Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Li Xiuyuan walked into the shop and took a quick look around.

The interior space was found to be not very large, consisting of only three studios and a backyard.

As soon as Li Xiuyuan entered the reception hall, he saw a middle-aged scholar and an elderly man with white hair talking enthusiastically, while a simple-looking young man with short hair stood aside listening attentively.

The old man and the scholar were engrossed in their conversation and did not stop when Li Xiuyuan entered.

On the contrary, the short-haired young man was quite conscientious, stepping forward and politely asking, "This customer, are you buying a ritual implement or would like to have one custom-made?"

"Let's see what kind of ritual implements you have in your shop first."

Li Xiuyuan said calmly.

"Alright, would you like to see a mid-grade or high-grade magic artifact, sir?"

The short-haired young man asked with a delighted expression as business came in.

"A top-grade magical artifact, and the very best of the best, do you have any here?"

Li Xiuyuan's voice wasn't loud, but it immediately startled the simple-minded young man.

Even the two people who were talking enthusiastically and spitting as they spoke fell silent.

He then looked at Li Xiuyuan with a surprised expression.

"Would you like to see top-grade magical artifacts, sir? Or perhaps the very best of the best?"

The young man came to his senses and repeatedly checked whether he had misheard.

Top-grade magical artifacts are not something ordinary people can afford; they can easily cost hundreds or thousands of spirit stones.

Ordinary cultivators might not be able to afford even one such item even if they saved for their entire lives, but Li Xiuyuan was quite arrogant, demanding top-tier items, especially the finest magical artifacts.

The three people inside the house stared at him in disbelief.

"Er Gouzi, come back here! Don't be rude to your seniors!"

The white-haired old man finally recognized Li Xiuyuan as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his expression changed. He hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed his simple-minded grandson.

"The old man is the owner of this shop. Please feel free to ask if there is anything you need, senior."

The old man and the middle-aged scholar were clearly frightened by Li Xiuyuan's Foundation Establishment cultivator status and appeared uneasy.

"It's nothing, I just saw that your signboard outside was quite eye-catching, and on a whim, I thought I'd see if you had any suitable magical artifacts I could buy!"

Upon hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and said with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, senior. Although our shop has a few top-quality magical artifacts, they are just for decoration and to make a good impression. They are not top-tier items."

The old man told the truth without reservation, not daring to hide anything from Li Xiuyuan, this Foundation Establishment "expert".

Li Xiuyuan was immediately disappointed upon hearing this, as he had thought the sign at the entrance was genuine.

I never expected that cultivators would also learn those exaggerated business tactics from mortals. I was so useless, yet I took it seriously.

Li Xiuyuan shook his head and was about to turn and leave, but he still asked one more question, unwilling to give up.

"So even the crafting of top-tier magical artifacts is fake?"

"No, no, no, senior, you misunderstand. Our shop operates with integrity, and the sign outside is genuine. If the materials are suitable, I can indeed forge top-grade magical artifacts."

When the white-haired old man realized that it concerned his ancestral shop sign, he hurriedly spoke up to defend it.

"You can forge top-grade magical artifacts? And even the highest-grade ones?"

Li Xiuyuan's face showed disbelief, and his tone was full of doubt.

He thought the old man was the manager and that someone else was responsible for crafting the magical artifacts.

It's no wonder Li Xiuyuan didn't believe it; the real reason is that refining top-grade magic weapons that Foundation Establishment cultivators can use is unlike refining mid-grade or high-grade magic weapons, which can be done with ordinary flames.

Instead, it is similar to the Foundation Establishment Pill, requiring the use of Foundation Establishment True Fire or Earth Vein Fire for tempering before it can be successfully refined.

However, the old man was merely a Qi Refining cultivator, so he naturally did not possess Foundation Establishment True Fire, nor did he see any trace of Earth Vein Fire in the shop.

This piqued Li Xiuyuan's curiosity. How could this person dare to make such a boast to his face?

"It's normal that you don't know much about Old Wang's shop since this is your first time here, senior! Old Wang is one of the top weapon-refining masters in Biyuefang City, no less skilled than the weapon-refining masters of famous sects. Moreover, the Wang family has been worshipping a second-stage early-stage fire crow for hundreds of years, and the demonic fire it spews is even stronger than the Foundation Establishment True Fire. It is enough to refine top-grade magic weapons."

The middle-aged scholar, who had been watching Li Xiuyuan and his companions talk in silence, spoke up to explain on behalf of the old man, which only made Li Xiuyuan more puzzled.

Then he thought of something else: "The Beast Taming Manual records that when you ride a demon beast, you can share the same beliefs as it. By using the power of the contracted demon beast, a cultivator can unleash power that does not belong to themselves."

Perhaps the Wang family used this method to control demons and refine weapons.

As for weapon crafting techniques, there are countless methods in the world, just like there are two major schools of thought in alchemy, one based on fire and the other on water.

Li Xiuyuan was not surprised by this.

Or perhaps it was a special technique developed by cultivators from smaller sects due to limited resources, distinguishing it from the major immortal sects.

Within the sects, this was categorized as "heretical or unorthodox" and did not spread widely in the cultivation world.

This can be considered the foundation for a small family to make a living.

Li Xiuyuan nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

He then asked, "Given enough materials, how confident are you in forging a top-grade magic weapon?"

Li Xiuyuan asked in a cold tone.

"That depends on the quality of the demon beast materials and your requirements for the magic weapon."

"If the materials are average and the requirements for the magic weapon aren't high, the old man can achieve a success rate of one-third. However, the shop doesn't compensate for failures in refining top-grade magic weapons, since the failure rate is too high! The triple compensation applies to mid-grade and high-grade magic weapons. Otherwise, the Wang family would have gone bankrupt long ago."

The old man was delighted to hear Li Xiuyuan ask such a question and quickly replied with great respect.

You must know that the way of weapon crafting is practice makes perfect, and weapon crafters like him who are stuck in a bottleneck period are most lacking in top-quality weapon crafting materials.

Perhaps he will have a sudden enlightenment during the process of refining top-grade magical artifacts, allowing his skills to reach a new level!

The person in front of me looks young, but he is, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He was quite looking forward to it, as he knew that anything presentable wouldn't be something common or cheap.

"I do have some materials that you can try to refine. Let me make this clear from the start: I need to be present to watch you refine the magical artifact. Don't worry, I won't bother you. Moreover, if you succeed in refining it, it's not unreasonable to give you some of the materials as payment; you won't lose out."

Li Xiuyuan remained silent for a moment, then made up his mind and said.

Don't be fooled by the number of magical artifacts he has; they are only for Qi Refining disciples.

If it were to face a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a wealthy family or with an extraordinary background, it would be somewhat inadequate.

At least others won't have less than him.

"Of course! Senior, are you refining it now? This old man can start the furnace and refine it anytime!"

When the old man saw that Li Xiuyuan had agreed to his request and allowed him to refine a top-grade magic weapon, he was extremely excited and readily agreed to Li Xiuyuan's conditions, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Go and prepare, let's start today."

Li Xiuyuan nodded, signaling him to hurry up and prepare.

The old man smiled and instructed his grandson to prepare spiritual tea and spiritual fruit, while he immediately began the preparations.

Half an hour later.

The old man returned to the shop with a bird or beast that was entirely black.

Li Xiuyuan's divine sense swept over the fire crow, and a hidden sense of apprehension appeared in his eyes.

"This fire crow is no less powerful than me. It seems the Wang family really has some tricks up their sleeve."

Old Man Wang brought the fire crow to Li Xiuyuan's side and said happily, "Senior, this is the bird ancestor of my Wang family. It is all thanks to him that I was able to refine top-grade magic weapons."

"Hmm." Li Xiuyuan nodded, but a new idea had formed in his mind.

Next, in front of the old man, Li Xiuyuan laid out all the materials for the flamingo on the table.

The white-haired old man became more and more excited as he looked; he had indeed guessed correctly.

The things this senior possessed were truly rare, not just some scrap metal.

While feeling delighted, they also began to tamper with some of the monster materials.

This puzzled Li Xiuyuan, who hadn't expected this person to be so impatient.

He was stunned when he saw the monster materials that took up half the room.

"These are the feathers, claws, and complete fur of the Fiery Sun Phoenix! And these are its eyeballs! Heavens, could it be that you, senior, have slain a phoenix?!"

The white-haired old man stared in horror at the large pile of spiritual materials that Li Xiuyuan had laid out on the ground.

Li Xiuyuan was quite curious: "Flying Phoenix? Isn't it just an ordinary flamingo? Could it be that it has experienced a bloodline reversion?"

This made Li Xiuyuan quite curious about the two bird eggs that were being nurtured in the Fire Eye Spirit Spring.

In the past, the cultivators the old man encountered all came to him with scattered materials from demonic beasts to refine artifacts.

The senior in front of him took out a whole set of monster corpses in one go. They were clearly complete corpses that had been dismembered and had not been separated from humans.

That seems to be quite a skill; this is a complete monster corpse.

The old man excitedly touched and pinched this and that, his mind wandering as he did so.

Only now did he truly feel awe for Li Xiuyuan.

"Shopkeeper Wang, since you recognize this monster material, let's get started on refining it."

A few thoughts flashed through Li Xiuyuan's mind, and he said politely.

"Alright, I'll get to work right away. Please rest assured, senior. I refined this phoenix material with my father when I was learning the craft in my youth, and I'm very confident I can succeed."

The old man patted his chest and assured them, still holding a pair of sharp claws in his hand, which he never put down.

Li Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh inwardly as he watched this scene.

He figured it out; this old man was probably someone like Gu Tianle, obsessed with weapon crafting.

Otherwise, no matter how good the materials used for refining weapons are, one shouldn't lose their composure like this.

This actually gave Li Xiuyuan more confidence in refining top-grade magic weapons. This person was extremely passionate about refining weapons, so his skill level couldn't be too bad.

Li Xiuyuan followed him into the backyard.

……

Half a month later.

Li Xiuyuan walked out of the weapon-refining workshop, glanced at the shop entrance, and slowly left with a smile on his face.

Once they left the no-fly zone of the market, he raised his hand, and a small, exquisite red-gold boat floated in front of him, gently rocking.

Li Xiuyuan's delight was palpable. He flicked his wrist and shot a beam of crimson-gold magic power onto the small boat.

The next moment, the small boat grew longer in the wind and instantly transformed into a spaceship that could carry several people.

Li Xiuyuan stomped his foot, leaped onto the flying boat, and then disappeared into the air dozens of feet high with a flash of red light.

"The wings and skeleton of this Blazing Sun Flying Phoenix, used to forge the Wind-Riding Boat, is truly an extraordinary flying artifact. Although it doesn't have the carrying capacity of the Blazing Fire Sect's large flying boats, and it lacks any defensive capabilities, its flight speed alone surpasses many top-grade artifacts."

"That old man wasn't lying; the better the quality of the materials used in refining, the more powerful the resulting magical artifact."

Li Xiuyuan chuckled, then stomped his foot, channeling his magic power into the flying boat. Instantly, the Wind-Riding Boat flashed red light and transformed into a long rainbow, shooting off into the distance.

His speed was so fast that even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't match it.

Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, experiencing an unprecedented high speed.

He estimated that he would be back at the Heavenly Fire Cave in less than half an hour.

As the sun rose on the horizon, its rays shone on the black-robed cultivator, piercing the sky and leaving behind a long rainbow.