Chapter 278 - 262: Transaction and the Terrifying Effect

Chapter 278: Chapter 262: Transaction and the Terrifying Effect

The moment he spoke, as if by unspoken agreement, many gazes instantly fell upon the old man sitting to one side.

After all, judging from the Elixirs he had shown at the beginning, this old man was clearly a rather remarkable Alchemist.

"I have a three-tael piece of Tier Three Lower Grade Moon Shadow Jade. Would you be willing to trade? If there’s a price difference, I can make it up with Spirit Stones."

Just then, a man suddenly stood up. A piece of pure white jade hovered in his palm, its faint fluorescent glow making it quite eye-catching.

Chu Mu’s interest was piqued. Moon Shadow Jade, said to hold the moon’s lingering shadow, was a prime material for creating high-quality illusion-attribute artifacts.

However, such a small piece of Moon Shadow Jade was not equal in value to his Puppet.

As for Spirit Stones, he had little need for them, not even for Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

After all, with his skill as an Artifact Refiner, earning Lower or Middle Grade Spirit Stones wasn’t difficult.

Of course, the most important thing was that he knew there was an Alchemist of remarkable skill in attendance.

Compared to a piece of Spiritual Material, he was more interested in improving his Alchemy Skill.

"Are you an Artifact Refiner, Fellow Daoist?"

Just then, the old man suddenly spoke.

Given the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation the old man had revealed, his words immediately captured the attention of the entire room.

Chu Mu nodded.

The old man asked again, "A Top Grade Spiritual Artifact Pill Furnace—are you confident you can refine one?"

Chu Mu frowned slightly and asked slowly, "Do you already have an Artifact Refining Formula for a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact that you want me to follow, or do you need one custom-made to your specifications?"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of Spiritual Light flashed through the old man’s murky eyes, and his previously casual posture instantly straightened.

"Are you saying you can custom-make a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact Pill Furnace?"

At these words, Chu Mu could distinctly feel many more gazes converging on him.

After all, there was refining... and then there was custom-making.

A simple distinction, yet they were worlds apart.

Refining was merely following a template.

Custom-making, on the other hand, meant designing the formula and matching the Spiritual Materials based on specific requirements. It was a process of creation from scratch.

For a Cultivator, the former meant being limited to choosing from pre-existing Magical and Spiritual Artifacts. The latter meant commissioning an artifact perfectly tailored to one’s own Cultivation, Magical Power, Spirit Root Attribute, and preferred techniques.

The distinction between the two was undeniably clear.

As for an Artifact Refiner, one who could only do the former was just that—an Artifact Refiner. But one who could do the latter could undoubtedly be called an Artifact Refining Master.

All eyes in the room converged, everyone seeming to await Chu Mu’s answer.

Although drawing this much attention was not what Chu Mu wanted, since things had already reached this point, he couldn’t be bothered to overthink it. ’I’ll just treat it as free advertising to drum up some business!’

"If you want a custom-made Top Grade Spiritual Artifact Pill Furnace, you’ll need to provide fifty percent extra of the main materials, and two sets of all the supplementary materials."

"If I don’t succeed, you’ll be fully refunded their equivalent value in Spirit Stones."

The old man asked impatiently, "What’s the success rate?"

Chu Mu mulled it over before giving a slightly conservative estimate. "For a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact... an eighty percent chance."

If there were only one set of all the Spiritual Materials, he wouldn’t be absolutely certain.

But with fifty percent extra of the main materials and two sets of the supplementary ones, he was very, very confident.

The old man fell silent. A moment later, he spoke slowly.

"I’ll take this Puppet."

Then, the old man looked out at the crowd. "Fellow Daoists, I’d ask you all to do me this favor."

Though he phrased it as a request, the command in his tone was unmistakable.

A chorus of assent immediately followed.

"Fellow Daoist, we will speak in detail after the exchange concludes."

The old man said this to Chu Mu before returning to his seat.

Chu Mu put away the Cyan Wolf Puppet, stepped down from the stage, and returned to his seat.

"Are you Chu Mu?"

Just then, a Cultivator seated next to him, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

Chu Mu nodded without denying it.

He hadn’t bothered to hide his identity for this exchange.

In the past, he had hidden his identity time and again because his Cultivation was low—it was a matter of survival.

But now, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, there was no longer any need to hide.

After all, his only real troubles were the Longevity Sect’s wanted notice and the deep-seated hatred between him and Zhao Tang’s father.

The Longevity Sect’s wanted notice was meaningless.

As for the deep-seated hatred with Zhao Tang’s father...

...it was no longer a major threat to him now.

It was hardly surprising that the man before him had recognized him. After all, the temptation of the Foundation Establishment Pill offered as a bounty by the Blood Killing Pavilion was considerable.

"The Longevity Sect really made a foolish move..."

The man commented with a sneer, then tactfully changed the subject. "You’re still a Loose Cultivator, right, Fellow Daoist?"

Chu Mu nodded without saying much.

Seemingly afraid Chu Mu would misunderstand, the man quickly added:

"I’m Zhu Zhang, also a Loose Cultivator. I’ve signed an employment contract with the Righteous Alliance, so I’m fighting for them now."

"You must be new here, Fellow Daoist. You probably don’t know, but there are quite a few Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators like us fighting for the Righteous Alliance..."

"Sometimes, someone will take the lead and organize these kinds of internal exchanges so we can trade for what we need. If you give me your Sound Transmission Order details, we can go together next time."

"Are there a lot of Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators around here?"

Chu Mu took out his Sound Transmission Order and presented it to Zhu Zhang, asking with some curiosity.

"More than a few. They’re from All Over the World. A whole lot of them."

"I’ve even run into several Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Wuyue Kingdom."

"The Wuyue Kingdom?"

Chu Mu paused. If he remembered correctly, the Wuyue Kingdom was one of the small nations just beyond the Northwest Territory of Great Chu...