Li Mo had just returned to the inn and immediately began preparing for the refining of the Desert Map.
The Fourth and Fifth Refinements primarily tested the cultivator’s control over Spiritual Power, as fusing multiple spiritual materials to perfection was daunting enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
It was rare to see Low-Grade Magical Artifacts with three refinements or more in the black market. Even if an artifact embryo had the potential for five refinements, continuing the refinement process was often not worth the effort.
Mid-Grade Magic Artifact embryos had a higher capacity for spiritual materials, and even the difficulty of the first ten refinements was not as challenging as the Fifth Refinement of a Low-Grade Magical Artifact.
Li Mo felt confident, so he began working on refining the spiritual materials for the Fourth and Fifth Refinements.
The spiritual material for the Fourth Refinement was Grinding Disc Jade—its rough jade-like surface could help the Desert Map in healing injuries.
For the Fifth Refinement, the chosen material was Earth Gravel Sand, solely to enhance the defensive properties of the Desert Map.
Li Mo carefully considered his options. Both Grinding Disc Jade and Earth Gravel Sand were stable materials, minimizing the risk of losing control during refinement.
Once he finished grinding the spiritual materials, fine sand-like residue accumulated in the inkstone.
Li Mo practiced for a while using ordinary rice paper, memorizing the intricate details of the Desert Map. Before he knew it, half a day had already passed.
With a slight mental command, the Desert Map detached from his skin and floated midair.
The Desert Map, now in its Third Refinement, depicted desolate mountain ranges shimmering with the distinctive luster of lapis lazuli.
Li Mo directed Spiritual Power into his Magic Finger and began incorporating Grinding Disc Jade into one corner of the Desert Map.
The Magic Finger transformed into a needle-sized brush, and the process for the Fourth Refinement demanded meticulous care—every stroke drawing hair-thin lines.
Li Mo focused entirely, unleashing his memorization skill to its fullest potential.
The Desert Map crackled as new features emerged in the illustration. Amid the vast desert winds, a semi-exposed gemstone vein began to take form within the painting, radiating crystalline beauty.
Compared to the Flowing Sand River, the gemstone vein resembled a Flood Dragon poised to take flight.
Li Mo’s expression grew increasingly intense, his strokes becoming resolute as he mentally refined the Fourth Refinement’s details. Meanwhile, his body mechanically followed the motions of drawing.
His unblinking gaze eventually led to teardrops tinged red.
When the gemstone vein finally took shape, the Desert Map began actively absorbing Golden Earth Element Spiritual Energy from its surroundings.
After deactivating the Universal Skillful Hand, Li Mo found that both his hands had sustained injuries to varying degrees, and the pain gradually revealed itself.
He tested controlling the Desert Map and discovered the artifact moved as naturally as an extension of his own body, flipping through the air within the room.
Li Mo recognized that although the Fourth Refinement felt like an eternity in his perception, it had only taken a mere day and night in the outside world, leaving him momentarily stunned as if waking from a dream.
Closing his eyes, he entered meditation to restore his state. Once his spirit was fully replenished, he immediately resumed efforts on the Fifth Refinement of the Desert Map.
"Strike while the iron is hot, but faltering leads to failure."
Li Mo still felt somewhat confident about the Fifth Refinement, but sensed that delays in the coming days might invite unexpected complications.
He absorbed Earth Gravel Sand and began tracing around the gemstone vein.
According to Li Mo’s plan, he would use the Earth Gravel Sand to depict mortals mining and transporting gemstones of priceless value.
No sooner had he started the first stroke than he felt the difficulty mount.
Depicting miners at the scale of a grain of rice required mastery of Micro Painting Skill—even their facial features had to be repeatedly refined.
Li Mo sighed helplessly. If only he had enough blank pages to engrave enhancements for his eyesight, the micro-painting process could be simplified tenfold.
He pressed on despite feeling overwhelmed, discovering that the Spiritual Power consumption far exceeded his expectations.
Thankfully, Li Mo possessed a Leakless Body, granting endurance unmatched by others of his cultivation level.
The first miner on the Desert Map took an entire half a day to complete—by then, his Magic Finger had turned an unnatural purplish-blue from stagnant blood flow.
"The beginning is always the hardest."
Li Mo exhaled deeply. The subsequent renderings should be easier, thanks to his memorization skill. The Fifth Refinement seemed precarious yet achievable.
In his free time, Li Mo had often practiced his painting techniques. Despite this preparation, he still felt on edge—as if his brush strokes might lose control at any moment.
With steady resolve, Li Mo continued focusing on the Fifth Refinement.
One by one, lifelike depictions of mortals came into being—a disabled elder, a disheartened youth, and even a dying child...
Meanwhile, the gemstone vein within the painting began to lose its pristine form, appearing uneven and battered—as if mortals were truly exploiting it with the perseverance of moving mountains.
Li Mo’s complexion grew pale; the overwhelming expenditure of spirit left him nearly exhausted.
Yet the Fifth Refinement could not be interrupted, forcing him to accelerate his work, though his methods began veering dangerously unconventional.
If his Spiritual Power ran dry, the Desert Map would be irremediably destroyed.
Li Mo gritted his teeth.
His strokes became exceptionally decisive, and any observer would marvel at the sudden emergence of undeniable mastery in his workmanship.
Under the intense pressure, Li Mo’s Artifact Refining skill progressed in leaps and bounds, akin to forced growth under duress.
Blood seeped from his arms as he made his final stroke. He then collapsed onto the guestroom bed, panting heavily while his muscles trembled uncontrollably.
The Desert Map hovered before him.
Golden sands surged endlessly.
Within the lonely and desolate desert, dozens of mortals toiled away—surrounded by exposed skeletal remains, evoking a pervasive sense of despair.
Even without considering the Fifth Refinement, the Desert Map was already an exceptional artwork in its own right.
Li Mo felt immensely satisfied, commanding the Desert Map to envelop his body. At once, the bleeding capillaries across his skin began showing signs of healing.
The Fourth Refinement had taken a day and night, while the Fifth Refinement was initially estimated to require over ten days.
However, due to a shortage of Spiritual Power, Li Mo had been forced to rush the process, completing the Fifth Refinement in just three days—with no detail left unfinished.
He felt a transformative sense of rebirth, and his confidence in the upcoming auction soared.
Though he remained uncertain about the auction’s peculiarities, Li Mo believed his Artifact Refining skills were unmatched among childhood-stage cultivators.
Seeing that the appointed time was still some days away, he turned his focus to the Creation Book stored within his consciousness.
Having previously suffered severe injuries, he had not yet imprinted his kidney. Now, before the auction began, he resolved to nurture its divine skill.
As soon as Li Mo began the engraving process, a warm current surged from his abdomen and spread throughout his body.
The Salamander’s reaction grew distinctly intense, confirming the profound connection between the kidney—source of essence—and the divine skill of life it nurtured.
After ten days of cultivation and self-care, Li Mo’s kidney-based divine skill, "Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence," was born.
His expression turned curious as he performed inner visualization of the kidney, now undergoing Spirit Root Transformation. To his surprise, two flesh-like Spirit Branches had sprouted from either side.
The Spirit Branches had already borne fruit, though the fruits were only the size of grains of rice.
Li Mo immediately understood—the role of "Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence" was to convert excess essence into "Nourishing Yuan Fruits" grown by the Spirit Branches.
The Nourishing Yuan Fruits could heal injuries, enhance any blood-and-flesh organ, or even nourish the Beast Head Tattoos—enabling the Tattooed Beast to undergo transformation.
As long as Li Mo refrained from harvesting the fruits, their medicinal potency would continue accumulating, potentially turning into ten-year, hundred-year, or even thousand-year Nourishing Yuan Fruits...
"It’s a pity there are only two Spirit Branches. If I could engrave the kidney once again, their number would double."
Li Mo dismissed the thought, knowing that beyond the rare Metallic Spirit Marrow Book Pages, the Creation Book contained only one blank page—reserved for choosing between the lungs and spleen but not suitable for casual use.
The conversion of top-grade Spirit Stones into Spirit Marrow Book Pages might pave the way for ordinary pages, though likely dependent on cultivation breakthroughs.
Li Mo also harbored a hunch. Once all five internal organs were engraved, the five divine skills might undergo a transformative integration.