Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 636 Magic Item Enhancement
Ji An left the Golden Puppet Pavilion, flew to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, found his old friend, and said:
"I'm sorry to trouble you, fellow Daoist. I've obtained the materials and can now begin refining the Azure Lotus Treasure Banner."

As he spoke, he took out the Azure Dragon Wood, and the space in the house was immediately almost completely occupied.

Wan Jinrong's eyes lit up with joy, and he said:
"Good. Yesterday, the merchant ship returned from Xizhou. I was wondering if you had obtained the materials. It's clear that your sect values ​​you highly."

He extended his divine sense to examine the spirituality contained within, and upon hearing the dragon's roar echoing in his sea of ​​consciousness, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Its quality is top-tier among mid-range varieties, so upgrading its rank will be relatively easy. In half a month, it will become a mid-grade rank 3 magic weapon."

However, you cannot leave during this time, fellow Daoist. The magical artifact possesses a certain sentience; problems may arise during the refining process if its master is absent.

The spirit wood is of excellent quality, and there should be half a heartwood left. According to the original agreement, he will receive even more reward.

Ji An smiled and said, "No problem. I'll stay at Wanbaoge. It would be a wonderful thing to witness it being upgraded to a mid-grade third rank."

He summoned the Flame Banner from the ground and asked:

"I want to upgrade this fire-elemental magic weapon at the same time, but I don't know what materials I need?"

The sect sent a wide variety of fire-elemental spiritual items, which should be enough to gather the necessary materials. Even if he couldn't gather enough, he could exchange the materials he had with the other party.

Wan Jinrong took the magic item, examined it carefully for a moment, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

He pondered for a moment and said:

"To improve the quality of this magic weapon, several mid-grade third-tier materials are needed, namely Phoenix Stone and Blazing Crystal. The amount of Phoenix Stone required is quite large, about two kilograms."

Ji An scratched his head, "So many!"

The other party only reported five kinds of spiritual items, but the Phoenix Stone is the most valuable among fire-elemental spiritual items. When he refined the Flame Light Banner, he only used three or four low-grade Phoenix Stones.

Logically speaking, upgrading a magic weapon's grade doesn't involve refining it, so it shouldn't consume so many Phoenix Stones.

Wan Jinrong said tactfully:

"The crafting technique of this magic weapon has some flaws. I need to rework some of the magical restrictions, which is why I need to consume so many Phoenix Stones."

Frankly speaking, the amount of Phoenix Stone needed is enough to refine a mid-grade third-tier magic weapon.

"If the magical artifact weren't so spiritually potent that it had already taken human form, I would advise you to forge a new one."

Ji An immediately realized that Zhu Xiangrong's skills were not sophisticated enough in the face of a more skilled weapon refiner.

However, he would not regret his decision back then, when the other party was the best weapon refiner in the sect.

"I only have half a pound of mid-grade third-tier Phoenix Stone, which is far from enough. What about the amount of other materials?"

"We need three ounces of Blazing Crystal and half a pound of Phoenix Feather Stone."

After hearing the quantity reported by the other party, Ji An said in a deep voice:

“I can get all the other materials, but I need about one and a half pounds of Phoenix Stone. Do you have any of that material on hand, fellow Daoist?”

"I only have half a jin (250 grams) on me," Wan Jinrong said apologetically.

"But we have a sufficient quantity of mid-grade third-tier phoenix stones in our warehouse. We only accept barter. Fellow Daoist, you need to exchange them for mid-grade third-tier stones at a premium."

"Tell me the proportions. Do I have any extra Blazing Crystals and Phoenix Feather Stones?"

Wan Jinrong recounted the details with great familiarity:

"One pound of mid-grade Blazing Crystal can be exchanged for three ounces of Phoenix Stone of the same grade, while one pound of Phoenix Feather Stone can be exchanged for four ounces of Phoenix Stone."

He knew the exchange rate by heart and had told it to countless people.

Ji An shook his head helplessly, "I don't have enough resources. I have to go back and ask my fellow disciples."

I will return to Blackstone Mountain today and come to find you again tomorrow.

If we have enough resources, we can upgrade the grade of the Ground-based Flame Banner; if not, we'll just have to wait.

Wan Jinrong hesitated for a few seconds and said:

"The Azure Dragon Wood you brought is of very high quality, and there should be some core wood left. I got a good deal."

Fellow Daoist, you only need to exchange for one pound of Phoenix Stones; I'll pay for the remaining half pound.

Ji An was taken aback for a moment, then solemnly cupped his hands and said:
"Fellow Daoist, your character is noble and I admire you. If you ever need to refine pills in the future, I will offer you a discount on the refining fee."

He has enough materials if he only needs to exchange for one pound of Phoenix Stone.

Wan Jinrong sighed, "I was indeed too kind-hearted. I could have received more compensation."

"hey-hey."

Ji An chuckled twice and nodded sincerely, saying:

"Fellow Daoist will be blessed! I said so."

Even if the other party doesn't say it, he will remember the favor and won't refuse to help in the future.

"Haha, I look forward to the blessings you mentioned, fellow Daoist."

Ji An bowed and said:

"Let's go to Dingxiang Pavilion for a few drinks today, and start refining tomorrow."

"Okay, get some rest tonight and adjust your condition. You won't be able to rest properly once you start refining."

The two exchanged the resources together, discussed the details of upgrading the magic weapon, and finally went to Dingxiang Pavilion together.

During the journey, Ji An activated a golden communication sword to inform Han Yan of his situation, so that she could find him if she needed to contact him.

Jinlong Mountain is the location of the Jin Kui Sect's mountain gate. The mountain range covers a radius of thousands of miles and contains several large mineral veins and dozens of small mineral veins.

At this moment, the setting sun casts its slanting rays, and weary birds return to their nests under the rosy clouds. The cultivators riding their puppet beasts cast a dark shadow in the sunset.

Inside the White Emperor's Palace, Xuan Ye, the sect leader of the Golden Puppet Sect, put down the jade slip in his hand, his brows furrowed as he fell into deep thought. After a moment, he came back to his senses and said in a deep voice:
"Both of the sect's patriarchs are in seclusion and cultivating diligently, so I cannot disturb them."

Inform Junior Brother Xuanji that I am aware of his suggestion, and that we should refrain from taking any rash actions for the time being.

"Understood. Senior Brother Sect Leader, the Pavilion Master is still waiting for me to deliver a message. I shall take my leave now."

Master Xuanye rose to see him off, and upon reaching the outside of the hall, he gave him some instructions:

"Make sure you tell me your intentions, and do not take any action; just observe and see what happens."

There's no evidence of a treasure yet; we can't take any rash actions based on mere suspicion.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I will definitely deliver the message."

The figure in the sky disappeared quickly after the night fell silent, and Master Xuanye flicked his sleeves and returned to the hall.

The messages sent back by Master Xuanji need to be verified before they can be reported to the True Lord; otherwise, it would make him appear unreliable as the sect leader.

In the cultivation world, only the Divine Wood Sect can cultivate the Vajra Bodhi Tree to the third-grade superior level within thirty years, and the cost is considerable.

The conclusions of Master Xuanji still need time to be verified. In addition, it is necessary to send capable disciples to the Western Continent to gather information.

In Master Xuanye's view, the possibility of achieving this effect through secret techniques is very small; it can only be achieved through treasures or small worlds with extremely special effects.

He didn't quite believe that the sects in the Western Continent would have the opportunity to obtain such extraordinary treasures, but if there was evidence that the target really had a chance to obtain the treasure, he would definitely report it to the True Lord.

True lords are people who cherish their reputation, but if the benefits are great enough, they can do without it.

Another possibility is that the target sect's spiritual materials are something they've accumulated over many years, but are only being brought out now.

In that case, there's no need to take action.

Sunrise and sunset, time flies like water, and two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the weapon-refining room of Wanbaolou, white flames tinged with purple flickered steadily, like a rolling fire dragon.

Wan Jinrong's hand seals changed rapidly as he imbued the magic weapon with various magical restrictions.

Ji An stared intently at the Flame Banner floating in the flames. The Azure Lotus Banner had already been upgraded to the middle grade of the third rank, but there had been setbacks when upgrading this magic weapon.

Wan Jinrong's movements became even faster, and the magical restrictions formed golden threads in the air, continuously adding to the magical artifact.

A joyful phoenix cry echoed in the room, and the Flame Banner above the ground transformed into a phoenix, which ignited the surging earth fire, causing it to rise suddenly.

Wan Jinrong was attacked by the divine intent emanating from the magic weapon, and a sea of ​​fire surged deep within his eyes.

He grunted, a nameless anger rising within him, and roared:

"I can no longer accept orders from you for upgrading your magic items."

The phoenix's tail feathers shone even brighter, trailing long flames and radiating light and heat freely.

Ji An understood that the mission was accomplished and the Ground Flame Banner had been upgraded to the middle grade of the third rank.

"Haha, fellow Daoist, your skill is divine! This is a magical artifact to pay tribute to you."

Panting heavily, Wan Jinrong said with envy, jealousy, and resentment:
"I'd rather not receive such a tribute; please put it away quickly!"

He couldn't help but wonder if the other party had some secret method for cultivating magical treasures, otherwise why could both magical treasures exhibit the divine intent and spirituality of the Five Elements that were not commensurate with their grade?

"As ordered!"

Ji An shouted, immediately storing the Flame Banner that had left the ground into his dantian.

The magical artifact, in the form of a fire phoenix, frolics in the primordial fire, playing around the Blazing Sun Furnace with the Qilin and Azure Dragon.

The alchemy furnace was pushed around, and the lid shook in protest, but it was ignored by everyone.

Take out a green porcelain jar the size of a clay pot from the cave stone. Its exterior is decorated with green bamboo and pine trees.

Ji An placed the porcelain jar on the table and said:
"Inside are some Yunding Silver Needle Tea, please accept them, fellow Daoist."

The tea was of medium grade three, a token of his appreciation.

Wan Jinrong felt his anger subside somewhat and let out a long breath:

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. I have already received the payment. It would be against the rules to accept more. I would feel very embarrassed."

Ji An waved his hand, "This is a gift from me to a friend, and it has nothing to do with any payment."

Fellow Daoist, you must be exhausted from your hard work these past few days. Drink some herbal tea to restore your consciousness, and then get a good night's sleep.

I'll take my leave now, and invite you for drinks again in a few days.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the opponent's spiritual energy was depleted far beyond expectations, and it was estimated that they were already at their limit and could not withstand any more torment.

Wan Jinrong didn't mince words. He raised his hand and pressed his temple, saying:

"I won't keep you any longer, fellow Daoist. I'll pay a visit to Blackstone Mountain in a few days once I've recovered."

He hadn't felt it when he was focused on improving the grade of his magic weapon, but now he felt a splitting headache and flames raging in his sea of ​​consciousness.

He knew he had overexerted himself and needed to rest and recuperate for a few days to recover.

Ji An cupped his hands in farewell, "Farewell, fellow Daoist, please wait, I will depart on my own."

He turned and walked out of the weapon-refining room, then strode out of Wanbaolou.

Wan Jinrong wanted to see him off, but felt he couldn't bear it and watched him leave.

He opened the porcelain jar, picked up a handful of tea leaves, and showed a surprised expression.

"A mid-grade third-tier spiritual tea, Fellow Daoist Ji is truly generous. I'm starting to look forward to what my good fortune will be like."

(End of this chapter)