Treasure Refiner

"Special Envoy, this brat is a direct descendant of the Luo Clan, kill him quickly!" The man in black, having narrowly escaped death at the hands of Sanbao, was both ecstatic to be alive and filled with bone-deep hatred. Furthermore, he was a local of Lushan Town; if Sanbao returned alive, he would have nowhere left to hide, which was why he shouted in such a panic.

"Trash, you can't even handle a little brat, how are you supposed to work for me?" The young man remained completely unruffled, not even bothering to look at Sanbao, though he glanced at him lazily as if he found him somewhat interesting.

"You can be considered a prodigy, reaching a three-star Spirit Scholar at twelve or thirteen years old. It's a pity, but you will still die by my hand today. To show you respect, I will make it quick."

The young man in purple drifted lightly to Sanbao's side, waving a fair-skinned palm as he prepared to end Sanbao's life.

Sanbao naturally wouldn't sit and wait for death, but no matter how he moved, it felt as if he were still right in front of his opponent, unable to break free from the man's lock.

A Spirit Commander, the opponent was definitely a master at the Spirit Commander level.

"Golden Sand Palm."

Sanbao closed his eyes and swung a palm with all his might, filled with deep regret. He had only just arrived in this world and hadn't even experienced the life of a powerhouse before facing death; he was truly unwilling to go like this.

Puff.

As their palms met, the opponent wasn't as powerful as he had imagined; in fact, there was a strangely soft, weak sensation. Sanbao opened his eyes in disbelief, only to find that the look of shock on the other man's face was even greater than his own, while the black blood flowing from the corner of the man's mouth seemed to confirm his fragility.

With a loud bang, the young man in purple collapsed to the ground, and a figure appeared before Sanbao: Luo Kaifeng.

Before the young man in purple could kill Sanbao, Luo Kaifeng had suddenly appeared and struck a palm that shattered the man's heart meridian, saving Sanbao's life.

"Big Brother, why are you here?" Having escaped death, Sanbao was overjoyed to see Luo Kaifeng.

"With such a commotion, how could we not know? You, your courage is too great. Fortunately, Father was worried and had me follow you." Luo Kaifeng laughed and patted Sanbao, then reached down to search the young man in purple, pulling several items from his body.

"Oh no, there's one more, don't let him run!" Sanbao suddenly remembered that there was still a man in black who hadn't been dealt with.

"He won't get away." Luo Kaifeng moved, disappearing into the dense forest in a few leaps, and within moments, he returned, dragging the man in black before Sanbao.

Compared to before, the man in black had lost all his ferocity, looking at the two of them with a face full of terror.

"Let's go, we'll talk back at the mansion." Luo Kaifeng moved both hands, dragging the man in black with his left and the corpse of the young man in purple with his right, quickly disappearing into the forest with Sanbao.

Inside a secret underground chamber of the Luo Mansion, the man in black, looking utterly defeated, began to confess.

"My lords, please spare me! I'm just a small-time thug in town, I don't know much. A few days ago, while I was hanging around the Doujin Hall, Special Envoy Huang took an interest in me. He said he was from the Huang Clan of Hundred Leaf and some kind of Treasure Refiner, and then he told me to do this and that..."

After a full hour, Sanbao and the others finally understood the cause and effect of the situation.

The origin of the matter went back to the previous feud between the Luo and Yan clans. During that incident, Yan Gaojin—the biological father of Yan Wuji—had his feet severed by Luo Kaiyu in front of thousands of people, which was a source of extreme humiliation for the Yan Clan.

When Yan Wuji of the Hundred Leaf Sect received the news, he was naturally furious. However, with his current strength, he could do nothing against the Luo Clan. Still, a seed of hatred had been planted, and he vowed never to let go of any opportunity to bring the Luo Clan down.

As luck would have it, that opportunity appeared. After the Luo Clan had controlled the Lushan Copper Mine for decades, news reached the ears of the Yan Clan that the Luo Clan's mine had actually produced Spirit Copper.

Spirit Copper was an extremely rare metal and one of the core materials for crafting Spirit Weapons, making it highly valuable.

A Spirit Weapon is a weapon capable of spiritual connection. A Spirit Cultivator's primary means of attack are usually Spirit Skills and weapons, or a combination of both. If a Spirit Skill is used with an ordinary weapon, there is basically no additive effect, but if a Spirit Weapon is used, the result is not to be underestimated. Because Spirit Weapons can channel spiritual power, they can significantly amplify the power of Spirit Skills.

The higher the grade of the Spirit Weapon, the greater the amplification of the Spirit Skill. Spirit Weapons are generally divided into four grades: Low, Middle, High, and True (True Spirit Weapons are also known as Divine Weapons, which are super-weapons of immense power).

Although Spirit Weapons can increase the power of Spirit Skills, they are so rare that ordinary people cannot even dream of them, and even large factions possess very few.

There are two reasons for the scarcity of Spirit Weapons: one is that the materials for refining them, such as Spirit Iron or Spirit Copper, are extremely rare; the other is that the refining process is incredibly difficult. Only the rare Treasure Refiners can craft them, and even the most powerful ordinary Spirit Cultivator is helpless in this regard.

Returning to the cause of the matter, the fact that the Luo Clan had mined Spirit Copper, whether true or false, was enough to make many factions covet it. Yan Wuji had provided this information to the Huang Clan of the Hundred Leaf Sect, thus bringing endless trouble to the Luo Clan.

The Hundred Leaf Sect, a top-tier faction in the Yunli Kingdom, is jointly controlled by the Ye Clan of the Royal Family and the Huang Clan. Yan Wuji was a disciple under an elder of the Huang Clan (who was also a sect leader of the Hundred Leaf Sect). Upon hearing the news, the Huang Clan immediately sent people to investigate, and the young man in purple was one of them.

They had intended to create chaos at the gates of the Luo Clan to attract their attention and observe the movements of the Luo Clan's experts. If all the experts were at the Luo Mansion, they could secretly send masters into the copper mine to verify the claim. They hadn't expected that none of the core members of the Luo Clan would come out. The black-clad thug was just about to go into the mountains to deliver a message when he realized he was being tracked by Sanbao, which led to everything that followed.

The most unfortunate was the Special Envoy in purple. After the thug left, he felt uneasy and followed him all the way, ending up right behind Sanbao. With his strength, Sanbao naturally had no idea, but as the saying goes, "the devil is one foot taller than the priest." The Special Envoy himself was being tracked by someone whose strength was far above his own: the Spirit King Luo Kaifeng. The result was inevitable death.

Although the thug's account was incomplete, the members of the Luo Clan were able to piece together the truth.

With a heavy strike from Luo Kaifeng, the thug's soul departed this world.

In truth, the Luo Clan's copper mine had indeed unearthed Spirit Copper, but it had only been a year. They hadn't expected the news to leak. Although they had killed the man in purple, the trouble was far from over; in fact, this was likely only the beginning.

From the items found on the man in purple, they learned that he was a core member of the Huang Clan and, furthermore, a Treasure Refiner of extremely high status.

Treasure Refiners are divided into two types: Artifact Refiners, who can craft Spirit Weapons, and Alchemists, who can refine Spirit Pills. Because of the immense utility of Spirit Weapons and Spirit Pills to Spirit Cultivators, they are the most respected professions on the continent. However, due to special limitations, very few Spirit Cultivators can become Treasure Refiners.

To become a Treasure Refiner, one must first possess an extraordinary soul, and secondly, must be able to cultivate two types of spiritual power simultaneously. Those who cultivate Metal and Fire spiritual power can become Artifact Refiners, while those who cultivate Wood and Fire can become Alchemists.

These two conditions are difficult to meet individually, and combining them is even harder, which is the main reason why Treasure Refiners are so rare.

"Big Brother, what is the current security situation at the copper mine? No matter what, we cannot let the Huang Clan find out the truth." After executing the man in black, the group discussed their strategy, and Sanbao asked.

"It's secure. Second Brother is on guard there, and Father and I take turns. The current problem is how to dispel the Huang Clan's suspicions. Furthermore, they lost a Treasure Refiner, so it will be difficult to settle this. Damn the Yan Clan, I really want to wipe out their entire family." Luo Kaifeng felt a sense of regret for killing the young man in purple, never expecting that he would hold the status of a Treasure Refiner.

"No, if we do that, it will only make things more obvious. If they want to investigate, let them investigate. After all, the Spirit Copper mine is only a very small area. Eliminate everyone who is currently mining the Spirit Copper, seal off that area, and don't touch it. As long as we don't leave any evidence..."

The Clan Head, Luo Dingyi, made a decisive gesture, appearing exceptionally calm.

"Father, isn't that a bit inappropriate? Those men have been trained as death squads by our Luo Clan for over a decade." Luo Kaifeng felt a pang of reluctance.

"What death squads? If they were true death squads, how could the news have leaked? Someone must be dirty. Eliminate them to avoid future trouble," Old Luo said angrily.

Sanbao felt a shock in his heart, secretly pitying the men who had been mining the Spirit Copper, but he realized it was a necessary measure. Once the Huang Clan of Hundred Leaf found solid proof, the Luo Clan's days would truly be numbered.