Chapter 27: Riding a Shared Bike to the Bar, Save Where You Should, Spend Where You Must

Ascending the Jade Palace

Beautiful Pavilion was destined to remain out of reach for the current Yu'an.

As for whether their paths would cross in the future, Yulou highly doubted it.

This kid Yu'an had a bit of hyper-masculinity syndrome going on. Perhaps it had something to do with his metal and earth spirit root?

It was hard to say.

Walking into the Hundred Treasures Workshop's artifact refining room, Yulou was startled by the furnishings inside.

A counter made of ninth-grade spiritual wood?

The Huang family was truly ruthless.

The clerk in the artifact refining room noticed Wang Xianmao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of extraordinary appearance, and hurried over to receive them.

"Senior, are you looking to custom-order magical artifacts for your family's young prodigies? During the Qingxi Grand Gathering, our Hundred Treasures Workshop's artifact refining room is running a special promotion with a thirty percent discount on refining fees. Our shop has four artificers proficient in the Fire Refining Method, Earth Nurturing Method, and Metal Melting Method. They can refine various types of spiritual materials, including metals and stones, wood and vines, woven silks, and spiritual bones. If you order two magical artifacts of the same type, we can offer a forty percent discount on the design fees for both!"

Just the artifact refining room in the Hundred Treasures Workshop had several artificers holding down the fort, capable of refining all sorts of magical artifacts.

Compared to the techniques mastered by these artificers, the Fire Method Metal-Stone Artificing Way inheritance in Hongmei's hands seemed like child's play.

One had to know that the Huang family had several similar Hundred Treasures Workshops constantly roaming through other areas in the Wunan Basin.

How was this a Hundred Treasures Workshop? Calling it a nuclear-powered money printer wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"No need. I came to rent your Spirit Fire Room," Wang Xianmao replied calmly, waving his hand.

He was personally proficient in the Wood Generation Method and the Metal Melting Method, and his skill in refining wood, vine, and spiritual bone magical artifacts was quite high.

Hearing Wang Xianmao's request, the clerk was slightly surprised but quickly answered.

"Please wait a moment. I will go notify the manager. He is the one who handles spirit fire rentals."

On the side, Yulou noticed the display wall of magical artifacts in the refining room. It was densely packed with dozens of artifacts of different materials, grades, and shapes.

Most importantly, the lowest grade among these magical artifacts was mid-grade!

Among them was a very beautiful flying sword that seemed to be forged with Cold Refined Iron as its base, complemented by a spiritual bone handle. Flowing light surged across its entire body; it was at least a high-grade magical artifact.

"Do you like flying swords?" Wang Xianmao asked with a smile.

"I am just seeing a high-grade flying sword for the first time," Yulou replied. "Master said he hasn't refined one in half a year."

"Hahaha, flying swords are very useful, but any decent one is ridiculously expensive. Ordinary cultivators cannot afford them. The one you are looking at uses a seventh-grade spiritual bone, yet it's paired with ninth-grade Cold Refined Iron. It's actually a failed refinement," Wang Xianmao commented.

Just then, the manager of the artifact refining room walked out. Hearing his critique, he asked in pleasant surprise, "Oh? Does Fellow Daoist know how to refine flying swords?"

The Patriarch froze for a moment before answering, "I know a little. Just a little."

The manager pondered for a moment. Considering Wang Xianmao's azure-tinged appearance, he assumed the man's strength must be extraordinary, so he asked, "Would Fellow Daoist be interested in helping us refine a spiritual artifact jade sword with a Water Jade base? We would definitely reward you handsomely, and renting the spirit fire would be no problem either."

Wang Xianmao waved his hand, politely declining the manager's proposal. "Never mind, I'm in a hurry."

"What a pity. Then we will rent the Spirit Fire Room to Senior at a twenty percent discount off the market price. Twenty spirit stones a day, discounted to sixteen. What do you think?"

"What kind of spirit fires do you have?"

Wang Xianmao naturally wouldn't refuse a discount, but the price wasn't the main point. The crucial factor was whether the type and characteristics of the spirit fire were suitable for him to control.

After all, he didn't have a fire spirit root. Even though the magical artifacts he refined for his family's younger generation and the Immortal Alliance's female cultivator were only mid-grade and not very difficult, finding a suitable spirit fire would make the process much easier.

"We have two types of special beast spirit fires: the Sky Serpent Sect's Golden Serpent Spirit Fire, which is most suitable for metal attributes and relatively easy to control. Then there is the Moon Splendor Sect's Cold Toad Yin Fire; it's not good for fire-attribute spiritual materials, but suitable for all others. It's a bit harder to control, so I don't recommend renting it if you lack experience.

"As for regular spirit fires, we have three types. The Huang Clan's Salt Altar Fire, fueled by fire salt. Its nature is balanced and the easiest to control, but the price of the fire salt is calculated separately. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Red Candle Spirit Fire, fueled by red candles... ah, of course, I probably don't need to introduce this one. And the Great Skymount Mountain's Spirit Cedar Fire, fueled by spirit cedar..."

Wang Xianmao patiently listened to the manager list the names before making his decision.

"Alright, you don't need to say anymore. I'll use the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Red Candle Spirit Fire. I'll take it for half a day to start."

"Half a day?"

The manager never expected a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be so stingy.

"What, are you not renting it?"

Wang Xianmao certainly didn't think he was being stingy.

This was called riding a shared bike to the bar—save where you should, spend where you must.

The manager looked troubled.

The daily rent was twenty spirit stones. He had given him a twenty percent discount, and now the man had haggled it down to renting for only half a day.

That meant he would be using their spirit fire for just eight spirit stones!

How was this any different from freeloading?

"We'll rent it! Senior, please come this way!"

Opening their doors for business, they naturally couldn't drive customers away. Gritting his teeth, the manager led Wang Xianmao and the others into the Spirit Fire Room.

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

The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Red Candle Spirit Fire required red candles as fuel. The rate of consumption varied depending on the intensity of use.

This was all part of their value-added services.

The reason the manager had agreed to rent it out for half a day at eight spirit stones was precisely because he knew a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Wang Xianmao would use the spirit fire intensely.

Even if the rent was a bit lower, they could make up for it by overcharging on consumables, turning a tidy little profit!

The other four spirit fires were much the same. Even using the two beast spirit fires required paying for their food—and the feeding costs for those types of spiritual beasts were not cheap.

Unfortunately, the manager was only in the late stages of Qi Refining. Just how many years had he lived?

"No need, I brought my own!" Wang Xianmao said, taking out a large bundle of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's specialty red candles from his storage bag!

One shouldn't forget that the Patriarch had once served as an outer sect steward in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect!

"Senior..."

The manager was struck dumb with astonishment, muttering blankly.

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

With a bitter expression, he turned and left.

If you're bringing everything yourself, why didn't you bring your own Spirit Fire Room and artifact refining furnace while you were at it!

How bizarre! I didn't even earn half a spirit stone in commission!

Once the manager left, the Patriarch sat in front of the artifact refining furnace and took out the Black Jade Oil Bead that Hongmei had gifted to Yulou.

"Patriarch, Uncle Rongyuan said he could use the Earth Nurturing Method to refine this bead for me in the future. There's no need to trouble you to do it yourself, right?"

It wasn't that Yulou was worried the Patriarch would botch the refinement and blow it up. He simply figured he didn't have an immediate use for the magical artifact anyway, so there was no need to bother him.

"True, having Rongyuan refine the Black Jade Oil Bead for you is the best choice, but it's uncertain when he will return. You probably can't wait ten years."

Just as Yulou was about to say he could absolutely wait, the Patriarch's next words dropped.

"So I might as well use the Wood Generation Method to attach a spiritual wood shell to this bead and refine an additional six layers of restrictions into it. That will bring it straight to seventeen layers—the absolute peak of mid-grade magical artifacts!"

Excellent, the Patriarch was magnificent, no further words needed!

"What about me, Patriarch? Can my Golden Horn Mud Turtle Shell be fitted with a shell and refined into a high-grade magical artifact?"

Hearing the Patriarch's words, Yu'an's eyes lit up from the side.

The Patriarch was proficient in refining spiritual bone magical artifacts, and his Golden Horn Mud Turtle Shell happened to possess both metal and bone attributes.

If Yulou's Black Jade Oil Bead received a spiritual wood shell, it could jump from eleven layers of restrictions to seventeen layers—an increase of a full six layers!

Wouldn't that mean his Golden Horn Mud Turtle Shell had a chance to directly reach high-grade?

"There's no need. The foundation of this turtle shell is too poor. I can only refine it to seventeen layers at most. Going any higher would be a loss.

"Besides, the number of restriction layers doesn't determine everything. As long as it's useful, it's fine, right?"

Wang Xianmao was no sucker.

Wang Yu'an was only at the second layer of the Qi Induction realm right now. Why would he need a high-grade magical artifact?

Furthermore, his personality was too flighty. If he actually had a high-grade magical artifact, what if he was targeted by someone in the future?

"Aw..." Yu'an mumbled, pouting.

"Hahaha, don't be upset. Once your Qi Refining is successful, you can refine your own high-grade magical artifacts."

Wang Xianmao expertly ignited a red candle, and the Red Candle Spirit Fire flared to life.

Tossing the Black Jade Oil Bead into the artifact refining furnace, the Patriarch narrowed his eyes in concentration. Using his divine sense as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he manipulated the spirit fire and began the refinement.

"Watch closely. Out of all the artificing methods grasped by our Wang Clan, the Wood Generation Method has the most complete and profound inheritance.

"It's a pity neither of you has a wood spirit root; otherwise, you could learn the Wood Generation Method in the future.

"Although, the way I see it, the Wood Generation Method isn't particularly good at anything.

"Its only advantage is that during refinement, it easily achieves the maximum refining effect."

"We have two types of special beast spirit fires. The Golden Snake spirit fire from the Sky Serpent Sect has the best metal affinity and is relatively easy to control. The Cold Toad yin fire from the Moon Splendor Sect isn't very effective on fire-attribute spiritual materials, but it is suitable for all other materials. It is a bit harder to control, so I don't recommend renting it if you lack experience. We also have three types of normal spirit fires. The Huang family's salt altar fire, ignited by burning fire salt, is balanced and the easiest to control, but the cost of the fire salt must be calculated separately. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's red candle fire, ignited by red candles... well, I probably don't need to explain that one. Finally, the Great Skymount Mountain's spirit cedar fire, ignited by burning spirit cedar..."

Wang Xianmao listened patiently as the manager listed the options, then made his decision.

"Alright, no need to say more. I'll use the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's red candle fire. Give me half a day for now."

"Half a day?"

The manager hadn't expected a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be this stingy.

"What, you won't rent it?"

Wang Xianmao certainly didn't think he was being stingy. This was called riding a shared bike to the bar: save where you should, and spend where you must.

The manager looked troubled. The rent was twenty spirit stones a day.

'I gave you a twenty percent discount, and you haggled it down to only renting for half a day. That means you get to use our spirit fire for just eight spirit stones! How is this any different from freeloading?'

"We'll rent it! This way, please, Senior!"

Since they opened their doors for business, they naturally could not turn a customer away. The manager gritted his teeth and led Wang Xianmao and the others into the Spirit Fire Room.

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

The red candle fire of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect required red candles as kindling. The rate of consumption varied depending on the intensity of use.

This was part of their value-added services. The reason the manager had just agreed to rent it out for half a day for eight spirit stones was precisely because he knew that Foundation Establishment cultivators like Wang Xianmao used spirit fires intensely.

By lowering the rent a bit and overcharging on consumables, he could still make a small profit! The other four types of spirit fires operated on a similar principle.

Even using those two beast spirit fires required paying for their meals—and the food for such spiritual beasts was not cheap. Unfortunately, the manager was only a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

How many years had he lived in comparison?

"No need, I brought my own!"

Saying so, Wang Xianmao pulled a large bag of red candles—the specialty of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—out of his storage bag! Don't forget, the esteemed Patriarch used to serve as an outer sect steward in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect!

"Senior..."

The manager was completely shell-shocked, muttering to himself.

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

Saying that, he left with a bitter expression.

'If you bring everything yourself, why don't you just bring your own Spirit Fire Room and artifact refining furnace!'

'How absurd. I actually didn't earn a single half-spirit stone in commission!'

Once the manager left, the Patriarch sat down in front of the artifact refining furnace and took out the Black Jade Oil Bead that Hongmei had given Yulou.

"Patriarch, Uncle Rongyuan said he could refine this bead for me in the future using the Earth Nurturing Method. There's no need to trouble you to do it personally, right?"

Yulou wasn't worried about the Patriarch blowing it up during refinement. He was simply considering that he temporarily had no use for this magical artifact and didn't need to bother the Patriarch.

"Yes, finding Rongyuan to refine the Black Jade Oil Bead for you is the best choice, but it's uncertain when he will return. It could be ten years, and you probably can't wait that long."

Just as Yulou was about to say he could wait, the Patriarch's next sentence arrived.

"I might as well use the Wood Generation Method to attach a spiritual wood shell to this bead and refine an additional six layers of restrictions into it. That will bring it directly to seventeen layers, the absolute peak of a mid-grade magical artifact!"

Great, great, great, the Patriarch was mighty, no more needed to be said!

"What about me, Patriarch? Can my Golden Horn Mud Turtle Shell be fitted with an outer shell and refined into a high-grade magical artifact?" Hearing the Patriarch's words, Yu'an's eyes lit up.

The Patriarch was proficient in refining spiritual bone artifacts, and his Golden Horn Mud Turtle Shell happened to possess both metal and bone properties. Yulou's Black Jade Oil Bead could jump from eleven layers to seventeen layers of restrictions after attaching a spiritual wood shell—a full six-layer increase!

Wouldn't his Golden Horn Mud Turtle Shell have a chance to go straight to high-grade?

"There's no need. The foundation of this turtle shell is too poor. I can at most refine it up to seventeen layers for you. Anything higher would be a waste of materials. Besides, the number of layers doesn't determine everything. As long as it is useful, that's what matters, right?"

Wang Xianmao was no fool. You, Wang Yu'an, were only at the second layer of the Qi Induction realm right now.

Why would you need a high-grade magical artifact? Moreover, with your erratic personality, what if you got targeted by someone in the future for carrying a high-grade magical artifact?

"Oh,"

Yu'an mumbled, pouting.

"Hahaha, don't be upset. When you succeed in your Qi Refining, you can forge a high-grade magical artifact for yourself."

Wang Xianmao skillfully lit the red candle, and the Red Candle Spirit Fire rose into the air. Tossing the Black Jade Oil Bead into the artifact refining furnace, the Patriarch's eyes narrowed.

Using the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he controlled the spirit fire and began the refinement.

"Watch closely. The Wood Generation Method is the most complete and profound inheritance among the many artificing path methods mastered by our Wang Clan. It's a pity neither of you has a wood spirit root. Otherwise, you could learn the Wood Generation Method in the future. Although, in my opinion, the Wood Generation Method is lacking in many areas. But its only advantage—and its greatest strength—is that it easily achieves maximum effectiveness during refinement."