Chapter 149: Refining Instruments

Two weeks later.

At the Moon-Asking Market.

Qin Sang, familiar with the layout, entered the shop of the owner surnamed Wu. Coincidentally, there was a customer inside, so he sat in a distant corner, waiting for the owner to see the customer off.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, it's been a while. Your cultivation has become even more profound."

Shopkeeper Wu walked over enthusiastically and poured tea for Qin Sang.

"May your business flourish, Fellow Daoist Wu."

Qin Sang smiled and took a sip of tea. He had activated the Spirit Concealment Art, so how could Shopkeeper Wu discern his cultivation level? It was merely a compliment. "I'm here today to ask for your help, Fellow Daoist Wu. If I were to provide a demon beast's corpse, would you be able to refine it into a magic item?"

He had been cultivating in seclusion in his cave abode, rarely venturing out. He didn't know many people, and Shopkeeper Wu was the only person he knew who specialized in artifact refinement. Their previous interactions showed that Shopkeeper Wu was quite skilled in the art, and their cooperation had been pleasant. Thus, after returning from the Cloud Mist Great Marsh and reporting back to his sect, Qin Sang headed straight for Moon-Asking Market.

A demon beast corpse at the Demon Spirit stage could fetch a decent price, but Qin Sang preferred to refine it into several useful magic items to enhance his defensive capabilities. He only had these materials. Besides the demon beast corpse, he possessed no other spiritual materials. If he were to commission famous artifact refinement masters, the cost would be exorbitant, and the quality of the resulting magic items might not be significantly better.

"A demon beast corpse?"

Shopkeeper Wu's expression brightened at the mention, but he still spoke cautiously, "Fellow Daoist Qin, there's no need to worry. Since I dare to open a shop in the market, I naturally possess some unique skills. As for what kind of magic item can be refined, that depends on the demon beast's corpse itself."

Qin Sang glanced around.

Shopkeeper Wu understood. He rose, closed the shop door, activated the protective array at the entrance, and gestured, "Fellow Daoist Qin, please follow me."

The small shop had a spacious backyard. The back room's door was tightly shut and sealed by an array, likely serving as Shopkeeper Wu's refining area.

Upon entering the backyard, Qin Sang lightly brushed his finger across his mustard seed pouch. Instantly, a massive beast corpse and several assorted fragments flew out, landing on the ground with a pungent, bloody odor under Shopkeeper Wu's astonished gaze.

The beast corpse was, of course, that of a White Rhinoceros demon beast. The fragments, however, consisted of a snake tail about a *zhang* in length, two broken poisonous fangs, and several palm-sized, snowy-white scales, some intact but most bearing cracks.

The snake demon was not a minor demon like the White Rhinoceros, which had just broken through to the Demon Spirit stage. Its cultivation was much deeper than the White Rhinoceros', and its nature was cunning. The moment it fell into the Ten Directions Yama Array, it sensed danger and decisively severed its tail to escape, breaking free from the formation.

Moreover, this snake possessed the bloodline of a flood dragon, making its scales exceptionally hard. Qin Sang had wielded the Ebony Sword and engaged it for a long time but failed to kill it. In the end, he only managed to use the Thunderstruck Spirit Wood to cast the Gui-Water Yin Thunder Spell, dislodging two of the snake demon's poisonous fangs before it could use its escape art. The snake demon suffered such severe injuries that it would be difficult for it to recover without more than a decade of recuperation.

These scales, poisonous fangs, and the severed tail were all excellent materials for artifact refinement.

"A Demon Spirit stage demon beast…"

Shopkeeper Wu's voice was dry. As someone proficient in artifact refinement, he could naturally tell that the demon corpse had only recently died. Not to mention directly killing a White Rhinoceros demon beast, anyone who could severely injure the snake demon must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This indicated that Qin Sang either concealed his true strength or had a Foundation Establishment cultivator backing him.

"I just happened to stumble upon two demon beasts fighting and took advantage of the opportunity," Qin Sang said casually, not caring whether Shopkeeper Wu believed him or not. He could sense that Shopkeeper Wu's demeanor had become significantly more respectful, and it might not be a bad thing if he put his heart into the refining process.

"One is a White Rhinoceros demon, and the other is a snake demon with flood dragon bloodline. Fellow Daoist Wu, please take a look and tell me what kind of magic items can be refined from them?"

Shopkeeper Wu took a deep breath, composed himself, walked to the demon corpse, and inspected it carefully for a long time before musing, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Qin possesses any other spiritual materials?"

Qin Sang shook his head. The Thunderstruck Spirit Wood still needed to be used in conjunction with the Gui-Water Yin Thunder Spell.

Shopkeeper Wu said with a hint of disappointment, "Since ancient times, refining magic items has always required the assistance of various spiritual materials to fully unleash their potential. If we only use the demon corpse, a demon beast in the early Demon Spirit stage would be somewhat insufficient. I should be able to help Fellow Daoist Qin refine a few mid-grade magic items. Alternatively, we could choose one primary material from the demon corpse and use the rest as auxiliary materials…"

Shopkeeper Wu circled the demon corpse, pointing with his fingers as he spoke, "Both the White Rhinoceros demon's horn and hide can serve as primary materials. The horn, rich in water essence, can be refined into water-elemental offensive magic items, whose power would undoubtedly be significant. I've heard of battle drum artifacts made from the hide of rhinoceros demons nearing transformation, whose single beat can shake the heavens and disperse an enemy's soul. We could emulate that and refine a battle drum magic item. Additionally, if these two snake fangs are used as primary materials, they could be refined into poison swords or similar magic items. Using these three as primary materials, it would be enough to refine an excellent high-grade magic item, with some hope of reaching the peak-grade; however, there's a world of difference between peak-grade magic items…"

"Only high-grade magic items?"

Qin Sang felt a touch of disappointment. Unfamiliar with artifact refinement, he hadn't expected the requirements to be so stringent. He currently had no energy to travel and search for spiritual materials for refining. The few magic items he possessed were not weak in power, especially the Ebony Sword and the Ten Directions Yama Banner, which were comparable in strength to talisman treasures. He found high-grade magic items somewhat unimpressive.

It was also because after joining the Kuiyin Sect, he had directly acquired several malevolent artifacts personally refined by Sect Master Yi, which were equivalent to peak-grade magic items. His standards had unknowingly risen, making him unaware of the hardships faced by other cultivators. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, only a very small number possessed talisman treasures. To refine a suitable peak-grade magic item, one often had to exert significant effort for an unknown period.

Shopkeeper Wu observed Qin Sang's hesitant expression and quickly said, "If high-grade magic items don't meet Fellow Daoist Qin's standards, I can also refine single-use magic items. Although these items can only be used once, their power is astonishing, and they can be relied upon for salvation when one is in peril. The White Rhinoceros's horn is rich in water essence and has chaotic spiritual power, making it particularly suitable for refining such items."

Hearing this, Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but recall the pearl he had acquired from Zhao Yan.

"Are they the kind of single-use magic items that can self-detonate like a thunderclap?"

Shopkeeper Wu nodded. "That's just one type; there are also protective magic items. Although powerful, very few people are willing to expend precious spiritual materials to refine items that can only be used once. Among them, the Void Heaven Thunder of the Void Spirit Sect is the most famous; it's a formidable treasure capable of severely injuring Golden Core cultivators, the Void Spirit Sect's most prized possession, and incredibly difficult to refine. Coincidentally, among my family's inherited techniques, there's a method for refining a magic item called the Soul Devouring Cone. The Soul Devouring Cone refined from this demon corpse will certainly not disappoint Fellow Daoist Qin…"

Qin Sang remained noncommittal. Instead, he took out the black pearl from his mustard seed pouch and asked, "Fellow Daoist Wu, do you recognize this magic item?"

After he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he had examined it multiple times, confirming that the pearl was not a malevolent artifact like the Horned Dragon Sword, nor did it require any special refinement methods.