Chapter 8: Middle Stage Qi Refining (Major Revision)

No sooner said than done. Chi Yixuan decisively unlocked the Yellow-grade Artifact Refining Workshop.

The Yellow-grade Artifact Refining Workshop has been unlocked. Please select a construction location.

Without even thinking, Chi Yixuan chose a spot not far from Sea of Suffering Path. This was his biggest asset right now. Choosing this place meant no one would dare approach it casually.

Build now?

Chi Yixuan thought for a moment. “Wait until daybreak! Otherwise we’ll wake everyone up.”

He remembered that building houses in the game came with sound effects, and they were quite noisy. Right now, every single person was his precious points. If one was lost, he would have to make up for it again. Back and forth, that would be equivalent to losing two points. What a terrible deal.

After doing all that, he finally felt tired. Before falling asleep, he opened the window and glanced outside. A crescent moon hung in the middle of the sky, and the valley was lit half-bright and half-dark by moonlight like silver frost. The odd-job workers were clever enough to guard the mouth of the valley as they slept, while the slaves huddled together in groups, clearly lacking any sense of security.

“I live in a detached little villa while my subjects use the earth as their bed and the sky as their blanket. Isn’t this, in its own way, a kind of romance?”

Are you covering up the guilt in your heart?

“Shut up, you overly clever support AI!”

Understood.

Late at night, after tossing and turning in bed for a while, Chi Yixuan could not help asking again, “Is it cold outside? My points won’t freeze, right?”

Please rest assured. According to my observations, the average nighttime temperature is only two degrees lower than daytime. Their bodies are also stronger than you imagine.

“That’s true. After all, they’re mortals from the immortal cultivation world.”

Chi Yixuan rolled himself up in his blanket and finally slept soundly.

That night, he was probably the only one who slept soundly.

Among the pile of slaves, a youth opened his eyes and quietly looked toward the mouth of the valley. Seeing the odd-job workers stationed there, he could not help curling his lip. “They said they were freeing us, but they still found people to guard us and stop us from leaving. Bah. Sure enough, he’s no good!”

“Wutong, keep your voice down!” A girl beside him covered his mouth. “Careful they hear you.”

Wutong looked at the girl, his eyes shining. “We’ll find a chance to run. I’ll take you to my home. There are lots of brothers and sisters there, and you won’t be bullied anymore!”

The girl nodded and agreed, but she did not really take it to heart. For slaves without any status like them, where could they go without being sold again? She felt staying here was quite good. At least that cultivator who could make houses appear did not seem to plan on killing them.

In the girl’s heart, the best fate she could imagine for herself right now was becoming a cleaning maid for a cultivator, having food to eat and clothes to wear every day, and living to adulthood. That alone would satisfy her.

The girl had already fallen asleep, but Wutong did not sleep all night. He stayed on guard, staring at that building, refusing from the bottom of his heart to believe that the cultivator would be kind enough to save people.

But after watching all night until dark circles formed under his eyes, he still did not see that cultivator do anything unusual. Could he be planning to wait a few days before making his move?

When dawn was about to break, Wutong finally could not resist his sleepiness. His eyelids drooped, and he was just about to fall asleep when, in the next instant, a rumbling noise startled him badly. He scrambled to his feet and stared in the direction the sound was coming from, his eyes widening.

He saw a cloud of earthy yellow smoke rise near the exit of Sea of Suffering Path. Through the smoke, he could hear clanging and rumbling from within, and he could vaguely see long, strip-like things that looked like pieces of wood moving back and forth.

Of course, this commotion woke everyone else as well. The slaves climbed to their feet with nervous expressions. When the smoke dispersed, they discovered in astonishment that a large building had appeared there. The roof and walls were all made of wood, gleaming faintly beneath the sunlight.

By then, Chi Yixuan had already brought Guo Qianshan and the others to tour his newly built Artifact Refining Workshop.

The Yellow-grade Artifact Refining Workshop was about eighty to ninety square meters. The outer room had a counter and shelves, while the inner room contained a very large artifact-refining furnace. It had to be powered by spirit stones. Once metal ores and other items were placed inside the furnace, their grade could be raised by at least one level through tempering within an hour. For example, an ungraded item would become a yellow-grade low-grade item after coming out, while a yellow-grade low-grade item would become high-grade after coming out. Of course, the raw materials had to at least be close to yellow-grade. Otherwise, what came out would still be ordinary ungraded objects.

At the same time, the artifact-refining furnace needed spirit stones to power its spiritual flame. Fortunately, the Yellow-grade Artifact Refining Workshop did not consume much. One low-grade spirit stone could last a month.

This was the first time Guo Qianshan and the others had ever seen an artifact-refining furnace, and each of them was so excited their eyes shone.

Chi Yixuan took the opportunity to assign them a task, telling them to go to the Mystic Armored Beetle nest fifty li away to kill beetles and gather artifact-refining materials.

As for gathering materials, he had actually thought about going himself last night. After all, he really could gain experience from fighting monsters! But he soon shook his head and discarded the idea.

He needed one thousand points to rise to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, yet killing one monster at the fourth layer of Qi Refining only gave one hundred points. This huge disparity showed that the game fundamentally did not encourage players to obtain points through grinding monsters.

Besides, he was not really playing a game right now. The threat of Strange Treasure Hall was right in front of him. One wrong move, and he could actually lose his life! The profits from fighting monsters were too low. It wasted time and was not worth it.

Even if there were no threat to his life, running off to fight monsters himself would still be unwise. Although his Zhaoge had only just begun, he had more than two hundred people under him. What leader with people under him would still laboriously go to the front lines himself? Moreover, he currently had no real combat experience at all and relied entirely on Shadow Guards to prop up his image. Each summoning only lasted thirty minutes, too. If some accident happened while fighting, and he ended up in a sorry state with his persona collapsing, these odd-job workers might run off the very next second.

Therefore, he decided to make full use of the people he could use, while he himself stayed in the rear and oversaw the overall situation.

“There are quite a few cacti growing in that area. The Mystic Armored Beetle nest is under the largest cactus. When the time comes, bring the beetle corpses back and have people strip off the shells and put them into the artifact-refining furnace.”

Chi Yixuan mused, then said, “Bring back more cacti too.”

Although cactus flesh did not suit human tastes, it was rich in juice and quite suitable for quenching thirst and filling the stomach. But that created another problem. When people ate their fill, they needed to relieve themselves, and this valley did not yet have a cleaning system. But Chi Yixuan still wanted people to work for him and create points, so he could not act like the previous steward, dissolving one fasting pill into a huge pot of water and giving everyone a bowl. That could only keep people barely alive and prevent them from running away. They would not be able to do any physical work at all.

What should he do? He really did not want his base to stink everywhere.

As Chi Yixuan thought, he continued arranging work for his subordinates. “If you run into a merchant caravan on the road, tell them that this place sells yellow-grade materials long-term, and have them trade grain, water, or silver for them.” He would not count on spirit stones. Spirit stones were strictly controlled in this world and only circulated among cultivators.

At first, Guo Qianshan and the others had only been obediently listening to instructions. But when they heard that last sentence, their expressions changed. Guo Qianshan asked carefully, “Does the owner wish to remain here long-term?”

Chi Yixuan glanced sideways at him. “What else? Am I supposed to throw all these people here and ignore them?” This was his base, his points, the source of his power. He could throw away anything, but he absolutely could not throw away his points.

Hearing this, Guo Qianshan and the others felt their eyes faintly grow warm. In their hearts, they all knew that they were merely a group of mortals and were of no real use to an immortal master. But not only was he willing to shelter them, not only had he given them guidance, now he had even set up an Artifact Refining Workshop and pointed out a livelihood for them.

Such painstaking thoroughness—perhaps even their own parents could do no more than this.

All the odd-job workers immediately answered in unison, without the slightest hesitation or slackness. Very soon, they packed their things, mounted fast horses, and set out.

After they left, Chi Yixuan did not immediately come out of the Artifact Refining Workshop. Instead, he stood directly beside the artifact-refining furnace and had his life-bound artifact switch perspectives, beginning to spy from the shadows.

As mentioned before, he now did not stint on guessing everyone here with the greatest malice. Yesterday, he had saved them and promised to provide shelter. He could tell that their gratitude at the time was real, but people’s hearts were easily changed. A night had passed. How could he know whether these people’s thoughts had changed?

If these people rode off on the horses, or if they went out to inform on him in order to curry favor with Strange Treasure Hall, then he would have to harden his heart and activate Skill Three to leave their lives here. His base was still in its baby sprout stage. He would not allow these people to leak his information ahead of time.

Unexpectedly, these people really did head in the direction he had indicated from beginning to end, and none of the bad things he had imagined happened.

“How strange. Yesterday was understandable. After all, in their eyes, I’m a cultivator and can run away at any moment, while they can’t. Strange Treasure Hall would count the stewards’ deaths on their heads, so they begged me for shelter. But today, I clearly stated that I intend to stay here, yet they actually didn’t change their minds.” Chi Yixuan did not think everyone would repay kindness with enmity, but the probability of one or two bad eggs appearing among the ten people sent out to fight beetles was still pretty high. He had even prepared for someone to betray him, so he could activate Skill Three and intimidate everyone, but in the end, nothing happened.

The life-bound artifact’s tone was gentle. Perhaps they are deeply grateful to you.

Chi Yixuan stroked his chin. “You’re just a newly born artifact spirit. You underestimate the complexity and wickedness of the human heart. Have you heard the story of the farmer and the snake?”

Life-bound artifact: …

Still, no one betraying him was a good thing. Chi Yixuan stopped paying attention and only told the life-bound artifact to monitor them and report at any time if something happened.

Next, he ordered the twenty odd-job workers outside to put on a good act today and fool the team from Strange Treasure Hall transporting the human sacrifices.

He placed great hopes on those who had not yet awakened life-bound artifacts. After all, they had not the slightest capital to run away with. Chi Yixuan patted the burliest young man leading them on the shoulder. “Do your best. I have high hopes for you.”

This sturdy young man was named Qiu Ping’an. Merely being patted on the shoulder by the immortal master made him feel as if he had received a supreme honor. He was so moved that his body trembled slightly, and he answered loudly, “Yes.”

Mother, from now on, I’ll never wash this half of my shoulder when I bathe!

The other odd-job workers looked at him with some envy.

When the hour arrived, the team responsible for transporting the human sacrifices came.

The leader of the team was also a minor steward. Riding a horse, he stopped from afar and did not dare approach the valley, so he also did not notice that the horses were gone from the previous prison carts. He only looked sidelong at Qiu Ping’an and asked, “Where are Steward Wang and the others?”

Qiu Ping’an did not dare raise his head. His body trembled nervously as he stammered, “They… they’re in the valley.”

At the mention of the valley, fear flashed across the steward’s face, and he forced a dry laugh. “Those two really are bold.” He showed not the slightest intention of approaching the valley to check. Seeing Qiu Ping’an’s trembling body, he only assumed the boy was afraid, laughed once at his small courage, and had them unload the prison cages from the carts.

They also left behind some of the prison carts. After all, human sacrifices were not worth money, but the prison cages were still worth a bit. Once the sacrifice was complete, they still had to haul the cages back.

The matter went unusually smoothly. Very soon, the team transporting the human sacrifices returned the way they had come. After all, Sea of Suffering Path required a sacrifice every year. They were already accustomed to the process and did not think anything could possibly happen.

Chi Yixuan stayed in his room, using the game panel to adjust the map and enlarge the view as he watched the entire process. He let out a satisfied breath. The first hurdle was finally passed.

Next, the odd-job workers released the slaves from the prison cages and announced their affiliation just as before.

This time, Chi Yixuan observed carefully and found that not every person accepted it willingly. Some still looked numb. Some wept with joy because they no longer had to be sacrificed. Others showed vigilance toward the odd-job workers expressing kindness…

But as long as they did not clearly object, or as long as they accepted when the odd-job workers handed over food and water, the game would judge that they had become subjects of Zhaoge, successfully adding points to his account.

From this, Chi Yixuan learned that this game had more room for manipulation than he had imagined.

He finally felt at ease and switched the perspective to Guo Qianshan’s side. The life-bound artifact’s scouting range was currently a radius of one hundred li. Although he did not yet count as a cultivator, with the help of his strange life-bound artifact, it was equivalent to possessing the effects of divine sense.

At this moment, Guo Qianshan and the others had already ridden fifty li away and found the Mystic Armored Beetle nest.

The first thing Chi Yixuan saw was a stretch of cacti growing across the wasteland, looking fuzzy under the sunlight.

“They look kind of nice to touch!”

Their fine spines are densely covered in barbs. If you reach out to pull them off, you will easily get scratched, the life-bound artifact explained.

Chi Yixuan could not help being amazed. “Is this to guard against people like me who enjoy plucking spines? Plants in nature really are smart!” His tone carried admiration. Then he saw the saguaro in the wasteland. The saguaro was a type of cactus famous for being especially tall.

A wasteland was not a desert. Drought-resistant plants could still grow there. Chi Yixuan compared the saguaro with Guo Qianshan and the others’ heights and found that this saguaro was about five meters tall, its stems curving like a giant standing with hands on hips.

It has a cooperative relationship with the Mystic Armored Beetles. When night falls, it opens its pores to breathe and allows the Mystic Armored Beetles to insert their mouthparts and suck the water it has stored to quench their thirst. In return, when it is attacked, the Mystic Armored Beetles rush out and tear the attacker’s flesh and blood apart to eat them.

As the life-bound artifact explained, Guo Qianshan and the others in the scene had already begun attacking that saguaro.

Naturally, this commotion woke the Mystic Armored Beetles hibernating beneath the surface. A buzzing noise sounded as swarms of Mystic Armored Beetles charged out from underground. Each one was as large as an adult’s arm, with jet-black shells that shone brightly. When they rushed over in a dark mass, the sight made one’s heart jump.

Guo Qianshan shouted and summoned his life-bound artifact, Ghost-Slaying Saber, before charging forward. The other odd-job workers also pulled out the blades and clubs they had prepared and rushed in.

The result was a little… unbearable to look at.

Aside from Guo Qianshan, who killed several Mystic Armored Beetles, the other nine odd-job workers fumbled around for ages before barely managing to kill one. This was very normal. After all, their life-bound artifacts were not combat types, and they themselves did not seem to have any real combat experience.

What disappointed Chi Yixuan was that when they killed Mystic Armored Beetles at the first layer of Qi Refining, he did not receive any points reward. This meant the idea of having subordinates fight monsters for him to earn points would not work.

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