After the headmaster made a severe remark, the activity of the guardians of the sect's gongs sounded their long alarm and came to an end.
"Senior Sister also has an intersection with Master Cui?" Yu Lou's tone carried a bit of seriousness.
When Ji Yu initially reminded him, he had not yet revealed himself to Master Lao Cui, so he did not delve into the relationship between Ji Yu and Master Lao Cui.
Now, Lin Ying, who was completely unrelated to the old Cui, also reminded him that he was not simple, which was a bit too frightening.
In the end, Old Cui can only practice to the third level of Qi. What gives him the right to cause such a stir?
Could it really be as Xian Zhou Laozu guessed, that there is a big secret behind the surname Cui?
"Friend Yu Lou, why is your interest in the old man stronger than your interest in girls?"
Senior Lin isn't in a hurry at all; she even has the mood to tease Little Wang.
"Senior Sister, please don't mock me. My position as a guardian cultivator is already filled with anxiety, and today is even more difficult."
Wang Yulong smiled bitterly at self-mocking.
"S sometimes I think it might be better to just go home. While the Drip Water Cavern is wonderful, it's clearly entering a time of troubles now."
In a time of troubles, Lin Ying and Yulou were actually just talking about this. They didn't know how Master Yuan managed to go straight to death.
After the headmaster presented the crime, they finally understood that Master Yuan was pointed out by Red Carp, taken as a typical case.
"Go home? Why don't you just go to the Red Lantern Sect? Your Wang family should be able to arrange for you to join in, right?"
The two walked side by side, but they were separated by half a meter. In front of them, they were walking together while chatting.
"Senior Sister, you haven't gone to the Red Lantern Sect either, have you?"
Who doesn't want to directly join the Ten Clans?
Lin Ying rolled her eyes, just about to say something, but Yulou pulled out a plump spiritual beast from her bag.
It was the old Three-headed Crane, who moved his steps lightly, leaped up with a gentle kick, and landed on the back of the spiritual crane.
Old Three-headed Crane ran a few steps, and Yulou turned back to say.
"Senior Sister Lin, Yulou will leave first. When you come to the Bay Fish Village next time, I will continue to entertain you with alcohol."
Seeing Wang Yulou leave so directly, Lin Ying was somewhat surprised.
Not at all, Little Wang, won't you want to know about Master Cui Dingyi's secret?
Of course, Yulou Wang wants to know, but the education of the Wang family has also made him understand that he cannot reveal his intention easily.
If it's done too hastily, many things will truly happen when they occur, becoming Lin Ying's leverage in her hands.
Twisting and turning, troublesome but necessary to take care of well.
However, half an hour later, Wang Yulou who had already left sneaked back into the Merit Hall.
Yulou's move is called "looking back and snatching," dislocation exchange, thus avoiding being too noticeable among the crowd.
However, as soon as he stepped in, he found that Lin Ying was also there.
The two bumped into each other again, and it seemed that Lin Ying was having a lot of fun talking with Wu Fazhao.
He wanted to turn around to avoid Lin Ying, this cunning big fairy spirit and his elderly wife of many years, but both Lin Ying and Wu Fazhao noticed him.
"Yulou brother."
Sunshine, cheery and love to make friends, Wu Fazhao discovered Wang Yulou wanted to run away when he realized he had spoken too quickly.
Both turned back to look at him, and Yulou could only smile as he entered the Merit Hall.
"You two can continue your conversation. I'll leave first, Wu Brother. Please take care of that matter."
Lin Ying bowed to Wu Fazhao in farewell, passing by Yulou's side, she gave him a barely noticeable frown.
Yulou chuckled and did not explain why he had avoided her to come over.
Big fairy!
Little fox!
"Brother Wu, I want to barter for some spiritual materials. Do you have any black steel this time?"
When Yulou came last time, many of the eight-grade spiritual materials were out of stock, and he had to return disappointed.
The Three Palace Merit Exchange System in the Drip Water Cavern belongs to the internal small cycle of the sect, as the overall scale of the sect is not too large, and the efficiency of the cycle is naturally not high.
Moreover, the big families can also lock in certain scarce resources in advance through the way of permits.
Out of stock, it has become a common occurrence.
Just now, the concoction between Lin Ying and Wu Fazhao may have been 'batching'——without specific batches, using the fruit of the faces below.
For the officials of the Merit Hall, it makes no difference who they trade with, and it's better to do a favor.
"This" Wu Fazhao thought for a moment, and said.
"The black steel is naturally available, but I can give you at most two pieces. More may not be possible."
Yulou frowned slightly. To refine high-grade artifacts, one often needs eight-grade spiritual materials as the foundation. If only two pieces of eight-grade black steel can be exchanged, the error tolerance for refining is too low.
Even with the Jade Ruyi in hand, one can't rely solely on the Ruyi's golden light. Having an adequate supply of eight-grade spiritual materials is essential.
"What other precious stone materials are there?"
Wu Fazhao's face was smiling like sunshine, but he had a little shock in his heart.
Wang Yulou, who is only at the first layer of Qi cultivation, is already trying to refine high-grade artifacts. Without any accidents, there will be yet another master of refining in the Drip Water Cavern.
"Eight-grade water jade, three pieces; eight-grade agate spiritual materials, more than ten pieces; there are also many spirit beast-produced spiritual stone materials."
"Water jade? Is there water jade now?" Wang Yulou was somewhat incredulous and confirmed.
It's not surprising that he was astonished, for water jade is extremely precious within the Red Lantern Sect's territory.
In a sense, before Mengxiang increased his favor, water jade was the most expensive eight-grade spiritual material in the territory of the Red Lantern Sect.
After Mengxiang increased his favor, water jade still remained the most expensive eight-grade spiritual material.
"Water jade is a special product of our Drip Water Cavern, so it is available. However, each disciple of the Azure Water Palace can only exchange one piece every ten years." Wu Fazhao kindly explained.
Okay, that's it, is that a limit on purchases?
"And, the water jade supplied by the sect to the Azure Water Palace disciples is specially approved."
Even if you exchange for it, you can't sell it outside the sect, and it can only be traded among peers.
"Even if you refine an artifact or a spiritual elixir, it can only be traded among peers within the sect."
Yulou didn't care; if he really refined something, how could the sect control transactions among fellow cultivators?
"Brother Wu, I want two!"
He looked at Old Wu expectantly, and Yulou believed that the officials of the Merit Hall definitely have ways.
Old Wu naturally understood Yulou's meaning, but he shook his head with a bitter smile and said.
"Uh, no."
"This is possible, I'll add spirit stones!"
"This is truly not possible, Yulou. Drip Grass, Water Jade, and Azure Blood Frog Essence are the three things in the Azure Water Palace Merit Hall that cannot be arbitrarily requested."
I sent you a letter the other day, in which I mentioned the new items that can be exchanged. However, these three items have never been mentioned in the letter.
Not to mention passing information in a letter, we don't even actively introduce these when no one asks.
It's not that I have any issues with you, but it's just that the rules are like this.
Ultimately, even we can't eat the goodies alone and let others not get a share, that would be too offensive to people.
In the past, there were too many controversies because of these three spiritual substances, and even an establishment foundation elder died.
Alas, you have always been smart and should understand my meaning.
One block of water jade is worth 370 Merit Points. Yulou, you want black steel, buy one and that's about it."
Wang Yulou of course understood. This was above the normal permit system, and since everyone has cultivation, the special supply is too rare, so such an unusual rule had to be used to limit it.
"When did these water jade pieces enter the warehouse?"
Yulou's eyes shone brightly, and he had the answer in his mind.
"About a quarter hour ago, seven pieces were added, and Lin friend didn't ask. Hmm, in recent years, she always asked every time she came."
Wu Fazhao smiled happily, becoming more and more determined to get along with Wang Yulou.
At noon, the moment the head was just cut off in front of the palace gates, the next batch of special supplies was brought in.
The timing was meticulous, as though they were afraid that the Azure Water Palace disciples watching the execution would take the water jade away while browsing the Merit Hall.
They also feared that adding the supplies too late would be taken away by the Azure Water Palace disciples who came in the afternoon.
"How many officials are on duty today?" Yulou continued to ask.
Wu Fazhao was almost clapping, Wang Yulou's insight was simply terrifying.
"Two people, but there are also two people who transported the spiritual materials."
"Do you not notify others?"
"Ah, it's fine as long as you exchange them yourself. If you notify others, it might make people resent you."
"Old brother, I just want to live peacefully for a few more years. I don't mind being a long-lived person."
"The leader just said that the disciples of Azure Water Palace must always sound the alarm and require us to obey the rules."
"This is spirit stones, Brother Wu, thank you!"
"You don't need to be so polite, twelve to thirteen is just right, we're like brothers!"
"Ha ha ha, come to the He Ban Fishing Village for fish in the future, Yulou is always ready to have a feast with Brother Wu."
Holding three eight-grade spiritual items, Yulou bent his head and left the Merit Hall.
Black steel is a good gold material, except for its high price, it has no other disadvantages, which are both offensive and defensive.
With a slight match of other nine-grade spiritual materials, it can be refined into quite good high-grade artifacts. Although they can't be said to be excellent in use, the lower limit is high.
Ji Yuanyuan could play a key role in the three-person battle against the Iron Python Dragon, in part because he controlled an elite, high-grade black steel flying sword.
Water jade, without more words, this thing is able to be listed together with Drip Grass and Azure Blood Frog Essence, the most expensive eight-grade spiritual material.
Drip Grass is a high-quality medicinal herb needed for water cultivation elixirs and is a special product of the Drip Water Cavern.
Azure Blood Frog Essence is even more absurd, as long as a water cultivation cultivator needs it, it will always be involved. Foundation cultivation cultivators also like to use it as an auxiliary material when refining artifacts or elixirs.
Yulou thought it over and decided to start refining black steel first, while storing water jade for the time being. He would refine it into a handy artifact once his refining skills improved in the future.
"Wang Yulou!" The fairy spirit jumped out from behind a wall, blocking Yulou's path.
"Senior sister, you... Hey, wait a minute. Why are you suddenly here, Lin Ying?" Looking at the sudden appearance of Lin Ying, Yulou was at a loss.
Can you be as funny as Yu An?
It must be that she's pretending with me.
Lin Ying saw that this kid was still the same old guy, boringly waved her hand, and whispered to him.
'Cui's secretive business has set up a small shop. He will come to our Fairy Mushroom Cave to collect various spiritual mushrooms and herbs. The transactions are all in spirit stones or essence blood pills.'
The things he sells in his shop are numerous, and he has all the spiritual materials that should be available near the River Bend Fishing Village. I guess that's why Ji Yuan reminded you to be cautious of him.'
Yulou's pupils constricted, and he was right. The nature of the fish was indeed special and not suitable for long-term storage.
Cui Dingyi being able to collect it means that there is an underground trading network behind him that is independent of the Drip Water Cavern's internal circulation system.
Ji Yuan's reminder to be careful about Cui indicates that Ji Yuan is actually part of this underground trading network.
"Why did Senior Sister remind me?" Yulou was very alert.
Perhaps ordinary women might have an inexplicable goodwill towards the men they appreciate, but in the cultivation world, what Lin Ying is doing now is already quite excessive.
She's not an idiot, but a very smart character who is ten-tactile.
Therefore, it must have a purpose, but Yulou hasn't figured it out yet.
"That night, I just couldn't stand Ji Yuan; I didn't mean to take it out on you. Ji Yuan has cultivated to the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, yet he can't even hold onto an Iron Python Dragon. That's a joke, isn't it!"
Thinking about that night, Lin Ying is still angry, angry at Ji Yuan's disreputable behavior.
From beginning to end, he just used his flying sword to slash and hack without doing anything else!
Ji Yuan didn't just unleash water; he unleashed the entire Xiushui Lake!
"Fine, but Senior Sister, does the secretive business and underground trading run by Old Cui violate the sect rules?"
"Of course. I've bought quite a few spiritual mushrooms from him. Yulou, when you deal with him, be quick and decisive."
Now the leader is acting like he's under some kind of hypnosis, directly dropping threats about making trouble for our defenders. Sigh."
Yulou was enlightened. Ah, so that's it.
Now the leader is playing his cards openly, intending to carry out a strict crackdown and find someone to pay for Yuan Si's funeral.
Lin Ying was afraid that something might happen to Old Cui, which could then involve her, so she reminded Yulou in such a manner.
If the two of them hadn't met at the Merit Hall, perhaps they would have directly gone to the He Ban Fishing Village to visit him.
"Senior sister, Yulou will definitely be careful. However, Yulou also has some news to tell Senior sister."
"What else is there? Don't use Old Cui as a bargaining chip, Brother Wang. This is nothing that would cut off my head, just some trouble!"
Lin Ying looked at Wang Yulou and thought he, this hidden sixth brother, was trying to use Old Cui's affair to control her.
However, she dared to bring it up, which means she is not truly afraid.
It's the principle of not holding everyone accountable; as long as someone has to die, just let Old Cui die is enough.
Yulou didn't respond, but instead took out a piece of water jade from his storage bag.
Holding it up with a single hand, he placed it under the sun, and the white exterior of the water jade rippled with clear waves, refracting shimmering shadows.
The shadows played over Lin Ying's face, which had not yet recovered from the surprise, adding a touch of grace and dreaminess to her already elegant appearance.
However, Yulou's gaze on Senior Sister did not show much of a romantic interest. It was more like he was looking at a fool.
After all, it's already three breaths, and this sister hasn't come to her senses yet.
Yulou gave a wry smile, thinking that this shouldn't count as providing intelligence.
The sect rules are stricter, but it's impossible to include something like 'disciples of Azure Water Palace who have exchanged water jade cannot linger in front of the Merit Hall and hold up water jade' - that's just absurd.
After a long time, Lin Ying's eyebrows twitched, and her eyes settled on Yulou's chin, creating a sense of deep affection before she spoke gently.
"Yulou, you're young. There are many beautiful girls around. Senior sister is dedicated to cultivation and doesn't have the intention of finding a spouse."
"When I have interactions with you, it's out of the same-door affectionate exchanges, and I hope you won't misunderstand."
Of course, I also like this piece of water jade. How about this, I'll offer 1,800 spirit stones for it. What do you think, Brother Wang?"
At the end, Lin Ying started biting her lip with her teeth.
But in Yulou's eyes, it was even more abstract than biting a lighter without any activity.
Glancing at her like she was absurd, Yulou put away the water jade and left without looking back.
Lin Sister, I originally really admired you. At the very least, you're smart.
Now that's different.
The Old Crane cursed and chattered while flying, leaving only the unworthy disciple Lin Ying standing in place, disheveled by the wind stirred up by the spiritual cranes.
What did his gaze just mean? It didn't seem too deep or affectionate?
No, it's definitely not deep affection. The person has already run away. Is it because you rejected him and he feels too embarrassed?
Young man, you still have much to hone.
Lin Ying thought it over and over, even feeling a bit ridiculous in her heart.
Just as she was about to leave, she saw a cultivator dressed in the costumes of the Heavenly Domain patrol team riding a flying boat heading towards the Merit Hall. In the blink of an eye, Lin Ying recognized that it was Wang Yahuai.
What's the rush? Anything rare in the Merit Hall has to wait, and it's futile to rush.
Rob?
She stood there in shock, her face turning from snow white to red in just a second, as if her face was as red as a red monkey's butt.
I'm really an idiot!
How can I face him in the future?
Without hesitation, Lin Ying also turned around and directly ran into the Merit Hall.
——
Returning to the River Bay Fishing Village, Yulou rode on a spiritual crane, flying around the village for about several tens of miles.
Finding no trouble-making small demons to cause chaos, Yulou's heart was slightly disappointed.
Returning to the mansion, Yulou communicated with his ancestor for the latest news about Old Cui as soon as possible.
"Sort of like a public suggestion?" Wang Xianzhou said.
"No, I tend to think that he is even higher in level than Gao Xian's."
It's just that the stage of River Bay Fishing Village is too small; otherwise, he might have been able to stir up even bigger ripples."
"This stage is already quite big, equivalent to the scale of a cultivation family. And you are only in your twenties, Yulou."
"The pressure is huge. The small River Bay Fishing Village produces many talents, including even two double essence roots."
"You're feeling the pressure. Shall I take action tonight?" The ancestor's kindness was rather unique.
"Wait a moment, wait a moment, too hasty. At least wait for three months, until the small competition of River Bay Fishing Village. That way, the impact will be smaller!"
"All right, I'll continue to keep an eye on him. Yulou, there must be some secrets about this person. How did a five essence root breakthrough Qi Refinement?
Drip Water Cavern is only half-connected to the outside world, and Qi Refinement here can only be practiced in a step-by-step manner.
"We can't rush it, ancestor. Time is on our side. After I fully control the River Bay Fishing Village, we can act."
To master, one step by step is implemented, we can't rush, three months of time, Wang Yulou can wait.
Returning to his meditation room, Yulou calculated the various materials and magical items at hand, pondering whether to start refining high-quality magical items now.
But the ideal gold light in his mind has only accumulated four-thirds, and there are still some shortages.
Taking out the spirit fish skin, Yulou started drawing water method talismans in the meditation room.
He now has some basic water magic techniques, such as Water Current Technique, Water Ring Technique, and the Water Elemental Penetrating Needle.
Water Current Technique, the most common attack-type spell.
Water Ring Technique, a spell that is both defensive and enhancing, quite useful.
Water Elemental Penetrating Needle, well, if you say so. Its attack power is actually not as good as Water Current Technique.
"I hope the remaining three layers of Water Elemental Essence in trace lines are stronger."
Yulou daydreamed about the beautiful future of the trace line Water Elemental Essence suddenly straightening up, and then, he got down to business and started drawing the water ring talismans.
Spirit fish skin is an excellent material for making water magic talismans. Talismans made from it are naturally better to use than those made from other non-water-based materials.
However, there are some difficulties in drawing talismans on spirit fish skin.
Spiritual fish are different from spiritual donkeys. The Wang family's spiritual donkeys were once born from the Ninth Grade Wild Donkey Origin, and later from the Eighth Grade Stupid Donkey Origin—the "stupid" part refers to the lack of spirit intelligence.
That's why it's said that the Grandmaster Xianhe has boundless merits. If the spiritual donkeys born from the upgraded Wild Donkey Origin have intelligence, then Wang's family will have a big problem.
Spiritual donkeys are delicious and useful, but they are not good for fighting in spirit magic battles, and they cannot be used as spiritual pets.
It can at most be considered a mount, and that would be the most unwieldy type of mount.
So, it's still better to have a "stupid" donkey.
The uniqueness of spiritual fish lies in the fact that each spiritual fish is different, without a unified species and characteristics.
Looking at the fire-elemental spiritual fish skin in his hand, Yulou's expression was very peculiar.
Does this fish count as an abnormal spiritual fish, or something like the Supreme Bone?
However, as the Supreme Bone, the malevolent upper realm cultivator Wang Yulou finds it difficult to use.
So, Yulou put it away for future use.
Water Ring Technique, as its name suggests, gathers a water ring around the cultivator, providing some defense but not much.
Depending on the type of qi, the effect of the water ring it maintains will also be different. At the same time, the water in the water ring can also assist in water law.
The threshold for performing this spell is low, but the difficulty of refined practice is high, and Yulou can only be said to have just entered the door.
Frankly speaking, given his current level of Water Ring Technique, using spirit fish skin to draw it would be a waste.
However, considering that drawing talismans can accumulate the ideal gold light, helping him refine high-grade magical items, this waste is something Yulou would naturally not care about.
As a Refiner, Yulou studied the art of Refining for ten years under the guidance of the red-browed cultivator. From the age of thirteen to twenty-three, his most passionate and energetic time was spent in learning Refining.
High-grade magical items serve as a test stone for Refiner's level of refinement.
Layer upon layer of restrictions, the more layers there are, the more difficult it is to refine.
Combining different types of spiritual materials adds another dimension to the difficulty.
With the expectation of refining high-quality magical items, Yulou drew over twenty different talismans, using up all the spirit fish skin he had stored.
But the ideal gold light in his mind was still lacking, only about one-tenth.
As Yulou became more and more proficient in using the golden light, he had long since mastered its effects.
In refining weapons, creating talismans, and even practicing Dan refining, the golden light can improve Yulou's cultivation level. However, the degree of improvement will vary depending on Yulou's own cultivation level, experience with specific materials to be refined, and the difficulty of the material to be refined.
As for how to accumulate the golden light, it mainly depends on the effort Yulou invests in the refining process, and this investment itself is related to the three factors mentioned earlier.
However, if it's only a matter of just a ten-thousandth, it's actually not that difficult to try refining it.
Because he was really itching to try, and because drawing talismans had consumed about half of his qi, Yulou took a qi-opening pill and then took out the refining furnace.
Putting aside the eight-grade Wu Steel, nine-grade mirror silver, purple copper, and bloodwood, and the tail skin of a human-faced snake spirit, Yulou closed his eyes to conceptualize his first piece of high-quality magical item.
A sword? It's flashy but empty, better as a flying sword.
Flying sword? It's easy to use, but the difficulty is high.
A staff? It's a bit of overkill, but it's very stable, and it's also good for dueling.
Maybe refine a Wu Steel Scale?
Staves and scales both have very low difficulty, and Yulou is very confident in refining them. However, no one might buy them.
Um, actually, there's something even lower in difficulty, like a Wu Steel pearl.
But since everyone can afford high-quality magical items, no one would choose a pearl-shaped one to make do.
After all, magical items are treasured tools for cultivating the path. Those who can afford high-quality magical items would naturally not settle for anything less.
Suddenly, Yulou looked at the mirror silver and Wu Steel, frozen in place, and then smiled in relief.
It occurred to him the signature defensive magical item of Master Hongmei, the Mirror Silver Gold Thread Shield. As a disciple of Master Hongmei, Yulou naturally knew the refining method of this shield.
However, his smile was just for himself.
He had just been thinking about offensive magical items, and even when he thought about a pearl-shaped item, he was still considering that no one would buy a large piece of high-grade Wu Steel Pearl as a killing move for dueling.
This line of thought is actually quite interesting.
Yulou realized that although he usually likes to be safe and avoid confrontation, deep down in his heart, he still has the desire to show off his skills and achieve dominance in duels.
Be careful!
Then let's refine a small shield.
Shield, in terms of shape, is similar to the purple copper mirror he once refined. In terms of structure, it has excellent conditions for layered prohibitions.
Moreover, defensive magical items belong to the category of life-saving items, which never lack of sales.
It's just a matter of how much money is made, or the difference between not making a loss, small loss, and big loss.
After thinking through a plan, Yulou first activated the array at his mansion to prevent people from disturbing.
Then, he took out the red lantern and, under the stimulation of qi, the red light leapt up vigorously.
As a representative spirit tool of Red Lantern, this upper-grade spirit tool with eighty-eight layers of prohibitions has two skills. But in Yulou's hands, its greatest function is simply to light a fire—it's using it to the fullest, after all.
Since it is for making shields, the purple copper which can enhance the spiritual sensitivity of magical items is not suitable, and the leftover materials such as the offcuts of bloodwood and the tail skin of a human-faced snake spirit have no place to use.
Recalling the refining method of the Mirror Silver Gold Thread Shield taught by Master Hongmei, Yulou took out a piece of mirror silver.
One piece of eight-grade Wu Steel, two pieces of nine-grade mirror silver—these are all the materials Yulou has for refining today. He has the spiritual gold required for the Mirror Silver Gold Thread Shield, but he doesn't have the confidence to reach Master Hongmei's level in his first attempt at refining.
Therefore, he directly abandoned the self-healing prohibition of mirror silver, the spiritual gold for the weaving of threads connecting different spiritual materials, and the amplification of prohibitions. In fact, these are the soul parts of the Mirror Silver Gold Thread Shield—Master Hongmei is indeed very skilled.
Yulou knows his limitations. He is content if he can cast twenty layers of prohibitions into the Wu Steel Mirror Shield without it exploding.
"Are you refining a high-quality magical item?"
The old ancestor had noticed Yulou's movements long ago. He stood by the door, quietly watching Yulou handle those spiritual materials and refinement items, for a long time already.
"Hmm, itching to try, might as well give it a go today."
Yulou didn't turn around, of course, the old ancestor would not care.
"Alright, I'll be your guardian. Hahaha."
Wang Xianzhou laughed and sat on the threshold. Yulou felt a bit helpless, but he didn't say much.
Old Master Xianzhou has always been like this; he never cares about others' opinions and is very free-spirited.
First, put the Wu Steel into the refining furnace. Under the stimulation of spiritual fire, its spiritual nature began to gradually become active.
The strength of eight-grade spiritual materials lies in the fact that its positional grade is much higher than that of nine-grade ones.
Take the time required to activate the spiritual nature of the materials with spiritual fire as an example: the purple copper needed half a moment under the spiritual fire, but the Wu Steel required a whole hour and a half.
This strong stability represents the extraordinary nature of the materials themselves, which is why high-quality magical items can easily overpower most medium and lower-quality ones.
An hour passed quickly. Noticing the sweat on Yulou's forehead, Wang Xianzhou asked.
"Do you need any recovery pills for your qi?"
For a refiner like Yulou Wang, who has practiced qi refinement for ten years, this question will have no effect on his refining work.
If refining magical items is so easily disturbed, how can one refine spiritual items that require at least ten days or even years, or even tens of years?
"I don't need it, I have qi-opening pills," Yulou replied calmly.
"Throw it away. Your few bottles of broken qi-opening pills are better off given to the young cultivators below."
You're alone, even if you use them every day without rest, when will it ever end?
"Open your mouth!"
The book is titled "Mandatory Love", but the old ancestor's version of it.
The Qi-opening pill is a good elixir for recovering spiritual energy, but this stuff has a pretty low ceiling, and Wang Xianzhou was quite unimpressed.
I am a master of refining pills. You constantly snacking on that lousy Qi-opening pill in front of me, making me feel really embarrassed.
Yulou helplessly opened his mouth, and Wang Xianzhou immediately gave him a pill called the Two-Dimensional Overflowing Qi Pill.
The "two yin" refers to the harmony of yin and yang, which perfectly meets Yulou's needs.
The "overflowing qi" refers to qi gushing out like water from a spring, never-ending, and the difference between it and the Qi-opening pill is like madly whipping a donkey with a whip versus driving a sports car and stomping on the accelerator.
With the Two-Dimensional Overflowing Qi Pill, Yulou had more control over the Wu Steel in the refining furnace.
When the spiritual nature of Wu Steel was about to reach its maximum, Yulou added two pieces of mirror silver to the furnace. This allowed both materials to reach their maximum spiritual nature at the same time, allowing for further refinement.
Smoothly adding all other auxiliary materials one by one, Yulou began to combine mirror silver and Wu Steel.
"Not bad in terms of skill, how confident are you?"
Seeing Yulou's familiarity, Wang Xianzhou's casual heart actually had a few moments of expectation.
Why do you ask old ancestor why he isn't expecting anything?
That's quite rare. He has been walking the cultivator world for so many years, and he hasn't heard of any who can refine high-quality magical items at the early stage of practice qi.
Let alone the early stage of qi refinement. Even a refiner who has mastered qi refinement and the Way of Forging has a high probability of breaking his materials for the first time when he attempts to refine a high-quality magical item.
So, Old Master Xianzhou had been in a state of encouragement, affirmation, and constant readiness all along.
What are you preparing for?
Prepare to console the failed Yulou, and give him appropriate encouragement and guidance.
However, Wang Yulou wanted to tell the old ancestor with his strength that there was no need for preparation.
"Very good!" Yulou replied briefly and forcefully, his voice filled with determination and confidence.
Wang Xianzhou was startled at first but did not continue to speak. He simply watched silently.
Good job, child! You have to have this kind of spirit. Whether or not you succeed is not important. As long as this spirit does not fade, you will definitely refine it!
In the refining furnace, Wu Steel began to integrate with Mirror Silver, and this integration is very particular.
On the one hand, each piece of spiritual material has a limited size. If only one piece of Wu Steel is used, it is difficult to embed too many prohibitions into the magical item it forms. Therefore, multiple pieces of spiritual material are needed to refine a high-quality magical item.
On the other hand, the properties of spiritual materials are different. When the number of prohibited records that can be engraved is limited, we need to combine them according to their properties, arrange the shapes and positions of different spiritual materials in the magical item, and thus better utilize the effect of prohibited records.
For example, Yulou hid the two pieces of mirror silver behind the Wu Steel, on the back of the shield, and combined them using a series of small embedded structures as the core.
The Wu Steel on the front of the shield only engraves prohibitions that increase defense, while the mirror silver at the back only engraves prohibitions that increase control.
Theoretically, with three pieces of spiritual material combined, each able to engrave at least a dozen layers of prohibitions, this Wu Steel Mirror Silver Shield can be said to be able to engrave over forty layers of prohibitions.
However, in practical refining, the combination of different spiritual materials and their mutual influence on spiritual nature greatly increase the difficulty of engraving prohibitions.
On the Monkey Version of the Zi Tong Jian Mo Hammer, Yulou can easily make the prohibitions small, which doesn't affect its function when manipulated by spiritual energy.
However, on the Wu Steel Mirror Silver Shield, which is refined from a combination of different spiritual materials, every prohibition Yulou creates must be handled with care and caution.
When engraving, it is necessary to arrange the position of the prohibitions according to the type of prohibition, and also to make different minor changes according to the embedding method of the two spiritual materials.
Of course, Yulou doesn't have confidence in mastering those small changes in detail, so he chooses to leave more space when engraving.
As a result, the upper limit of engraving prohibitions is lower.
Yulou estimates that based on his level of refining technique, he can engrave a maximum of twenty layers. Any more, and the prohibitions will only be able to be placed in unstable places, greatly increasing the possibility of the magical item exploding.
No more delays, burn with the Auspicious Golden Light!
Under the influence of the Auspicious Golden Light, Yulou's level of engraving prohibitions was temporarily strengthened, and he gained a higher level of control over the spiritual nature of the magical item in the furnace.
However, at this moment, Yulou noticed that the twenty layers he had estimated earlier were wrong.
If his refining realm was at the level of "seeing a mountain as a mountain" just now.
Under the help of the Auspicious Golden Light, Yulou finally saw through this mountain and realized that it wasn't actually a mountain, but a high platform made of large stone bricks.
Yulou's brow slightly furrowed, and he increased the speed of activating the Auspicious Golden Light, further refining his level of cultivation technique.
Now, he could reach the level of engraving twenty layers of prohibitions again.
Seven layers, I have mastered all the prohibitions.
Ten layers, Wu Steel and Mirror Silver have achieved perfect combination.
Eighteen layers, I have now embedded eight different types of defensive prohibitions.
Come on, add another two layers. It's too hard, some flexibility is needed.
Nineteen layers, huh? The golden light has been consumed.
A look of regret flashed in Yulou's eyes.
Just one layer away from reaching the upper limit of this shield, but it's a pity.
Seeing Yulou sigh deeply, Wang Xianzhou was slightly worried.
Did he fail?
Why isn't there an explosion sound?
"It's done!" Yulou said with a smile.
"Done?" Wang Xianzhou found it hard to believe.
"Child, you are only in the first layer of practice qi, yet you can refine high-quality magical items?"
A shield flashing red light flew out of the refining furnace, and Yulou used spiritual water to cool it down. Soon, the true appearance of the shield was revealed.
The black Wu Steel surface shone with spiritual light, while around it was the semi-enclosed mirror silver. The mirror silver extended to the back of the shield, forming a cleverly catapult-like structure that held the front Wu Steel shield in place.
Between them, Yulou had refined over forty connecting points, each serving as a key node for the prohibitions.
Seven layers of control prohibitions, twelve layers of defense prohibitions, tightly intertwined, forming this Wu Steel Mirror Silver Shield that emerged from the Mirror Silver Gossamer Shield.
Theoretically, perhaps the black ink pearl oil beads can have thirty-six layers of prohibitions through connecting four to five more legs, becoming an abstract high-quality magical item of unprecedented nature. However, the price of five black ink pearl oil beads cannot even match that of this shield.
"Yulou," Wang Xianzhou smiled and shook his head.
"Great achievement for a young hero. From the age of 13 to 23, only ten years have passed, and you indeed have exceptional talent in refining technique."
——
Having talent in refining technique is nothing. Without cultivation, Wang Yulou would only be able to refine high-quality shield for cattle and horses with nineteen layers of prohibitions for the rest of his life.
It seems to have been successfully refined into a high-quality shield, but it wasn't refined to perfection, giving Yulou a sense of pressure and urgency.
In the three months following the forging that day, Yulou had been devoting himself to cultivating.
The only contact with the outside world during this time was through listening to reports from Zhang Xuewu, Qin Churan, and others.
Right, there's also Xiao Yu.
This girl, at such a young age, has already started working on construction projects. She might also know that she has something special in her life and is afraid of not doing a good job, disappointing Master Wang's trust. She would come to Yulou's report every three days or so.
In the quiet room, Yulou, sitting on a mat, opened his eyes.
The three sticks of incense in the alcove had long since burned out. Under the gaze of the cultivator, he successfully broke through to the second layer of practice qi.
Five months to reach the second layer of practice qi, which is approximately seven times the speed of ordinary dual essence roots cultivators.
Actually, this speed isn't particularly fast.
Because the so-called minimum cultivation speed only exists in theory. For dual essence root cultivators, they often take drugs.
If spiritual pills are too expensive, there are still spiritual scatters.
Leaving the meditative room and stepping out of the mansion, Yulou went to the edge of the Golden Platform and looked down. Below, the cluster of buildings was already taking shape.
The Grand Hall, courtyard, gardens, and training field served as guardians surrounding the Golden Platform like warriors.
In the distance, one could still see the giant sluice gate.
One month ago, two bandit demons attacked the Bay of Fishing. Yulou's response mechanism was put into practice for the first time, and with no injuries to the cultivators, the earthly and celestial cultivators easily dealt with those two bandit demons.
To test the effectiveness of the response mechanism, Yulou didn't let Zhang Xuewu and Old Cui intervene.
Because it would affect his personal training and accumulating merits, Old Cui had some complaints, but not many. He is now facing Wang Yulou and dare not say anything too risky.
"Qin Churan, how many days are left for the small competition?"
Looking away, Yulou asked Qin Churan who was beside him.
"Two days, Master Wang."
Yulou nodded slightly and looked northward.
Wang Rongzhou, at the sixth layer of practice qi, returned on his broken flying boat, looking rather unhappy.
Yulou knew that this indicated that Old Ancestor had obtained quite a bit outside.
This old man is old, but there's absolutely no intention of him spending time in the nest. Instead, he frequently goes out to hunt.
The spirit materials and elixirs in the "Drops of Water Heaven" are very abundant, and every time Wang Xianzhou goes out to hunt, he gets some harvest, whether it's much or little.
If he's unlucky, he might also sneak into the resource points guarded by cultivators in the "Drops of Water Heaven" town to grab a few things.
"Prepare well." Yulou entrusted another sentence to Qin Churan, turned around and went back to the mansion.
He obtained the leadership position of the River Bay Fishing Village to have more time for cultivation.
Wang Yulou now has no interest in village affairs and devotes himself solely to cultivating the Dao.
"Yulou, hehehe, I've pulled two spirit wood saplings in De Mu Gou. One is the white elm and the other is the bitter-hearted bamboo. No one has discovered them yet."
"Old Ancestor, we don't lack these things. You're being too dangerous doing this. What if the patrol team of the heavenly realm finds out."
"Alright, I know what I'm doing. The patrol teams of the 'Drops of Water Heaven' heavenly realm are all incompetent. They couldn't even catch me twice. What do I have to fear from them?"
"What if a Zhuji Cultivator comes."
"I'll just run, and besides, Yulou, you don't understand. I only take a little bit each time."
Those who guard the resources don't want people to know that their own resources have been taken, so they often don't report it to the upper-ups and just make up for it themselves.
"Let's take the River Bay Fishing Village as an example. If I take ten spiritual fish from you, will you tell your sect that you didn't keep watch and that you caught ten fewer spiritual fish?"
"No, I wouldn't," Yulou replied helplessly.
"What you said, Xianzhou old ancestor's reasons seem rather strange at first, but if you think about it, there is some truth to it."
Wang Xianzhou: Whoever has gemstones, I'll snatch them away. I'll never bully the poor!
At the age of 107, Old Ancestor Wang's behavior is somewhat 'carefree and unbound by norms,' and Wang Yulou can't do anything about it.
"Speaking of which, you have reached the second layer of practice qi now, but your speed is only seven times the normal situation."
"Should we continue tracing the vein, or should we make a choice? Talk about your ideas."
With the help of restorative pills and many other auxiliary cultivation elixirs, Yulou can cultivate day and night at the fastest speed possible.
However, because he has to occasionally transport the water spirit energy to trace the pulse, his cultivation speed is actually delayed.
If he didn't trace the pulse, Yulou's cultivation speed might be over ten times that of ordinary dual essence root cultivators.
Without sleeping, Yulou could spend more time on cultivating each day.
The potency of the boost elixir never ends, and the effect is immediately renewed once it wears off.
It looks very enjoyable, but there is a huge cost behind this pleasure.
A sevenfold increase in speed means that, not considering the market price of the elixirs, but from the perspective of the cost of elixir production, Yulou spends 13 spirit stones per day.
Here, the cost of the elixirs customized for Yulou by Old Ancestor Xianzhou was not calculated.
If the elixirs are valued at market prices and Old Ancestor Xianzhou's costs are added, Yulou's cultivation speed corresponds to an expenditure of at least 40 spirit stones per day!
"I don't want to trace the pulse anymore, Old Ancestor. After every tracing, the meridians will be injured."
To relieve pain after tracing the pulse, elixirs are needed. To treat injuries to the meridians, elixirs are also needed.
"If we replace these elixirs with those that increase cultivation speed, we can save a lot of spirit stones." Yulou said respectfully.
Wang Xianzhou chuckled and asked back.
"You're saving spirit stones for me?"
Yes, the elixirs Yulou has been using for his cultivation over the past few months have all been provided to him for free by Old Ancestor.
Yulou had intended to pay, but almost suffered his first domestic violence in this life.
Seeing Wang Yulou didn't speak, Wang Xianzhou thought for a moment and said.
"If you continue tracing the pulse, you'll only have a cultivation speed of about seven times for a long time. Without hitting any bottlenecks, it will take until around the age of 55 to reach the tenth layer of practice qi."
"If you don't trace the pulse, you can achieve a twelvefold increase in cultivation speed. Yulou, you can reach the tenth layer of practice qi before the age of 50."
"You know what that means?"
There was no intention to let Wang Yulou answer. Wang Xianzhou moved around excitedly, analyzing enthusiastically.
"At the age of 50 and reaching the tenth layer of practice qi, there is a good chance of establishing a foundation before the age of 70."
In this way, after establishing a foundation, there will be three hundred years to solidify the foundation of the Dao!”
After establishing a foundation, having three hundred years to solidify the foundation of the Dao means that the future Wang Yulou will have a greater chance of touching the Purple Mansion Gate.
It sounds very beautiful and wonderful, wonderful enough to make Wang Xianzhou's tone become excited.
Yulou understands not only Old Ancestor's expectations but also the kind of expectation, which is just a reflection in water and a flower in a mirror.
He didn't want to break Old Ancestor's joyful imagination, and finally just said.
"Old Ancestor, our Wang family doesn't have so many spirit stones, and Yulou doesn't want to."
The Wang family in Anbei is not small, but with Yulou's cultivation level improving, the elixirs he will need will also become more expensive.
Currently, the cost of maintaining a sevenfold speed is about 13 spirit stones per day, nearly 5,000 per year. It seems that Wang Yulou can earn it through his own efforts.
But this cost will continue to increase, and the resources consumed along the way to reach the tenth level of practice qi and take elixirs will at least be enough to buy two sets of foundation-building materials.
"There is spirit stone, don't worry, there is spirit stone."
I will prepare the corresponding elixirs for you before I kick off. Just cultivate here, don't worry about anything else, just cultivate.
Yulou, I have stopped at the tenth layer of practice qi, and I can't go any further.
"You need to go further, on behalf of Old Ancestor, to see what it's like out there, to see what the group of immortals look like."
As he spoke, Wang Xianzhou became somewhat emotional.
He dodged Yulou's gaze, turned around, and quietly gazed at the Dips of Water Heaven and the Immortal Residence in the sky.
He had once been a renowned ambassadore of the Immortal Alliance, and that was also the time of his greatest vigor and ambition.
Wang Xianzhou's greatest wish in this lifetime was to advance step by step in the Immortal Alliance and enter the group of immortals.
Unfortunately, he won't have the chance to do so.
"Old Ancestor, aren't you going to buy longevity elixirs?" Yulou's voice trembled slightly.
He didn't feel moved or honored. Instead, he felt grief and unwillingness.
Wang Xianzhou had saved a bit of spirit stone to buy longevity elixirs for himself. Many people in the clan knew about this.
The cheapest longevity elixir costs 250,000 spirit stones and can extend one's lifespan by ten years.
Each cultivator can extend their lifespan by a maximum of fifty years with elixirs alone.
Since Wang Xianzhou lost the means to extend his lifespan through cultivation, he naturally had to look for various longevity elixirs and herbs.
"Ha ha ha, it's all just a dream, just a small grave."
Wang Xianzhou chuckled lightly and turned around.
"I've had a long dream, even that I gradually became a master of elixir refining from knowing nothing about it."
This dream, it's time to wake up, Yulou.
Longevity won't solve my problems, but it will extend my life.
It is said that there is a great law of cyclic rebirth in the heavens and earth, where death leads to rebirth.
"All I ask is to be reincarnated as a human and to have another opportunity to cultivate."
The next time, I will no longer fight beyond my level - Old Ancestor Xianzhou added this sentence silently in his heart.
Seeing the old ancestor like this, Yulou felt a mix of emotions in his heart, and his thoughts were very chaotic.
He wants to save spirit stones, but the old ancestor who is attached to it wants him to reach the threshold of establishing a foundation as soon as possible.
The two of them did not elaborate, but they tacitly abandoned the discussion of tracing the pulse.
The advice of the previous day was very crucial, but if he could establish a foundation even earlier, before the age of 70.
Whether to trace the pulse or not, it seems less important now.
(The end of this chapter)
