To avoid being 'retained' by Manager Wang for Artifact Refining, Li Mu did not appear as 'Master Li', nor did he use his identity as an Outer Sect Disciple of the Qingxuan Sect.
In a deserted place, he changed into a black robe, put on the Linglong Mask, and silently activated the max-level Reversal Yuan Breath Concealment Art, disguising himself as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an ordinary appearance.
With his Qi Refining thirteenth-layer cultivation, Li Mu easily feigned the Spiritual Pressure of a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The Five Elements spiritual items required for cultivating the Yin Yang Five Elements Scripture, the higher the Rank, the better. Li Mu happened to have a piece of Rank 4 - soil breath black earth on hand; if all four other Five Elements spiritual items were also Rank 4, it would be too difficult. Using Rank 3 Five Elements spiritual items would be much easier.
Wanbao Pavilion's Artifact Refining warehouse had quite a few Rank 3 Artifact Refining spiritual items in stock.
Even lower-grade ordinary Five Elements Materials could be used, but the more Advanced the Five Elements spiritual items, the higher the quality of the Five Elements Yuan Spirits they contained, the better the auxiliary Cultivation effect, and the more solid the Foundation laid. Therefore, Li Mu was unwilling to easily decide which Five Elements spiritual items to use for auxiliary Cultivation.
Li Mu decided to continue relying on Wanbao Pavilion's channels to acquire Advanced Five Elements spiritual items and lay a solid Foundation Establishment Foundation.
As for seeking Five Elements spiritual items for Foundation Establishment from the Sect Elder, Li Mu never even considered it.
Free things are the most expensive in the world; their price is often already marked in one's destiny. After obtaining the Qi Refining chapter of the Yin Yang Five Elements Scripture, Li Mu no longer wanted to be involved with True Monarch Qingwen of the Sect.
After confirming that his disguise was flawless, Li Mu walked alone towards Wanbao Pavilion.
"Senior, welcome to Wanbao Pavilion!"
Seeing Li Mu's arrival, the four young female Cultivators standing at the entrance, greeting guests, all bowed in unison to welcome him.
Li Mu strode into Wanbao Pavilion, and a female Cultivator in a yellow dress immediately stepped forward from the counter, greeting him warmly.
"Senior, welcome to Wanbao Pavilion. What spiritual items do you need? This humble one, Tang Yueru, can introduce them to Senior." The female Cultivator in the yellow dress bowed gracefully to Li Mu and asked respectfully.
"Hmm! Do you have any spirit wood? I want to buy a batch of spirit wood for refining Puppets!" Li Mu did not directly purchase Advanced Five Elements spiritual items, intending to buy a batch of spirit wood first.
"Senior, are Rank 2 spirit pine wood and spirit peach wood acceptable? For refining Puppets, Rank 2 spirit peach wood is best. Our store has a batch of century-old spirit peach wood in stock, and the quality is excellent." Tang Yueru indicated.
"Hmm, do you have any higher Rank spirit wood?" Li Mu frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied.
Previously, the Battle Puppet refined with spirit peach wood had an insufficient and fragile body, and it was largely destroyed by a Foundation Establishment demonic Cultivator.
Fortunately, the Battle Puppet's core, the Puppet Core, was not damaged. As long as he purchased another batch of spirit wood and carved a Puppet body, the Battle Puppet could be restored.
The Puppet Core, refined from Rank 3 ancient banyan wood core, was perfectly suited for a Puppet body refined from Rank 3 spirit wood. If there was better spirit wood to match, refining it into a Foundation Establishment realm Battle Puppet would be effortless.
"Senior, Wanbao Pavilion gathers all treasures under heaven. If you have enough Spirit Stones, we can find any Spirit Treasure for you. However, Advanced spirit wood takes a long time and effort to grow and Cultivate. The higher the Rank of the spirit wood, the more extraordinary its value. For example: Rank 3 blood iron wood, Rank 3 spirit-containing wood, Rank 4 soul wood, and rank 5 star wood can all be procured for Senior." Tang Yueru looked at Li Mu and introduced with a smile.
"Oh! How much is Rank 3 blood iron wood? How much is Rank 4 soul wood per square? And what is the price of rank 5 star wood?" Li Mu was immediately tempted and asked with concern.
"Rank 3 blood iron wood needs to be transferred from the Blood Dragon City branch. Due to the long distance, the minimum order is 50 square meters, at 120 medium spirit stones per square. Rank 4 soul wood needs to be transferred from Taiyin City, and the journey is more perilous. One square is 500 medium spirit stones, with a minimum order of 20 square meters. As for rank 5 star wood, the price will certainly be higher than this, at over 1000 medium spirit stones per square. Senior, if you wish to order such Advanced spirit wood, you will need to verify your funds first." Tang Yueru looked at Li Mu and indicated.
Hearing this, Li Mu fell silent for a moment. If he bought both types of spirit wood, he would not have enough Spirit Stones to purchase Five Elements spiritual items.
Because of his identity as 'Master Li', an Artifact Refining Great Master, Li Mu had not discussed anything other than Artifact Refining with Manager Wang. The auxiliary Cultivation Materials, Puppets, and Talisman Dao he requested from him were all unrelated.
This time, disguised as a Foundation Establishment customer, after a detailed discussion, Li Mu realized that Wanbao Pavilion's capabilities were not as simple as he had imagined.
Let's talk about this Rank 4 soul wood later! Li Mu quickly made a decision.
"Senior, which type of spirit wood do you need? If you buy spirit peach wood, the store has it in stock right now, and it's the Red Moon Peach Wood, which is most suitable for refining Puppets. It takes 150 years to mature, and the quality is excellent. One square only costs 5 medium spirit stones." Tang Yueru looked at Li Mu and introduced.
"How long will it take for a batch of blood iron wood to arrive?" Li Mu frowned and asked with concern.
"It will take about three months! Senior, do you want to order?" Tang Yueru's spirits lifted, and she asked with concern.
Li Mu thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Order a batch! Also, get 100 square meters of spirit peach wood. In addition, does your esteemed pavilion have Advanced wood marrow? Preferably Rank 3 or above spirit wood marrow."
Spirit wood is used for refining Puppet bodies, while wood marrow is used to aid the Cultivation of the Yin Yang Five Elements Scripture. Their functions are different.
"Yes, yes! Is Rank 3 Kui Wood Spirit Marrow acceptable? We also have Rank 4 Cang Wood Spirit Marrow, but it will take some time to procure." Tang Yueru nodded repeatedly, introducing excitedly.
"How much do the two spirit marrows cost? How long will it take to procure the Cang Wood Spirit Marrow?" Li Mu asked.
"Rank 3 Kui Wood Spirit Marrow is 300 medium spirit stones per tael. Cang Wood Spirit Marrow is 1200 medium spirit stones per tael, with a minimum order of one catty. It needs to be shipped by sea and is estimated to take 4 months." Tang Yueru quickly explained.
Li Mu frowned. If there was Advanced spirit marrow, he would naturally choose the Advanced one. However, if he simultaneously ordered blood iron wood and Cang Wood Spirit Marrow, he wouldn't have enough Spirit Stones!
"How much deposit is required for the order?" Li Mu's heart stirred, and he looked at Tang Yueru and asked.
"Only a 10% deposit is needed!" Tang Yueru quickly replied.
"Good, help me order three catties of Cang Wood Spirit Marrow and one hundred square meters of blood iron wood." Li Mu decisively made the decision.
"Thank you, thank you for your patronage, Senior! You will need to pay a total deposit of 5700 medium spirit stones and 500 medium spirit stones for the spirit peach wood." Tang Yueru's face flushed, and she excitedly thanked Li Mu repeatedly, calculating the bill.
With this business, she wouldn't have to worry about this year's performance!
Li Mu smiled, took out his Spirit Stone Storage Pouch, paid the bill, and received two order contracts from Tang Yueru.
The contract stipulated the rights and obligations of both parties. If the final payment was not made by the deadline, the deposit would belong to Wanbao Pavilion. Of course, if Wanbao Pavilion failed to deliver the goods by the deadline, it would also compensate Li Mu with a sum of Spirit Stones.
Truly, Wanbao Pavilion earns Spirit Stones, Wanbao Pavilion spends them; don't even think about taking a single Spirit Stone home!
After paying the deposit, there was still a large balance to pay. Next, he would have to work as Master Li at Wanbao Pavilion to earn Spirit Stones.
However, for the upcoming fire-element spiritual items and water-element spiritual items, he could ask Manager Wang for help in finding them. Continuing to order from Wanbao Pavilion, Li Mu's heart couldn't quite take it.
After Li Mu settled the Spirit Stones, he followed Tang Yueru to the warehouse to collect 100 square meters of spirit peach wood into his Storage Pouch, then left Wanbao Pavilion.
Not long after, Li Mu changed his attire, the Linglong Mask changed his face, his aura was slightly adjusted, and his figure appeared in front of Wanbao Pavilion.
"Master Li, you're back!"
"Master Li, please wait a moment, I'll go inform Manager Wang!"
"Master Li, congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment!"
"Master Li, congratulations! Manager Wang has been thinking about you every day!"
The four welcoming female Cultivators at the entrance immediately became excited when they saw Li Mu. One ran to inform Manager Wang, while the others crowded around, greeting him warmly, their delicate bodies unconsciously leaning against him.
Soon, a hurried footsteps sounded, and Wang Wenbao's plump figure rushed eagerly to Li Mu, a brilliant smile on his face, greeting him warmly: "Master Li, it's good you're back, it's good you're back."
"Master Li, you've already reached Foundation Establishment! Congratulations, congratulations! This is my congratulatory gift for your Foundation Establishment, please accept it!" Sensing the powerful Foundation Establishment Spiritual Pressure on Li Mu, Wang Wenbao quickly took out a jade box from his Storage Pouch, offering it with both hands, congratulating him.
Li Mu fixed his gaze, and his eyes immediately couldn't move away.
"Manager Wang, this gift of yours is too valuable. You must have put a lot of thought into it!" Li Mu looked at the item in the jade box, then looked up at Wang Wenbao in surprise. He hadn't expected the usually 'stingy' Manager Wang to be so generous today, giving him such a grand gift upon meeting.
If Wang Wenbao knew Li Mu's evaluation of him, he would definitely cry foul. Heaven knows how much effort and financial resources Wang Wenbao had spent to please Li Mu, sending boats, sending Materials, and various auxiliary Cultivation spiritual items.
If it weren't for considering the feelings of the other several Artifact Refining Guest Elders, Wang Wenbao would have loved to enshrine Li Mu, giving him whatever he wanted, as long as he stayed in Wanbao Pavilion and refined Artifacts.
【magic realm spirit orb】
【Rank: Rank 5 spiritual item】
【Characteristics: Ten Thousand Zhang Space, Nine Paths of Concealment, Undetectable Illusory Breath】
【The magic realm spirit orb produced by a Rank 5 Nine-Turn Illusory Spirit Clam refining a space boundary stone. Its spiritual paths naturally form nine routes, creating a Ten Thousand Zhang Space. It is one of the top-grade Materials for refining large-scale Storage Spiritual Artifacts.】
Li Mu gazed at the milky white treasure pearl in the jade box. Under his Heavenly Talent - Identifying Myriad Spirits, the virtual character frame immediately displayed the detailed information of the spirit orb.
"Haha! I heard Master Li likes to collect rare spiritual items. This space boundary stone has been in my possession for some time, and I haven't found a suitable person to refine it. Today is perfect, so I'll give it to Master Li as a Foundation Establishment congratulatory gift." Wang Wenbao laughed heartily and introduced.
"Manager Wang is too polite. It is truly Li's honor to serve as an Artifact Refining Guest Elder in Wanbao Pavilion. I genuinely like this pearl, so I will shamelessly accept it!" Li Mu looked at Manager Wang with a half-smile, pondered for a moment, then reached out and took the jade box.
Wang Wenbao's words had a hidden meaning. Giving him such a valuable gift today was not without a price; it was hoping that he would give him a promise!
Wang Wenbao was clearly displeased that Li Mu had successively brought out three High Grade Rank 3 Spiritual Artifacts for trade with other Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment trade fair. This was because, during his long tenure as an Artifact Refining Guest Elder at Wanbao Pavilion, the Spiritual Artifacts he had refined were only High Grade Rank 3 Spiritual Artifacts, one Rank below top-grade.
Today, Wang Wenbao gave him this expensive gift with two purposes: first, that he should no longer hold back in Artifact Refining in the future, and second, that the Spiritual Artifacts he refined should continue to be cooperated with Wanbao Pavilion, and not be traded with other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, which would disrupt the pricing of Spiritual Artifacts.
Li Mu understood the deeper meaning in Wang Wenbao's words. He accepted the item with a smile, giving him a clear answer: during his tenure as an Artifact Refining Guest Elder at Wanbao Pavilion, he would abide by the Guest Elder agreement, which was considered agreeing to this request.
The entrance wasn't a good place to talk. Under Manager Wang's enthusiastic lead, the two went to the reception room and closed the door to discuss.
"I wonder, Master Li, how long will you be staying this time?" The two sat down in the reception room, and Wang Wenbao looked at Li Mu, asking impatiently.
"I'll be staying for a longer period this time. However, Li needs to find two Advanced spirit fires and spirit waters for refining a Spiritual Artifact. I hope Manager Wang can help me search for them." Li Mu responded with a smile.
Hearing this, Wang Wenbao was overjoyed. If Li Mu stayed in Gangyang City for a few more days, the space boundary stone he had just given away might even be earned back. This gift was given at the perfect time.
"No problem, I know a place where there is spirit fire. About seven hundred Li outside Gangyang City, there's Tianhao Volcano, which contains a Crimson Flame Spirit Fire. However, this spirit fire is Rank 4 and hidden within the volcanic magma. It's also the habitat of several Rank 3 fire lizards, making it extremely difficult to obtain. At that time, we might need to ask a Golden Core Immortal Master to take action." Manager Wang looked at Li Mu and introduced.
After a moment of contemplation, Manager Wang continued, "As for spirit water! I wonder if Rank 3 Earth Vein True Water is enough! Daoist Ling should still have some in stock! If you need it, I'll go get it for you right away."
"Do you have Rank 4 spirit water? Earth Vein True Water might not be enough." Li Mu frowned, asking with dissatisfaction.
He already had a piece of Rank 4 - soil breath black earth, and in four months, the Cang Wood Spirit Marrow he ordered from Wanbao Pavilion would also arrive. The Crimson Flame Spirit Fire also had a lead. Now, he only lacked spirit water and a Rank 4 gold-element spiritual item.
Hmm!
Wanbao Pavilion's Artifact Refining warehouse seemed to have some stock. If not, he would just change his identity and continue to order from Wanbao Pavilion.
Wanbao Pavilion was too strong a backing. With its help, Li Mu could easily obtain resources that were difficult to acquire elsewhere. With this channel, he naturally had to exploit it vigorously. Only a fool would go adventuring everywhere to gain resources.
"Master Li, if you're not in a hurry, I'll find a way to transfer goods from other places!" Wang Wenbao pondered for a moment and indicated.
"It's best if they can be gathered within three to four months. Also, I don't want to live within the city. Manager Wang, can you help me find a spiritual land nearby with Spiritual Fields? If I need to refine Artifacts, just send someone to find me." Li Mu looked at Wang Wenbao and then suggested.
Is Master Li planning to stay for a long time?
Hearing Master Li's request, Wang Wenbao was overjoyed and nodded readily: "No problem! I wonder, Master Li, how large a spiritual land do you need? I will do my best to find it for you, and I will definitely satisfy you."
"As long as there are more Spiritual Fields, that's fine. A hundred mu of Low Grade Spiritual Fields, or even dozens of mu if not. As long as there are more Spiritual Fields, the Spiritual Vein doesn't have too high a requirement." Li Mu smiled slightly and replied.
Hearing this, Wang Wenbao was slightly stunned, not expecting Master Li to make such a peculiar request.
Wang Wenbao asked curiously, "Master Li, do you like farming?"
"Yes! It's a special hobby of mine outside of Artifact Refining. I enjoy planting spiritual flowers and Spiritual Plants to Cultivate my sentiments. The more I plant, the happier I am." Li Mu smiled awkwardly.
"Good, good! What a good hobby! So good! I'll have someone search for you right away. We will definitely find a spiritual land with a large number of Spiritual Fields." Wang Wenbao nodded repeatedly with joy.
The other Artifact Refining Guest Elders in Wanbao Pavilion were either fond of women, or fond of Cultivation, or fond of raising Spirit Beasts... To cater to their preferences, various resources needed to be continuously supplied, and large sums of Spirit Stones flowed like a gushing river!
What other hobby could save more Spirit Stones than farming? Master Li's hobby was truly hassle-free!