March

"Li Mo had passed the First-Rank Junior Artifact Refiner assessment at the Fragrant Spring Road branch of Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall. This certificate was hereby issued as proof."

The date and the signature of Yan Jin, the assessment overseer, were also on it.

Wu Tao looked at the Artifact Refiner Certificate in his hand and thought, I'm a certified man now too.

The assessment just now had been exceedingly strict. They had to inscribe restrictions five times and refine a Tier 1 Level 3 magic tool once. Any mistake, or exceeding the time limit, and Yan Jin would declare failure.

Sixteen people had taken the assessment, but only six had truly succeeded.

Nine had passed the refining test, but three more had been eliminated by the One Thousand Basic Knowledge of Artifact Refining examination.

With his steady artifact-refining skills, Wu Tao had become one of those six.

Only after obtaining the Artifact Refiner Certificate certified by Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall did Wu Tao truly feel the benefits of having credentials. When he sold magic robes, as long as he displayed the certificate, those rogue cultivators who came to buy no longer had any excuse to haggle him down.

Moreover, they seemed to have genuinely become convinced of the magic robes' quality in their hearts.

He kept two of the Small Spirit Shield Robes he refined for himself and sold all the rest. Even after raising the price by one to three spirit stones, they still sold.

After only a few sales, along with the twenty percent tax reduction and twenty percent stall-fee exemption, he had already earned back the thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones he had spent on the assessment fee.

Of course, Five Spring Mountain earned even more.

By building a cultivation city, it had made thousands upon thousands of rogue cultivators work for Five Spring Mountain.

At the Devilish Cultivator "beheading" three days later, countless rogue cultivators swarmed over. Some rogue cultivators Wu Tao had met while running his stall even invited him to watch Demon Slaying Hall publicly execute the devilish cultivator.

Wu Tao refused without hesitation.

The experience of his previous life had taught him that curiosity killed the cat. Those who loved watching the excitement usually came to no good end.

Sure enough, just as Demon Slaying Hall was preparing to grind the devilish cultivator's bones to ash, three hidden devilish cultivators erupted from the crowd, intending to rescue him. A fierce spell battle broke out. Although the three devilish cultivators who had come to "break the execution ground" were also killed on the spot by Demon Slaying Hall, more than a hundred rogue cultivators who had come to watch died.

The rogue cultivator who had invited Wu Tao to watch the spectacle had not escaped disaster either.

When Wu Tao heard the news, a trace of lingering fear inevitably appeared on his face. Fortunately, he had not gone. Otherwise, he would certainly have been among the dead.

"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile. That is the only way to live forever."

Once again, he strengthened his Dao Heart.

"The Devilish Cultivators of Guidao sect are far too bold and reckless! Why do I feel as though a storm is about to descend? Could the Righteous-Demonic War be about to begin?" Thoughts drifted through Wu Tao's sea of consciousness as a conjecture flashed through his mind.

No Righteous-Demonic War had broken out in this region for several hundred years.

Once war began, even Immortal Dao Great Sects like Five Spring Mountain and Azure Spirit Sect would not be spared. Rogue cultivators would fare even worse amid such a war.

"I hope I'm just guessing blindly."

As he comforted himself, Wu Tao also made some changes to his plans. He needed to refine more Small Spirit Shield Robes, buy pills for cultivation, and raise his cultivation as quickly as possible.

The Body Tempering Art and the Sanyang Technique advanced neck and neck, and the spirit stones required were an enormous expense.

For the pills he used in cultivation, he chose one called the Qi Condensation Pill. This pill was perfectly suited for cultivators below Late-Stage Qi Refining. One bottle cost thirty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones and contained ten pills. Taking one each time, he would need one hundred and five Low-Grade Spirit Stones a month.

If Wu Tao cultivated with spirit stones, then at his current absorption rate, he could absorb at most a little over ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones in a month. Thirty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones could support his cultivation for several months.

But pills were easier to absorb and sped up cultivation. Cultivators valued their lifespan above all else, and buying lifespan with spirit stones was what they were most willing to do.

If someone said they were unwilling, then they must be poor.

The Body Tempering Art consumed even more spirit stones than the Sanyang Technique. One Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was only enough for five days of medicinal baths. A month would cost six hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, something Wu Tao's current earning speed simply could not afford.

Thus, he decided to take a medicinal bath every other day. His income could bear that, and he could still save some spirit stones to buy new restrictions, Formation Practice Boards, and the like.

When he truly calculated it all out, life was still stretched tight.

The days passed slowly according to plan, and in the blink of an eye, three months went by.

This day.

Inside the Cultivation Room,

Wu Tao sat cross-legged upon a prayer mat, circulating the Sanyang Technique and refining the Qi Condensation Pill within his body. The Qi Condensation Pill was refined into spiritual power, which he then guided into his dantian.

As the Qi Condensation Pill was refined, it grew smaller and smaller, while the spiritual power in his dantian became increasingly abundant.

Half a shichen later.

He had completely refined the Qi Condensation Pill.

Wu Tao slowly ended his cultivation and gradually opened his eyes. A flash of delight passed through his gaze as he said, "Three months ago, refining a single Qi Condensation Pill would have taken two shichen. But as my Body Tempering Art improved, the refining time has grown shorter and shorter."

"Over these three months, although I have not reached the Third Level of Qi Refining, my overall strength has already improved enormously."

His spiritual sense entered his dantian. There, spiritual power swirled in misty clouds, nearly accumulated in sufficient quantity.

"Soon. In at most three to five days, I'll break through to the Third Level of Qi Refining."

Opening his Personal Status, Wu Tao carefully scanned each item of data. These figures gave a more precise assessment of his strength.

[Name: Wu Tao]

[Lifespan: 25/83]

[Realm: Second Level of Qi Refining]

[Cultivation Method: Three Yang Technique: Qi Refining Chapter (second layer): 98%]

[Spells: Fireball Technique Beginner (95%), Cleaning Spell Beginner (10%)]

[Divine Ability: None]

[Primary Profession: Artifact Refiner]: Mastered Restrictions: Tier 1 Level 1 Cooling Formation, First-Rank Level 2 Wind-Speed Restriction, Tier 1 Level 1 Dust-Repelling Restriction, Tier 1 Level 1 Rain-Repelling Restriction, Tier 1 Level 3 Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction, First-Rank Level 4 Spirit-Absorbing Restriction (95%)

[Secondary Profession · Body Cultivator: Dragon Spear Body Tempering Art: Flesh Refining (45%), Dragon Spear · Fire Sweep Proficiency (22%), Dragon Spear · Wind and Thunder Proficiency (35%)]

"Only another two percent, and I can break through to the Third Level of Qi Refining. Before I began cultivating with pills, I estimated that it would take nine months to break through. With pills, the time has been forcibly shortened to just over three months."

"Of course, the Body Tempering Art also deserves credit. It strengthens the body, enhancing all Five Senses and Six Perceptions and making my perception of spiritual power increasingly sensitive."

Wu Tao's gaze swept over the rows of data. After tempering his body with medicinal baths, the progress of Fire Sweep and Wind and Thunder had also accelerated. Both had now reached the Proficiency stage.

Once Wind and Thunder was unleashed, Wu Tao was confident that he could spear to death several hundred versions of his former self.

After all, the original owner had been someone who had even practiced the Fireball Technique into utter trash.

Over these three months, he had also purchased a First-Rank Level 4 restriction.

The Spirit-Absorbing Restriction, as its name implied, could absorb a certain degree of spell damage. The lower the quality of the spell, the more damage it absorbed; the higher the quality of the spell damage, the less it absorbed accordingly.

Of course, if the opponent's realm was several floors higher than yours, then no matter how much damage it absorbed, death would still be difficult to avoid.

Its absorption limit was twenty percent.

For a First-Rank Level 4 restriction to absorb twenty percent of spell damage was already reaching the ceiling.

Over three months, he had used several hundred Formation Practice Boards and brought its inscription progress to ninety-five percent. Given another ten days to half a month, Wu Tao was confident he could completely master this restriction.

Wu Tao put away the panel and recalled the past three months. Although he had worked himself to the bone to earn spirit stones, that exhaustion had been deeply fulfilling.

Fortunately, nothing major had happened during those three months.

The days passed in plain, unadorned simplicity.

There had been one occasion when he encountered Daoist Duocai while running his stall. Seeing Daoist Duocai dressed in splendid magic robes and constantly smiling, he had assumed Daoist Duocai had struck it rich at the gambling house.

When Daoist Duocai saw Wu Tao, he adopted a lofty, condescending attitude. He immediately took out two Low-Grade Spirit Stones and said the extra amount counted as interest for him.

He looked as though he were bestowing a favor.

Wu Tao accepted them cheerfully. There was no need to ask around. With Daoist Duocai's showy nature, it turned out that he had reported the Devilish Cultivator of Guidao sect and received a hefty reward from Demon Slaying Hall.

This man isn't far from death! I must stay away from him!

That thought immediately flashed through Wu Tao's mind.

Sure enough, three days later, when he went to the Marketplace, he saw Daoist Duocai's corpse in the street. He had died miserably—one could say he had been left without an intact corpse. His blood, flesh, and vital essence had been gnawed away by something unknown. Even the splendid magic robe on him had been stripped off. His eyes were bulging wide, and his face was filled with grievance.

Wu Tao guessed that Daoist Duocai must have suffered retaliation from devilish cultivators.