"More?" The old man was momentarily taken aback, but immediately grew even more delighted, grinning from ear to ear for quite a while.
Though he didn't know what materials Han Li would bring out next, it was only common sense that the best came last. His gaze toward Han Li grew even more eager!
Despite some doubts about this shopkeeper's forging skills, Han Li couldn't find a more trustworthy artificer in the short term. With some hesitation, he laid out the ink flood dragon's materials one by one on the table.
But he had already made up his mind—if this old man couldn't even identify what these materials originally were, that would prove his knowledge and skills were truly wanting. In that case, he'd just have the man forge the hard shell and nothing more.
As for the good parts from the ink flood dragon, he'd seek out a more skilled artificer elsewhere!
Having made this decision, Han Li naturally paid closer attention to the old man's expressions and movements.
Just as the old man raised a cup of clear tea to his lips and took a sip, he caught sight of the pile of materials Han Li had produced—and with a spray, he spat out the mouthful of tea all over the ground before him.
"This is dragon skin, and the sharp horns, the fangs—and these are the eyes! Heavens, did you slay an evil flood dragon all by yourself, Senior?" The white-haired shopkeeper was so shocked he lost all composure, staring at the things before him with an expression of utter disbelief, muttering ceaselessly.
No wonder the old man was so astonished! Setting aside the fact that flood dragons—creatures between heaven and earth—had long vanished from the local cultivation world, even if one did appear, an evil flood dragon that had undergone a second-stage transformation would be a match for a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!
Aside from Core Formation cultivators, how could ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly stand against it? And if many cultivators had attacked together, the pile of flood dragon materials before him seemed far too complete—it was practically an entire flood dragon dismembered and transported here whole.
Had he consumed it all alone, without sharing even a sliver with other cultivators? Or did this person possess some extraordinary means to take down the dragon single-handedly?
As the old man excitedly touched and pinched the materials here and there, his thoughts ran wild.
It was at this moment that he truly felt a sense of awe toward Han Li!
That the shopkeeper could identify these materials so quickly was somewhat beyond Han Li's expectations. He had figured the man would need considerable effort to identify them, even if he could. Having the materials authenticated so easily actually gave Han Li a measure of confidence in him.
"Shopkeeper Xu, you recognized them so quickly. That puts my mind at ease. Then please, proceed with the forging!" Han Li said politely after turning the matter over in his mind.
"Yes! Yes! Please rest assured, Senior. When I was apprenticing, I once forged flood dragon materials together with my father—the odds of success are absolutely excellent!" The old man nodded repeatedly, still clutching a sharp claw of the ink flood dragon, utterly reluctant to let go of it!
Seeing this, Han Li found it somewhat amusing. But he understood—the old man was most likely one of those who had become obsessed with forging. Otherwise, no matter how fine the materials, he wouldn't have lost his composure like this. But this actually put Han Li more at ease, as it suggested the man's forging skills were likely quite good.
And so, the old man took the materials and led Han Li into the back courtyard!
...
Half a month later, Han Li finally walked out of the shop. He looked back and then left at a leisurely pace, a faint smile on his face.
Once he left the no-fly zone of the market, Han Li raised his hand, and a dainty white boat shot out from his sleeve, hovering a few feet in the air before him, gently swaying.
After gazing at it fondly, Han Li flicked a finger and sent a green spell seal onto the boat. The little vessel immediately began to grow, and in a moment became a real canoe large enough to carry several people. Seeing this, Han Li shifted his body slightly and stepped aboard. Then, with a flash of white light, both he and the boat vanished from their spot, reappearing over a dozen zhang in the air!
"This Divine Wind Boat, forged from the ink flood dragon's fins and tail, really is an extraordinary flying artifact. Though it's nowhere near the Curtain Moon Sect's Heavenly Moon Divine Vessel in passenger capacity and has no defensive capabilities whatsoever, purely in terms of speed, it should be a very rare flying artifact. Now I never have to use that turtle-slow leaf-shaped artifact again!" Han Li stood at the bow of the boat and murmured to himself, a faint smile playing across his lips.
Han Li suddenly channeled spiritual power from his feet into the boat's hull, and the Divine Wind Boat blazed with brilliant white light, immediately transforming into a streak of white radiance that shot forward. Its speed was enough to leave any ordinary cultivator's jaw hanging open!
Han Li sat at the front of the boat with his eyes gently closed, savoring the thrill of unprecedented speed.