Artifact Re-forging, Qi Refining Second Layer

"By the way, that person instructed me to find a piece of refined mystic iron ore. I wonder if there are any such mineral deposits left here?"

Xu Yuan looked at Zhang Chao with an inquisitive tone. Zhang Chao's expression stiffened; he knew the other man was trying to eat and take all at once.

But circumstances were stronger than men. He could only nod with a smile. "Yes, yes. Just wait a moment, Brother Xu."

As he spoke, he hurriedly shot one of his subordinates a look. The man rushed into the storeroom and, after a short while, came back out carrying a piece of refined mystic iron ore.

"Brother Xu, we can consider this a fresh acquaintance. Take this ore as a meeting gift."

With that, he directly handed the ore to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan nodded slightly and accepted the ore with a smile. This time, he made no further demands.

He had brought out Rong Ling's plaque. This was probably the greatest value he could squeeze out of it. If he went too far, he feared Zhang Chao would turn hostile.

After all, he only possessed a plaque that could prove a connection. He was merely a minor Qi Refinement Level One cultivator, not Rong Ling herself.

Afterward, the two exchanged another round of mutual admiration, looking like old friends who had met far too late. Only then did Xu Yuan gather his belongings and return to the mine tunnel.

"Boss, do you think that plaque is real or fake?"

One subordinate leaned in to ask, drawing a rebuke from Zhang Chao. "Idiot, does that even need asking? Give him ten thousand times the courage and he still wouldn't dare falsely claim such a connection. Besides, the aura on it can't be faked. It belongs to that terrifying great person."

"With that connection, he's still mining..."

Another subordinate muttered under his breath. Zhang Chao heard him and let out another sinister chuckle. "Heh. Do you think those great people hand out those plaques because they intend to invest in poor wretches?"

"To them, those bestowed with such a plaque don't even count as dogs. After all, even a dog gets a bone. But those who receive that plaque, aside from gaining an identity, not only have to go out and forage for themselves, but whenever anything happens, they must be the first to step forward and show their loyalty."

There was one thing Zhang Chao did not say: compared to the poor wretches of Biyou Market who sold blood and flesh just to cultivate immortality, this plaque really did count as a foothold.

Countless poor wretches wanted to be this kind of lackey, yet had no way into the role.

Night.

After returning home from mining, Xu Yuan cultivated as usual. Only after four shichen, when the night had fallen completely silent, did he finally sit down on the floor in utter exhaustion.

After sharing a meal and wine with Zhang Chao, the cultivation within his body had accumulated much faster. He should not be far from Qi Refinement Level Two.

After resting for a while, Xu Yuan rose from the floor and took out the damaged mid-grade magic artifact longsword he had hidden away.

He placed spirit stones and the refined mystic iron ore beside it, then gripped the sword and silently confirmed. In the next instant, both the spirit stones and the refined mystic iron ore vanished, while the longsword in his hand began to shine with a brilliant light.

After quite some time, the intense glow slowly faded. Xu Yuan brought the seemingly unchanged sword closer for a look, only to discover that it now seemed to bear an extra layer of golden patterns.

He tried channeling a trace of spiritual energy into it. The patterns lit up one by one, and the entire sword began to hum.

Feeling the sword's piercing sharpness, Xu Yuan raised a finger and flicked it. The magic sword immediately shot out like lightning, splitting the miscellaneous ore he had chosen as a target cleanly in two.

"What a fine treasure."

With a delighted sigh, Xu Yuan summoned the longsword back into his hand. Looking at the patterns on it, of which less than half were now lit, he wondered how magnificent this mid-grade magic artifact would be at full power.

"Now I'm someone with a magic artifact too."

After playing with it for a while, Xu Yuan gave it some thought and hid it away again.

There was truly no need for it in Biyou Market. Carrying it around would only draw unwanted attention.

"Ah, in the end, I'm still too weak."

After that sigh, Xu Yuan lay down on his bed and let the day's exhaustion settle into his bones.

For the next stretch of time, with the [Rong] plaque, he encountered no more harassment. Thus, he gradually returned to his former steady, peaceful cultivation life.

Twenty days later, inside his room.

With a spirit pill he had bought held in his mouth, Xu Yuan closed his eyes and circulated his cultivation. The Little Blue Mountain Essence-to-Qi Art, which had long since become instinct, was activated again and again. Great quantities of blood and vital energy were converted into spiritual energy and flowed into his spirit meridians.

Until, at a certain moment, the capacity of his spirit meridian reached its critical point. With a boom, the entire spirit meridian suddenly thundered, triggering resonance in the adjacent spirit meridian.

In an instant, an enormous amount of spiritual energy surged forth, turning into a rushing torrent that charged toward the next spirit meridian under Xu Yuan's control.

There were no surprises. A breakthrough built step by step as steadily as Xu Yuan's encountered almost no obstruction. The spirit meridian was pierced through in an instant, and vast quantities of spiritual energy poured into it. He successfully entered Qi Refinement Level Two.

The aura around his entire body nearly doubled. Xu Yuan opened his eyes, and a flash of light passed through them.

"This is only the beginning."

He lightly clenched his fist and murmured to himself, powerful confidence already overflowing from every word.

After entering Qi Refinement Level Two, both the speed and methods by which he earned money could change. He was also getting closer and closer to his second entry. Once he replaced these mixed and impure spirit roots of his, that would be the time of his true transformation.

Half a month later, in Biyou Market's bazaar, Xu Yuan carried twenty low-grade spirit stones in a cloth bag as he headed toward the spell hall.

Because of the repairs to his magic artifact longsword and the expenses of breaking through to Qi Refinement Level Two, he had only now saved enough spirit stones.

The spell halls were all built in the center of Biyou Market, with more than a dozen in total. But the liveliest ones were naturally the two that taught Blood Replenishment Art and Flesh Growth Art.

"Come take a look, come have a peek! Today only, the Blood Replenishment Art and Flesh Growth Art courses are on sale! Originally thirty-three point nine low-grade spirit stones, now only thirty-two point nine low-grade spirit stones! Buy now while supplies last—once you miss it, it's gone!"

"Are you still troubled by the weakness after selling blood? Are you still ashamed of having to stuff yourself with straw after selling flesh? Sign up for our course now! In just three days, we'll teach you the Flesh Regeneration Art, so you can sell without worry and sell with peace of mind! The next Blood-and-Flesh King of Biyou Market could be you!"

Xu Yuan: "..."

Xu Yuan shifted his gaze away from the two bustling storefronts and looked at the spellcraft hall before him, its sign bearing the words Spirit-Martial Unity.

It was not exactly deserted; there were still a few people around. When Xu Yuan reached the entrance, two or three people were waiting ahead of him.

But as he approached, the three swiftly scattered. Only after he stepped to the front did they quickly return and line up behind him.

Xu Yuan: "..."

As expected of Biyou Market—every day, it found some new trick to pull on him.

"Fellow Daoist, are you here to study?"

A table stood directly at the entrance. A cute little girl was copying something down, and when she saw Xu Yuan, she looked up with a smile.

"Mm." Xu Yuan nodded. A spellcraft hall that could stay open in Biyou Market for so long ought to have some real substance, even if it had few customers.

Otherwise, someone would have smashed it to pieces long ago.

Handing over his cloth bundle, Xu Yuan said with certainty, "This student is Xu Yuan. I have come to learn Spirit-Martial Unity."