Qin Tiexin stayed in Jinshixuan for another ten days.
In the past ten days, he repaired four mortal weapons, two and a half Law Artifact. The half Law Artifact were all with unbroken spiritual patterns - a long sword with a slightly curved blade, and a small shield with a cracked edge. After repairing, he received ten spiritual crystals from each, and the shop took 30% of them, so he got fourteen.
In addition to the previous forty-six, he now has sixty spiritual crystals and one thousand two hundred copper coins.
The money bag was getting heavier and heavier, but Qin Tiexin knew in his heart that this amount of money was nothing in the world of cultivation. He could only buy three yuan of the red-fire copper the size of a fingernail he saw in the warehouse that day.
On the afternoon of the tenth day, he went to Wanbao Pavilion at the east end of the town.
Wanbao Pavilion is much more impressive than Jinshixuan. It is a three-story pavilion with gold and jade inlays on the front. Most of the people coming in and out are monks, but few mortals. Qin Tiexin stood at the door in coarse cloth for a while before going in.
The lobby on the first floor is spacious and bright, with crystal counters on all sides. There are all kinds of Law Artifact, elixirs, and talismans. Qin Tiexin also has a rough understanding of the common sense of the world of cultivation, so he is not too surprised. Two clerks are greeting guests. When Qin Tiexin comes in, a young clerk looks him up and down without moving. Another older man comes over and asks, "Sir, what do you want to see?"
"Spiritual material." Qin Tiexin said.
"What kind of spiritual material?"
"Fire-based."
The clerk led him to the counter on the west side. There were more than a dozen kinds of spiritual materials in the cabinet, each with a label: red fire copper, flame crystal stone, fire pattern wood... the price ranged from fifteen spiritual crystals to one hundred spiritual crystals.
Qin Tiexin is interested in a piece of red heart copper - it's a little worse than red fire copper, with more impurities, but cheaper. The price is twenty spirit crystals. It's about the size of a thumb, dark red, with subtle crystal lines on the surface.
He looked at it intently. [Appraisal] In his field of vision, there were sparse red light spots circulating inside the red heart copper. Although it was not as dense as the red fire copper, it did contain Spiritual Qi.
"This piece." He pointed to the red heart copper.
The clerk took it out and put it in a special wooden box. Qin Tiexin counted twenty spiritual crystals and placed them on the counter one by one. The clerk counted them, put them away, and handed the wooden box to him.
When we walked out of Wanbao Pavilion, it was still early. Qin Tiexin did not go back to Jinshixuan, but turned into the teahouse on the corner.
There were about ten people sitting in the teahouse, including townspeople drinking tea and chatting, as well as businessmen who were busy with business. There was a storyteller sitting by the window, telling the story of "The Sword Immortal of the Liuyun Sect slays demons". Qin Tiexin sat down in the corner, ordered a pot of the cheapest crude tea, drank it slowly, and listened to the conversations around him.
"... I heard that the Liuyun Sect will open a sect to accept disciples next month. I don't know how many good seedlings will come out this time."
"It's hard to say. The Liuyun Sect is famous for its weapon refining, and its requirements for Spirit Root are not top-notch, but you must have perseverance and patience. Last year, the boy from the Wang family went there, and found out the fire and wood double Spirit Root, and entered the inner gate directly."
"That's a blessing..."
Qin Tiexin Write down the words "Liuyun Sect", "next month" and "refining weapon".
At the next table were three people dressed as businessmen, chatting about what they had seen on the road.
"... I came from the Tiannan Region and walked for two whole years! I passed through three major regions, encountered robbers seven times, and almost lost my life in the Black Wind Gorge."
"Old Li You are so brave, you dare to walk through Heifeng Gorge. I always take a detour and take the 'Qinglan Ancient Road'. Although it is farther away, it is safe."
"There's nothing we can do. The order we received is urgent. We're borrowing Sun True Person's credit. Otherwise, how dare we do it."
Qin Tiexin held the tea cup tightly with his hand.
He stood up, walked to the table, and clasped his fists. "Brothers, excuse me. I just heard you talking about Tiannan Territory. I want to ask something."
The three merchants looked up at him. The one who spoke, Old Li, was a dark-faced man. He looked at Qin Tiexin and asked, "What do you want to know, little brother?"
"How to get to Tiannan Region from here?" Qin Tiexin asked.
The three merchants all laughed. Old Li shook his head. "Little brother, you are not from Cangxuan Continent, are you? From here to the Tiannan Territory in the southeast, there is a distance of hundreds of millions of miles, and there are three dangerous places in between: the 'Black Swamp', the 'Ten Thousand Demon Mountains', and the 'Endless Sea'. Let alone mortals, Even Brother Foundation Establishment, who traveled alone, had a narrow escape. We formed a team of nearly a hundred people, and Foundation Establishment, the peak True Person, was in charge and walked for two years. In the end, only thirty-seven of us survived."
"Then... what else can we do?" Qin Tiexin took out a few spiritual crystals and asked the teahouse owner to serve two pots of the best spiritual tea to the three of them. It was said that the tea leaves contained spirit medicine's ingredients.
"Two ways." Old Li saw that the kid in front of him was sensible, so he held out two fingers, "One is to take the 'cross-region flying boat'. The flying boat jointly operated by several major sects in Cangxuan Continent, once every thirty years, starts from 'Tian Shu City', passes through three major regions, and finally reaches the Tiannan Region. The fare... a round trip is at least 500 yuan for middle-grade Spirit Stone."
Qin Tiexin I don't understand the conversion of Spirit Stone, but when I hear this number, I know it is out of reach.
"What about the second one?"
"Long distance teleportation array." Old Li said, "Only super large cultivation cities have it, such as our 'Tianshu City' and 'Yaoguang City' in Cangxuan Continent. It consumes a lot of money to activate once, and it is generally only open to sects and big Lineage. If you want to use it, you must have the connections., and you have to be able to afford the price - it is said that a single teleportation costs at least one hundred yuan for the low-grade Spirit Stone, and only those with a physical fitness of Foundation Establishment or above can ride it. Seeing as you are not even a monk, stop thinking about it." After saying that, he poured a cup of spiritual tea in front of him and drank it in one gulp.
Qin Tiexin thanks you and returns to your seat.
The storyteller's story reached its climax, and there were cheers in the teahouse. Qin Tiexin couldn't hear a word of it. He remembered Lin Feng's words before he died. "Send the sword... back to Lin Household..."
Hundreds of millions of miles away, five hundred top-grade Spirit Stone, Foundation Establishment Realm...
He gripped the teacup so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
***
When I returned to Jinshixuan in the evening, Qin Tiexin didn't go to the front hall and went directly back to the east wing.
After closing the door, he took out the wooden box from his arms and opened it. The red copper heart lay quietly at the bottom of the box, its dark red luster flashing slightly under the oil lamp.
He also untied Edgeless and peeled off the coarse cloth layer by layer.
The dark blade of the blade reflected the light, and the dark red lines on the blade seemed to be clearer. Qin Tiexin placed the red copper on the blade and waited for a moment - nothing happened.
Edgeless obviously felt "hungry" and "anxious".
Maybe it needs heating?
Qin Tiexin built a small stove in the backyard and put Edgeless tied with a red heart of copper on the fire to bake. The orange flame licked the blade. Half an hour later, the blade was slightly hot, but the color of the red heart of copper did not change.
Ordinary fire will not work.
He remembered that Master Liu said that spiritual materials require "spiritual fire" to melt. Spiritual fire is either activated by monks with spiritual power or maintained with special formations.
He has neither spiritual power nor formation skills.
Qin Tiexin put out the fire and took the knife back to the house. The copper heart was still tied to the body of the knife. He tried to tap it lightly with a hammer - there were a few dings, but the copper heart did not move at all, not even a mark was left.
It seems that the only way is to tie it like this and see if it can "absorb" slowly.
He put the knife back on the head of the bed, sat on the bed, and began to sort out the information he heard today.
Liuyun Sect will accept disciples next month. It is famous for its weapon refining.
Tiannan Territory. Hundreds of millions of miles away. Teleportation array or flying boat.
What does he have? The skill of blacksmithing, the ability of [Appraisal], the knife Edgeless. And... he closed his eyes and ran the Body Tempering Technique taught by his master.
The breath circulated in the body, and the muscles tightened slightly. He could feel some slight "things" in the air being pulled, seeping into the skin, and traveling in the muscles and veins - it was very faint, but it was definitely there.
Master Liu said that if Spiritual Qi can be sensed, it means there is Spirit Root.
I just don't know what Spirit Root is and what its qualifications are.
But it's still an opportunity.
Qin Tiexin opened his eyes and made a decision in his heart.
***
Early the next morning, he went to see the fat shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was settling accounts behind the counter. When he saw him coming, he smiled and said, "Master Qin, I have a job today. I have a half-Law Artifact spear. The tip of the spear is cracked, but the spiritual pattern is not broken. The customer has given me twelve spiritual crystals, will you accept it?"
Qin Tiexin shook his head. "Shopkeeper, I want to say goodbye."
The fat shopkeeper was stunned. "Farewell? Are you leaving?"
"Hmm."
"Where to go?"
"Liuyun Sect."
The fat shopkeeper put down his account book and walked out from behind the counter. "Master Qin, do you think the wages are too low? We can discuss it again..."
"No." Qin Tiexin said, "I want to learn to refine weapons."
The fat shopkeeper was silent for a moment and sighed, "That's right. You are so good at craftsmanship, but you are underestimating your talents by staying in our small shop. Liuyun Sect is famous for refining weapons, and it is indeed a good place. But..." he lowered his voice, "You have to be more careful with the Zhou family. Zhou Xian is not a generous person. You won him thirty spirit crystals and then embarrassed him in public. He will not give up."
"I know."
Just as he was talking, the curtain inside the door opened and an old man in gray robe walked out.
The old man was in his sixties, with gray hair, but he was in good spirits. His hands had clear joints and light calluses on his fingertips. The fat shopkeeper said hurriedly, "Master Chen, you are back."
Qin Tiexin knows that this is Jin Shixuan's real weapon refiner, Master Chen.
Master Chen looked at Qin Tiexin with sharp eyes. "Are you Qin Tiexin?"
"Yes."
"The one who repaired the Qingfeng Sword?"
"Yes."
Master Chen came over and took out the recently repaired knife Qin Tiexin from under the counter. Before the owner came to pick it up, Master Chen injected a bit of spiritual power, and the blade lit up with blue light and flowed smoothly.
"You are practicing well." Master Chen nodded, "I heard that you have no spiritual power and have never practiced?"
"Hmm."
"How to fix it?"
Qin Tiexin explained the method again. Master Chen's eyes became brighter and brighter as he listened.
"Good! What a 'small hammer, light vibration, and point quenching to set the shape'!" Master Chen clapped his hands, "Who did you learn this skill from?"
"Taught by the master, and also learned at Craftsmen's Camp"
Master Chen thought for a moment and said, "Little friend Qin, are you willing to accept me as your teacher?"
Qin Tiexin was stunned.
The fat shopkeeper was also stunned. "Master Chen, you..."
Master Chen waved his hand. "I have met many blacksmiths and refiners in Qingya Town for so many years, but I am the first one like Qin Xiaoyou who has no spiritual power but can see through the structure of spiritual patterns and repair them accurately. Although you have no spiritual power, your eyesight, touch, and character are all top-notch. I have a systematic inheritance of weapon refining and can pass on to you the knowledge of spiritual patterns and the knowledge of materials. When you sense Spiritual Qi in the future, you can truly step into the art of weapon refining."
This is a rare opportunity. Master Chen is a fifth-level Qi refining monk who can refine Law Artifact. He is the top weapon refiner in Qingya Town. If you follow him as your teacher, you will have stability and a bright future.
But Qin Tiexin thought of the Tiannan Territory, Lin Feng's entrustment, and that billions of miles away.
He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you Master Chen for your kindness. But I have decided to go to Liuyun Sect."
A trace of disappointment flashed in Master Chen's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "Everyone has his own ambitions. The Liuyun Sect is indeed more suitable for you. But -" he paused, "You have offended the Zhou family. Zhou Xian's uncle Zhou Yan is a seventh-level Qi Refining monk and has some influence in the town. It's not safe for you to go alone."
Qin Tiexin nodded. "I will be careful."
Master Chen took out a wooden sign from his arms and handed it over. "This is my token. If you encounter trouble in Liuyun Sect, you can go to a disciple named 'Chen Xi'. He is my nephew and will help you."
Qin Tiexin took the wooden sign and put it away solemnly. "Thank you, Master."
The fat shopkeeper also said, "Master Qin, please wait." He turned around and went into the inner room, and after a while he took out a cloth bag, "Here are twenty pieces of Linggu cakes, made from low-level Linggu, which are durable in storage. One piece can hold ten pieces of ordinary dry food. You have a big appetite, so it is convenient to bring this. There is also this simple map, which marks the general route from Qingya Town to the Liuyun Sect's mountain gate. Please keep it."
Qin Tiexin took it and bowed deeply. "Thank you, shopkeeper, for taking care of me these days."
"You're welcome." The fat shopkeeper patted him on the shoulder, "When you become famous in the future, remember to come back and have a look."
***
Qin Tiexin Go back home and pack your bags.
A few changes of clothes, water bladder, dry food bag, spiritual grain cakes, map. The money bag was hidden close to the body, Edgeless was wrapped in coarse cloth, and the pure copper was still tied to the body of the sword.
He took one last look at the small house where he had lived for half a month, then opened the door and went out.
In the front hall, Master Liu, Xiao Zhao, and Xiao Li were all there. Master Liu handed over a leather water bag. "You just filled the water, you can drink it on the way."
Xiao Zhao handed over the package of dried meat. "Master Qin, my mother made this, please take it with you."
Xiao Li handed over a pair of new cloth shoes. "Master Qin, the soles of your shoes are almost worn out, please change to this pair."
Qin Tiexin took them one by one and thanked them.
When we walked out of Jinshixuan, it was already broad daylight. People were coming and going on the street, and the aroma of the breakfast stall floated over. Qin Tiexin didn't stop, carrying his luggage and knife, and walked out of the town.
He could feel a few eyes falling on his back.
It was only a mile from Jinshixuan to the entrance of the town. Qin Tiexin walked neither fast nor slowly, but every step was steady. When he passed by the tea house, a figure flashed in the window on the second floor. When he passed by the tavern, the beggar squatting at the door raised his head and glanced at him.
He knew that the Zhou family was watching him.
But there are rules in the town, and monks are not allowed to attack mortals in the street - this is an iron rule set by the Liuyun Sect. No matter how arrogant the Zhou family is, they dare not violate it openly.
Exiting the town entrance, there is a loess road leading to the mountains in the distance.
Qin Tiexin looked back at Qingya Town. The houses with black tiles and white walls were scattered in an orderly manner, shrouded in morning mist, like an ink painting.
He turned around and walked on the road.
After walking for about three miles, the sound of horse hooves came from behind.
Qin Tiexin didn't look back, but he quickened his pace and turned into the forest beside the road. The forest was not deep, but the trees were dense and could block his sight. He got into the forest, walked a few dozen feet deeper, stopped behind a big tree, and listened with bated breath.
The sound of horse hooves stopped outside the woods, and someone dismounted and talked in low voices.
"... into the woods."
"Should we pursue or not?"
"Chase! The young master said, use one of his hands and get the spiritual crystal back. He is a blacksmith, and he probably doesn't have any martial arts skills."
Footsteps are approaching.
Qin Tiexin grasped the handle of Edgeless and slowly pulled out the knife. The dark blade was almost invisible in the mottled light and shadow in the forest.
He counted the footsteps. Three, no, four.
The first person who came into view was a man in black, holding a short knife, looking left and right. Qin Tiexin Waited for him to take three steps in front of the tree, and suddenly stepped out from behind the tree, shooting the knife horizontally--
"Bang!"
The back of the knife hit the man's ribs. The man groaned and collapsed to the ground.
The second man heard the noise and rushed over. Qin Tiexin ducked down and swept the man's calf with his scabbard. The man screamed and fell to the ground.
The third and fourth ones rushed at the same time. Qin Tiexin did not retreat but advanced. The scabbard hit one person's wrist and the short sword was released. At the same time, he sideways avoided the other person's chop and hit the opponent's chest with his elbow.
Four breaths. All four people fell to the ground, moaning.
Qin Tiexin didn't kill them, he just made them temporarily incapacitated. He squatted down, took out a small cloth bag from the first man's arms, and opened it - there were five spiritual crystals and a few pieces of broken silver inside.
He poured the spiritual crystals into his purse and put the broken silver back into the man's arms. He searched the other three people and found a total of twelve spiritual crystals.
"Tell Zhou Xian," Qin Tiexin said to the first man, "It won't be that simple again."
The man nodded in horror.
Qin Tiexin put away the knife, turned around and walked out of the forest. The horses were tied by the roadside. He chose the strongest black horse, untied the reins, and climbed on.
The black horse neighed and ran along the loess road.
Behind you, Qingya Town is getting further and further away.
Ahead, there are mountains and mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist.