Chapter 59: Improving in the Three Arts, Prospering in the Secluded Pavilion
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The news of the Black Wind Mountains mission was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples through Ye Li's heart. She knew full well that this was likely the beginning of a conspiracy against her. However, in the face of absolute strength, schemes and tricks were nothing but rubbish. Her top priority was to continue improving her own strength and solidifying the foundation of Youge.
Strength is reflected not only in cultivation and combat prowess, but also in resource accumulation and logistical support. In her previous life as Li Zun, while she wasn't specialized in "minor areas" like alchemy, weapons, talismans, and formations, her vision and insight far surpassed those of ordinary people, and she deeply understood the importance of these secondary duties in the path of cultivation. Now, with the sect's resources allocated to her and the sporadic yet insightful guidance from the legacy of Xuanhuan Zun, it was the perfect opportunity to vigorously develop these secondary duties.
She turned her attention to the three most practical skills that could create value most quickly: alchemy, talisman making, and weapon refining.
Alchemy: Rebuilding the Foundation
Previously, Ye Li had mostly refined basic elixirs like the Quenching Pill and the Heart Purifying Pill. Now that her financial resources and horizons had changed, she decided to start by improving the quality of her elixirs and exploring higher-level elixirs.
With the authority of the Purple Gold Order, she exchanged a detailed "Illustrated Guide to Hundred Herbs" and several Xuan-level pill recipes from the second floor of the Sutra Library, including the "Ningmai Pill" which is suitable for cultivators in the Ningmai Realm to quickly improve their cultivation, and the "Rejuvenation Pill" which has excellent healing effects.
She didn't immediately begin refining the elixir. Instead, she spent a full seven days immersed in studying the "Illustrated Guide to the Hundred Herbs" and the elixir formula. The fragmentary insights into energy harmony and the principal, secondary, and auxiliary elements in Venerable Xuanhuan's legacy, combined with the detailed descriptions of medicinal properties in the "Illustrated Guide to the Hundred Herbs," allowed her to reach a new level of understanding of the medicinal properties of spiritual herbs. She even discovered several subtle flaws in the elixir formula, suggesting a less smooth flow of spiritual energy, and she began to mentally deduce optimization solutions.
After everything was ready, Ye Li opened an unused high-level underground fire alchemy room next to Mu Yun Jushi's cave. The underground fire surged fiercely, but she used her powerful spiritual sense to precisely control the temperature. Her movements were smooth and flowing, and her method of handling the medicinal materials was experienced beyond her age.
The first time she refined Vein-Condensing Pills, she produced three pills, all of them mid-grade. She wasn't satisfied, reflecting on the subtle deviations in her control of the heat and the integration of the medicinal power. The second time, she produced five pills, two of which were top-grade and three of which were mid-grade. The third time, she produced seven pills in one furnace, all of which were top-grade. The pills swirled, and the aroma of the medicinal herbs filled her nostrils!
If other alchemists saw this, they would surely drop their jaws in astonishment. Although the Vein-Condensing Pill was only of the lower Xuan rank, its success rate was so high, and its high-quality rate was astonishing. This required such precise control and a profound understanding of the medicinal properties!
Ye Li did not stop there and tried to refine a more complex rejuvenation pill. With her previous experience and the blessing of the Samsara Mirror on her understanding, she failed only once and successfully refined five high-grade rejuvenation pills in the second batch.
She kept most of the top-grade elixirs for her own use and storage, while handing over some of the mid-grade and a small amount of top-grade elixirs to Xia Zhihe through the secret channels established by Zhao Xiaoyi. Xia Zhihe, with her own impressive alchemy skills and the cover of her inner sect disciple status, could easily sell these elixirs within Yundan Peak or at familiar shops in the market, exchanging them for spirit stones or other necessary materials. These high-quality elixirs quickly gained popularity, bringing Youge its first stable income of spirit stones.
Talisman Making: Innovating
Ye Li had a much higher starting point when it came to talisman making. The Mysterious Ice Explosion Talisman and the Shadow Concealment Talisman she had previously refined were already incredibly powerful. Now that her cultivation had greatly advanced, her spiritual awareness had intensified, and her understanding of the Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger had deepened, she began experimenting with incorporating the "sealing" and "extreme cold" connotations of the finger technique into her own talismans.
This was a bold attempt. She repeatedly pondered the experience of Xuan Huan Zun on the construction of energy runes, combined with her own control over the power of extreme cold, and reconstructed the rune based on the ordinary Xuan Bing Rune.
She failed again and again, wasting countless talisman paper and spiritual ink. But she remained resolute and undaunted, carefully analyzing the reasons for each failure. Finally, after consuming dozens of materials, a brand new talisman was born from her pen—the "Ice Soul Sealing Talisman"!
Once activated, this talisman instantly releases a small icy force field. Enemies within range will be struck by the extreme cold, their speed greatly reduced, and more importantly, their spiritual energy will be significantly disrupted and blocked! While the effect is far inferior to the true "Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger", as a disposable consumable, it is enough to turn the tide of battle at a critical moment.
This Ice Soul Sealing Talisman, a second-grade, upper-grade item, possessed incredible power and was extremely difficult to craft. Even with Ye Li's current awareness and control, her success rate was only 30%. However, she was well aware of the talisman's value and designated it as a strategic reserve for Youge, not for sale. Only a small number were produced and distributed to core members like Lin Feng and Xia Zhihe for self-defense.
At the same time, she also optimized the drawing methods for several commonly used talismans she had previously mastered, increasing their success rate and power. These improved versions of Explosion Talismans and Divine Movement Talismans, through Sun Xiaohou's channels, quietly flowed into the black market or small auctions. Due to their outstanding effects and mysterious origins, they often fetched high prices, becoming another important source of income for Youge.
Equipment Refining: First Test
Weapon refining was Ye Li's relatively weak area, but it was an area she had to dabble in. Her short sword had long been damaged, and she urgently needed a suitable weapon. More importantly, the "Void Divine Crystal" inherited from the Xuanhuan Venerable was the perfect material for refining her own magical weapon, so she had to prepare it early.
She didn't aim too high, but instead started with the basics. Using her sect's contribution points, she exchanged for a large amount of basic refining materials and the refining diagram for a standard magical longsword. She rented a refining room next to the Earth Fire Room and began practicing with the simplest material purification and embryo forging.
Weapon refining consumes a triple burden of physical strength, spiritual energy, and divine consciousness, requiring an extremely high level of detail. Ye Li, relying on her strong foundation and exceptional learning ability, made rapid progress. In just two weeks, she was able to independently forge a high-quality magical longsword. Although only at the Yellow Rank level, she had already surpassed most weapon refining apprentices.
With this foundation, she began to experiment with forging a suitable weapon for herself. She chose materials like "cold iron" and "ice crystal stone," whose properties complemented her cultivation method. During the forging process, she attempted to infuse a trace of extreme cold spiritual energy into the sword's core. When carving the reinforcing runes, she drew on some of the concepts regarding stable spatial structures inherited from the Xuanhuan Venerable.
Seven days later, a long sword with a dark blue body, ice patterns on the sword body, and emitting a chilling cold air was produced - the "Xuanbing Sword", and its grade reached the lower level of the Xuan grade!
Although only a low-grade Xuan-grade sword, it perfectly matched Ye Li's performance, perfectly transmitting her extremely cold spiritual energy. Its power was comparable to that of an ordinary mid-grade Xuan-grade weapon. More importantly, this was the first decent work she had personally crafted, which was of great significance.
Gripping the cold hilt of the sword, Ye Li felt a sense of accomplishment. While the art of weapon refining was difficult, it gave her a more intuitive understanding of the properties of materials and the conduction of energy, laying a solid foundation for refining her own magical weapon.
The Quiet Growth of Youge
Ye Li's rapid progress in the three arts of elixir, talisman and weapon making has directly reflected on the operation of Youge.
Through Xia Zhihe and Sun Xiaohou's channels, Youge began to steadily export high-quality elixirs and uniquely effective talismans. While the volume was small, the profits were substantial. A portion of these resources was used to maintain Youge's operations (such as intelligence purchases and member cultivation resources), while a portion was exchanged for spirit stones or scarce materials, which were then fed back to Ye Li, supporting her cultivation and attempts at higher-level secondary positions.
Lin Feng used these funds to cautiously expand his intelligence network, not only within the Xuanyun Sect but also infiltrating several important markets surrounding the sect. The internal communication network that Zhao Xiaoyi was responsible for also became smoother and more secure.
Youge, a small group of only five people at the beginning, started to run slowly and steadily like a precise gear under the drive of Ye Li, the almighty core, quietly accumulating wealth and connections. Although it was still weak, it was full of vitality.
That day, Ye Li had just finished a round of talisman making, successfully drawing two Ice Soul Sealing Talismans. She rubbed her swollen brows and was about to take a moment to calm her breath when a message from Youge Ling arrived from Lin Feng. The content of the message made her eyes sharpen instantly:
"Pavilion Master, the Black Wind Mountains mission has been officially announced. It's a Class B, superior collaborative mission, requiring at least five inner disciples or one true disciple to lead the team. Gao Sheng has already accepted the mission from War Crazy Peak, and has joined forces with several disciples from the Weapon Hall and Wind Control Peak, creating a formidable team. Furthermore... from the Blue Water Pavilion, it's confirmed that Qin Yixuan will lead the team on this mission."
Ye Li put down the talisman pen, walked to the window, and looked towards the Black Wind Mountains.
Goldman Sachs had indeed made their move, and their team was quite impressive. Qin Yixuan's involvement made the mission even more complex and interesting.
A cold arc appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Retreating and practicing, refining skills, all for the purpose of attacking better. Since the storm is coming, let's take the initiative to meet it!
"Lin Feng, accept the Black Wind Mountains mission for me." She gave the order through Youge Order.
It's time to test the results of this period and meet those evil spirits hiding in the dark.
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