Chapter 414: A Flash of the Fingers

After settling Ning Youwei and his mother, Qin Sang headed to Wuyagou alone. Given the low value of the shop's merchandise in Qingyang Market, Qin Sang wasn't concerned about Ning Youwei and his mother absconding with the funds.

Although the Ebony Sword had transformed into a sword embryo and was unusable, Qin Sang possessed plenty of defensive magical artifacts.

With Sun Xin's map, Qin Sang spent most of his time in the second layer of Wuyagou, seeking out demonic beasts. The second layer was rarely visited by others, and he acted cautiously. He gradually adapted to the training life within Wuyagou, finding it not much different from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

After a period of training, or once he had gathered enough spiritual materials, he would return to Qingyang Market to focus on cultivation, delve into the art of artifact refining, and comprehend the contents of the jade slips. Eventually, he applied his insights to the Ebony Sword, which proved highly effective. This significantly reduced the time the Ebony Sword needed to absorb materials and even strengthened his connection with it. Although this had some impact on his cultivation, the rewards were far greater.

In the blink of an eye, the 'Sword Pavilion' had been open for twenty-eight years and had gained a reputation in Qingyang Market.

Initially, the small shop was unremarkable, filled with low-grade magical artifacts. The assistant was taciturn, and most customers were cultivators below the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage. Its fair prices, however, attracted a steady clientele.

As Qin Sang's mastery of artifact refining deepened, the quality of artifacts on the shelves gradually improved. Other types of artifacts became increasingly rare, eventually being replaced almost entirely by various spiritual swords. With spiritual swords abundant in the shop, it truly lived up to its name, 'Sword Pavilion'!

Consequently, the Sword Pavilion, unique in the market, gradually gained renown and attracted many cultivators. Many cultivators visiting Qingyang Market would make a point to stop by the Sword Pavilion to check for new swords. Although they weren't snatched up immediately, the items never stayed on the shelves for long. Eventually, when Qin Sang began incorporating Cold Gold into his spiritual swords to enhance their quality, demand started to outstrip supply.

By then, it was Qin Sang's thirteenth year in Qingyang Market. For thirteen years, he had continuously studied artifact refining, often crafting many lower-quality artifacts for practice. He also achieved a certain success rate with high-grade artifacts, and the small shop gradually turned a profit, though it didn't earn many spirit stones. Fortunately, Qin Sang had plundered Yu Hua's Mustard Seed Bag, leaving him with ample resources to spend for such a long period.

However, when he attempted to craft top-grade magical artifacts, he encountered a bottleneck. Several consecutive failed attempts incurred costs that Qin Sang found difficult to bear. The stone flame generated by the spiritual array was no longer sufficient for crafting top-grade artifacts. He had to pay a high price to lease subterranean fire veins within the market. Not all subterranean fire veins could be used for artifact or elixir refining; one had to select locations with stable flames and then use various spiritual arrays and restrictions to control the veins. It was difficult for Qin Sang to find a suitable location on his own, and he had no choice but to spend these spirit stones. What pained Qin Sang even more was the waste of a large amount of precious spiritual materials with each failure.

After much reflection and regret, Qin Sang realized he couldn't continue so rashly. He didn't have unlimited resources to squander. After some thought, he decided on a more roundabout approach. He would refine high-grade artifacts and then use various precious spiritual materials to enhance the quality of spiritual swords, which would be less difficult. Once he could craft spiritual swords comparable to top-grade artifacts and accumulate enough experience, he would try again. This experience was drawn from the insights of the Wu family's ancestors. Several generations of Wu family ancestors had meticulously studied artifact refining. Limited by their innate talent, few were able to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, yet they used this method to improve their refining skills.

With this in mind, Qin Sang focused his attention on the piece of Cold Gold. Cold Gold, extracted from the Cold Gold Mother Lode, was one of the finest spiritual materials Qin Sang possessed, and it would be a waste to use it on low-quality artifacts. However, for the sake of the Ebony Sword, Qin Sang disregarded these considerations. Even so, Qin Sang failed several times before gradually mastering the properties of Cold Gold. Incorporating Cold Gold into an artifact not only imbued it with extreme cold properties but also enhanced its durability. The same artifact, with Cold Gold added, immediately stood apart from others.

When someone in the Sword Pavilion acquired an artifact infused with Cold Gold, the news spread, causing the Sword Pavilion's reputation to soar and attracting a continuous stream of customers. More people began to pay attention to the Sword Pavilion, including various influential factions and merchant guilds. By investigating the changes in the artifacts sold at the Sword Pavilion over the years, it wasn't difficult to deduce that its owner was likely an artifact refiner. To achieve such mastery in just over a decade suggested either exceptional talent or a profound family heritage.

Some merchant guilds attempted to recruit the Sword Pavilion's owner, but the owner was elusive, rarely seen by anyone. They left messages with the assistant, hoping for a response, but none of their efforts were successful. Even those who managed to meet Qin Sang were politely turned down.

At this point, Qin Sang realized he had gone too far. He used the identity of an artifact refiner to conceal his true origins, but he didn't want to attract the attention of major powers, as this could lead to unforeseen complications. Coincidentally, Ning Youwei suggested at this time that they purchase artifacts from elsewhere to buy low and sell high, or manage other businesses to keep the shop running.

Ning Youwei was now a middle-aged man of forty, sporting a goatee. His cultivation had stagnated at the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage. He had long since abandoned the idea of pursuing immortality, choosing instead to marry, have children, and care for his mother until her passing, leading a peaceful life not unlike the ordinary mortals in the market. Qin Sang could only refine a batch of artifacts after returning from his training. The shop's business was so good that items were quickly sold out, forcing it to close for the rest of the time, which led to Ning Youwei's suggestion. For over a decade, Ning Youwei had diligently worked for Qin Sang, acting with seasoned prudence and never making a mistake. Qin Sang was indifferent to the shop's operations and, intending to hand it over to Ning Youwei before he left, allowed him to proceed as he wished.

In the following years, Qin Sang rarely crafted low-grade spiritual swords, focusing instead on comprehending the jade slips. The high-quality spiritual swords he produced were no longer sold at the Sword Pavilion but were instead channeled to a few friendly and eager merchant guilds, allowing him to remain hidden behind the scenes. Ning Youwei, now with significant autonomy, made his own decisions. After several adjustments, the shop's operations stabilized.

It was a disappointment for the regular customers. Unwilling to give up, they frequently visited at first, but after a long time without new spiritual swords being displayed, they grew disheartened. They speculated that the artifact refiner behind the shop might have left the market to wander the world. The former glory of the Sword Pavilion, like an ephemeral bloom, existed for only a few short years before fading into obscurity, much to everyone's regret.

As his mastery deepened, Qin Sang finally successfully crafted a top-grade magical artifact! The success rate remained low, but the achievement was immense. Qin Sang could finally comprehend the words of the Void Spirit Sect's Core Formation cultivator recorded in the jade slip.

In his twenty-first year in Qingyang Market, the Ebony Sword successfully absorbed the Boundless Blood Mulberry! Following this, Qin Sang refined the Dripping Blood Ghost Mushroom and the bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. The third Kill Talisman materialized, and his cultivation naturally progressed, successfully advancing him to the late Foundation Establishment stage!