The private room at the Treasure Pavilion was elegantly decorated, though without the beast-patterned screens characteristic of the Heart Beast Sect, exuding a distinct atmosphere.
After Li Mo took his seat, the waiter brought over some tea.
"Sir, this is Xueruiyang from Kun Mountain, aged fifteen years. It’s infused with half an ounce of Warming God Yellow Grass, along with Blood-eating Worms to help cleanse decaying flesh."
The liquid in the cup was a silvery-gray hue, interspersed with dense clusters of wriggling maggots.
"The Blood-eating Worms, once ingested, will naturally be absorbed by the stomach and intestines..."
Li Mo’s mouth twitched involuntarily, struggling to accept how a tea meant to be light and refreshing had been transformed into something so grotesquely intense.
After inquiring about the goods Li Mo intended to trade, the waiter bowed and exited the private room.
Li Mo waited in the room for a short while, then an elderly man entered. His withered, skeletal frame was covered in a surface marred by hundreds of eyes, from which dark red blood slowly oozed.
The elder appeared to have completed Perfect Puberty Stage, though he had undergone Universal Skillful Hand modifications to reach the Weak Crown Period, with over a dozen arms sprouting from his back.
Steam, possibly caused by high temperatures, periodically erupted from his pores, filling the room with an acrid stench of sulfur and decay.
His body, strained by the high load, required constant elixirs to stave off collapse.
"Jiang Xin’an, the meticulous hand of Treasure Pavilion."
The so-called "meticulous hand" referred to an expert responsible for dismantling the corpses of Deceit Beasts and appraising their value. This position held significant respect at Treasure Pavilion.
Without introducing himself, Li Mo directly produced the spine of an Awakened Lion.
Jiang Xin’an raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the spine before casting a peculiar gaze at Li Mo. "The flesh has been stripped remarkably clean. Was it you who processed this Fake Beast’s corpse?"
Li Mo had no intention of admitting it.
Jiang Xin’an’s eyes lingered on Li Mo’s six fingers for a few moments before continuing, "What about the other parts of the Fake Beast? Take them out as well."
Li Mo placed the neatly arranged organs of the Awakened Lion on the table before closing his eyes to rest.
"This Fake Beast fell slightly short of perfection, but it’s already considered top-grade. Its flaw lies in the blood and flesh no longer being fresh, though they can still be used for Artifact Refining."
"Hmm, how about thirty-five Mid-grade Spirit Stones?"
Li Mo didn’t haggle. Thirty-five Mid-grade Spirit Stones had already met his expectations, sufficient for acquiring numerous resources.
"I’ll take the Fake Beast then. If the cultivator who disassembled the corpse is interested in Treasure Pavilion, you can find me at the shop."
After saying this, Jiang Xin’an was about to leave the private room when he heard Li Mo say, "Elder Jiang, there’s another Deceit Beast corpse. Would you like to take a look?"
Li Mo handed an old Storage Bag to Jiang Xin’an.
Jiang Xin’an glanced at the neatly partitioned bones and organs inside. His expression shifted from calm to astonishment, and he couldn’t help scrutinizing Li Mo once more.
Deceit Beasts differed fundamentally from Fake Beasts, possessing an indescribable vitality.
Disassembling their corpses required a deep understanding of their flesh and blood structure, as well as mastery of Universal Skillful Hand techniques. A single misstep could damage the corpse, reducing its value.
Jiang Xin’an could tell that the Deceit Beast’s corpse was incomplete even prior to the disassembly. However, the craftsmanship was so exquisite that most of its value had been preserved.
"Are you a disciple of Senior Han?"
Before Li Mo could deny it, Jiang Xin’an already displayed a look of sudden realization.
In a way, Li Mo’s techniques for dissecting the Deceit Beast were indeed learned through secretly observing Han Cai handle a moose.
"I’ll go evaluate the Deceit Beast’s value. You’ll need to purchase some resources, correct?"
Seeing Li Mo nod, Jiang Xin’an continued, "Alright then, I’ll have the Pavilion’s treasurer come over. Wait here for a moment."
He quickly pushed the door open and departed.
Not long after, a burly treasurer arrived in the private room.
The treasurer, named Wang Sheng, bore an imposing frame far larger than average but showed no other peculiarities. His face was perpetually adorned with an ancient, unchanging smile.
"Click, click, click, click..."
Wang Sheng emitted a series of odd chuckles as he walked toward Li Mo with a crab-like gait. His displayed cultivation had already reached the Weak Crown Period.
"What do you need, sir? Whatever it is, we’ve got it."
The presence of Wang Sheng reminded Li Mo of Manager Tian, exuding the same eerie, non-human aura.
"Let me check. It should be here..."
Wang Sheng removed his shirt, revealing a body corroded with rust-like scars.
He pressed on his right chest, and the sound of metal scraping followed. His right chest opened up like a drawer.
The flesh-drawer was packed with miniature bottles and jars.
"The Treasure Pavilion holds 531 types of Beast Blood, with sixteen being rare breeds."
Wang Sheng prattled on enthusiastically.
Li Mo was slightly disappointed. He had expected the rare breeds to include ancient Demonic Beasts, but they turned out to be merely uncommon wild animals.
For instance, creatures he was familiar with from his past life, such as salamanders, venomous frogs whose blood sealed wounds instantly, and winged fish capable of brief flight, all qualified as rare breeds.
Li Mo showed interest in the salamanders.
Though salamanders occupied the lowest tier of the food chain, they possessed an extraordinary regenerative ability, capable of fully recovering even severed limbs.
Unfortunately, the problem lay in that their blood’s potential was limited if used to draw Beast Head Tattoos. Its value in crafting Blood Drenching materials was unreliable.
Li Mo glanced at the price and saw that salamander blood cost only two Low Grade Spirit Stones per bottle. Deciding swiftly, he purchased both bottles from the Treasure Pavilion’s inventory.
He figured he likely wouldn’t use them, as similar Beast Blood was exceedingly rare.
For the third and fourth auxiliary positions of his tattoos, Li Mo planned to inscribe Beast Heads attuned for convenience in Sky-controlling and Water Element techniques. After all, the tattooed beasts formed from smog spiritual energy inherently possessed abilities to toggle between tangibility and intangibility.
For Water Element Beast Blood, Li Mo took interest in the significant stock of Kun Whale blood available at Treasure Pavilion.
Kun Whales were indeed rare. According to Wang Sheng, their corpses occasionally washed ashore, though their abundant blood supply was reassuring.
As for Sky-controlling Beast Blood, Li Mo selected several options, planning to deliberate further upon returning to his inn.
"Do you have any Artifact Refining Techniques?"
"Let me take a look..."
Wang Sheng opened a drawer in his right leg, rummaging through it before pulling out several Bone Scrolls.
Li Mo pressed one to his forehead and read it. Unfortunately, all the refining techniques were partial, containing only introductions. Otherwise, his photographic memory could have let him take them for free.
The Artifact Refining Techniques at Treasure Pavilion ranged from the basics of nourishing materials with spiritual power to gestate Magic Artifact Embryos, to other highly unconventional methods.
For example, the Skin Cultivation Refining Technique.
This involved applying a specialized medicinal primer to a young beast’s skin, harvesting it near the end of its lifespan, and using Fire Attribute Spiritual Power to purify impurities, ultimately creating a Magic Artifact Embryo.
Another example was the Sealed Egg Refining Technique.
Here, bird eggs were soaked in a specific potion that prevented them from hatching. Over time, the birds inside would be absorbed into the shell itself.
The basic Artifact Refining Law dictated the selection of refineable Magic Artifacts based on Alien Spiritual Powers, with smog spiritual energy primarily suited for water and earth attributes.
The refining techniques weren’t cheap—all priced no lower than ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones each.
After some consideration, Li Mo chose the Skin Cultivation Refining Technique and the basic Artifact Refining Law. He also purchased common spiritual materials to experiment with crafting.
Upon further inquiry, he learned that the Treasure Pavilion had no smog spiritual energy in stock.
Li Mo wasn’t particularly concerned. Between the Mid-grade Spirit Stones at his disposal and the Spirit Gathering Array at his inn, his cultivation efficiency wouldn’t suffer.