Cultivation is just so scientific!

There were no spiritual objects he fancied in the market, so he headed for the only shop.

The shop had only one floor, where a Golden Core Early Stage old cultivator was dozing off, waking only upon hearing a guest's arrival.

"Greetings, fellow. What might you need?" The old cultivator opened his eyes and, sensing Li Yuanba's strength, hurried over with surprising speed to bow before Li Yuanba and ask.

Li Yuanba glanced at the spiritual objects in the shop, feeling somewhat regretful for coming here.

It seemed he misunderstood the market marked for selling the highest Golden Core spiritual objects on the map; at best, they had a scant few Golden Core items.

Looking around, the only third-grade spiritual item was a Third Grade Lower Stage magical treasure, bearing battle scars, indicating it had been used in numerous battles and was second-hand.

"I want to buy a Third-grade Pill Furnace!" Having come here, Li Shiming replied.

"Fellow, you must be joking. Our little shop doesn't have such treasures!" The old cultivator smiled awkwardly and said.

Upon hearing this, Li Shiming was about to turn and leave but saw the old cultivator gesturing to wait.

"Fellow, while we don't have a Third-grade Pill Furnace, I know where you can find one. To the south, on Dangyang Mountain, about three hundred miles from here, there's an artifact refiner named Zhang. He has the lineage for crafting pill furnaces. You should take a look!" The old cultivator, afraid Li Yuanba was hard to deal with, hurriedly spilled all he knew.

Normally, the old cultivator would have requested some benefit before disclosing such information.

However, facing the terrifying sword intent of a Sword Cultivation Great Elder, even without any hostility, he didn't dare risk provoking the elder's wrath.

"Thank you!" Li Yuanba took out ten top-grade spirit stones and handed them over.

The old cultivator happily accepted the ten top-grade spirit stones. While auctions at the Taichu Sect might routinely involve thousands of top-grade spirit stones, for Loose Cultivators, ten top-grade spirit stones were already a significant income.

Li Yuanba left the market, as he was roaming in search of his opportunities.

Buying a Third-grade Pill Furnace was merely convenient since he wasn't in a rush.

He was carefree, wandering about, doing whatever he fancied.

Having received the information, he became interested.

How could an artifact refiner with the lineage for crafting pill furnaces end up in such a place?

The Spiritual Energy here wasn't abundant, and it was close to the Mortal World, unsuitable for secluded cultivation.

Li Yuanba flew with his sword to Dangyang Mountain, guided by the old cultivator. On the mountain was a sizable temple unrelated to the Cultivation World.

But on the cliff at the back of the mountain, there was a protruding platform with a visible cave dwelling.

He flew to the platform and cast a communication technique.

"You go too far! Even after I retreated here, you still won't let me be!" A voice came from inside the cave, followed by a figure flying out.

This was a late-stage Golden Core middle-aged cultivator, full of anger, with a flying sword treasure floating beside him.

What caught Li Yuanba's attention was not the flying sword treasure but the crossbow in the middle-aged cultivator's hand.

This crossbow was a Third Grade Upper Stage magical treasure, and he sensed its threat toward him.

His Body Refining techniques had long reached Great Elder level, so if this crossbow treasure could threaten him, it must possess some special ability.

Li Yuanba was about to speak, but the middle-aged cultivator, with a fiery temper, didn't allow him to speak before launching an attack.

The crossbow glimmered slightly, and a beam of golden light shot out.

As soon as Li Yuanba sensed the threat, he became alert. With his 'God's Eye' and 'Telepathy' activated, he perceived the middle-aged cultivator's moves before the attack was launched.

The Xingyi Sword shot out, heading straight for the golden light.

This was extremely demanding on one's eyesight and control. His eyesight was not an issue, as with 'God's Eye,' he could see the rapid trajectory of the golden light.

Controlling a flying sword was basic for a sword cultivator, so control was also not an issue.

With a "ding" sound, the golden light was blocked by the Xingyi Sword.

Li Yuanba sensed the Xingyi Sword was contaminated; the golden light contained a potent poison, enough to poison Golden Core cultivators, explaining why he felt the threat.

This poison wasn't only targeted at cultivators; even treasures were affected.

The Xingyi Sword got polluted by the poison of the golden light; he could even sense a slight sluggishness in the sword.

"Disperse!" he whispered, and the Supreme Yang Sword Intent erupted from the Xingyi Sword.

The Supreme Yang Sword Intent was the nemesis of all evil and filthy things; although the poison was potent, it instantly vanished upon meeting the Supreme Yang Sword Intent.

Li Yuanba wasn't someone to be bullied; even if it was clear the other mistook him, since the other dared to strike first, he saw no reason to hold back.

The Supreme Yang Sword Intent within the Xingyi Sword rose, unaffected by the poison, and the sword light flashed toward the middle-aged cultivator.

The middle-aged cultivator's expression changed; the crossbow in his hand was his greatest assurance. He dared to attack the Sword Cultivation Great Elder because of this sect's treasure.

However, his trump card had no effect and was easily broken. He hurriedly tried to dodge, while also controlling the flying sword treasure by his side to block the Xingyi Sword.

The Xingyi Sword flashed, and the opponent's flying sword treasure was sliced into two.

Among Third Grade Flying Swords, the Xingyi Sword couldn't be judged by grade. A lifebound flying sword nourished by a sword cultivator for hundreds of years needed to be measured by both its power and sword intent.

The middle-aged cultivator's flying sword treasure, although of decent quality, paled in comparison to a Sword Cultivation Great Elder's lifebound flying sword nurtured for centuries.

Before the middle-aged cultivator could react further, the Xingyi Sword pierced his heart.

Li Yuanba, having suddenly engaged in a battle, didn't even know the middle-aged cultivator's name.

But seeing the middle-aged cultivator's abode, it was probably the artifact refiner named Zhang.

He had no intention of killing and looting; he intended to buy, but clearly, the middle-aged cultivator had different ideas.

He casually took the space ring from the middle-aged cultivator and tossed the remains of the sliced flying sword treasure into the 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak'. Inputting Spiritual Power Pattern over time could make the remnants nourishment for 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak'.

Even a small contribution mattered; although it was a Third Grade Flying Sword Treasure, it nevertheless improved 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak's power slightly.

With continuous investment, bit by bit, 'Ten Thousand Sword Peak' would someday possess immense power.

He entered the cave with the space ring. The cave had already opened when the middle-aged cultivator exited, sparing him the trouble.

The cave's hall had been converted into an Artifact Refining Room, indicating the middle-aged cultivator seldom had visitors.

The middle-aged cultivator probably once traded with the shopkeeper, who knew only of his refining skills, thus providing Li Yuanba with such information, being uninformed about the middle-aged cultivator personally.

In truth, the shopkeeper was intimidated by Li Yuanba and wanted him gone quickly, agreeing to all his demands.

It was sheer coincidence that the middle-aged cultivator matched Li Yuanba's requirements, leaving negotiations between him and the cultivator.

The shopkeeper never anticipated that Li Yuanba's interaction with the middle-aged cultivator would end this way.

The hall was exceedingly hot, with the heat coming from a flame in the center.

"Is this an 'Earth Fire Plate'?" Li Yuanba had only heard of it, seeing it for the first time.

An 'Earth Fire Plate' uses special methods to draw earth fire into a container, serving as the best refining flame. Different levels of earth fire forge various levels of magical treasures.

This 'Earth Fire Plate' was third-grade, capable of forging third-grade treasures, far easier than using pill fire, reducing the need for a suitable cultivation method for refining.

Normal artifact refining requires cultivating a Fire Based Cultivation Method to provide sufficient flame power for artifact crafting.