Chapter 82

Old Master Wu Dao, with a smile on his face, slowly sat down, motionless.

He was in a peculiar state, isolated from the outside world, silent and still. This was the state of enlightenment, where he would break through his current barrier. Lao Wu and Lao Liu began frantically taking out spirit stones and setting up formations around Old Master. One of them continuously sent out twelve flying talismans, which instantly turned into streaks of light and disappeared into the horizon.

After doing all this, Lao Wu looked at Luo Li and said:

"Luo Li, Master is about to break through his bottleneck and advance to the Core Formation stage. We need to return to the sect. Only the spiritual energy there can help Master break through. Are you coming with us? Master has always wanted to take you as his disciple."

Luo Li hesitated, and Lao Liu said:

"Luo Li, although you don't have the ability to refine artifacts, our Dust Refining Sect has a branch responsible for buying and selling. You don't need to refine artifacts, and it's perfect for you. Are you coming with us?"

Luo Li smiled and shook his head, saying:

"No, I can't refine artifacts, so why would I go to the Dust Refining Sect? I won't go. I wish Old Master a quick breakthrough and entry into the Core Formation realm!"

Lao Liu sighed deeply and said: "That's true. Our connection has come to an end. When our Senior Master arrives, we will escort Master away. Lao Wu, take out all the spirit stones and leave them for Luo Li!"

After saying this, he began to take out all the spirit stones from his storage bag, and Lao Wu did the same. Together, they gathered over four thousand spirit stones, which was all their assets. They handed them to Luo Li.

Luo Li did not take the spirit stones, saying: "Sixth Brother, Fifth Brother, I don't want these spirit stones!"

Luo Li couldn't take them because these were all the spirit stones Lao Wu and Lao Liu had. They hadn't returned home for sixty years and needed to bring gifts for their families, which required spirit stones.

Although they had a large amount of spirit stones, they were all with Old Master, who was in the state of enlightenment and couldn't be accessed. These were all the spirit stones they had, so he couldn't take them.

Lao Wu said: "Keep them. Master won't wake up for at least ten to twenty years. You need these spirit stones for protection, and we can't help you in these years."

Lao Liu said: "This shop's rent is paid until the end of the year. You can manage it as you wish. If you want to continue renting it at the end of the year, go to the market manager. It costs three thousand spirit stones per year. If you don't want to continue, you can sell the right to renew the lease for three thousand spirit stones. Just put up a sign at the shop entrance, and many people will buy it."

Luo Li nodded, indicating he understood. In other words, if he didn't want the shop, he could sell the right to renew the lease for three thousand spirit stones. This was normal because the market was so small, and there were only so many shops, with countless cultivators wanting to open shops, making the right to renew the lease very valuable.

Lao Wu continued: "The Heavenly Spider Sect has had major problems in the past thirty years. The Grand Elder Lingxu Zhenren and the three Core Formation elders have disappeared, and no one knows what they are doing. Only the sect leader, Duocha Zhenjun, remains to oversee the sect. This old man doesn't care about worldly affairs, and his three disciples are causing chaos, secretly establishing halls like the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness and the Hall of the Four Seas, creating a chaotic situation."

"I think the Heavenly Spider Sect will have a major event within ten years, so it's best to leave if you can. Remember, preserving your life is the most important. If you have nowhere to go, the doors of the Dust Refining Sect will always be open to you!"

Luo Li asked: "The Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness?"

Lao Wu said: "Yes, it was established by the third disciple of Duocha Zhenjun, Zhizhu Zhenren. If they come to your shop for protection fees, just use the flag of the Dust Refining Sect. I don't think they will dare to take one!"

Luo Li nodded vigorously and said: "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, I don't want these spirit stones. How about this: give me the Fire-type Earthly Prohibition! I know the sect rules, even between master and disciple, the Earthly Prohibition cannot be privately taught. These spirit stones will be considered payment for the Earthly Prohibition."

Lao Wu and Lao Liu looked at each other, thinking this might be better for Luo Li. In fact, the Earthly Prohibition was more valuable than spirit stones because spirit stones could be easily earned, but the Earthly Prohibition required luck to obtain. They nodded and each took out a peculiar jade slip, saying:

"Choose one. These are the Earthly Prohibitions we know. You can choose freely, but each Earthly Prohibition costs two hundred spirit stones within the sect."

Luo Li began to choose, his divine sense entering the two jade slips. Instantly, over a thousand Earthly Prohibitions appeared, divided into various attributes: life, death, obscurity, clarity, illusion, destruction, sun, moon, yin, yang, light, thunder, darkness, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and cloud...

These Earthly Prohibitions included single-attribute prohibitions, composite-attribute prohibitions, and combinations of several Earthly Prohibitions.

By combining these Earthly Prohibitions into the appropriate magical artifact, the corresponding magical artifact would be refined. This was the art of refinement.

Luo Li could only see the general introduction of each Earthly Prohibition; the specific content needed to be studied after purchase.

Luo Li chose the Fire-type Earthly Prohibitions, and instantly, nearly a hundred prohibitions appeared. However, there were only eighteen true Fire-type Earthly Prohibitions, each different, with five forming a small combination.

Luo Li said: "That's it, these eighteen Fire-type Earthly Prohibitions. Oh, this small combination of seven Wood-type Earthly Prohibitions seems suitable for my cultivation. I'll take this too!"

After saying this, Luo Li took out a thousand spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them to Lao Wu, saying:

"Fifth Brother, sell me these Earthly Prohibitions! Everyone's spirit stones are with Old Master, and we can't get them. When you return to the sect, it's your home, with a bunch of old and young people. After being away for sixty years, you need to bring gifts, not go back empty-handed and disappoint the younger generation."

After hearing this, Lao Wu sighed deeply, and Lao Liu said: "Alright, Lao Wu, take them. Luo Li has a point!"

Lao Wu took the thousand spirit stones from Luo Li and then handed him a peculiar jade slip, saying:

"This jade slip is made with a secret method, specifically for storing Earthly Prohibitions. I have an extra one, and I've put the combination you chose in it. However, it's just been made and hasn't formed yet. You can look at it in detail tomorrow!

The method to copy and inject Earthly Prohibitions is a secret. Since you're not a disciple of the Dust Refining Sect, I can't teach you. When you refine artifacts, ask someone to inject the Earthly Prohibitions into the magical artifact. That will be enough.

Unfortunately, if you don't know how to copy the Earthly Prohibitions, you can only use them once. So, you must find a way to get the method to copy the Earthly Prohibitions!

Additionally, when refining artifacts, you must sign a heart-demon contract with the refiner to prevent them from secretly copying your Earthly Prohibitions. If they want these Earthly Prohibitions, they must pay with spirit stones."

This was all knowledge about Earthly Prohibitions. Without the corresponding secret method, the Earthly Prohibitions in the jade slip would disappear after one use.

However, Luo Li didn't mind. He was just looking for an excuse to give them spirit stones. He casually put the jade slip away.

They continued to wait. Around evening, a knock came from outside. When they opened the door, Lao Wu and Lao Liu hurriedly bowed!

Outside, a person appeared, looking ordinary, but Luo Li knew he was a Core Formation True Lord. He had come to escort Old Master back to the Dust Refining Sect.

The person didn't say much. He entered the room, glanced at Luo Li and the others, and under his gaze, they couldn't help but step back. He began setting up formations around Old Master, then waved his sleeve, and Old Master, along with the ground beneath him, disappeared.

He then pointed at Lao Wu and Lao Liu, and they also disappeared, being taken away by him. He looked at Luo Li, nodded slightly, and said:

"I'm taking them. Goodbye! The physical form is not true, the red flower easily withers, the earth is also an illusion, and all things return to dust!" After saying this, he turned and left.

Luo Li followed him to see him off, but after not walking far, the person disappeared, his destination unknown. Thus, Old Master Mu Yingxiong returned to the Dust Refining Sect, leaving Luo Li alone in the Dust in the Middle Tower, feeling lonely.

Luo Li took down the sign outside, and the Dust in the Middle Tower would no longer refine artifacts. Looking at the lonely workshop, a sense of loneliness rose in his heart.

But he was more excited. From today, this shop belonged to Luo Li. In just two months, he owned a shop in the market, something ordinary cultivators would struggle to achieve in ten to twenty years!

"I'm a boss now, hahaha, I never thought I'd be a boss!"

The next day, Luo Li focused his mind on the jade slip and was surprised. Besides the eighteen pure Fire-type Earthly Prohibitions, there were other prohibitions.

These were not the seven Wood-type prohibition combinations he had chosen, but a combination of thirty-six Earthly Prohibitions, including Metal, Fire, Light, and Qi attributes!

The prohibitions were arranged in a certain clever order, forming a hammer shape. Suddenly, Luo Li realized this was the Earthly Prohibition combination for the Primordial Qi Hammer.

As long as the hammer body was refined, and these prohibitions were injected one by one, the magical artifact would be complete.

This combination of Earthly Prohibitions for the Primordial Qi Hammer was a perfect combination, more valuable than individual prohibitions, worth at least eight thousand spirit stones. Indeed, what you give, you will receive. His thousand spirit stones were well spent, and Lao Wu and Lao Liu, being blacksmiths, were truly righteous!

Luo Li sighed deeply, put away the jade slip, and looked at the empty Dust in the Middle Tower. He didn't know how to refine artifacts, so he couldn't continue the previous business. He only had eight hundred spirit stones left, and it was six months until the seventh day of the seventh month. He needed to act quickly.

He had to find another way to earn spirit stones and leave on the seventh day of the seventh month.

How to earn spirit stones? No need to think, it was by making talismans. With the Blood Demon Sect's Blood Talisman Technique, the Blood Sea Sect's Fusion Talisman Technique, the Northern Star Sect's Transformation Talisman Technique, and the Black Feather Demon Witch Sect's Witch Spell Technique, if his talismans couldn't earn spirit stones, he might as well drown himself in his own urine!

However, he needed to plan carefully. He couldn't just make low-level talismans for the Qi Refinement stage, which earned one spirit stone for three talismans. That was too low-level. With a shop, he needed to do bigger business.

Luo Li began to study and plan step by step. The knowledge from the secret transmissions began to take effect, and Luo Li gradually found his path to earning spirit stones.