Chapter 678: Artifact Refinement

For immortal cultivators, as long as spiritual qi was abundant, nothing posed a true problem.

Though the city on Duyan Island appeared rough and simple on the surface, the number of mortals and low-level cultivators residing there was not small. The island thrived with vitality.

At the Stormy Demonic Sea, places that remained as stable as Duyan Island were few and far between. The surrounding waters teemed with rich demonic beast resources. Not only had the island’s original inhabitants flourished, but many cultivators from distant regions also braved the journey to settle here by sea.

Qin Sang disembarked with Ran Luo and the others. With her guidance, he easily located the cave dwelling prepared for him.

The cave dwellings Elder Zhou had secured were located on the city’s outskirts, near a bare mountain. This spot had been chosen with purpose.

The mountain, called Redstone Mountain, differed from the other rocky peaks. Its stones bore a faint reddish hue due to a fire vein running beneath it. The island master had excavated many fire rooms in the mountain, making it an ideal place for both artifact refinement and alchemy.

Ran Luo and Elder Zhou were busy organizing their personnel, leaving Qin Sang undisturbed to enter seclusion.

It wasn’t until ten days later that Ran Luo finally came knocking.

"Daoist Master, have you rested enough? If you're free now, shall we begin artifact refinement? The members stationed here have gathered a large number of demonic beast corpses, enough to fill several warehouses. Elder Zhou and the alchemists have already sorted out the corpses. The ones suitable for refining Malevolent Demonic Pills and Blood Bone Pills have been set aside. As for the rest, we’ll need you to step in. Everything is ready on Redstone Mountain..."

Qin Sang had been prepared for this and responded readily, "Lead the way, Daoist Ran."

Refining artifacts on Duyan Island naturally meant working atop Redstone Mountain. Especially when refining in bulk, the Pill Fire of a single cultivator would not be sufficient to sustain the process.

Since Qin Sang had no intention of revealing the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, using earth fire as a cover was a necessity.

Renting a fire room on the mountain was expensive, but that was the merchant guild’s expense. He had no intention of saving money for them.

The two of them walked side by side and soon reached Redstone Mountain.

As they ascended, Qin Sang immediately felt the searing heat of the earth fire saturating the air. A mortal venturing here would likely succumb to dehydration in short order.

Ran Luo led Qin Sang through several winding paths until they arrived at a stone wall midway up the mountain.

A cavern entrance had been carved beneath the wall. A few people were waiting outside the entrance.

Elder Zhou was among them.

Behind Elder Zhou stood two individuals. One was a kind-looking old man with a white beard and a constant smile. When he saw Qin Sang and Ran Luo approaching, he greeted them warmly with a nod.

The other was a gaunt, stiff-faced young man, whose expression remained unreadable. Qin Sang, however, keenly sensed the hostility hidden in the man's gaze.

Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled their identities.

Ran Luo had previously mentioned them. The white-bearded elder was Elder Zhou’s chief alchemist, and the thin young man was an artifact refiner.

I blocked someone else's path.

Qin Sang thought to himself but felt little concern. He paid no mind to the youth’s hostility.

In the world of artifact refinement, strength spoke for itself. If his skills were inferior, there was nothing to complain about. But if his mastery surpassed that of the youth, the title of chief artifact refiner would naturally fall to him.

Elder Zhou stepped forward to welcome him and said, "Daoist Master, you’ve arrived. "Let me make introductions. Elder Jia is an old friend of mine. He had planned to retire peacefully, but I dragged him out for one last favor. And this is Daoist Zhuo, a cultivator from the renowned Sword Cauldron Sect—famous across the Eastern Sea region."

Qin Sang clasped his hands and greeted them, "I am Daoist Qingfeng. Greetings to you both."

He hadn’t heard of the Sword Cauldron Sect before, but he assumed it must be a sect known for artifact refinement in Canglang Sea.

The young man surnamed Zhuo remained composed. He returned the salute with a calm expression and asked curiously, "May I ask which sect Daoist Qingfeng hails from? Elder Zhou and Manager Ran both sing your praises. You must possess unique expertise in the path of artifact refinement. Perhaps your sect shares roots with ours."

Qin Sang chuckled. "I am but a rogue cultivator. Once I came upon a refinement technique by chance. I doubt there’s any connection to your esteemed sect."

Zhuo didn’t press the matter further.

Elder Zhou took out a Mustard Seed Pouch and handed it to Qin Sang. "Please have a look. Based on the materials and demonic corpses inside, how many artifacts do you think you can refine?"

Qin Sang swept through the contents with his spiritual consciousness. The pouch was well-stocked. Besides some spiritual materials, there were many beast bones and hides. Among them, a complete spine caught his attention. It appeared to be the bone of a Jiao.

After inspecting everything, Qin Sang pondered briefly and said, "With these materials, I should be able to refine five top-grade artifacts. As for the lower-grade ones, it will depend on how much is left afterward."

"Five?"

Elder Zhou and Elder Jia exchanged glances, surprise and delight flashing in their eyes.

The gaunt young man was stunned, his face filled with disbelief. At most, he only dared to attempt refining three top-grade artifacts with those materials to ensure a reasonable success rate. He couldn’t help but exclaim, "With just those materials, can you really produce five top-grade artifacts? Are you not exaggerating?"

Qin Sang responded with confidence, "Why not wait a few days? Once I finish the refinement, you’ll see for yourselves."

Elder Zhou clapped his hands and said, "Excellent. The fire room has already been prepared for you, Daoist Master. During this period, no one will disturb you. If you need anything, feel free to give orders and the attendants will see to it. I await your good news."

Just then, a guard stepped forward. Qin Sang bid the others farewell and followed the guard into the cave dwelling, casually selecting a high-quality fire room.

As they watched Qin Sang enter the cave, Elder Zhou smiled faintly and turned to Ran Luo. "Daoist Master Qingfeng can actually refine five top-grade artifacts. Such skill is rare even within the entire Dongji Alliance. It's a pity he can’t refine astras, but that too is no easy feat. Manager Ran, this credit of recruiting him belongs entirely to you."

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Elder Jia added, "Daoist Zhuo told me before that he could only guarantee success with three top-grade artifacts. Yet Daoist Qingfeng confidently claimed he could refine five. Judging by his tone, it’s no idle boast. Congratulations, Elder Zhou, for securing a true talent."

The gaunt youth remained silent. If Qin Sang could truly achieve what he claimed, then he had to admit his own inferiority and would have no grounds for complaint.

A middle-aged man who had been silently observing finally stepped forward. He said in a low voice, "Elder Zhou, I heard from Manager Ran that this person has worn a straw hat ever since arriving from the Witch God Continent and has never revealed his true face. What if he’s a fugitive from the Inner Sea? If we don’t investigate his identity thoroughly, aren’t we risking being implicated?"

Elder Zhou shook his head. "We are merely inviting Daoist Master Qingfeng to serve as an Outer Sea Guest Cultivator. Even if he committed grave crimes in the Inner Sea, what does that have to do with us? There’s no need for concern. In a few days, once Daoist Master Qingfeng completes his refinement and accepts the guest cultivator status, I will depart to inspect our guild’s businesses on the other islands. Affairs on Duyan Island are now in order. Elder Jia will be in charge of internal matters, and Manager Ran will oversee external affairs. I hope you all will assist them as needed."

Everyone voiced their agreement.