The bustling inn lobby was filled with people of all kinds.
There were mercenaries celebrating a completed mission, pot-bellied merchants discussing business, tired travelers resting, and inn servants constantly greeting guests...
However, amidst these people, an Old Mister in a corner suddenly caught Mo Yu's attention.
The Old Mister sat alone at a table, drinking, seemingly quite old. Although his hair was white, the pair of withered hands holding the wine cup were as strong and powerful as a blacksmith's.
Mo Yu stared at this Old Mister with surprise, because he sensed a familiar aura from him.
An Artifact Refiner, an Artifact Refiner of no small accomplishment!
On the Fighting Qi Continent, because Artifact Refining has always been in decline, there has never been an Artifact Refiner Guild similar to the Alchemist Guild to classify Artifact Refiners by Rank. Naturally, there are no so-called Artifact Refiner robes to signify their respected status.
Therefore, even if there are some scattered Artifact Refiners on the Continent, no one would recognize them when they walk among the crowds, which is undoubtedly a tragedy.
But as an extremely outstanding Artifact Refiner, Mo Yu could naturally discern something from subtle details.
On the Old Mister, Mo Yu sensed an unusual aura—a unique temperament inadvertently emitted from years of immersion in Artifact Refining.
What surprised Mo Yu even more was that he could faintly sense a trace of Artifact Lightning Qi from the Old Mister.
On the Fighting Qi Continent, people are very unfamiliar with Artifact Lightning but very familiar with Pill Lightning.
Pill Lightning is a necessary test when high-Rank Medicinal Pills are refined. This is because starting from Seventh Grade Medicinal Pills, Medicinal Pills gradually begin to gain sentience. Medicinal Pills of this level can already be called divine objects that seize the creation of heaven and earth, so heaven and earth will send down a Lightning Tribulation to prevent the Medicinal Pills from forming. This is Pill Lightning.
The higher the Medicinal Pill's Rank, the higher the Medicinal Pill's wisdom, and the greater the power of the Pill Lightning.
And Artifact Lightning is the same. When a divine Sharp Weapon is refined, its appearance will also seize the creation of heaven and earth, so heaven and earth will also send down a Lightning Tribulation, which Artifact Refiners call Artifact Lightning.
Artifact Refiners who can cause Pill Lightning are undoubtedly top Alchemists on the Continent, and Artifact Refiners who can cause Artifact Lightning are also the same!
On the Fighting Qi Continent, where Artifact Refining is so in decline, to find at least a Seventh Grade Artifact Refiner in a small Empire in the Northwest Continent, how could Mo Yu not be surprised?
As Mo Yu watched the Old Mister, as if sensing the young man's gaze, the Old Mister's wine cup paused, and then he turned to look over.
The eyes of the Old Mister and the young man met. Seeing the young man, a hint of surprise flashed across the Old Mister's solemn face.
Immediately, Mo Yu saw a hint of inexplicable meaning flash in the Old Mister's cloudy eyes.
"Guests, do you need any service?"
At this moment, an inn servant walked over, glanced at the beautiful women behind Mo Yu, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes, and respectfully said.
"First, bring a table of your inn's specialty dishes, and then open four guest rooms for us to rest," Mo Yu said lightly.
Upon hearing this, the inn servant beside him respectfully nodded. After conveying Mo Yu's request to the maid at the counter, he then led Mo Yu and the others to the main hall, preparing to find some seats.
However, it was currently noon, the busiest time of day, and all the tables in the main hall were completely occupied, with almost no empty seats.
Seeing this, the inn servant's face became slightly awkward. Although his inn's business was good, this situation of being full with no seats was a first for him, a staff member who had only been recruited for half a month.
As the inn servant was at a loss, an old voice calmly sounded from the side.
"This Old Mister is alone. If you don't mind, why not share a table for a casual meal?"
Following the voice, their gazes immediately shifted to the Old Mister who had spoken.
Upon hearing this, the inn servant immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at Mo Yu and the others, asking with an inquiring attitude: "How do you feel, guests? If you think it's not appropriate, why not wait a moment, perhaps soon..."
Before he could finish, Mo Yu waved his hand and said: "No need. Since the Old Mister has invited us, we will impose. Just bring the food to this table later."
After speaking, Mo Yu directly sat down to the Old Mister's left.
This Old Mister was naturally the Old Mister Mo Yu had been observing earlier.
The Old Mister bore no ill will, so Mo Yu also wanted to get to know him.
Seeing Mo Yu's actions, the usually well-behaved Qing Lin silently sat beside the young man.
Snow Charm and Lin Fei exchanged glances. They naturally had no objection to sharing a table, so they both sat on the right side of the table.
With the table shared, the inn servant beside them smiled and said: "Guests, please wait, the food will be ready soon."
After the servant left, the Old Mister picked up a new cup from the table, filled several cups, and handed them to Mo Yu and the others, chuckling: "This is West Desolate City's special green plum wine. You must be from out of town, why not try it?"
Mo Yu and the others were not surprised by the Old Mister's words about them being outsiders, as their attire indeed stood out in West Desolate City.
Taking the wine cup from the Old Mister, Mo Yu nodded politely, but a hint of doubt flashed in his heart. The other party's attitude seemed a bit too amiable.
And what was a Seventh Grade Artifact Refiner, such a figure, doing in a remote place like the Mu Lan Empire instead of Central Continent?
"Thank you, Elder, for the wine." Mo Yu drained the cup, speaking politely. Even with doubts in his heart, he showed no trace of it on his face.
"Hehe, young man, you have three beautiful women by your side. With beauties accompanying you, you are quite blessed. Even I, when I was young, wasn't as flamboyant as you."
Seeing Mo Yu drain his cup, the Old Mister seemed to be in a good mood. After also drinking a full cup, he scanned the beauty of Qing Lin and the two women, especially noting Qing Lin's somewhat mysterious eyes. His old eyes couldn't help but flash with a hint of surprise, and then he burst into laughter.
Upon hearing this, the faces of Qing Lin and the two women beside him couldn't help but blush slightly at the Old Mister's somewhat ambiguous words.
"Hehe, Old Mister, you misunderstand. Qing Lin is my maid, and Snow Charm and Lin Fei are just my friends. My name is Mo Yu. May I ask what the Old Mister's name is?"
Mo Yu explained his relationship with the three women in a few words and introduced himself, then looked at the Old Mister and asked.
What was the background of this seemingly wine-loving Old Mister? He had never heard of him in the original work. High-Rank Artifact Refiners were incredibly rare.
However, he also knew that the Fighting Qi Continent was vast, and naturally, some mysterious experts would be hidden. And Artifact Refining was not as glorious as Alchemy, so high-Rank Artifact Refiners were naturally not as famous and appeared incredibly mysterious.
"Mo Yu..." The Old Mister softly murmured the young man's name, then drank another cup of wine, and chuckled: "It seems it's been a long time since anyone called my name. You can just call me Elder Bing."
"Elder Bing?" Mo Yu murmured in his heart when he heard the Old Mister's address.
This figure before him was definitely someone he had never heard of, and as an Artifact Refiner of Seventh Rank and above, his strength must also be incredibly terrifying, at least not inferior to ordinary Dou Zong experts.
Moreover, the appeal of a high-Rank Artifact Refiner is generally not weaker than that of an Alchemist of the same Rank. In other words, this seemingly ordinary Old Mister called Elder Bing is very likely a hidden big shot.
"Mo Yu, you are an Artifact Refiner, aren't you?"
As Mo Yu was guessing the other party's identity, the Old Mister's voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Upon hearing this, Mo Yu paused, then nodded and said: "Elder Bing truly has discerning eyes. I am indeed an Artifact Refiner."
Mo Yu didn't care why the Old Mister could tell he was an Artifact Refiner. After all, as a high-Rank Artifact Refiner, it was normal for him to notice something.
Artifact Refiners are also attracted to each other.
"Hehe, on the Fighting Qi Continent, Alchemists are highly esteemed, while we Artifact Refiners are not only ignored, but our numbers are also as rare as Phoenix feathers. Only in a country like the Mu Lan Empire are we relatively common, but still extremely rare. I never expected to encounter a young Artifact Refiner like you just by coming for a drink."
The Old Mister said with a hint of emotion while savoring the wine in his cup.
"Oh, is Elder Bing an Artifact Refiner from the Mu Lan Empire?" Although he had already guessed the other party's identity, Mo Yu still said with a slight surprise.
"I am indeed an Artifact Refiner, but not from the Mu Lan Empire. I'm just traveling through. As for my origins, perhaps you will know in the future if there's an opportunity, but for now, it's better for you to know less." As if remembering something, a hint of sadness flashed in Elder Bing's eyes.
Seeing the other party's expression, Mo Yu also guessed that there must be some hidden story behind it, but it was not good to ask too many questions at the moment.
"What Rank Artifact Refiner are you now?" The Old Mister asked casually.
Upon hearing the other party's words, Mo Yu was stunned. As far as he knew, on the Fighting Qi Continent, Artifact Refiners didn't seem to have such specific classifications as Alchemists, did they?
Due to their scarcity, the weapons forged by Artifact Refiners did not have specific industry classification standards, so Artifact Refiners could not be assigned Ranks, nor did they have a so-called Rank system.
And the Ranks Mo Yu had previously assigned to the weapons he refined were merely his own private classification based on his understanding of the Fighting Qi Continent, mimicking the nine Ranks of Medicinal Pills.
The Old Mister asking him what Rank Artifact Refiner he was truly left the young man a bit bewildered.
Snow Charm and Lin Fei at the table beside them also exchanged puzzled glances. As Alchemists, they were undoubtedly proud. On the Fighting Qi Continent, if a Family produced an Alchemist, the entire Family would be incredibly proud.
As for the so-called Artifact Refining, even if Snow Charm and the two women had occasionally heard of it, they regarded it as an inferior art. Therefore, they were surprised to hear for the first time that Artifact Refiners actually had a Rank system modeled after Alchemists, and naturally found it somewhat ridiculous.
However, although their pride as Alchemists made them uninterested in Artifact Refiners, they held Mo Yu in immense awe, so they didn't utter any sarcastic remarks.
"I'm sorry, Elder Bing, I don't know what Rank Artifact Refiner I am," Mo Yu shook his head and said.
Upon hearing this, the Old Mister's expression froze in confusion: "Did your teacher not take you to have your Rank appraised?"
Mo Yu shook his head again, and at the same time, a big question arose in his heart. Listening to the other party's words, it seemed that Artifact Refiners also had an organization?
"May I ask, Elder Bing, do we Artifact Refiners also have an organization on the Fighting Qi Continent similar to the Alchemist Guild?" Mo Yu asked directly.
Snow Charm and Lin Fei, the two women beside him, also had their gossip ignited. An Artifact Refiner having their own organization, how come they had never heard of it?
"Hehe, it seems your teacher was quite careless, not even telling you this." The Old Mister chuckled while motioning for the inn servant to bring another pot of wine.
"My teacher only taught me the basics, and then left me to travel the Continent, so I don't know much about the Artifact Refiner circle," Mo Yu explained.
Upon hearing this, the Old Mister nodded and didn't suspect anything. Because Artifact Refiners are rare, Artifact Formulas are also incredibly rare. If Alchemist's Pill Formulas could still be bought with money, then Artifact Formulas might not be obtainable even with money.
Therefore, some Artifact Refiners like to travel all over the Continent to search for ancient lost Artifact Formulas or exchange Artifact Formulas with other Artifact Refiners.
"I see, then you probably don't know about the existence of the 'Qi Alliance'," the Old Mister said slowly.
"Qi Alliance?"
Hearing the Old Mister's words, Mo Yu raised an eyebrow. If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the organization of Artifact Refiners on the Fighting Qi Continent.
It's just that the name seems somewhat similar to the Pill Tower in Central Continent. Could it be an organization created by some top Artifact Refiners in Central Continent?
As far as Mo Yu knew, the Pill Tower was a freely organized force of Alchemists on the Fighting Qi Continent, located in Saint Pill City, and had existed for a long time. And the Rank system of Alchemists on the Fighting Qi Continent seemed to have been created by them.
"The Qi Alliance was established fifty years ago by a group of top Artifact Refiners on the Continent. They spent ten years creating a complete Artifact Refiner Rank system, modeled after Alchemists. However, the number of Artifact Refiners is too small, so the Qi Alliance is very low-key and hasn't built an Alchemist Guild in every major city of every Empire on the Continent like Alchemists have.
As far as I know, in this Northwest Continent region, only the Mu Lan Empire and a few Empires to the south have branches of the Qi Alliance. This is because these few countries have a slightly larger number of Artifact Refiners." The Old Mister took a sip of wine and slowly explained.
Upon hearing this, Mo Yu nodded, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had never expected that there was an Artifact Refiner organization on the Fighting Qi Continent, which was truly unexpected.
He wondered if Poison Masters had their own organization. Poison Masters are prevalent in the Izumo Empire, and there are many Poison Masters throughout the Continent. It shouldn't be difficult for them to gather and establish their own Rank system, right?
Shaking his head, Mo Yu shifted his attention to the Qi Alliance.
If such an organization truly existed, Mo Yu would be very eager to join. He possessed many valuable Artifact Formulas, which could only be maximized in value among peers. If he could control some of its power, it would undoubtedly be even better...