Chapter 213 The best gold leaf

The second-tier gourd was a huge shock to Zhao Lei. As far as he knew, the sect had never produced a purple fire gourd of the spiritual weapon level.

A vine-like spiritual plant that is extremely rare even when it grows to the highest grade has actually cultivated a second-tier fruit. This is an unprecedented breakthrough.

Zhang Yuanshan and Liang Qiu, who were standing nearby, didn't know much about the Purple Fire Gourd, a spiritual plant, and weren't particularly surprised.

In their eyes, it was not surprising that Senior Brother Ji could cultivate a second-tier spiritual plant.

Ji An coughed lightly and asked:

"Senior Brother Zhao, how much does it cost to forge a spiritual weapon?"

Zhao Lei snapped out of his reverie and said somewhat awkwardly:

"I have refined quite a few spiritual artifacts, but this is the first time I have refined a spiritual artifact-grade Purple Flame Gourd. I have never heard of such a material before."

The refining cost is two thousand spirit stones. I need to go back and research whether I need any other second-tier materials.

The crafting methods for the same type of magical artifact, whether it is of superior or superior grade, are not much different; the difference lies in the layering of magical restrictions.

However, the crafting of top-grade magical artifacts and spiritual artifacts differs greatly.

The materials were rare, and in order not to damage them, he planned to go back and consult his master to see which refining method was more reliable.

Ji An pointed out twenty mid-grade spirit stones and solemnly said:

"Please, senior brother, don't try to save me money. Use the best materials."

However, collecting refining materials is a bit difficult for me. If you happen to have any, please sell them to me.

He wanted to obtain the magical artifact as soon as possible, so he rarely practiced the fire control technique in recent months.

"I will inform my junior brother once I have figured out a feasible refining plan."

If you need any other Tier 2 materials, I'll try my best to gather them for you without you needing to tell me, Junior Brother.

Zhao Lei said confidently that the forging of each new type of spiritual weapon was a valuable experience for him.

He doesn't need much second-tier mid-grade resources to refine low-grade spiritual weapons, and he has plenty of second-tier low-grade materials on hand.

When weapon refiners accept custom orders, they quote more materials than they actually need, mainly to avoid wasting materials.

If there are any leftover materials, they will not be returned to the client.

Over time, weapon refiners can accumulate a large amount of materials, especially those at higher levels.

Ji An cupped his hands and smiled:

"Thank you, senior brother."

Zhao Lei put the items into his storage bag, stood up, and said:

"Junior brother, it is very exciting for me to try to forge a brand new spiritual weapon. Please allow me to take my leave first."

"I'm so happy with your attitude, senior brother. Once the spiritual weapon is successfully forged, I'll treat you to a drink."

"Haha, great! The reputation of Crimson Flame Peak's fine wine has spread throughout the weapon refiner circle."

"Senior brother, could you please process the gourd a little now? I need to keep the seeds."

Ji An said that having second-tier seeds greatly increases the chances of cultivating more second-tier gourds in the future.

Zhao Lei hesitated for a moment and said:

"Retrieving the seeds is quite simple, but I need to process the gourd beforehand, which is difficult to do with my alchemical fire alone. Does the cave have an earth fire chamber?"

The processing difficulty of second-tier materials is several times higher than that of first-tier top-grade materials, and it takes much longer. Without the assistance of the earth fire, he was not confident.

"Of course I have it, senior brother, please come with me."

Crimson Flame Peak was originally rented out for people to use for refining weapons, so it was necessary to excavate a fire chamber.

Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Liang, please have a seat for a moment.

Ji Anji launched the shuttle, carrying Zhao Lei to the mountainside.

"These two sacred pines planted at the entrance of the cave have a strong sense of good fortune."

Zhao Lei smiled and said that the second-tier Crimson Cloud Pine was like a burning torch, which made people happy when they saw it.

As a weapon refiner, he quite liked this color.

He also planted a few trees in his cave, but they were all first-tier spirit trees.

He didn't know how to plant, so he could only wait for the spiritual field to slowly develop.

"Haha, it's even more atmospheric when viewed at night."

Ji An made a hand seal to break the magical barrier and led the guests into the Earth Fire Chamber.

"Senior brother, please proceed with your task. I will wait outside."

The other party might have some unique techniques that he couldn't easily observe.

"Junior brother may have to wait a while, as processing second-tier materials is quite time-consuming."

Zhao Lei responded, opened the seal on the earth fire, and began simple refining by performing a fire control incantation.

Under his control, the flames of the earth's lungs transformed into mysterious patterns, and the spiritual light on the gourd's surface intensified.

Half an hour later, Zhao Lei walked out of the Earth Fire Chamber with a smile on his face, handing over a handful of seeds:

"Junior brother, I have not failed you! The earth fire here is quite spiritual, and its quality is comparable to that of mine."

The only drawback is that it contains the spiritual energy of metal, making the flame impure and requiring distraction to remove, which increases the consumption of the refiner's spiritual sense and magical power.

It's tolerable when crafting magical artifacts, but it will definitely severely impact efficiency when crafting spiritual artifacts.

If it weren't for this drawback, this place would have been chosen as a cave dwelling by weapon refiners or alchemists long ago.

The second-order seeds were half again as large as the highest-order seeds, their entire bodies a fiery red, radiating spiritual light.

Ji An examined it carefully and found that the gourd, which was so big, had only produced seven mature seeds; the rest were shriveled.

Ji An squeezed it and found that the shriveled seeds were all empty.

"Junior brother, if you grow another second-tier gourd in the future, you must set one aside for me. I can exchange it for second-tier materials."

Zhao Lei laughed and said that he really liked collecting magical artifacts with unique uses, and the Purple Fire Gourd, which was of spiritual quality, had a place on his list.

"I've noted it down, senior brother, please wait patiently."

Ji An was very confident that if he could grow it the first time, he could grow it the second time.

The two walked out of the cave, and Zhao Lei cupped his hands in greeting:

"Junior brother, I am eager to return home, so I will not go down the mountain to say goodbye to Junior Brother Zhang and the others."

Once the crafting plan for the magical artifact is finalized, I will immediately inform my junior brother. Farewell.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior brother."

Zhao Lei summoned his flying shuttle and fled in a great hurry.

Ji An returned to the cold pool and said apologetically:

"I've kept my two junior brothers waiting."

Liang Qiu picked up a cup of spiritual tea and smiled:

"With top-quality spiritual tea to taste, the wait doesn't feel long at all."

Senior brother, what kind of spiritual tea is this?

The taste is very unique; I've never experienced anything like it before.

He had spent many years on Crimson Flame Peak, and it could be said that he had tasted almost every kind of spiritual tea available there.

"I obtained a seed of the Youyue Cangyu Tree from Senior Brother Liu Yu."

We discovered that brewing fresh tea leaves together with other spirit teas not only preserves the original flavor of the spirit tea but also adds a unique taste.

Ji An explained that the only drawback was that it took more than half a year of cultivation for the tea trees to barely reach the first-grade medium quality.

Even so, the situation is much better than with the Soul-Nourishing Wood.

The small black tree, which grows in a dark environment and only likes moonlight, is not only of the lowest grade but also doesn't grow tall.

It was only 1.7 feet tall with a few sparse leaves, which displeased Ji An, who was used to seeing lush and verdant spiritual trees.

The effects of the Azure Jade Tree of the Moon are gradually becoming apparent, but the cultivation of the Soul-Nourishing Wood still has a long way to go.

He sat down and asked:

"Junior Brother Zhang, do you know how to craft magical artifacts like water-repelling beads and fire-repelling beads?"

These practical auxiliary magical artifacts are what he lacks, and he needs to keep a few on hand.

"Yes, this is a magic artifact of the precious pearl type, and the refining method is relatively simple."

"Please help me refine these two kinds of pearls, one of each. How many spirit stones will it cost?"

"What quality do you want, senior brother? A top-grade one will be enough for many years."

Each activation of a precious pearl-type magical artifact causes extremely minor wear and tear on the magical restrictions.

If these kinds of ritual implements are used frequently, they need to be maintained regularly; otherwise, they can easily suffer irreparable damage, affecting their lifespan.

"Then let's choose a high-grade magic weapon."

Ji An had plenty of spirit stones, so of course he wanted to buy something durable.

Three hundred spirit stones will suffice.

Zhang Yuanshan quoted a cost price and then said:

"Senior brother, how many of your Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo plants have reached the top grade? I would like to purchase some bamboo leaves."

When he was on a mission in the Immortal City of Mingfeng Mountain, he noticed that flying swords were the magical artifacts that wore out the fastest.

Adding some sword bamboo leaves to nourish the artifact would make a big difference, increasing both its sharpness and resilience.

The leaves of the Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo cultivated by the sect are harvested and delivered to the Diligent Work Hall. Within a few hours, they can be exchanged by the weapon refiners, so he can only manage to get a few.

Zhang Yuanshan wanted to stockpile some, so that he could use them himself or trade them later.

"I currently have thirty-six top-grade sword bamboo plants. Because bamboo leaves can be preserved for a long time, I keep some for myself each time I sell them. How many do you want?"

Ji An not only had more and more spirit stones, but also a wider variety of resources.

"Of course, the more the better. What's the price?"

"One pound of top-grade golden leaves costs fifty spirit stones."

The leaves are relatively light, and each sword bamboo plant can only harvest about half a pound of leaves per month. Over-harvesting will affect the growth of the spiritual plant.

Only the highest grade or above golden leaves have any use. The sword bamboo brings him about 12,000 spirit stones a year, and it is increasing year by year.

However, sword bamboo has higher requirements for spiritual fields, and each spiritual tree occupies much more space than copper-patterned mulberry.

Ji An felt that the situation at Crimson Flame Peak was very similar to a classic mathematical problem from his previous life.

There is a piece of farmland where crop 1 and crop 2 are planted at different densities and have different values. The question is: how much of each crop should be planted to maximize profit?

"Then give me fifty catties first. Do you have that much in stock?"

Zhang Yuanshan asked, "This price is fair; it's only slightly more expensive than the sect's exchange rate."

Ji An grinned and said:

“Junior brother is quite decisive. No problem, I can provide it.”

He turned to the maid and instructed her:

"Yuhan, go to the warehouse and bring me the top-grade gold leaf and weighing tools."

Zhang Yuanshan's face lit up with joy; fifty catties of gold leaf would last him a long time.

Xia Yuhan brought the items over and weighed them; they weighed fifty jin.

Ji An then grabbed a small handful of gold leaves and added them as a topping, saying:

"Junior brother, there's one more thing I need your help with."

"You've come into contact with quite a few cultivators. If you can acquire any Xuanhuang Soil, please set aside some for me."

Now, when he cultivates his techniques, the speed at which he refines spiritual objects is getting faster and faster, and the sect's secret vault may not be able to meet his needs.

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said:

“When I was in Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City, I obtained a lot of Xuanhuang Soil, and now I can share half a jin with my senior brother.”

(End of this chapter)