Ambushed?

Shen Yue packed away his cauldron and materials, then stepped out of the room.

A lake breeze blew by, carrying a faint, fishy stench.

Chen Tong furrowed his brows.

He remembered this boy; Chen Qiaoqian had valued him quite highly when she was around. When he first took over, he had even considered using this person to make an example of, but since his cultivation was too weak to serve as a deterrent, he hadn't given it much thought.

Yet, in just a year, he had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Still, the fifth level was nothing more than an ant.

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, why are you not out on the lake collecting scrap? What are you doing here?" Chen Tong asked with his hands behind his back, his tone sharp and interrogative.

"Reporting to the steward, I am on leave today," Shen Yue said with a slight bow.

Chen Tong seemed not to hear him, continuing, "I heard that back in the mortal realm, you were acquainted with our Chen Clan's prodigy, Chen Yunxi?"

Shen Yue's heart stirred.

Had Chen Yunxi come to wash away her shame?

Previously, Changqin Wuming had sent him a voice transmission, stating that Chen Yunxi had failed her Foundation Establishment and was suffering from a troubled state of mind, likely caused by the events back in the mortal realm.

But before he could speak, Chen Tong changed the subject: "Who do you think is the number one prodigy of the Chen Clan?"

Shen Yue was silent for a moment.

He thought of the times over the past few days when his sixth-level Qi Refining divine sense had occasionally caught snippets of Chen Tong talking to himself.

"Prodigies have their ranks, but Steward Chen is like the most dazzling sun in the sky. You will surely reach Foundation Establishment in the future, and Golden Core will be well within your grasp. The title of 'prodigy' is simply insufficient to describe you, Steward Chen."

Chen Tong's eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

That was right; he was the most dazzling sun of the Chen Clan, the pillar of the family, a future Foundation Establishment master, and a Golden Core ancestor.

Chen Yunxi was nothing but a failure at Foundation Establishment—how dare she demand people from him?

He stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the vast Refining Lake. The lake breeze billowed his sleeves, and his eyes were filled with disdain.

This boy was decent, but unfortunately, he wouldn't live much longer.

Although Chen Yunxi was inferior to him in every way, she was his cousin, and blood was thicker than water. Besides, his aunt had even breastfed him when he was a child; he certainly had to help with this little favor.

Chen Tong barked, "As expected of a silver-tongued wretch! You have defied your superiors and shown no regard for the rules, even daring to make our Chen Clan's prodigy wash your feet! Today, I shall send you to the Law Enforcement Hall!"

With that, he suddenly released his spiritual pressure. The aura of an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator bore down like a mountain, intending to seize Shen Yue and hand him over to Chen Yunxi.

"If Steward Chen wishes to punish me, I have nothing to say, but I feel it is a pity for you, Steward," Shen Yue said, feigning panic.

Chen Tong paused. "What do you mean 'a pity'? If you don't give me a good reason, I will show no mercy!"

"Steward Chen, you clearly possess extraordinary talent, yet because of the order of seniority, you are ranked behind others, forced to watch as they attempt Foundation Establishment again and again."

Shen Yue spoke with righteous indignation.

"If it were me, my Dao heart would surely be unstable, and my state of mind would be troubled. It is only because of your magnanimous heart, Steward, that you not only refrain from holding a grudge but even help others perfect their state of mind."

Eh?

Chen Tong raised an eyebrow.

These words struck a chord in his heart.

That was right; why should it be this way?

He was the true prodigy of the Chen Clan. Why should Chen Yunxi occupy the resources while he had to help her mend her state of mind?

If Chen Yunxi's state of mind were perfected and she achieved Foundation Establishment, wouldn't she overshadow his own brilliance?

By helping Chen Yunxi perfect her state of mind, he was simply helping someone else climb over him.

Chen Tong stared at Shen Yue, a sinister grin appearing on his face.

Not only could he not hand this boy over to Chen Yunxi, but he had to protect him and cultivate him well.

If he did that, Chen Yunxi would never be able to perfect her state of mind.

Haha, he truly was a genius.

It was just a bit unfair to his aunt, considering she had breastfed him when he was young...

Forget it, that wasn't important.

Once he reached Foundation Establishment, his aunt would likely only regret not having fed him more milk back then.

Thinking of this, Chen Tong felt a sense of clarity, and he even found Shen Yue much more pleasing to the eye.

He took two bottles of Spirit Gathering Pill from his storage bag. "That was just a test for you. You are quite good; cultivate well."

"Thank you, Steward Chen."

Chen Tong held his head high and stepped onto his spirit sword. Suddenly remembering something, he turned back and said, "I heard you are learning artifact refining?"

Shen Yue nodded.

"From now on, you may take one-tenth of the recovered scrap for your own use." Chen Tong waved his hand grandly, then took off on his sword, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

As he flew into the sky, a sneer flashed across his face.

A mere island guard, yet he dares to dream of becoming an artifact refiner.

Not to mention that the path of artifact refining requires talent, heritage, materials, and immense expenditure.

Even if one were lucky enough to become an artifact refiner, it would be nothing more than a side path; in the eyes of a quasi-Core Formation ancestor like him, an artifact refiner is nothing at all.

Flying over the Refining Lake, the surface was a vast expanse of green waves when suddenly, a streak of sword light swept in from afar, its momentum sharp and fierce, far beyond what Chen Tong could compare to.

Chen Tong hurriedly retracted his sword and landed, bowing his head immediately: "Greetings, Artifact Refiner Xu! I wonder about that spiritual artifact of mine..."

"It's not ready." Xu Guanhai spoke coldly, stepping onto his sword and departing without even sparing him a second glance.

"Safe travels, Artifact Refiner Xu, safe travels!" Chen Tong nodded and bowed, his body hunched as he watched the sword light disappear into the horizon where the lake met the sky.

In the small courtyard by the lake.

"This is not a long-term solution." Shen Yue watched the fading streak of light, his brows slightly furrowed.

Chen Tong was manageable, but that Chen Yunxi was at the tenth level of Qi Refining, a half-step away from Foundation Establishment; she would not be easy to deal with.

Shen Yue returned to his room and activated an isolation talisman.

He placed the Green Fire Cauldron in the center of the room, sat cross-legged, and flicked his fingertip, causing the Xin-Si Fire Seed to fall into the base of the cauldron.

A pale green flame suddenly surged upward, and the temperature climbed.

He took out the Five-Colored Shell Pearl, Azure Tide Stone, Mystic Iron Essence, and other materials one by one, tossing them into the cauldron in sequence.

Refining, tempering, and inscription.

Forty-nine days passed.

A five-colored golden light erupted from the cauldron, and a bead the size of a pigeon's egg flew out.

"First-tier high-grade!"

The bead hovered in mid-air, its entire body shimmering with flowing light, while five-colored energy slowly circulated within the black tidal patterns on its surface.

"I shall call you the Five-Colored Pearl."

This artifact used the Five-Colored Shell Pearl as its base, fused with the water spirit of the Azure Tide Stone and the sturdiness of the Mystic Iron Essence, and was inscribed with the Yin-Yang Prisoner Killing Array, possessing both the ability to trap enemies and the power to slaughter.

Shen Yue took out the Tide Rising Pearl, placing both beads in his palm.

"Both are beads, and both can manipulate spiritual water... If one views a spiritual artifact as an array tool, could one use spiritual artifacts to set up an array? The Golden Wave Water Dragon Array would be just right..."

"Once both beads are fully refined, I will head to the Ancient Wei Territory to study the arts."

Half a month later.

In the Ancient Wei Territory, the greenery was lush and deep.

Shen Yue stepped on a flying leaf, his figure darting through the forest like a swallow, heading straight for Linjiang Immortal City.

However, before reaching the city gates, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

With his divine sense probing, he found the city gates tightly shut, with a pale blue defensive array light curtain draped over the city.

The Immortal City was closed?

Shen Yue's brows furrowed tightly, and he dared not approach.

Linjiang Immortal City was a city for rogue cultivators that turned no one away; why would it suddenly close?

"You've arrived."

While he was deep in thought, two figures emerged from the shadows, holding hands.

Turning his head, two ugly faces squeezed into his field of vision.

One had a red face like a monkey's backside, the other had freckles and prominent buckteeth.

Chehou Yan wasn't dead, and he had actually married into the Black Soil Fortress?

Shen Yue's heart sank.

And looking at the way they were acting, they were clearly waiting here specifically for him.

The cultivation system of the Ancient Wei Territory was bizarre; those at the Breath-Adjusting stage possessed arts of divination, and upon reaching the Dao Foundation stage, they could even deduce cause and effect.

Could it be that they had calculated he would appear here today?

"Congratulations, congratulations." Shen Yue wore a smile on his face and cupped his hands in greeting.

Looking at Shen Yue, Chehou Yan was reminded of his painful experiences over the past year.

Captured by the Black Soil Fortress, he had been forced to marry into the family to save his life.

Not only was Black Longyu ugly, but she also drained his cultivation every single day.

If this continued, he feared he would become the first unfilial descendant of the Chehou Family to die under the crotch of an ugly woman.

This was a blood feud, one that could not coexist under the same sky!

For this, he had not hesitated to expend twenty years of his lifespan to calculate that this day and this place would be the moment to change his fate!

Chehou Yan held Black Longyu's hand, his voice coy as he sent a telepathic message: "My lady, this is the doomed soul I calculated; he can help you settle your troubles."

Black Longyu merely gave a faint "Mn," her gaze fixed on Shen Yue as she sized him up.

This person... seemed to possess even more vigorous vitality than Chehou Yan.

Yet, at this very moment, Chehou Yan secretly unleashed a heavy protective treasure, a savage grin curling his lips.

Heavenly Tripod Jade Slip, explode for me!