A Nightmare of Red-Braised Pork

Zheng Yu stood outside the Spirit Crane Palace for a long time before she slowly recovered.

Has Senior Brother Xinghe really built Spirit Crane Palace to this extent?

Although I know it's because Spirit Crane Palace has a good foundation, and the Grand Elder has worked tirelessly for the Spirit Crane Palace all these years, Spirit Crane Palace wasn't this exaggerated before!

Senior Brother Xinghe seems a bit too ruthless, doesn't he?

Yes! It must be because Spirit Crane Palace has a strong foundation, so Senior Brother Xinghe only achieved the current Spirit Crane Palace by relying on the foundation it had built up.

Therefore, it seems that the other houses haven't changed much.

Zheng Yu regained her fighting spirit and prepared to continue exploring other palaces.

Where to go?

Naturally, we should go to the Artifact Refining Palace.

If you were to ask what the Vast Heaven Sect has become most famous for in the past two years, it would Vast Heaven Sect newly built Artifact Refining Palace.

When the Ouyang Lineage joined the Vast Heaven Sect, everyone in the world mocked them, saying, "Has the Vast Heaven Sect gone mad?"

You dare to accept bribes from the Ouyang Lineage?

They're just a bunch of clueless foodies.

But what was the result?

Under Senior Brother Xinghe's guidance, Vast Heaven Sect's Artifact Refining Palace is now renowned throughout the world. At the All-Under-Heaven Spirit Weapon Grand Gathering, Ouyang Ming even won the championship, and Light of Xinghe is simply dominating all sides.

Zheng Yu asked for directions and headed to the Artifact Refining Palace.

Even though Zheng Yu was mentally prepared, he was still stunned by the magnificent architecture of the Artifact Refining Palace when he visited it for the first time.

Damn... Is your Vast Heaven Sect really that rich? The Spirit Crane Palace has so many disciples, it's one thing to have built it like that, but how many people are in the Artifact Refining Palace? Are you going to build it this insanely?

"Senior Brother Zheng Yu?"

Zheng Yu ran into Ouyang Ling as soon as she entered the room.

"Hello, Junior Sister Ouyang..." Zheng Yu greeted Ouyang Ling with a smile.

"Oh dear, Senior Brother Zheng Yu, you've come to visit our Artifact Refining Palace? Come, come... please try our Artifact Refining Palace tea..."

Ouyang Ling excitedly began brewing ginseng tea...

While soaking in the hot water, Ouyang Ling was also pondering. Recently, Everlasting Spring Palace had given her many different kinds of medicine, but what was with her complete immunity to Senior Brother Xinghe?

I had tried it with Elder He before, but Elder He's cultivation was too powerful, and I couldn't detect the true quality of the medicine at all.

And now, Zheng Yu, whose cultivation level is similar to Senior Brother Xinghe's, has arrived. Isn't that a coincidence?

It would be a good opportunity to have Zheng Yu test the medicine and see if the senior sisters of the Everlasting Spring Palace were unreliable, or if Senior Brother Xinghe had a special constitution.

A bowl of ginseng tea was served directly to Zheng Yu.

Zheng Yu didn't know either... Is it a tradition of the Artifact Refining Palace to make people drink ginseng tea without warning?

However, Zheng Yu couldn't refuse Ouyang Ling's enthusiasm, so he picked up Ouyang Ling's ginseng tea and drank it all in one gulp.

But why did Ouyang Ling look at me strangely after I drank the ginseng tea?

The feeling wasn't that I was being treated like a person, but rather like a little pet...

"Senior Brother Zheng Yu, let me show you around our Artifact Refining Palace..."

"Thank you, Junior Sister Ouyang..." Zheng Yu smiled and followed Ouyang Ling's steps, but after walking a few steps, Zheng Yu suddenly felt that the surroundings had become hot.

However, seeing the burning furnaces all around, Zheng Yu thought it was normal.

But what's abnormal is that the more I walk, the hotter I get, and I even have some very strange reactions. What's going on?

Just as Zheng Yu was feeling so hot that she wanted to take off her clothes, she ran into Ouyang Ming.

"Hello, Junior Brother Ouyang..."

"Senior Brother Zheng Yu!" Ouyang Ming was also shocked to see Zheng Yu following behind Ouyang Ling.

Without giving Zheng Yu a chance to say another word, he reached out and pulled Zheng Yu into the weapon-refining room.

Just as Zheng Yu was wondering what was going on with Ouyang Ming picked up the Light of Xinghe that was being offered up.

Zheng Yu was startled by this scene. Was Ouyang Ming about to show him the Light of Xinghe?

Before Zheng Yu could figure out why Ouyang Ming looked so anxious, he saw Ouyang Ming pick up the Light of Xinghe and slice open a piece of fruit with a snap.

"Come, come... Senior Brother Zheng Yu, have a taste... Light of Xinghe comes with a built-in cooling effect..."

Zheng Yu was completely stunned when she saw the sliced fruit that Ouyang Ming had brought over...

Um... can someone explain what's going on here? Was that the legendary Light of Xinghe from when they were cutting fruit just now?

So the only use of the Light of Xinghe, this ultimate artifact, in the Artifact Refining Palace is for cutting fruit?

It even comes with a built-in cooling effect, isn't that amazing?

However, out of politeness, Zheng Yu still took a bite of the fruit cut from the Light of Xinghe, which had a built-in chilling effect...

The next second, Zheng Yu was stunned...

It's not just naturally cooling! It's incredibly cooling! After eating this fruit, all the heat in my body disappeared – can you believe it?!

Just as Zheng Yu was marveling at how incredibly amazing it was to have such a terrifying effect, Ouyang Ming wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

Sister, oh sister... you think I don't know what you've done? Hmph... I know exactly what you used in your ginseng tea!

I've already put the antidote in the fruit, and you still want Zheng Yu to test its effects? You can't test it at all!

Everything returned to normal after they finished eating the fruit cut out by Light of Xinghe. Zheng Yu kept exclaiming, "Light of Xinghe truly terrifying!"

I was feeling incredibly hot from the refining furnace here, but after just one bite of the fruit cut by Light of Xinghe, all the heat disappeared?

No wonder Ouyang Ming invited me to eat the fruit cut by Light of Xinghe, so that's why...

But... even because of this, you're using a super-powerful artifact to cut fruit... is that polite of the Ouyang Lineage?

This is an absolute divine artifact... In our Martial Emperor City, this thing would be worshipped like a treasure...

Alright... the Ouyang Lineage also made offerings...

But what's the meaning of you taking away the sacred fruit-cutting artifact you worship without a second thought?

If anyone else had such a super weapon, they'd treat it like their own father, but you guys... you're utterly inhuman!

But as Zheng Yu was marveling at this, he witnessed an even more unbelievable scene.

The disciples of the Ouyang Lineage were currently forging various spiritual weapons, but what Zheng Yu found unacceptable was their method...

Why do their techniques look so much like the Cloud-Piercing Hammer Technique?

So, it was said that only Ouyang Ming had mastered the Cloud-Piercing Hammer Technique?

When Zheng Yu asked the question, she was dumbfounded.

"Oh dear... Senior Brother Zheng Yu is indeed a meticulous person. This is indeed the Cloud-Piercing Hammer Technique, but it's not the original Cloud-Piercing Hammer Technique. It's a simplified version that I modified and taught them, which is why they can barely use it. However, this simplified version of the Cloud-Piercing Hammer Technique isn't very useful. At most, it can only be used to forge sacred artifacts in the future, which is not worth mentioning..."

Ouyang Ming introduced the product while munching on some fruit.

But Ouyang Ming, can you even listen to what you're saying? Is this human language?

Can it at most forge sacred artifacts? Not worth mentioning.

Why don't you ask the other weapon-refining Lineage how they feel?

Even for someone of Ou Yunsheng's caliber, forging a sacred artifact is a very difficult task. What? If your Ouyang Lineage continues to develop like this, will everyone be able to forge sacred artifacts in the future?

Now Zheng Yu finally understood why Senior Brother Xinghe dared to give away top-grade spiritual weapons as small gifts without warning.

To be honest, the small gift from the Vast Heaven Sect this time really gave everyone a little surprise!

Not only the Flute of Space and Time, a divine artifact, but also a large number of top-grade spiritual weapons were given away.

Many people previously wondered if the Vast Heaven Sect had become insanely wealthy.

While top-tier spiritual weapons are insignificant compared to the Flute of Space and Time, is it really appropriate to give away such a large quantity?

Seeing the speed and capability with which the Ouyang Lineage forges spiritual weapons, Zheng Yu understood... Top-grade spiritual weapons might no longer be enough to satisfy Senior Brother Xinghe for the Future... Perhaps one day, it won't be a dream for everyone in the Vast Heaven Sect to possess a sacred artifact...

When you have a group of weapon refiners who can forge sacred artifacts in the Future, would you still care about top-tier spiritual weapons?

Around noon, at Ouyang Ming's enthusiastic invitation, Zheng Yu ate a simple home-cooked meal at the Artifact Refining Palace, as Ouyang Ming had suggested.

But... isn't the usual stuff at the Artifact Refining Palace a bit too much?

Has anyone ever seen a home-cooked meal where each person has their own table?

Not one of those small tables, but one of those huge round tables that can seat ten or so people.

Has anyone ever seen food served in a bowl?

As bowls of braised pork belly... braised pork knuckle... vegetarian chicken... cold noodles were served, Zheng Yu looked at the table full of food and had only one thought... Am I going to eat myself to death in the Artifact Refining Palace today?

After watching Ouyang Ming devour two bowls of braised pork, three large pork knuckles, five plates of vegetarian chicken, and sixteen bowls of cold noodles by himself, Zheng Yu trembled with fear!

Zheng Yu didn't know how much she had eaten, but Zheng Yu felt that she could vomit on the spot whenever she heard the words "braised pork." She absolutely couldn't burp, otherwise braised pork would definitely pop out of her throat.

After lunch, Zheng Yu just wanted to leave the Artifact Refining Palace as soon as possible, because Ouyang Ming was too enthusiastic. He even suggested that Senior Brother Zheng Yu have dinner there for the Artifact Refining Palace too...

Zheng Yu was almost in tears. "I don't need dinner. I haven't really felt like eating for the next three days."

Zheng Yu quickly told Ouyang Ming that she had other matters to attend to and had to leave immediately. Although Ouyang Ming was somewhat reluctant, he still personally saw Zheng Yu off, who was emanating the smell of braised pork.

But as soon as Zheng Yu reached the gate of the Artifact Refining Palace, he saw a stone refiner performing a Stone-Pointing Art that he couldn't quite understand amidst a large pile of raw stones.

Under his guidance, the raw stones transformed into radiant spiritual stones.

Although Zheng Yu had never studied the art of turning stones into gold, when he saw the quality and yield of the spirit stones produced after the stone-turning master had done so, he was so shocked that he burped and vomited up half a piece of braised pork!

Holy crap... that's terrifying! Over 80% chance of getting a stone!

The stone extraction rate was an astonishing 80% or more!

The stone refiner in front of us looks to be only about ten years old... Such a young fellow can achieve a stone extraction rate of over 80%, what terrifying talent and skill this is!

Just as Zheng Yu was marveling at how incredibly lucky the Vast Heaven, Ouyang Ming spoke up, "Little Zhou Chen, were you punished by Senior Brother Tieniu again today for your low stone-dropping rate?"

Zhou Chen nodded with teary eyes and said, "Yes, Uncle Ouyang... Master said my stone-picking rate is less than 90%, I'm practically useless, and he's punishing me by making me train here..."

Zheng Yu: "???"