Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

The next morning, Lin Feng got up very early and went to the exchange office in the mining area.

Three mid-grade spirit stones and dozens of low-grade spirit stones lay heavily in his storage bag. On the way, he repeatedly recalled his prepared explanation: he was lucky to have dug them up.

In any case, you can occasionally dig up mid-grade spirit stones in the mining area, although the probability is pitifully low.

The exchange office was located in a row of stone houses at the entrance of the mining area. It was responsible for registering the mining results of the outer disciples and converting them into contribution points. The person in charge was an old cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining. He had gray hair, a face full of wrinkles, and squinting eyes, looking drowsy.

Lin Feng waited in line for almost half an hour before it was finally his turn.

"Disciple Lin Feng, submit your monthly quota. You will also receive additional rewards that can be exchanged for contribution points." He respectfully handed over the storage bag.

The old cultivator took the bag, scanned it with his divine sense, and his previously squinted eyes suddenly widened.

"Three mid-grade spirit stones?"

The voice wasn't loud, but the outer disciples queuing around all turned to look. Their gazes held surprise, envy, and a hint of something else that was hard to define.

Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged as he lowered his head and said, "Yes, this disciple found it deep inside the mine. I was lucky."

The old cultivator stared at him for a few moments without saying anything more. While mid-grade spirit stones were rare, it wasn't anything earth-shattering in the mining area. He casually registered the items, deducted the monthly quota, and transferred the remaining contribution points to Lin Feng's token.

"The quota of 100 low-grade spirit stones for this month has been cleared. There are two mid-grade spirit stones and 67 low-grade spirit stones left over, which are equivalent to 267 contribution points and have been credited to your account."

"Thank you, senior."

Lin Feng took the token and turned to leave. He could feel the gazes still following him, and he secretly rejoiced that he was at the exchange point in the mining area. There were many outer sect disciples coming and going here, and although three mid-grade spirit stones were conspicuous, they wouldn't cause too much trouble.

If it were three high-grade spirit stones instead, I'd probably be invited to the Enforcement Hall for a chat tomorrow.

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After leaving the exchange counter, he did not return to his residence, but headed directly towards the Hundred Machines Hall.

Baiji Hall is located at the easternmost edge of the outer gate area of ​​Huangfeng Valley, right next to a spiritual spring flowing down from the main peak. Its architectural style is quite different from other halls. It doesn't have the ethereal, flying eaves and brackets of other celestial palaces, but rather a square stone hall that looks more like a factory from a previous life.

A stone tablet stands in front of the hall, inscribed with the three large characters "Baiji Hall" in sharp, powerful strokes. It is said to have been written by a Core Formation elder who was skilled in refining artifacts.

Two stone pillars stand in front of the gate, with a couplet inscribed on them:

"All kinds of magical artifacts can be forged, and all kinds of opportunities can be found here."

Horizontal inscription: "Exquisite craftsmanship".

Lin Feng stood in front of the door, his lips twitching.

I don't know who wrote this couplet; it's a bit vulgar, but the meaning is straightforward.

He straightened his clothes and stepped across the threshold.

The hall was spacious and bright. On the wall facing the main entrance hung a huge catalog of magical artifacts, labeling the names, grades, and materials required for their creation. The display shelves on both sides were filled with various finished magical artifacts, ranging from the lowest-grade to the highest-grade, a dazzling array.

A middle-aged man in a gray butler's robe sat behind the counter, engrossed in reading a yellowed booklet. Sensing someone enter, he said without looking up, "Go to the left to exchange for magical artifacts, to the right to accept weapon-refining quests, and to the second floor to learn weapon-refining."

"Senior, this junior wishes to learn weapon crafting," Lin Feng said, clasping his hands in greeting.

The middle-aged deacon then raised his head, sized him up, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the outer disciple token at his waist: "Qi Refining Level 4? Outer disciple?"

"Yes."

"Have you studied weapon crafting?"

"no."

"Do you have a talent for weapon crafting?"

"have no idea."

The middle-aged deacon's lips twitched: "Then what are you doing here?"

Lin Feng honestly replied, "I want to learn."

The middle-aged deacon was silent for two seconds, then pulled a booklet from under the counter and tossed it over: "First, pay 100 contribution points to register. Whether you can learn it or not depends on yourself. Hundred Machines Hall only teaches the basics; those who want to learn the advanced levels can exchange for jade slips."

Lin Feng was prepared and took out his disciple token from his storage bag.

"Lin Feng, outer disciple, fourth level of Qi Refining, registration complete." The middle-aged steward made a note in his notebook, tossed him a wooden plaque, and said, "Use this plaque to go upstairs and find Master Wang. He will teach you the basics."

"Thank you, senior."

Lin Feng took the wooden plaque and went upstairs.

The second floor was much quieter than the first, with only a few disciples fiddling with a refining furnace in a corner. An elderly man with gray hair sat by the window, examining a piece of refined iron in his hand.

"Master Wang?" Lin Feng asked tentatively.

The old man turned his head, his eyes cloudy, looking like an ordinary old man. But Lin Feng noticed that his hand holding the iron essence was as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

"New here?" The old man's voice was hoarse. "Ten basic lectures, five contribution points for each lecture. Practice on your own after you finish listening, and come ask if you don't understand."

"Yes."

Lin Feng found a seat and sat down. The old man didn't waste any words and began to speak:

"In the art of crafting weapons, the most important thing is the materials. If the materials are subpar, even the most skillful technique will be useless. Next is the temperature; if the temperature is too low, the weapon won't be formed; if it's too high, the materials will be ruined. Finally, there's the technique, which is the icing on the cake, not the essential ingredient..."

The first lecture was about material identification.

Lin Feng listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook.

The old man spoke slowly, but the content was very substantial. The first lecture ended in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"The second lecture will be at this time tomorrow." After saying this, the old man closed his eyes and ignored everyone else.

Lin Feng got up and went downstairs, still processing what had just happened.

As he left the Hundred Machines Shop, something suddenly occurred to him. He turned back to the counter and asked, "Senior, does the Hundred Machines Shop accept materials?"

The middle-aged deacon didn't even look up: "Buy. Ores, spirit wood, and monster materials, all of them. Buy at 80% of the market price."

"Then... what if we use contribution points to exchange for materials?"

"90% of the market price."

Lin Feng nodded, having made up his mind.

After leaving Baiji Hall, Lin Feng did not return to his residence, but went straight to the spirit stone mine.

The concentration of spiritual energy deep inside the mine is significantly higher than outside, making the Spirit Gathering Cauldron more efficient there. He needs to leverage this advantage to quickly accumulate his first fortune.

On the way, he encountered several familiar outer disciples.

"Lin Feng, why are you so late today?" A burly young man waved to him. This man was called Wang Tiezhu, a miner like Lin Feng, with three spiritual roots and at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"I enrolled at the Hundred Machines Hall to learn weapon crafting," Lin Feng told the truth.

"Refine a magic weapon?" Wang Tiezhu's eyes lit up. "That's great! Refine a magic weapon for me later, and I'll treat you to drinks."

"Let me learn it first," Lin Feng smiled. "By the way, Tie Zhu, do you know anything about the scions of those powerful families in the sect?"

Wang Tiezhu scratched his head: "Why are you asking this?"

"I'm just curious," Lin Feng said casually. "Aren't there quite a few family members among our outer disciples?"

"That's true." Wang Tiezhu thought for a moment. "Among the major families, the most famous is the Chen family. The Chen family is one of the top cultivation families in our Huangfeng Valley, and they even have a Core Formation ancestor. In this generation, there is a brother and sister named Chen Qiaotian and Chen Qiaoqian. I heard that they have excellent aptitude and are inner disciples."

Chen Qiaoqian.

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat; it was indeed in Yellow Maple Valley.

"Anything else?" he asked casually.

"There are also the Wang family, the Li family, and the Zhao family, all of whom have some connections," Wang Tiezhu counted on his fingers. "However, most of the scions of these families are in the inner sect, so we outer sect members can't get in touch with them."

"What about the Ascension Ceremony? Have you heard of it?"

"The Ascension Ceremony?" Wang Tiezhu looked blank. "I've heard of it. I heard that several of those rogue cultivators who started three years ago have become Foundation Establishment Grandmasters. Why are you interested in this?"

"It's nothing, just asking." Lin Feng waved his hand. "I'm going to mine now, we'll talk later."

He strode quickly into the depths of the mine, his mind racing.

Chen Qiaoqian was still an inner disciple in Huangfeng Valley and had not yet established her foundation.

According to the original novel, Han Li was selected to enter Huangfeng Valley at the Ascension Ceremony when he was 18 years old. The Ascension Ceremony is held every ten years, and the last one was three years ago.

Han Li is about eleven years old now and has already joined the Seven Mysteries Sect. He should be getting the little green bottle soon.

The little green bottle.

Lin Feng paused.

That's the greatest opportunity in the mortal world. The Heavenly Bottle can nurture spiritual herbs; having it is like having an endless supply of medicinal resources.

However, he was thousands of miles away from Jingzhou, where the Seven Mysteries Sect was located.

With his Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation, let alone traveling thousands of miles, he wouldn't be safe even outside the Yellow Maple Valley. A random encounter with a demonic beast or a cultivator on the road could kill him silently.

"Forget it." Lin Feng shook his head, suppressing his resentment. "The little green bottle is good, but it's not mine. I can't force it; it might just cost me my life."

He quickened his pace and arrived at a secluded mine tunnel.

This mine tunnel had been abandoned for more than half a year, but the concentration of spiritual energy was much higher than elsewhere. Lin Feng spent half a day digging a small cave in the rock wall, enough to shelter him, and blocked the entrance with rubble, leaving only a crack for ventilation.

He sat cross-legged and summoned the Spirit Gathering Cauldron.

Lin Feng took out a piece of iron ore from his storage bag and threw it into the cauldron.

He extended his divine sense to examine it and found that a faint metallic luster had appeared on the surface of the iron ore. Some of the impurities had been removed, and the texture was transforming into refined iron.

At this rate, in another five or six days, this ordinary iron ore will be transformed into refined iron.

"The concentration of spiritual energy deep in the mine is indeed much higher than in the attic." Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction. "At this rate, one mid-grade spirit stone every five days, one fine pill every three days, one piece of refined iron every seven days... As long as the materials keep up, the Spirit Gathering Cauldron can keep working."

He took out a fasting pill, put it in his mouth, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

And so, Lin Feng began his monotonous life, going back and forth between three points:

During the day, I mine in the mine and use the Spirit Gathering Cauldron to upgrade materials.

I went to the Hundred Machines Hall every three days to listen to a lecture on the basics of weapon crafting;

I went back to the attic to cultivate in the evening.

Life was monotonous yet fulfilling.