This black object, at a glance, Lu Ping recognized it as an armor plate from some magical artifact.
The armor plate was covered in gold patterns, containing an indescribable divine rune. Just by looking at it, one would feel a sense of admiration.
"It seems to be a fragment of some magical artifact."
Lu Pingās eyes burned with curiosity as he murmured to himself.
"Hmm, indeed this artifact is only a fragment, not complete."
Just as Lu Ping finished speaking, a slightly hoarse voice was heard.
Even though the voice wasnāt loud, it was extremely clear in the silent shop, allowing Lu Ping to hear it distinctly.
Lu Pingās expression changed, and he looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a mysterious figure quietly appearing beside him, accompanied by a sense of ancient timelessness.
It was also the aura of an old Cultivator who had returned to the field after experiencing numerous battles.
"How does this object strike you, fellow Daoist?"
The speaker was an old man, with grey hair and beard, looking very old and slightly hunched over, resembling a candle flickering in the wind.
He even coughed several times as he finished speaking, as if he was suffering from an illness.
Lu Ping glanced at the white-haired elder and roughly guessed his identity, surely a Cultivator of this shop.
Therefore, he did not ask the old manās identity but instead, shifted his gaze back to the black armor plate with a hint of interest, slowly speaking.
"Since this object is incomplete, why is it still put up for sale?"
Upon hearing Lu Pingās question, the old man was already accustomed, having heard similar inquiries from Cultivators like Lu Ping before.
With a faint tone, he said: "You may not know, fellow Daoist, this object was created by Master Gao Tianhai. Although finding the complete magical artifact is difficult, even this small piece is remarkable, enough to be regarded as a top-grade magical artifact."
The old man spoke slowly, showing some admiration on his face when he mentioned the name Gao Tianhai.
"Gao Tianhai?"
It was the first time Lu Ping had heard this name, and he couldnāt help but mumble.
"Is he a renowned Artifact Refining Master in the Qingli Sea?"
Seeing Lu Ping reacting this way, muttering to himself, the old man looked up at him and, with a slight smile, remarked: "Hmm, it seems fellow Daoist is not a local Cultivator."
"I come from the mainland of Lingxi State."
Lu Ping didnāt hide it and nodded.
The Qingli Sea and Lingxi State mainland both belong to the Lingxi State territory, although referred to as the mainland and the Outer Sea.
The Outer Sea refers to the Qingli Sea outside of Lingxi State.
As for the Outer Realm Sea, it is not within Lingxi Stateās territory.
"Itās apparent, local Cultivators brighten upon hearing Gao Tianhaiās name, even showing excitement, so much that when they see his refined magical artifacts, they regard them like treasures, extremely attractive indeed."
The old man smiled, glancing at Lu Ping, gazing into his eyes naturally.
"But you remain unperturbed, which suggests you arenāt familiar with Master Gao."
At this point, the old man didnāt keep Lu Ping in suspense and simply introduced Gao Tianhai.
"Master Gao is not only the youngest Divinity Transformation Cultivator of the Artifact Sect but also the foremost Artifact Refiner in the Qingli Sea, capable of refining up to Tier Eight Spiritual Artifacts, just a step away from becoming a Tier Nine Refiner."
"Do not underestimate Tier Eight Refiners as they havenāt reached the pinnacle of refining. Itās known that Tier Nine Refiners have not emerged in the Qingli Sea for hundreds of years."
"The reason is nothing but the difficulty in finding Tier Nine demon gods or top-grade Heavenly and Earthly Treasures in the Qingli Sea, lacking such supreme refining materials."
"Otherwise, with Master Gaoās Artifact Refining Talent, advancing to Tier Nine and reaching the peak of refining would not be difficult."
When speaking of Gao Tianhai, the old manās eyes were filled with pride, as if mentioning him brought light to his own face.
Listening to the old manās narration, Lu Ping couldnāt help but take a deep breath.
Let alone a master who has reached the Divinity Transformation Stage.
Whatās more, Tier Eight Refiners, as far as he knows, such a level of refiners would be treated as honored guests by any force, definitely regarded as a figure at the top of the refining pyramid.
Because, as the old man said, to refine Tier Nine magical artifacts, the prerequisite is acquiring Tier Nine Refining Materials.
Speaking of demon beasts, a Tier Nine demon beast can be called a demon god, a supreme existence leading the demon race, how many are there in this world?
Who possesses godlike means, capable of slaying Tier Nine demon gods?
Moreover, Tier Nine level Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Spiritual Ore Crystal Stones, and such; to date, Lu Ping hasnāt even seen them, let alone heard of them.
To cultivate a Tier Nine Refiner, one must engage in refining Tier Nine level magical artifacts; this is no easy task.
The highest-tier refiner Lu Ping has seen is Elder Jiang, Tier Six Refining level, and thatās after Elder Jiang collected refining resources from Chu Kingdom, Qi Kingdom, and Jiang Kingdom decades ago to achieve such accomplishments.
Even now, for her, cultivating Liu Qiumei into a Tier Six Refiner is quite challenging. She has to gather Tier Six refining resources throughout Lingxi State, even Qingli Sea, Outer Realm Sea, and other major states to further cultivate Liu Qiumei.
Thinking about the path of refining, the higher you go, the more difficult it becomes, Lu Ping feels somewhat sentimental.
Gao Tianhai achieving the remarkable feat of becoming a Tier Eight Refiner can truly be deemed a talent rare indeed.
As for the Artifact Sect, hearing this name, it seems focused on refining magical artifacts.
The exact nature of this power, Lu Ping does not yet know, and will have to investigate later.
"Your eyes are sharp, senior. I seldom visit the Qingli Sea, indeed this is my first time hearing the name of Master Gao."
Lu Ping smiled politely.
As they say, a smiling face rarely receives hostility.
The old man kindly introduced him, and naturally, he wouldnāt offend him.
"You need not be tense; local Cultivators and outsiders are treated the same here."
The white-haired elder spoke self-assuredly, introducing himself: "I am Gao Tianhe, the shopkeeper of this shop. If you wish to buy something, I can recommend well."
"Gao Tianhe?"
Upon hearing the name, Lu Ping couldnāt help but think of Gao Tianhai.
One named Gao Tianhe.
Another Gao Tianhai.
Could there be a familial relation between these two?
"Haha, thereās no need to wonder, fellow Daoist. Master Gao is indeed my son."
Gao Tianhe chuckled, his face brimming with even more pride.
When Lu Ping heard this, he couldnāt help but feel quite surprised.
Such a prestigious refiner as Gao Tianhai turned out to be the son of this white-haired elder, truly unexpected.
The Qingli Sea really is a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.