Cleverly Snatching Che Hou's Artifact Refining Jade Slip

On a small island in the outer reaches of Refining Lake, a spirit boat carried five people as they hurried ashore.

"My thanks to Boss Li." The Seventh Prince, Changqin Wuming, looked back at the vast, misty lake with lingering fear.

He had been prepared for the dangers of Refining Lake, but he hadn't expected to encounter three consecutive waves of water beast attacks within half a day of entering the outer lake.

Fortunately, they were traveling as a team, led by Li Sheng, a boss capable of reclaiming waste qi, which allowed them to reach the designated pearl-harvesting island safely.

"Don't let your guard down. Even the island could hide dangers. Rest for half an hour, then prepare to enter the lake for pearls."

Li Sheng, tall with dark skin, released his sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivation to scan the surroundings.

Suddenly, his expression shifted.

"There's something over there!"

The five of them instantly formed a defensive formation and moved toward the direction Li Sheng had sensed.

Swish!

A pale blue streak of light suddenly shot into Refining Lake, riding the wind and cleaving through the waves.

"Huh?"

Changqin Wuming froze for a moment.

"What is it?" Li Sheng frowned.

"Nothing..." Changqin Wuming watched the streak of light, his heart filled with doubt.

Just now, he had actually sensed the aura of Shen Yue.

But this was the outer reaches of Refining Lake; even if Shen Yue had ten lives, he couldn't possibly be here.

Moreover, the speed at which that person was traveling was no less than that of Team Leader Li.

"It looks like some passing pearl harvester was just resting here temporarily."

Seeing that the person had left of their own accord, Li Sheng relaxed slightly. He told everyone to continue preparing for the dive, then walked over to Changqin Wuming.

"I heard from Little Five and the others that you're out here harvesting pearls to help someone else buy a Breakthrough Pill?"

Changqin Wuming nodded.

"The path of cultivation is never easy; you should prioritize yourself." Li Sheng shook his head.

The outer lake was dotted with rocky islets and turbulent waters. Ten miles away from the island where Changqin Wuming and his group were located, a blue sphere hovered.

The sphere was large, at least two meters in diameter, its entire surface shimmering with dense water vapor.

Shen Yue sat cross-legged atop the blue orb, slowly recovering his spiritual power.

This Tide Rising Pearl is truly profound; it's a pity it can only be used temporarily...

This morning, Chen Qiaoqian hadn't acted as expected; instead, she had surprisingly gifted him this mid-grade first-tier Tide Rising Pearl for his protection.

The pearl could manipulate water currents, serving both for offense and travel. If not for this item, he might not have reached the outer lake so smoothly.

Just now, on that island, he had used the pearl to depart instantly; otherwise, if Changqin Wuming had seen him, it would have inevitably led to trouble.

After a period of recovery, his dantian was once again filled with spiritual power. Shen Yue focused his mind, communicating with the [Nine Heavens Profound Mirror], and ripples immediately spread through the space around him.

The land of Ancient Wei.

Green trees stretched toward the sky, blocking out the sun, and the air was saturated with the spiritual energy of earth and wood.

Shen Yue hid in the dense forest canopy, spreading his divine sense to perceive his surroundings.

Birds, beasts, leaves, and branches—everything within a hundred meters was laid bare before his eyes, a completely different experience from last time.

"Linjiang Immortal City is to the east..."

The storage bag belonging to the woman from the Wu Family contained several jade slips, which recorded a chaotic mix of information.

Linjiang Immortal City was the largest cultivation city near the Wu Family and Black Soil Fortress.

After a brief identification, Shen Yue headed east.

With the aid of his divine sense, he reached Linjiang Immortal City in half a day.

The main road was paved with bluestone and wide enough for thirty-six carriages to travel side-by-side. Shops lined both sides, looking like jade towers.

Shen Yue had three main goals for this trip: first, to sell the two [Star Flow Sands] he had collected during this time; second, to purchase the subsequent parts of the [Star Sand Return-to-Store Technique]; and third, to find methods for artifact refining or alchemy.

The Wu Family woman's storage bag had mentioned that artifact refining and alchemy in this world were different from those in Chusheng Market, appearing to be far more profound.

For instance, the Wu Family itself practiced wood-element alchemy, something he had never even heard of in Chusheng Market.

"I'll buy the cultivation techniques first..."

Half an hour later.

Shen Yue arrived at a shop called the "Thousand Treasure Pavilion."

Cultivation techniques in the land of Ancient Wei were strange and unpredictable, often containing deadly traps that could turn a practitioner into someone else's clone or even a human pill. Fortunately, the Wu Family woman had mentioned that this shop had a guaranteed reputation.

"What does the fellow daoist require?" The one greeting him was a young girl with braided hair, looking quite capable.

"Do you have the second volume of the Star Sand Return-to-Store Technique?" Shen Yue asked.

"We do." The girl walked to a nearby shelf and retrieved a golden-colored booklet. "Ten spirit stones."

"Can I trade items instead?" Shen Yue produced two jade bottles.

"Star Flow Sand?" The girl merely lifted the lids to take a sniff before identifying the contents. "Fifteen spirit stones for one strand, thirty for two."

Thirty!

Shen Yue's heart gave a jolt.

Now that he had stepped into the Qi-Refining stage, he could collect one strand of Star Flow Sand in about ten days. This meant that by gathering Qi alone, he could earn forty-five spirit stones a month.

In the past, when he recycled waste materials, he could earn at most three spirit stones a month.

And this was just Star Flow Sand; what if it were a higher grade of spiritual energy?

"I wonder if your pavilion has any Fire Flowing Sand for sale?"

"Fire Flowing Sand?" The girl shook her head. "Fellow daoist, you jest. Linjiang Immortal City is located in the Azure Ancient Forest, where earth and wood spiritual items are abundant, but fire-attributed items are rare. Unless an outside merchant caravan arrives, you won't find any under normal circumstances."

"What about Thunder Wood?" Shen Yue inquired, keeping his expression neutral.

Like Fire Flowing Sand, this wood was ranked as a third-grade item.

"We do, but it costs one hundred spirit stones. Is the fellow daoist certain you want it?"

Thunder Wood was a rare treasure, and the Thousand Treasure Pavilion did not display it openly.

Shen Yue's heart stirred.

If this wood alone cost one hundred, then the even harder-to-find Fire Flowing Sand would definitely be more expensive.

He actually possessed one strand, but he certainly wouldn't sell it rashly.

"I will consider it further. Let's settle the cultivation technique first."

"Very well." The girl made a rubbing of the Star Sand Return-to-Store Technique onto a jade slip and handed it to Shen Yue along with twenty spirit stones.

"Do come again if you have further needs, fellow daoist."

Clutching his massive fortune, Shen Yue left the Thousand Treasure Pavilion.

"Next target: artifact refining methods."

The woman from the Wu Family had mentioned someone from the Chehou Family who was quite skilled at artifact refining, and they were right here in Linjiang Immortal City.

Half a day later, Shen Yue arrived at another shop.

"This shop has countless spiritual artifacts, everything you could possibly need. Feel free to look around, fellow daoist."

There was only one person in the shop, a red-faced youth with features bunched together, looking quite casual.

"Lin Yan?"

Shen Yue was stunned on the spot.

This person was none other than the monkey-faced youth, Lin Yan, from the battle at Black Soil Fortress involving the Wu Family.

Chehou Yan also paused. "You didn't die?"

Black Qiu's Shadow Candle Mayfly Sand technique was something even late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators wouldn't dare to face head-on; he had only survived by relying on the Life-Replacing Golden Cicada his family had given him.

That this person was still alive was truly unexpected.

"You didn't die either?"

Shen Yue was equally surprised. He hadn't truly felt the power of that move back then, but it was necessary to put on a front to elevate his status and facilitate what was to come.

Chehou Yan fell silent.

This person had managed to escape from Black Qiu's hands, so he certainly wasn't simple. He must have cultivated some profound breath-concealing technique to hide his true cultivation level.

"What does the fellow daoist need? Spirit swords, spirit boats, dharma seals, treasure basins..."

"Artifact refining methods." Shen Yue interrupted Chehou Yan.

"What?" Chehou Yan almost thought he had misheard.

To think someone would dare come to his Chehou Family to buy artifact refining methods—how was this any different from poaching his family's trade secrets to his face?

But upon closer reflection, Chehou Yan realized this person possessed extraordinary strength. To dare ask for such methods so openly, he must have something to rely on.

"My Chehou Family only sells spiritual artifacts, not methods." Chehou Yan's face darkened. "However, if the fellow daoist is in need, I could gift them to you privately."

He had actually relented.

Shen Yue remained composed and said, "Please speak, fellow daoist."

"Accompany me on a trip to Black Soil Fortress." Chehou Yan picked up a spirit sword, staring intently at the inscriptions on it.

During the last battle between Black Soil Fortress and the Wu Family, he had tried to seize the Wu Family's alchemy methods, but he was discovered by Black Qiu at the last moment, causing his plan to fail and bringing shame upon his family.

For this reason, he had been plotting for a long time to explore Black Soil Fortress once more, and he was currently only lacking a strong helper.

"Fine, but you must give me the artifact-refining method first." Shen Yue agreed with almost no hesitation.

"Give you the method first?" Chehou Yan stared at Shen Yue's expression, yet could not detect a single ripple of emotion.

It seemed that to him, breaking into Black Soil Fortress was a trivial matter.

Chehou Yan was secretly startled.

This man had significant backing.

He produced a jade slip and smiled, "This slip contains the artifact-refining method of my Chehou Family. Please, take a look, fellow Daoist."

Shen Yue extended his divine sense to take a peek and indeed saw the content on artifact refining, but only the first half was visible.

"Three days from now, accompany me to Black Soil Fortress, and I will unlock the remaining portion. This serves as a guarantee for both of us."

Naturally, it was impossible for Chehou Yan to easily hand over the Chehou Family's artifact-refining method to an outsider; the first half in the jade slip was merely the introductory level, which had little impact.

"Agreed." Shen Yue put away the jade slip.

Three days later, the night was dark and the wind was high.

Two black shadows lurked outside Black Soil Fortress.

"Do not be impatient, fellow Daoist. Let me scout the situation inside the fortress first." Chehou Yan took out a formation disk and made a show of probing Black Soil Fortress, a sinister grin flashing across his lips.

He did not truly need a helper; he needed a powerful bait to help him draw out the experts of Black Soil Fortress.

As for that jade slip, he had tampered with it; a single thought from him could cause it to explode.

It would destroy the object and kill the person.

It was precisely for this reason that he had given the Chehou Family's artifact-refining method to Shen Yue.

"Fellow Daoist, the coast is clear. Let's go!"

"Where is he?!"