Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Met Senior Tianpeng."

Jiang Li approached and bowed to the colossal giant.

From his current angle, the giant before him seemed as vast as a mountain range, and from within that body, there murmured a sound reminiscent of river torrents. The robust essence blood draped an invisible mantle of authority over him, occasionally revealing an imposing presence similar to that of the heavens.

However, as soon as Qi Changsheng opened his storage bag and presented the manuscript, all that formidable presence vanished.

"Haha, good."

Tianpeng laughed heartily, and with a gesture of his large hand, the pages of the manuscript flew into his grasp, where they were automatically threaded together by golden strands and bound into a book.

Then, with a simple lift of his hand, the book proportionally enlarged to fit his fan-like palm perfectly.

"Being stuck in this wretched place truly drives one to boredom, thankfully there's something to pass the time."

Tianpeng rolled up the book, holding it in his hand, and honestly, he exuded the air of a scholar, mitigating the fierceness of his bulky stature. It would have been even better had he not been reading a Spring Palace Storybook.

"What do you two lads wish for? Speak freely," Tianpeng said with a generous air.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li cast an inquiring glance at Qi Changsheng.

It was a move to let his acquainted friend go first, giving him a chance to gauge what kind of request to make himself.

Seeing this, Qi Changsheng stepped forward without refusal, bowed, and respectfully said, "The junior would like some Tianhe Divine Sand for artifact refining."

"Tianhe Sand, eh?" Tianpeng looked down, scrutinizing Qi Changsheng, "Your Dao Fruit has reached perfection, and you must now be aiming to ascend to seventh-grade artifact refiner. I recall that an artifact refiner's promotion ceremony requires the creation of a seventh-grade magical artifact."

He said while rotating his large hand, and starry silver sand appeared in his palm, forming a small hill, "Tianhe Sand is indeed perfect for artifact refining, but it's not enough to guarantee a hundred percent success."

Then, with a squeeze of his palm, a dazzling light and the sound of muffled thunder appeared between his fingers, shaking the spirits of all present.

When he opened his hand again, the silver sand had transformed into a silvery liquid substance that slowly rose from the center of his palm.

"I've refined it for you. This bundle of Star Sand Essence Liquid should ensure your promotion without concern."

The silver liquid, wrapped in a ball of Essence Qi, fell into Qi Changsheng's storage bag, and he, overwhelmed with joy, bowed again in gratitude.

Jiang Li, witnessing this scene, also roughly assessed the value of his own "Young Hero A Bin."

At the very least, exchanging it for an eighth-grade item would be no problem.

Though a paltry Spring Palace Storybook might not seem as valuable as an eighth-grade item, in the eyes of a big shot like Tianpeng, there's practically no difference in value—in fact, the storybook might be even more prized. Because the storybook can entertain, while the eighth-grade item cannot.

So, what should Jiang Li exchange for?

Cultivation techniques, he currently lacks none, with his self-created Innate Skill, the Six Ding and Six Jia Protection Talisman, Yin Talisman Seven Skills, and Louguan Swordsmanship among others.

As for Dao Fruits, he's not in a rush either. When he needs them, his Sect will provide a selection for him to choose from.

That left only one option.

Jiang Li stepped forward and said, "The junior would like a suitable weapon."

To date, he hadn't possessed a weapon that truly fit him. His previous one was a mere Fine Steel Long Sword, redeemable for just ten good deeds, and this sword had already been lost on the Fengyun Platform.

Tianpeng's gaze shifted, inspecting Jiang Li in the same manner as he had Qi Changsheng.

When those lantern-like eyes met Jiang Li's, he clearly saw a flash of electric light.

Not a metaphor from some story on Karma Collection but actual flashes of electricity.

"Dual Cultivation of Life and Spirit, with Essence, Qi, and Spirit progressing equally, you're quite the foundation, young man," Tianpeng assessed Jiang Li's cultivation at a glance, an expression of surprise on his face, "A ninth-grade magical artifact might be insufficient to draw out your full strength; you'll need an eighth rank. Tell me, what do you specialize in?"

Magical artifacts, also known as reserves for Dao Artifacts.

The higher the quality of the Dao Fruit, the more exceptional its carrier must be, otherwise it cannot sustain it. In a sense, Dao Artifacts and cultivators are alike, both carriers of Dao Fruits.

Just like Jiang Li's Snake Tooth Dagger would become a magical artifact if it lost the Long Snake Dao Fruit.

Thus, the classification of magical artifact grades is fairly blunt, based on their carrying capacity, with sharpness and other factors being secondary. The grade of the artifact is determined by what level of Dao Fruit or cultivator's power it can sustain.

As for Arrays or runes, they are not inscribed upon magical artifacts, since unlike humans, they can't control the absorption of external energies. To inscribe an artifact with Arrays or runes is akin to inviting wolves into one's home, generally leading to corruption by Five Vile Qi.

The true power of an artifact primarily depends on its capacity to bear Dao Fruits and the strength of its owner.

At this point, considering the purity of Jiang Li's True Qi surpassed that of ordinary Ninth Grade, a ninth-grade magical artifact might not be unable to harness his strength, but would likely deteriorate over time, so he too felt an eighth-grade magical artifact would be ideal.

And from Tianpeng's implication, an eighth-grade magical artifact was within his means to offer.

However, when it came to specializations...

Although Jiang Li currently wielded a sword, his skills were not limited to swordsmanship.

"That..." Jiang Li hesitated, "The junior has a bit of knowledge in everything."

"Do you expect me to provide you with one of every type of weapon?" Tianpeng glared with widened eyes.

"If that were possible, it would certainly be ideal, but what the junior meant is, whatever weapon Senior thinks is best, please provide that one," Jiang Li expressed his complete lack of greed, just a desire for the best.

Since he knew a bit of everything, it was natural to pick the best.

After all, even if handed a spear, Jiang Li could wield it with Louguan Swordsmanship.

"Interesting."

Tianpeng couldn't help but laugh, "Truly interesting. Knowing a bit of everything, I indeed have a suitable weapon for you here, but you must prove you truly know a bit of everything."

"You two lads, stop fighting for a moment and gauge the abilities of Cao Xuande for me."

The two small figures ceased their fight, while the rest who were discreetly watching Jiang Li and Qi Changsheng now openly turned their attention.

There were eleven people in total, each wearing a green robe and donning masks of various shapes. Jiang Li's decision to create a mask was inspired by them.

Among those present, the only one without a mask was Qi Changsheng.

"Knows a bit of everything?"

One of the little figures, standing tall and by proportion should measure seven feet in height as a youth, sneered, "Such a bold claim from the little frog opening his big mouth."

"The claim may not be too bold," another young voice interjected, "Looking at the Viper pattern on his body, if I'm not mistaken, that should be Senior Sister Gongsun's 'True Intent Technique Python.' This peer, I'm not sure if he's a Senior Brother or Junior Brother, appears to have connections with Senior Sister Gongsun."