Chapter 409: Third-level Refining Materials

As Wang Qingqi was about to turn back, a man's voice and a woman's voice suddenly called out, "Fourth Brother, wait." He turned his head to see Wang Qingling and Wang Qingjun walking towards him.

Wang Qingling was over thirty years old and at the sixth level of Qi Cultivation. Her cultivation speed among her peers was not particularly fast.

Wang Qingqi smiled faintly and said, "Eighth Sister, Twelfth Brother, it's you two! Come, let's talk upstairs."

Soon after, the three of them were on the third floor.

"Fourth Brother, here are four hundred spirit stones. I'd like to buy a bottle of Spirit Nurturing Pills from you." Wang Qingling took out a heavy storage pouch and handed it to Wang Qingqi.

Wang Qingqi frowned and admonished her in a chiding tone, "Eighth Sister, I'm not criticizing you, but if you have spirit stones, you should use them to buy cultivation resources to aid your own practice. You've already spent over a thousand spirit stones on Spirit Nurturing Pills."

Wang Qingling was an only daughter, and her mother came from a cultivation family, so she was relatively well-off. However, most of her spirit stones were spent on spirit beasts and spirit insects.

"I know, Fourth Brother, just give me the Spirit Nurturing Pills!" Wang Qingling replied without hesitation, pleading.

Wang Qingqi sighed, took out a cyan porcelain bottle, and handed it to Wang Qingling.

"Use them sparingly; feeding one every three months is enough." Wang Qingqi could now refine five types of low-grade Tier 2 elixirs, and Spirit Nurturing Pills were among them. Because the pill formula for Spirit Nurturing Pills was of questionable origin, these pills were mostly sold within the Wang family and rarely circulated outside.

Wang Qingling acknowledged him, put away the cyan porcelain bottle, and left with a beaming smile.

"Fourth Brother, I'll have to bother you again. Could you help me check these materials and see which ones are Tier 2?" Wang Qingjun took out a large pile of items, placed them on the table, and asked Wang Qingqi to examine them.

Whenever he acquired unusual items, he would ask Wang Qingqi to look them over. If he profited, he would share a portion with Wang Qingqi.

Wang Qingqi looked at the items on the table and gave a wry smile, saying, "Twelfth Brother, you've gone treasure hunting again, and it's only been a few days! You've accumulated so many things. You can't spend spirit stones like this, even if you have them in abundance! Aren't you afraid of losing money?"

Wang Qingjun chuckled heartily and said, "Even if I lose money, the loss isn't significant. I can afford to lose this many spirit stones. I'm not like you, Fourth Brother, who can earn spirit stones by refining pills. Every spirit stone I have was earned by risking my life. For 'picking up leaks' like this, succeeding once in a thousand tries is enough. Besides, I do have some discerning judgment; I wouldn't take ordinary items."

Wang Qingqi chuckled softly, said no more, and picked up a piece of tattered cloth to examine.

The inspection method was simple: attack the items with a Foundation Establishment cultivator's Innate True Fire and a magical artifact. If an item was damaged, it was certainly a Tier 2 material. If it showed no damage at all, then it was a treasure. If the item was destroyed, then it was a fake.

Time passed slowly. Wang Qingjun's luck was fairly good; he had acquired three Tier 2 materials and five Tier 1 materials.

"Hm?" Wang Qingqi suddenly let out a soft exclamation, his expression somewhat strange.

In his palm rested a golden orb. Under the intense heat of the Innate True Fire, a quarter of an hour passed, yet the golden orb showed no signs of melting.

He formed a hand seal, and the flames surged. Another half an hour passed, but the golden orb still showed no signs of melting.

He summoned a magical artifact and struck the golden orb with it.

With a clang of metal, the golden orb showed no marks on its surface.

"This orb is at least a high-grade Tier 2 refining material, perhaps even a Tier 3 refining material!" Wang Qingjun's eyes lit up, and his face showed delight as he urged Wang Qingqi to check the other items.

After more than half an hour, Wang Qingqi had finished examining all the items. The most valuable item was the golden orb; Wang Qingqi had used his magical artifact to attack it multiple times, yet it showed no marks whatsoever.

"Fourth Brother, Ninth Uncle has formed his Golden Core. Let's offer this orb to Ninth Uncle! It will be a congratulatory gift for his Golden Core formation, and a token of our filial piety," Wang Qingjun said with a sly smile, his eyes twinkling.

"You acquired this orb; you can offer it to Ninth Uncle yourself. You don't need to involve me."

"You can't say that. If it weren't for you, Fourth Brother, I would have thought this orb was just a Tier 2 material, and submitting it to the family would only have earned me over a hundred contribution points."

Wang Qingjun insisted, and Wang Qingqi, unable to refuse, agreed.

Leaving the market, Wang Qingqi summoned his flying magical artifact and carried Wang Qingjun towards Qinglian Mountain.

The market was not far from Qinglian Mountain, and soon, they returned to Qinglian Mountain and successfully met Wang Changsheng.

"Nephews congratulate Ninth Uncle on forming his Golden Core," Wang Qingqi and Wang Qingjun bowed simultaneously, speaking in unison.

Wang Changsheng showed a look of approval on his face and said, "You two are thoughtful. Qingqi, elixirs have become an important industry for our family. Spend more effort cultivating two more high-grade Tier 1 alchemists. As for spirit stones, you don't need to worry."

"Yes, Ninth Uncle, your nephew has noted it."

Wang Qingjun took out a golden jade box, handed it to Wang Changsheng with both hands, and said with a smile, "Ninth Uncle, we've acquired an item suspected to be a Tier 3 refining material. You are very knowledgeable; please take a look. If it truly is a Tier 3 refining material, we'd like to present it to you as a congratulatory gift."

Upon hearing this, Wang Changsheng immediately grew interested. He opened the golden jade box and took out the golden orb.

He closed his five fingers together and squeezed hard, but the golden orb remained perfectly intact. A strange glint flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes. He was a body cultivator, and his Geng Metal Heavenly Gang technique had the effect of strengthening his physical body. The force he exerted just now was equivalent to a thousand jin, which Tier 2 materials could not withstand at all.

He opened his mouth and spat out a sheet of blue alchemic fire, enveloping the golden orb.

After more than half an hour, the golden orb showed signs of melting, confirming it was indeed a Tier 3 refining material.

Wang Changsheng retracted the alchemic fire and the golden orb, looked at Wang Qingjun and Wang Qingqi, and said genially, "It is indeed a Tier 3 refining material. You two have rendered a great service and will each be rewarded with five thousand contribution points."

Wang Qingqi shook his head and said, "Ninth Uncle, this golden orb was obtained by Twelfth Brother. I merely accompanied him back. I wouldn't dare take credit for such a significant find. Please give my five thousand contribution points to Twelfth Brother instead!"

"Ninth Uncle, if it weren't for Fourth Brother helping to inspect the materials, I would have thought this was a Tier 2 refining material. If I had submitted it to the family as such, who knows how long this golden orb might have remained undiscovered in the treasury. Fourth Brother also deserves credit. I'm already very satisfied with five thousand contribution points," Wang Qingjun said slowly, his tone sincere.

He had already accumulated over thirteen thousand contribution points, and with an additional five thousand, he would be able to apply to the family for a Foundation Establishment Pill in a few more years.

To obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, one needed twenty thousand contribution points, with the True Fiend Qi costing five thousand.

Wang Changsheng showed an appreciative expression and said, "Harmony in a family leads to prosperity in all endeavors. It's excellent that neither of you is willing to take all the credit. Alright, then Qingjun will be rewarded eight thousand contribution points, and Qingqi two thousand. In the future, you must remain united, for when brothers are of one heart, they can cut through metal. Do you understand?"

"Yes, we will heed Ninth Uncle's teachings," Wang Qingqi and Wang Qingjun responded in unison. Wang Qingjun's face was beaming with joy.

"Oh, and if you ever encounter the original owner of this orb, you must not make things difficult for them, and absolutely no killing for treasure. Such actions go against the natural order and could bring disaster upon the family if you provoke an enemy you shouldn't. Do you understand?" Wang Changsheng instructed with a stern expression. With the precedent of Wang Mingjiang, he had to warn his clansmen strictly against killing for treasure. Of course, if they were attacked for their treasures, retaliating and killing the aggressor was permissible.