Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

Only then did Li Mufeng show a hint of being persuaded, and he solemnly cupped his hands and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Peak Master Zhu."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Xuanhuo's smile became more genuine.

His gaze lingered on Li Mufeng for a moment, and he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

This young man possesses remarkable talent in talismanic arts and a far more composed temperament than other cultivators his age. Unfortunately, his spiritual root aptitude is ultimately somewhat lacking. If his aptitude were a few points higher, and he were taken to the Weapon Refining Peak for further training, he might very well become a promising talent.

Thinking of this, he laughed heartily.

With a flick of his sleeve, a crimson token engraved with the words "Refining Peak" and a fist-sized crimson gold pearl flew out and landed steadily in Li Mufeng's hand.

"Consider this my gift to you."

The words fell.

Fire clouds surged beneath Zhu Xuanhuo's feet, and he transformed into a crimson rainbow soaring into the sky before disappearing into the mountain peaks in an instant.

the other side.

Upon seeing this, Luo Guanhong, the peak master of Yunling Peak, had a somewhat complicated expression.

He glanced at Li Mufeng, his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed softly.

There was a hint of regret in that sigh, but also a hint of understanding.

For a rogue cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refining to navigate between the two peak masters in this way, without being impolite or completely offending the Weapon Refining Peak, is already quite remarkable.

Ultimately, one cannot expect a rogue cultivator to gamble their future for a vague and uncertain opportunity.

The next moment, a rainbow of light rose up, and Luo Guanhong also rode away on the rainbow.

A moment later.

Only Zhou Zhengyang and Li Mufeng remained in the same spot.

Zhou Zhengyang looked at Li Mufeng, who was holding the token and the pearl, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

"Junior Nephew Li, do you know what you've missed?"

"The spots in this Talisman-Asking Tournament are not something ordinary disciples can obtain. If one can distinguish oneself in the tournament, the path to entering the sect in the future will certainly be much smoother."

Li Mufeng remained silent upon hearing this, naturally understanding its value.

But he understood something else even more clearly.

That means he is currently just a rogue cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

To offend a Foundation Establishment cultivator who controls a peak for an opportunity that has not yet been obtained is, in his view, a very unwise move.

The kind of attention you get is only attention when it comes out; if you don't, it's a disaster.

Seeing Li Mufeng's calm expression, Zhou Zhengyang could easily guess what he was thinking.

In fact, he had already anticipated today's outcome when he walked out of the Qingxuan Palace.

The weapon-refining peak and the spirit-charm peak are vying for a spot in the talisman-asking competition, and for the prestige of both peaks.

Li Mufeng was merely a pawn who happened to be caught up in the whole affair.

Given his status, no matter which side he stands on, he will inevitably offend the other side.

Being able to escape unscathed, and even gaining a favor from the Foundation Establishment Peak Master and two treasures for nothing, is already the best possible outcome.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhengyang's gaze towards Li Mufeng couldn't help but show more admiration.

This junior disciple Li may not be highly skilled, but in terms of dealing with people and assessing situations, he is far more experienced than many disciples of other sects.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the Weapon Tomb on the Weapon Refining Peak. If we can find a rare spiritual embryo for you, the trip will be worthwhile."

That being said, Zhou Zhengyang did not hold out much hope.

......

Refining Peak, Weapon Tomb.

Looking into the distance, one can see thick smoke rising between the mountains, with towering, crimson furnace towers standing among the ridges, their flames illuminating half the sky. Even in daylight, one can see the crimson flames shooting into the sky.

The sound of metal clashing could be heard from time to time, sometimes clear and melodious, sometimes deep and muffled, intertwining and continuing endlessly.

With the token personally issued by Zhu Xuanhuo, and with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Zhou Zhengyang, standing beside him, the Refining Peak manager in charge of guarding the Weapon Tomb readily allowed them to pass.

After walking two or three miles along a secluded mountain path towards the back of the peak, the temperature gradually dropped.

The sound of metal clashing faded into the distance, and after an unknown amount of time, Li Mufeng's vision suddenly cleared.

Surrounded by mountains, a huge valley suddenly appeared.

There were no plants or trees in the valley, only countless magical artifacts.

A broken flying sword was stuck diagonally in the ground, a broken spear was half-buried in the yellow soil, and a rusty bronze bell lay overturned on the hillside.

Li Mufeng curled his lip, realizing he had underestimated Zhu Xuanhuo's shamelessness; this place was a complete garbage dump.

But since he was already there, the panel began to appear in his field of vision.

In the field of vision, different colors began to appear on each of the magical artifacts.

Most of them are gray, with one or two white-quality items interspersed among them.

Li Mufeng was not discouraged. The number of magical artifacts in the artifact tomb was enormous, and he began to dig them out one by one from the surface to the depths.

As he continued his exploration, he indeed found one or two pieces of blue-quality equipment. Li Mufeng quietly noted their locations and then continued deeper into the artifact tomb.

Not far away, Zhou Zhengyang silently watched all of this. With his cultivation level, he could sense that Li Mufeng had just missed a few good magic artifacts, but according to the rules of the Artifact Tomb, even he could not remind him.

Li Mufeng continued deeper into the cave, when suddenly, a dark blue light came into view.

His steps suddenly stopped.

Amidst countless broken weapons and wrecked artifacts, a jet-black ruler lay quietly, seemingly just another ordinary weapon that no one would pay attention to.

However, the panel in front of me indicated that this equipment was not simple.

[Spirit Embryo: River of Oblivion - Blue (Can be upgraded)]

[Evaluation: This is an unfinished work by a high-level weapon refiner, now bearing the rudiments of a spiritual treasure, with the potential for further advancement.]

Li Mufeng's breathing suddenly became more rapid.

This is the first piece of equipment he has encountered that can be upgraded since he awakened the system.

Furthermore, after this equipment is upgraded, it can actually become a spiritual treasure.

This was something he had never dared to hope for.

The so-called spiritual embryo is a special existence that lies between a magical artifact and a spiritual treasure.

Ordinary magical artifacts are nothing more than inanimate objects crafted by cultivators from spiritual materials. Although they can bear spiritual power and unleash supernatural abilities, they are no different from ordinary iron once they are no longer driven by the cultivator's magical power.

Unlike a spiritual embryo, when a magical artifact undergoes a long period of gestation or, by chance, absorbs the essence of heaven and earth and is born with a wisp of innate spirituality, it will transform into a spiritual embryo.

This wisp of spirituality is extremely weak, yet it is already capable of instinctively seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, and establishing a connection with its master.

When cultivators refine spiritual embryos, they often feel a connection to their flesh and blood, and they can control them much more easily than with ordinary magical artifacts.

Most of the treasures used by Foundation Establishment cultivators remain at this level.

Although the spiritual embryo is precious, it is ultimately just the prototype of a spiritual treasure.

To go further, it needs to undergo a long period of nurturing, with the owner's essence, blood, and soul constantly nourishing its spirituality until that spirituality fully matures. Once the spirituality is perfected, the treasure will undergo a fundamental transformation.

Although it lacks wisdom, it possesses spirituality; although it cannot think, it can sense joy and anger.

It can absorb and exhale the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on its own, slowly repairing damage; it can sense the fluctuations of its master's divine thoughts and respond to commands in advance; and even in times of crisis, it can instinctively protect its master.

The most distinctive feature of a spiritual treasure is that it can generate a bit of supernatural power based on the characteristics of a spiritual embryo.

The reason why Golden Core cultivators can dominate a region is not only because of their powerful cultivation, but also because they have cultivated spiritual treasures.

Above spiritual treasures are magical treasures, but the power of magical treasures is beyond Li Mufeng's current reach.