Li Mo’s act of killing the chicken to warn the monkey immediately intimidated the many loose cultivators present.
The serpent’s head was still rolling on the ground, its blackened blood staining the stone tiles red.
Li Mo had done this intentionally, as he needed to sell Magic Artifacts at his stall. Without instilling fear in the loose cultivators, countless troubles would be bound to arise.
Due to the Golden Sand Map, the loose cultivators had taken to calling Li Mo the "Golden Sand Taoist."
Li Mo walked unbothered through the market stalls as the prying gazes became fewer and fewer, with some cultivators even deliberately keeping their distance.
He scanned the spiritual materials on the stalls and noticed a trend of overabundance in Golden Earth Element spiritual materials due to the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm.
This was undoubtedly good news for Li Mo.
Not only were the prices cheap, but the varying quality of spiritual materials also meant there was an opportunity to pick up hidden treasures.
Li Mo already knew how to enter and leave the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm, and the Tea Poison could ensure his safety.
He suddenly recalled a peculiar reaction from the Creation Book when he was inside the Secret Realm—perhaps there was a way to increase the number of blank pages?
It seemed necessary to take another trip once preparations were complete.
Moreover, the blood of Deceit Beast corpses was also a resource for Li Mo, crucial for drawing main and secondary tattoos in the future.
Without realizing it, Li Mo spent several Mid-grade Spirit Stones purchasing spiritual materials.
He didn’t care much about the quality of the spiritual materials, as the Artifacts he refined were meant to be sold to others anyway.
However, for his personal use of the Golden Sand Map, the quality of the Second Refinement spiritual materials had to be top-quality; otherwise, it would inevitably affect subsequent refining.
The functionality of a Magic Artifact varied drastically depending on the spiritual materials infused into it.
Li Mo examined the wide array of spiritual materials, occasionally bending down to pick up an item and scrutinize it. The Creation Book’s value became increasingly apparent.
Most of the spiritual materials had already existed in the ancient Cultivation World, and with the Creation Book’s information, Li Mo could identify their properties.
Li Mo quickly gathered enough materials to refine five First Refinement Golden Sand Maps, and he had even collected a third of the resources necessary for refining the Primordial Postnatal Dao Body at the Heart Beast Black Market.
The only thing he couldn’t find suitable materials for was the Second Refinement of the Golden Sand Map.
Just as Li Mo was about to leave temporarily, he noticed a new stall set up in front of a tavern door, surrounded by a large crowd.
The stall owner, dressed in a black robe, kept taking items out of their Storage Bag.
In addition to spiritual materials, there were also Magic Bone Slips and Magic Artifact Catalogs, but they were stained with traces of blood, which suggested an uncertain origin.
Li Mo recognized the female cultivator. Their paths had crossed briefly when he had first come to the black market.
The female cultivator stood with her arms crossed over her chest; her half-exposed face was covered in Beast Fur, and visible injuries on various parts of her body had not fully healed.
From the loose cultivators’ gossip, Li Mo learned that the female cultivator was called "Qingqiu Taoist," notorious for her ruthless methods and penchant for killing others to seize their treasures.
Several cultivators made way as Li Mo approached.
Qingqiu Taoist glanced coldly at the crowd, deftly dressing her wounds while muttering in a low voice, "Only trade for Elixirs, not Spirit Stones."
Ignoring the curious stares of the onlookers, Li Mo began sifting through the items on the stall.
The Magic Bone Slips were immediately ruled out. The techniques recorded in them were ordinary and carried flaws that could harm one’s foundation—only loose cultivators would consider them.
He did, however, make a discovery among the spiritual materials.
Li Mo picked up a piece of Earth Attribute spiritual material that resembled dried moss. Its texture was remarkably flexible, and the Spiritual Energy it emitted was somewhat restrained.
Based on the information provided by the Creation Book, the material was called the Bitter Age Root.
Using the Bitter Age Root for the Second Refinement would not only enhance the Golden Sand Map’s durability but also imbue it with flexibility and retractability.
Li Mo played with the Bitter Age Root in his hands, his interest caught by a Low Grade Magic Artifact Catalog on the stall.
"May I take a look at the catalog?"
With Qingqiu Taoist’s permission, Li Mo placed the Bone Scroll containing the catalog against his forehead and memorized its entire contents within a few breaths.
Low Grade Magic Artifacts came in a great variety, most of them relatively mediocre. However, the catalog still helped fill gaps in Li Mo’s refining knowledge.
For Li Mo, the variety of Magic Artifacts he sold did not need to be extensive.
After all, mastering the refinement of the Golden Sand Map was on an entirely different level from mastering the refinement of Low Grade Magic Artifacts, and he did not want to draw unnecessary attention.
However, one of the Low Grade Magic Artifacts in the catalog piqued his interest—a Magic Artifact named "Caged Bird."
The Caged Bird was specifically designed for raising spirit beasts. In desolate areas, it could be used to harvest Beast Blood to supplement one’s resources.
Satisfied, Li Mo asked, "For the Soul Summoning Pill, how many pills are needed for one Artifact Catalog?"
"Two pills, and spiritual materials can be thrown in as extras," Qingqiu Taoist replied.
Li Mo handed the Elixir to Qingqiu Taoist, grabbed the Bitter Age Root, and squeezed out of the crowd, disappearing into the deep black mist soon after.
After procuring the necessary materials for refining the Caged Bird, he headed straight to an inn.
Li Mo rested briefly in his room before beginning the Second Refinement of the Golden Sand Map. The steps were largely similar to the First Refinement, consisting of grinding the spiritual materials into fine powder.
Li Mo was exceptionally meticulous during the drawing process, as even the slightest mistake could destroy the Golden Sand Map.
The outcome was satisfactory overall, but the Second Refinement was undoubtedly more tedious. Every stroke required absolute precision, or the entire effort would be wasted.
Even with Spiritual Power deeper than others in his realm, Li Mo had to rely on painstaking effort.
It was during times that the advantages of his leakless body became apparent, allowing his spirit to remain robust for extended periods.
Only after completing the Second Refinement did Li Mo emerge from his state of deep concentration.
While the Golden Sand Map appeared mostly unchanged on the surface, the Flowing Sand River depicted on it had become more natural, and the riverbanks now featured leafless trees formed from the Bitter Age Root.
This added a touch of life to the desolation of the sandy desert depicted in the map.
When activated, the artifact released a sandstorm with an area that increased by more than double, now mixed with solid gravel particles.
The Golden Sand Map wrapped around Li Mo’s body, this time extending beyond his head. The Bitter Age Root enabled extensions that completely enveloped every inch of his skin, leaving no vulnerable spots.
To distinguish it from other Golden Sand Maps, Li Mo named his artifact the "Desert Map."
He did not expect the Desert Map to serve as an offensive weapon. All subsequent refinements would lean heavily toward defense, making it his first Protective Magical Artifact.
However, the Third Refinement would have to wait for now; the success rate was still too uncertain.
The refinement of the Caged Bird was next on the agenda.
Unfortunately, the main spiritual material for the Caged Bird required metal, while Li Mo’s Spiritual Power leaned toward Earth-Water Attributes. As a result, he spent fifteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones to acquire a First Refinement Artifact Refining Furnace.
The Artifact Refining Furnace had the appearance of a three-legged Bronze Tripod, capable of producing flames when infused with Spiritual Power.
Li Mo placed Gold Essence into the Artifact Refining Furnace. Under the intense heat, the material gradually melted into liquid form, with its impurities burned away.
Using his consciousness to guide the process, Li Mo quickly discovered that controlling the Artifact Refining Furnace was far more challenging than expected.
The Artifact Refining Furnace emitted a puff of black smoke, and the Gold Essence was entirely ruined, producing a burnt and nauseating odor.
Li Mo had anticipated this. Without Metal Spiritual Power, the difficulty of the process undoubtedly increased significantly. Fortunately, he had purchased sufficient Gold Essence.
He steadied his mind and, after five failed attempts that resulted in the furnace exploding, finally managed to refine a Magic Artifact Embryo.
The Caged Bird, true to its name, resembled an ordinary birdcage. For the First Refinement, he needed to inscribe patterns on its surface using a spiritual material called "Sumeru Stone."
The Sumeru Stone was the primary material for refining Storage Bags, capable of constructing a Mustard Space.