Qu Qizhong was almost out of stock of the last batch of Spirit Nurturing Beads.

This time, Zhang Deming brought another twenty Spirit Nurturing Beads to Celestial Spirit City.

Once again, he specifically chose a new location to drop off the Spirit Nurturing Beads in advance.

Then, after sending a message to Qu Qizhong through the Spirit Nurturing Space, he fully activated his Hidden Breath Skill and disguised himself as an ordinary mortal.

He picked a small roadside stall, ordered a bite to eat, and began eating slowly, just like a regular person.

Fifteen minutes later, Qu Qizhong arrived at high speed. He lifted a stone slab by the side of a street, retrieved the Spirit Nurturing Beads, and left without a moment’s delay.

After Qu Qizhong disappeared, Zhang Deming watched as several figures thoroughly inspected the drop-off spot and even examined the surrounding area.

But they couldn’t find any special markings, not even the slightest thing out of place. One by one, they eventually left, clearly reluctant to give up.

Watching all of this, Zhang Deming couldn’t help but smile.

’Good thing I arranged everything perfectly from the very beginning.’

’Otherwise, making a simple handoff would probably be more difficult than the work of a covert operative.’

’But judging by the number of people tailing him, Qu Qizhong’s Blue Sky Branch must be getting a lot of attention in Celestial Spirit City, at least among certain mid-to-high-level circles.’

’Under these circumstances, I wonder how long this peace can last.’

After a moment of thought, Zhang Deming opened his Spirit Card.

The day before yesterday, when Qu Qizhong received Zhang Deming’s notice about today’s restock, he had begun to sell off the remaining Spirit Nurturing Beads he had on hand.

He stopped deliberately limiting sales to two a day. Thanks to the reputation they had built up over this period, he had already sold the last few yesterday.

As a result, the Light Curtain of his Spirit Card now displayed a balance of one hundred eighty-three Spirit Stones.

’The last delivery was twenty-one Spirit Nurturing Beads, and they sold for one hundred eighty-three Spirit Stones. It seems that as the high success rate of my Spirit Nurturing Beads becomes more widely known, the auction prices are getting higher and higher.’

’The price has now surpassed the average of eight Spirit Stones per bead. Considering their forty to fifty percent success rate—more than double the usual twenty percent—this price increase should hold for a while longer.’

His total balance of Spirit Stones was now two hundred forty-five, which was a comfortable sum.

He left a message for Qu Qizhong, telling him he could increase the daily sales volume to five or six beads. After doing so, Zhang Deming tossed down his payment and left.

「Celestial Spirit City, Inner City District, Hundred Arts Street.」

This was the street in Celestial Spirit City dedicated to products of the hundred cultivation arts—well, the most high-end street of its kind.

Zhang Deming arrived at Hundred Arts Street and browsed for a while, discovering that the items here were indeed of very high quality.

Items for the Apprentice Stage were extremely few, and any that were available were of the very rare variety.

The main products sold here were One-Star Items for the Tai Chi Stage, so the prices looked rather intimidating, easily running into the teens or even dozens of Spirit Stones.

Having grown accustomed to street stalls where things were sold by the dozen or by the bundle for a single Spirit Stone, Zhang Deming felt quite out of place suddenly arriving on a street like this.

Even with a few hundred Spirit Stones in his possession, he still felt uncomfortable.

After wandering for a long time, Zhang Deming gradually grew accustomed to the atmosphere. He was currently dressed in an exceedingly ordinary Daoist Robe, looking every bit the part of a Loose Cultivator.

Eventually, Zhang Deming arrived at the best section of the street and stopped in front of a shop called the Hundred Refinement Tower.

’Based on my observations, this should be the best place for Artifact Refining on this street.’

’Even in the whole of Celestial Spirit City, it would rank among the top three.’

Therefore, after sizing up the tower, Zhang Deming stepped directly inside.

As soon as Zhang Deming walked into the tower, a clerk, a Junior Apprentice, greeted him enthusiastically.

Seeing that Zhang Deming had no Spiritual Qi fluctuations, the clerk showed no sign of disrespect. He asked politely, "Excuse me, sir, are you here to purchase an item, or to have something made?"

Zhang Deming glanced at him and said, "I’m here to have something made. You don’t have the authority to handle this, so please get someone who does." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The clerk was taken aback for a moment. Zhang Deming’s tone, combined with the complete absence of any detectable Spiritual Qi fluctuations...

He didn’t dare to be disrespectful. With a smile, he said, "This way, please, sir!"

With that, he led Zhang Deming to a private reception room off to the side. After showing Zhang Deming to a seat, he hurried away.

Just a moment later, an old man walked in through the same door the clerk had used.

A strong aura of sulfur and fire emanated from him. He was clearly an Artifact Cultivator at the Tai Chi Stage, and Zhang Deming guessed he was the shop’s owner.

The old man, Ling Anfu, sized up Zhang Deming after entering but found not a single ripple of Spiritual Power.

Since he was a customer, it wouldn’t be appropriate to probe him openly.

So, he smiled and began, "Fellow Daoist, I hear you require some Artifact Refining?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "Are you the Artifact Refiner for this shop?"

Ling Anfu replied, "This old one is Ling Anfu. Unskilled as I may be, I am indeed this shop’s Two-Star Artifact Refiner."

"So, Fellow Daoist, what weapon or artifact do you wish to commission?"

Zhang Deming looked at the old man, his expression turning serious. ’A Two-Star Artifact Refiner at the Tai Chi Stage... this Artifact Cultivator is truly extraordinary.’

’After all, most Artifact Cultivators probably haven’t even fully grasped the principles of a One-Star rank.’

Zhang Deming smiled and asked, "I was wondering, is your esteemed shop capable of refining a Ruyi Bag?"

Ling Anfu gave a wry smile. "The Ruyi Bag and other storage pouches are representative Two-Star Artifacts. Of course, this old one can refine them."

"However, if you wish to commission one, Fellow Daoist, I’m afraid you may be disappointed."

"Whether it’s a Ruyi Bag or an even rarer storage pouch, although both are Two-Star Artifacts, there is the matter of their convenience and overall performance."

"In addition, their materials are extremely rare and difficult to obtain."