As soon as he finished speaking, the two men suddenly vanished from where they stood and appeared tens of thousands of meters in the sky.
At that moment, the Heaven and Earth Profound Meaning was actually fluctuating around the two men, as if they had already become one with the world around them.
The middle-aged man's divine sense spread outward, covering several dynasties, seemingly searching for something.
As the middle-aged man's divine sense swept recklessly across several dynasties, it alarmed the Nascent Soul old monsters who had been secluded in them for years.
Yet none of those Nascent Soul old monsters could sense the source of that divine sense.
"What powerful divine sense. It even managed to slip past the layers of formations concealing my secret chamber."
Inside a secret chamber, a Nascent Soul old monster was utterly shocked. It was as if someone had seen through every secret he possessed.
However, several minutes later, the middle-aged man withdrew his divine sense and shook his head. "Not here."
The two men then vanished again, flying toward another direction.
At that moment, an old man sat inside a carriage, his aura completely restrained, making him seem like an ordinary mortal.
He gazed at the horizon through the carriage window, his deep eyes carrying a trace of weariness.
He muttered under his breath, "I was almost discovered by that old bastard."
Yang Lingtian had already been away from Tianchen City for eight or nine days. He knew that his adoptive father was probably getting anxious.
Thus, he hurried toward Tianchen City without stopping.
One day later, Yang Lingtian appeared in Tianchen City.
During this time, the Chen Family had been searching extensively for Yang Lingtian, and his portrait had even been posted in many places.
Thus, the moment he appeared, someone recognized him.
"Isn't that Yang Lingtian from the Chen Family, the one who disappeared for ten days?"
"That's right, that's right! I thought he'd died out there!"
"Hmph, a good-for-nothing like him shouldn't have come back. Even if he does, he's only a burden to the Chen Family."
"Not necessarily. There's a rumor that he's a First-Rank Artifact Refiner."
"You believe that? You might as well believe my dog is a First-Rank Artifact Refiner!"
"Hahaha, exactly! I think he's worse than a dog. A dog can guard the door, while he can't do anything and only squanders money."
Faced with everyone's discussion, Yang Lingtian had originally intended to ignore them.
But they had compared him to a dog. As a powerful cultivator, how could he endure that?
His heart was filled with fury and discontent, but his expression remained calm and composed.
He then cast a cold gaze at the two who had said he was even worse than a dog and shouted angrily, "Your mouths are filthy. Be careful, or I'll smash them!"
His voice was low and forceful, brimming with menace.
However, the two were not afraid. In their minds, Yang Lingtian was not only a good-for-nothing at Qi Refining Level 2, but also cowardly by nature.
They themselves were already at Qi Refining Level 6, making them fairly capable fighters even in Tianchen City.
They said arrogantly, "Hahaha, you're a good-for-nothing. What can you do to us?"
"A good-for-nothing will always be a good-for-nothing. You only know how to make threats, but you have no real ability."
A mocking smile flashed through Yang Lingtian's eyes as his aura slowly rose.
At that very moment, a powerful aura suddenly burst from his body, startling everyone present.
"That's the aura of Qi Refining Level 7! He actually broke through to Qi Refining Level 7!"
"Wait, wasn't he only at Qi Refining Level 2 a while ago? How did he suddenly reach Qi Refining Level 7?"
Some people cried out in shock. This shattered their previous understanding of Yang Lingtian.
Yang Lingtian had already flashed to the two men's side. He suddenly raised his right foot and swiftly kicked them one after another.
"Ah!"
Two shrill cries rang out simultaneously. Both men were sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground, where they howled in pain without end.
The entire scene fell silent, and the passersby stared at it in stunned disbelief.
They could not imagine that Yang Lingtian, whom they had once looked down upon, had become so powerful.
Two cultivators at Qi Refining Level 6 had been kicked away without the slightest power to fight back.
The two men also stared at Yang Lingtian in terror. They had clearly felt the might behind that kick.
Even an ordinary expert at Qi Refining Level 7 could not possess such tyrannical strength.
Yang Lingtian slowly walked toward them and said coldly, "Will I smash your mouths, or will you do it yourselves?"
They were frightened and hurriedly said, "I'll do it myself. I'll do it myself."
They then repeatedly slapped their own faces, provoking laughter from everyone around them.
In broad daylight, Yang Lingtian had established his might.
Only after the two had beaten their mouths until they were swollen and red did Yang Lingtian leave.
Before long, Yang Lingtian arrived at the entrance to Chen Manor.
The news of Yang Lingtian's return had already reached Chen Zhengqing's ears, so he ordered a servant to summon Yang Lingtian to the main hall.
Inside the main hall, Chen Zhengqing wore a solemn expression.
"Ling Tian, you still know to come back? You were gone for so long without saying a word. I thought you'd already met with misfortune!"
Chen Zhengqing's tone carried both reproach and a hint of concern.
Yang Lingtian replied indifferently, "Adoptive Father, I only went to the outskirts of the Monster Beast Mountain Range to kill some monster beasts and temper myself."
"I've grown up, too. I'm not a child anymore. I know my own limits."
Since Yang Lingtian had returned safely, Chen Zhengqing did not say anything more. Instead, he changed the subject and asked about something else.
"Ling Tian, according to a report from one of the Weapon Workshops, you forged a Low-Grade Spirit Sword yourself? Is that true?"
Chen Zhengqing looked at Yang Lingtian expectantly.
"That's right. I forged a suitable Spirit Sword myself. Just deduct the material costs from my pocket money."
Yang Lingtian spoke calmly, as if he were discussing something utterly ordinary.
He then took out the Low-Grade Spirit Sword.
"What? It's real? I thought the people from the Weapon Workshop had made it up. I can't believe it's actually true."
After receiving confirmation, Chen Zhengqing was overjoyed. He immediately picked up the Low-Grade Spirit Sword and examined it carefully.
His pupils widened, and his face filled with shock. "Wonderful, wonderful. From this Spirit Sword alone, I can tell that the forging skill is extremely seasoned."
"Ling Tian, when did you learn to forge spiritual artifacts? This can only be done with the skill of a First-Rank Artifact Refiner!"
Yang Lingtian only replied blandly, "I obtained this skill a while ago and only learned it recently."
Chen Zhengqing looked at Yang Lingtian in astonishment and suspicion, feeling that he could no longer see through him.
Along with his confusion, waves surged through his heart. It was simply unbelievable.
Yang Lingtian had not only broken through from Qi Refining Level 2 to Qi Refining Level 7 within a month, but was also a First-Rank Artifact Refiner.
This made him feel as though reality had become unreal. Back then, he had practiced diligently for several decades before becoming a First-Rank Artifact Refiner.
Yang Lingtian seemed to have become a First-Rank Artifact Refiner overnight. The change had come too suddenly and was far too shocking.
He grabbed Yang Lingtian's hand and checked his pulse, only to discover that his damaged meridians had also been completely restored.
This made him even more puzzled. Could it be that his adopted son had somehow found a Meridian-Renewing Elixir?
But since he knew Yang Lingtian had already recovered, there was no need to dwell on it.
He no longer needed to search for a Meridian-Renewing Elixir.
At that moment, Chen Zhengqing's gaze toward Yang Lingtian had changed. His heart was filled with both shock and delight.
"Ling Tian's cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds in only a few days, directly rising from Qi Refining Level 2 to Qi Refining Level 7. This proves that his cultivation talent isn't poor either."
"And now, at only eighteen years old, he has already become a First-Rank Artifact Refiner. With such youth, his future is certainly limitless."
"In the past, I arranged for my daughter to marry him only to fulfill a promise. Now that I think about it, if my daughter marries him, it would actually be quite worthwhile."
At present, the Chen Family just happened to lack a First-Rank Artifact Refiner to oversee the weapons they sold.
Yang Lingtian's appearance was exactly what the Chen Family needed to solve its urgent problem.
Chen Zhengqing said solemnly, "Ling Tian, recently, our Chen Family's Weapon Workshop has only had one First-Rank Artifact Refiner overseeing the weapons about to be sold."
"He can't handle running back and forth by himself. I hope you can go help out and serve as the second Chief Artifact Refiner."
"You can step down once we recruit a new First-Rank Artifact Refiner. Of course, I'll give you more pocket money during this period."
Yang Lingtian's brows furrowed slightly. Who knew how long it would take to recruit a First-Rank Artifact Refiner?
But when he thought of helping the Chen Family as the system's long-term mission, he still agreed.
"All right. I'll take up the post tomorrow!"
However, Yang Lingtian had another plan: to find someone and train them properly.
Even if the person he trained could not become a First-Rank Artifact Refiner, they should at least reach a high enough level to oversee the weapons being sold.
That was far more reliable than waiting to recruit a new First-Rank Artifact Refiner.
After all, the number of First-Rank Artifact Refiners in the entirety of Tianchen City could be counted on one hand.
Moreover, one of the Chen Family's First-Rank Artifact Refiners had been assassinated some time ago, so the other First-Rank Artifact Refiners were even less willing to apply.
In fact, artifact-refining apprentices were divided according to their skill into beginner apprentices, intermediate apprentices, advanced apprentices, and top-level apprentices.
As long as one could train someone to become a top-level apprentice, they could handle the task of inspecting the quality of various weapons.
However, most of the apprentices at the Weapon Workshop in Chen Manor were beginner apprentices, with only a small number of intermediate apprentices.
There were no advanced apprentices or top-level apprentices.
That was because those First-Rank Artifact Refiners had no time to teach them. They only taught them some basics; as long as they could become beginner apprentices, they could work.
The rest was left for them to figure out on their own.
After all, those apprentices were not the true disciples of First-Rank Artifact Refiners. They were merely workers hired by the Chen Family.
After returning to his courtyard, Yang Lingtian began cultivating the newly obtained Movement Technique, Flowing Cloud Wind Movement.
To become a powerful cultivator, one had to keep cultivating, so he did not want to waste too much time.
He directly took out the Enlightenment Pill rewarded by the system and swallowed it, raising his comprehension. Its effects could last for most of the day.
Yang Lingtian began trying to practice according to the cultivation formula of Flowing Cloud Wind Movement.
This Movement Technique required extremely high control over one's own strength. In other words, one had to know how to circulate and utilize the Spiritual Power in one's dantian.
That would improve one's agility and allow the body to move swiftly.
Under the effects of the Enlightenment Pill, his mind became clearer, and his understanding of Flowing Cloud Wind Movement grew deeper.
He tightly shut his eyes and began repeatedly imagining himself moving lightly through the wind.
His body began imitating the characteristics of the wind, becoming gentle and agile.
He then imagined himself as a cloud, drifting freely through the air without the slightest obstruction.
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