Forging Artifacts Is Not Easy

Chapter 37: Crafting is No Easy Task

And so, Qu Yi talked while Luo Mu listened, all the while Luo Mu was secretly making his own plans. Before they knew it, the two finally arrived outside Jinxiu City.

Standing upon the flying artifact, they could see the magnificent walls of Jinxiu City from afar.

"Let's head down; cultivators are not permitted to fly ahead," Qu Yi said, standing behind Luo Mu.

"That is only natural." This was not Luo Mu's first time in Jinxiu City, so he was well aware of the rules. Nodding, Luo Mu maneuvered the flying artifact toward the ground. After casually stowing it away, he and Qu Yi walked side by side toward the city gates.

"Eh? Friend Luo, what are you doing?" Qu Yi asked, his face filled with surprise and curiosity as he watched Luo Mu pull out a black mask and put it on.

The mask covered half of Luo Mu's face; no matter the angle, one could only see half of his features. This was the very mask he had prepared back when he was avoiding those two cultivators who had designs on him. He had been wearing it when he first left Jinxiu City, and he hadn't expected to need it again upon his return.

"There are people in the city I would rather not meet, so wearing a mask is more appropriate," Luo Mu replied in a cold, half-truthful tone.

Sensing the shift in Luo Mu's demeanor, Qu Yi offered an awkward smile. Realizing this likely touched upon the other's privacy, he wisely chose not to press further. To ease the awkward atmosphere, Luo Mu's eyes darted around as he changed the subject.

"Does Friend Luo intend to head to Jinxiu Academy to register first, or would you prefer to stroll through the streets? You might just stumble upon some treasures."

"The day is still young; let's go to the academy to register first. As for treasure hunting, there will be plenty of time for that after registration. It won't hurt to wait a little while." After some thought, Luo Mu decided to prioritize registration.

"Very well. The academy is in the city center and occupies a vast area, making it very conspicuous. Once you reach the center, Friend Luo, you will easily spot it." Qu Yi pointed toward the interior of Jinxiu City. Beyond the walls, one could faintly see some towering structures in the distance; that was the city center, and the tall buildings they saw were the location of Jinxiu Academy.

"Judging by your tone, you do not intend to accompany me to the academy?" Luo Mu had assumed Qu Yi would go with him, as he was a student there, and returning to the academy was the most natural thing in the world.

However, hearing the implication in his words, it wasn't at all what Luo Mu had imagined. He looked at Qu Yi with some confusion, but seeing the excitement and eagerness on the other's face, Luo Mu immediately understood.

Sure enough, Qu Yi's next words confirmed his suspicions.

"I intend to return immediately to refine the materials from the Black Bear that you gave me, Friend Luo. Hehe, don't laugh at me, but I am obsessed with artifact refining. Once I have materials in hand, I can't wait to start working. I've endured for so long this time; this is the first chance I've had," Qu Yi explained with an embarrassed smile.

Luo Mu heard no falsehood in Qu Yi's words; they were entirely sincere. Luo Mu did not mock him. With such a passion for refining, provided his talent wasn't exceptionally poor, becoming a master refiner was only a matter of time.

"If you can be so devoted to your craft, you will surely achieve great things one day!" Luo Mu said with a solemn expression.

"Hehe, then I shall take your kind words to heart, Friend Luo. If I truly become a master refiner one day, I will never forget your kindness in providing materials twice. Most importantly, I will never forget your life-saving grace!" Qu Yi smiled, but when he mentioned the life-saving grace, his expression became as solemn as Luo Mu's.

It was clear that Qu Yi held that debt of gratitude in high regard.

"Become a master refiner? Hahaha... that is the funniest joke I've heard all day!" Before Luo Mu could respond to Qu Yi's words, a voice dripping with sarcasm rang out from behind them.

Luo Mu and Qu Yi were both startled.

Qu Yi's reaction was understandable; with his strength at the second level of Qi Refining, it was no surprise he hadn't sensed the arrival of others. But Luo Mu was different. He was now at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, and his divine sense was far more powerful than Qu Yi's. Furthermore, by nature, he was cautious and habitually kept his divine sense extended to avoid sneak attacks.

Yet, he hadn't realized someone had appeared behind him until he heard the mocking words.

Turning around, a young man and woman came into view. The woman was stunning, with skin like snow and long, raven-black hair—a rare beauty. The man had red lips and white teeth, quite handsome; the two made a fitting pair.

However, the woman looked at Luo Mu and Qu Yi with cold arrogance and amusement, while the man wore an expression of utter disdain.

Luo Mu remained cold and indifferent, his heart secretly on guard. The woman was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, so he didn't take her to heart. But the man, judging by the spiritual fluctuations he emitted, was certainly no lower than the ninth level.

Luo Mu didn't fear a ninth-level cultivator, but he felt it would be troublesome. Based on his own estimation of his combat prowess, he wasn't without a chance of victory. However, if the opponent possessed powerful artifacts, the outcome would be hard to predict.

Seeing that they were ill-intentioned, Luo Mu prepared himself. If they struck first, he wouldn't mind giving them a taste of his power.

"So it is Senior Li Hu and Senior Lu Xue. My words were boastful; I apologize for making you laugh," Qu Yi said, his expression shifting before quickly returning to calm, his tone neither servile nor overbearing.

Seeing Qu Yi's ability to endure, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, his estimation of the man rising slightly.

"Hmph, you can't even afford refining materials, yet you talk of being a master refiner? It's nothing but a pipe dream. I suggest you wake up, Junior. Artifact refining is a profession that burns spirit stones; which master refiner wasn't built on a mountain of them? If you lack the wealth, don't try to play at refining—it's just embarrassing!" the man sneered, his tone biting.

As for Luo Mu, the man and woman only glanced at him briefly before losing interest. The man merely saw him as an ordinary sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator and didn't give him a second thought. Aside from the mask, they saw nothing special about him.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior," Qu Yi replied coldly, though his tightly clenched fists did not escape Luo Mu's notice.

Qu Yi's reaction caused the man to frown slightly. He had hoped to provoke Qu Yi with his words; if the latter had attacked in a rage, he would have had a legitimate excuse to deal with him. Qu Yi's restraint clearly disappointed him.

With another cold snort and a disdainful glare at Qu Yi, the man wrapped his arm around the woman's waist and swaggered away. Luo Mu was once again ignored by the pair.

"Do you know them?" Luo Mu asked after they had walked away. Having always disliked arrogant people, he had no good impression of them.

"Hmph! Of course I know them. They're just good-for-nothings who throw their weight around because of their family influence," Qu Yi said with a resentful snort once they were out of earshot.

"The man is Li Hu, a disciple of the Li Family. The woman is Lu Xue, a disciple of the Lu Family," Qu Yi added before Luo Mu could ask.

"The Li Family, the Lu Family..." Luo Mu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected their backgrounds to be so formidable.

He had seen them wearing the same Jinxiu Academy uniforms as Qu Yi, so he hadn't been able to tell much from their attire. But the man's tone had been so overbearing that Luo Mu had guessed he was a young master from some large clan; he just hadn't expected it to be the Li and Lu families.

"That Li Hu was very aggressive. Did you offend him somewhere?" Suppressing his shock, Luo Mu asked calmly.

At the mention of this, the anger on Qu Yi's face vanished, replaced by a look of helplessness.

"Sigh... it's all because of refining. To improve my skills, I used to refine items for people for free everywhere. Just like when we met a year ago, I would set up a stall at the night market to attract customers. The night market has high foot traffic and is where low-level cultivators gather most often. That was where I met Li Hu."

"Back then, Li Hu brought out quite a few refining materials, and the quality wasn't bad, asking me to refine a mid-grade artifact for him. Seeing so many precious materials, I was startled. Seeing he was young, I guessed he must be a disciple of a major family; otherwise, how could he have so many? I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't bear to let so many materials slip through my fingers, so I agreed," Qu Yi said with a sigh.

"Refuse him? Why?" Luo Mu asked, puzzled.

"Disciples of these major families are generally not to be trifled with. If I succeeded, everyone would be happy. But at that time, my success rate for mid-grade artifacts was even lower than it is now. If I failed, the materials would be wasted, and he certainly wouldn't have let me off easily!" Qu Yi explained.

Luo Mu nodded in understanding.

"So you agreed?" Seeing the expression on his face, Luo Mu guessed the rest.

"That's right. I agreed, but I also warned him that the success rate for mid-grade artifacts was low. He didn't care at all and told me to just refine it. But I don't know if it was the pressure or my own lack of skill, but all the materials were consumed, and I didn't produce a single mid-grade artifact. In his rage, he not only smashed my stall but also drove me out of the night market. Whenever I try to set up there, I get chased away by other cultivators. If I'm not mistaken, those cultivators were acting under Li Hu's orders."

Qu Yi looked dejected; it seemed his past year had indeed been difficult.

(My update speed is like a turtle's, and I am deeply sorry. I would like to thank the reader who votes for me every day.)