Chapter 466 - 438: Permanizing Pattern Forging Refinement

Chapter 466: Chapter 438: Permanizing Pattern Forging Refinement

After completing his trade route, Li Yuan tallied up all his accounts in his stone house.

The procurement cost from Liangzhou was approximately 1,200 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. After two rounds of trade through Jingzhou and Shuizhou, and after deducting travel expenses, transaction losses, and taxes from the various market districts, the net profit was approximately 3,500 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

It was nearly double the profit from the first round.

The significant increase in profit came from two main factors. First was product optimization—based on sales feedback from the first round, he had precisely adjusted his inventory for each state, cutting low-profit items and increasing his investment in the few core goods with the largest supply-demand gaps. The second was the maturation of his trade channels—the five-percent discount Token for the White Mirror marketplace, the free facilities from Zhou He in Nanyuan District, and the stable supply from the Jiaozhi Island Merchant Guild all worked to lower his operating costs.

Li Yuan took out most of the Spirit Stones from his profits and began to absorb them.

The condition to make the Void Stone permanent was to absorb one hundred thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. He had already absorbed a fair amount previously. This new batch of over three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones converted to more than thirty thousand Low Grade ones, bringing the cumulative total to about eighty-seven thousand.

He was still about thirteen thousand short of the one-hundred-thousand target. At the current profit rate of the Three States trade route, he could make up the difference in another one and a half rounds.

The Token Zhou He had given him was extremely useful.

The Artifact Refining workshop, cultivation chambers, and even a sea-facing stone house by the docks could all be used at will. Li Yuan used the sea-facing stone house as his temporary residence. He cultivated by the sea every morning, forged Magical Artifacts in the Artifact Refining workshop during the day, and circulated his Cultivation Technique in the stone house at night.

His days passed in a regular and efficient rhythm.

The seaside cultivation environment was extremely beneficial for the advancement of his Water Element Cultivation Technique.

His Cold Stream Skill had reached Great Success long ago, and was now just a hair’s breadth from perfection. Within the range of Nanyuan District’s undersea Spirit Vein, the concentration of Water Spiritual Power far surpassed that of the land. Coupled with the stacked effects of a series of permanent traits—like Water Vein Survey, Accelerated Water Movement, and Tidal Breath Restoration—the efficiency of each of the Cold Stream Skill’s circulation cycles was pushed to an extremely high level.

On the morning of the third day, Li Yuan sat cross-legged in the sea-facing stone house, circulating his Cold Stream Skill.

The Water Spiritual Power in his meridians ebbed and flowed like the tide, each cycle smoother than the last.

At a certain moment, the flow of Spiritual Power reached a state where it no longer required his conscious guidance—like a river finding its natural course, it rushed onward without the slightest hindrance.

A panel popped up.

[Cold Stream Skill: Great Success → Perfection]

The Cold Stream Skill had reached perfection.

Li Yuan took the Spirit Water Talisman out of his storage bag.

"Equip."

[Equipped: Spirit Water Talisman (Complete)]

[Water Spirit Essence (Green) has become a permanent trait.]

A phantom image of the Spirit Water Talisman flashed in the equipment slot and vanished, transforming into green specks of light that merged into his body. The quality of his Water Spiritual Power increased by thirty percent, becoming a part of him from now on.

Making Water Spirit Essence permanent pushed his Water Element cultivation efficiency to another level. The purity of Spiritual Power from the perfected Cold Stream Skill, stacked with the thirty-percent quality boost from Water Spirit Essence, plus the continuous supply from his personal Spirit Veins—his combat prowess in water had reached a terrifyingly high level.

He spent his daytime hours on Artifact Refining.

He used the two medium-sized forges in the Nanyuan District Artifact Refining workshop in rotation. He continuously purchased Water Element Spiritual Materials from Jiang Dulian’s Jiaozhi Island Merchant Guild and the local Loose Cultivator stalls in Nanyuan District. His proficiency with the Sea Forging Skill grew with repeated practice.

On the evening of the seventh day, as Li Yuan was leaving the Artifact Refining workshop, he saw two unfamiliar, large merchant ships docked at the Nanyuan District docks.

The ships were a size larger than ordinary merchant vessels. Their hulls were painted with a dark brown base coat, and the iconic banner of the Celestial Peak Sect hung from their masts.

A white background with gold patterns, and the embroidered silhouette of a mountain peak in the center.

’The Celestial Peak Sect’s merchant fleet.’

Li Yuan sat down on the stone steps by the docks and swept the two merchant ships with his Dark Evil Insight.

There were about twenty Cultivators on board, their Cultivation ranging from Late-stage Qi Refining to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. The leader was a middle-aged, Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a solid aura and the unique fluctuations of a Celestial Peak Sect Cultivation Technique. The cargo holds were filled with various terrestrial Spiritual Materials and ores—a selection that heavily overlapped with the goods Li Yuan traded on his Three States route.

Li Yuan walked over to a tea stall by the docks and sat down.

The owner of the tea stall was a talkative local fisherman who struck up a conversation upon seeing a customer.

"Well, well, ships from the Celestial Peak Sect. A rare sight indeed." The owner poured Li Yuan a cup of tea, chattering away. "They don’t come to Nanyuan District much—once or twice a year, at most."

"Why is that?"

"They make more money doing business with the islands." The owner curled his lip. "The Celestial Peak Sect has its own trade port and fleet. They’ve monopolized all the business with the big islands in the outer sea. A small place like Nanyuan District... well, Senior Zhou doesn’t let them take too big a share, so profits are limited. They look down on it."

"Then why are they here this time?"

The owner lowered his voice, his tone filled with the excitement of sharing gossip.

"I heard it’s on the orders of their Sect Master. That Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Celestial Peak Sect has been pretty busy lately, sending messages to the Nascent Soul seniors in the outer sea every other day. Some say they’re negotiating a big deal, others say they’re planning to deal with something. In any case, it’s a big stir, and it’s gotten their merchant fleets all active too."

’The Celestial Peak Sect’s Nascent Soul Sect Master is frequently in talks with the islands’ Nascent Soul powers.’

Li Yuan silently committed this piece of information to memory.

’The Nascent Soul Sect Master of the Celestial Peak Sect is one of the strongest Cultivators in Jingzhou and several surrounding states. A Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator frequently contacting Nascent Soul powers in the outer sea is a matter far exceeding ordinary business cooperation.’

Li Yuan finished his tea and returned to the sea-facing stone house to continue his cultivation.

「Days passed.」

His days in Nanyuan District fell into an orderly rhythm: Artifact Refining, cultivation, and absorbing Spirit Stones.

「The twelfth day.」

In the Artifact Refining workshop, Li Yuan finished his last Magical Artifact for the day—a Water Spirit Sword. As the sword’s blade emerged from the forge, the Forged Pattern Refinement trait vibrated slightly in his equipment slot.

A panel popped up.

[Condition to make Forged Pattern Refinement (Green) permanent has been met (30/30)]

[Forged Pattern Refinement (Green) has become a permanent trait.]

The phantom image of the Forging Pattern Manual shattered in the equipment slot, turning into green specks of light that merged into his body. The slot was freed up.

The effect of increasing his Artifact Refining proficiency by a small tier was now solidified as an instinct. His fundamental Tier Two Artifact Refining level was permanently raised from Minor Achievement to Great Success, no longer relying on an equipment bonus. And when his Artifact Refining reached Tier Two Perfection, he would receive an additional thirty-percent success rate bonus.

「Another six days passed.」

「The eighteenth day.」

Li Yuan awoke at dawn in the sea-facing stone house and pushed open the stone door.

The salty tang of the sea wind rushed to meet him, and in the distance, the surface of the sea shimmered with a golden light in the morning sun.

The trait from the compressed sphere of Jade Tide Sand in his body trembled slightly within his meridians.

A panel popped up.

[Condition to make Tidal Compression (Green) permanent has been met (60/60)]

[Tidal Compression (Green) has become a permanent trait.]

The phantom image of the compressed sphere of Jade Tide Sand shattered in the equipment slot, turning into green specks of light that merged into his body.

The casting speed of his Water Magic increased by another ten percent, and he could now slowly recover Spiritual Power while in the water. These two effects became a part of his body from then on.

Li Yuan stood at the entrance to the stone house, faced the sea, and took a deep breath.

The sea breeze filled his lungs, and Spiritual Power circulated naturally through his meridians. The three personal Spirit Veins provided a stable supply around the periphery of his Dantian, surging silently within his body.