Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 166 Who really benefited?
While such a figure may not be considered the top-tier weapon refiner of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect," he is certainly one of the mainstays.

It was thanks to countless weapon refiners like Yang Wenzheng's teacher that "Tiangong Hall" was able to produce a large number of standardized magical artifacts and spiritual weapons for the sect.

The two continued their journey through the cave, growing hotter and hotter as they went, as if they had reached a lava layer deep underground.

Half an hour later, Yang Wenzheng led Li Yunjing through another underground tunnel and finally arrived at a stone chamber that was thirty feet in diameter.

In front of Li Yunjing and Yang Wenzheng, a short, stout old Taoist priest in a bright red robe sat cross-legged on a futon, radiating a fiery aura like a burning flame.

This man had a rugged appearance, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a wide mouth, a straight nose, a square face, and a thick beard that looked like steel needles.

This man appeared to be a sturdy blacksmith; his body, bulging beneath his Taoist robe, exuded boundless explosive power.

“Li Yunjing, a disciple of Seven Star Peak, pays respects to Steward Wei Fan.”

Li Yunjing knew that this was Yang Wenzheng's teacher, and bowed deeply to the old Taoist priest.

"Hmm! Wenzheng said you're going to refine a spirit weapon prototype?"

Wei Fan waved his hand, gesturing for Li Yunjing to sit down on the futon beside him, before asking his question.

Yang Wenzheng sat down on another prayer mat, his expression normal, clearly indicating that he had a good relationship with Wei Fan and was not nervous at all.

"Yes! Deacon Wei Fan, the fundamental design of my 'Five Dragon Wheel' is to gather the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and to use the power of the five elements to drive the power of the five dragons. As they spin and fly, they can kill enemies from all sides."

Li Yunjing did not hesitate and explained, "The Five Dragons are naturally unavailable, and even the Five Flood Dragons are hopeless. I plan to use the Five Snakes instead."

"Hmm! You're quite greedy, kid!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Fan's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but scrutinize Li Yunjing.

Five-element spiritual artifacts are extremely complex, much more difficult to forge than single-attribute spiritual artifacts. Even for Wei Fan, it would take a tremendous amount of effort.

"Bring me the design drawings so I can take a look!"

Before Li Yunjing could reply, Wei Fan continued.

"Yes!"

Li Yunjing took out the blueprints from his "treasure bag," stood up, went to Wei Fan, and bowed as he handed them over.

"Hmm! Interesting! But too rough! There's still a lot of room for improvement!"

"Furthermore, your idea is wrong! It's utter nonsense!"

"This isn't right either! Are you even a cultivator with the Five Elements Spiritual Root? You're utterly foolish!"

"The idea here is good! But you've thought too shallowly; we can dig deeper!"

"Hmm! This idea is interesting!"

"Your thinking is quite good; you're a smart person."

"This stuff takes a lot of time and resources to make!"

Wei Fan read it and muttered to himself, completely disregarding Li Yunjing's reaction.

Ignoring Li Yunjing's dark expression, Wei Fan said whatever he wanted!
Is Li Yunjing a friend of his apprentice?
This is utterly shameful!

After a long while, Wei Fan finished his calculations and asked, "What materials do you have? If you don't have enough, you'll need to buy them from my 'Tiangong Hall'."

"Steward Wei Fan, these are the materials I prepared. As for anything missing, you can purchase it from the 'Heavenly Craft Hall'!"

By this time, Li Yunjing had recovered from the blow.

He remained calm and, with a flick of his sleeve, took out the fingernail-sized piece of Gengjin, the fist-sized piece of starlight stone, and even a piece of thunderstone, a piece of Xuanbing stone, and a piece of Tiangong Divine Ice that he had prepared beforehand, and placed them on the ground.

"Good heavens! Brother Li, you've got quite a lot of good stuff!"

Before Wei Fan could speak, Yang Wenzheng, who was sitting to the side, couldn't help but stand up, quickly walked over to Li Yunjing, bent down and picked up the starstone to look at it.

"Great stuff! This is really good!"

Yang Wenzheng's eyes lit up as he kept playing with the starstone and muttering to himself.

Seeing Yang Wenzheng's expression, Li Yunjing felt a sense of smugness.

These are all his top-quality materials!
"Hehe! Use any of these things that can be integrated into the 'Five Dragon Wheel'."

Li Yunjing chuckled and said, "If you can't use them, just exchange them with the steward for the materials needed to refine the 'Five Dragon Wheel'! As for if you don't have enough, this disciple can use spirit stones or contribution points to buy them!"

This time, Li Yunjing really went all out, bringing out almost all of his best things.

He had considerable capital, and his tone was extremely arrogant and wealthy, which made Wei Fan nod and smile slightly.

"Hmm! These are all good materials, but only water-based materials are usable. The Geng metal is too small; it's only good enough to make a few hidden weapon needles!"

Wei Fan was also somewhat surprised by Li Yunjing's wealth and immediately began to comment on each item.

After a while, Wei Fan seemed to have estimated the value of the materials and said, "The embryo of the low-grade spiritual weapon 'Five Dragon Wheel' requires the five elements materials I provide. You will need to pay me another 40,000 low-grade spirit stones or contribution points! In addition, there are five snake souls with five elements attributes. I'll charge you 50,000!"

"hiss……"

Although Li Yunjing knew that his "Five Dragon Wheels" would definitely require a lot of resources, he still gasped when the moment actually arrived.

Li Yunjing knew this was an insider price!

If it were the normal price, it would probably be tens of thousands of spirit stones more expensive!

In other words, based on the materials provided by Li Yunjing, the cost of his "Five Dragon Wheels" was as high as tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones!

Keep in mind that this is not a perfect low-grade spirit stone!
It was just an embryo!
In the future, Li Yunjing will continue to upgrade this "Five Dragon Wheel". The required second-tier advanced materials will cost even more spirit stones!
Even in future transactions, it won't be low-grade spirit stones anymore, but mid-grade spirit stones!

"So? Do you have any spirit stones? If not, don't waste my time!"

Li Yunjing had only hesitated for a moment when Deacon Wei Fan couldn't help but try to get rid of him.

Seeing Wei Fan's impatient expression, Li Yunjing's face darkened.

How could Yang Wenzheng, a fair-skinned and soft-spoken little boy, have such a barbaric teacher?

But since he needed to ask for a favor, Li Yunjing could only suppress his anger.

It was only then that Li Yunjing realized the importance of having a skill.

"I must learn weapon crafting when I have time! I don't want to keep putting up with this jerk!"

Li Yunjing cursed inwardly.

"Yes! I don't have enough spirit stones! But I have something good I can trade for!"

Li Yunjing gritted his teeth. He had come this far, and it was no time to back down. He was determined to forge this "Five Dragon Wheel".

Even at a greater cost!

"Something good? Let me see it?"

Upon hearing Li Yunjing mention that there were good things, Wei Fan's expression immediately improved.

As a weapon refiner, what I like most is naturally top-quality materials.

Seeing Wei Fan's beaming face, Li Yunjing wished he could punch him twice.

"Deacon Wei Fan, please take a look!"

Without hesitation, Li Yunjing took out another "treasure pouch," shook it, and with a few dull thuds, seventy-six three-foot-sized tortoise shells fell to the ground.

In an instant, it almost filled Wei Fan's weapon-refining room!
"I rely on!"

Wei Fan couldn't help but swear. In a flash, he arrived beside Li Yunjing, picked up two pieces of tortoise shell from the ground, and examined them.

Even Yang Wenzheng was stunned. He simply tossed the "starstone" to Li Yunjing and bent down to pick up the tortoise shells, examining them closely.

"Good stuff! You didn't kill a mid-tier second-level Xuan Turtle, did you?"

When Wei Fan looked at Li Yunjing again, his expression changed, and he seemed to be incredulous.

"Brother Li, you're so brave!"

After listening to the teacher's words, Yang Wenzheng asked curiously.

He couldn't quite believe it either!

Is Li Yunjing really that amazing?
"Yes! We were lucky to kill him! Deacon Wei Fan, how many spirit stones do you think this thing is worth?"

Li Yunjing asked with a grin.

Now you know how powerful I am, right?
"Sigh! These are all good things! They can cover all the expenses! You even have some left over! What do you suggest I do to keep all these tortoise shells?"

Wei Fan didn't hesitate and directly stated his desire to have them all.

"Forehead……"

Li Yunjing was taken aback. This weapon refiner was really straightforward!

You're not being polite at all!
You want it all?
I plan to use these tortoise shells to practice my skills in the future!

How big is your face?

"Li Yunjing! I see you have a piece of Xuanyu inner armor. How about I refine it into a low-grade spiritual weapon for you?"

Wei Fan glanced at Li Yunjing a few times and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to contribute spirit stones or contribution points. Give me the embryo of the 'Five Dragon Wheel' and upgrade your Xuan Jade Inner Armor!"

Wei Fan's words made Li Yunjing somewhat tempted.

Having an extra magical artifact that can greatly enhance one's strength seems like a good choice!

After pondering for a while, Li Yunjing gritted his teeth and said, "My Swift Boots also need to be upgraded to a low-grade spiritual weapon!"

"Hey! You're pretty greedy! Do you even know what a low-grade spiritual weapon is? How many spirit stones does a low-grade spiritual weapon cost?" Wei Fan's face darkened, seemingly very dissatisfied with Li Yunjing's outrageous demands.

Wei Fan's mouth never stopped, like a machine gun, constantly talking about the difficulties of refining weapons, the high cost of materials, the labor costs, and his energy...

Wei Fan rambled on for a full quarter of an hour before finally stopping because he was thirsty.

Li Yunjing then saw this steward pick up a gourd and gulp down several mouthfuls of spiritual spring water.

"Deacon Wei Fan! I'll add another 10000 contribution points! This is my bottom line. If you don't agree, I'll sell these tortoise shells to raise enough money to forge the 'Five Dragon Wheel'!"

Seeing that Wei Fan seemed to have recovered and was about to continue rambling on, Li Yunjing quickly interrupted him and stated his bottom line.

At this point, with his interests at stake, Li Yunjing had no intention of backing down.

"Good lad! I'll take all your materials!"

Wei Fan's eyes widened in fury, like Zhang Fei with his hair standing on end.

Wei Fan was dissatisfied with Li Yunjing's bargaining and insisted that Li Yunjing also consider the spiritual materials he had brought out as an extra.

"I'll accept it! But my 'Swift Boots' must be infused with 'Heavenly Thunder Stones' and imbued with lightning-based techniques!"

Li Yunjing's eyes were bloodshot; this was his life's work!

Wei Fan is about to wipe them all out!

His heart was bleeding; he was completely dissatisfied with Wei Fan's statement.

At this point, Li Yunjing continued to propose conditions.

The "Thunder Escape Technique" is a high-level second-tier divine ability.

If Wei Fan were to refine it into the "Swift Wind Boots," then this magical artifact would become incredibly powerful!

This is Li Yunjing's bottom line!

Only in this way can we live up to all the sacrifices we've made!
The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down!
"Damn it! Why don't you leave the 'Seven Star Palace' and become a manager in the sect's merchant guild!"

After a long silence, Wei Fan cursed, nodded sullenly, and said in a deep voice, "Deal!"

"Hehe! Thank you for taking care of me, Deacon Wei Fan! I know you're doing me a favor this time, and I'm very grateful!"

Li Yunjing bowed deeply to Wei Fan.

Having secured the benefits, Li Yunjing knew to say some polite words to make Wei Fan feel better.

"Fine! Get lost! In three months, I will have Wenzheng deliver three low-grade spiritual artifacts to you!"

Even after hearing Li Yunjing's kind words, Wei Fan still seemed very dissatisfied, feeling that he had been taken advantage of.

The expression on his face was as ugly as it could possibly be.

"Hehe! This disciple takes his leave!"

Sensing that Wei Fan was very angry, Li Yunjing didn't dare to stay any longer and signaled Yang Wenzheng to take him away quickly.

"Forehead……"

Yang Wenzheng was dumbfounded and stared blankly at his teacher.

"Get out! You get out too!"

However, Yang Wenzheng was met with a harsh scolding from his teacher. He didn't dare to say a word and slunk away with Li Yunjing.

"Hahaha! This kid is really green! This time he's made a killing! He's got at least 50,000 spirit stones in his pocket, wahahaha!"

Once the stone chamber was empty and Wei Fan confirmed that Li Yunjing and Yang Wenzheng had gone far away, he burst into laughter.

"These are truly wonderful things! These tortoise shells are the main material for spiritual artifacts. With these, I can forge so many spiritual artifacts!"

"I've struck it rich! My good apprentice has sent me such a big spender!"

Wei Fan laughed as he collected the tortoise shells and materials.

……

Inside the passage leading out of the mountain, Yang Wenzheng hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to say.

Seeing Yang Wenzheng's strange expression, Li Yunjing couldn't help but show an apologetic look.

He looked at Yang Wenzheng and said repeatedly, "Brother Yang, I'm so sorry! I had no choice but to keep haggling because I didn't have any spirit stones. This offended your master and caused you to be implicated and scolded by him."

"Forehead……"

Yang Wenzheng was speechless after hearing Li Yunjing's apology.

He was a weapon refiner, and a peak first-tier weapon refiner at that. He knew the price of these materials very well. His teacher had made a fortune, so why was Li Yunjing still acting so stupid?
Did they think their teacher was being taken advantage of?
Who is your teacher?

A person who plucks feathers from a passing goose!

No one can ever get the better of their teacher!
But since everything had already happened, and Li Yunjing felt that he had gotten the better deal, Yang Wenzheng couldn't take the initiative to expose the truth and betray his teacher!
Between a friend and a teacher, how should one choose?

Yang Wenzheng was struggling internally.

"Cough cough..."

After a long pause, Yang Wenzheng's face flushed slightly. "Forget it! We're all friends, why bother with such trivial matters?"

At this point, Yang Wenzheng's face turned even redder!

He's never betrayed a friend like this in his entire life!

At this moment, Yang Wenzheng and Li Yunjing were walking together, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Brother Yang! You're a true friend!"

Hearing this, Li Yunjing felt a warmth in his heart, and took out his "treasure bag" again, took out a black tortoise leg, and handed it to Yang Wenzheng.

Seeing Yang Wenzheng's bewildered expression, Li Yunjing continued to explain to him.

"Brother! Your teacher has drained me dry! This black tortoise's leg tastes good, and it's very nourishing. Go back and find a chef to cook you a delicious meal!"

Li Yunjing said embarrassedly.

"My day!"

Yang Wenzheng was completely exasperated. "Senior Brother Li, I thought you were usually quite shrewd, so why are you acting so stupid now?"

Are you fucking that easy to fool?

How did you manage to make it this far in the world?

Li Yunjing's actions made Yang Wenzheng feel embarrassed.

"Hehe! Brother Yang, don't be disgusted, this stuff is really nutritious, why don't you find a girl to try it on!"

Li Yunjing smiled wickedly.

"it's okay no problem!"

Yang Wenzheng sighed, thinking to himself, "My friend is so loyal, I can't let my teacher screw him over too much! I have to get my teacher to put in more effort and do a good job!"

"Brother Yang, there's no need to see me off. I owe you a favor for what happened today, and I'll repay you in the future!"

After leaving the cave, Li Yunjing refused Yang Wenzheng's offer to see him off and instead pushed Yang Wenzheng back.

Today, his continuous haggling angered Wei Fan, who was too ashamed to say anything more to Yang Wenzheng.

"Alright! Brother Li, take care! Once the spiritual artifacts are finished, I'll find you as soon as possible and send these treasures over."

Yang Wenzheng sighed, then turned and went back to the cave.

It's not that Li Yunjing is stupid; it's just that his limited cultivation level and professional knowledge have created blind spots in his understanding of spiritual weapon materials.

Wei Fan, being a master actor and a cunning old fox, managed to outwit Li Yunjing.

In short, Li Yunjing is too inexperienced!

I suffered from a lack of experience!

"Yang Wenzheng is a true friend!"

Li Yunjing swiftly teleported back to "Seven Star Peak" from the teleportation array, but when he thought about how he had lost all his belongings, he sighed inwardly.

Unexpectedly, after crafting a few low-grade spiritual artifacts, he went from being a tycoon back to being poor.

On the other hand, Yang Wenzheng was naturally dissatisfied and went directly to his teacher.

"Teacher! You're so dark-skinned!"

Yang Wenzheng was very familiar with his teacher, and without any formalities, he immediately began to criticize him.

"Heh heh! You don't know anything! If I don't give him all this good stuff, why would I save any for him?"

Wei Fan smiled dismissively.

"This is my friend! If Li Yunjing finds out later, how will I ever be able to stay in our circle!"

Yang Wenzheng complained.

"What's there to be afraid of! At worst, I'll put in some effort and help him upgrade these spiritual artifacts to the peak of low-grade spiritual artifacts!"

Upon hearing his disciple's words, Wei Fan frowned, thought for a moment, and then said through gritted teeth.

(End of this chapter)