At this moment, the market wasn’t particularly crowded. Han Li had only seen about thirty cultivators in the outer area, making it seem rather desolate.
“Could it be that everyone has gone to the Stardust Pavilion in the center?” Han Li wondered to himself.
However, he wasn’t planning to head to the Stardust Pavilion right away.
The weapon refinement shop had made such bold claims! (The talisman-making shop only refunded spirit stones equivalent to the materials if they failed!) This piqued his curiosity, so after finishing his round, Han Li couldn’t help but step inside.
The shop wasn’t very large, seemingly consisting of only three rooms and a backyard.
When Han Li entered the front hall, he saw a middle-aged scholar dressed in Confucian robes conversing with an elderly man who, despite his white hair, had a ruddy complexion. A dark-skinned, respectful-looking strong man stood nearby.
The middle-aged man and the elder were deeply engrossed in their conversation. Although they noticed Han Li enter, they paid him no mind and continued their discussion. The strong man, however, dutifully stepped forward and politely asked, “Are you here to purchase a magical artifact, sir, or would you like to commission one?”
“I’d like to see what artifacts your shop has first before deciding whether to commission one,” Han Li replied calmly.
“Of course. Would you like to see mid-grade or high-grade magical artifacts?” the strong man asked, his face lighting up at the prospect of a potential sale.
“Top-grade artifacts, and only the finest among them!”
Han Li’s voice wasn’t loud, but his words immediately stunned the strong man. The two who had been chatting animatedly also fell silent and turned to scrutinize Han Li with astonished expressions.
“You wish to see top-grade artifacts, and only the finest?” the strong man asked, recovering slightly, as if needing to confirm he hadn’t misheard.
Top-grade artifacts were not something just anyone could afford, often costing hundreds of low-grade spirit stones. Most cultivators could spend a lifetime saving up and still not afford one. For Han Li to demand only the finest among top-grade artifacts, it was no wonder the strong man was so taken aback.
“Xiao Hei, step back! Do not be disrespectful to this senior!” The white-haired elder finally recognized Han Li’s Foundation Establishment cultivation level. His expression changed, and he hurried over to reprimand the strong man.
“This humble old man is the owner of this shop. Senior, please feel free to command me as you wish!”
Both the elder and the scholar were still at the Qi Refinement stage. Suddenly having a “high-level” cultivator like Han Li visit their small shop made them quite nervous.
“Nothing much. I just want to see if you have any high-quality artifacts here. If there’s something suitable, I might buy one or two.” Hearing this, the elder relaxed slightly but still wore an awkward expression as he said, “I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Senior. Although this shop has two or three top-grade artifacts, they are merely for display and are not of the finest quality.” Not daring to hide the truth from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the elder spoke honestly.
Han Li felt disappointed. Yet, he couldn’t help but inwardly scold himself for being foolish. No matter how boastful the shop’s sign outside was, it was just a business tactic. How could he have taken it seriously?
Han Li shook his head and turned to leave. But as he neared the door, he glanced back and said with some dissatisfaction, “So, the claim outside about being able to refine top-grade artifacts is also false?”
“No! Senior, you misunderstand. This shop operates with integrity. Every word on the sign outside is true, without any falsehood! As long as suitable materials are provided, this old man can indeed refine top-grade artifacts.” The white-haired elder, concerned about the shop’s reputation, hurriedly explained.
“You can refine top-grade artifacts?” Han Li was greatly surprised. A flicker of doubt passed through his eyes, and his tone was full of skepticism.
He had assumed someone else was responsible for refining the artifacts, never expecting it to be this elder.
No wonder Han Li found it hard to believe. Refining top-grade artifacts wasn’t like refining mid or high-grade artifacts, which could be done with ordinary fire. Instead, it required innate true fire or earth fire, similar to refining Foundation Establishment Pills, to succeed.
But this elder was only at the Qi Refinement stage and couldn’t possess innate true fire. Moreover, this place didn’t seem to have earth fire. So how could he refine top-grade artifacts?
“Senior, this is your first time visiting Old Brother Xu’s shop, so it’s natural you wouldn’t know. Old Brother Xu comes from a long lineage of artifact refinement experts. His skills are definitely on par with those of renowned sects’ refiners. Moreover, for centuries, the Xu family has been nurturing an early second-grade Fire Crow. The demon fire it breathes is even more potent than innate true fire, making it perfectly capable of refining top-grade artifacts.” The middle-aged scholar, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up to explain on behalf of the elder, though this only deepened Han Li’s confusion.
“Demon fire? I’ve only heard of true fire and earth fire being used to refine artifacts and pills. I’ve never heard of demon fire being used!” Han Li frowned, still finding it hard to believe.
“Haha! Senior, you may not know this. Using demon fire for refining artifacts or even pills requires special techniques. It’s not formally recognized by major immortal sects and is considered a minor, unorthodox method, so it hasn’t spread widely. If our family hadn’t accidentally obtained this Fire Crow, we wouldn’t have specialized in this path either.” The elder took over from the scholar to clarify things for Han Li.
“I see.” Although Han Li heard the explanation, since he hadn’t witnessed it himself, he remained somewhat skeptical.
“Could it be that Senior also wishes to commission a top-grade artifact?” the elder asked curiously, seeing Han Li lost in thought.
“If I provide you with sufficient materials to refine a top-grade artifact, what are your chances of success?” Han Li looked up and asked noncommittally.
“That depends on the quality of the materials and what requirements Senior has for the artifact. If the materials are average and the requirements are standard, I have about a one-third chance of success. However, if the refinement of a top-grade artifact fails, the shop does not compensate for the materials because the probability of failure is too high! Double compensation only applies to mid and high-grade artifacts. Otherwise, this old man would have gone bankrupt long ago!” The elder, inwardly delighted by Han Li’s question, replied solemnly.
For a refinement expert like him, the thing he lacked most was high-grade materials to practice with. The process of refining top-grade artifacts could significantly improve his skills!
Although the person before him didn’t sound very old, he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Whatever he could bring out would certainly not be ordinary. This filled the elder with great anticipation.
“I do have some materials that you can try to refine. However, I must be present to observe during the refinement process. But rest assured, I will not interfere. Moreover, if the refinement is successful, I will give you a portion of the materials as payment. I won’t let you work for nothing!” After a moment of silence, Han Li made up his mind and spoke these words.
For Han Li, it made more sense to have his precious Flood Dragon materials refined into suitable artifacts rather than exchanging them for spirit stones.
After all, although he had quite a few top-grade artifacts compared to Qi Refinement disciples, he felt uncertain when comparing himself to other Foundation Establishment cultivators. He suspected others likely had plenty as well.
“Of course! Does Senior wish to begin the refinement now? This old man can start at any time!” The elder, excited that Han Li truly wanted him to refine a top-grade artifact, immediately agreed to the conditions and spoke with great anticipation.
“I still have some things to buy. I’ll return to begin after I’ve taken care of my other business.” Han Li shook his head.
“Very well! This junior will await Senior’s return here!” The elder, slightly disappointed that Han Li didn’t want to start immediately, quickly regained his composure and replied respectfully.
With everything settled, Han Li didn’t wish to stay any longer. After a brief farewell, he turned and left the shop.
But before he could get far, just a few steps away, the scholar’s voice called out from behind.
“Senior, please wait a moment!”
Han Li paused, hesitated for a moment, then stopped and turned around. He saw the scholar hurrying after him, a warm smile on his face.
“What is it?” Han Li frowned, his voice cool.
He wasn’t particularly fond of being disturbed without reason.
“This junior would like to ask if Senior has come to the market to buy something? I am Wang Ziling, and I reside in this market. Perhaps I can be of some assistance and save Senior some time.”
Hearing this, Han Li looked at the scholar with some surprise, then suddenly chuckled and said, “Are you a ‘Wind Runner’?”
Although the scholar couldn’t see Han Li’s expression beneath the hood, he clearly heard the amusement in his voice and felt relieved. He quickly replied, “Senior has guessed correctly. This junior only occasionally takes on such roles and isn’t employed by any particular shop, so Senior need not worry.”
Han Li nodded indifferently and said calmly, “I don’t really mind whether you’re employed by a shop or not, but this time I’m here to buy some formation flags and formation plates. It seems like the Stardust Pavilion is the best place for that, so I probably don’t need any assistance.”
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