I Idle in the World of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 43: Business at the Artifact Refining Peak
After finishing the soup, Lin Luo set his bowl on the table and stood up.
"Let's go. To the Artifact Refining Peak."
Yue Long was crouched by the stove, drying her hands. Her rabbit ears twitched. "Go now? Didn't Bone One finish fighting yet?"
"The set we got yesterday is enough. Let's negotiate first."
He took a storage pouch from the Shared Storage, put the twelve Nascent Soul demon beast bones inside, and added a demon beast core. Yue Long leaned over to look, her rabbit ears turning.
"Master, are you giving him the core too?"
"Not giving. Negotiating. Whatever he wants, I'll give him. Whatever he gives me, I'll take."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "So that's trading?"
"Yes. But I have the advantage."
"Why?"
"Because I'm the only one in the entire Cangxuan Sect who has Nascent Soul demon beast bones."
Yue Long opened her mouth, then smiled. "Master, you're really good at business."
"Idling my way through it."
The two left the mine and walked toward the Artifact Refining Peak. The sky was already bright. Sunlight shone on the black mountain, turning the smoke and dust pale gold. Yue Long walked ahead, her rabbit ears bobbing in the wind, humming again. The tune was still a mess, but it was a tiny bit better than yesterday.
At the entrance of the Artifact Refining Peak, the young disciple from last time was crouched on the stone steps, eating a steamed bun. When he saw Lin Luo, he stood up quickly, nearly dropping his bun.
"S-Sect Leader Lin! You're here again!"
"Is Peak Master Chen in?"
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Master isn't working the forge today. He's polishing that tail bone!" The disciple turned and ran, faster than last time.
Yue Long watched his back. "Master, why does he always run?"
"He's afraid I'll leave."
"Wouldn't it be easier for him if you left?"
"If I leave, the bones leave too."
Yue Long thought for a moment and followed Lin Luo up the mountain.
---
This time, Peak Master Chen didn't come running down from halfway. He stood at the door of his workshop, his apron covered in metal shavings, still holding the tail bone. The tail bone had already been shaped – the form of a dagger, the blade edge sharpened, gleaming cold white in the sunlight.
"Lin Luo, you've come at a good time! Look at this tail bone – " He raised the dagger. The blade flashed in the light. "I tested it last night. Its sharpness already exceeds mid-grade magical tools. Once I carve the runes on it, top-grade is no problem!"
Lin Luo glanced at the dagger, didn't respond, and tossed the storage pouch over.
Peak Master Chen caught it, opened it, and his smile froze.
"This… is the complete set of Nascent Soul demon beast bones? All of them?"
"Twelve bones. I picked the best for you. I'll keep the rest for myself."
Peak Master Chen took out a leg bone from the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and flicked it with his fingernail. The sound was clear, the echo longer than the tail bone from last time.
"This bone is even denser than the tail bone. Made into a magical tool, at least mid-grade, on the higher side." He took out a rib. "This could make a short blade. This could make a chest plate. This – " He stopped and looked up at Lin Luo.
"What do you want?"
"Full body armor set. Helmet, chest plate, arm guards, leg guards, boots. Five pieces, top-grade magical tools."
Peak Master Chen's face twitched. "Five top-grade pieces? These bones are good, but not enough for five top-grade. Three at most."
"Four."
"Three and a half."
"What's the half?"
"A chest mirror. Doesn't count as a full piece, counts as half."
Lin Luo thought for a moment. "Deal. But the chest mirror needs to be double-layered."
Peak Master Chen gritted his teeth. "Fine. Double-layered chest mirror. Four and a half pieces."
Yue Long interrupted from the side. "Peak Master Chen, what about my wrist guards?"
Peak Master Chen looked down at her, reached into his sleeve, and took out a pair of silver-white wrist guards. Not large – they covered from the wrist to the base of the palm. Fine runes were carved on the surface. The inner lining was a thin layer of soft leather, smooth to the touch.
"Made them last night, just in case. Mid-grade magical tool. Added three arrays – anti-cut, anti-shock, anti-abrasion. Won't scrape your hands from chopping wood anymore."
Yue Long took the wrist guards, turned them over in her hands, then put them on. Not too big, not too small – fit perfectly. She made a fist, then opened it.
"Master! They fit perfectly!"
"Yes."
"Can you say something else!"
"Pretty."
Yue Long's rabbit ears went up. "Say it again."
"No."
Yue Long took a deep breath and stopped asking. She turned her wrists over and over, looking at them, the corner of her mouth curved the whole time.
Peak Master Chen carefully tucked the storage pouch into his robe. "The full body armor will take time. At least a month. Can you wait?"
"I can wait. The inn isn't open yet."
"Inn?" Peak Master Chen blinked. "You bought an inn?"
"Fortune Inn. East side of Suihuang City."
Peak Master Chen frowned. "That run-down one?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Two thousand. Paid eleven hundred down, owe nine hundred."
Peak Master Chen opened his mouth. "Two thousand for that run-down inn? Do you have too many spirit stones?"
"I put the Spirit Vein Heart in the well. Now the spiritual energy concentration is ten times higher than outside."
Peak Master Chen's expression shifted from shock to contemplation, from contemplation to regret. He wanted to say "why didn't you tell me earlier," but didn't. He changed the subject.
"That inn of yours – how are you planning to run it?"
"Just idle. Wait for people to come."
"Wait for people to come?" Peak Master Chen's frown deepened. "What if no one comes?"
"Then wait."
Peak Master Chen stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his head. "You really do business by idling."
"Yes."
Peak Master Chen took a deep breath, turned to leave. After two steps, he turned back.
"Oh, one more thing. About the Myriad Treasures Pavilion – word has spread about you buying the Bone Mending Pill at the black market. Now everyone knows the talisman is fake – well, not that the talisman itself is fake, but the gateway to the Immortal Realm is fake. The crack leads to an ancient battlefield, not the Immortal Realm. No one wants to pay a high price for a ticket to a battlefield."
Lin Luo didn't speak.
"So the talisman is still with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. It's dead weight in their hands. Liu Ruyan can't sell it and can't return it." Peak Master Chen smiled. "If you still have spirit stones, you could pick it up for a bargain. She'll definitely sell it cheap."
Lin Luo looked at him. "Are you close with her?"
"Not close. I just heard her complain when I went to buy materials last time."
Peak Master Chen left. He held the storage pouch in his arms, his steps much faster than when he came.
Yue Long stood beside Lin Luo, her rabbit ears turning. "Master, are you going to buy that talisman?"
"No."
"Why?"
"No money."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "Then buy it after the inn makes money?"
"Yes."
"When will the inn make money?"
"I don't know."
Yue Long pouted and didn't ask again.
---
The two walked down the mountain. Sunlight filtered through the smoke and dust of the Artifact Refining Peak, turning the whole mountain dark gold. Yue Long walked ahead, her rabbit ears bobbing in the wind.
"Master."
"Yes."
"Peak Master Chen said the Myriad Treasures Pavilion can't sell their talisman. Does that mean you sold yours too cheap?"
"Not cheap. I needed the money then."
"You don't need it now?"
"I need it. Just not as urgently."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "After the inn makes money, will you buy back the copy?"
"Buy it back for what?"
"Sell it again."
Lin Luo looked at her. "You have some good ideas."
"Of course. I'm a disciple of the Idle Sect."
The corner of Lin Luo's mouth moved.
The two left the Artifact Refining Peak and walked toward the mine. Halfway, Yue Long's stomach growled. She looked down at her stomach, her rabbit ears drooping.
"Master, I'm hungry."
"Go back and make soup."
"Soup again…"
"Add an extra dish today."
Yue Long's rabbit ears sprang up. "What dish?"
"Scrambled eggs with Glow Mushrooms."
Yue Long's eyes lit up. "You have eggs?"
"Rat One found a nest of wild eggs by the spirit field yesterday. A whole nest."
Yue Long started running. Her rabbit ears floated in the wind, her steps light as if she were walking on cotton.
Lin Luo followed behind, walking slowly, but each step was steady.
Back at the mine, Yue Long was already crouched by the stove. She held four wild eggs in her hands, carefully placing them in a bowl, afraid of breaking them. Rat One squatted beside the stove, a Glow Mushroom in his little paws, watching the eggs with bright eyes.
"Rat One, these aren't for you." Yue Long shielded the eggs with her arms. "They're for an extra dish for Master."
Rat One squeaked, stuffed the mushroom into his mouth, and stopped watching.
Yue Long cracked two eggs, cut a few Glow Mushrooms, and put them in the pan. The egg mixture coated the mushroom slices, puffing up in the hot oil. Golden egg chunks mixed with pale gold mushroom slices, the aroma filling the whole mine.
Rat One's nose twitched. He poked his head out from beside the stove.
Yue Long plated a dish and put it in front of Lin Luo.
"Master, taste it."
Lin Luo picked up a piece, chewed it. "Salty."
"I put a tiny bit more salt in today."
"Just right."
Yue Long's rabbit ears sprang up. "Say it again."
"Just right."
Yue Long smiled. She crouched by the stove, holding her own bowl, taking a bite of rice and a piece of egg.
"Master."
"Yes."
"I'm so happy today."
"Why?"
"Bone One evolved. I got my wrist guards. And I got to eat eggs."
Lin Luo didn't speak.
Yue Long lowered her head and ate. After a few bites, she looked up.
"Master, do you think Sister Xiao is awake yet?"
Lin Luo took out his phone and glanced at it. Next to Su Xiaoxiao's profile picture, the words "Awakening in progress" still showed.
"Not yet."
"How much longer?"
"A few hours."
Yue Long nodded and kept eating.
---
After the meal, Yue Long took the bowls away, crouched by the stove, and washed them. As she washed, her rabbit ears slowly went up.
"Master."
"Yes."
"Will Sister Xiao wake up tomorrow morning?"
"Yes."
"Then tomorrow, after we go to the market and do our good deed, we'll come back and wait for her message."
"Yes."
Yue Long dried the bowls, put them away, walked over to Lin Luo, and sat down beside him. Her rabbit ears slowly drooped, resting on his arm.
Her phone rested on her knee. The chibi figure hit the wooden fish again and again. Merit +1, merit +1, merit +1.
Lin Luo leaned against the stone wall, his eyes half closed. Bone One's idle interface turned in his mind – the black-gold skeleton running through the ruins, the Ironback Wolf King's tracks stretching ahead. The click of the crossbow being cocked, click, click, click, like a heartbeat. Yue Long's breath rose and fell beside his arm, very soft, very steady.
Rat One poked his head out of his grass nest, squeaked twice, and ducked back in.
Just keep idling.
---
(End of Chapter 43)
Current Status
Main Account · Lin Luo
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 3 (Displayed: Qi Refining Layer 1)
Nine Cycles Mystic Art: Third Cycle (progress 0.1%)
Lightning Prison Indestructible Body: Second Layer
Defense: 1000
Attack: ~400
Spirit Stones: 5250 (900 owed to inn)
Possessions: Nascent Soul demon beast bones ×0 (given to Peak Master Chen), Demon beast core (Nascent Soul) ×0 (given to Peak Master Chen), Demon beast essence blood ×5
Plan: Wait for Bone One to finish fighting the Golden Core demon beast and collect bones; go to Dining Hall to cook essence blood for pills; gather for a meal in three days; Myriad Treasures Pavilion talisman (not buying, wait for inn to make money)
Alt Account · Bone One (Demon Cultivation · Black-Gold Skeleton · Assassin Form)
Cultivation: Body Refining Layer 5
Status: Idle battle · Ancient battlefield, target Golden Core Layer 3 Ironback Wolf King, win rate 82%
Alt Account · Blood One
Cultivation: Qi Gathering Layer 8
Status: Hidden – Demon Abyss second layer
Alt Account · Rat One
Cultivation: Spirit Gathering Layer 6
Status: Spirit field at mine land
Sect · Idle Sect
Sect Leader: Lin Luo
Members: Yue Long, Su Xiaoxiao (bloodline awakening)
Level: 2
Idle Bonus: +15%
Sect Contribution: Yue Long 50, Lin Luo 0
Idle Sect Disciple · Yue Long
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 2 (Human) + Essence Gathering Layer 1 (Buddhist)
Merit points: ~1050
Fudo Myoo's Resolution: 0.16%
Sect Contribution: 50
Today's good deed: Not yet done (can be done in the afternoon)
Spirit Stone balance: ~1100
Possessions: Silver-white wrist guards (mid-grade magical tool, anti-cut, anti-shock, anti-abrasion)
Idle Sect Disciple · Su Xiaoxiao (bloodline awakening)
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 1
Status: Inside Divine Phoenix Ruins, Five-Colored Divine Phoenix bloodline awakening in progress
Awakening time: ~6 hours remaining
Communication status: Cannot communicate
---
Appendix: Special Cultivation Systems for Lin Luo and His Alt Accounts
Immortal Cultivation (Main Account · Lin Luo):
Qi Refining → Foundation Establishment → Core Opening → Fusion → Heart Movement → Golden Core → Nascent Soul → Soul Departure → Spirit Separation → Body Integration → Cave Void → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Demon Cultivation (Alt Accounts · Bone One, Blood One):
Qi Gathering → Body Refining → Core Condensation → Desire Embodiment → Devouring → Demon Infant → Soul Departure → Sense Separation → Body Fusion → Void Break → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Beast Cultivation (Alt Account · Rat One):
Spirit Gathering → Intelligence Awakening → Body Tempering → Bone Refining → Beast Core → Transformation → Soul Condensation → Spirit Roaming → Body Purification → Void Training → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Buddhist Cultivation (Yue Long):
Essence Gathering → Mortal Liberation → Core Mind → Will Dispersion → Clear Mind → Relic → Soul Movement → Void Transcendence → Pure Spirit → Void Passage → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Note: The above are the exclusive cultivation systems for Lin Luo and his alt accounts. Everyone else (side characters, enemies, etc.) uses the traditional system: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Training, Body Integration, Great Ascension, Tribulation Transcendence.
---
(End of Chapter 43)