The Long Journey to Immortality

After saying goodbye, Xiao Ran headed west and Han Lu headed east, and the two went their separate ways.

Chapter 327 Strengthening Magical Treasures

Upon receiving the detailed map of the various prefectures of the Great Yu Dynasty, Han Lu had already planned out a rough route for her departure.

Because of the feather given to her by Feng Rubing in her storage bag, Han Lu only needs to go to the state capital closest to the Wilderness, use the feather there to contact Feng Rubing, and then she can realize her "dream of going home".

As for Feng Rubing's inability to come or her refusal to help Han Lu return home, she didn't even consider it.

In Han Lu's view, although she and Feng Rubing had only spent a few hours together, their relationship was like that of sisters, and they were also connected by blood because of the Heming incident.

With Feng Rubing's cultivation level, leading her across the wilderness back to the Central Plains shouldn't be a difficult task.

Given their close relationship and the fact that it was just a small favor, Han Lu didn't think Feng Rubing would say no to her.

"Maybe he'll even take me on a tour of the wilderness, visiting relatives and friends, and perhaps I'll even find some opportunities."

"With a few more drops of essence blood, it's not impossible to try and harmonize with a true phoenix bloodline."

Han Lu, flying eastward over the deep blue desert, thought to herself with delight.

However, Dongzhou Prefecture is still quite a distance from the Wilderness. Even if Han Lu were to fly at full speed using her spirit sword or flying magic tool, it would still take a full month to reach the border between the Wilderness and the Great Yu Dynasty if she encountered even the slightest trouble along the way.

Given the impending storm in the cultivation world of the Great Yu Dynasty and the already less-than-peaceful atmosphere, Han Lu didn't think she would be immune to trouble on this trip.

Therefore, she decided to slightly improve her combat power in human form before officially setting off.

Spiritual practice cannot be rushed.

The fastest way to improve one's strength is naturally to find one or two handy magical treasures.

Although Han Lu selected a few magical artifacts that suited her taste from the ancient cultivation treasures in her storage bag, she rarely used them.

The reason is quite simple: although these magical artifacts are good, they are not compatible with Han Lu's birth chart (which has seven characters), so their use is not quite as smooth as the Spiritual Power Sword, Azure Frost, and her many True Spiritual Divine Powers.

Therefore, based on the idea of ​​reusing old items.

Combining the remaining Fire Phoenix essence blood from the previous encounter with Ming, Han Lu planned to find a weapon refiner to upgrade the grade of the superior magic tool, the Wutong wood flute, so that this flute, which felt connected to her heart when used, could continue to play a role in battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Although many outstanding weapon refiners and alchemists in cultivation novels prefer to live in seclusion in the mountains, for Han Lu, who was unfamiliar with the area, her requirements were not high. Finding a suitable weapon refiner in a big city should be enough to satisfy her, a client who was not picky.

So, on her way east, Han Lu deliberately took a slightly detour and returned to Jinyuan County, where she had lived intermittently for nearly four months.

Upon entering Jinyuan County, Han Lu headed straight for the weapon-refining shop that Jiulong Mountain had opened in the city.

As the second largest sect in Dongzhou Prefecture, Jiulong Mountain naturally has many cultivators with outstanding weapon-refining skills.

Utilizing this portion of cultivator resources and "selling" it to earn money is also a significant source of spirit stone income for Jiulong Mountain.

Looking at the Nine Dragons Mountain sign hanging on the weapon-refining shop, Han Lu, who knew nothing about weapon refining, muttered to herself, "Using the essence blood of a Nascent Soul-level True Spirit to upgrade a high-grade magic weapon shouldn't be too difficult, right..."

Upon entering the weapon-refining shop, he explained his purpose to the shopkeeper.

Han Lu was finally relieved after receiving a "not difficult" reply.

The shopkeeper took out an abacus and ledgers, and asked Han Lu, "However, I wonder how many spirit stones the fairy is willing to spend to handle this matter?"

"What does this mean?" This was Han Lu's first time handling something like this, so she naturally didn't understand the shopkeeper's jargon.

Seeing that Han Lu was clearly a wealthy but ignorant person, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, "Since the fairy doesn't understand, then I will say a few more words and explain the ins and outs of this to the fairy."

"Because the materials were provided by the fairy herself, we only need to pay a labor fee for refining and upgrading the weapon here."

"The skill and cultivation of weapon refiners vary, so the wages they are paid to help refine weapons will naturally vary as well."

Han Lu roughly understood what the shopkeeper meant, "Then how much money would the best weapon refiner need to be willing to make a move?"

The shopkeeper held out his hand and gestured a number to Han Lu, "Five hundred spirit stones, just right. The day after tomorrow, the Gold and Silver Mountain Masters of our Nine Dragons Mountain will be coming to our shop. As long as you are willing to take out five hundred spirit stones, the Gold and Silver Mountain Masters can help you refine your weapon."

"Two days?" Han Lu didn't want to stay in Jinyuan County for two more days for this matter. "I'm in a hurry. Are there any weapon refiners who can start today? Of course, their skill level can't be low."

The shopkeeper offered another solution: "Then, fairy, why not use eighty spirit stones as payment? We happen to have a craftsman in our shop who has traveled from another prefecture to Jinyuan County and is currently free. He is at the early Foundation Establishment stage and has crafted quite a few mid-grade magic weapons. I'm sure he can satisfy you."

Hearing that the other party was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment made Han Lu a little uneasy.

Han Lu didn't want to ruin the essence blood she had worked so hard to acquire and her beloved wooden flute that had been with her for years because of the weapon refiner's mistake.

"Are there any better ones?" Han Lu asked again.

The shopkeeper flipped through the ledger a couple of times and said, "That's all, fairy."

Hearing this, Han Lu no longer hesitated, "Alright, shopkeeper, keep these eighty spirit stones and help me invite that weapon refiner to come out."

Han Lu took out eight mid-grade spirit stones from her storage bag and placed them in front of the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was naturally overjoyed to have made a substantial deal with such a straightforward customer as Han Lu.

After receiving the spirit stones, he immediately summoned a shop assistant and had someone lead Han Lu to meet the weapon refiner.

The scene was different from what Han Lu had imagined—a weapon refiner refining weapons in a refining room.

The shop assistant led Han Lu to the back courtyard guest room of the weapon-refining shop, but did not take her to the core area of ​​the shop.

"Aren't we going to the weapon-refining room?" Han Lu asked casually.

The shopkeeper replied, "There has been a shortage of refining materials in recent months, so this master craftsman is resting in his room right now."

For the grand ceremony, Jiulong Mountain has newly refined many magical treasures.

Therefore, a lot of materials in the warehouse were wasted.

The remaining materials should be used sparingly, and the order of use should naturally be that the disciples and the weapon refiners of Jiulong Mountain take precedence over this outsider who came to Jinyuan County from other prefectures.

After escorting Han Lu to the room, the waiter knocked on the door for her and then excused himself.

Before Han Lu arrived, a paper sword had already flown by to deliver the message. So, the weapon refiner, who was resting in his room, knew that a customer was coming and opened half of the door early, sitting inside and waiting quietly.

After hearing someone inside call out "Come in," Han Lu pushed open the door and entered.

When Han Lu looked at the monk sitting in the room, holding a cup of tea and exuding an air of superiority, and found him somewhat familiar, she was quite surprised.

Chapter 328 Acquaintances

Han Lu thought for a moment before remembering the other person's name, "Zhong Hong?"

Hearing a woman's voice calling his name, Zhong Hong, holding a teacup, looked up and saw Han Lu, who had just entered the room.

He exclaimed with delight, "Fairy Han, what a coincidence! I never expected to meet you here."

As a stepping stone for advancing her cultivation of the "Seven Kill Sword Technique," Han Lu had a friendly impression of Zhong Hong, an outstanding opponent. Since he was obviously the weapon refiner who would upgrade her magic weapon, Han Lu naturally chatted with Zhong Hong in a pleasant manner.

"I'm also quite surprised to meet you here. What, you're actually a weapon refiner?"

Speaking of his profession, Zhong Hong said proudly, "That's right, Fairy Han, don't underestimate me just because my cultivation level isn't high. My skill in refining artifacts is quite good. You can rest assured when you entrust your magic weapon to me."

With the money already spent, Han Lu had no choice but to trust Zhong Hong, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with some strength.

Sitting down in the seat next to her, Han Lu casually asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhong, what brings you to work at the weapon-refining shop on Nine Dragons Mountain?"

Zhong Hong was slightly annoyed and said helplessly, "It's a long story. I lost all my spirit stones in a gambling match on Mount Jiulong."

"There's no other way but to use my skills to stay in Jinyuan City temporarily, hoping to earn more spirit stones before returning to the sect."

Zhong Hong's strength is quite good among cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

Unfortunately, he lost a valuable magic weapon to Han Lu after only a few duels in Jiulong Mountain, which significantly reduced his combat power.

But he was a gambler, so he gritted his teeth and gambled with others for several more rounds.

After losing the spirit stones, Zhong Hong, with a gambler's mentality, thought about turning the tables.

His repeated defeats and attempts naturally led him into the abyss of gambling, where he lost ninety percent of his spirit stones in one gambling battle after another with other cultivators.

Left with no other choice, he could only stay temporarily in Jinyuan County near Jiulong Mountain, hoping to earn back the spirit stones by relying on his weapon-refining skills.

This stay lasted for nearly three months, during which time Han Lu, who had just traveled from Jinyuan County to the Deep Blue Desert, happened to meet him.

After learning about Zhong Hong's experiences over the past three months, Han Lu felt a little guilty.

After the two chatted about old times for a while, Han Lu took the initiative to bring up the matter of weapon forging.

Zhong Hong immediately switched to work mode, "Fairy Han, how about I take a look at your magic weapon and the materials used to enhance its quality?"

Han Lu quickly took out the paulownia wood flute and the small bottle containing the fire phoenix blood.

Zhong Hong picked up Han Lu's wooden flute and examined it for a moment. He said, "The Wutong wood flute has not been specially refined. It is only because of the special material that it is listed as a top-three magic tool."

The professional analysis and assessment were indeed professional.

"This bottle..."

Picking up the small bottle and opening the cap, Zhong Hong couldn't immediately identify which kind of true spirit's essence this blood was, but he remembered an item he had seen at the auction that day while joining the excitement.

"This bottle of Phoenix Essence Blood was originally bought by Fairy Han, but..." Zhong Hong noticed that the amount of blood in it was much less than the three drops mentioned at the time of the auction, but he wisely didn't ask any more questions and just silently closed the bottle cap.

Han Lu had no idea what Zhong Hong was trying to say with the unfinished sentence. "But what?"

Zhong Hong changed half of the sentence and continued, "Although both of these things are good, putting them together may not necessarily improve the grade of the magic weapon."

After setting the tone with a single sentence, Zhong Hong then analyzed from a professional perspective, "Fairy Han, look, this wooden flute has the attribute of wood, and the Fire Phoenix Essence Blood has the attribute of fire."

"Fire uses wood as fuel, which is not conducive to the advancement of magical artifacts."

"If it were the other way around, with the magic weapon's attribute being fire and the auxiliary material being wood, then I would be 90% confident that I could upgrade this item to at least a mid-fourth-grade magic weapon."

"If the fairy can provide some supplementary ingredients to combine the five elements, I am 70% confident that I can accomplish this task."

Zhong Hong's words made Han Lu feel a little depressed.

She wasn't good at crafting weapons; most of the materials she had were herbs obtained from ancient cultivation realms rather than crafting materials.

But she still asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhong, what type of materials do you need?"

Zhong Hong took a sip of tea and replied, "It's a mixture of materials with various five elements. It would be even better if it included ingredients with water and fire attributes."

"If not, I suggest that Fairy Han wait a little longer, so as not to waste the materials and spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu's eyes lit up.

Han Lu turned her back and rummaged through her storage bag for a while. Then, when she turned around, she had something in her hand.

Han Lu smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhong, what do you think of this item?"

Zhong Hong looked closely and saw that Han Lu was holding a strange feather.