Chapter 282 - 264: A Reputation Abroad?

Chapter 282: Chapter 264: A Reputation Abroad?

’This time...’

In his room at the inn, Chu Mu sat cross-legged, sensing the various Spiritual Materials within his Storage Talisman, his brow furrowed slightly.

Last time, it had been over ninety Magical Artifacts and twelve Spiritual Artifacts.

This time, however, there were only about fifty Magical Artifacts, most of which were Middle Grade, and not a single Spiritual Artifact among them.

By his calculations, even with a one hundred percent success rate in refining, the most Contribution Points he could get would be one or two thousand at best.

’This model probably won’t last long...’

A vague understanding dawned on Chu Mu.

He was just a Loose Cultivator, and Xie Hui was even more insignificant within the Xie Family and the Righteous Alliance.

Although he was earning a living through his skills, profit stirred the hearts of men. The Cultivation Immortal Realm was never short of the envious and the greedy.

’So, what’s next...?’

Chu Mu frowned, but then he gave a self-deprecating smile.

Things were different now!

He had long since revealed his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation.

His skill in Artifact Refining was also revealed when he refined that previous batch of Magical and Spiritual Artifacts.

His mastery of Puppetry Skill had also been displayed at the trade fair.

A Foundation Establishment Realm Tier Two Upper Grade Refiner who was also skilled with Puppets.

With the abilities he had shown, he would likely be treated as an honored guest even if he decided to join the Longevity Sect now.

’The next step, then, is recruitment...’

Chu Mu pursed his lips. After a moment of thought, he couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it.

Being a Loose Cultivator had its many disadvantages, but it also had one advantage that disciples from Clans and Sects could never match.

And that was... if one place doesn’t want me, another place will.

The world was vast; he could go wherever he pleased.

But disciples of Sects and Clans were all under immense restrictions.

As far as he knew, disciples of the Longevity Sect would even have a Divine Prohibition planted in them upon joining. Without reaching the Golden Core Realm, it was impossible to remove this Divine Prohibition.

And the most important function of this so-called Divine Prohibition was restriction.

Ordinarily, this restriction wasn’t very significant, but when the time came, they would have no power to resist, even if they knew they were being sent to their deaths.

The various Clans also had their own ways of restraining their members.

It was just that the long-lasting peace in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, coupled with the generous treatment from Sects and Clans, had long concealed this cruel reality.

After all, peace and stability meant there wasn’t much danger. Aside from their normal operations and securing benefits for the ruling class, there were few opportunities for the various powers to demand their members’ lives.

But now...

From the East Lake Secret Realm to the schism of the Righteous Alliance and the ensuing conflict, countless Cultivators had already been buried!

Once caught in the middle of it, one’s fate was no longer one’s own.

With a wave of his hand, numerous Spiritual Materials appeared from his Storage Talisman, followed by the Great Sun True Flame.

Staring at the Spiritual Materials and True Flame before him, he suddenly recalled the Artifact Refining Formula he had seen in Ji Ming’s possession.

That Magical Treasure Prototype... the Cyan Jade Spirit Furnace!

Its main Spiritual Material was a Ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Jade, and the other supplementary materials were all at least Tier Three.

With such an extravagant list of materials, it was clear that the Cultivation Technique must have been a legacy from an Ancient Cultivator.

That Cyan Jade Spirit Furnace must also be a Magical Treasure legacy from an Ancient Cultivator.

Even now, Chu Mu couldn’t hide his regret.

As an Artifact Refiner, he was well aware that while any Artifact Refining Formula recorded precise quantities for its various Spiritual Materials, each refiner’s habits were different. The type of Spiritual Fire used, the refining techniques, and even the inscription of Array Prohibition Patterns would all cause a certain degree of loss to the Spiritual Materials.

This loss was unavoidable; one could only try to minimize it.

Therefore, any Artifact Refining Formula would inevitably include a certain surplus of materials to account for this loss.

But he, under the effect of his Spiritual Radiance Blessing, had always been able to minimize the loss when refining Magical and Spiritual Artifacts.

’If I were to refine that Cyan Jade Spirit Furnace and minimize the loss, the leftover Spiritual Materials...’

’Those Spiritual Materials that could no longer be described as merely precious...’

’Just saving a few scraps would be enough to stuff me full!’

Hadn’t he made a fortune from his deal with Zhao Shuang, refining the Soul Cleansing Pills?

He still had the Spirit Medicines he had saved from that refining session, untouched to this day.

As his thoughts turned, he lifted his hand slightly. Several Spiritual Materials were enveloped by the True Flame, guided by his Divine Sense.

For him now, refining an Artifact of the Magical Artifact Level was already second nature, effortless and easy.

Without even using his Spiritual Radiance, everything flowed as smoothly as water under the control of his Divine Sense.

He finished refining the dozens of Magical Artifacts in just over half a month. In between, he even found time to work on his own Pill Furnace formula, coming up with a half-finished recipe.

Of course, it was half-finished only because he hadn’t decided on the most crucial main material. Without the main material, a whole host of supplementary materials naturally remained undecided as well.

He had only conceived a framework, waiting for the yet-to-be-determined Spiritual Materials to fill it in.

With the Jade Token in his hand, a screen appeared. He stared intently at the flashing list of the Contribution Treasure Vault.

The exchange list was all-encompassing, with a vast array of treasures.

But just like the Cultivation Immortal Realm itself, this Contribution Treasure Vault was also structured like a pyramid.

Tier One items were all-encompassing; they had everything.

Tier Two treasures, however, were significantly fewer in number.

The Gonggong Pill required ten types of Spirit Medicine, all within the Tier Two category. He searched for a long time but only found eight of them, still missing two.

Moreover, compared to the exchange price of Tier One Spiritual Objects, the prices for Tier Two items skyrocketed!

Any random one cost several hundred, or even a thousand, Contribution Points.

As for Tier Three Spiritual Objects and treasures, not only were they extremely rare, but their prices were also terrifyingly high.

In comparison, the Spirit Veins seemed rather cheap.

After all, exchanging for a Tier One Lower Grade Spiritual Vein only cost one hundred thousand Contribution Points.

If he were to calculate based on the ten Spirit Medicines for the Gonggong Pill, one hundred thousand Contribution Points would only get him enough for a dozen or so batches.

’A Tier One Lower Grade Spiritual Vein...’

Chu Mu murmured to himself, lost in thought.

’From this perspective, it seems there’s more to this Tier One Lower Grade Spiritual Vein than meets the eye...’

Putting away the Contract Contact Order, he flicked his sleeve and swept the dozens of Magical Artifacts piled before him into his Storage Talisman.

Then, he stood up straight and walked to the door, only to stop abruptly.

With a wave of his hand, the Sound Transmission Order appeared before him.

Several sound transmissions echoed in his ear one after another.

Some were familiar, like Xu Yuan’s ramblings and Xie Hui’s report on the collection of some Spiritual Materials...

Another, from a stranger, seemed to be from that Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had left a message at the Celestial Wind Pavilion, likely about a matter of Artifact Refining...

He pondered for a moment, then sent out several sound transmissions of his own before pushing the door open and stepping out.

After several months, the gloom left by the fires of war seemed to have quietly dissipated from Water Heaven Workshop.

If not for the omnipresent Righteous Alliance Cultivators and the still-high prices, it would be hard to tell that a great war, which had engulfed the entire Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, had been raging for several years.

A few moments later, the towering Contribution Hall appeared in his view.

He paused before the hall, took out the Contract Contact Order, glanced up at the plaque above the entrance, and stepped inside.

As usual, the hall was bustling with people, and long lines had formed in front of every counter.

His Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation clearly afforded him special treatment.

As soon as he entered the hall, a woman came forward to greet him.

"Senior, this way please."

She led him to a side hall and, after tea and snacks were served, the woman asked respectfully, "May I ask if you are here to accept a mission, Senior, or to exchange for items?"

Chu Mu took a sip of tea, slightly curious. "How did you know that I have signed a contract?"

"Every Contract Contact Order is registered. As long as you haven’t severed the connection between your Contract Contact Order and our central hub, Senior, we can detect its presence the moment you enter this hall."

Chu Mu chuckled and said nothing more. He handed over a list and his Contract Contact Order.

"Exchange for the items on this list."

"Please wait a moment, Senior."

The woman respectfully took the Token and the list, then hurried away.

About a quarter of an hour later, the door was pushed open again. It wasn’t the woman who returned, but a middle-aged man in a white robe.

The man held a tray, upon which sat a Storage Talisman, a Token, and a white paper list.

And this middle-aged man’s cultivation... Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!

"I am a Foreign Affairs Elder of the Righteous Alliance. My surname is Xie, and my given name is Nan."

"I have heard much about you lately, Fellow Daoist Chu. Please forgive my impudence in seeking you out today if I am disturbing you."

Before Chu Mu could speak, the man spoke with a voice as pleasant as a spring breeze. He then placed the tray on the table, his tone gentle:

"These are the items you exchanged for according to your list. The total cost was five thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five Contribution Points, leaving you with a balance of two hundred and twelve points."

"You can check them, Fellow Daoist."

"It’s a small matter, but I’ve troubled you, Fellow Daoist."

Chu Mu smiled and, with a wave of his hand, swept the items into his possession.

"Not at all. Compared to the trouble you’ve saved me, Fellow Daoist, this small matter is nothing worth mentioning."

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. "I saved you from trouble, Fellow Daoist?"

"Of course! That batch of Artifacts you refined previously solved a huge problem for me!"

Xie Nan looked relieved. "You have no idea, Fellow Daoist. The front lines are demanding, the deadlines are strict, and the rules are harsh. The slightest mistake could land you in the death row camp."

"And here in Water Heaven Workshop, we have fewer than twenty Artifact Refiners in total, yet we have to support the massive logistical supply for the front lines."

"Furthermore, when Water Heaven Workshop was besieged before, several of my fellow Artifact Refiners were unfortunately caught in the crossfire and perished. Although I’ve been requesting the alliance to dispatch more Artifact Refiners, I’ve yet to receive a response."

"But the missions assigned by the alliance haven’t decreased at all. In fact, as the fighting has grown more intense, they’ve only increased, which has been a great source of worry for me."

"The moment you took action, Fellow Daoist, it was an astonishing feat. A hundred or so Magical and Spiritual Artifacts, impeccable in both quality and quantity."

"When my fellow Artifact Refiners from the alliance saw the Artifacts you refined, they were all in awe of you, praising you endlessly. They all say you’re already an Artifact Refining Master of this generation!"

...