Translator: AnubisTL
"Hmm, I'll take this commission."
After careful consideration, Li Qing accepted the commission to refine a high-grade binding-type magical artifact.
The qi refining realm disciple's expression turned peculiar. He spoke up:
"Elder Li, this commission was issued by Elder Xu."
Li Qing raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What about Elder Xu? Is his commission off-limits?"
The disciple glanced around before whispering, "It's not exactly off-limits, but Elder Xu has a very eccentric temperament and extremely high standards for the magic artifacts he commissions."
"He's issued several commissions before, offering generous contribution points, but few elders in the refining hall are willing to take them."
"The reason is that Elder Xu has been dissatisfied with every magic artifact refined by our elders. The resulting conflicts were quite unpleasant. Eventually, the Grand Elder of the refining hall personally intervened and refined an artifact that finally met Elder Xu's expectations."
"Because of this history, fewer and fewer people are willing to accept Elder Xu's artifact refinement commissions."
No wonder the reward for this commission is so generous, Li Qing thought to himself. One hundred and sixty contribution points just for refining a high-grade magical artifact? That's almost as much as some top-grade artifact requests!
Li Qing had been a member of the sect for quite some time, but he had spent most of his time in secluded cultivation, so he didn't know much about the foundation establishment elders.
After careful consideration, he decided to accept the commission.
The reason was simple: he had just learned that the sect's new batch of medicinal pills would soon be available for exchange. This meant that cultivation-enhancing pills like the Purple Yang Pill would soon be open to redeem.
His current contribution points were pitifully low! When the exchange opened, pills that could enhance foundation establishment mana and boost cultivation would be snatched up immediately.
He desperately needed contribution points to secure as many Purple Yang Pills as possible!
If he missed this opportunity, he would have to wait another three years.
Even a major immortal dao sect like Lingyun Sect couldn't procure such rare Spirit Herbs at will.
A faint sense of urgency arose in his heart. This meant he would have to compete—and compete with the sect's numerous foundation establishment elders for the limited supply of Purple Yang Pills.
And so, Li Qing ultimately accepted Elder Xu's artifact refinement commission.
Two days later.
"You're the one who took on my artifact refinement commission? Just a newly appointed elder in the refining hall?"
"Do you even know what this binding-type magical artifact is for? If I'm not satisfied, I'll return it!"
Elder Xu, a red-faced old man, glared at Li Qing, his beard bristling with skepticism.
Though Li Qing had anticipated this, experiencing Elder Xu's dismissive attitude firsthand still caused his expression to momentarily stiffen.
Most foundation establishment elders he'd encountered in the sect had been amiable, their demeanor rarely falling below a certain standard.
He hadn't expected Elder Xu to be so blunt, immediately adopting a condescending tone and flaunting his seniority.
Li Qing's composure remained unshaken. He chuckled softly, "Senior Brother Xu, I've refined several binding-type magical artifacts before, so I have some confidence. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted your commission."
"Of course, if you have any specific requirements, please let me know now so I can consider the compatibility of the artifact's spiritual materials."
Elder Xu's expression remained dubious. In truth, he had originally intended to have the Grand Elder of the refining hall handle the commission, as he didn't trust the other refining elders.
After his previous commissions, Li Qing had assumed the other elders of the Refining Hall would be wary of accepting his requests. He was surprised when a headstrong newcomer stepped forward today.
"Originally, I intended to have the Grand Elder handle this refinement. Since you insist on taking the job, don't blame me for setting expectations upfront," Li Qing said sternly.
"If the refined magic artifact doesn't meet my requirements, I won't pay a single contribution point!"
Li Qing wasn't worried about Elder Xu resorting to tantrums or unreasonable demands. The sect had the Law Enforcement Hall, and if the binding-type magical artifact he refined was sufficiently high-quality, even if Elder Xu tried to deny payment by claiming the artifact was substandard, Li Qing could escalate the matter to the Law Enforcement Hall.
This would draw the attention of many elders from both the Law Enforcement Hall and the Refining Hall. If Elder Xu was found to be deliberately causing trouble, he would face severe consequences.
So far, no one had dared to attempt such a scheme, unless they never needed the Refining Hall's services again!
"Elder Xu, I understand perfectly," Li Qing replied humbly. "Now, would you care to elaborate on any specific requirements you have for this binding-type magical artifact?"
"Hmm, not many specifics," Elder Xu replied. "But I plan to use this artifact against a demon beast deep within the Forbidden Speech Snowfield—an Ice Spirit Toad, a mid-Second-Tier creature!"
"If this binding-type magical artifact isn't up to par, even I wouldn't dare face that Second-Tier Demonic Beast in such a frigid, snow-covered environment."
Elder Xu proudly raised his head, his gaze toward Li Qing still tinged with skepticism.
"If that's the case, I understand now!" Li Qing said with a smile. "I'll tell you the required spiritual materials later, Elder Xu. You can go gather them then."
Hearing this, Elder Xu snorted coldly. "Let me make one thing clear: I may not know artifact refinement, but don't think you can take me for a fool! I have some basic knowledge!"
"Heh heh heh, Elder Xu, you're overthinking things. Our refining hall has always been built on integrity!" Li Qing flashed a set of pearly white teeth, his smile radiating warmth and sincerity.
Elder Xu's meaning was clear: he wasn't stupid. If Li Qing tried to inflate the price by demanding a mountain of rare spiritual materials, he would absolutely refuse. After all, this was just for a high-grade magical artifact, not a top-grade one! Any excess materials would simply end up in Li Qing's pocket.
In truth, taking a small cut of spiritual materials was common practice in artifact refinement. As long as it wasn't excessive and no corners were cut during the refining process, no one would notice, and even if they did, they wouldn't investigate too deeply.
In the immortal cultivation world, it was an unspoken agreement, a customary practice among artifact refiners.
"Hmph, tell me the spirit materials you need for refining as soon as possible. As long as they're not too outrageous, I can easily gather them with my capabilities!" Elder Xu declared, proudly raising his chin.
Li Qing was genuinely surprised. If the elder truly possessed such divine abilities, forming a proper alliance with him might be worthwhile. After all, there might come a time when he needed the elder's assistance, such as when collecting heavenly spirit fire or gathering the materials required for refining the Heavenly Net Banner. Elder Xu could serve as a valuable channel for acquiring these resources.
"Then it's settled. Elder Xu, I'll take my leave now!"
With that, Li Qing departed from Elder Xu's cave abode.
He had accepted the commission for the binding-type magical artifact because he had previously refined the Water Entangling Net and had some experience in this area. Although the Water Entangling Net was only a mid-grade magic tool, his artifact refinement skills had improved significantly, and he had inherited numerous refining inheritances. Therefore, he felt reasonably confident about completing this commission.
"Binding-type magical artifacts typically take the form of nets, ropes, or chains. Since this is for dealing with Demon beasts, it needs to be lightweight and easy to control."
After returning to his cave abode, Li Qing pondered for a moment, his mind already forming a plan.
"I'll refine a rope-shaped magic artifact. The Immortal-Binding Rope?"
Li Qing's inspiration sparked, but he quickly rejected the name. After all, it would only be a high-grade magical artifact, and calling it "Immortal-Binding" would be far too grandiose.
"Hmm, let's call it the Spirit-Confining Rope instead."
Having settled on the artifact's form, Li Qing began considering the necessary spiritual materials.
"Since it's a rope, high-grade spiritual vines or demon beast tendons would be ideal."
With this in mind, Li Qing tentatively selected two primary materials: "The Void Spirit Vine possesses excellent elasticity and exceptional resilience. Using it as the main material for this artifact would be the best possible choice."
"However, Void Spirit Vines are extremely rare. Even Elder Xu's methods might not be enough to obtain one. As an alternative, I'll use the python tendon from a second-tier demon python."
The python tendon might prove surprisingly effective against toad-like demon beasts.
"If I were only targeting the Ice Spirit Toad, fire-attribute spiritual materials would be the obvious choice for auxiliary materials. But I can't just consider the immediate situation. After all, this artifact will be useful beyond this one encounter."
As his words faded, Li Qing wrote down several Five Elements-related spiritual materials, specifying that he didn't need all of them—two or three types would suffice.
Thus, a list of spiritual materials required for refining a high-grade magical artifact was completed. Without delay, Li Qing summoned the sect's Spirit Bird and immediately sent the list.
In Elder Xu's cave abode, the red-faced old man received the list Li Qing had sent and immediately snorted coldly.
"Hmph, this brat has quite the nerve! Demanding so many spiritual materials at once—anyone would think he's refining a top-grade magical artifact!"
Frowning, Elder Xu tapped the stone table with his finger several times, pondered for a moment, and ultimately decided to gather the materials.
His earlier outburst had been mere venting; these materials clearly fell short of what was needed for a top-grade magical artifact.
Still, the quantity was considerable, and the list included two python tendons from a second-tier demon python—ostensibly to account for potential failures.
"Gathering these materials isn't the problem," Elder Xu muttered. "But if this brat produces only a mediocre high-grade magical artifact, I won't let him off lightly!"
With that, Elder Xu began considering how to procure the necessary materials.
"I recall Junior Sister Yiyun slaying a second-tier malevolent blood python some years ago. I wonder if she still has the tendons? I should ask her."
(End of the Chapter)
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