168: Chapter 168 Refining the Five Elements Flying Sword

Back in the Portable Cave Abode, Li Qing took out all five core Materials for refining the five elements sword and laid them out neatly on the stone table in front of him.

Looking at these Materials, Li Qing felt incredibly relieved; now everything was ready, and all that remained was the Artifact Refining.

The five elements sword perfectly complemented the Five Elements Sword Art he was Cultivating. Once the Magic Treasure was refined and connected to his spirit, his strength would definitely jump by a large margin. Against a Cultivator of the level of Deputy Hall Master Du Qian, Li Qing believed he could defeat him even without using Divine Soul attacks.

Li Qing stared at the Materials, pondering for a long while, feeling some hesitation in his heart.

Although this Portable Cave Abode could have an Artifact Refining Room built in the future, he currently knew nothing about Artifact Refining. If he started learning from scratch, just familiarizing himself with the heat control and mastering the Artifact Refining techniques would take several months or even longer, which would greatly delay his Cultivation time.

Right now, the Du Family was still searching for him everywhere; every moment of delay meant an extra point of danger. Instead of fumbling around on his own, it would be better to find a professional Artifact Refiner in Luoshui City to help with the refining. It would be easier, save him worry, and ensure the quality of the Flying Swords.

Having figured this out, Li Qing stopped agonizing over it.

Immediately after, he took out the large pile of Tier 2 Spiritual Plant and Spiritual Plant seeds he had bought earlier, preparing to plant them in the spiritual field.

He rolled up his sleeves, crouched by the spiritual field, and planted the Qi Condensation Grass, Blood Spirit Flower, and Azure Origin Grass in their respective categories. He then evenly scattered the Spiritual Plant seeds on the empty ground and watered them with diluted Spirit Spring water.

Looking at the newly planted Spiritual Plant in the spiritual field that exuded vitality, Li Qing couldn't help but fantasize. As the Portable Cave Abode upgraded and changed, perhaps the spiritual field would grow larger, the soil's Spiritual Qi would become richer, and eventually, would it turn into an Immortal Plant garden?

Li Qing began to yearn for it!

After tidying up the spiritual field, Li Qing walked into the training room, took out a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, and began to Cultivate.

...

Luoshui City.

An oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire Du Family. The Core Formation Old Ancestor of the Du Family sat in the main seat, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. The pressure radiating from his body made the Du Family members below not even dare to breathe loudly.

Since Li Qing left the Luoshui Sect, the Du Family had dispatched all available manpower, turning the Luoshui City and the surrounding mountains and small towns upside down. Yet, they couldn't even find a single hair of Li Qing, as if he had vanished into thin air.

The Du Family Old Ancestor was so angry he shattered several tables, cursing at the people below:

"A bunch of useless trash! You can't even find one person. What use does the Du Family have for you!"

The clansmen below lowered their heads one by one, not daring to make a sound.

From the moment they learned that Li Qing had rejected Luo Bing's invitation to become a Disciple of the Luoshui Sect, the Du Family had made up their minds to take revenge on Li Qing.

Dealing with a Loose Cultivator who was not part of the Luoshui Sect—no one would stop the Du Family.

But no one expected that after leaving the Luoshui Sect, Li Qing would actually shake off his pursuers and disappear without a trace.

The Du Family Old Ancestor had gone to great lengths and pulled strings everywhere to barely preserve Deputy Hall Master Du Qian's cultivation base. However, his position as the Deputy Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall could not be saved at all; he was directly dismissed and became an ordinary Sect Disciple. The Du Family's influence in the Luoshui Sect had suffered a significant loss.

As for Du Hu, who had caused the trouble, the Du Family didn't care about him at all.

A Qi Refining Stage Family Disciple was not considered top-tier in the Du Family; compared to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Deputy Hall Master Du Qian, he was simply not worth mentioning.

If it weren't for Du Hu relying on the Du Family's influence to act arrogantly outside and taking the initiative to provoke Li Qing, it wouldn't have caused so much trouble and dragged the Du Family into the mud.

In the eyes of the Du Family, sacrificing one Du Hu to preserve the core strength of Deputy Hall Master Du Qian was already the best outcome.

But even so, the humiliation and losses Li Qing brought to the Du Family could never be erased.

The Du Family Old Ancestor's eyes were sinister, and he spoke coldly, his voice filled with bone-chilling hatred:

"Li Qing, that little brat, has ruined my Du Family's reputation and cut off the future of my Du Family's descendants. Even if he flees to the ends of the earth, my Du Family will fight him to the death!"

"Yes, we will strictly obey the Old Ancestor's decree!"

Deputy Hall Master Du Qian stood to the side, his expression also extremely ugly. Having lost the position of Deputy Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, he could no longer hold his head high in the Sect. The hatred in his heart for Li Qing had reached its peak, and he secretly vowed that as soon as he found Li Qing, he would tear him into a thousand pieces to vent his hatred.

...

Early the next morning, when the sky was just barely brightening, a fish-belly white appeared on the horizon, and the mist in the mountains had not yet dissipated, Li Qing withdrew from the Portable Cave Abode and quietly walked out of the hidden cave.

He didn't dare to delay and continued to alter his appearance, making his originally refined face look dark and rough. He changed into a grey cloth robe worn by ordinary Cultivators and tied his hair up casually, looking just like an obscure Loose Cultivator wandering about.

After getting ready, Li Qing patted the dust off his body, identified his direction, and headed straight for Luoshui City.

As a large city at the foot of the Luoshui Sect, the gates of Luoshui City opened early in the morning. Cultivators and merchants were entering and exiting in an endless stream. The guards merely glanced at him briefly without questioning him further. Li Qing mixed into the crowd and successfully entered the city.

The city was already bustling. Street stalls were set up, and the sounds of peddling and the chatter of Cultivators mixed together, full of the atmosphere of daily life.

Li Qing had no interest in watching the bustle. He knew that refining the five elements sword required five Flying Swords of different attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. If he had them all made at one Artifact Refining Room, it would take too long, and it would be too eye-catching, making it easy to expose his tracks. It would be better to find five different Tier 2 Artifact Refiners and have them refined separately. This would save time and keep his background hidden.

Having made up his mind, Li Qing first wandered around the city to inquire about the famous Artifact Refining Rooms in Luoshui City and visited them one by one.

He first went to the Golden Tripod Artifact Refining Room in the city center. This was the most famous one in Luoshui City. The shopkeeper, Master Zhang, was a genuine Tier 2 Artifact Refiner with a cultivation base of Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. His Artifact Refining techniques were seasoned, the Magical Artifacts he made were durable, and he had the best reputation. He specialized in Metal-attribute Magical Artifacts, which was perfect for refining the Metal-attribute Flying Sword.

Li Qing walked into the Artifact Refining Room. Inside, there were many swords, spears, and halberds on display, as well as polished Ore. Several apprentices were busy working, and the clanging sound of blacksmithing was endless.

He didn't shout loudly but walked straight to the counter. He cupped his fists at Master Zhang, who was wiping a Magical Artifact, and lowered his voice to say:

"Master Zhang, I would like to customize a Metal-attribute Tier 2 Flying Sword. I have brought the Materials myself; you only need to perform the refining. The labor cost is negotiable."

After speaking, Li Qing took out the pre-prepared Materials and several Tier 2 Flying Sword array diagrams from his Storage Pouch and placed them gently on the counter.

Master Zhang swept his eyes over him. Seeing that he was dressed ordinarily but could produce Tier 2 Artifact Refining Materials, he didn't ask further. Those in their line of work never inquired about a customer's background. He picked up the Materials, looked at them, glanced at the array diagrams, and nodded:

"The quality of the Materials is good, and the array diagrams are well-structured. Refining a Metal-attribute Tier 2 Flying Sword according to your requirements—the sword body should be thin, with maximum sharpness, suitable for quick attacks, right?"

"Correct."

Li Qing nodded and added a special instruction:

"Master Zhang, there is no need to carve extra patterns on the sword body; the simpler, the better. The toughness must be sufficient; don't make it too brittle."

Master Zhang put away the Materials.

"Come back to pick it up in three days. The labor cost is ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stone."

Li Qing readily paid the deposit, turned around, and left without lingering.