Li Mo's act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey immediately intimidated the many rogue cultivators.
The serpent head was still rolling across the ground, its blackened blood staining the floor tiles red.
Li Mo had naturally done it on purpose. Since he intended to sell magic tools through a stall, if he could not make the rogue cultivators wary of him, countless troubles would come knocking.
Because of the Golden Sand Diagram, the rogue cultivators called Li Mo the "Golden Sand Daoist."
Li Mo walked between the stalls as though no one else existed. The prying gazes steadily dwindled, and some cultivators even deliberately kept out of his way.
He swept his gaze over the spiritual herbs on display and discovered that, due to the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm, Metal-Earth Attribute spiritual herbs were beginning to flood the market.
That was undoubtedly a good thing for Li Mo.
Not only were the prices cheap, but the quality of the spiritual herbs varied wildly, leaving room to find overlooked bargains.
Li Mo already knew how to enter and leave the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm, and Contain Toxin and Digest Poison could ensure his safety as well.
He suddenly recalled the inexplicable disturbance the Book of Fortune had produced while he was in the secret realm. Perhaps there was a way within it to increase the Blank Pages?
It seemed that once he was fully prepared, he would still need to make a trip there.
Moreover, the blood of Bizarre Beast Corpses was also a resource for Li Mo, and would be crucial for drawing Primary and Secondary Tattoos in the future.
Li Mo bought some spiritual herbs and, without realizing it, spent several more Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
He did not care about the quality of the spiritual herbs. The magic tools he refined would be sold to others anyway.
However, the Second Refinement Spirit Materials for the Golden Sand Diagram he used himself had to be of superior quality, or they would inevitably affect the subsequent refinement.
As different spiritual herbs were incorporated, a magic tool's functions could differ as vastly as heaven and earth.
Li Mo examined the various spiritual herbs, occasionally bending down to pick one up for a closer look. The Book of Fortune's usefulness was immediately brought into sharp relief.
Most of the spiritual herbs had already existed in the ancient Immortal Cultivation World. With the information provided by the Book of Fortune, he could determine their properties.
Li Mo soon gathered enough spiritual herbs to refine five First Refinement Golden Sand Diagrams. He had even collected one-third of the resources needed for the Primordial Acquired Dao Body at the Heart Beast Black Market.
Only suitable Second Refinement Spirit Materials for the Golden Sand Diagram remained elusive.
Just as Li Mo was preparing to leave for the time being, he noticed that a newly erected stall at the entrance of the Wine Shop was packed with people.
The stall owner wore a black robe and continuously took items out of her Storage Bag.
Aside from spiritual herbs, there were even Spell Bone Scrolls and Magic Tool Catalogues. However, they were stained with specks of blood, making their origins clearly questionable.
Li Mo recognized the female cultivator. He had met her once when he had first arrived at the Black Market.
The female cultivator had her arms folded across her chest. Beast fur covered the exposed half of her face, and numerous unhealed wounds could be seen across her body.
From the rogue cultivators' discussions, Li Mo learned that the female cultivator's Daoist title was "Daoist Qingqiu." Her methods were exceedingly ruthless, and she most enjoyed killing others and stealing their treasures.
When several cultivators saw Li Mo approaching, they all moved aside and opened up a path.
Daoist Qingqiu coldly glanced at the crowd. As she skillfully bandaged her wounds, she said in a low voice, "I only trade for pills. I do not sell for Spirit Stones."
Ignoring the amused looks of the surrounding cultivators, Li Mo began selecting items from the stall.
The Spell Bone Scrolls were the first to be ruled out. The spells within were fairly ordinary and even carried flaws that could affect one's foundation. Only rogue cultivators would consider them.
He did find some spiritual herbs worth noticing.
Li Mo picked up an Earth Attribute Spirit Material. It resembled dried moss in appearance, yet its material was exceptionally tough, and the spiritual qi it emitted was somewhat restrained.
According to the information pouring forth from the Book of Fortune, the spiritual herb was called Bitter Year Root.
Using Bitter Year Root for the Second Refinement would not only make the Golden Sand Diagram tougher, but would also grant it the ability to stretch and contract freely.
As Li Mo toyed with the Bitter Year Root, he became interested in a Low-grade Magic Tool Catalogue on the stall.
"May I examine the catalogue?"
After Daoist Qingqiu gave her permission, Li Mo placed the Bone Scroll containing the catalogue against his brow. Within a few breaths, he had memorized all its contents.
Low-grade Magic Tools came in every strange shape imaginable. Most were rather useless, but they could fill the gaps in Li Mo's meager knowledge of artifact refinement.
For Li Mo, there was no need to sell too many kinds of magic tools.
After all, being proficient in refining Golden Sand Diagrams and being proficient in refining Low-grade Magic Tools were entirely different concepts. He did not want to grow a great tree that caught the wind.
Still, one Low-grade Magic Tool catalogue was rather interesting. The magic tool was called the Bird in a Cage.
The Bird in a Cage was a magic tool specifically used to raise Spirit Beasts. If one lived far from human habitation, it could be used to replenish Beast Blood.
Satisfied, Li Mo asked, "How many Spirit Guiding Pills for one Magic Tool Catalogue?"
"Two. The spiritual herb can be thrown in as an extra."
Li Mo handed the pills to Daoist Qingqiu, picked up the Bitter Year Root, and squeezed out of the crowd before vanishing into the deep black fog.
After purchasing the spiritual herbs required for the Bird in a Cage, he headed straight for the inn.
Li Mo rested in his room for a while before beginning the Second Refinement of the Golden Sand Diagram. The steps were not much different from the First Refinement: the spiritual herbs all had to be ground into powder like ink.
Li Mo was incomparably cautious as he drew it, afraid that a mistake would damage the Golden Sand Diagram.
The process went fairly smoothly, but the Second Refinement was indeed more cumbersome. Every stroke had to be without the slightest error, or the whole game would be lost.
Even though Li Mo's spiritual power was deeper than that of cultivators at the same realm, he still needed to grind away with patient effort.
At that moment, the advantages of the Leakless Body became fully apparent. It allowed his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to remain vigorous for long periods.
Only after Li Mo completed the Second Refinement did he emerge from his state of utter concentration.
The Golden Sand Diagram appeared little different at first glance, but the Quicksand River within had become more natural, while dead trees formed from Bitter Year Root had appeared along its banks.
They added a trace of life to the desolate yellow sands of the great desert.
The dust and sand released upon activating the magic tool had more than doubled in range, and was now mixed with hard grains of sand.
"Collect."
The Golden Sand Diagram wrapped around Li Mo's body. This time, it was no longer limited to his head. The Bitter Year Root allowed the magic tool to extend, instantly covering every inch of his skin without leaving a single blind spot.
To distinguish it from the other Golden Sand Diagrams, Li Mo named the magic tool the Desert Diagram.
He did not expect the Desert Diagram to fight enemies. His subsequent refinements would all lean toward defense, making it his first protective magic tool.
However, the Third Refinement would have to wait. For now, he could not guarantee a sufficiently high chance of success.
The refinement of the Bird in a Cage followed immediately afterward.
Unfortunately, the Bird in a Cage's primary spiritual material had to be metal, while Li Mo's spiritual power leaned toward Earth and Water Attributes. He could only spend fifteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones to purchase a First Refinement Artifact Refining Furnace.
The Artifact Refining Furnace was shaped like a Three-legged Bronze Cauldron. Once spiritual power was injected into it, it could produce flames.
Li Mo tossed Golden Essence into the Artifact Refining Furnace. Under the searing heat, the spiritual material gradually melted into liquid, and its impurities vanished.
He guided it with his consciousness, only to discover that the Artifact Refining Furnace was even harder to control than he had imagined.
Pfft—
A plume of black smoke rose from the Artifact Refining Furnace. The Golden Essence was completely reduced to waste, and a pungent stench spread through the room.
Li Mo had expected this. Without Metal Spiritual Power, the difficulty would undoubtedly increase severalfold. Fortunately, he had bought enough Golden Essence.
He patiently persisted. Only after five consecutive furnace explosions did he barely manage to refine a Magic Tool Blank.
As its name implied, the Bird in a Cage resembled an ordinary birdcage. During the First Refinement, patterns had to be drawn across its surface using Sumeru Stone.
Sumeru Stone was the primary spiritual material used to refine Storage Bags and could construct a Mustard Seed Space.
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