Just Curse Him

Yang Xingming was a little speechless. Why was Chen Xingfeng lecturing me now?

But he could not exactly argue with Chen Xingfeng, so he honestly watched Ning Ri's technique. The longer he watched, the more impressed he became—

Not bad. This kid was truly not bad!

Yang Xingming was somewhat different from Luo Ke.

Luo Ke was considered a backbone of the Golden Strategy Immortal Sect and was rather obsessed with recruiting people. But Yang Xingming was merely a guest elder of the Xi Family and Xi Yuan's protector, so he did not care whether Ning Ri joined the Lingxi Immortal Sect.

He merely felt that he had done quite well by forming a good relationship with Ning Ri earlier.

Meanwhile.

Jin Le and Liang Shuyou's faces had already turned ashen.

How the hell were they supposed to refine anything like this?!

They also knew that the essence of this refining task was to earn Chen Xingfeng's approval.

But now...

Forget approving of them—Chen Xingfeng was practically about to forget who they were.

Jiang Wen, meanwhile, did not think that much. He hurriedly focused all his attention on secretly studying Ning Ri's refining techniques...

To him, the effect of Chen Xingfeng's explanations was about the same as secretly learning from Ning Ri's refining.

It was just that Ning Ri's techniques carried a feeling of the Great Dao being simple at its core. Those hand seals were not complicated, yet Jiang Wen knew—

He could understand them all, but he could not perform a single one correctly.

Thinking of this, he sucked in a cold breath inwardly—

No wonder there were rumors in the Cultivation World that anyone Heaven Defying Sect allowed to walk the world was no ordinary character. Ning Ri illustrated that perfectly...

And no wonder Elder Yang Xingming thought so highly of Ning Ri.

At this moment, Ning Ri noticed that everyone's gazes were focused on him, and he could not help growing anxious—

Why are you all looking at me? It's not like there are words written on my face.

Go refine artifacts already!

He needed more people refining artifacts so that he could figure out exactly how his panel worked.

With that thought, Ning Ri let out a sigh. Spiritual energy flickered faintly around him, giving him the appearance of being at the end of his strength. Then, seizing the right moment, he slowly stopped refining, set the melted iron aside, and began to rest.

He wanted to pretend that he was out of spiritual energy and needed a break, so the others would stop watching him and hurry up with their refining.

But he could not make it too exaggerated, so he could only put on a little act. In any case, the others would understand.

The moment Ning Ri stopped refining, Jin Le and Liang Shuyou could not help but let out sighs of relief, thoughts rising in their hearts—

Now that was more like it!

Earlier, upon seeing Ning Ri's cultivation, they had accurately predicted that he could not keep going for so long. Even with the preferential treatment of six hours, Ning Ri would still have to stop now and then to rest.

See? They had called it exactly!

Thinking this, the two men, who had just been battered until they were black and blue all over, could not help feeling a trace of delight and superiority—

No matter what, their cultivation was far stronger than Ning Ri's. They would not be unable to sustain even artifact refining.

Then the three of them resumed refining...

The instant they began working, Ning Ri was thrilled inside.

The skill points were rising again!

At this moment, Xi Yuan asked Ning Ri with concern, "Big Brother, are you all right?"

Ning Ri smiled. "Don't worry, Big Brother is fine. Go ahead and refine yours."

"Okay!" Xi Yuan nodded seriously and began melting materials as well.

As soon as Xi Yuan joined the artifact refining, Ning Ri realized that the skill points seemed to be increasing even faster...

Seeing this, he could not help thinking—

Could it be that after obtaining [Heavenly Craftsman], the more people refined artifacts around me, the faster my skill points increased?

Just then.

Chen Xingfeng suddenly said in a deep voice, "Ning Ri."

Ning Ri immediately asked, "Master Xingfeng, what is it?"

The moment he replied, Ning Ri's expression darkened—

Because he discovered that the skill points had stopped. At Chen Xingfeng's single remark, everyone else had stopped refining.

Chen Xingfeng looked at Ning Ri. There was not much goodwill on his face, but his words were praise. "You chose a good time to stop."

"When it comes to artifact refining, many people know how to begin, but they do not know how to pause."

"When you stop refining, the Artifact Fire, materials, and runes all produce varying degrees of backlash. Many people rely on their cultivation to endure it forcefully, but over time, that leaves hidden injuries. The ground-fire erosion commonly suffered by refiners, for instance, comes from this."

"The three of them were just like that. They forcibly stopped twice and suffered some backlash from their Artifact Fire, but because their cultivation is strong, they did not care."

"But you did very well. Neither the recoil nor the backlash could reach you. Your fundamentals truly are solid."

The instant those words came out, the tiny bit of superiority Jin Le and Liang Shuyou had just developed vanished without a trace after being publicly used as a comparison...

Seriously? That could be praised too?!

They had imagined Chen Xingfeng praising someone, but they thought the one being praised would be Xi Yuan, not Ning Ri.

Would that not have been perfectly normal?

At ten years old, he was at the Eighth Stage Qi Refining, knew alchemy, and knew artifact refining. Was it not natural for him to be praised?

But they had never expected Ning Ri to be the one praised.

And because Chen Xingfeng's words made so much sense, they had no way of telling whether he was being sincere or forcing out praise...

Meanwhile, Jiang Wen did not care that he had been used as a comparison. He hurriedly committed it to memory—

A good... timing for resting... could earn praise too.

Ning Ri gave an awkward laugh. "Haha, thank you for the praise, Master Xingfeng. But this junior merely stumbled upon it by chance. I am still a beginner at artifact refining and need to study diligently."

As he spoke, he muttered inwardly—

If you want to praise me, could you pick another time? Let the others continue refining first, all right?

Chen Xingfeng ignored Ning Ri's modest words and said directly, "Craftsmanship Tower has a place specifically for storing my insights on artifact refining. It is called [Artifact Heart Pavilion]."

"Would you like to go in and take a look?"

The instant those words came out, the other three immediately revealed looks of envy, jealousy, and shock...

Master Xingfeng was treating Ning Ri this well?!

Ning Ri's eyes immediately lit up—

Holy shit!

You're letting me in?

Then this was really a rat getting into a rice vat—eating every last grain!

Buying straight from the source factory!

However, Ning Ri did not get happy too soon. Everything in this world came at a price. "Master Xingfeng, this junior has long admired your [Artifact Heart Pavilion]. However, one should not accept rewards without merit. This junior has done nothing, yet would receive such a great gift for nothing. This junior is truly apprehensive."

He neither refused nor agreed.

Xi Yuan scratched his head a little upon hearing that—

He did not quite understand, because he was still a child.

But he felt that Ning Ri clearly wanted to go, so why had his words come out like that?

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

After hearing Ning Ri's words, Chen Xingfeng laughed. This kid was cautious indeed—he was afraid Chen Xingfeng had set a trap for him, was he?

Ning Ri was indeed afraid that Chen Xingfeng would demand a price he could not afford, so he wanted to ask about the price first. What he really meant was—

If your factory's goods are cheap, I'll buy from you. If they're too expensive, I'll find pirated copies later. Anyway, the panel does not care whether I read legitimate editions or pirated ones. It can cultivate from the real thing, and it can cultivate from pirated copies too. Strictly speaking, the panel is the true cultivator of both legitimate and pirated paths.

Chen Xingfeng said in a deep voice, "If you want to enter the Artifact Heart Pavilion, it is simple. You only need to curse Mo Cuidao in front of me once, and I will open my Artifact Heart Pavilion for you to look through."

"Mo Cuidao will not know about it."

Ning Ri: "..."

Elder Bandit has shown me kindness...

You...

I only want to stock up on some goods. Is this really necessary?

Could it be that you two have some deep grudge?

Just then.

Yang Xingming sent a voice transmission. "They are fellow disciples. Neither can stand the other, so there is no need to worry about their relationship."

He did not advise Ning Ri to agree or refuse. He merely told Ning Ri about their relationship, so Ning Ri would know what to expect.

After hearing that, Ning Ri was surprised inwardly—

So they were fellow disciples with a bad relationship!

Come to think of it, judging from their artifact-refining styles, one had led the sect in creating magical artifacts like refining puppets and Disciple Tokens, while the other had built the dazzlingly magnificent Craftsmanship Tower.

Their styles clashed quite a bit. It really did seem difficult for the two of them not to have conflicts.

Several thoughts flashed rapidly through Ning Ri's mind as he said to Chen Xingfeng, "Master Xingfeng, let us forget this matter. Everything I know was taught to me by Elder Mo."

Even if Yang Xingming had not reminded him, he would have refused Chen Xingfeng. But now that he knew Chen Xingfeng and Mo Cuidao were fellow disciples, he felt much more at ease—

No matter what, the two of them probably were not mortal enemies. And the Heaven Defying Sect sent people here every year... That meant the issue was not serious, or at least it would not implicate him.

Chen Xingfeng did not reveal any particular emotion and merely said lightly, "Fine."

Ning Ri immediately began "resting."

Once he confirmed that Chen Xingfeng would not assassinate him because of Mo Cuidao, he finally put his heart back in his stomach.

As for Chen Xingfeng's feelings, he did not care.

Always guessing how others felt would only drain him internally. There was no need for that.

Seeing Ning Ri refuse Chen Xingfeng before closing his eyes and sitting back down, the three artifact refiners stared at one another. For a moment, the entire Refining Room was silent. Then they immediately busied themselves...

They did not know Chen Xingfeng's relationship with Mo Cuidao either. They only knew that Ning Ri had refused Chen Xingfeng. If they did not get busy now, things would become unbearably awkward.

Ning Ri rested for a "long" time, roughly eighty breaths, before opening his eyes—

Firelight still flickered in his pupils. It came from the others' Artifact Fire.

He looked at the panel that no one else could see. The Free Skill Points there had not moved at all since earlier, remaining firmly at the number [107].

Ning Ri watched the others, who were still melting materials with techniques completely unchanged from before, and thought that none of the other variables had changed, yet the points had stopped increasing...

Why?!

He reviewed everything inwardly. When he first entered the Refining Room, he had 7 points.

After rising once, it had become 107 points.

It had increased by exactly 100 points!

Then it stopped moving!

What was so mysterious about the number 100?

Ning Ri thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered that [Heavenly Craftsman · Incomplete] had 100 skill points, did it not?

With that in mind, Ning Ri quickly organized his current two guesses.

First, when someone refined artifacts beside him, the skill points of [Heavenly Craftsman · Incomplete] increased.

Second, the increased skill points were capped by the skill points of [Heavenly Craftsman · Incomplete].

Thinking of this, Ning Ri felt somewhat melancholy—

He had not yet learned Foundation Establishment artifact-refining techniques. [Heavenly Craftsman · Incomplete] was restricted to the Qi Refining stage, leaving him with nothing else to learn. That meant he had no way to verify whether his guess was correct.

But it did not matter...

Ning Ri stared at those "107" Free Skill Points, his heart filled with excitement.

With this, bringing his Lightning Control Palm and Qi Refining Art to perfection would be as easy as turning over his hand.

He could also keep wildly adding points to his [Heaven Defying Soul Splitting Technique] and see exactly where its ceiling lay...

Coming to Craftsmanship Tower this time had really been the right choice!

One hundred skill points could spare him fifty hours of blade practice. Saving that much time felt incredible!

Then.

Ning Ri stood up and resumed artifact refining.

He planned to complete this task as quickly as possible. Once it was done, he could obtain Foundation Establishment Cultivation Methods, then casually find somewhere to claim that he had encountered a fortuitous opportunity and had "luckily" become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Finally, he could return to the Heaven Defying Sect and ask Elder Mo to teach him Foundation Establishment techniques, thereby verifying whether his thoughts were correct.

As long as he could figure out the key to earning skill points through [Heavenly Craftsman · Incomplete], becoming immortal would truly be as easy as turning over his hand!

Then Ning Ri continued melting materials.

What Chen Xingfeng wanted them to refine was a complete set of Qi Refining magical artifacts—essentially a suit of armor that covered the entire body.

However, this suit of armor was clearly meant for a youth, and its overall style was light and elegant, carrying an unrestrained air. It would not be as cumbersome as the armor worn by many soldiers, so Ning Ri did not have much material to melt and refine.

Relying on his incomparably "solid" fundamentals, he spent half an hour melting all the materials.

During that time, he rested several times as well.

Even so, he was still far faster than the others!

When Ning Ri finished, Jin Le and Liang Shuyou had completely given up any thought of competing with him—

This guy was simply a heaven-defying freak.

There was nothing to compare with a freak...

After melting the materials, they had to "inscribe formations" within the liquefied ore. Inscribing formations essentially meant engraving runes into it, so that once it solidified, the runes could function from its deepest interior.

Carving in "water" was extremely difficult. Anyone whose Spiritual Sense and control over spiritual energy were insufficient could not do it at all. Usually, one had to reach the Foundation Establishment realm before being able to accomplish it. Therefore, most Qi Refining cultivators could not possibly come to Craftsmanship Tower to participate in refining an entire set of Qi Refining magical artifacts.

But Ning Ri was different.

At this moment.

His gaze was focused. He held two fingers together, a faint blue glow appearing at their tips. Then he lowered them into the molten iron and began to draw, as though crafting talismans...

His movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, completed in one breath without the slightest hitch. He moved with such effortless freedom that it made hearts tremble in alarm.

Ning Ri's ease left everyone silent: "..."

Could you stop being so smooth, Big Brother? Are you at the Third Stage Qi Refining, or am I at the Third Stage Qi Refining?

While the three artifact refiners watched in silence, Yang Xingming watched with delight.

The more outstanding Ning Ri was, the more it proved Yang Xingming had a good eye. Naturally, he was pleased.

Just as his joy reached its peak, Yang Xingming turned to glance at Chen Xingfeng, and his expression abruptly changed—

Because he found that Chen Xingfeng's face looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Chen Xingfeng's eyelids were twitching wildly at that moment, and his heart held nothing but shock—

That heaven-defying stuff of Mo Cuidao's—this kid knew all of it?

Was this really something a Qi Refinement cultivator could learn?!

Could it be that I was truly wrong?!