Chapter 251: Classmates

Li Qi ignored that voice, as it wasn't necessarily calling him.

Li Qi was not skilled in using Spiritual Artifacts, nor did he like using these external objects, so they were useless to him. He exchanged them casually, without any heartache.

After all, how to correctly use a Spiritual Artifact is also a branch of True Knowledge. Without systematic study and training, using it offhand might backfire.

Spiritual Artifacts also consume a lot of cultivation. It's like a Mortal wielding a giant sword; while its power is immense, if one doesn't grasp the key, two swings will leave them breathless.

Others only need to avoid the initial onslaught and can wait for you to exhaust yourself, then kill you bare-handed.

And to perfectly use this giant sword, a lot of practice and refinement are needed.

Clearly, Li Qi didn't have the time, nor the necessity, for that.

Shamanes are not good at, nor do they need, Spiritual Artifacts. Li Qi has tactics more suited to him, and…

To be honest, for a Shaman who can be cornered and beaten by an enemy, having a Spiritual Artifact or not makes little difference.

Therefore, this set of clothes and accessories was just something Zhu Fengdan casually threw at him for a formal occasion. Its purpose was similar to a suit worn for a marriage proposal; it was practically useless for everyday wear.

Since the proposal was successful, the practical value of these items was gone, so it was better to sell them and get some jewelry for his wife.

"I don't have that much cash at the moment. Can this place help with the exchange? It should be possible, right?" Li Qi asked.

"Uh… it is possible, but we need to appraise its value. Please wait, sir," the sales assistant hesitated, but still nodded in agreement.

But just then, a man dressed like a young master rushed over.

"Hold on! Brother, can you sell this set of Spiritual Artifacts to me?" He ran over, shouting loudly at Li Qi.

This was a man who looked quite ordinary, but his attire was remarkably ornate.

And quite flamboyant.

Though a man, he wore a light pink outfit, with pink embroidery vying for splendor and colorful flames competing for brilliance.

The square embroidered collar was askew, and three flowers were tucked into his hair.

If he were a handsome man, pink would be 'flamboyant pink,' wild but dashing.

However, while the other party wasn't ugly, he was certainly not handsome, so the pink attire made him appear somewhat lewd.

But despite the lewdness, the gleam in his eyes made one realize that this person should not be underestimated.

He took three steps as one and came over: "Phew, good thing I ran into you. Since you're selling these things, how about selling them to me?"

"And you are?" Li Qi frowned. This person didn't seem like a good person.

"My name is Liu Canzhi. I just happened to be passing by, but suddenly saw you wanted to sell these good things. I was overjoyed at the sight and couldn't help myself!"

The sales assistant beside them was somewhat at a loss. It was her first time encountering someone intercepting a payment.

But… if they completed the transaction, she would just take the money. That should be fine.

Li Qi looked at the man: "Since there's no premium, what's the difference between selling it to you and selling it to this shop owner?"

The pink-robed man, who called himself Liu Canzhi, cupped his hands and smiled: "Brother, you jest. Although it's customary for there to be no premium, they are not experts and cannot discern the true preciousness of your Spiritual Artifact. They would surely let a pearl be covered in dust, and you would suffer a loss. Why not sell it to someone who truly recognizes its value?"

"Oh? How do you recognize its value?" Li Qi became curious.

Recognize value? Recognize what value?

He himself didn't know what was special about this thing.

But he certainly couldn't say that, so he pretended to be profound and pondered for a moment: "Tell me, I'd like to know what you've discerned."

Liu Canzhi bowed slightly, then stepped forward: "Brother, may I touch it?"

"Naturally," Li Qi stepped back. The laws of Tang Nation were strict. If the other party snatched it and ran, they would likely die a terrible death, so he wasn't afraid of theft and just watched him perform.

Liu Canzhi suddenly became serious from his previous playful and flamboyant demeanor.

Even his temperament changed, becoming extremely solemn, making his flamboyant pink attire seem less frivolous.

He first picked up Li Qi's robe.

This robe was embroidered with a Hidden Dragon, and behind it was a palace gate.

"These two embroideries were not made by an embroiderer from the Hundred Arts, but rather by refining Jin Qi (Metal Energy) into them. The technique is marvelous, causing almost no loss at all!"

"And look at this Hidden Dragon. One can tell it's not a True Dragon, but rather a venomous insect transformed. Its scales are round, different from a True Dragon's, and there's a snake-like trace at the tail, indicating it's a viper-transformed Flood Dragon, likely the Jin Qi (Metal Energy) of a Seventh Grade Flood Dragon."

"Vipers' venom is strongest in autumn, stinging nothing. They bite plants to release their Qi, and the plants die. If a person collects those plants and is pricked by them, it also kills them, its venom worse than a viper's bite. This is called a snake-trace. This robe, subtly containing a viper-dragon, possesses this characteristic. Anyone who attacks this robe will be harmed by the viper-dragon's venom, as if bitten by a viper. Those below Eighth Grade will certainly not survive. Only those at Eighth Grade and above can resist it somewhat, but they will certainly not have an easy time."

"And look at the palace gate on the back. The palace gate and the Dragon appearing together have a historical allusion."

"I heard that in Dongting Mountain in Zhenze, there is a cave to the south, with blue mud up to the knees. Inside there are palace rooms and gates, with Dragons circling, using Qi to repel water and guard the gate. If anyone comes, they spread their scales and brandish their claws to repel them, not allowing entry. This is the same principle. The viper-dragon circling the palace gate is also like the Dragon's defense, able to repel venom and water Qi."

"The Artifact Refining Master's conception is ingenious, and he grasps the characteristics of the refining materials. It can be called High Grade. But if it were only this, it wouldn't make me so happy. The truly precious part of this item is the traces of the refining technique it contains."

"This item was definitely not made in Tang Nation, but comes from the Southern Border. It is probably a Shaman Dao product. Look at the base threads of this garment; they were not woven by a weaving maiden's loom, but rather formed by Gu insects feeding on spiritual wood and spitting silk, forming a single piece, as if naturally born."

"And look at the Jin Qi (Metal Energy) refinement. It's not the usual imprinting method, but rather the incorporation of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) into the item to cultivate a monster. I heard a story: in Yue City, there was a man named Liu Xuan whose household suddenly had an extra person, with no facial features, their face resembling a pile of wild grass. Coincidentally, a Shaman passed by and advised him, 'This is something from your ancestors' time. After a long time, it turned into a monster and will kill people. You'd best get rid of it early, while it hasn't grown eyes yet.'"

"Liu Xuan then captured and bound the monster, hacking at it a few times with a knife, and it turned into a pillow. Upon closer inspection, it was his grandfather's pillow. This shows that this robe uses a similar method, cultivating a monster with Jin Qi (Metal Energy) to ultimately form a Spiritual Artifact, perfectly integrated, without any flaws or artificiality. This is where its value lies!"

"If I can get this robe and study it carefully, my Artifact Refining technique can advance further. This item is a Spiritual Artifact made by a true Shaman Dao Artifact Refining Master. This is extremely rare!"

Liu Canzhi spoke eloquently, growing more excited as he spoke, his words coming faster and faster, almost jumping up and down by the end.

Then, he excitedly looked at Li Qi, holding the robe and saying: "Brother, you have no idea how rare this is! Shamanes inherently dislike craftsmen, and they themselves rarely use or refine Spiritual Artifacts. Even if they do, they usually use them themselves. The ones that truly circulate are extremely few!"

"If you can sell these things to me, I can truly bring out their wonderful uses and demonstrate their value! You absolutely must not exchange them casually; you must sell them to me!"

At this point, he grabbed Li Qi's collar, his demeanor almost out of control, so much so that he initially called him 'Brother' but then directly called him 'Brother'.

Li Qi felt embarrassed…

Is it that rare? Although Shamanes indeed don't care much for Spiritual Artifacts and rarely refine them.

Most of the things people like him use are naturally existing objects, like the innate Divine Ability he was still using, that mouthful of Eighth Grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy), which was almost effortless to control, easy and convenient.

Regional differences, indeed.

When he saw the many Spiritual Artifacts of Tang Nation, he was also very surprised, but to the people of Tang Nation, this should be natural, just as he thought these things were natural.

Experiencing another wave of worldview differences, Li Qi shook his head, while pushing the man's hand away, and said: "I naturally know about these things… Since this is so important to you, I'll sell it to you then. As for the price… it doesn't need to change. I still only need this piece of jasper."

He was very clear about the actual value of these Spiritual Artifacts. This entire set, put together, could be exchanged for a piece of Sixth Grade precious jade, which was already a profit, as he had originally planned to add the remaining hundreds of thousands of Qi pearls.

So, this counts as saving Qi pearls?

"No, this item is so important to me, how can one piece of jasper be enough? As I said before, I am an Artifact Refining Master, Brother. If you trust me, I will help you refine this piece of jasper into a Spiritual Artifact. I will definitely make you satisfied!"

"You can refine Sixth Grade Spiritual Artifacts?" Li Qi, who had been disinterested just moments before, widened his eyes and looked at the flamboyant man in front of him.

Are you kidding me?!

Is this person that strong? Then why did True Knowledge Dao Resonance only see him as Eighth Grade?

Which was only comparable to himself.

"Cough, cough, not yet, but once I study the techniques on this, although it's not a systematic Legacy, it can still inspire me and definitely give me the opportunity for a Breakthrough! Then, with the casting method, I will surely succeed!" He immediately patted his chest and boasted.

Hearing this, Li Qi chuckled.

"Forget it, no need. Just this piece of jasper will do," Li Qi restrained his smile and replied, shaking his head.

But he became anxious: "Brother, why don't you trust me? Do you know my background? If it weren't for me finding you agreeable today, others who want me to perform Artifact Refining would have to queue up!"

Li Qi, however, cupped his hands and said: "No, Brother Liu misunderstands. It's not that I don't trust Brother Liu, but this item is extremely important to me. Even if it's not inscribed with a Divine Ability and refined into a Spiritual Artifact, I still wish to carve it by hand and then give it to her."

Liu Canzhi quieted down upon hearing this, scrutinizing Li Qi from head to toe: "If that's the case, then I was indeed presumptuous. Well then, Brother, you are generous. You know the significance of this item that I spoke of, yet you don't raise the price, which shows you are someone worth befriending. Although I cannot refine an artifact for you this time, if you have needs in the future, you can find me. Next time, I won't charge you! Here is my calling card."

With that, he handed over a piece of paper.

Li Qi took it smoothly.

"Imperial Academy, Artifact Refining Second Institute, Liu Canzhi?" Li Qi softly read the words on it.

Huh, a classmate?

But as he read it aloud, the atmosphere around them changed.

The sales assistant who had been watching from the side stared at Liu Canzhi with wide eyes.

A Imperial Academy student?

This person, is he a Imperial Academy student?

Many customers around them looked over, their expressions filled with surprise, just like the old gentleman who saw Li Qi earlier.

Liu Canzhi saw this scene, cleared his throat twice, and patted Li Qi's shoulder: "Cough, cough, well, that's that, Brother. I'll be leaving now! The payment has already been transferred! Confirm it on your end and buy it yourself!"

With that, he put away Li Qi's set of Spiritual Artifacts and immediately slipped away, disappearing into the crowd.

Li Qi also disliked being watched by a crowd. He looked around, put away the calling card, quickly transferred the money, picked up the basketball-sized raw stone, and ran off!

Even though a world had passed through his hands, he felt nothing and sold it directly.

Worlds, these things...

If one has an extreme desire for power, then naturally, the more the better. Unfortunately, Li Qi had no interest in ruling others, nor did he have much demand for the resources continuously produced by exploiting a world.

Shamanes conform to the natural Dao, their personal small heavens are self-sufficient, with almost no external demands.

For example, Li Qi was like this; he didn't need Spiritual Artifacts, didn't need to devour external Qi. He only needed to continuously perfect his personal small heaven, and he could produce many things himself. And the process of perfection was the process of constructing his own 'Dao'.

Tang Nation wanted to capture Great Shamanes for this very reason.

The Great Shamanes' personal heavens had already reached a state of 'creation from nothing.' The things taken from them were real, only requiring the consumption of cultivation and foundation.

But those could slowly recover over time. As long as the harvesting intensity was controlled, Great Shamanes could be completely turned into an endless 'farm.'

Therefore, Li Qi truly had no interest in ruling a world.

This jade was more practical. If he took it back and carved it into a jade hairpin for the rabbit, she should be happy, right?

When he was unranked, in Yi County, he gave her a copper wire hairpin.

Later, when he reached Ninth Grade, in Qingwu City, he gave her an ordinary white Xiuyu jade hairpin.

Now that he was Eighth Grade, he would give her this jasper hairpin.

In the future… he would continue to give them in this order.

He hoped that one day, she would receive nine hairpins.

Carrying breakfast, Li Qi put the raw stone into his mustard seed bag, pushed through the crowd, and hurried back to the small courtyard.

Arriving at the door, he slowed his steps and gently pushed the door open.

She was still asleep, the early morning sun shining directly on Shen Shuibi.

She seemed to be glowing.

Her eyebrows were like crescent moons, her lips more vibrant than cherries.

Her hair, like clouds, drifted, carrying a natural fragrance.

Graceful and pure, like a slender branch swaying in the gentle breeze.

She didn't look glamorous, only serene.

But Li Qi, who had already experienced every inch of that serenity, now felt that this scene was filled with pink.

He slapped himself, then walked into the room as if nothing had happened, shouting loudly: "I'm back!"

Shen Shuibi woke up, opened her eyes, let out a breath of turbid Qi, and got out of bed.

She didn't speak, just happily went to greet him.