Immortal Path Space

Chapter 246: Third Level of Foundation Building

"I need to commission the Thousand Crafts Pavilion to refine nine Spiritual Weapons – Long Spears, and nine Spiritual Weapon armors, for a total of eighteen Spiritual Weapons," Wang Hong calmly stated his requirements. However, the inner turmoil of Mo, the shopkeeper, was anything but calm. His facial muscles were trembling with excitement, a clear indication of the magnitude of this unexpected business.

He could sense that it was a significant deal, but he never expected it to be this substantial. Eighteen Spiritual Weapons at once could match several months' worth of business as usual.

"Wang Alchemist, refining eighteen Spiritual Weapons requires a considerable amount of materials. Do you have everything prepared?" Mo, the shopkeeper, inquired, knowing that supplying such a quantity of materials was not an easy task.

"I've prepared all of these materials in advance, but I'm not sure if they are suitable. I'd like you to take a look," Wang Hong replied, handing over a Storage Bag to Mo, the shopkeeper.

Mo accepted the bag and probed it with his Divine Sense. Inside, he found nine neatly arranged Golden Ironwood logs, all of similar age. There were also eight pieces of Profound Iron Crystals, two of which Wang Hong had obtained at an auction, and one that Wu Dayong had retrieved from the Qingxu Tower's warehouse and exchanged with Wang Hong.

There was a large pile of hides from second-tier Demonic Beasts, totaling more than thirty pieces, along with various other materials.

"Overall, it should be sufficient, but we'll need to have a refining tool master inspect them. Please wait a moment; the refining master will arrive shortly," Mo, the shopkeeper, said as he got up and gave some instructions to an employee waiting outside, who hurriedly departed.

Mo then returned and continued to chat and share tea with Wang Hong.

After a while, a middle-stage Foundation Building cultivator with a stern face entered from outside.

"Wang Alchemist, this is our Thousand Crafts Pavilion's resident refining tool master, Friend Mu," Mo introduced. Wang Hong had visited Thousand Crafts Pavilion several times, but it was his first time meeting their second-tier refining tool master.

"It's an honor to meet you, Wang Alchemist. I deeply admire your Alchemy skills," Friend Mu, the refining tool master, spoke more courteously than the middle-aged man from the Qi Cultivation stage earlier.

Wang Hong exchanged pleasantries and then handed the Storage Bag over to Friend Mu.

Friend Mu carefully examined the contents and remarked, "Most of the materials are sufficient, but having one more piece of Profound Iron Crystal would be ideal."

Wang Hong had only eight pieces of Profound Iron Crystals, which was a bit inconvenient to distribute.

"Wang Alchemist, we happen to have one more piece of Profound Iron Crystal in our shop, but it's not for sale in Spirit Stones. We'd require other refining tool materials or Spiritual Herbs as a trade," Mo, the shopkeeper, said. Normally, such materials wouldn't be readily available for sale, but for a valued customer and Alchemist like Wang Hong, he was willing to make an exception.

"Thank you, Mo, for your help. I'll purchase it with second-tier Pills," Wang Hong agreed.

The price of the additional Profound Iron Crystal was negotiated, along with the cost of refining the Spiritual Weapons. Wang Hong paid it all with Pills, showcasing one of the reasons why Alchemists commanded respect wherever they went.

With the transaction complete, Wang Hong left the Thousand Crafts Pavilion.

Back at his residence, Wang Hong continued to train the remaining Qi Cultivation cultivators under his wing, guiding them to reach the Foundation Building stage. Now, all nine of his subordinates had successfully advanced to Foundation Building, adding to his formidable strength.

With this force at his disposal, he was no longer someone to be trifled with in Boundary City.

Three months later, Wang Hong returned to the Thousand Crafts Pavilion to collect the finished Spiritual Weapons.

Nine black Long Spears, each measuring thirteen feet long and weighing twenty thousand catties, were presented. Although the Profound Iron Crystals used were of the highest quality among second-tier materials, the Golden Ironwood, with an age of just over three hundred years, was of lower quality. As a result, the nine Long Spears refined were of a quality approaching that of mid-grade Spiritual Weapons.

Regarding the nine Spiritual Armors, thanks to the abundance of materials, Wang Hong had chosen high-quality Demonic Beast hides for each one, all of which met the standards of mid-grade Spiritual Weapons.

For cultivators who had just reached the Foundation Building stage, owning a low-grade Spiritual Weapon was already considered excellent. Wang Hong's subordinates, who had recently achieved Foundation Building, now possessed three Spiritual Weapons each, in addition to the spoils they had received earlier.

With his team's strength now bolstered, Wang Hong could focus on his cultivation. The Alchemy tasks from the Qingxu Tower were not overly burdensome for him, leaving him with ample time for training.

Two peaceful years passed in this manner. During this time, alongside his continued study of Alchemy and Runes, he also practiced various other Magical Arts and secret techniques.

His figure suddenly disappeared within the Cultivation Room, leaving only a vague afterimage before reappearing twenty zhang away. This was the result of his mastery of the "Shifting Positions" body technique he had obtained years ago. Due to his focus on Body Refining and proficiency in close combat, he had used this technique multiple times to swiftly approach and gain the upper hand against opponents.

This technique had three tiers. In the first tier, one could only move within a ten zhang radius, which was considered inadequate compared to Foundation Building cultivators in terms of speed and distance.

In the second tier, the maximum distance increased to forty-nine zhang, with even faster and more elusive movements, making it difficult for others to predict.

However, the immense power of this secret technique came with a significant physical toll. Despite his substantial Spiritual Power foundation, he could only cover slightly more than twenty zhang instantly. Repeated use of the technique would rapidly deplete his Spiritual Power and physical stamina.

It was difficult to determine the originator of this secret technique, and most people found it challenging to progress beyond the second tier.

Over the past two years, Wang Hong had consumed copious amounts of Pills daily, making significant progress in his cultivation. However, his dantian sea was much larger than that of an average person, which had delayed him from reaching the third level of Foundation Building.

It wasn't until two months ago, when the East Departure Grass he had planted in his spatial realm matured, that he was able to harvest it and refine East Departure Pills. East Departure Pills were described in his cultivation technique, the "Wood-Fire Incineration Technique," and they greatly aided the cultivation of this technique. For cultivators practicing this technique, East Departure Pills were of immense help.

During these two months, he had switched from consuming Nourishing Essence Pills, which he took regularly, to East Departure Pills.

The "Wood-Fire Incineration Technique" was specialized for cultivating both the Wood and Fire attributes. It enhanced the body's vitality through the internal cultivation of the Wood attribute, while externally, it predominantly displayed the Fire attribute for combat purposes. By nourishing the Wood to fuel the Fire, the technique's power became more formidable.

Because he hadn't had access to East Departure Pills earlier, the effects in this regard weren't particularly noticeable.

One day, after refining an East Departure Pill, Wang Hong suddenly felt his Spiritual Power surge within him, and his dantian sea's Spiritual Power roiled. Then, crackling sounds followed, and his dantian sea expanded by another two feet, reaching a size of one zhang.

Initially, his dantian sea had been six feet in size. After advancing to the second level of Foundation Building, it had increased by two feet to eight feet. Now, with his promotion to the third level of Foundation Building, it had reached one zhang.

Typically, a third-level Foundation Building cultivator would have a dantian sea measuring only three feet in size unless they had used specific Spiritual Objects to expand it. Only upon reaching the Foundation Building Grand Completion realm would one naturally possess a one-zhang dantian sea.

With his vastly expanded dantian sea, Wang Hong had a wider path for future growth and could reach higher heights. While having a strong foundation was advantageous, it also significantly increased the difficulty of advancing further.

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