Yellow Court Daoist

Wen Guang had departed.

Lin Ye returned to the Alchemy Room, immersing himself in Alchemy research.

Lu Qingfeng sat cross-legged in his cave dwelling, a fist-sized black stone floating in front of him. He cast one Seal Technique after another onto the black stone, weaving together talisman after talisman and layer upon layer of Arrays.

Bang!

Suddenly, the black stone exploded, its remnants scattering everywhere.

Lu Qingfeng was accustomed to this, casually casting a clump of Dutian Demon Flames to refine the residue and extract the materials. Losses were inevitable, and he added a little more. Roughly half an hour later, another fist-sized black stone formed and floated in the air.

"Phew!"

Lu Qingfeng exhaled deeply, placing the black stone into his storage bag, appearing somewhat wilted.

"The Skill Proficiency and Divine Soul's strength are still lacking," Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

He had come to this world ten years ago, collecting various materials in the ruins of Magic Artifacts and refining the strengthened version of the 'Fourth Rank Thousand Machine Stone' twenty times, continually incorporating Spirit Control Arrays into it. As for the thirty times strengthened 'Sixth Rank Thousand Machine Stone', he was yet unable to refine it due to limited materials.

The Fourth Rank Thousand Machine Stone was sufficient for now.

Lu Qingfeng had successively strengthened the Spirit Control Array thirty times, comprising six hundred and forty talisman arrays.

"Combining six hundred and forty arrays is thousands to tens of thousands of times more intricate than combining forty or sixty arrays."

"It's too difficult."

Over the ten years, he became more proficient, but still stalled at three hundred and ten arrays, a vast distance from six hundred and forty. While the three hundred and ten arrays significantly boosted its spirituality, it was still far from meeting Lu Qingfeng's requirements.

"Proficiency can be gradually honed; Divine Soul's strength and cultivation realm are closely linked, and cannot be rushed."

Thinking thus, Lu Qingfeng suffered a piercing headache. He calmed his mind and stopped dwelling on it.

...

Time passed.

Lu Qingfeng was not fond of moving about or wandering around.

Lin Feng, his eldest disciple, was tasked with finding Spiritual Medicine and objects because he had the Sniffing Spirit Rat, making it extremely convenient to locate various Spiritual Objects. Meanwhile, he also captured Fire Attribute Demon Birds for Lu Qingfeng, who would then convert them into Fire Crows using the secret techniques of Fire Crow Daoist, and afterward obtain the essence of the Fire Crows to refine Fire Crow Daoist Soldiers.

Lu Qingfeng only had to stay in the Abandoned Mountain, refine various materials, practice cultivation, and train Daoist Soldiers. Raising Fire Crow Daoist Soldiers was not easy.

Not only were Fire Attribute Demon Birds rare, but the process of converting them into Fire Crows was also extremely complex. Lu Qingfeng expended countless Heart Power and Elixir Pills, but success was still temporary.

He had yet to see any progress with the Water Dao Soldiers either.

In the rich Spiritual Energy environment, river shrimp had proliferated for eighty or ninety generations, gradually increasing their spiritual natures. Moreover, supplemented intermittently with Elixir Pills feeding, using Spirit Nourishing Pills and Intelligence Opening Pills to stimulate their Spiritual Wisdom, the newborn river shrimp were gradually showing a tendency of transforming into water-born demon beasts.

As for the crabs.

Due to their long breeding cycles, such training yielded little result.

Fortunately, there was Zhang Yang, his Fourth Disciple, who always searched for spirited shrimp and crabs in the Azure Dragon River, even capturing shrimp demons and crab demons with some Dao ability.

Thus, allowing Lu Qingfeng to begin raising Water Dao Soldiers without being stuck at the initial stage.

However, after ten years, he had gained nothing.

Lu Qingfeng was not discouraged.

Raising Dao Soldiers was a process of continuous training and selection.

The Water Dao True Man spent fifteen hundred years refining a troop of Water Dao Soldiers. He had only been at it for ten years in such a location as the Abandoned Mountain, so the outcome was expected.

He had time.

And rooted in reality—

If such a harsh environment could allow him to raise a troop of Water Dao Soldiers, it would certainly accumulate rich experience. Once back in reality, under better conditions, he would handle the cultivation of the Water Dao Soldiers with much more ease.

Everything in the game was ultimately in service to reality.

Raising Dao Soldiers should not be rushed.

Cultivation was equally urgent.

With Lu Qingfeng's cultivation level, and the strength of disciples like Lin Feng and Wen Guang, living secludedly brought no troubles.

Lu Qingfeng was pleased with the stability.

Apart from cultivating, training Dao Soldiers, he also comprehended various Divine Skills and techniques.

One year.

Two years.

Three years.

...

Years passed.

In the blink of an eye, another forty years had passed.

...

That day.

Lu Qingfeng sat cross-legged in his cave dwelling, holding a scroll of the Dan Book Iron Certificate. Emitting the primitive brilliance, it revealed its mystery.

"Dutian Xuanming Strategy!"

Looking at the Magical Artifact in his hand, Lu Qingfeng felt boundless joy.

After fifty years, using Dutian Demon Flames to refine countless materials, he finally gathered enough to refine the Dutian Xuanming Strategy. Then, after nearly ten years, he successfully crafted this treasure.

[Magical Artifact: Dutian Xuanming Strategy]

[Grade: Fourth Rank]

[Description: Crafted by the Artifact Refining Master Guang Yuan Wanderer, modeled after the leading treasure of the Bamboo Mountain Sect's Seven Treasures—Dutian Xuanming Strategy. Innovative and transformative, it can not only collect the souls of slain enemies to refine into Dutian Ghost Generals and Xuanming Yin Soldiers but also carves out a space inside to form a Dutian Creation Pool. This pool autonomously absorbs the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth; irrespective of Life Spirits, Spiritual Medicine, or Magic Artifacts tossed into it, all are converted by the Dutian Creation Pool into Dutian Qi. The Dutian Qi can create and empower Dao Soldiers, strengthen Dutian Ghost Generals and Xuanming Yin Soldiers. Continuous refinement can elevate the grade of the Artifact.]

"Brilliant!"

"Brilliant!"

"Absolutely brilliant!"

Holding the Dutian Xuanming Strategy, Lu Qingfeng walked around, unable to conceal his elation.

In his previous life, having acquired the Dutian Xuanming Strategy from the Five Directions Realm and successfully deciphered the refining method before his death, Lu Qingfeng continued to derive the method with his Spirit Void Divine Silence Realm cultivation, investing over ten million Experience Value into it, pushing the Dutian Xuanming Strategy to the level of an Immortal Artifact (Heavenly Gang Magical Artifact).

This time refining, limited by materials, only achieved Fourth Rank.

But—

"This treasure holds boundless potential. Once refined, even at Fourth Rank, by devouring countless spiritual objects, magic artifacts, and even life spirits, all can be transformed by the Dutian Creation Pool into Dutian Qi, not only enhancing the strength of Daoist Soldiers but also upgrading the grade of the magic artifacts. Even without active devouring, this treasure is constantly absorbing the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth."

"Over time, it will eventually become an Immortal Artifact!"

Such a straightforward and forceful approach was perfect for Lu Qingfeng, who in the game world possessed an entire Garbage Star.

And in reality too—

There wasn't even a need to refine the Fourth Rank Dutian Xuanming Strategy; even at Third or Second Rank, as long as there were enough Spirit Stones, the Dutian Xuanming Strategy could be endlessly enhanced before ascending to immortality.

The Dutian Ghost Generals and Xuanming Yin Soldiers he nurtured would also become stronger and more numerous.

"Whaling—"

A slight smile played upon Lu Qingfeng's lips.

In the game, that goes without saying.

In reality, he was about to come into possession of an entire industry of Refining Crystals brought by the Iron Fire Ants. Refining Crystals were precious, and in the Biyang Lake Territory of the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, without a method to breed Iron Fire Ants, Refining Crystals were scarce.

Once Lu Qingfeng cultivated a colony of Iron Fire Ants producing a continuous supply of Refining Crystals, it would be akin to controlling a massive spirit stone vein.

Constantly earning Lu Qingfeng spirit stones.

With that, dumping either spirit stones or directly Refining Crystals into the Dutian Xuanming Strategy, its grade could be drastically raised.

Apart from Iron Fire Ants and Refining Crystals,

The 'Alcohol Liquid' discovered by Qingyu was another 'cash-grabbing' industry not inferior to the others.

"The Iron Fire Ants should nearly be back to the Juyun Mountain Range by now."

"As for the Alcohol Liquid—"

Lu Qingfeng pondered.

The Spirit Eye Tree producing Alcohol Liquid, grew in the Illusion Wave Sea, which although located within the Xuanyuan Realm, was at the northernmost edge, near the White Bone Demon Sect. Due to resource scarcity, only smaller forces like the Luoxia Sect were positioned in nearby areas such as Mirror Image Mountain and Chao Tian Pool.

It served as a buffer zone between the Xuanyuan Sect and the White Bone Demon Sect.

"Feather Immortal Pavilion."

The Feather Immortal Pavilion controlled the Spirit Eye Tree. However, they oversaw diverse industries, primarily in delicacies and wines, and although they controlled the entire Illusion Wave Sea, their sect's residence was not there.

"We need a plan to buy the Illusion Wave Sea from Feather Immortal Pavilion."

"But being close to the White Bone Demon Sect is also a problem."

The former wasn't difficult.

The value of Alcohol Liquid was limited, and the Feather Immortal Pavilion may not value the Illusion Wave Sea highly. With Lu Qingfeng being a promising True Inheritor Alchemist of Xuanyuan Sect, and with Qingyu's reputation as 'the number one spender in Xuanyuan Sect,' purchasing the Illusion Wave Sea wouldn't be considered strange.

As long as the price was right, Feather Immortal Pavilion was unlikely to refuse.

The latter was more troublesome.

The White Bone Demon Sect belonged to the Demon Dao and had always been at odds with the Xuanyuan Sect.

Lu Qingfeng, a true inheritor of the Xuanyuan Sect, heading to the Illusion Wave Sea might lead the monks of the White Bone Demon Sect to not mind snagging a bite.

"This matter isn't urgent."

"Further strategic planning is required."

How to launch and market the Alcohol Liquid and Mingqing Spirit Water needed careful plotting.

There was no rush to acquire the Illusion Wave Sea.

"Oh—"

While pondering, Lu Qingfeng felt wisps of Spiritual Energy gathering towards the Dutian Xuanming Strategy in his hands, seeping into it.

His cave dwelling was layered with a Gathering Spirit Array. The density of Spiritual Energy wasn't rich, but it wasn't bad either.

Yet even with such Spiritual Energy, at this rate, ascending to Fifth Order might take thousands of years, and reaching the level of an Immortal Artifact was unimaginably far off.

"However."

"With the countless discarded magic artifacts from the Garbage Star, once all are devoured—"

Lu Qingfeng's eyes lit up.

Holding the newly refined Dutian Xuanming Strategy, he headed out of his cave dwelling.

At Abandoned Mountain.

With fifty years and five heavenly declinations of thrown objects, the pile of discarded magic artifacts had accumulated more and more. And based on Lu Qingfeng's calculations from the five rounds of discards, this place was only about three thousand years old.

The historical records of various nations on Garbage Star seemed to only go back two or three thousand years.

It was unknown what Garbage Star was like over three thousand years ago.

"Capture!"

Lu Qingfeng formed a seal with his hands, and the Dutian Xuanming Strategy floated in the air, swelling with the wind.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Gales howled, sweeping up countless damaged and discarded magic artifacts between the mountains.

In the blink of an eye, a mountain peak was cleared.

Lu Qingfeng stood in the air, feeling the Dutian Xuanming Strategy saturated, and with a gesture, the Dutian Xuanming Strategy fell into his hand.

"Fourth Order level, the refining speed is somewhat slow."

"However, after completely refining these, advancing to Fifth Order shouldn't be a problem."

Holding the Dutian Xuanming Strategy in his hand, Lu Qingfeng inspected it internally.

Inside, a Dutian Creation Furnace tirelessly operated, grinding down tens of thousands of magic artifacts, producing strands of strange qi—Dutian Qi. The Dutian Qi quickly filled up and diffused throughout the spaces inside the magic artifact, continuously covering the artifact's own body.

Soon.

The body of the Dutian Xuanming Strategy was enveloped by Dutian Qi, vaguely emitting a rumbling sound.