking, Daoist Ling pointed to the courtyard next door with a large round table, guiding, "Please all take your seats in the courtyard meeting place!"
Upon hearing this, the numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators walked to the adjacent courtyard, and then, one by one, sat on the futons around the round table.
Li Mu followed the Foundation Establishment Cultivators to the courtyard and sat down next to a female Foundation Establishment Cultivator in a red dress.
Li Mu looked around. There were eighteen futons under the round table. Besides him, a Qi Refining Cultivator, there were a total of seventeen Foundation Establishment Cultivators present.
Seeing so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators for the first time, the Spiritual Pressure they exuded was very strong. Because of his identity as 'Master Li,' he earned their respect, and Li Mu's mood was somewhat complex for a moment.
"The rules for this Auction are as follows: each Fellow Daoist will place three Spiritual Items on the table for public display, introduce the value of the Spiritual Items, and what they wish to trade for. Bids can be made with Spirit Stones. The Auction will proceed in order from left to right. If a trade is not concluded, the next Fellow Daoist will continue the trade. Of course, when a Fellow Daoist is trading, please keep silent and bid to compete, so as not to harm everyone's harmony. Once a trade is concluded, there shall be no backing out. Please all bear witness and abide by these trading rules," Daoist Ling surveyed the crowd and first explained the trading rules for this private Auction.
"Okay, trading by this method is very fair!"
"Excellent, I agree!"
"Hmm! Let's do it this way!"
...
The numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators nodded, all agreeing to follow these trading rules.
"If everyone agrees, then this Auction shall begin, and I, Ling, will start by throwing out a brick to attract jade!" Daoist Ling smiled and nodded, then took out three Spiritual Items from his Storage Pouch: a small bronze gourd, an orange jade stone, and a large animal skin bag.