Chapter 87: Ren Li Steps Down

Ten days of time slipped away in a rush.

Ever since parting ways with Ren Li that night, Du En and the others had not seen him again.

Due to the corpses from the Great Cold Wave waiting to be buried, the casualties from the demon beast riot, and the people who died continuously in daily life, the gravediggers had no spare energy to investigate Ren Li's sudden disappearance.

Du En, for his part, had already guessed that this supervisor, parachuted in to fill a gap, was likely about to be pulled out and recalled.

Originally, it wouldn't have been this soon, but recently, too many things had happened in succession, so the pace had been accelerated.

This shield, which had just been fully erected, was about to vanish, and the environment might become severe, so Du En naturally needed to make some preparations.

Looting corpses and making a fortune from the dead was one part of that.

It was just that he couldn't help but look at that patch of wasteland with some lingering attachment, unable to stop himself from sighing and shaking his head, a sense of melancholy welling up from within.

Ren Li's figure couldn't help but tremble.

"Not necessarily!"

"..."

Of course, there was another reason: to put on a show for the Superintendent above, displaying an attitude of being loyal only to one person.

"Mm, actually, I officially stepped down last night."

"Firm Spirit Art"

Ren Li did not put on airs and turned around immediately.

"... Indeed, we are all at the bottom. Sigh, in this Immortal Sect, only by becoming a Great Cultivator at the Deity Transformation stage will you be treated as a person, and only by becoming a True Person at the Void Refinement stage can you have any real say."

Then, he was directly interrupted.

"Tsk, that's not too much, one hundred medium-grade spirit stones."

"The Iron Ox that lost its tail—I melted the whole thing down and condensed it into a shield. Look! Iron Ox Shield, first-tier peak grade! It even has the ox's face and two horns on the front; it can attack and defend!"

Du En took the handbook and replied in a calm voice.

Listening to the simple explanation that Ren Li still managed to voice, Du En nodded slightly and then asked straightforwardly: "How many spirit stones?"

"Mm, until we meet again."

What's more, Ren Li was not even the background itself.

Ren Li spoke with absolute certainty, yet it did not exceed Du En's expectations.

With money in hand, one has confidence in their heart.

"Art of Controlling Implements"

"Lastly, a second-tier storage bag. There's nothing much to say about this one, because there aren't any good styles here in the Border City, so I just picked a black messenger bag style for you; it can be considered a match for the color tone of your Lacquer Shadow Dharma Robe."

For this, he spared no Dharma power, truly like walking on thin ice.

You've said it all, what else can I say?

Ren Li was speechless for a moment, and finally could only say sullenly: "The sign that it has been mastered is the spirit-crystallization, or rather, spirit-stone-ization of the body from the inside out. Anyway, it is the simplicity you wanted; its physique and Dharma power are purer and more refined compared to other techniques, very suitable for you to chop off heads and blow them up."

"Why must you pursue a path of seeking life through death? Why not change your way of thinking: seek life through life, endless and continuous."

"What about the technique and spells I wanted?"

"The reinforced blade—based on your preference for chopping off heads, I changed the form to a thick-spined, long, straight blade, retained the previous characteristics, and further reinforced both the hardness and toughness to the level of a first-tier peak grade. I've renamed it the Iron Tungsten Long Blade."

Because the mountains were high and the Emperor was far away, even if there really were some background, it would be impossible to reach out in time.

Ren Li dumped these Dharma implements onto Du En all at once, and watching him nod in satisfaction, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, his whole body instantly becoming light.

"Firm Spirit, Firm Spirit—as the name implies, it has meanings like firm spirit-quality, firm spirit-nature, and firm spirit-stones, among others."

Thirteen thousand and eighty-one low-grade spirit stones.

Ren Li didn't say much more, instead chuckling as he said: "However, at least for now, although the previous aftershocks seem to have passed, in reality, many parts of the infrastructure here in the Border City have been impacted. Those managers like He Bo are all busy with various adjustments recently, so they won't have time to notice you in the short term."

Finally, Ren Li took out a crafting handbook.

"Is that so? That is unexpectedly good news."

"Yes, it is classified under the Earth element. It is said that from the very beginning, it was created by drawing inspiration from spirit stones. Look, it is born from spirit veins, naturally polished and rounded, requiring no human intervention. Its main characteristics are two: one is that the outer shell is firm and tough, and the other is that the internal spirit Qi is extremely refined."

"Alright, I should go."

It was the length of a finger, two fingers wide, emerald green and translucent, with three characters engraved on it respectively.

"Is it useful?"

"Let's talk about this Firm Spirit Art."

"Go ahead."

"..."

On one hand, he was shocked that Du En could actually perceive his insights and dissect his pursuit, and on the other hand, because of this guidance, he naturally made associations, with all sorts of inspiration bursting forth. That dead end he had been walking to the very end—now, looking up, it seemed it wasn't impossible to crawl straight up?

Only then did he finally step out of his rut completely, standing blankly in place for a long time, silently digesting and absorbing the inspiration he had just received, his mood suddenly becoming invigorated.

After working so hard for so long, in the end, the main goal had not been achieved; he had only picked up some small merits along the way so that he wouldn't return looking too pathetic.

Quickly completing this transaction, both sides were satisfied.

"Lacquer Shadow Dharma Robe, successfully upgraded to second-tier low grade. All four old performance stats have been improved, especially the spirit-gathering; with its existence, it can allow you to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage faster."

"Input Dharma power, and the records will appear. If you have Divine Sense, you can read it by pressing against it."

"Are you leaving?"

Then, he was full of energy, straightened his clothes, calmed his expression, and appeared exceptionally solemn.

"Firm spirit-stones? Could it be..."

After reading, Du En looked up and asked.

Du En took it and asked: "Medium-grade?"

"Hehe, don't be afraid. If he really dares to make things difficult for you again later, just bring up my name!"

Then, as expected, he watched as Du En took out two bags from five different bushes, totaling ten bags, amounting to ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Ren Li cast a sidelong glance at the surrounding thicket, his mood somewhat subtle, though he merely weighed it casually in his hand before putting it away.

Just at this moment, Du En suddenly spoke up.

"That said, do you want me to help you one last time, get you into the city, and make you a head chef?"

Added to his previous savings, he now had a total of thirty-four middle-grade spirit stones and twenty-three thousand and ninety-three low-grade spirit stones.

"There is nothing much to say about the Artifact Manipulation Art; it is a standard, middle-grade spell."

Du En nodded and continued to ask calmly, "How many spirit stones?"

Especially those who froze to death during the Great Cold Wave; the remaining wealth on their bodies had not been scavenged, and in the end, it basically all went to him, Du En.

"The last one is the hardest to deal with; using the materials of a Fierce Wind Tiger, I made this Mottled Cloak, also a first-rank peak-grade item. It is relatively special, having absolutely no offensive capability, and it compensates entirely for the Wind Confusion you wanted. Taken by surprise, it can even have some effect on an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Market price, twenty middle-grade spirit stones."

This was the state of mind of the other corpse-buriers.

"Time, fate, and luck..."

"No need, it's all the same."

"There is also a simplified low-grade version; you should have heard of it. That kind can only manipulate one magical artifact at a time, whereas this full version starts at three, and furthermore, flying by manipulating artifacts after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage also requires this full version."

Du En did not respond; in any case, these things basically did not involve him.

Ren Li smacked his lips and stated the number.

Ren Li appeared before them once again.

Du En took out two bags of prepared low-grade spirit stones from the thicket to the side, each bag containing one thousand.

"So that's how it is. Using the yellow earth of the land to nurture spirit veins and spirit stones, one can connect it to the Yellow Earth Art, guiding the originally broad foundation toward specific refinement. This hard and tough outer shell represents the physical body, while this internal essence of spiritual energy represents the mana within the body; it is a true method of dual cultivation of magic and body."

Ren Li sighed with emotion, his mouth again beginning to spit out news that someone like Du En, the lowest of the low, could not possibly know.

However, in contrast, they also further revered Du En. Recently, they were extra careful with their words and actions; whenever Du En came closer, they would hurriedly tidy their clothes, fearing that the filth and stench on their bodies would offend his eyes and nose.

Du En did not care about this at all, just waiting as calmly as ever.

Truth be told, he had already gotten used to it; he flipped his hand, and two jade slips appeared.

That was why, although He Bo had previously valued and been wary of him, he had not chosen to humble himself.

It was not until the eleventh day.

Ren Li nodded, somewhat melancholy, and was about to lament.

Having said this much, there was nothing left to say, so Ren Li handed the notebook to Du En.

Although Ren Li had played at disappearing, Du En, who had revealed a portion of his background, gave them a great sense of security.

With someone above them, they felt confident.

Sighing, he shook his head and left, his pace hurried; in the blink of an eye, he was already ten zhang away.

Turning back around, he only saw that Du En had already put on the Lacquer Shadow Dharma Robe and was sitting cross-legged in the old spot, silently refining his own magical artifact.

Ren Li stopped his train of thought, secretly admiring and praising him; he bowed and cupped his hands from afar, then turned and walked away without looking back, bidding farewell to this Southern Border frontier.

(End of chapter)