Chapter 74: Fortune Spent, Fortune Returned

Because the materials were for crafting the Yin-Yang Dragon Needles, only two ounces of each were needed, and after some negotiation, he found them much cheaper than he had imagined.

In total, it cost five hundred spirit stones, two hundred and fifty for each type, twenty less than the usual price for mid-grade second-tier materials.

Having bought these two ores, Cao Chengyu also purchased three bottles of Essence of Spirit Jade, five stalks of Dragon Blood Grass, five stalks of Dragon Beard Ginseng, three ounces of Millennium Black Ice, and one pound of Purple Dragon Blood.

All in all, he spent nearly five thousand spirit stones.

He naturally didn't have that much on him, so he sold off nearly all his useless spirit herbs, pills, and talismans, barely managing to gather the necessary materials.

Aside from the ingredients for the Yin-Yang Dragon Needles and the Yin-Yang Harmonizing Pill, he also bought everything needed to upgrade the Pure Jade White Lotus Platform and forge a new sword.

Though his purse was emptied in one go, the harvest was immense.

Most of his wealth had come from the period when he was investigating outside, thanks to the Heavenly Scent Spirit Cat.

The quality was average, but at least the quantity was sufficient.

With his wallet drained, Cao Chengyu had no motivation to continue browsing and decided to head back.

As he passed a small alley, a strange sound caught his attention.

"Hehehe... hehehe..."

Cao Chengyu: ???

He turned his head stealthily to look. Oh my, what a sight.

Why was the young man's chest so exaggerated?

Most importantly, the fellow called Brother Li had taken off his clothes, standing bare-chested and clearly eager.

And, wearing a golden robe adorned with cloud talisman sword patterns, he was a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall from the Five Elements Golden Peak. Wasn't this risky?

Cao Chengyu had just thought this when, suddenly, two people in red robes with talisman fire patterns jumped out from the alley's opposite exit.

One held a recording jade slip, and the woman immediately shouted,

"Help, he's molesting me, don't come any closer~"

Huh?

Such a thing?

Intrigued, Cao Chengyu quickly concealed his presence, watching in secret.

As expected, the events unfolded just as he anticipated: Brother Li was extorted and threatened, and as he left, he was warned to withdraw from the Law Enforcement Hall soon, or the recording might be handed to the Supervision Department.

Such underhanded tricks were truly shameless.

Cao Chengyu kept his guard up—he mustn't be caught like this. The treachery of human hearts was truly as infamous as rumored.

He was still too naive.

Shaking his head, Cao Chengyu slipped away quietly, pretending he'd seen nothing.

Back in his small attic, after taking a moment to relax, he began crafting his magical artifacts, starting with the upgrade of the Pure Jade White Lotus Platform.

The Essence of Spirit Jade was prepared for this purpose, and with his mastery of the Sunlit Artifact Scroll, he could refine a high-tier second-grade magical artifact.

The Pure Jade White Lotus Platform had many functions and could store magical power. At this moment, Cao Chengyu possessed five times the five-element power of his stage, and the platform could store not just one, but a second set of fivefold power.

Such abundant magical force, combined with his arsenal of high-grade spells—never mind opponents of his own level, even those of the Purple Mansion realm might be caught off guard and have their legs cut from under them, unable to flee.

Unreasonably powerful.

The crafting of the Pure Jade White Lotus Platform went smoothly.

Next came the Yin-Yang Dragon Needles and the preparation for a second-grade sword.

Cao Chengyu had long obtained the Azure Dragon Yin-Yang Dao Canon, and having thoroughly studied it, he found the crafting process effortless, almost miraculous.

The whole process was flawlessly smooth.

Were outsiders to witness it, they would surely address him as master.

Besides technique, the key to artifact refinement lay in understanding the restrictions. Each artifact's restriction differed, requiring great effort and focus.

Familiarity and insight beforehand yielded twice the results with half the effort.

Cao Chengyu added a sixth restriction to the Pure Jade White Lotus Platform, bringing it to the high-tier second-grade level. Going further, he could add one more, raising it to the low-tier third-grade.

For subsequent methods, he'd have to find a way at the Skywatch Tower.

After obtaining the Sunlit Artifact Scroll, Cao Chengyu learned that grades one through three, regardless of tier, were collectively called magical artifacts.

They corresponded to the Spirit Refining, Dao Body, and Purple Mansion stages.

Upon reaching the Golden Core stage, artifacts became spirit artifacts, and their restrictions advanced, formally becoming Earth Fiend restrictions.

This explained why the crafting method for the Pure Jade White Lotus Platform was called the Twelve Earth Fiend Solutions.

Previously, he thought fourth-grade magical artifacts were simply the result of stacking restrictions.

Only after deeper study did he understand.

The Yin-Yang Dragon Needles, once completed, divided into the Yin Needle and Yang Needle, used in cultivation with one's partner.

The Yang Needle was wholly red like blood, exuding vigorous dragon yang energy...

The Yin Needle was pure black, emanating lunar energy; when used... its momentum was like a fierce tiger.

Even a stone maiden would be moved by it.

Each contained both yin and yang, mutually enhancing one another—a true path to enlightenment.

This was the greatest strength of the Yin-Yang Dragon Needles: with such a tool for dual cultivation, paired with the Yin-Yang Harmonizing Pill to supplement essence, the speed of advancement rivaled the art of harvesting.

No wonder it was a product of the mysterious ranking's Dao Canon, perfectly aligned with the essence and able to strengthen the body—it was simply ideal.

As soon as he finished crafting it, he refined it and stored it within himself.

But without a partner, he set it aside for now.

Both the Yin-Yang Harmonizing Pill and the Mystic Spirit Pill needed to be refined, so for the next two weeks, Cao Chengyu devoted himself to alchemy.

Unlike artifact refinement, which becomes reliable with practice and allows for recovery from mistakes, alchemy is unforgiving—one mishap, and the entire batch is lost.

His scroll for the Mystic Yin Pill was only partially mastered, far from the twelve-pill perfection he once achieved.

Failures were frequent, and even when successful, the best yield was six pills, sometimes only one.

After a few batches, Cao Chengyu stopped.

It was simply too wasteful; he'd rather save the materials until he fully mastered the Mystic Yin Pill scroll. Then, refining high-tier second-grade pills should be effortless.

With his aptitude, it wouldn't be long.

Thus, after producing twelve Yin-Yang Harmonizing Pills and twenty-one Mystic Spirit Pills, he stopped.

All were high-grade second-tier pills, suited for late Dao Body stage cultivation. For him, still in the early stage, they amounted to potent medicine, with astonishing effects.

But they were also risky, as the easily dispersed spiritual energy could overwhelm the body.

At this time, his long-practiced Hundred Beast Thunder Roar body-forging technique proved invaluable. Early on, by devouring the Golden Core Azure Flood Dragon blood, he advanced swiftly, and after absorbing it all, his physique was already extraordinary.

Now, even without demon blood, his body was three to four times stronger than his peers.

With a body capable of withstanding it, he wasted no time.

He consumed a Mystic Spirit Pill a day.

After twenty-one days of intensive cultivation...