Very quickly, Lu Shi settled on a date after careful consideration—seven days later, which was much sooner than Wen Jiu had anticipated. Based on Wen Jiu's understanding, crafting a mid-grade first-tier magical artifact typically took at least half a month. However, the creation of a Corpse-Nurturing Coffin was an unconventional process. The fire used in the forging couldn't be ordinary yang fire but required yin fire instead. On top of that, there were numerous other details to consider, which meant the process could take over a month. But now, it would only take seven days.

This was undoubtedly great news for Wen Jiu, as it meant the cultivation of the Three Fiend Walking Corpses could be expedited. Good thing I met Brother Mu on this trip, he thought to himself. Without Brother Mu's favor, if he had asked an ordinary mid-grade first-tier artifact refiner from the sect to craft the Corpse-Nurturing Coffin, there was no telling how much longer it would have taken.

After confirming some final details, Wen Jiu left behind two hundred low-grade spirit stones and departed from the Artifact Refining Tower. A favor was still a favor—while Lu Shi did not ask for compensation, Wen Jiu could not simply take advantage of him. In a sect, proper etiquette had to be observed. Doing so would also pave the way for future interactions. After all, even if he eventually made it to the main peak, that didn't mean they would never meet again. And with Lu Shi's skills, it was only a matter of time before he became a top-tier first-grade artifact refiner. By leaving spirit stones now, it would make it easier to approach him in the future.

No matter what, securing his help in refining an artifact was far better than seeking assistance from strangers within the sect.

After leaving the Artifact Refining Tower, Wen Jiu made a trip to the trade market, where he spent two hundred low-grade spirit stones to purchase two first-tier demon corpses. He also bought some talisman paper and demon blood ink before finally returning home.

By evening, Wang Nian had returned. Wen Jiu immediately went to visit him, intending to repay a portion of the fifty spirit stones he had borrowed earlier. However, he didn't plan to pay it all back at once.

"Brother Wang, here are forty-nine of the spirit stones I borrowed. I still owe you one, but I'll make sure to return it once I have more on hand." As he spoke, Wen Jiu retrieved three bottles of medicinal pills from his storage pouch.

He deliberately chose not to repay the full amount. In the world of cultivation, karma mattered—every cause had its effect, and there was no escaping it. If he left this one spirit stone unpaid, his Dao heart would never be truly complete. In the future, it could even become an obstacle to his advancement. This was Wen Jiu's way of reminding himself that what he owed Wang Nian wasn't just spirit stones.

A favor when in dire need, the kindness of being recognized—these things couldn't be measured in spirit stones. After all, many people spent their entire lives struggling through hardship without ever meeting a benefactor.

"This one spirit stone…"

Wang Nian was about to dismiss it as unnecessary between the two of them, but when he saw the three bottles of first-tier Qi-nourishing pills, he immediately understood Wen Jiu's intentions. At that moment, he felt that this brother of his was worth knowing.

The cultivation world was full of scheming and betrayal—he had seen countless examples over the years. But those who truly repaid kindness were far too rare.

He had taken a gamble, and now he realized he had won.

"Brother Wen, there's no need to be so formal! You didn't have to bring gifts." Wang Nian chuckled as he accepted the bottles, genuinely pleased. However, it wasn't the gifts that made him happy—it was having a brother like Wen Jiu.

After exchanging a few more words, Wen Jiu was about to take his leave. But just as he was about to step out, Wang Nian suddenly handed him two talismans with a mysterious smile. Judging by their magical aura, they were clearly not of any official tier. However, knowing Wang Nian's character, he wouldn't give out something worthless.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

At first, Wen Jiu didn't think much of them. But upon closer inspection, he realized that he had never seen this type of talisman before.

Wang Nian smirked and leaned in, speaking in a low voice. "These are Golden Spear Talismans. Your brother here spent the past two years researching them. They may not be of any tier, but once activated, they'll make sure you stay as firm as a golden spear—lasting at least half an hour!"

"Brother Wang, you—"

Wen Jiu felt utterly helpless.

He scrutinized the talisman closely. The runes on it were completely unfamiliar—he had never seen them before, nor had he ever heard any old cultivator mention them in the marketplace. If such a talisman existed, those veteran cultivators would have definitely talked about it.

So, without a doubt, this was Wang Nian's original creation.

Wen Jiu had nothing to say about that.

You could argue that Wang Nian had no talent for drawing talismans—after all, he had taken forever just to get the basics down. But then again, he had managed to create this Golden Spear Talisman out of nowhere.

"Brother Wang, you'd better save that energy for making babies." Wen Jiu refused to take it. Though he dabbled in unorthodox techniques, he had no real interest in dual cultivation.

With that, he turned to leave.

Wang Nian quickly stuffed the talisman back into his storage pouch, afraid that his wife might find it. He muttered under his breath, "You don't know what you're missing."

Did Wen Jiu have any idea how popular this talisman could be if it went into circulation?

Old cultivators would be lining up overnight just to get their hands on it!

—

Back at home, Wen Jiu began cultivating Corpse Eye Blood Nourishment.

After draining his dantian of yin energy, he carefully studied the Heaven's Fiend Water formula he had obtained from the scar-faced cultivator.

Strictly speaking, refining Heaven's Fiend Water wasn't difficult. The required materials weren't expensive or rare, and the scar-faced cultivator had already detailed the perfect proportions and usage in his notes.

The key ingredients—three-year-old Shadow Crow hearts, ten-year Corpse Fungus, Heaven's Yin Water, and various other yin-natured spiritual materials—were all things Wen Jiu had seen in the trading markets of Fei Xian Peak.

The only real challenge was the fusion process, which required a highly specific environment.

First, the location had to be a place of extreme yin, saturated with death energy and ghostly miasma. The Land of Scattered Corpses fit this requirement perfectly.

Second, while the mixture was left to fuse in this environment, continuous infusion of Yin Soul Crystals was necessary. This meant he needed a steady supply of yin souls.

The scar-faced cultivator had even included a method for cultivating yin souls in his notes. Wen Jiu only took one glance before his expression turned ice-cold.

The method? Killing people.

Torturing them to death.

Even better, slaughtering their loved ones in front of them—driving them into despair before using a Soul Nurturing Curse to transform them into malicious spirits. If the process succeeded, a single vengeful ghost could provide a large amount of Yin Soul Crystals.

"That bastard!"

Wen Jiu was furious.

Just how many innocent people had this old monster tortured and murdered to fill this thick book with his experiences?

And no one had stopped him?

Were mortals just left to be slaughtered by these demonic cultivators?

The Blood-Clad Tower alone had killed a hundred thousand people. Even if those murders didn't happen overnight, wasn't that far too many? Hadn't anyone stepped in to stop it?

He didn't understand.

Wen Jiu simply couldn't comprehend it.

But even if he didn't understand, there was nothing he could do about it.

Suppressing his anger, Wen Jiu headed to the trading market. After some effort, he gathered all the materials needed for refining Heaven's Fiend Water. The cost? Thirty low-grade spirit stones—not much, considering it was enough to produce ten bottles of the stuff.

That night, under the cover of darkness, Wen Jiu made his way to the Land of Scattered Corpses and began refining Heaven's Fiend Water during his night patrols.

Meanwhile, his Black Ghoul hunted for yin souls.

But Wen Jiu had to keep a close eye on it. If he looked away for even a moment, the Black Ghoul might devour the souls outright.

It had already happened once—he had let his guard down, and the Black Ghoul swallowed a yin soul equivalent to a second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator.

Not that it mattered much anymore. At this point, the experience it gained from consuming such spirits had dwindled significantly.

Several days passed.

After capturing five or six yin souls, Wen Jiu successfully produced five bottles of unfinished Heaven's Fiend Water. Now, all that remained was to place them in an extreme yin environment at midnight each night, infusing them with Yin Soul Crystals refined through yin arts.

In seven days, the Heaven's Fiend Water would be complete.

—

However, before that could happen, early the next morning, Wen Jiu received a message from a disciple of Lu Shi.

The Corpse Nurturing Coffin was finished.

And judging from the eager expression on Lu Shi's disciple, this wasn't just some ordinary mid-grade Rank 1 coffin.