Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 82: Storm in the Valley, Refining Begins

A month passed in a flash. Today, the sky was clear and blue. Sunlight filtered through the mottled leaves like golden threads, casting shadows across the courtyard, weaving together a dreamlike scene. Liu Ruyan hurried, her expression filled with excitement and anticipation. Clutching a storage bag tightly in her hand, as if it held all her hopes, she ran straight towards Lin Fan.

"Senior, everything you asked us to do has been completed. Everything you need is in this bag." Liu Ruyan came to Lin Fan and respectfully presented the storage bag with a flattering smile on her face. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes seemed to be telling of her flattery.

Lin Fan reached out to take it, his eyes flickering slightly as he instantly realized it was a mid-level storage bag. In the world of immortal cultivation, mid-level storage bags were quite rare, boasting ten times the space of a primary storage bag, capable of accommodating a vast amount of items.

His mind was as fast as lightning, and he instantly probed into it. He saw all kinds of materials piled up like a mountain, and exquisite jade boxes were neatly arranged, filling the entire storage bag. All of them were the rare things he had always dreamed of.

Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction, his gaze falling on Liu Ruyan, and asked, "How many spirit stones are these worth in total?"

Liu Ruyan bowed slightly, took a deep breath, and cautiously stated a figure. Even Lin Fan, a man of extensive experience and experience in countless transactions, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This is indeed an extremely astonishing amount of spirit stones. It can be seen that in order to collect these materials this time, Wanbao Tower not only spent a lot of manpower and material resources, but also mobilized many secret channels, which really put a lot of thought into it.

However, Lin Fan didn't hesitate at all. He calmly pulled out a storage bag and tossed it over. "There are 200 mid-level spirit stones in there, which translates to 20,000 low-level spirit stones. Count them."

Liu Ruyan quickly took it with both hands, her face filled with surprise, her eyes widening, almost unable to believe her ears. She knew, of course, that these two hundred mid-level spirit stones far exceeded the amount she had just quoted. Lin Fan's generosity must have been due to his immense satisfaction with the mission. "Thank you, Senior, for the reward. Wanbao Tower will certainly live up to your kindness," Liu Ruyan said excitedly, her voice trembling slightly. She clutched the storage bag tightly, as if afraid it would fly away.

"Well, thank you for your hospitality at Wanbao Tower. I have something to attend to, so I have to leave first," Lin Fan said, pulling out a jade slip from his sleeve and handing it to Liu Ruyan. "Please help me collect the information recorded on it. If you can gather it within five years, I can give you a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward. You are now at the peak of Qi training, so I'm sure you are eager for this Foundation Establishment Pill. I am Lin Fan, a recent Jindan stage graduate from Huangfeng Valley. Once you have collected everything, come find me in Huangfeng Valley."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan's eyes widened, and her hands began to tremble violently and uncontrollably. The Foundation Establishment Pill—that was the treasure coveted by countless Qigong cultivators. How many had been stuck at the peak of Qigong for years, even decades, hoping for just one such pill to help them break through the bottleneck, enter the Foundation Establishment stage, and begin a new chapter in their journey to immortality. Now, such a tremendous opportunity had suddenly appeared before her.

She hurriedly held out her hands, as if holding a rare treasure, and respectfully accepted the jade slip. Her voice was so excited that it changed its tone: "Thank you very much, Senior! Thank you for your gift! Don't worry, our Wanbao Tower will do its utmost. Even if it means traveling to the ends of the earth and digging deep into the ground, we will definitely collect everything on the jade slip for you within five years!"

Lin Fan nodded slightly, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. Wanbaolou had connections throughout the world of immortal cultivation, and their influence was complex and intertwined. With their help in the search, the chances of collecting those rare materials would be much greater.

"Okay, I believe in the ability of your Wanbao Tower. If you can really finish it on time, you will be indispensable for this foundation-building pill." After saying that, the spiritual energy around Lin Fan surged slightly, and his figure instantly rose from the ground, turning into a stream of light, and disappeared into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Liu Ruyan stood for a long moment, staring at Lin Fan's departure, clutching the jade slip tightly in her hand, as if it held the key to her future as an immortal. When she regained consciousness, she immediately turned and hurried to her family, ready to mobilize her family connections and the Wanbao Tower's channels. This foundation-building pill was her hope for building her foundation. She had to complete the task assigned by her senior. This was the only thought on Liu Ruyan's mind, as she constantly plotted where to begin and which connections to contact.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Fan returned to Yellow Maple Valley like a gust of lightning. As soon as he entered the valley, he keenly sensed a strange aura surrounding him. Looking up, he saw the distant sky, as if stirred by an invisible giant hand, suddenly gathering a vast mass of dark clouds. The dark clouds pressed down, seemingly swallowing the entire world, and strange currents surged around their edges.

Lightning bolts danced wildly among the dark clouds like silver snakes, accompanied by deafening thunder. Every explosion seemed to tear the air apart and make people's eardrums hurt.

At the same time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within dozens of miles seemed to be pulled by a terrifying suction force, rushing madly towards the center of the dark clouds, forming spiritual energy vortexes and emitting sharp whistling sounds.

Seeing this, Lin Fan immediately understood, "It must be Li Huayuan breaking through the Jindan stage." He knew very well that Jindan was an extremely critical and difficult step on the path to cultivation. Such a strange phenomenon in the world was caused by Li Huayuan's breakthrough to the Jindan stage.

This kind of breakthrough requires not only profound cultivation accumulation, but also excellent opportunities and strong willpower. If you are not careful, all your efforts will be wasted and even your life will be in danger.

It looked like refining his natal magic weapon would have to be postponed, Lin Fan thought to himself. Although he had reaped a good harvest during his foraging trip, a sudden incident had occurred within the Yellow Maple Valley. Li Huayuan was striving for the Core Formation Stage, and his life was at stake. As a member of the valley, he naturally couldn't stay out of it.

Lin Fan returned to the cave, found a stone stool to sit on, and flicked his sleeves lightly. In an instant, a thick stack of weapon refining books appeared on the table. All of them were purchased at a high price from Wanbao Tower.

The covers of these tomes range from pristine and aged to shiny new, and the materials vary, from yellowed animal hides exuding an ancient aura to tough spiritual paper shimmering faintly with spiritual energy. Each one carries the painstaking efforts and wisdom of the forefathers of the weapon-refining profession, offering a precious guide to the pinnacle of weapon-refining.

Opening one of the tomes, he discovered vibrant, powerful handwriting on yellowed pages, documenting the fundamental theories of weapon refining: "The first step in weapon refining is material selection. Each spiritual material from heaven and earth has its own unique properties. Gold is hard and strong, making it suitable for forging sharp blades; wood is flexible and pliable, making it suitable for crafting tools... Precise selection is required based on the intended use of the artifact." Lin Fan studied the text word by word, sometimes frowning slightly, lost in thought, as the properties and uses of various spiritual materials resurfaced in his mind. Other times, he nodded thoughtfully, deeply agreeing with the insights of his predecessors. He knew that weapon refining was no easy task. From the most basic material selection and controlling the temperature of the fire to the intricate inscription of runes and the nurturing of spiritual energy, every step held hidden secrets. A single mistake could lead to failure. As he delved deeper into the text, Lin Fan increasingly grasped the vastness and depth of weapon refining, like an endless ocean, where every exploration revealed new mysteries.

Another book records in detail the steps for refining a high-level magic weapon, from the order of fusing spiritual materials to the subtle adjustments of the temperature at different stages, and even the rhythm of injecting spiritual energy when drawing runes is accurately described.

Lin Fan watched intently, his hands unconsciously gesturing as if he were actually practicing. He knew that only by mastering these theories by heart could he be confident in the actual refining of the weapon, ensuring every step was precise and accurate.

Time slipped by unnoticed, the sky outside the cave gradually darkening as night fell quietly. Lin Fan, immersed in a sea of ​​knowledge about refining artifacts, was completely oblivious to the passage of time. He was completely focused on understanding the mysteries of refining artifacts and preparing himself for the future creation of his own magical treasure, no matter how much time and energy he had to sacrifice.

A few days later, Lin Fan was immersed in studying the manual on refining in his cave abode when he suddenly received a summons from Elder Linghu, ordering him to go to the cave abode to meet with a newly advanced Jindan cultivator. Lin Fan didn't dare to delay, and quickly put down his belongings, straightened his robes, and hurried to Elder Linghu's cave abode.

Stepping into Linghu Patriarch's cave, one discovers a hidden world within. The walls are inlaid with softly glowing night-shining pearls, illuminating the entire cave as bright as day and dispelling all darkness. The tables and chairs within are crafted from ancient wood, exquisitely carved with a simple elegance, and faintly reveal the traces of time, as if telling stories of the past.

In the center of the cave, Lin Fan met Li Huayuan, the man from the original novel. He had a square face with strong lines on his cheeks, as if they were carved with a knife or an axe, and he exuded an air of determination.

His physique was incredibly strong, with broad shoulders and broad waist. Just standing there, he gave people a sense of oppression as stable and heavy as a mountain. His eyes were deep and sharp, with an intimidating look without anger, as if he could see through people's hearts and see through all illusions.

At this moment, he looked to be about forty or fifty years old, with his black hair neatly tied up, and a few strands of silver hair faintly visible, adding a bit of vicissitudes and stability to him.

Li Huayuan was wearing a black robe with golden cloud patterns embroidered on the corners. As he breathed, the cloud patterns seemed to flutter slightly, as if there was a spiritual flow, highlighting his extraordinary status as a Jindan stage cultivator.

Lin Fan could clearly feel that the spiritual energy fluctuations around Li Huayuan were steady and powerful, like surging waves, one after another. Obviously, this breakthrough to the Jindan stage was extremely successful, and his strength had made a qualitative leap.

Elder Linghu stood nearby, a pleased smile on his face. Seeing Lin Fan arrive, he raised his hand slightly and said, "Lin Fan, Hua Yuan's successful breakthrough to the Core Formation Stage is truly a great blessing for our Huangfeng Valley. The fact that you two have both achieved Core Formation Stage success is truly a blessing from heaven for our Huangfeng Valley! You and he are considered fellow disciples. In the future, we should support each other and make greater contributions to the valley."

Lin Fan hurried forward, clasped his fists, and bowed, saying, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Li, on your successful breakthrough. You can hang out with me more often in the future."

Li Huayuan nodded gently, a hint of humility on his face, not daring to slack off in the slightest. He quickly returned the greeting with a fist and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Lin. I hope you will take care of me in the future!"

Seeing this, Lin Fan nodded in response, his attitude friendly: "Junior Brother Li, you are too polite. We are all fellow disciples of the Yellow Maple Valley, and it is only natural for us to help each other."

The two chatted briefly for a while, and soon, seeing there was nothing else to do, Lin Fan said goodbye and left. He was still thinking about refining weapons, so he hurried straight to the Yellow Maple Valley's classics collection room.

This collection room, guarded by a white-haired elder, houses the valley's precious techniques, spells, and various cultivation manuals. Lin Fan approached the door and explained his purpose: "Nephew, I'd like to borrow a few manuals on weapon refining. Could you please make copies for me?"

Seeing that Lin Fan was in the Jindan stage, the elder immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Uncle Master." He asked Uncle Master to go in and get the book that needed to be copied. I will copy it for you.

Lin Fan nodded, then carefully searched the collection room, finding all the refining tomes he needed. The guarding elder took the tomes and began to cast a spell to copy them. After a while, he finally handed the copied tomes to Lin Fan.

"A total of two hundred spirit stones." said the elder.

Lin Fan didn't hesitate, immediately taking out his spirit stones to pay. He embraced these precious tomes, filled with joy, feeling that he was one step closer to his goal of refining his own life-defining magic weapon. It was as if he could see the dawn of the future, when his own life-defining magic weapon would be born in his own hands.

(End of this chapter)