Chapter 1185: Booming Business

“Huh….” The two cultivators looked surprised and joyful. They hadn't expected that, as the first customers, they wouldn't even have to pay. The skinny, sallow female cultivator quickly said, “Thank you, thank you, qian bei!” Then, she produced a large block of sea blue coral. “I only have this material, and I want to make a low-grade flying spirit artifact. If it’s not enough, I have a few more level-five spirit beast materials…” She was overjoyed at seeing Ye Mo's advertisement because she lacked sufficient materials but still desired a flying artifact, yet lacked the funds to pay a forgery master.

A few onlookers who knew the pair shook their heads. “He’s clearly a fraud, and they still believed him.” “I heard someone did this last year. He collected a lot of materials but didn’t forge a single spirit artifact. That person was powerful, so those who lost their materials were helpless.”

Ye Mo heard the conversation clearly and frowned. He finally understood why he had no business; someone had already employed this scam.

The two cultivators, hearing the discussion, immediately grew nervous. The male cultivator watched the sea blue coral in Ye Mo's hands, fearing he would ruin it. Ye Mo's power was clearly beyond their capacity to challenge; if he damaged their materials, they would have to accept it.

Ye Mo smiled calmly. “If you believe me, I will forge your flying artifact. If not, I will return the sea blue coral immediately.”

“No, qian bei, I trust you,” the female cultivator insisted.

Ye Mo nodded. “Okay, then I’ll help you make it now.”

The sea blue coral was a level-five, extreme-grade material. Ye Mo believed Lu Wuhu could forge a top-grade, or even a half-extreme-grade spirit artifact from it. He couldn't compare to Lu Wuhu, but to only produce a low-grade artifact would be a significant failure. He resolved to forge at least a middle-grade flying artifact.

Ye Mo waved his hand, and a deep orange flame materialized. This immediately shocked the onlookers.

“Purple Flower Fire! It’s a rare flame.” “Can he really forge spirit artifacts? He’s not a fraud? I remember that forgery cultivator from last year didn't forge in front of anyone. He claimed to be working within a restriction, but it ultimately failed, and the materials vanished.” “I think this qian bei possesses genuine skill; otherwise, he wouldn’t do this openly, nor possess the Purple Flower Fire.” “That's likely true. This way, he wouldn't be able to secretly keep the materials for himself.”

The sea blue coral quickly liquefied under the Purple Flower Fire and floated before Ye Mo. He swiftly inscribed formations into the blue liquid—so fast that the onlookers couldn't count the hand signs.

“This doesn’t seem right. I’ve seen others forge; why doesn’t he have a cauldron?” “Yeah, he needs a forgery cauldron, right? This is so strange.”

The comments didn't faze Ye Mo. He knew that forgery typically required a cauldron; only low-grade artifacts could usually be forged without one. High-level spirit artifacts, and even cultivation artifacts, were impossible to forge without a cauldron.

The Three Birth Chant focused on growth and self-simulation; confinement wasn't optimal. Therefore, he forwent the cauldron to contain the artifact. He found that this method demanded significantly more spirit sense, depending on the artifact's level. Ordinary forgery masters would damage the materials before the artifact formed due to insufficient spirit sense control; however, Ye Mo possessed Purple Eye Soul Sever, granting him exceptional spirit sense.

He discovered that forgoing the cauldron produced much stronger artifacts of the same level. This experience solidified his decision to abandon the cauldron. He briefly considered doing the same for pill concoction, but quickly found that without a pill cauldron, he could only produce, at most, heaven-grade level-one pills—highly potent, far from mild, and potentially damaging to a cultivator's meridians.

He concluded that dominance was preferable in forgery, but for pill concoction, a cauldron was necessary to mitigate that dominance and create milder pills. Perhaps, as an extreme-grade pill king, he wouldn't need a cauldron to concoct mild pills.

As more people watched, the blue liquid glowed brighter and brighter, becoming intensely radiant. Seven minutes later, it vibrated, began to morph, and quickly solidified. An exquisitely crafted blue flying artifact appeared in Ye Mo’s hand.

“A top-grade spirit artifact…” “It's actually a top-grade spirit artifact? Level-five sea blue coral forged into a top-grade artifact! Is this real?” “The defensive formations seem to be at least level six! Amazing!” “Such a powerful flying artifact…”

The discussion grew increasingly excited. No one expected Ye Mo to not only be legitimate but also capable of forging top-grade spirit artifacts, implying at least a level-seven skill level.

The two cultivators were ecstatic, but also worried Ye Mo might retract his free offer. The difference between low-grade and top-grade artifacts was vast; a top-grade artifact could purchase dozens of low-grade ones.

Ye Mo handed the artifact to the female cultivator. “I’ve made a top-grade spirit artifact. Are you pleased, friend?”

The female cultivator, hands trembling, accepted the artifact excitedly. She couldn't be happier. Without Ye Mo's help, she might not have obtained such an artifact even after decades of effort. Ye Mo, of course, did this to promote his burgeoning reputation.

“Thank you, thank you, qian bei…” The male cultivator quickly expressed his gratitude.

Ye Mo waved his hand. “You’re the first to patronize my business; you're helping me too. Don't worry.”

He stood, saluted with his fists, and announced, “Friends, I offer forgery services. You all witnessed my skills; the price remains the same: two sets of materials for a middle-grade or top-grade spirit artifact. Those who need my services can sign up now.”

The onlookers surged forward. Having witnessed Ye Mo's abilities, missing this opportunity would be foolish. Coastal cultivators almost always possessed substantial quantities of materials.

Ye Mo quickly raised his hand. “Everyone, line up and prepare your materials. Those who disrupt order will not be served.”

No one dared to cut in line. Ye Mo began his work, middle-grade artifacts flowing from his hands like a conveyor belt. The recipients were overjoyed, repeatedly thanking him. Receiving a spirit artifact at double the material cost was an offer no one could refuse.

Soon, a small mountain of materials accumulated in Ye Mo's storage ring. His speed increased; while he initially had some failures with top-grade artifacts, he eventually achieved a 100% success rate.

Three days later, he began forging extreme-grade spirit artifacts, no longer accepting middle-grade orders. His materials thus became increasingly high-level.

Word spread, attracting even more cultivators. Overwhelmed by the demand, Ye Mo hung a new sign.