“Reward.” Qian Duoduo plopped down on the ground, popped a Spirit Increasing Pill into his mouth, and put on a look of exhaustion and greed.
Another Storage Pouch contained a Third-Rank Refiner’s token, robe, and “Hundred Item Recipes.”
With the items safe in his pouch, he could now explore the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia.
Qian Duoduo took out his turtle shell tent, looked at Wang Shuhuo, and asked, “I’m a Third-Rank Refiner now, can this be upgraded into a Dan artifact and sold for over 100,000?”
“Of course,” Wang Shuhuo replied without hesitation.
“This artifact—” Qian Duoduo was reminding him that he had promised to help him get some Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia after he passed the third rank.
He said “get,” not “sell,” nor “give.” Whether it was sold or given, it was fine, as long as he could obtain it.
“Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia?” Wang Shuhuo stared at Qian Duoduo, trying to discern his true intentions.
“Yes. I want to create new Magic Treasures.” Qian Duoduo showed him the Magic Treasures for his self-made artifacts.
He wanted Wang Shuhuo to believe that his intention was only to upgrade the tent. The Golden Toad and Liu Boli were his biggest secrets and would not be exposed in the slightest.
Wang Shuhuo flipped through the strange Magic Treasures, frowning. “Why bother with these? Isn’t it a waste of time and Materials?”
“All things have Spirit. I want to try.”
“Although you are a Third-Rank Refiner, there is still a long way to go. If you are willing to take a position in my Refining Association, I can recommend you to Wuzhu City, or even Facai City, to walk the grand Dao of Artifact Refining. Staying in this Refining Spirit Sect store might delay your progress.”
Wang Shuhuo returned the Magic Treasures to Qian Duoduo. From his demeanor, he seemed to think Qian Duoduo had gone astray and wanted to burn these Magic Treasures.
“What is ‘take a position’?” Qian Duoduo was a bit confused.
“From then on, you would belong to the Refining Association and no longer be under the jurisdiction of the Refining Spirit Sect.”
“Thank you, President, but I think the Refining Spirit Sect treats me quite well.” Wang Shuhuo’s suggestion tempted Qian Duoduo, but Qian Duoduo did not trust him and did not know much about the Refining Association.
No matter what, he couldn't possibly treat him like his Uncle Palace Lord.
“Alright, I won’t force you.” Wang Shuhuo turned to an examiner and said, “Old Li, go to the warehouse and get three Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia.”
The examiner was startled. “President, this is?”
“Jin Buhuan passed two major hurdles, advancing from a First Grade High-Level to a Third Grade High-Level Artifact Refiner. I believe he is an Artifact Refining Genius, and I’ve decided to reward him with three.”
Wang Shuhuo’s words were like a super Medicinal Pill, replenishing Qian Duoduo’s Spiritual Qi, making him stand up from the ground.
Genius—no one had ever called Qian Duoduo that before. He was a Mortal from a village, impersonating a Cultivation Genius, struggling so much in this Immortal Cultivation World, and he could still be called a Genius?
Perhaps there was an element of exaggeration, but Qian Duoduo was equally happy. During his time in the Refining Spirit Sect, he also knew that his talent should be quite good.
When Examiner Old Li reappeared, he was holding a black jade box.
Qian Duoduo touched his tent, hiding his excitement.
His Master, Liu Boli, had done so much for him, yet he had never repaid him. If he could obtain the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia and successfully refine the Five Yin Soul Returning Pill, it would be doing something for him.
Wang Shuhuo took the black jade box, gently opened it, revealing three Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia inside.
The purple leaves were covered in black fuzz, while the roots were pure white. A wisp of white mist floated from the fuzz. If one looked closely, the mist slowly changed color; whatever color you thought of, that’s what it would be.
The “Artifact Refining Encyclopedia, spiritual plant Volume” recorded that the more mist, the better the quality of the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia. From its appearance, these three Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia were of excellent quality.
Qian Duoduo steadied his breathing, quietly swallowed, suppressed his joy, and slowly asked Wang Shuhuo, “President, how do I improve the grade of the tent?”
Wang Shuhuo moved a finger, took out one Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia from the box, closed the black jade box, and handed it to Qian Duoduo.
Qian Duoduo felt a pang in his heart; of only three Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia, one was kept by him just like that.
Wang Shuhuo pressed his hand on the cauldron, and a gentle flame rose, enveloping the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia.
Within the flame, the mist from the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia grew denser, while the plant itself continuously shrank. Two quarters of an hour later, the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia vanished, transforming into a constantly changing colorful mist.
The tent opened, and Wang Shuhuo placed the colorful mist inside. With his Spiritual Awareness, he evenly smeared the colorful mist on the inner wall.
Once the mist was completely absorbed, he pointed to the tent. “Go in and experience it.”
Qian Duoduo also wanted to know what the turtle shell tent would be like after becoming a Dan artifact.
He crawled into the tent, and the scene inside the tent began to change: first, it appeared as the Buhuan Estate, then slowly transformed into Jin Buhuan’s Immortal Cave in the Inner Sect Disciple’s Qinglong District, and then shifted to the village entrance of You Sha Village, where the landlord’s dog was running towards Qian Duoduo, carrying a chicken leg…
Quickly emerging from the tent, Qian Duoduo said to Wang Shuhuo, “I didn’t set the scenes inside; how did I see them?”
“That’s the effect of the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia: it calms the mind, nourishes the soul, materializes visions, and brings joy and warmth,” Wang Shuhuo explained. “Moreover, what each person sees is different.”
“What I see, others can’t see? What others see, I can’t see?” Qian Duoduo was a bit uneasy. You Sha Village, hehe, it couldn’t see the light of day either.
“That’s right. Unless you enter the other person’s Spiritual Awareness.” Wang Shuhuo’s answer reassured Qian Duoduo. Such a satisfactory tent would indeed not be expensive at 100,000 gold coins.
“Thank you, President, for the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia. I want to refine all the Magic Treasures on the Dan artifact Magic Treasure I just received before taking the fourth-rank exam. Right now, my Spiritual Qi and confidence are insufficient.” Qian Duoduo’s heart flew back to the Sect store; he wanted to return early to see how to refine the Five Yin Soul Returning Pill.
“That’s fine. I saw that when you were refining the Dan artifact just now, it wasn’t as smooth as refining an artisan artifact. Qian Duoduo, seriously consider what you just said about taking a position at the Association; you are welcome anytime.”
Qian Duoduo hummed in response to the President’s sincere invitation, slowed his steps, and returned to the Sect store.
Chu Tianqi saw the overflowing smile on Qian Duoduo’s face and couldn’t help but ask, “Is there something happy happening at the store?”
Qian Duoduo took out the Cold Flame Pure Snow Spear from his Storage Pouch. “Fifty percent off, for sale.”
Chu Tianqi took the spear. “A Dan artifact! High-level! Fifty percent off?” He could hardly believe it. Dan artifacts were rare in the market; the Sect store only had one or two, and their prices started at 100,000.
If this were sold at half price, wouldn't people be fighting over it?
“Yes. Fifty percent off! In the future, we’ll have plenty of these things.” Qian Duoduo didn’t look back, entering his room and activating the shielding Formation.
Before he could summon him, Liu Boli flashed out from the Golden Toad. “Why didn’t you agree to join the Refining Association?” Qian Duoduo’s leap in rank again shocked him. Liu Boli believed that by focusing all of Qian Duoduo’s time and energy, breaking through to the fourth and fifth ranks would not be difficult.
To Qian Duoduo’s surprise, his Master Liu Boli didn’t ask about the Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia. This showed that his Master put his Disciple’s matters before his own.
Qian Duoduo paused, then answered seriously, “No matter what, Jin Buhuan is a member of the Refining Spirit Sect. He cannot betray the Sect just because he has gained some ability. The Jin family didn’t treat him well, but the Sect is quite good.”
“The Refining Association is a special existence; taking a position there isn’t considered betrayal, and it’s much better than staying in the Refining Spirit Sect.”
“No. If the Sect doesn’t fail me, I won’t fail the Sect.” Qian Duoduo thought of the dog in the village.
No matter how he tried to win it over, it never forgot to guard the landlord’s home.
Could it be that he, forgetting righteousness for gain, was even worse than a dog?
“As you wish.” Liu Boli paused for a moment. “Since the Materials are complete, let’s refine the Five Yin Soul Returning Pill.”