Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

"Feiyu, that Inverted Five Elements Formation is so severely incomplete, is it really worth the price?" After leaving Yunxiao Pavilion, Han Li couldn't help but ask telepathically.

Although he wasn't very knowledgeable about formations, he still had a basic eye for them.

Li Feiyu smiled and said, "Of course it's worth it. Because I have a highly skilled array master under me who can repair not only this kind of array, but also ancient and mysterious arrays. With her here, this deal is definitely not a loss."

"I see." Han Li nodded, silently noting that Li Feiyu might have someone skilled in formations under his command.

His childhood friend had more secrets and more to rely on than he had imagined.

Li Feiyu had achieved his goal of finding Han Li. He accompanied Han Li on a stroll, mainly to see just how much momentum this "original protagonist" had.

Qi Yunxiao appeared as scheduled, but his fate had already taken a different turn.

This time, his shop only had a few decent magical artifacts, and he did not mention repairing the ancient formation. What he wanted to buy were the three main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills: Jade Marrow Fungus, Purple Monkey Flower, and Heavenly Spirit Fruit. He was obviously planning to establish his foundation.

As in the original story, Han Li entrusted him with the materials from the Ink Dragon to refine magical artifacts; this part remained unchanged.

Li Feiyu pondered to herself that if Qi Yunxiao had never met Xin Ruyin and had never been deeply entangled in a love affair, his life might have taken a different path.

This person is a talented weapon refiner with a pure character. But when it comes to recruiting him, Li Feiyu has no interest whatsoever.

The main problem is that Qi Yunxiao is too naive and simple-minded, and his plans are extremely risky. If he needs to act secretly or even flee for his life in the future, his personality will not only make it difficult for him to protect himself, but may also implicate others.

Not long after, Han Li found the array he wanted at a random cultivator's stall in the southwest corner of the market—the [Mirror Flower Water Moon Array].

Li Feiyu watched from the side, quite surprised.

Having already "intercepted" the entire Five Elements Reversal Array, from the array master to the array plate, Han Li was still able to accurately find another excellent high-grade array in the vast market.

This Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation is based on the mutual generation and restraint of water and fire. Once set up, it can form a trapping field where the real and the illusory are generated. It is good at defense and counterattack, and using the opponent's strength against them. Its core feature is to use water to condense mirrors to reflect incoming magical attacks.

Although it is not as comprehensive as the Reversed Five Elements Formation, which integrates offense, defense, trapping, and illusion, and its active attack capability is also relatively weak, it is enough to give ordinary Core Formation stage cultivators a headache for a long time if they do not have special methods to break the formation.

The rogue cultivator selling the array was even more heavily disguised than Li Feiyu and his companion. He remained silent throughout the entire transaction, and after receiving five thousand spirit stones from Han Li and exchanging the array plates and flags, he hurriedly left, clearly unwilling to linger.

"Feiyu, I've basically got everything I wanted. Now I just need to wait for Manager Qi to finish crafting the magic weapon. What about you? What are your plans? Judging from your attire... have you left Huadaowu?" Han Li asked suddenly as he organized the newly acquired array.

"Well, the sect has too many rules, which don't suit my personality. I prefer to be alone." Li Feiyu brushed it off vaguely, then emphasized, "I'm more concerned about the True Yang Technique. I'll stay in the market for another half month. Whether you ultimately choose this technique or not, remember to let me know the result."

Han Li pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Alright, I will consider it carefully when I get back, and I will definitely come to find you within half a month."

After seeing Han Li off, Li Feiyu turned around and returned to Yunxiao Pavilion.

"Senior, you've returned. Is there anything else you wish to instruct us to do?" Qi Yunxiao hurriedly greeted him, his tone tinged with trepidation. He was afraid that this seemingly easygoing but actually profound senior might be dissatisfied with the previous transaction.

"Fellow Daoist Qi previously sought to purchase Jade Marrow Ganoderma, Purple Monkey Flower, and other spiritual herbs. Was it to refine Foundation Establishment Pills?" Li Feiyu asked directly.

Qi Yunxiao's expression darkened, and he said frankly, "I dare not hide it from you, senior. My aptitude is dull, and it is difficult for me to establish my foundation. I do need to make preparations as soon as possible."

Li Feiyu nodded, then casually began to look at the religious artifacts displayed in the shop.

He picked up a fiery red flying sword, infused it with a trace of magic power to feel its internal patterns, then put it down and looked at a small cauldron, commenting: "Your shop's magical artifacts are exquisitely crafted, with unique control over the heat and fusion of materials. In particular, these fire-attribute magical artifacts have a strong internal flame that does not dissipate, which shows that the craftsman has a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the characteristics of fire-type spiritual materials."

Qi Yunxiao's face lit up with the joy of being recognized by an expert: "Senior, you flatter me. I have indeed put in a lot of effort in the art of weapon forging."

"I have a friend who has recently become interested in weapon crafting, but without guidance, he has been wasting a lot of materials by messing around with it." Li Feiyu said, taking out a palm-sized, irregularly shaped dark red metal block from his storage bag.

Its surface was dull and its internal structure was chaotic. It was obviously a waste material that had failed to be refined and had lost all its spiritual energy. It was the product of Han Yunshu's failed attempt to fuse multiple metals.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, do you know what the problem is with this item?"

Qi Yunxiao took the scrap material, examined it carefully for a moment, and then rubbed it with his fingers to feel the texture. He pondered and said, "This thing seems to be trying to combine Crimson Flame Iron, Refined Gold and a little Flowing Cloud Sand. The idea is not bad... Crimson Flame Iron increases the flame power, Refined Gold solidifies the shape and sharpness, and Flowing Cloud Sand can harmonize the two and add changes."

"However, there are three problems: First, the heat was not precisely divided into stages during the smelting process. When the Crimson Iron melted, the refined gold was not yet fully softened, resulting in uneven fusion and internal fractures. Second, the Flowing Cloud Sand was added too early and failed to play its best harmonizing role. Instead, it was damaged by the high temperature, which slightly destroyed its spirituality. Third, and most importantly, the refiner's control of his divine sense was slightly insufficient. In the final shaping and stabilization stage, he failed to promptly quell the subtle spiritual energy conflicts caused by temperature differences and attribute differences within the material, ultimately leading to structural collapse and loss of spiritual essence."

His analysis was clear, logical, and incisive, demonstrating his considerable expertise in both the theory and practice of weapon crafting.

Li Feiyu clapped his hands and laughed, "Fellow Daoist Qi is indeed insightful. If my friend had even a tenth of your knowledge, he wouldn't have wasted the materials." Changing the subject, he added, "I see that you have a deep understanding of weapon crafting. I wonder if you would be so kind as to part with some of your basic weapon crafting techniques, the key to controlling the heat, or your insights on combining common materials, and compile them into a book for me to sell? The price is negotiable. To be honest, if the value is sufficient, it's not impossible to even make a Foundation Establishment Pill."

The last sentence was spoken in a calm tone, yet it made Qi Yunxiao's breath catch in his throat slightly.

Foundation Establishment Pills are exactly what he craves most right now! With his talent and connections, collecting all three main ingredients on his own is already incredibly difficult, let alone finding an alchemist to refine them. The temptation of directly obtaining a finished pill is indescribable.

A flicker of struggle crossed his face.

His insights into weapon crafting were the culmination of years of research and included some family inheritance, making them invaluable. However, the Foundation Establishment Pill was crucial to his cultivation path, and ultimately, his desire for Foundation Establishment overcame his restraint in inheriting the craft.

He frantically pulled a stack of items from his storage pouch: "This is the 'Cloud Soaring Heart Technique.' It contains my weapon-forging insights accumulated over twenty years. I hope that after reading it, you will refrain from spreading it outside, lest the Divine Weapon Sect come knocking on our door. Many of the weapon-forging methods within are closely guarded secrets of the Divine Weapon Sect!"

Fearing that Li Feiyu might find it too expensive, he quickly added, "This junior doesn't have anything good here right now. From now on, if Senior needs anything, I can craft magical artifacts for you free of charge!"

Li Feiyu raised her hand to stop him, then decisively took out a jade bottle, poured out a Foundation Establishment Pill with a rich medicinal fragrance and shimmering spiritual light, and placed it in her palm: "Deal."

Qi Yunxiao stared intently at the Foundation Establishment Pill, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Li Feiyu smiled faintly and handed the Foundation Establishment Pill to the other party.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior!" Qi Yunxiao accepted the Foundation Establishment Pill with trembling hands, carefully putting it away, his face full of undisguised excitement and gratitude.

With this Foundation Establishment Pill, he finally saw a glimmer of hope for Foundation Establishment!

The transaction was completed, and Li Feiyu turned and left.

Qi Yunxiao watched his retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief. He secretly planned to complete the weapon-refining task entrusted to him by Han Li and exchange some spiritual herbs to prepare for the second Foundation Establishment Pill that he might need.

When Li Feiyu asked Han Li for five Foundation Establishment Pills, he had already set aside some for himself.

Xin Ruyin has good talent, and Xiao Mei's aptitude is also decent. With two Foundation Establishment Pills each, the success rate should be quite high. If two pills are still not enough, then it's just bad luck, and his resources didn't come out of thin air.

But on second thought, even if Xiaomei successfully establishes her foundation, it doesn't seem to have much value and would be an ineffective investment.

But since I've already brought it with me, it's not appropriate to just leave it unattended.

Li Feiyu shook his head self-deprecatingly, his "generosity" with a little extra money was probably a "habit" he picked up from his previous life in the martial arts world.

After patiently waiting for more than half a month at the Tianxing Sect Market, Han Li arrived as scheduled. He first went to retrieve the magical artifacts such as the Black Dragon Spear, Divine Wind Boat, Azure Fire Mist, and White Scale Shield, which were made from the materials of the Ink Dragon.

Looking at the radiant, sleek Divine Wind Boat, Li Feiyu felt a pang of attraction.

Unfortunately, although he and Han Li were good friends, he would definitely get angry with anyone who tried to take his escape tool.

His own paper kite flying artifact was indeed not fast enough, but there were few demonic beasts in the Tiannan region, and suitable flying demonic bird materials were hard to find.

There might be a few level-two demonic beasts deep in the Qingmang Mountains, but they are too troublesome to find and may not be suitable for crafting flying magic weapons.

With the matter of the market settled, the two left together, heading to a remote place in the Taiyue Mountains.