My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

"Elder, would you be able to tell me the technique for reducing Mana flow speed?" Zhao Zuo asked directly.

"Absolutely not."

A few minutes later, Zhao Zuo left the platform. After being so bluntly rejected by Elder Wang, he saw no reason to stay. It was just as Liu Heng had said; outside of scheduled lessons, Elder Wang wouldn’t reveal any knowledge about Artifact Refining.

Zhao Zuo hadn’t gone far when Elder Wang took out a paper crane to summon the next disciple, looking incredibly busy. This encounter made Zhao Zuo realize that many people’s opinions of the elder were unfair. ’If he were really just greedy,’ he thought, ’then Refining Middle Grade Magical Artifacts to earn Spirit Stones would be a much better way to do it.’

However, Zhao Zuo was very clear about one thing: he wouldn’t need to come back to learn how to refine Middle Grade Magical Artifacts anytime soon. The right path for him was to first learn and master the Melt Casting Technique.

By the time he headed back, the sky had already begun to darken. The western clouds were stained crimson, and the number of Immortal Cranes soaring overhead had dwindled. A biting chill now permeated the forest.

A sudden feeling urged Zhao Zuo to hurry back to his Cave Mansion, where he found a Spiritual Crane, folded from white paper, floating outside his Mist Array.

He held out his hand. The Spiritual Crane spread its wings, circled over his head, and finally landed in his palm.

"Friend, I’m your neighbor in the Cave Mansion five hundred meters to the right. If you have a moment, please feel free to visit. We both came up without the backing of a sect; there’s no harm in us sticking together."

A gentle female voice, like a warm spring or a soft breeze, echoed in Zhao Zuo’s ear. He opened the gate to his Cave Mansion and casually tossed the Spiritual Crane onto a table. ’I wouldn’t dare put something of unknown origin into my Storage Bag.’

He was starting to get triggered by the word "neighbor." First, the neighbor across from him had been slaughtered by a Tribulation Cultivator, leaving no intact corpse. Then, Xue Liang, a neighbor he’d gotten to know, had tried to kill him. And on top of that, there were Lin Hao and Zhao Qingmeng, that "model" brother and sister, who had been outwardly warm and friendly while secretly plotting to kill him too.

Sometimes, Zhao Zuo even suspected that there wasn’t a single good person in the entire Cultivation Realm.

’The Immortal Dao is all about struggle. Since everyone is a competitor, how could there be much goodwill?’ A genuine smile appeared on Zhao Zuo’s face as he took out his Communication Jade.

’This world might be terrible, but Shen Yunjiao and Chen Xiaorong are genuinely good people.’

"I’ve found some information you might be interested in," Zhao Zuo said into the Communication Jade.

He didn’t have to wait long.

"You have information about those Demon Cultivators?" Shen Yunjiao asked, a hint of pleasant surprise in her voice.

’Just as I thought,’ Zhao Zuo reflected. ’Since Demon Cultivators are prime fuel for the Taotie Secret Technique, Shen Yunjiao was bound to go after them. As for whether it’s right or wrong? Nearly every Demon Cultivator’s hands are stained with the blood of countless Mortals. Is there a single one who isn’t guilty of heinous crimes?’

"The Demon Cultivators who’ve infiltrated the Moyun Workshop are disciples from the Blood Stream Sect. The strongest among them is at Qi Refining Perfection, most of the rest are in the Late Period of Qi Refining, and a small number are in the Middle Period. The Blood Stream Sect itself has two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm, but no Golden Core True Man," Zhao Zuo quickly summarized for Shen Yunjiao.

"This information is very useful to me," Shen Yunjiao said.

"The Blood Stream Sect is a branch of the Blood River Sect. Normally, they wouldn’t dare to provoke the Moyun Sect. I suspect the Blood River Sect is behind this, ordering the Blood Stream Sect to act in order to achieve some goal," Zhao Zuo offered his speculation.

’Logically, the Blood Stream Sect is nowhere near strong enough to challenge the Moyun Sect. I’d never believe the Blood River Sect isn’t pulling the strings... but I just can’t figure out what their goal is.’

"Their ultimate goal is either to kill someone or to seize an ancient ruin," Shen Yunjiao said, offering her analysis. "Conflicts in the Cultivation Realm are, first and foremost, about legacies, and second, about the paths to obtaining them."

"Let’s take the first possibility. The Blood River Sect wouldn’t go to such lengths for an ordinary person. That means their target must be someone of strategic importance—someone who might even be threatening the balance of power between our sects."

Zhao Zuo’s mind raced as he analyzed Shen Yunjiao’s words, and he quickly reached a conclusion.

"Why couldn’t it be for an ancient ruin that’s about to be discovered?" Shen Yunjiao asked, puzzled.

"This Third Tier Spirit Vein only formed a few hundred years ago. Shortly after, the Moyun Sect occupied the surrounding hundred-mile radius of mountains. How could there possibly be ruins left by a powerful expert here? Before a Spirit Vein forms, an area can’t gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. If the spiritual power here was once sparse, no powerful expert would have chosen it for their training ground or a place for seclusion."

"That makes sense," Shen Yunjiao said, following his logic. "So their final plan must be aimed at a specific person. And since they’re using cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm to carry it out, their target probably isn’t very strong."

"That’s what I think too, but it’s a contradiction," Zhao Zuo said. "If the target isn’t strong, the Blood River Sect wouldn’t need to go to all this trouble. They could just send someone to assassinate them."

’A direct assassination followed by plausible deniability is the best way to handle this sort of thing. For decades, the major sects have maintained a veneer of restraint, but the killing in the shadows has never stopped. As long as there’s no evidence, they can deny it to the end.’

"Could it be that the target is in a very secure location where an assassination isn’t possible?" Shen Yunjiao suggested.

"If that’s the case, their current plan makes no sense. Unless... they’re certain their target will be assigned to investigate these Demon Cultivators. Only then would they have a guaranteed chance to make their move."