“The Sword Nurturing Gourd is yours now. Consider it a greeting gift from your master!”

The streak of escaping light had already vanished beyond the horizon, yet his master’s cold, clear voice still echoed in Li Meng’s ears.

Sitting cross-legged on the massive gourd as it drifted through the clouds, Li Meng chuckled to himself. He reached out and affectionately patted the smooth, purple surface beneath him.

“My treasure, I truly cherish you!”

There was no distinction of quality for Sword Nurturing Gourds when they were first crafted. Their true worth depended entirely on what the owner placed inside them.

The reason it was called a Sword Nurturing Gourd was its unique ability to nurture a sword spirit. Once a sword spirit was born within, the blade housed inside could be called an Immortal Sword. Such weapons possessed the attribute of limitless growth; even a low-grade magical artifact could eventually evolve into a supreme treasure capable of rending the heavens.

However, nurturing a sword spirit was no easy task. Apart from requiring vast amounts of rare and precious materials, it also demanded a tremendous stroke of fortune. Both were indispensable.

Beyond that, the Sword Nurturing Gourd also served as an excellent flying magical artifact. It could autonomously absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, drastically reducing the mana consumption required for flight.

Not only that, it functioned as a superior storage device. Its ability to block Divine Sense probing was far stronger than that of any ordinary storage pouch.

This was precisely the kind of treasure Li Meng lacked.

Sitting happily on his new prize, Li Meng piloted it toward Moon Gaze Peak. The protective clouds and mist encircling the peak parted automatically for him, opening a passageway. The massive gourd flew through, heading straight for the pavilion at the summit.

Moon Gaze Peak, Summit Pavilion.

Li Meng descended gracefully, his white robes fluttering as he landed steadily on the ground. He looked up at the enormous Sword Nurturing Gourd hovering in the sky, a faint smile touching his lips.

A cheap master is still a master. This apprenticeship wasn’t in vain.

Li Meng formed hand seals with both hands.

A torrent of five-colored spiritual power surged from his fingertips toward the gourd.

Hum.

The gourd immediately emitted a radiant, multi-colored spiritual light. Its massive form shrank rapidly, transforming into a palm-sized object in the blink of an eye.

The now-small Sword Nurturing Gourd flew toward Li Meng, and he secured it at his waist.

A Sword Nurturing Gourd could not be placed inside a storage pouch; doing so would disrupt the stable spatial structure within both items. Forcing them together would only cause the storage pouch to implode, shredding its contents in spatial turbulence.

Li Meng chuckled softly, patting the gourd at his waist. He then walked cheerfully toward the pavilion’s main doors.

Once inside, Li Meng headed straight for the study, taking a seat behind the desk.

“First, I should craft the Five Elements Formation Flags.”

With the formation flags, he could set up arrays anywhere. Although formation disks were convenient, they were rigid and only suitable for small-scale, static formations. Formation flags offered much more freedom, capable of setting up both minor tactical arrays and major defensive barriers.

“For the flagpoles, bamboo-type spiritual plants are best. As for the banners, high-grade demon beast hide will do.”

Li Meng extended his Divine Sense into his storage pouch to inventory his materials.

“Use Heavenly Lightning Bamboo for the flagpoles?”

A long wooden box flew out of the storage pouch and landed on the desk. Li Meng reached out and slid the lid open.

A section of bamboo, about one meter long and golden in color, lay quietly inside. Occasional arcs of blue lightning flickered across its surface.

“No good. The heavenly lightning energy is too volatile; it would disrupt the formation’s stability.”

Li Meng closed the wooden box and waved his sleeve, returning it to his storage pouch.

“Forget it. I’ll just use formation talismans to set up arrays instead.”

In artifact forging, one often had to work with whatever materials were available. Trying to find specific materials for a perfect artifact was a task that could take decades.

Fortunately, talismans could also be used to set up formations. Among third-grade talismans was a category called “Formation Talismans,” specifically the Divine Firmament Talismans series.

While using talismans was the most convenient method for instant deployment, their drawback was longevity. Ordinary talismans couldn’t autonomously absorb spiritual energy from the environment. To maintain a formation long-term, the user had to constantly infuse them with mana.

However, this drawback wasn’t an issue for Li Meng.

His Divine Firmament Talismans could autonomously absorb external spiritual energy. Although they couldn’t fully replenish their own consumption, this feature significantly extended their duration.

Li Meng rummaged through his storage pouch again.

“Metal, Wood, Earth… I have beast hides of these three attributes. Still missing Water and Fire. Looks like I’ll have to make a trip to the Market City.”

He checked his remaining funds. Looking at the less than ten thousand spirit stones left in his pouch, Li Meng rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

For an Alchemist of his caliber to be this poor was practically a disgrace to the profession.

“Go earn some spirit stones?”

Li Meng leaned back in his chair, sinking into deep thought.

Foundation Establishment cultivators generally had limited liquid assets. Earning spirit stones from them wasn’t difficult per se, but it would require investing a significant amount of time for relatively small returns.

If he sold the raw cultivation resources in his storage pouch at the Market City, he could obtain a large sum quickly. But those resources weren’t even enough for his own use; selling them would be cutting his own flesh to feed his hunger.

He could use spirit stones to generate more spirit stones—buying raw materials, refining pills, and selling them for a profit. However, doing this cycle repeatedly would be far too conspicuous.

Moreover, high-grade spiritual plants weren’t available on demand. Refining third-grade pills required thousand-year-old herbs. Even if he bought out the entire Thousand Treasure Pavilion, he probably wouldn’t be able to refine many batches.

“Earning money is truly difficult!” Li Meng sighed mournfully.

When I had money before, why didn’t I know to spend it more frugally?

Li Meng stood up and walked out of the study.

“Forget it… I’ll just sell some Ageless Pills,” he muttered, pushing open the study door.

With a soft click, he pushed open the main pavilion doors and stepped out.

“No… I can’t sell Ageless Pills!”

Stepping into the fresh air, Li Meng immediately reversed his decision.

The spiritual plants obtained from the Scarlet Forbidden Ground were almost exhausted. It wouldn’t be easy to refine more Ageless Pills later.

Those pills were critical treasures for increasing Affection with female cultivators. He couldn’t just sell them off for mere spirit stones.

Li Meng walked over to a large flat rock by the lakeside. He took out a meditation cushion, placed it on top, and sat down.

He gazed somewhat vacantly at the lake surface, which resembled a perfect mirror. He looked as if he had lost his soul.

“Heh… earning money… there’s no shame in any method!”

Suddenly, Li Meng chuckled darkly.

It seemed he had figured something out. It seemed he had solved this major problem of poverty.

Li Meng took out a large piece of golden talisman paper.

He then retrieved his talisman brush.

Swish, swish.

He wrote a series of large, bold characters onto the paper with fluid strokes.

After finishing, Li Meng carefully checked it over. After a moment, he nodded, satisfied.

“Mmm, perfect!”

Li Meng put away his brush and stood up, his white robes billowing around him.

He waved his sleeve.

The talisman transformed into a golden streak and shot skyward.

Li Meng formed hand seals with both hands.

BOOM!

The talisman that shot through the clouds suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light.

Above the summit of Moon Gaze Peak, several giant, glittering golden sentences materialized in the sky, visible for miles:

【ACCEPTING ALCHEMY & ARTIFACT FORGING COMMISSIONS】

【2nd-Grade Pills, 3rd-Grade Pills, Magical Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts – All Accepted】

【Quality Guaranteed — Pills No Lower Than Medium Grade】

【Materials Must Be Provided By Client】

【Fees Negotiable】

【Triple Compensation For Failure!】