Crimson Vine Armor

Southern Foothills Market, Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

After the South Foothill Gathering ended, the market town became quiet again, but the pavilion's business had improved somewhat.

Many cultivators, after witnessing the treasure fan Chen Heng refined for Luo Yu Lei, placed orders at Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion to customize magical artifacts.

Although Chen Heng intended to keep a low profile, the promotional effect of that treasure fan was quite significant.

For the next period, Chen Heng, Chen Xing Shan, Gao Hong, and the pavilion's other artifact refining devotee, Mu Qing Qing, the four of them basically spent every day in the artifact refining room, crafting magical artifacts.

However, although Chen Heng's life became busy, his artifact refining technique was constantly improving.

Hoo!

"Finally, I've finished refining the last mid-grade magical artifact," Chen Heng said, letting out a long sigh in the artifact refining room.

"Yes, it's thanks to Young Master Heng's high artifact refining skill. Otherwise, with so many orders, if Qing Qing had to refine them all herself, it might have taken her some time before she could rest," replied a Palace-Gowned Beauty, who looked around thirty and was voluptuously built. She was an artifact refiner hired by Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

Her artifact refining skill, like Chen Heng's, was currently mid-grade first-tier.

Before this, she could refine at most four or five mid-grade magical artifacts per month.

But in the half-year since Luo Yu Lei came to cause trouble, they had both been refining about eight or nine mid-grade magical artifacts each month.

Fortunately, with the increase in artifact refining orders, both of their artifact refining skills grew rapidly, and their income also increased significantly.

"Sister Qing, what do you think? Are you planning to rest for a while?" Chen Heng asked.

Mu Qing Qing carefully put away the magical artifacts she had just refined and replied, "Of course. We can't let earning Spirit Stones delay our own cultivation."

Chen Heng nodded slightly, saying nothing more.

The two then walked out of the artifact refining room side-by-side. Due to the increase in artifact refining orders, they had been refining artifacts together for a long time.

A short while later.

They arrived at the main hall. Mu Qing Qing handed a storage bag containing the refined magical artifacts to Chen Xing Shan and said directly, "Shopkeeper, I'd like to rest for a while during this period."

Chen Heng added from the side, "Uncle, me too. If anyone wants to refine an artifact, just delay it."

"Ah, you two have worked hard during this time. The orders completed in the past half-year are more than what was completed in the previous year. You deserve a rest. Go ahead and rest for a month," Chen Xing Shan replied with a nod.

Hearing this, Mu Qing Qing's eyes curved into a smile. "Shopkeeper, the increase in artifact refining orders is all thanks to Young Master Heng. When I was alone before, I was quite relaxed and leisurely."

"Indeed, indeed. If it weren't for Nephew Ming Heng resolving Luo Yu Lei's harassment, Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion's business wouldn't be this good."

Chen Heng shook his head, ignoring their flattery, and walked straight back to the east wing room in the backyard.

Seeing this, Mu Qing Qing, after completing the handover, immediately left Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion and returned to her own residence.

In fact, the pavilion had provided her with a relatively simple cave dwelling, but she was unwilling to delay her cultivation.

Therefore, she had rented a decent cave dwelling herself in the Southern Foothills Market.

Although she was a rogue cultivator, she possessed the inheritance of artifact refining techniques and her own artifact refining skill was decent. She could still support herself in the Southern Foothills Market.

In contrast, most rogue cultivators without any special skills could only live on the outermost edge of the market town. Not only was the spiritual energy thin there, but there was also no protection from the market town's array, and their safety was not guaranteed.

In the quiet room of the east wing, Chen Heng sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, his mind sinking into his sea of consciousness.

He began to visualize the phantom image of the Crimson Vine Armor.

The Crimson Vine Armor was a defensive magical artifact he had designed himself, based on the Crimson Flame Profound Crystal and a high-grade treasure material he had withdrawn from the pavilion's treasury—the Crimson Vine Heart.

He already had a top-grade first-tier Profound Water Shield as an external defensive magical artifact.

Since that was the case, Chen Heng felt he should craft a personal defensive magical artifact for himself.

The Crimson Vine Heart was the essence extracted and purified from the fire and wood dual-attribute first-tier Crimson Vine, a treasure material.

This material was quite tough and was often used to create defensive magical artifacts like shields and armor. Moreover, its attributes were very compatible with the Crimson Flame Profound Crystal Chen Heng possessed.

The moment he saw this material in the treasury, he had the idea of refining the Crimson Vine Armor.

Furthermore, in the five elements, water generates wood, and water and wood are compatible. The defensive artifact pattern, which blended the flexibility of water and the sturdiness of wood, could be precisely engraved into it.

During this period, Chen Heng had taken time to practice engraving this artifact pattern whenever he could.

Now, he could do it by heart.

Half a month later.

Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion, an artifact refining room.

The furnace fire blazed, and waves of heat rolled.

Chen Heng stood before a cauldron, performing hand seals and controlling the furnace fire.

Inside the cauldron, a magical artifact in the form of a gleaming armor was gradually taking shape.

Chen Xing Shan and Chen Shi Shi stood on either side, their eyes fixed on the artifact in the furnace.

Suddenly, Chen Shi Shi exclaimed, "A high-grade first-tier magical artifact?"

With his current eyesight, he could only judge the grade of a magical artifact based on the intensity of its spiritual light.

A glint flashed in Chen Xing Shan's eyes as he carefully examined the magical artifact in the furnace.

Afterward, he shook his head and said, "Shi Shi, don't be so surprised. Although Heng'er used two high-grade first-tier precious materials to refine this artifact."

"However, this artifact should not have reached the level of a high-grade first-tier artifact yet."

Chen Xing Shan, being a high-grade first-tier artifact refiner, could naturally tell with his eyesight that once this artifact was fully formed and inscribed with artifact patterns, it would still not be at the level of a high-grade first-tier magical artifact.

Among the many skills like alchemy, artifact refining, talismans, and formations, they were not entirely tied to one's cultivation realm.

But Chen Heng was currently only at the peak of the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. To refine a late-tier first-tier artifact equivalent to the late Qi Refining stage was still a bit short.

Just then, Chen Heng controlled the furnace fire and made a hand seal.

A beam of spiritual light flew out from the cauldron and landed in his hand, transforming into an armored magical artifact.

Without any hesitation, Chen Heng formed hand seals and began to inscribe the defensive artifact pattern he had obtained from the incomplete shield onto the armor.

His movements were extremely fast, fluid, and completed in one go.

At this moment, Chen Xing Shan, who was watching from the side,'s eyes lit up. This defensive artifact pattern was quite profound.

He had never seen it before, nor was it recorded in the Chen Family Record of Artifact Refining of their clan.

Was this an artifact pattern created by Chen Heng himself, or was it obtained from somewhere else?

Not long after.

As Chen Heng let out a long sigh, an armored garment with a fiery red glow mixed with a jade-green color appeared before everyone.

Chen Xing Shan stepped forward, took the armor, and examined it carefully for a moment before nodding with a smile.

"Heng'er, your artifact refining talent is truly outstanding."

"You actually managed to refine a high-grade first-tier magical artifact with your cultivation realm of the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining."

Chen Shi Shi, standing beside them, pouted. He looked very smug. He had said earlier that it was a high-grade first-tier magical artifact, and his judgment was good.

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng smiled slightly and humbly said, "Uncle, you flatter me. Your nephew still has much to learn."

Chen Xing Shan listened and nodded with great satisfaction.

It was truly rare for a young person to have talent without being arrogant, and to have ability without being conceited.

He pointed at the armor and said, "Heng'er, have you decided on a name for this artifact?"

"Crimson Vine Armor, this item is called Crimson Vine Armor," Chen Heng blurted out.