Chapter 29: Riding a Shared Bicycle to a Bar: Save Where You Should, Spend Where You Should

Bailixuan was destined to be out of reach for Wang Yuan in the present.

As for whether the two would ever intersect in the future, Wang Yulou was quite doubtful.

This kid Wang Yuan had more than a touch of Super Male Syndrome in him; could it be related to his Metal-Earth Spirit Root?

Hard to say.

Walking into the artifact-refining hall of the Hundred Treasures Shop, Wang Yulou was shocked by the furnishings inside.

A counter made of Grade-Nine Spirit Wood?

The Huang family is too ruthless.

The assistant in the artifact-refining hall noticed Wang Xianmao, an extraordinary-looking Foundation Establishment senior, and hurried forward to attend to him.

"Senior, do you wish to customize an artifact for the family's little Qing Qilin?"

During the Qingxi Grand Assembly, our Hundred Treasures Shop's artifact-refining hall is specially launching a thirty-percent discount on refining fees.

Our shop has four artifact refiners who are proficient in the Fire Refining Method, Earth Containment Method, and Metal Melting Method.

They can refine artifacts from various spiritual materials such as Jin Shi, wood vines, woven silk, and spirit bones.

If two artifacts of the same type are refined, the design fees for both can be discounted by forty percent!"

This is the strength of a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan!

Just the artifact-refining hall within the Hundred Treasures Shop is stationed by multiple refiners, capable of refining artifacts of all types.

Compared to the techniques mastered by the refiners in the hall, the Fire Method and Jin Shi Refining Dao inheritance held by Master Master Hongmei seemed like playing house.

It must be known that the Huang family has several other similar Hundred Treasures Shops, constantly roaming other regions of the Wunan Basin.

This isn't a Hundred Treasures Shop; calling it a nuclear-powered money printer would not be an exaggeration.

"No need, I am here to rent your Spirit Fire Chamber."

Wang Xianmao waved his hand and replied calmly.

He himself was proficient in the Wood Generation Technique and Metal Melting Method, and was quite skilled in refining artifacts made of wood vines and spirit bones.

Hearing Wang Xianmao's request, the assistant was somewhat surprised, but replied quickly.

"Please wait a moment; I will inform the Shopkeeper. He has the authority to decide on renting the Spirit Fire."

Wang Yulou, standing aside, noticed the artifact display wall in the refining hall, where dozens of artifacts of different materials, grades, and appearances were densely packed.

Most importantly, these artifacts were at least of Medium Grade to start with!

Among them was a very beautiful flying sword, seemingly made with Cold Bin Iron as the base, supplemented by a spirit bone hilt, with flowing light surging throughout its body; it was at least of High Grade quality.

"Do you like flying swords?"

Wang Xianmao asked with a smile.

"Wang Yulou has only seen a High Grade artifact-level flying sword for the first time; Master said he hasn't refined a High Grade flying sword in half a year."

"Hahaha, flying swords are very useful, but slightly better ones are terribly expensive; ordinary cultivators cannot afford them.

The one you are looking at uses Grade-Seven Spirit Bone paired with Grade-Nine Cold Bin Iron; actually, the refining went wrong."

Wang Xianmao commented.

Just then, the Shopkeeper of the refining hall walked out, heard his comment, and asked with great surprise.

"Oh? Does Daoist know how to refine flying swords?"

The Clan Leader paused for a moment and answered.

"A little, a little."

The Shopkeeper pondered for a moment, considering Wang Xianmao's greenish appearance, which suggested he was no ordinary cultivator, and asked.

"Does Daoist have an interest in helping us refine a Spirit Sword with a Water Jade base? We will surely offer heavy gratitude, and renting the Spirit Fire will not be difficult."

Wang Xianmao waved his hand and politely declined the Shopkeeper's suggestion.

"Forget it, I am in a hurry."

"What a pity, what a pity. Then let us offer the Senior a twenty-percent discount on renting the Spirit Fire Chamber: twenty Spirit Stones per day, sixteen after the discount. How does that sound?"

"What Spirit Fires do you have?"

Wang Xianmao naturally would not refuse the discount, but the price was not the main point; the key was whether the types and characteristics of the Spirit Fires were suitable for his control.

He did not have a Fire Spirit Root; although the artifacts he refined for his junior clan members and the female cultivators of the Xian Alliance were all Medium Grade, the difficulty was not high.

But finding a more suitable Spirit Fire would make his refining much easier.

"There are two special Beast Spirit Fires: the Golden Snake Spirit Fire of the Tianshe Sect, which is most suitable for Metal nature and is relatively simple to control.

The Cold Toad Yin Fire of the Moonlight Sect is not good for Fire-attribute spiritual materials, but applies to all other spiritual materials; it is slightly harder to control, and without experience, I do not recommend renting this one.

There are three Spirit Fires: the Huang Family Salt Altar Fire, ignited by burning fire salt; it possesses a balanced nature and is the easiest to control, though the price of the fire salt must be calculated separately.

The Red Lantern Red Candle Fire, ignited by a red candle... Ha, of course, I probably don't need to introduce this one further.

The Great Tiantai Mountain Spirit Fir Fire, ignited by burning spirit fir..."

After Wang Xianmao patiently listened to the Shopkeeper finish listing the names, he made a decision.

"Enough, no need to explain further. Use the Red Lantern Red Candle Fire; let's start with half a day."

"Half a day?"

The Shopkeeper did not expect a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be so stingy.

"What, you won't rent it?"

Wang Xianmao did not think he was being stingy.

This is called riding a shared bicycle to a bar; save where you should, spend where you should.

The Shopkeeper's face showed difficulty.

The daily rent is twenty Spirit Stones; we gave you a twenty-percent discount, and you cut it down to renting only half a day.

It means you are using our Spirit Fire for just eight Spirit Stones!

How is this any different from freeloaders?

"Rent! Senior, this way!"

Opening a business naturally means no turning away customers; the Shopkeeper gritted his teeth and led Wang Xianmao and the others into the Spirit Fire Chamber.

"Senior, how many red candles do you need?"

The red candle fire of the Red Lantern requires red candles as a catalyst; the consumption rate varies depending on the intensity of use.

These are all part of the value-added services.

The Shopkeeper had just agreed to rent for half a day at eight spirit stones because he counted on Foundation Establishment cultivators like Wang Xianmao to use the Spirit Fire heavily.

Lower the rent, charge more on consumables, and you can make a small profit!

The other four types of Spirit Fire are much the same; even the two Beast Spirit Fires require feeding fees for use—the feeding costs for such Spirit Beasts are not low.

Pity the Shopkeeper is only at the late Qi Condensation stage; how many years has he even lived?

"No need, I brought my own!" Wang Xianmao said, pulling a large bag of Red Lantern specialty red candles from his storage bag!

Don't forget, the Elder once served as an Outer Sect Disciple in the Red Lantern!

"Senior..."

The Shopkeeper, face full of shock, murmured.

"Senior, if you need anything, just find me!"

Saying this, he left with a bitter expression.

You bring everything yourself; why not bring your own Spirit Fire Chamber and your own Refining Furnace!

Strange, I didn't even earn half a spirit stone in commission!

After the Shopkeeper left, the Elder sat before the Refining Furnace and took out the ink-jade oil bead that Master Master Hongmei had given Wang Yulou.

"Elder, Uncle Rongyuan said he could refine this bead for me in the future using the Earth Containment Technique, so there's no need to trouble you to do it personally, right?"

Wang Yulou wasn't worried about the Elder blowing up the refinement; he just considered that he wouldn't need this artifact for now, so there was no point troubling the Elder.

"Yes, finding Rongyuan to refine the ink-jade oil bead for you is best, but when he returns is uncertain; in ten years, you probably won't be able to wait."

Wang Yulou was just about to say he could wait when the Elder's next words came.

"Might as well, I'll use the Wood Generation Technique to attach a Spirit Wood shell to this bead, refine six more layers of formation into it for you, and bring it directly to seventeen layers, the peak of Mid-Quality Artifacts!"

Good, good, good, the Elder is great, no need for more words!

"What about me, Elder? Can my Golden-Horned Mud Turtle Shell be given a shell and refined into a High-Quality Artifact?"

Hearing the Elder's words, Wang Yuan's eyes lit up on the side.

The Elder is proficient in refining Spirit Bone artifacts; his Golden-Horned Mud Turtle Shell happens to possess both Golden and Bone natures.

Wang Yulou's ink-jade oil bead, with the Spirit Wood attached, could rise from eleven layers of formation to seventeen layers of formation, a full six layers increase!

His Golden-Horned Mud Turtle Shell, wouldn't it have a chance to go straight to High-Quality?

"No need, the base of this turtle shell is too poor; I can at most refine it to seventeen layers for you; any higher and it would be a loss."

Moreover, the number of layers doesn't decide everything; as long as it works well, right?"

Wang Xianmao was no fool.

You, Wang Yuan, are only at the second layer of Qi Condensation; where do you need a High-Quality Artifact?

And your personality is impulsive; if you get a High-Quality Artifact, what if someone targets you in the future?

"Uh..."

Wang Yuan pouted and replied.

"Hahaha, don't be unhappy; once you achieve success in Qi Condensation, you can refine High-Quality Artifacts for yourselves."

Wang Xianmao skillfully ignited the red candles, and the red candle Spirit Fire rose up.

Throwing the ink-jade oil bead into the Refining Furnace, the Elder's eyes tightened, using the spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to manipulate the Spirit Fire and begin the refinement.

"Watch closely; the Wood Generation Technique is the most complete and profound of the many Refining Dao methods mastered by our Wang Shi."

Pity none of you have a Wood Spirit Root; otherwise, you could learn the Wood Generation Technique later."

Although in my opinion, the Wood Generation Technique is bad in every way."

But the one good thing is that it easily achieves the maximum refinement effect in refinement."