With a list of items he intended to purchase in mind, Liou Yuan looked up at the three people beside him.

There’s no better time than the present, he decided to visit the Artifact Refining Pavilion on the Fifth Peak today.

The three people in front of him were also family disciples like Liou Yuan, whose families were affiliated with the Five Extremes Mountain.

"I wonder if they have any connections at the Artifact Refining Pavilion."

The advantage of having connections is having a wide network.

At least you wouldn’t be taken advantage of, even if you don’t find a rare magical artifact.

Thinking of this, Liou Yuan cleared his throat and said to the three, "I’m planning to go to the Artifact Refining Pavilion to pick up a handy magical artifact."

"Do any of you have acquaintances or elders in the family at the Artifact Refining Pavilion?"

Upon hearing Liou Yuan was going to purchase a magical artifact, Fu Xueping and Xie Miaobo showed a hint of envy. Although they were both family disciples, they didn’t belong to any prestigious family.

Magical artifacts are valuable and usually held by the elders in their families, and these two couldn’t afford any.

As for connections at the Artifact Refining Pavilion, they had none. Both shook their heads simultaneously.

"Hehe!" At this moment, Qiu Ming laughed gleefully, showing a proud expression.

"You’ve asked the right person."

"My cousin is a disciple in the Artifact Refining Pavilion. Whatever magical artifact you want, even if he doesn’t have it, he can get it for you."

Liou Yuan didn’t expect a casual question to yield such a result and his eyes lit up as he boldly said, "Good, I’ll treat you to a drink once it’s done."

As long as the magical artifact was worth the price, a jar of spiritual brew worth just one One-Star Stone was nothing.

Qiu Ming couldn’t resist; he had been craving the spirit brew of Five Extremes Mountain for a long time, but usually couldn’t bring himself to buy it.

Since Liou Yuan was willing to spend, he was naturally glad and waved his hand, "Let’s go, brother will show you around the Artifact Refining Pavilion."

Liou Yuan left with Qiu Ming.

Fu Xueping and Xie Miaobo did not accompany them.

Although Liou Yuan was the first to break through to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, the two weren’t surprised like others.

Being disciples of the Four-Star Acupoint, both held their own pride.

After Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming left, the two glanced at each other, seeing the desire to win in each other’s eyes.

Unable to compete with Liou Yuan, they would strive to be the second to break through to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.

With the sound of two doors closing, they simultaneously turned and shut their doors.

Strictly speaking, the Fifth Peak was truly the area where Outer Sect disciples operated.

The Xiaopei Mountain where Liou Yuan and the other new disciples were was merely a temporary lodging for them.

Eventually, once they earned enough merit points, they’d move to the Fifth Peak.

After all, the concentration of star energy on the Fifth Peak was two or three times higher than that on Xiaopei Mountain.

Even the ordinary caves there were better than those on Xiaopei Mountain.

Midway up the Fifth Peak, pavilions and towers were arranged like a dense forest, all clustered together.

Apart from the Shoushan Tower, which specifically assigned merit point tasks for Outer Sect disciples,

the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Elixir Medicine Pavilion, Talisman Tower, and Library Tower stood tall among them.

After arriving at the Five Extremes Mountain, Liou Yuan had always been focused on dedicated cultivation and hadn’t visited this mountain waist.

Qiu Ming, having previously accepted tasks, had been here once, so he was quite familiar with the way.

He led Liou Yuan through the numerous buildings straight to the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

Pointing to the magnificent portal almost ten zhang high at its entrance, Qiu Ming introduced to Liou Yuan, "This is the Artifact Refining Pavilion."

Even before getting closer, Liou Yuan could hear the clanging of metal coming from within that grand door.

Approaching the entrance of the Artifact Refining Pavilion, he could feel a wave of heat rushing towards him. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Let’s go in!" Qiu Ming eagerly led the way ahead.

Despite his words about knowing the Artifact Refining Pavilion well on Xiaopei Mountain, it was also his first time here.

Before entering, Liou Yuan glimpsed a stone tablet at the entrance of the Artifact Refining Pavilion, with letters flowing in lines of red light inscribed on it.

’Mining ten thousand catties of Black Iron Ore Vein, earns three merit points.’

’Helping to forge for a month at the Artifact Refining Pavilion, earns two merit points.’

"Turns out it’s hiring labor for hard work." Liou Yuan glanced at the words and smiled slightly.

It seems that in any world, the presence of laborers is necessary.

Mining ten thousand catties and forging—the latter described more as skill—both are exhausting tasks. Not much easier than the medicinal field protection task Qiu Ming and the other three undertook before.

And for these, only two or three merit points are earned—what’s it if not labor?"

In contrast, Liou Yuan realized how precious the reward of forty merit points he just received was.

No wonder Fang Yu said that after this year, they’d never find an opportunity to earn points so easily.

Withdrawing his gaze from the stone tablet, Liou Yuan thought to himself, "Initially, I had a budget of ten merit points."

"But now I need to cut back, eight merit points should be enough to buy a decent magical artifact."

The interior of the Artifact Refining Pavilion was bustling with furnaces scattered everywhere.

At each furnace stood an Outer Sect disciple swinging a hammer at the red-hot iron embryo on the forging platform.

They were all drenched in sweat.

Only Body Cultivators do these strenuous jobs.

Body Cultivators, in the early stages, can swing the iron hammer with sufficient force without relying heavily on Spiritual Power—natural laborers.

Of course, the ones earning merit points here didn’t have high cultivation.

Most of them were young disciples at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer to Fourth Layer; Liou Yuan didn’t see anyone at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

After reaching that level, there are many ways to earn merit points without undergoing such hardship.

Qiu Ming led Liou Yuan through the Artifact Refining Pavilion, taking several turns and bypassing the bustling foyer, to a separate Forging Room.