Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 67: Artifact Refining? Not Difficult

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Artifact Refining? Not Difficult

Although it was already late at night, many homes in Fuxing Town still glimmered with bright lights. A rough estimation suggested that at least ten thousand mortals lived here.

The residents appeared to have adapted to the harsh environment of heavy metal pollution.

Thus, they had no plans to flee Fuxing Town, perhaps hoping Rong Town could resolve the calamity of Multiple Limb Syndrome, sparing them from leaving their homeland.

Li Mo chose to watch quietly and let the events unfold.

Following the address recorded in the Bone Scroll, he arrived at Qingniu Street, which led to the path toward Duozhi Mountain.

The cultivators dispatched by Rong Town to Fuxing Town were mostly concentrated at Duozhi Mountain, making the Qingniu Mountain’s thoroughfare naturally bustling and lively.

Li Mo used his spiritual tablet to contact Jin Li, but unfortunately, the latter was exploring the terrain within Duozhi Mountain; otherwise, they could have shared a few cups of wine and reminisced together.

Every shop along Qingniu Street had brightly lit lanterns hanging at their entrances.

This symbolized that the shops belonged to certain cultivators, recognized by the Government Office, and maintained a fragile semblance of order akin to the post-apocalypse.

Li Mo took out Whale Blood Oil and lit the lantern at his shop’s entrance.

He smiled in satisfaction—Han Cai had chosen the shop’s location wisely. Diagonally across was the main entrance to the Government Office, and the market was merely a hundred meters away.

Li Mo surveyed the shop with a glance and opened the slightly ajar window on the sidewall.

From the alley, he could clearly hear faint rustling sounds coming from the back of the shop, originating from a mortal household.

Li Mo glanced at the house.

Inside lived three people—a man, a woman, and a child, all ordinary mortals entirely devoid of cultivation. Perhaps the noise from the window’s opening had woken them.

The dim candlelight illuminated the room, casting shadows on the paper covering the windows. From the silhouette, the male head of the house seemed intent on observing the situation outside.

Li Mo shook his head and lightly leaped back into the shop.

He had no intention of interacting with outsiders in the short term. The constable’s words still echoed in his mind: Fuxing Town likely harbored unknown dangers.

Who knew how many unspeakable monsters were hidden among these ten thousand mortals?

Li Mo locked the doors and windows tightly with wooden stoppers and summoned Ghost Tiger to hide in the shadows, ensuring his seclusion for cultivation wouldn’t be interrupted.

He discovered that the shop used to be an alcohol store.

Behind the counter were fragments of shattered wine jars mixed with moldy, rotting spices.

The tables and chairs, along with the floor, were covered in thick layers of dust; uneven footprints indicated the occasional visit of thieves.

Clearly, the shop had been scavenged thoroughly, with anything valuable long gone.

Li Mo cast Hui Qingyi, summoning a Kun Whale over two meters long that materialized mid-air. The Kun Whale’s most notable transformation was its blue-purple scale armor.

Under the influence of the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra, the Kun Whale could contaminate the surrounding water vapor with venomous dampness, accelerating the decay of flesh and metal.

Li Mo took the opportunity to inspect the changes in each Tattooed Beast.

Ghost Tiger’s mouth and nose bore corrosive poisonous energy; Red Fox’s claws and fangs emitted burning fire toxins; Salamander was the most unique, capable of absorbing toxins through the bud on its head to replenish its vitality.

"Leave it to you."

Li Mo stroked the Kun Whale, which responded obediently with a nod before releasing a gust of steam from its mouth, cleaning the filth within the shop.

If he intended to open an Artifact Refining Shop, he’d need to invest considerable effort.

To avoid interfering with his cultivation, hiring attendants to manage the shop would be necessary, leaving him free to refine Magic Artifact Embryos during his leisure.

However, Li Mo wasn’t in much of a rush—after all, Rong Town’s exploration of Duozhi Mountain remained at a rudimentary stage.

Moreover, before a large influx of loose cultivators arrived at Fuxing Town, the shop wouldn’t attract any business.

Li Mo transformed the guest room on the shop’s second floor into a seclusion room for cultivation, leaving the four Tattooed Beasts to handle the shop’s external affairs.

With his current foundation, maintaining the Tattooed Beasts at minimal effort posed no issue.

He closed his eyes and initiated the Circulation Cycle. His kidney Spiritual Root Transformation had reached nearly ninety percent, with a breakthrough to the fifth layer of the childhood stage within reach.

The transformation of internal organs into Spiritual Roots was a meticulous process.

Daily progress was almost imperceptible, but reflecting on his advancements over the past month revealed substantial growth due to his innate talent.

Li Mo grasped a Mid-grade Spirit Stone, absorbing spiritual energy while contemplating how to craft the Evergreen Tree, constantly refining his plan.

Time flowed through the cycles of the seasons.

He had anticipated calamities to arise in Fuxing Town, yet months passed uneventfully.

Every few days, Li Mo continued refining Breath Fog, completing the process of five refinements without incident.

The second refinement utilized Earth attribute Spirit Material "Earth Pottery Stone," laying a foundation by increasing the artifact’s resilience.

The Earth attribute Spirit Material "Starlight Ash" allowed Breath Fog to envelop a thousand meters, silently releasing toxins that fueled a rapid surge in insect-transformed Poison Bee swarms.

The Water attribute Spirit Material "Falling Ice Water" endowed Breath Fog with self-repairing capabilities; the Water attribute Spirit Material "Corpse Bone Grass" heightened the toxicity of the artifact significantly.

After undergoing five refinements, Breath Fog transformed from bees into wasps, becoming highly aggressive.

Li Mo temporarily refrained from attempting six refinements, as that level required integrating Mid-grade Spirit Materials, and any misstep could destroy the artifact.

The success of five-refined Breath Fog boosted his confidence, elevating the crafting of the Evergreen Tree onto his list of priorities.

Evergreen Tree, as a wood-earth attribute artifact, posed greater challenges compared to water-earth Breath Fog, but Li Mo remained confident in his capabilities.

Spending a few days, Li Mo refined the Spirit Material "Evergreen Vine" into an Artifact Embryo.

However, the result left him somewhat dissatisfied.

Although the Artifact Embryo’s quality was decent, it fell short of Breath Fog’s potential and lacked prospects for reaching fifteen refinements or higher.

Li Mo had to refine it anew, ultimately consuming over twenty additional Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

With some reluctance, he estimated that the remaining Mid-grade Spirit Stones would barely suffice for his breakthrough to the fifth layer of the childhood stage. Opening an Artifact Refining Shop indeed seemed essential.

The Evergreen Tree’s appearance resembled a miniature withered tree, yet its hollow trunk could house living beings.

The first three refinements adhered to the concept of a Caged Bird: "Sumeru Stone" expanded the internal space, "Hot Lizard Bone Powder" stabilized the ecosystem, and "Polluted Soil" accelerated plant growth.

The fourth and fifth refinements of the Evergreen Tree leaned toward auxiliary enhancements.

"Yangzhi Ganlu" condensed a shallow pond at the base of the trunk’s interior.

"Meat Tumor Fruit" cultivated flesh-like fruits on its vegetation, providing sustenance for carnivorous animals to prevent ecological collapse.

Unfortunately, building an ecological box required living plants and animals that were difficult to preserve, so Li Mo didn’t purchase any during his visit to the Heart Beast Black Market. He decided to wait for Fuxing Town to become more vibrant before reconsidering.

Relocating the Salamander from the Caged Bird presented no issue. After all, Salamanders required minimal food and were relatively easy to maintain.

Li Mo stored the Evergreen Tree in his liver, where it underwent insectification, transforming into a bamboo stick insect.

The insectified Evergreen Tree’s attack methods remained limited, merely extending branches to bind prey and release toxins, illustrating that the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra couldn’t overcome the inherent weaknesses of auxiliary-type artifacts.

Li Mo had anticipated as much—the Evergreen Tree was clearly unsuitable for combat; its purpose lay in farming and beast-feeding.

After refining two Mid-grade artifacts, his kidney Spiritual Root Transformation silently reached ninety-five percent.

While seeking an opportunity to breakthrough to the fifth layer of the childhood stage, noise erupted outside the shop, concentrated around the mortal household in the back alley.

Constables sealed off the alley, their expressions grim, while the gathered crowd of onlookers bore faces filled with heavy fear.

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