Flying Magical Artifact

Luo Mu toyed with the two daggers, unable to put them down. He never imagined that this young man could truly forge mid-grade magical artifacts, let alone craft two for him. Although a fair amount of material had been wasted in the process, Luo Mu felt it was well worth it compared to the value of these two mid-grade items.

The inner armor was named the Plum Blossom Armor. It was not only as thin as a cicada's wing but also exceptionally sturdy—several grades tougher than before it was forged. As soon as it was finished, Luo Mu donned it without hesitation. Once he channeled his Poison Spirit Power, the armor emitted a faint, fluorescent glow and clung tightly to his skin, feeling remarkably comfortable. A sense of security instantly welled up in Luo Mu's heart.

As for the two daggers, Luo Mu named them "Poison Fang." This pair was not only razor-sharp but also compact and easy to conceal. Most importantly, they were imbued with the venom of the Plum Blossom Snake, making them excellent artifacts for assassinations and underhanded tactics.

Coupled with Luo Mu's own Poison Spirit Power, using these daggers was like adding wings to a tiger; they were practically tailor-made for him.

Although the toxicity inherent in the Poison Fang was limited, with a little poison-master like Luo Mu around, the venom on the blades would be inexhaustible, rendering any need for soaking them in toxins unnecessary.

After caressing the Poison Fang with lingering affection, Luo Mu tucked them back into his storage pouch. While mid-grade artifacts might not mean much to some big shots, they still held considerable appeal for ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivators.

He cast a cautious glance around, and upon realizing that no one had noticed the daggers in his hands, Luo Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had no desire to be targeted by some ill-intentioned evil cultivator and end up suffering the fate of being killed for his treasures.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with these two mid-grade artifacts, Fellow Daoist Luo Mu?" Just as Luo Mu was lost in his own thoughts, a man's voice, tinged with a hint of pride, drifted over from his side.

He turned his head, and who else could it be but that young man!

The youth was named Qu Yi, only a year older than Luo Mu. However, what surprised Luo Mu was that Qu Yi was actually a student at Jinxiu Academy in Jinxiu City! This immediately reminded Luo Mu of Xiao Ling'er, who also attended Jinxiu Academy, and Bai Lin, whom Luo Mu hated to the bone.

However, the images of the two only lingered in Luo Mu's mind for a fleeting moment before he ruthlessly cast them out.

Like Xiao Ling'er, Qu Yi had only just been admitted to Jinxiu Academy this year. He had enrolled in the academy's Artifact Refining Department. Yet, much like Luo Mu, Qu Yi did not come from a prominent family and possessed no wealth. To attend Jinxiu Academy, reaching the Qi Refining stage was a prerequisite, and one had to pay one hundred low-grade spirit stones annually for tuition, books, and various miscellaneous fees. The academy provided housing, but not food.

To attend Jinxiu Academy, Qu Yi's family had sold everything they could to scrape together those one hundred low-grade spirit stones, allowing him to enter the academy as he wished. Determined not to let his parents down and vowing to make something of himself, Qu Yi had long known that magical artifacts were essential for cultivators. He chose the artifact refining major, hoping to master the craft and earn spirit stones by selling his own creations, so his mortal parents could live a life free from worry and no longer toil for spirit stones.

However, artifact refining was a money-burning profession, and Qu Yi had absolutely no spirit stones to purchase the materials he needed. To improve his skills and make his dream a reality sooner, he began refining artifacts for other cultivators at the night market for free. During this time, he had indeed refined a few items for others, but his success rate was abysmal. He failed constantly, which earned him no shortage of cold glares, and those with short tempers would even hurl insults at him to vent their frustration over the ruined materials.

Nevertheless, Qu Yi's refining techniques were slowly improving.

Last night, Luo Mu had witnessed the entire process of Qu Yi's refining from start to finish. Artifact refining was not like a mortal forging ordinary weapons; it did not require strenuous hammering of steel. Instead, one had to convert the spirit power within their dantian into true fire, then use that fire to continuously melt the materials before refining them according to specific techniques.

While it sounded simple, if any step went wrong, all the materials would be wasted. Unless one was meticulous and steady-tempered, it was best not to study artifact refining, alchemy, or talisman making, lest one waste materials in vain.

Luo Mu had no interest in artifact refining. He watched Qu Yi for the whole night without making heads or tails of it, though every time the other party failed, Luo Mu's heart couldn't help but race.

Whether it was because Qu Yi had truly mastered the ability to forge mid-grade artifacts, or because he had just had a stroke of blind luck, or perhaps because Luo Mu's own fortune was just that good, Qu Yi had managed to forge two mid-grade artifacts for Luo Mu in one go. This had kept Qu Yi feeling smug from last night until now.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped out of the inn and saw Luo Mu, that smugness surged up again.

"Satisfied! Extremely satisfied!" Luo Mu said with a smile, speaking from the bottom of his heart.

Luo Mu now looked at Qu Yi with newfound respect. To be able to forge mid-grade artifacts at such a young age showed that his aptitude for refining was truly not bad. Luo Mu even wondered if, given enough time and materials, Qu Yi might actually become a grandmaster of artifact refining.

Building a good relationship with a future grandmaster would be infinitely beneficial. Even if Qu Yi didn't reach that level, the fact that he had forged these two mid-grade artifacts for free was enough for Luo Mu to treat him with kindness.

"As long as Fellow Daoist Luo Mu is satisfied. If you trust me, feel free to come to me, Qu Yi, whenever you need artifacts forged in the future. I'll do it for free!" Qu Yi puffed out his chest and said with a haughty expression, his nostrils flared toward the sky.

"Of course! As long as I have materials, I will certainly keep them well-guarded and come to trouble Fellow Daoist Qu Yi to forge them for me!" Luo Mu, still riding the high of his excitement, replied with a smile.

As for the other man's smugness, Luo Mu didn't take it to heart; he just smiled in tacit understanding. Since the man had the ability to forge mid-grade artifacts, he had the right to be arrogant. In this world of cultivators where the strong preyed on the weak, while Luo Mu couldn't necessarily condone Qu Yi's behavior, he didn't find it inappropriate.

Moreover, Luo Mu could see that Qu Yi's smugness was only temporary, intended to make him realize that he truly could forge mid-grade artifacts, as a form of retaliation for Luo Mu's lack of trust the previous night.

"By the way, shouldn't Fellow Daoist Qu Yi tell me the news about the Ink Crow Grass now?" Luo Mu chuckled and steered the conversation back to the main point.

This was what Luo Mu cared about most at the moment. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; while artifacts were important, he couldn't afford to be careless when it came to his own cultivation.

When Luo Mu brought this up, Qu Yi put away his smugness, looked at Luo Mu with a solemn expression, and said, "I wonder, does Fellow Daoist Luo Mu possess a flying artifact?"

Luo Mu was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the other party to answer a question with a question, which left him quite puzzled. However, Luo Mu truly did not have a flying artifact.

Flying artifacts were different from other magical items. They lacked offensive power but allowed the user to fly, making them excellent tools for travel. As long as one had enough spirit power, using a flying artifact to cross mountains, rivers, and seas was a trivial matter.

Precisely because of their importance, flying artifacts were extremely expensive. They were the most costly of all artifacts, far exceeding the price of defensive ones.

To Luo Mu, a flying artifact was a luxury item. He had seen one for sale at the night market last night, and it carried the sky-high price of one hundred low-grade spirit stones! Being a penny-pincher, Luo Mu couldn't bear to buy such a luxury. With his current net worth, purchasing a flying artifact would indeed be a painful endeavor.

"How could a poor fellow like me possess such a luxury?" Although he didn't know why the other party asked, Luo Mu answered honestly.

Upon hearing that Luo Mu lacked a flying artifact, Qu Yi's expression shifted, and he said with some regret, "I know of a place that has a large quantity of Ink Crow Grass, but to obtain this batch, one must have a flying artifact. When I accidentally discovered those herbs last time, it was precisely because I lacked a flying artifact that I only managed to harvest thirteen stalks. I had no choice but to return with deep regret."

"After returning, although I kept thinking about that batch of Ink Crow Grass, because flying artifacts are too expensive and far beyond my means, I haven't been able to go back and harvest them until now!" Qu Yi shook his head, his face full of regret.

Hearing this, Luo Mu frowned. He pondered something in his mind, remaining silent for a long time. Qu Yi stood to the side, also keeping quiet, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

Luo Mu still had some spirit stones—not many, but enough to buy a flying artifact. However, he had caught a hint of something in Qu Yi's words: the Ink Crow Grass was out in the wild, and Qu Yi hadn't been able to harvest it all at the time.

But now, who could guarantee that the grass was still growing peacefully in the same spot and hadn't been discovered and harvested by someone else? This was exactly what worried Luo Mu!

He didn't want to spend his entire fortune on a flying artifact only to end up empty-handed; that would leave him with no tears left to cry. If Qu Yi had said this last night, Luo Mu would certainly have refused on the spot and walked away with his materials. But things were different now; the man had at least forged two mid-grade artifacts for him for free. If he just walked away with an excuse, the other party would surely lose face.

He might even offend him, and Luo Mu, who always liked to leave himself a way out, would never offend someone over this.

"Are you certain that the batch of spirit herbs is still there and hasn't been harvested by anyone else?" After a long while, Luo Mu finally broke the silence. He had to understand the situation better before making a decision; after all, a flying artifact was expensive.

"This... I went to harvest them a few days ago. I truly cannot guarantee whether they have been discovered by other cultivators since then." Luo Mu had hit the nail on the head, leaving Qu Yi looking embarrassed as he answered sheepishly.

Luo Mu's expression remained unchanged and calm, as if he had expected Qu Yi to say this all along. However, when this expression fell into Qu Yi's eyes, he didn't see it that way! In Qu Yi's view, Luo Mu likely thought he was being swindled; despite the calm face, he was probably furious inside.

Therefore, before Luo Mu could make a decision, Qu Yi spoke up again: "When a cultivator is out and about, a flying artifact is an essential item. If Fellow Daoist Luo Mu has the means to purchase one, I think it would be best to do so. Even if we reach the destination and find that the Ink Crow Grass has already been snatched up by others, the flying artifact will still be yours, and you can still use it for travel!"