This Devilish Vine, aged over a millennium, stretches for ten zhang (about 33 meters), with its thickest part being as wide as a water bucket.
Even though it's bound in place, it continually writhes, sensing the presence of Wang Hong and Old Man nearby, intending to attack them.
This spirit vine lacks any sentience; it acts purely on instinct. However, its combat instinct is exceptionally formidable.
Old Man, initially proud, now wears a face of astonishment.
"This... must be at least a thousand years old. How did you subdue it?" Old Man asked in shock.
He had encountered a Devilish Vine of six hundred years before, and to subdue it, most of its tendrils had to be cut off.
But the thousand-year Devilish Vine before them showed no signs of damage.
Wang Hong, in response, merely chuckled without uttering a word. Observing this, Old Man realized he had been impolite, prying into someone else's secrets.
"I apologize for my rudeness, Daoist friend. Please forgive me!"
"No harm! Do you think the material I provided is suitable?" Wang Hong asked.
"Very suitable! Very suitable!" Old Man excitedly nodded. In all his years of refining tools, he had never worked with such excellent materials.
"If this doesn't work, there's nothing better! A thousand-year Devilish Vine is already quite impressive as a Refinement treasure. With some luck, it might even yield a top-grade Spiritual Weapon. At the very least, it should produce a high-grade one."
While Old Man spoke, he gently touched the Devilish Vine, causing it to struggle and writhe.
"You mentioned it's barely a Refinement treasure. Why then the need for luck to produce a top-grade Spiritual Weapon?" Wang Hong questioned with suspicion.
"I only said 'barely.' You should know that the Refinement process requires the addition of a considerable amount of other rare materials. To produce a top-grade Spiritual Weapon is like an Alchemist crafting a high-grade pill. It depends on both skill and luck, with no absolute guarantee."
Old Man admitted this with a hint of guilt. He had never successfully crafted a top-grade Spiritual Weapon, and even his hand paused on the Devilish Vine.
"Well then, how long would it take to complete the Refinement?" Wang Hong pondered. Whether it's top-grade or not, he had plenty of three to four hundred-year Devilish Vines in his spatial storage. In a few more years, they would reach a thousand years as well.
"Please state your requirements first, so I can make a decision," Old Man replied.
"I want a Spiritual Weapon like a rope from the Refinement, hoping to retain the characteristics of the Devilish Vine. Additionally..." Wang Hong detailed his requirements.
"It will take about two months, as I need to prepare some auxiliary materials. The entire Refinement process will also take a few days," Old Man confidently stated, returning to his expertise.
"As for the cost, it's divided into two aspects: the cost of providing auxiliary materials and the Refinement fee. Together, it amounts to fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. You only need to pay five thousand today."
Though Wang Hong was wealthy, this price startled him. Fifteen thousand Spirit Stones could purchase two or three ordinary low-grade Spiritual Weapons. Here, it was only enough for the cost of materials and the Refinement fee.
No wonder Lu Fang, the former peak master's top disciple, felt so distressed after losing a top-grade Spiritual Weapon.
After paying five thousand Spirit Stones, Wang Hong left the Myriad Treasures Tower.
In the following days, he immersed himself in Alchemy, refining first and second-tier pills.
With his Alchemy speed, he could produce over two hundred pills per furnace for a first-tier pill, refining one or two thousand pills daily.
Even with the convenience of his spatial storage, Wang Hong didn't have an abundance of Medicinal Herbs. He only had a few hundred materials, so he had to be frugal, refining only one material per furnace.
After two months of effort, he successfully refined a hundred thousand first-tier pills and over three hundred second-tier pills.
When the agreed-upon delivery time with Myriad Treasures Tower arrived, he went there and paid ten thousand Spirit Stones. In return, he received his newly refined top-grade Spiritual Weapon.
Originally a Devilish Vine that was ten zhang long and as thick as a water bucket, after refinement, it was reduced to a three-zhang long, thumb-thick rope. It was entirely black, covered in tiny thorns. He named this Spiritual Weapon the Binding Spirit Rope.
It was his first top-grade Spiritual Weapon. After spending a few more days consecrating it, the Spiritual Weapon operated smoothly.
With everything arranged, he mounted Little Peng once again and left the sect.
The journey to Azure Void City was uneventful.
He first returned to his residence, collected all the pills refined by the Ma Brothers, and stored them away. After learning to refine multiple materials in one furnace, they had refined nearly a hundred thousand first-tier pills during this time.
Simultaneously, he gave the three Foundation Establishment Pills he obtained from the sect to the brothers. Since dividing three pills among them was tricky, he let them negotiate among themselves.
Although the brothers were usually sycophantic and cowardly, their relationship was surprisingly good. Wang Hong also promised that if one of them failed in Foundation Building, he would find a solution for them, preventing them from turning against each other for these three Foundation Establishment Pills.
In reality, many cultivators only needed one Foundation Establishment Pill to complete Foundation Building.
He then visited Skinny Monkey's winery, stored the newly brewed wine in his spatial storage, and took out some well-aged first-tier Spirit Wine from his spatial storage, placing it in the wine cellar.
After consuming many top-grade Condensing Qi Pills, Skinny Monkey had finally reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation. The profits from Skinny Monkey's Spirit Wine business had earned Wang Hong over five hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
Next, he visited Zhao Ning's Elixir Pavilion, collected three hundred thousand Spirit Stones, and then vanished from Azure Void City.
This left the Shadow Kill assassins, who had been lurking in the shadows, infuriated.
At this moment, Wang Hong transformed into Wang Kun and went to Liu Changsheng's residence. He handed over a heap of Spiritual Herbs and Spirit Pills, including a small amount of second-tier Spiritual Herbs. In return, he took away a million Spirit Stones, his entire income for this period.
The youths Liu Changsheng recruited had all grown significantly taller in this time. Thanks to the accumulation of abundant resources, many had reached the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation. The difference between those with Spiritual Roots and those without was substantial.
After spending a few days with Liu Changsheng, making necessary arrangements and informing him of his departure for several years, Wang Hong disappeared once again.
Ten days later, in Azure Void City, at a secret Shadow Kill base.
A man in a brocade robe sat at the top, and a man in black robes reported from below.
"Reporting to Steward Xing, Target Number 107 suddenly disappeared from Azure Void City. Just received information that he has returned to the sect."
"Damn it! Headquarters has already reprimanded us, asking if we're going to wait for over a hundred years until he dies of old age to complete the mission."
Steward Xing's face showed frustration. This little mouse had been pursued by Shadow Kill since the Qi Cultivation period, and now he had already reached Foundation Building.
"The next opportunity we get, at any cost, we must kill him."
"Yes, I understand, sir."
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]