Volume 4 Chapter 43

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 4 Chapter 43: Magical Artifacts

Watching Wan Yusheng hastily leave, a hint of seriousness crossed Xu Qingfan’s mind.

Xu Qingfan originally intended to ask about the whereabouts of acquaintances like Lv Ziqing, Shang Nianyao, Xu Xiurong, and Bao Wei from the "Qingxu Gate" because he knew Bao Wei was always closely linked with Qinglingzi, and Lv Ziqing, Shang Nianyao, and Xu Xiurong were direct disciples of Qinglingzi. Whether they were safe in the "Qingxu Gate" upheaval was uncertain. However, considering his current identity as a rogue cultivator in seclusion for a hundred years, to avoid Wan Yusheng’s suspicion, he let it go.

"I didn’t expect the cultivation world to be in such chaos now, and according to Wan Yusheng, some of the missing cultivators are Condensed Core Stage cultivators. It seems I need to be cautious too. If the cultivation world is so dangerous, I must seek Old Beggar to upgrade my magic weapon for better self-defense."

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan lost interest in flying on the cloud to enjoy the scenery below. Instead, he retracted the cloud, transforming into a fierce gray gale, speeding towards the market remembered in his memory. This way, unless someone was constantly using Divine Sense to survey the surroundings, no one with ulterior motives could easily discover Xu Qingfan’s whereabouts.

Due to his urgency, Xu Qingfan flew at an incredible speed. If he encountered turmoil, he simply let the "Wind of Desolation" he became sweep past the mobs, killing them instantly under the power and Xu Qingfan’s precise control without harming a single innocent person.

Along the way, Xu Qingfan unknowingly saved countless lives and eliminated many criminals. Over time, a myth spread among the people about a wind god in the sky who punished evil and rewarded good. Some even formed a "Divine Wind Sect," worshiping the wind day and night, making Xu Qingfan both amused and helpless when he later learned of the situation.

Traveling day and night with his divine speed, it still took Xu Qingfan several days to reach the cultivator market he had visited before.

Xu Qingfan still remembered how shocked he was when Zhao Qingxuan first brought him to the market’s entrance—not because it was hidden or large, but because it existed beneath a famous tourist site, truly hiding in plain sight.

Though he vividly remembered the bustling scene at the temple’s entrance, it was now deserted. Clearly, the turmoil in the world left people uninterested in visiting. Only a few came with anxious hearts to pray for safety for themselves or their families. But the fear on their faces told Xu Qingfan that even these ordinary people knew deities couldn’t save them or this chaotic world; praying was just their way to find comfort.

Just like last time, as soon as Xu Qingfan appeared, two monks approached him, asking if he wanted to trade in the market.

Looking at these monks who were only at the Qi Refining Stage, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but ask curiously as they led him to the market, "May I ask, Taoist friend, I believe I have no trace of Spirit Qi, yet both times I’ve come here, you’ve identified me as a cultivator. How is that possible?"

A younger monk explained with a smile, "Our ‘Clear Wind Temple’ may have humble abilities, but we do have one advantage: we can easily sense the Spirit Qi in a cultivator. However, this identification is limited to those below the Condensed Core Stage. Your esteemed self must have reached that stage where your Spirit Qi merges seamlessly with the world’s, and recognizing you has a different reason."

"Oh? What is the reason?" Xu Qingfan asked curiously.

The other monk laughed, "Because we always keep an eye on this cultivator market, we are quite familiar with rare treasures. The jade pendant at your waist must be the legendary ‘Oshine Jade Pendant,’ right? I had the fortune to see it once in this market when an elder traded it for spirit stones, closing the deal at three thousand. In these chaotic times, even if a common person possessed such a treasure, they wouldn’t dare to wear it openly, would they?"

Saying this, the monk pointed to the "Oshine Jade Pendant" at Xu Qingfan’s waist.

Looking at the "Oshine Jade Pendant" wrapped in purple aura at his waist, Xu Qingfan smiled wryly, realizing this was what had exposed his identity. He also admired the monks’ sharp eyes, honed from years of welcoming visitors, which far surpassed ordinary people, even if their cultivation level seemed insignificant to him.

As they spoke, the two monks had already brought Xu Qingfan into the market.

Seeing the bustling crowds, even busier than last time, Xu Qingfan was slightly surprised. He had always thought that with the unpredictable state of the cultivation world, cultivators would be retreating to their sects rather than here trading goods.

In a moment of realization, Xu Qingfan understood the reason. The cultivation world was so unpredictable at the moment, which is why many cultivators gathered in the market. Some came to exchange spirit stones for supplies needed for seclusion and training, while others sought to trade items they didn’t need for suitable artifacts or spirit-enhancing pills to gain strength for the coming changes. Like Xu Qingfan, who came to the market with similar intentions.

With this in mind, Xu Qingfan gave a helpless smile, bid farewell to the two guides, and headed into the market. He thought to himself, "I hope that Old Beggar is still in this market; otherwise, finding him would take more time and effort. In the cultivation world, he’s the only one I know skilled in crafting artifacts. I suppose once I return to the mountain, I should study some books on artifact crafting myself."

As he wandered, Xu Qingfan constantly browsed the items at various stalls — artifacts, pills, and rare treasures. Many of these things were hard to find in the cultivation world but now, as all cultivators felt uncertain about their future, they only cared about quickly increasing their strength, not about how precious the traded items were.

Unfortunately, though there were many valuable items in the market, most were suitable for cultivators below the Condensed Core Stage. Now, Xu Qingfan was already at the middle stage of the Fake Golden Core Stage, rendering these items useless to him. This left Xu Qingfan, who had been excited about finding treasures, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Halfway through, Xu Qingfan suddenly stopped when he saw two bottles of spirit pills on a stall. A wooden sign beneath them read, "‘Demon Spirit Pill,’ used for spirit beasts raised by cultivators, can increase the beast’s rank with continued consumption."

Reading this description, Xu Qingfan’s interest was piqued. His demon beast, Little Black, was still a low-level Earth demon beast. Xu Qingfan observed that Little Black could only advance when absorbing death qi. Despite Xu Qingfan regularly channeling Withered Qi to Little Black, the required amount of death qi for its advancement was immense. Over the years, Little Black’s power had grown, but it was still far from advancing to the next level.

"I wonder if Little Black will benefit from consuming some of these pills intended for demon beasts," Xu Qingfan thought.

With this thought, Xu Qingfan approached the stall and asked the vendor, "Excuse me, Taoist friend, how would you like to trade for this ‘Demon Spirit Pill’?"

The vendor, a young cultivator in the Inedia Stage, appeared somewhat blank and lost in thought. In the cultivation world, cultivators who raised spirit beasts were rare, and those who would trade for spirit pills for their demon beasts were even rarer. The vendor had been there all day with few inquiries. Seeing someone ask about the price, his eyes lit up slightly, and he politely replied to Xu Qingfan, "Pills of equivalent level that can increase Spirit Qi or treat internal injuries."

Xu Qingfan nodded, knowing the price was fair, and traded a bottle of "Xuan Ling Dan" which increased Spirit Qi and a bottle of "Rejuvenation Dan" for the young man’s two bottles of "Demon Spirit Pill."

Looking at Little Black on his shoulder with a detached gaze, staring at the two bottles of "Demon Spirit Pill" in Xu Qingfan’s hand, he chuckled and said, "This is for you, it might be useful, but not right now."

With that, Xu Qingfan continued walking forward, feeling the unpredictable situation in the cultivation world. He decided to trade for some items in this marketplace while searching for Old Beggar. Although most magical artifacts and pills were no longer suitable for him, Xu Qingfan still found some useful things.

The "Thunderbolt Pill," known for its great power, could instantly kill a cultivator of Xu Qingfan’s level if thrown with full force and could even harm a Golden Core Stage cultivator. Unfortunately, despite its great power, it was a one-time-use item. Nevertheless, if Xu Qingfan faced a crisis in the future, this "Thunderbolt Pill" could save his life.

Although this one-time-use "Thunderbolt Pill" cost Xu Qingfan five hundred high-level spirit stones, he felt it was worth it compared to the potential dangers he might encounter.

Besides, Xu Qingfan searched the entire marketplace but couldn’t find anything else suitable for him.

It’s not that the marketplace lacked good items, but cultivators guarded items useful to Xu Qingfan as life-saving treasures, unlikely to be casually sold in the market.

While browsing and searching, Xu Qingfan suddenly spotted something in a corner of the marketplace: a tattered white cloth on the ground, with only two wild words written on it—"Weapon Refining," and nothing else.

Behind the white cloth, lazily lying on the ground with messy hair and tattered clothes, was none other than Old Beggar, whom Xu Qingfan was looking for.

Upon seeing Old Beggar, Xu Qingfan’s heart filled with joy. He quickly walked towards Old Beggar and called out, "Old Beggar, we meet again!"

Hearing someone call him, Old Beggar slowly opened his eyes and carefully looked at Xu Qingfan, a hint of confusion in his gaze, he asked, "I’ve never seen you before, so why do you say we meet again?"

Hearing Old Beggar’s words, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel awkward. Realizing he left no impression in Old Beggar’s mind, he explained with a wry smile, "Didn’t you help me craft some magical artifacts fifty years ago? Have you forgotten?"

Old Beggar slightly pursed his lips and lazily said, "I make magical artifacts for a bunch of people every year, I don’t have the memory to remember each one. Just tell me what I crafted for you."

Xu Qingfan’s wry smile deepened, but he still replied, "A ‘Azure Scale Armguard’ for defense, a ‘Nimbus Cloud’ for flying, and an ‘Evil Exorcising Pearl’ that can see ghosts and gods and break illusions of the world."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan took out the Evil Exorcising Pearl and handed it to Old Beggar. It was one of the three magical artifacts Old Beggar crafted for him back then, and the only one he kept, as the other two had been gifted to Ting’er.

Seeing the Evil Exorcising Pearl in Xu Qingfan’s hand, realization dawned in Old Beggar’s eyes, and he said, "Ah, you’re the kid who brought materials from the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast for crafting! Why didn’t you just say so? Tell me, what brings you here this time? Don’t tell me you came just to visit me, Old Beggar isn’t that popular."

Hearing Old Beggar’s words, Xu Qingfan was caught between laughter and tears. It seemed Old Beggar truly was obsessed with crafting, recognizing artifacts rather than people. But knowing Old Beggar’s nature, Xu Qingfan didn’t mind the bluntness in his words and simply replied with a smile, "I’m here once more to ask your help in crafting an artifact."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s request, Old Beggar’s eyes lit up. He sat up straight, staring intently at Xu Qingfan and asked, "Did you bring any good materials? You know my rule; without good materials, I absolutely won’t help."

Xu Qingfan said, "I don’t have any materials this time, but I do have some magical tools. I’d like you to upgrade them for me."

Old Beggar showed a hint of disappointment in his eyes but still said, "What magical tools are they? Let me have a look."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, and seeing no one else around, he took out the "Rainbow Ruler" and "Earth Mirror" given to him by Xiao Huazhe, as well as the "Five Spirit Bell" he obtained from the second secret treasury of Jiuhua.

To his surprise, as soon as Xu Qingfan took out these items, Old Beggar immediately jumped up and exclaimed, "’Rainbow Ruler’? ‘Earth Mirror’?"

Then he showed a look of anger as if humiliated, pointed at Xu Qingfan, and scolded, "Aren’t you satisfied with these two magical tools? You want me to upgrade such powerful tools for you? What kind of tools will ever satisfy you?"

Seeing Old Beggar’s strong reaction, Xu Qingfan was taken aback. He didn’t understand why asking Old Beggar to upgrade the tools would make him so angry.

After much effort calming Old Beggar down, Xu Qingfan finally learned the reason from him and couldn’t help but find it both amusing and frustrating.

It turned out that a hundred years ago, Old Beggar was being hunted by an enemy and was at the brink of death when a passing cultivator named Xiao (Old Beggar had forgotten the name) saved him. To repay the life-saving favor, Old Beggar used the materials he had collected over many years to craft two magical tools according to Xiao’s requirements, which were the "Rainbow Ruler" and "Earth Mirror." Because these tools were made with many precious materials and were Old Beggar’s proudest creations, hearing that Xu Qingfan wasn’t satisfied and wanted to upgrade them stirred his indignation greatly.

Knowing the situation, Xu Qingfan chuckled again. He never expected such a coincidence; Xiao Huazhe turned out to be Old Beggar’s savior, and the tools given to him were crafted by Old Beggar himself.

Xu Qingfan suddenly realized that since the first time he met Old Beggar, he had found it easy to give a wry smile. Yet, he couldn’t feel any dislike toward Old Beggar, perhaps because being with him required no cunning or need to guess his intentions, making it feel very relaxing.

Xu Qingfan then explained, "These two magical artifacts are naturally exquisite. The ‘Rainbow Ruler’ can be both illusionary and real when attacking, can split into seven, and can dazzle one’s eyes with rainbow light. The ‘Earth Mirror’ can survey the surroundings and project one’s image and voice. Although they are merely earth level middle class and Earth level beginner artifacts, they are more valuable than most advanced Earth level artifacts."

Hearing this, Old Beggar’s expression slightly softened.

Xu Qingfan continued, "However, the ‘Rainbow Ruler,’ while versatile in its attacks, ultimately lacks power. As for the ‘Earth Mirror,’ I want to fuse the ‘Evil Exorcising Pearl’ with it to overcome its weakness of being fooled by illusions."

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Old Beggar’s face changed again, and he said, "Improving the ‘Earth Mirror’ aside, you also want to enhance the power of the ‘Rainbow Ruler’? Do you even understand artifact crafting? The power and versatility of magical artifacts are rare, how can you have both?"

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and suddenly presented the "Starry Stone" in front of Old Beggar, then asked, "What if I have this?"

Seeing the "Starry Stone," a gleam of fervor flashed in Old Beggar’s eyes as he stared at it continuously. After a long time, he finally questioned Xu Qingfan, "You have the ‘Starry Stone’? Why didn’t you mention it sooner?"

Xu Qingfan gave a bitter smile inwardly and could only admit it was his mistake.

Only at this point did Old Beggar recall why the artifact he once crafted for a benefactor ended up in Xu Qingfan’s possession. After Xu Qingfan explained the situation with Xiao Huazhe, Old Beggar sighed softly and remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, Old Beggar noticed the "Five Spirit Bell" beside the "Rainbow Ruler" and the "Earth Mirror." His eyes lit up as he picked it up to examine it closely. After a long while, he sighed and said, "What a pity. This magical item gathers many rare materials, and the person who crafted it was indeed skillful. But for some reason, it ultimately failed. It should have been a powerful treasure but ended up as only an advanced Earth-level artifact. What a pity. Even so, its defensive power and its ability to affect the mind and harness the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth are quite remarkable."

Xu Qingfan admired this insight, surprised at Old Beggar’s ability to discern so much. He nodded and said, "But this artifact consumes a lot of Spirit Qi with each use. I wonder if there might be a way to improve it."

Old Beggar suddenly tossed the "Five Spirit Bell" back to Xu Qingfan and said mildly, "There’s no way to improve this artifact—even with a ‘Starry Stone.’ It was set in its form the moment it failed in its crafting."

Hearing Old Beggar say this, Xu Qingfan sighed softly, feeling regret.

Old Beggar suddenly stood up, tucked the "Rainbow Ruler," "Earth Mirror," and "Starry Stone" into his sleeve, then turned to leave without concerning himself with his stall or Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan understood that Old Beggar intended to help him upgrade his artifact. Recalling the long, tedious wait when Old Beggar first crafted something for him, he felt stirred and followed Old Beggar out of the market.

After a long while, Old Beggar suddenly turned and asked, "Why are you following me?"

Xu Qingfan laughed and said, "Waiting around is boring, so I thought I’d see how you craft things, Senior."

Old Beggar nodded slightly, allowing Xu Qingfan to follow him. They left the market and quickly flew south.

Meanwhile, not far from the marketplace, a figure dressed in purple stood silently in the darkness. Around him, a group of cultivators of various appearances stood respectfully.

"Has the identity of that cultivator been confirmed?" the person in purple asked softly.

"It has been confirmed. He is a rogue cultivator, so even if he disappears suddenly, no one will make a big fuss searching for him. Moreover, he is skilled in crafting, so capturing him would not only grant us his soul and essence blood but also a large amount of crafting materials."

A cultivator replied respectfully.

The person in purple nodded slightly and said slowly, "Then let us proceed."

As his words fell, the group of cultivators flew into the sky, riding on their instruments, while the person in purple was unhurried. A purple cloud rose slowly under his feet as he followed them leisurely.