Demonic Demoness Training Project

In other words, the price of Lu Li will increase further.

The crowd looked hesitant. One tael of silver was a considerable sum for the people present. They were worried that the location Lu Li had given them was unreliable, and that they might not be able to find any spirit mines or even break even.

"Why don't you take us to see it first? If that location is really as amazing as you say, then it's not impossible for us to chip in a little bit for you."

"Yeah, you can give me a guarantee, but we brothers are really worried. You know, it's the off-season now, and there hasn't been much spirit ore flowing down from upstream these past few months."

One after another, the people pitifully told Lu Li about their hardships. On this desolate river, he was just a weak man with no strength to even kill a chicken. What would he do if they all conspired to renege on their debt?

Sigh, if it really comes to that, of course we'll beat them all!

In the end, both sides compromised, with everyone paying half of the deposit first, before Lu Li led his men to a sedimentation site that they had scouted out the day before.

In the short time it took to talk and argue, Lu Li's story had already spread among the gold prospectors. Several ships came up to investigate, but they were all driven away by the original five buyers.

They'll call each other brothers if they want to take advantage, but once their own interests are involved, they turn into mad dogs. Why should others get the points they paid for for free?

As the crowd receded into the distance, leaving the main force behind, the six ships sailed from a remote location towards an even more remote one.

Finally, the group stopped at a riverbank.

This was an inconspicuous, exposed riverbed. The surrounding water had been dry for many days. If Lu Li hadn't possessed the Qi-Melting Cauldron and hadn't been extremely sensitive to spiritual minerals, he wouldn't have been able to detect that there was minerals underneath.

“Look, my dad said it’s right here. I dug it up yesterday, and there’s definitely something inside.”

The group was skeptical, but since they had already paid the deposit, they still took shovels and went down to dig. Ten people dug vigorously with shovels, digging down to a depth of three feet, and the color of the mud and sand indeed changed significantly.

Those present were all seasoned gold panners, and they immediately recognized the rich spiritual minerals contained in the mud and sand. Upon seeing this, everyone present was overjoyed.

"Wow, there really is... This is amazing! We're rich! Dig over there and see how much more there is."

"I never would have imagined, I really never would have imagined, that spirit ore would accumulate here. Brother Duan Li, are you really not going to have a drink with me tonight?"

"Don't call me 'brother,' call me 'big brother'! Brother Duan is quite something. Are there any other locations? But all the ore here is mixed. Do you have any ore with a higher purity, brother?"

Chapter 17 Purification

"You're asking about lead ore? You can't just find that kind of thing whenever you want. My dad only told me a few locations, and they're mostly miscellaneous mines."

Lu Li waved his hand, his thin face full of innocence.

Although they couldn't find high-purity spirit ore, the miscellaneous ore beneath their feet was enough for everyone to make a fortune. Fortunately, the situation that Lu Li was most worried about did not happen. Those people did not renege on their debts and were very willing to pool their remaining silver and hand it over to Lu Li.

It was already noon, and Lu Li felt sleepy. He forced himself to row the boat back to the ferry, huddled inside the boat awning, ate a pear, and then started to catch up on sleep.

When Lu Li woke up again, it was already evening.

Looking at the sky, Lu Li estimated that he had slept for about three hours. At first, his head was still a little dizzy. As soon as he stepped out of the boat awning, he felt a cold wind blow over him, which instantly woke him up.

The thought of his debts and the fact that if he couldn't refine the Qi-Melting Cauldron within a month, his lungs would disappear into thin air and he would die on the spot put Lu Li under immense pressure, and he became much more sober.

Several sheds were set up on the shore, where people were selling various foods and sundries. Except for those who brought their own food, most of the gold prospectors who passed by ate their meals here.

Although the group of people acted pitiful during the day, in reality, the gold miners generally earned more than the workers in the stamping workshop, and at least more than the metalworkers, since gold mining was heavy physical labor.

Lu Li glanced around and saw that the stalls offered quite a variety of food. Although the gold prospectors' meals were not as good as in his previous life, they were clearly better than what the workers in the stamping workshop ate.

Lu Li ordered a bowl of buckwheat noodles. While the noodles were being made, he kept a close eye on the noodle stall owner. He watched other diners finish their noodles before he dared to pick up his chopsticks.

"My child, why are you doing this?"

"I'm afraid he'll drug me."

Old Master Duan wanted to refute, but she seemed to be thinking of a certain wicked disciple who betrayed his master and ancestors, and in the end she lost her temper and only managed to utter one sentence.

"Your caution is justified."

"Aren't you immortals afraid of being poisoned?"

"If you remove your spleen later and build yourself a [Transformation Furnace], no matter what kind of poison it is, it can be refined and neutralized in an instant."

"Hmph, I won't fall for your tricks again."

"No, you definitely will."

Lu Li ate his noodles in silence. He had added two ounces of beef to his bowl of buckwheat noodles. The noodles tasted alright, but they were a bit salty. After finishing his meal, Lu Li passed by a fruit stand and couldn't help but take a second look.

There are no restaurants nearby, and of course, no cheap fruit peels for sale; only less-than-fresh fruit is available.

On the wooden board in front of the stall, the prices of various fruits were written. Lu Li glanced at it and wondered if this was just how the world was or simply a regional characteristic, but pears were always the cheapest fruit.

As for bananas, which were cheaper in my previous life, they're not available here at all.

Although he had more money in his pocket, Lu Li was still reluctant to spend it. He hesitated for a moment, swallowed a few times, and finally only spent three coins to buy two catties of pears.

"Kid, look at your poor and shabby appearance, tsk tsk tsk, you don't look like someone who wants to cultivate immortality at all."

Duan Lao sighed with emotion. Lu Li, carrying the bag of pears, returned to his boat, rowed away again, found a secluded spot, and started operating the Qi-Gathering Cauldron.

[Aiki Cauldron·Bing Jie State]!

The gas reactor was released, and a buzzing sound suddenly arose.

Lu Li took out a piece of refined gray silver, manipulated his internal energy to envelop it, and began to operate it rapidly.

He didn't intend to sell this gray silver, but rather to use it himself. Elder Duan had previously told him about the spiritual materials needed to refine the Qi-Melting Cauldron, two of which were 95% pure Spirit-Guiding Copper and 96% pure gray silver.

High-purity spirit ore is very expensive, especially when it reaches 90% or higher. For every two-tenths of purity that is purified, the price will at least double.

While eating, Lu Li silently calculated in his mind that if he could use the Qi-Harmony Cauldron to refine the two ores to the corresponding purity, he could save thirty to forty spirit stones.

When the disciples saw the 85% purity of the blue lead during the day, they were overjoyed, because blue lead of this purity could be directly used to refine most first-stage mechanical artifacts.

In comparison, the purity requirement of 95% is obviously much higher.

Although both were first-stage mechanical artifacts, Lu Li vaguely felt that his Qi-Harmony Cauldron was quite extraordinary. Not only did it easily crush two disciples of the Qingyang Palace, but the materials used were also extremely high-end.

After the second round of purification was completed, the purity of the guide copper reached 90%.

In the third round, Lu Li switched the Qi-union vessel to the Zhou Tian state, sat cross-legged, and began breathing exercises. After a short rest, he completed the fourth and fifth rounds of purification, but the purity of the guiding copper remained at 91%.

So Lu Li made further adjustments and continued to purify it until the sixth round was completed, at which point the purity of the spirit guide copper barely reached 92%.

The further you go, the more difficult it becomes to purify, and the effect of each round of purification decreases.

Two hours have passed so far. At this rate, even if Lu Li refines it a hundred times, he still won't be able to reach the required standard.

Thirty or forty spirit stones would be roughly his income for two or three days. Even if he reached the standard through multiple purifications, if it took more than three days, it would still be a losing proposition in the end.

Lu Li was weighing the pros and cons when Elder Duan suddenly interrupted him:

“Child, you can’t do it this way. In the end, this matter has to be handled by this old woman.”

"You came? How did you get here?"

"Relax and hand over control of the Aikido Cauldron to me. I will refine it for you and show you the true power of the Aikido Cauldron."

"I'll leave it to you?"

"That's right. If you hand over control of the Qi-Refining Cauldron to me, I can refine it to 98% or even 95% of its full potential, let alone 95%.

Upon hearing this, Lu Li immediately became alert.

A cold wind blew in from outside the boat awning, making Lu Li shiver.

Something unusual must be going on. Lu Li could roughly guess what was going on with Elder Duan. This old man could never be the compassionate immortal she described.

Based on Lu Li's experience reading fantasy novels in his previous life, this old thing was probably the remnant soul or will of some cultivator. She definitely had her own purpose, but due to some restrictions or concerns, she couldn't use force directly.

The aikido is now like his lungs; he relies entirely on it to breathe. If he were to hand it over to someone else, wouldn't that be like having his throat choked?

No, I absolutely cannot agree to that. That old man is wicked.

Thinking of this, Lu Li couldn't help but gasp. This inhalation was not a big deal, but since the Qi-Gathering Cauldron was currently in a fully operational state of disintegration, his subconscious action directly inhaled all the guiding copper sand in the air into his lungs.

A sneeze!

Chapter 18: This stamping technique is indeed well-founded.

The sand-like guiding copper flowed through Lu Li's nostrils into his gray-silver-forged trachea, and was finally poured into the Qi-Gathering Cauldron.

The tingling sensation made Lu Li sneeze several times in a row.

Ochre-red guiding copper spurted from Lu Li's nostrils, covering the entire boat awning like gushing blood.

Lu Li rubbed his nose. He restarted the Qi-Harmony Cauldron to gather the scattered Spirit-Guiding Copper. To his surprise, he found that the purity of the Spirit-Guiding Copper had actually increased.

"Fine, you still found out. The Qi-Cleaning Cauldron itself has the effect of filtering impurities. When the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is absorbed into it, it can be refined and used for one's own benefit. It's the same principle."

"Then, where did those impurities go?"

"Of course, inside the Aikido, your Aikido is just a basic version, which can only guarantee the most basic functions, so remember to clean the dust regularly."

"Ah, this..."

Cleaning ash...

The words were both strange and familiar. Lu Li had only ever heard of cleaning the dust off a computer, but he never imagined that one day he would have to clean the dust off his own lungs.

"Does that mean I'll have to have my stomach cut open periodically?"

"Hmm, you could put a zipper on your chest."

"hiss……"

"What's so surprising? You're not even in the womb anymore, your chest is just a thin layer of skin and bones, making a hole in it is a piece of cake."

"What kind of talk is that?"

Lu Li was a little confused. Could it be that disembowelment and the like were actually commonplace for cultivators in this world?

Even after things had come to this point, Mr. Duan still couldn't resist promoting her loan business.

"Of course, you can borrow a [Azure Netherworld Skin] from me in the future, and also get a set of [Ice Skin]. These two artifacts together will be as hard as iron in battle, impervious to swords and spears, and can also be opened at will in peacetime, which is very convenient."

"The Painted Skin of the Azure Netherworld?"

"Yes, change your skin to the Azure Netherworld Skin."

"Then I'll turn into a goblin... oh no, I mean, my skin will turn green?"

"What are you thinking? This thing is called Azure Netherworld Painted Skin because the main material of this puppet is taken from the Azure Netherworld Demon Fox. After wearing it, the skin is as smooth as cream and the face is as red as cinnabar. Underneath, there is a layer of ice skin that is so delicate that it can be broken with a touch. Tsk tsk tsk, it's very beautiful."

Lu Li imagined it and immediately got goosebumps all over his body.

He is a dignified and upright man. If he were to grow up to be a pretty boy with a body softer than a woman's, it would be a loss of dignity and authority, and would lack masculinity.

"Is there any skin that, for example, is relatively tougher or more masculine?"

"No, what I'm talking about is a complete set. Moving one part affects the whole thing, so you can't just change it. Don't underestimate these things. Refining and using weapons are equally important, and the combination and matching of mechanical artifacts is the most important part of using weapons."

"Oh, I've really learned something from that."

While talking, Lu Li's hands were not idle. This time, instead of using differential centrifugation to speed up the process, he directly used a gas-blending vessel for filtration.

Unlike before, when he inhaled too much at once, Lu Li inhaled in small sips this time. The suction of the Qi-Gathering Cauldron in the Disintegration State was too strong, so he simply adjusted it to the Zhou Tian State.

Unlike the violent inhalation of the Disintegration State, the gentle and continuous flow of the Zhou Tian State makes its suction more subtle, much like a tender cat demon that makes people feel comfortable as soon as it opens its mouth.

In this way, Lu Li gradually mastered the knack of inhaling and exhaling spiritual ore. Apart from occasionally making a nasal sound, he made no other noise.

Whether it's gray silver or spirit copper, once Lu Li passes through it, its purity immediately increases by half a percent, ultimately meeting Lu Li's needs.

The only drawback was that, in order to avoid choking, Lu Li could only swallow the spirit ore in small sips each time.

Lu Li focused his mind and closed his eyes. As time passed, his vision changed slightly, and he was able to vaguely sense the condition inside his body.

Previously, it was measured that his spiritual power was at the lowest level of the Ding grade. Although it is unclear what that specifically means, it is likely that this is the level of an ordinary person.

Lu Li could vaguely see that within the lung-shaped cavity, there were grains of spiritual ore swirling and circling.

At first, Lu Li thought it was because his divine sense had improved, which allowed him to see himself internally. However, he quickly realized that it was not divine sense, but the effect of the internal energy itself.

This protective energy was like an extension of his senses. He could sense the spiritual minerals at the bottom of the water with this protective energy, and now he could naturally sense the spiritual minerals in his own body with this protective energy as well.

Under the action of the combined gas kettle, the gravel in the spirit ore is separated, and the reddish-brown gravel gradually melts into liquid and gathers into larger spherical particles.

These particles appear to be quite soft, and their shapes are elusive.

Lu Li manipulated his internal energy, applying pressure to the top and bottom of the guiding copper particle, which compressed the spherical particle into a disc shape.

It was as if a pair of invisible hammers had smashed it flat.

Only Earth-grade Fitters are qualified to operate the mechanism to press the spirit sword. Although Lu Li did not have an Earth-grade Fitter certificate, he had been to the pressing workshop when he was a child and had seen his father operate the mechanism.