Translator: AnubisTL

"Heh, Fellow Daoist Wang Chan's cultivation talent truly astonishes me. In just two years since we last met, you've already reached the late foundation establishment realm."

Li Qing, seated cross-legged atop the mountain peak, welcomed Wang Chan and Uncle Fu into his abode. He refrained from revealing his knowledge of Wang Chan's true gender, instead focusing on her cultivation progress.

To be honest, Li Qing was genuinely startled by her talent. Two years prior, she had only just entered the foundation establishment realm. Now, her cultivation was nearing the late stage, poised to break through at any moment.

Even if you're a remnant of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, this rate of advancement is terrifying!

Li Qing recalled his own experience after successfully achieving foundation establishment. He had secluded himself in his cave abode for two years of arduous cultivation, yet his cultivation level hadn't budged an inch.

Wang Chan chuckled softly. "Senior Li, you flatter me. Compared to your achievements, my progress is insignificant."

Hearing this, Li Qing immediately understood the unspoken meaning behind her words.

"Enough with the 'Senior' titles. If you hadn't given me that Purple Mansion Spirit Liquid beforehand, my core formation might not have gone so smoothly."

"Besides, given your current progress in cultivation, achieving core formation should be well within your reach," Li Qing said, patting his storage pouch.

In his hand, a deep crimson crystal materialized, its color intensely dark.

Wang Chan's eyes widened at the sight of the crimson crystal, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Master Li, you truly keep your word! I am deeply impressed!"

A third-tier crimson crystal!

Based on the crimson crystals she had obtained before, this was something that could accelerate the metamorphosis of a third-tier demonic beast!

If she fed it to her purple kirin beast, there was a high probability it could advance to the third-tier!

At that point, the True Kirin Blood within the beast would be further activated, greatly mitigating the negative effects of her Dragon's Roar Physique.

Without hesitation, Li Qing tossed the crimson crystal to the woman disguised as a man, a remnant of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty.

"I have no desire to be bound by a great heart demon oath. With this crystal, our debt is settled."

Li Qing's tone was utterly indifferent. After all, the two before him were remnants of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, and getting too involved with them would only bring trouble.

If the righteous and demonic paths were to discover that such a remnant with heaven-defying cultivation talent still existed, the raging immortal dao war would likely grind to a halt immediately.

Clap!

Wang Chan caught the third-tier crimson crystal, her eyes shining with undisguised delight.

Indeed, the peculiar energy within was far more concentrated than that of a second-tier crimson crystal, making it incomparable.

"Thank you, Master Li!" Wang Chan carefully stowed the crimson crystal away, then clasped her hands in a deep bow, her voice brimming with gratitude.

Li Qing nodded calmly. "It was merely a mutually beneficial transaction. There's no need for thanks."

With the crimson crystal secured, Wang Chan and Uncle Fu departed Nanyang Market, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

Standing atop the mountain peak, Li Qing watched them leave with tranquil eyes, yet his thoughts drifted inward.

"The Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty boasts an ancient inheritance, its ancient texts undoubtedly numbering in the countless. They might even trace back ten thousand years, or perhaps even further."

"Perhaps there will be opportunities for collaboration in the future," Li Qing said before leaping down and returning to his cave abode.

Over the next few days, he fired up his furnace and, with his masterful artifact refinement skills, crafted three magic artifact prosthetic limbs for Zhang Da, identical to the previous one.

After completing this task, he sent a spirit letter informing Zhang Da that he could come to retrieve them at any time.

Soon enough, within just a few days, the limbless Zhang Da finally appeared at Li Qing's cave abode.

"Senior Li! I've arrived!"

Li Qing, seated cross-legged on the Clear Heart Meditation Cushion, slowly opened his eyes. He smiled and said, "You've done well these past few days. Take these three prosthetic limbs and use them."

Zhang Da's eyes lit up with ecstatic joy. He extended his spiritual sense and directly attached the three magic artifact prosthetic limbs to his body.

He was immediately stunned by the quality of these limbs. Even among high-grade magical artifacts, these were exceptionally refined.

Moreover, he noticed a faint, inexplicable connection between the limbs.

"Senior Li, thank you for this life-saving grace! Zhang Da will never forget this!" Zhang Da exclaimed, his voice trembling with emotion.

Li Qing chuckled softly as he observed Zhang Da, now resembling a cyborg with his new prosthetic limbs. "There's no need for such fervor. I've been watching your efforts in the black market all along."

"Keep working hard. When the time is right, I'll secure a portion of yin-yang spirit liquid for you. With that, you might even have a chance to reach core formation."

Hearing these words, Zhang Da's emotions surged uncontrollably.

Yin-yang spirit liquid! The supreme spiritual material for core formation, something nearly impossible to obtain even with spirit stones. Could he truly have a chance to acquire it in this lifetime?

Just as Zhang Da was about to express his gratitude with tears of emotion, Li Qing interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Enough with the thanks. I have some matters to discuss with you."

Zhang Da declared firmly, "Senior Li, speak freely! Even if it means facing mountains of blades or seas of fire, I won't hesitate!"

Li Qing waved his hand dismissively. "Don't exaggerate. These are just minor tasks. Mountains of blades and seas of fire? That's a bit dramatic."

"Remember those ancient texts I had you collecting earlier? That task isn't finished. Keep searching. I need every text related to heavenly spirit fire—every single one!"

"Also, keep a close eye on the progress of the Great War between the righteous and demonic paths. Report any anomalies to me immediately!"

"Finally, I need you to gather some rare spirit herbs. I'll give you a list shortly. Please handle this with care."

Three tasks in total. After hearing them, Zhang Da nodded solemnly, indicating he understood.

Li Qing then handed Zhang Da a list filled with the names of various spirit herbs.

"Five-hundred-year-old Heaven Origin Flower, Azure Moon Root, Spirit-Corroding Fruit..."

Zhang Da's jaw dropped slightly. He recognized many of the herbs as extremely rare and uncommon varieties, and some he had never even heard of before.

Take the transformation fruit, for example—he had never encountered such a spirit herb in all his years of cultivation.

"Senior Li, these herbs will be quite difficult to obtain," Zhang Da said.

Li Qing waved dismissively. "Gather what you can. Even just leads or information will be helpful. Just handle it as you see fit."

These spirit herbs were all required for two pill formulas Li Qing had obtained from the Blood Lotus Sect's book pavilion, and they were exceedingly rare and precious.

He naturally didn't expect Zhang Da to gather them all, but he hoped he could collect as many as possible.

While the black market's intelligence-gathering network was formidable, it wasn't limitless.

"Understood!" Zhang Da whispered.

"Good. You can return to the black market and oversee operations," Li Qing said with a wave of his hand, dismissing Zhang Da.

With his limbs fully restored, Zhang Da left Li Qing's cave abode, his heart brimming with satisfaction. Even after walking some distance, he couldn't resist dancing with joy.

"The Mortal Transformation Pill is too difficult to refine, but I must gather the spirit herbs for the Spirit Nourishing Pill at all costs."

"If the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame can't be revived, the Spirit Nourishing Pill will become my greatest asset."

The Spirit Nourishing Pill could enhance a core formation realm cultivator's mana and rapidly advance their cultivation!

Even in the Great Wilderness Domain, such pills were exceedingly rare and precious.

Spirit Nourishing Pills were so rare that they were almost never seen on the market. This alone demonstrated the immense value of the Spirit Nourishing Pill formula in Li Qing's possession.

Within major immortal sects, such rare and precious pills were considered the lifeblood of the sect, essential to their very existence.

Once obtained, such a formula would never be allowed to leak out. The specific spirit herbs required for its refinement would remain a closely guarded secret.

If the formula were to be revealed, the value of those spirit herbs would skyrocket, drastically increasing the cost of refining the pills.

For example, the Pure Moon Pill Li Qing consumed during his core formation was known to very few in the cultivation world, let alone the spirit herbs required for its refinement.

The Moonchase Palace's continued dominance in the Great Wilderness Domain was largely due to this secrecy.

After seeing Zhang Da off, Li Qing entered a deep state of secluded cultivation.

While the righteous and demonic paths waged war across the land, he remained oblivious to worldly affairs, focusing solely on cultivating his immortal dao.

Finally, after months of Zhang Da's tireless efforts, Li Qing received his first artifact refinement order since achieving core formation.

(End of the Chapter)

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