Soon, a young man with a slightly sunburned face from the wind and sun, laughed heartily as he walked out, striding like a dragon and tiger, quickly reaching the entrance, his cheerful laughter echoing.
"Hahaha, Paper Kite sister, long time no see, what brings you to this out-of-the-way place suddenly?"
Paper Kite smiled lightly: "Immortal Footprint brother, I’ve brought a guest for you."
She familiarly bantered: "This isn’t an out-of-the-way place; it’s a golden nest."
"What golden nest, it’s nowhere near your chamber of commerce over there."
Cloud Immortal Footprint shook his head with a wry smile, glancing at Shen Wang: "This must be the esteemed guest. How should I address you?"
"Surname Wang, I’m here to have a Crystal Fish Tank made, needs to be pure crystal, transparent if possible." Shen Wang stated his purpose.
Cloud Immortal Footprint praised after hearing: "Brother Wang is indeed a man of refined taste."
"You’re too kind, but is it possible to make the tank?"
Shen Wang didn’t want to waste much time on this matter.
"A small fish tank is no problem, but a larger one would be troublesome, as large chunks of crystal are rare, and transparent ones even more so."
"Half a foot deep will do."
Shen Wang thought that a few Little Golden Fish were quite small and didn’t need a large tank.
"No problem, I’ll find a large transparent crystal and have someone carve it."
Cloud Immortal Footprint laughed.
"In that case, try to find me the largest piece of crystal possible, and I’ll handle it myself."
Shen Wang decided to do it himself, hoping to gain some Artifact Refining experience as a reward.
"Alright, come with me and take a look in the warehouse, take whichever piece you like."
He led Shen Wang and Paper Kite downhill to a section of houses situated halfway up the path, which included a canteen and residences, as well as a warehouse and other facilities.
Cloud Immortal Footprint walked toward a simply built house, where several large wolves were kept; upon seeing them led by someone, the dogs smartly remained silent.
"Footprint Brother, you’re here."
The gatekeeper cheerfully greeted him.
"Open the warehouse quickly, and let the esteemed guest see the goods."
Cloud Immortal Footprint urged, and as the large door was pushed open, the warehouse came into Shen Wang’s view.
Various crystals and some ores were piled on the ground, primarily blue and purple in color, but also red, yellow, and green, in varying sizes, with the largest being about a foot tall and irregular.
Smaller pieces were as big as a thumb, but the quality was high, suitable for making small ornaments.
Shen Wang glanced over and skipped the colored ones, focusing on a transparent crystal in the corner, soon finding a half-human-tall semi-transparent crystal.
This was called semi-transparent because part of it was clear and another part somewhat murky, like being in between formed and unformed states.
"This one is nice, carve it out and we can make two fish tanks."
Shen Wang immediately set his eyes on the largest piece.
"Isn’t it too big? It must weigh over ten thousand pounds."
Paper Kite pointed out the problem.
"Then process it here, just take what’s needed."
Shen Wang wasn’t foolish enough to take the whole crystal away and asked, "How much for this piece?"
"This kind of crystal is hard to sell. Since Paper Kite sister brought you, I have no problem giving it to you for free."
Cloud Immortal Footprint generously offered.
"You should still charge me. I’m not short on money."
Shen Wang shook his head.
"Just charge according to normal prices," Paper Kite also advised.
"Fine, this piece of crystal is worth at most a hundred taels of silver, just give me ten taels as a token."
Cloud Immortal Footprint quoted a price.
"Here are ten taels of gold."
Shen Wang took out a gold ingot worth a hundred taels of silver, "I also need to borrow your place for a bit and use some carving tools."
"No problem, I’ll have someone bring them right away."
Cloud Immortal Footprint looked delighted as he took the gold ingot.
For Shen Wang, such gold and silver were trivial, but for Cloud Immortal Footprint, a Martial Artist, they were valuable, able to buy meat and herbs essential for their cultivation. As for Spirit Stones, common Martial Artists couldn’t afford them.
He had the guard bring various tools for Shen Wang and said, "Take your time, I have to tend to something. I’ll call you for dinner later."
"Go ahead and handle your matters."
Shen Wang nodded, holding the tools, he circled the crystal, gauging positions, then lifted the crystal; the over ten thousand pounds of crystal flipped smoothly in his hands.
"Husband, you’re so impressive."
Paper Kite exclaimed, seeing Shen Wang lift such a massive crystal effortlessly hinted at his incredible physical strength, likely possessing a strength over ten thousand pounds.
No wonder he easily defeated the Blood Wolf.
Shen Wang said nothing. His Treasure Body had reached Initial Success, granting him the strength of an ordinary person’s limit, achieving over ten thousand pounds of force, ten times stronger than before that night.
Such a physical condition was equivalent to having reached the Dantian realm with Spiritual Qi, beginning the body transformation process.
This also showed how significant the change was that day, though now Shen Wang couldn’t quite understand how it was accomplished.
Actually, if it weren’t for his shattered Dantian, that night would have not only enhanced his physical form but dramatically increased his cultivation as well.
Having a clear idea of the crystal’s overall condition, Shen Wang had a carving plan in mind, and without delay, started working.
Paper Kite squatted beside, resting her chin in her hands, observing Shen Wang: "I didn’t expect husband to know carving."
At this moment, she felt this man was like a treasure trove, constantly revealing outstanding qualities, filling her with great delight.
"Do it yourself, get plenty to eat and wear."
Shen Wang clattered with the tools, crystal fragments flying as unneeded parts were swiftly removed, the whole piece steadily diminishing in size.
Given his great strength, the crystal seemed fragile under the tools, quickly having excess parts cleared, its size continuously reducing.
He only needed to roughly detach the shape of the Crystal Fish Tank, making it light enough to carry directly away.
When Cloud Immortal Footprint returned after some arrangements, he found that Shen Wang had downsized the half-human high crystal to about two feet, leaving only the transparent part.
Unable to help but admire: "Brother, impressive! You’re faster than any craftsman I know."
"It’s about done, the rest I’ll finish back at home."
Shen Wang casually lifted the several thousand-pound crystal, leaving Cloud Immortal Footprint stunned.
Cloud Immortal Footprint’s expression shifted, with increased respect, he said: "It turns out sir is an expert, I was blind to not notice."
Strength is a universal standard for gauging a Martial Artist’s ability—immense strength overrides ten techniques; anyone with substantial strength isn’t lacking in power.
Being able to lift such a heavy object indicated at least the strength of an Innate Grandmaster, if not a Grandmaster.
"Can you arrange accommodations? I will need to fine-tune the carvings further."
Shen Wang said, as carrying such a heavy object would make it difficult to return home before nightfall, it’d be best to stay overnight.
"Of course, although the conditions here might be poor, I’d hate to neglect you two."
"No worries, as long as it shelters from wind and rain."
"Please come this way."
Letting Paper Kite assist in carrying the tools, the two were led by Cloud Immortal Footprint to a clean room, placed their belongings, and Cloud Immortal Footprint suggested showing them the assortment of finished crystal products.
Shen Wang thought for a moment, not pressed to finish today, so they made their way to the display area.