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墨書 Inktalez
Li Hong received a message from Elder Yue Changzi and thought it was perfect timing, as he had been reviewing the refining techniques that Yue Changzi had given him. There were many unclear points, and this visit would be a good opportunity to ask for clarification.
After some consideration, he decided not to take anything out of the Cosmic Bag in front of Yue Changzi. He first took out a small iron booklet from the Cosmic Bag and tucked it into his pocket, then reorganized his items before securely placing the Cosmic Bag close to his body. Only then did he fly towards Elder Peak.
The Cosmic Bag contained all his possessions, especially the incomplete Ancient Marvelous Skills, which were his most valuable items. He had always kept them close to him. After all, they were relics of Heavenly Danzi, including the Binding Immortal Rope attached to the Cosmic Bag. It was best not to reveal them in public, even in front of the well-acquainted Elder Yue Changzi.
Flying along familiar paths to Elder Peak, after reporting his arrival, someone led him to the Artifact Hall in the Main Hall. Yue Changzi was waiting for him and smiled broadly upon seeing him. He gave a thumbs up and praised, "I used to think your talent was exceptional, but I didn't expect your intelligence to be so outstanding as well. Even the Sect Leader said you did very well this time. Although he can't publicly commend you, he secretly instructed me to find some excellent treasures for you. Haha, you little rascal are benefiting again!" With that, he playfully patted Li Hong's chest.
Li Hong chuckled and scratched his head, saying, "Thank you for your praise, Elder. Actually, I'm not in a hurry about the treasures; I have many questions I would like to ask."
The two sat down and talked for a while.
It turned out that Yue Changzi had devoted his life to refining tools and had studied it extensively. He practiced the Li Fire Scripture and excelled at controlling fire. Their sect also had the Fire Cave with its innate Fire Spirit Eye, making it difficult for any high-temperature refining materials to last long without melting in the Fire Spirit Eye. Therefore, while Nine Li Sect may not rank first in the entire Cultivation World regarding refining tools, it indeed possessed some strength due to these reasons. Since becoming the elder of the Artifact Hall, Yue Changzi had diligently researched and contributed several excellent treasures to Nine Li Sect.
The small iron booklet was a compilation of his lifelong research on refining tools, detailing critical aspects such as temperature control, materials, and formations. It represented advanced refining techniques. Since Li Hong was entirely unfamiliar with basic refining techniques, he found many parts of this advanced booklet confusing despite taking notes.
Yue Changzi felt that among the few apprentices he personally taught in refining tools, their talents were mediocre compared to Li Hong's uniqueness; he felt increasingly drawn to him. With this preconceived notion and seeing how diligently Li Hong studied, he was even more pleased and thought to himself that he hadn't misjudged him. He focused intently on addressing each of Li Hong's questions and finally said with a smile, "It's impressive that you—a newcomer to refining—can raise these questions; my efforts have not been in vain."
He walked over to a corner and brought back a large stack of books: "These contain basic knowledge about refining tools. Since you seem interested, take them and study them thoroughly."
Li Hong accepted them with a smile but inwardly groaned at having so much work already; between cultivation, drawing talismans, refining treasures, and mastering divine abilities, he was already overwhelmed. Now he had to start delving into the intricate art of refining tools as well. If only he had known better than to appear so diligent... However, he didn't want to dampen Yue Changzi's enthusiasm and pretended to be excited as he took the books while deliberately changing the subject by rubbing his thumb against his fingers and saying, "So... do I need to say anything?"
Yue Changzi was pleased and laughed heartily: "Don't worry; I have prepared something for you already. But..." He became serious: "There is one thing I want you to agree to."
"Go ahead, Elder; why are we being polite?" Li Hong grinned mischievously.
"Little Monkey," Yue Changzi said seriously: "I want you to be registered as my named disciple at the Artifact Hall. Don't worry; it's just a formality—only you, me, and a few others will know about it, including my nephew Spirit Stone."
Li Hong stared with his mouth agape, realizing that becoming a named disciple meant elevating his status significantly. This... wasn't it a bit chaotic?
Yue Changzi felt somewhat embarrassed. "Actually, it's a bit of my selfishness. You have such talent in artifact forging; it would be a waste to let it go to waste. If you become my named disciple, you can freely enter the Artifact Hall and come directly to me whenever you want to forge something. You can just ask your senior brother for materials. Isn't that more convenient? Moreover, heh heh, having you as my named disciple will also bring me some glory!"
Li Hong thought it over and happily bowed deeply, exclaiming, "I pay my respects to my master!"
"That won't do!" Yue Changzi waved his hand dismissively. "We can't mess up the hierarchy; otherwise, it would be awkward for Spirit Stone when he returns to the mountain! You're just a named disciple; there's no need for formal bowing."
That was fine; it saved him from figuring out how to address him. Li Hong agreed.
Seeing him so obedient, Yue Changzi was genuinely pleased. He took Li Hong's hand and said, "Let's go! Let's pick some treasures!"
Li Hong followed him like a good child, feeling somewhat strange inside. Yue Changzi was very kind and had always gotten along well with him. Becoming his named disciple came with many benefits. He was happy about it, but why did it feel like he had gained a powerful backing?
Yun Jiuzi treated him as an equal friend, and the elder of the Artifact Hall shared similar interests with him. Now it seemed that matters regarding the Heavenly Torch were stable; anyone who wanted to harm him would likely think twice before acting. He suddenly wondered if this was the reason he had been increasingly bold in his actions lately. Then he recalled Spirit Stone's earnest words before leaving the mountain: the nail that sticks out gets hammered down; it's better to remain low-key.
Thinking of this, Li Hong realized he actually missed Spirit Stone.
However, this trip to the Artifact Hall didn't yield much. Ordinary artifacts that didn't balance the five elements couldn't be attuned to his life force—good artifacts should be attuned to one's life force for optimal control, especially flying swords. Therefore, he could only choose auxiliary artifacts that couldn't be upgraded. Auxiliary artifacts at this level didn't require life force attunement or blood recognition; they could be activated with spiritual energy or awareness input, similar to the Dragon Tail Whip. However, this meant their power was significantly reduced unless the artifact itself could only be activated by awareness, like the Cosmic Bag and Binding Immortal Rope; those were different but couldn't be forged in the Artifact Hall.
He chose an upper-grade protective artifact similar to the Star Shield called Starfire Shield. It was a bunch of needle-like artifacts of medium grade; according to Yue Changzi, they were crafted based on the protective divine needles found in the secret hall of the Artifact Hall—the Heavenly Extreme Needle—though this one was merely a medium-grade artifact and significantly lower in quality. Fortunately, there were many of them, making them effective as hidden weapons that could catch opponents off guard. This suited Li Hong's taste perfectly.
There wasn't much else that caught his eye. However, since he had already passed through Ming Road, he selected two protective artifacts for Chuxiong and Chu Xi as gifts.
Yue Changzi also promised to think carefully and forge a Superior Spirit Artifact balanced in the five elements for Li Hong as an auxiliary artifact. Li Hong didn't mind; once Yue Que could be activated, other artifacts would be unnecessary.
This idea was countered by Yue Changzi. He said, "Yue Que is significant; even if your cultivation is sufficient to activate it, you should use it sparingly or not at all in front of outsiders. Anyone observant enough might recognize its shape and level and realize it's the 'Yue Que' from Three Thousand Years Ago belonging to Senior Heavenly Danzi. That would bring you great trouble!"
Li Hong forced a smile; it seemed Yue Que was still a hot potato! However, he didn’t plan to let Yue Que sleep for long. As long as he could activate it, practicing in a secluded place would be fine. After all, this Celestial Artifact was a relic of Heavenly Danzi, holding great significance for him. With a stack of artifact refining books, Li Hong bid farewell to Yue Changzi and returned to Nine Vermilion Peaks.As soon as he landed on the porch of the Green Pavilion, a slender figure rushed out. Chu Xi shouted, “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for ages!” It had been a while since they last met, and the girl had grown taller, almost reaching Li Hong’s eyebrows. Her face had also matured, looking even more radiant and lovely.Li Hong looked her over carefully, causing Chu Xi’s face to flush a deep crimson as he cheerfully said, “You arrived just in time; I have something nice for you.”“Hmph, I don’t care!” Despite her words, Chu Xi's eyes were continuously darting toward the bulging sleeves of his robe, her intentions clear.Chuxiong, who had been accompanying Chu Xi for a long time, saw Li Hong return and stood up, rubbing his forehead while muttering, “After being tangled up with her for half a day, I can finally take a break. You two chat; I’m going to the Dining Hall for a meal.”As the sky began to darken, Chuxiong seemed to have grown impatient. Just as he was about to step outside, Li Hong grabbed him and said seriously, “Don’t go. I have something good for you.”He pulled out his Cosmic Bag and clattered the five Flying Swords left by Heavenly Danzi onto the table. He also placed two protective magical artifacts he obtained from Yue Changzi today on the table, generously saying, “Pick whatever you want; you can take them all!”When Chu Xi saw the few dazzling magical artifacts, her eyes widened instantly. Chuxiong was also stunned, snapping back to reality after a moment and shouting, “Really, pick whatever you want? You’re not kidding me, are you?” He could hardly believe his eyes.Li Hong smiled and said, “I told you to pick freely, so go ahead! Be careful; that girl might want them all!” In truth, these five Flying Swords were not suitable for him, and he only needed the Starfire Shield and Little Celestial Pole Needle among the protective artifacts, as he had no use for the others. Originally, these items were prepared for both of them.
Chu Xi suddenly pounced onto the table, without saying a word, she gathered all the treasures into her arms, shouting, "I want them all! They're mine!"
Her actions were quite comical, causing Li Hong to burst into laughter.
Chuxiong grew anxious and rushed over to tug at Chu Xi's arm, saying, "Hey girl, leave me some! Big Brother said we should pick together!"
Chu Xi retorted, "Who told you to be so slow..."
After a bout of laughter, the two began to "divide the spoils." Chu Xi suppressed her excitement and truly started to make her selections.
She first picked out two mid-grade spiritual artifacts, Flying Sword, which were originally in the "Cosmic Bag", handed "Flowing Fire" to Chuxiong, and chose "Flowing Crystal" for herself, saying, "'Flowing Fire' is suitable for you, Chuxiong, take it. 'Flowing Crystal' suits me, so I’ll take it. Also, let’s each take one High-Quality Magical Artifact Flying Sword, that should be enough. For protective artifacts, let’s each have one; I like this 'Tissot Silk', so you can choose 'Mysterious Bell' instead." After dividing everything, she returned the remaining High-Quality Magical Artifact to Li Hong, smiling as she said, "You keep this High-Quality Magical Artifact Flying Sword for now; we can see if Sister Chu Yan likes it later."
This distribution made Chuxiong very satisfied; it was an even split with three items each. He nodded repeatedly and even suggested that Chu Xi simply take the High-Quality Magical Artifact and give it directly to Chu Yan.
Reminded by Chu Xi, Li Hong recalled how much help Chu Yan had provided during their last exploration of the Li Fire Formation. He had never properly thanked her, not to mention how she had helped him during that awkward incident with burning clothes recently. He picked up the remaining High-Quality Magical Artifact Flying Sword and placed it in Chu Xi's hands, saying cheerfully, "Then why hesitate! Second Brother is right; just take it to Chu Yan."
Touched to the point of tears, Chu Xi accepted it gratefully on behalf of Chu Yan. However, her curiosity soon got the better of her as she asked, "Where did you get so many good things? Even if the elder from the Artifact Hall summoned you, they wouldn’t give you this many treasures!"
Knowing he couldn't hide anything from her cleverness, Li Hong recounted how he received the "Cosmic Bag" along with the "Binding Immortal Rope" and those artifacts inside from Yun Jiuzi. He also mentioned how he became a named disciple of Yue Changzi. Finally, he pointed at the two protective artifacts and said, "These are what I just picked for you at the Artifact Hall. Got it?"
With her chin resting on her hand and her eyes sparkling brightly, Chu Xi sighed dramatically: "Do you know? Sister Chu Yan has a bit of a reputation at our Nine Purple Peak, with cultivation at the Mid Stage of Cautionary Practice, being Master’s third disciple. It's not that Master doesn't care for her; after all these years with Master, she only received one High-Quality Magical Artifact Flying Sword. And here you are generously giving her another upgradeable one without even needing to thank you in person. Not to mention that what you gave me and Chuxiong are at least all high-quality magical artifacts along with two upgradeable mid-grade spiritual artifacts like the Flying Sword. If Master finds out about this gift, I’m afraid he’ll thank you right in front of us!" She then mischievously added with a grin: "Hehe, balancing good and bad deeds—who told you to come find me last time looking disheveled?"
It was more than just being disheveled! Remembering how he had been exposed in front of several female disciples at Nine Purple Peak, including Sister Chu Yan, made Li Hong blush deeply.
Feeling a bit embarrassed herself, Chu Xi changed the subject and continued: "Even though our Nine Li Sect can refine magical artifacts ourselves, it's still quite difficult. Even if they are all high-quality magical artifacts, it matters who crafted them! Every piece made by Elder Yue Changzi from the Artifact Hall is a masterpiece that ordinary disciples can't easily obtain. Thanks to you, both I and Chuxiong ended up with one each! Just look at those two Flying Swords, they seem like works from renowned masters. Brother, since I've benefited this time, I won't say much more about you. But next time, remember not to be so generous with others! If that guy Chuxuan finds out about this, he might get furious and secretly cause trouble."
Hearing this made Chuxiong shiver as he thought about how close he came to dragging his big brother into trouble; he nodded repeatedly.
Li Hong began to scratch his head, not out of concern for Chuxuan, but because he never expected these treasures to be so precious. Perhaps Yue Changzi was too generous with him, and even Yun Jiuzi was the same; he had taken the treasures far too lightly.
Chu Xi counted on her fingers and said, "There are more than three thousand people in the Nine Li Sect, including the elders above the Golden Core Stage who are in seclusion, with a large portion being low-level disciples. As for the Elders, those at a level where they can choose treasures from the Artifact Hall are certainly not lacking. However, the majority are low-level disciples. Some of these disciples can't even get their hands on a low-grade artifact; if they manage to obtain a medium-grade artifact, they would be overjoyed. As for spirit tools, apart from the personal disciples of the Elders and the Sect Leader, even the personal disciples of Elder Brother might not be able to acquire one. So just think about it—how lucky you are! Good treasures are not easily obtained."
She played with the Flowing Crystal, her dark almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly as she sighed contentedly: "My master originally planned to personally go to the Artifact Hall to request a Low-Grade Spirit Tool Flying Sword for me after I reached the Initial Stage of Caution. Now it's unnecessary; with this medium-grade Flowing Crystal that can be upgraded, it saves my master a lot of trouble! She, hee hee, is said to have some disagreements with Elder Yue Changzi and was prepared to confront him on my behalf." At this point, she looked at Li Hong with bright eyes: "If necessary in the future, I might as well ask you for help directly?"
Li Hong's head spun at her words, and he quickly waved his hands: "No, no! I can't handle your master; she probably still holds a grudge."
Chuxiong recalled Li Hong's awkwardness back then and burst into laughter.
The three chatted happily until Chu Xi left late at night, satisfied.
The next day, Chu Yan came personally to express her gratitude. Remembering that day when he had been naked in front of her made Li Hong feel embarrassed and flustered. Fortunately, this gentle and kind girl was neither pretentious nor brought it up; she gracefully thanked him a few times without mentioning it and left behind a basket full of fragrant pastries with a charming smile.
Li Hong stared blankly at the pastries; such a large basket must have taken Chu Yan an entire night to prepare! He picked one up to taste—it was sweet and delicious—and noticed that there were nearly dozens of varieties in the basket. As he ate, he couldn't help but praise them; he felt that this basket of pastries was even more valuable than the High-Quality Magical Artifact Flying Sword he had given to Chu Yan. After all, these were handmade by her; he had merely borrowed flowers to present to Buddha.
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