Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

Chapter 193 The Road Back to the Mountains
Three hundred thousand spirit stones, which is enough for him to spend for a very long time, considering that many spiritual items cost only a few hundred spirit stones.

Even for second-rate human forces like the Bai Clan of Cangshan and the Gongsun Clan of Yanbo Lake, this is a significant resource.

This is one of the advantages of the Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm occupies two-thirds of the Southern Wilderness, rich in resources and countless spiritual lands and grotto-heavens, but the methods they use are far inferior to those of the human race.

Perhaps it is precisely because resources are not abundant that the human race has been able to create a wide range of methods to make full use of the natural resources of heaven and earth. The reputation of making good use of external resources is not just limited to written records.

After Gu Qing gave instructions to the demons, including Bao Chong, on their tasks.

He then left Demon Phoenix City and secretly headed back to Dragon Pass. This batch of spirit stones was much larger than he had expected, and it was not impossible that some demons might take the risk.

Avoiding the limelight has almost become his instinct.

Of course, this is also a one-off deal. The real estate in Yaohuang City has been almost sold out, and from now on it will be a steady stream of income, certainly not as extravagant as the first harvest.

half a month later.

The familiar rift valley, the little snake on his wrist that hadn't woken up for a long time stirred, as if it had some memory of the bottom of the rift, the place where he had lived for so long.

"hiss~"

The little guy has been born for many years, but his body shape hasn't changed at all. He wakes up once every three years on average, eats a lot, and then goes back to sleep.

Judging from the growth path of the demon race, it would take at least a hundred years for the little snake to help him in battle.

The infancy period of ancient mythical beasts is even longer.

Conversely, once the transformation period is reached, the strength will increase rapidly like a rocket, somewhat like an insect breaking out of its cocoon to become a butterfly. Right now, it is accumulating power.

After spending so many years together, Gu Qing could understand its meaning to some extent.

"Do you want to go down and take a look?"

"hiss~"

"Next time, your master is still a little lacking in strength. The bottom of the abyss is too dangerous. Even a sixth-grade cultivator wouldn't dare to stay there for long."

The little snake was a little dejected upon hearing this. It rubbed its head against Gu Qing's wrist before going into hiding again.

"There will be a chance."

No longer dwelling on the situation in the Abyss, Gu Qing went first to Tiger Might Pass, one of the five front-line passes, where he directly confronted the Collapse Mountain Eagle Clan.

The other party was tricked badly a few years ago and has been calm for many years. The last time he went out with Yue Wuji's Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches team, he was conscripted here.

Gu Qing was deeply impressed by the young general in white robes and the maid named Qingyi.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it this time.

After passing through Huwei Pass and continuing their journey for three days, they finally arrived at the logistics pass of the five front-line passes—[Yulong Pass].

Every few years, a new batch of people who have broken through to the eighth rank will come to this place. After a year of military training, the best will be selected to join the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, or the garrisoned legions, demon hunting groups, etc.

Gu Qing never used what she learned back then, and she hopes she never will.

Weapon Refining Department.

As usual, Lian Chutian stayed in the Earth Fire Chamber forging large magical artifacts. The [Demon-Slaying Ball] he developed has been developed for several generations.

"Master Gu."

Elder Gu.

"Senior Brother Gu... it's been a while since we last met. You've gone to explore the Demon Realm again?"

"In fact, we weapon refiners can only realize our greatest value by staying in the rear and providing weapon support."

Faced with the opinions and experiences of many fellow disciples, Gu Qing simply smiled.

Blacksmithing only earns a fixed salary and a small commission; it won't make you rich.

"Don't worry about me, just keep an eye on the items in the furnace, don't ruin them."

"Hey!"

…………

…………

After exchanging pleasantries, Gu Qing paid his respects to Lian Chutiangong. "Palace Master."

"Oh, what a rare guest! Have you found a treasure trove in the Demon Realm? Your strength has increased so quickly, I can't even fathom it."

"Please stop teasing me, Palace Master. Is there anything I can do to help with the weapon crafting department?"

"Hahaha, they're all the same."

Lian Chutian stopped his work, had someone pour him two cups of tea, and sat down on the ground with Gu Qing. The crimson flames of the large refining furnace made one side of the two of them turn red, and he sighed.

"Judging by the time, you've been at [Royal Dragon Pass] for almost thirty years now, are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied, this place is nice."

“I know you’re not just a simple weapon refiner. At your age, you should really give it your all, unlike me, an old man. Breaking through to the sixth rank is my limit at my age.”

Gu Qing was somewhat taken aback.

“Palace Master, a sixth-grade Grand Cultivator, the Ancestral Hall of Baiyue Mountain is only ranked thirty-seventh, and you are already a bit… well.”

"and many more……"

"You've broken through?"

At first, Gu Qing thought that Palace Master Lian Chu was feeling sad, but she seized on the loophole in his words and realized that he was showing off in front of everyone.

Lian Chutian immediately sat up straight and smiled.

"This hurdle has been a stumbling block for me for two hundred years. I was so engrossed in my craft that I was only able to use the furnace method to combine the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit, and achieve a complete leap forward. The difficulty is truly not low."

"I was supposed to return to the mountain gate in a month or two, and I also need to make arrangements at the weapon refining hall. Your return is just in time. Would you like to come back to the mountain with me?"

"I can?"

Gu Qing paused.

"Isn't there a mandatory requirement of fifty years?"

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Think about it, have you seen any members of powerful families with Taoist lineages at the border over the years?"

"Yue Wuji..."

“He is different. The [Battle Divine Ability] of the Nanli Yue family requires extremely rich combat experience to demonstrate its power. He came here to cultivate it.”

That makes sense.

Of all the people Gu Qing had contacted, Jiang Zuling and Zhao Yin from the Jiang family, and even Jiang Xi'er, hadn't come over in recent years. Judging by the time, their cultivation levels had definitely reached the peak of the eighth rank.

Previously, he naively thought that in other heavenly gates, he had spent many years in the demon realm and had never really integrated into any group.

"Have you figured it out?"

Lian Chutian scoffed.

"The biggest advantage of the frontier is that top-tier cultivation resources can be exchanged for through merit points. The core heirs of those big families can also enjoy top-tier resources."

"Therefore, there is a limit to the number of merits that can be exchanged, but there is no such limit for large families. As long as one is capable and has a high status, they can be supported by the entire family."

"They come to the frontier for no benefit other than to gain fame and combat experience.

"Therefore, they found a way to avoid being drafted early on."

"They have all sorts of reasons. For them, leaving the family is equivalent to leaving the center of power. They are easily squeezed out by others. The internal competition is no less intense than among independent cultivators."

When Lian Chutiangong explained this to Gu Qing, his tone was very disdainful, but Lian Chutiangong was also one of the nine great immortal clans.

His failure to act in the interests of the family within the mountain gate suggests that something unpleasant must have happened.

Staying on the frontier year-round is probably also a way to gather resources for spiritual practice.

Having understood this, Gu Qing cupped his hands in greeting.

"As you command, Lord."

"Alright, I've calculated it. You've earned over the past thirty years a total of 100,000 merits, enough to apply for early retirement. I'll help you with that."

(End of this chapter)