Island Master Shen

The atmosphere in the main hall was subtle.

Shen Yue understood.

That so-called Artifact Island wasn't meant for him; it was for these two.

And he, it seemed, was being used as a stepping stone.

However, this Artifact Island sounded rather decent.

At the head of the table, Chen Yuanya wore a steady smile.

Assigning Flame Heart Island to Shen Yue while feigning that he was highly valued was the plan he and Chen Yuliang had concocted.

In this way, Chen Quan and Gao Qin's rival became this man named Shen Yue, rather than the two of them fighting each other.

The only impropriety was perhaps the slight against Chen Qiaoqian.

But a little compensation afterward would suffice; it was an honor for this man to compete on the same stage as an artifact refiner cultivated by the Chen Clan.

Chen Yuanya turned his head to look at Xu Guanhai, who had remained silent the entire time, and spoke in a courteous tone: "Master Xu, what do you think..."

Xu Guanhai sipped his tea, merely replying indifferently: "Whatever Brother Chen decides is fine."

He had seen through this charade the moment he walked in; it was nothing more than the Chen Clan's usual ploy to maintain balance, so he couldn't be bothered to ask further.

However, Xu Guanhai glanced at Shen Yue.

The lad was young; if he had truly taught himself artifact refining, he possessed some talent.

It was a pity his luck was poor, being used as a stepping stone.

On the path of cultivation, without good luck, one would not go far.

"Since that is the case, let us proceed according to the regulations."

Half an hour later.

On the open ground outside the hall, three cauldrons stood tall.

"Each of you has three sets of refining materials. The winner, judged by refining technique, finished product quality, and other factors, shall claim Flame Heart Island."

Chen Yuliang stood before the three cauldrons and announced in a loud voice.

"Now, begin the refining!"

Chen Quan waved his right hand, and three sets of materials appeared out of thin air on the stone platform before him.

Hiss!

A spirit flame surged from his cauldron, and the ore rapidly softened and refined under the high heat.

Gao Qin was not to be outdone, controlling her spirit flame to temper the materials at a steady, unhurried pace.

Both of them displayed their own methods, each practicing the Chen Clan's orthodox refining technique, the Fire Refining True Explanation.

Shen Yue looked at the three sets of materials laid out on the platform and sighed inwardly.

Although they were not high-grade materials, their quality was truly excellent—far superior to the scraps from Refining Lake or those given by Zhou Chongwen.

In his seat, Chen Yuanya held his teacup, his gaze wandering between the three as he nodded from time to time.

"Chen Quan's Blazing Flame Quenching Method is very proficient; the spiritual energy emitted from his fingertips is precise to the slightest degree."

"Gao Qin's Split-Mind Material Control is also quite impressive; she can multitask, smelting two materials with different attributes simultaneously without their spiritual energies interfering with each other."

"Nephew Shen is also doing quite well. His material selection is fast, his temperature control is skilled, and judging by his technique, he couldn't have achieved this without at least a thousand attempts."

Chen Yuliang listened from the side, his mouth twitching.

Shen Yue hadn't even lit his fire yet; could his father exaggerate any more?

However, the effect seemed quite good.

Upon hearing this, Chen Quan and Gao Qin became even more focused, treating Shen Yue as a formidable competitor.

Time passed.

The cauldron fires surged. The three of them completed the smelting and shaping of their materials and reached the final step of forming their first spirit artifact.

Chen Quan and Gao Qin simultaneously formed seals with their fingers, spiritual energy pouring from their palms as invisible threads drilled into the artifact embryos.

The spiritual energy traveled within the embryos like blood vessels running through limbs and bones.

This was the infusion of spirit, which differed from the final step of inscription used in Ancient Wei artifact refining.

Shen Yue watched, secretly taking note.

At the same time, his divine sense acted like a blade, inscribing array patterns into his own artifact embryo.

"Chen Quan and Gao Qin's spirit infusion is very steady," Chen Yuanya praised without reservation, "The spiritual power circuits are complete. Once the artifact is formed, it will be at least a top-tier item among the first-grade low-tier artifacts."

Then, he cast a casual glance at Shen Yue.

"Array-pattern inscription?" Chen Yuanya's brows arched slightly.

This island guardian brought over by Qiao Qian actually possessed some real skill.

He smiled and glanced at Xu Guanhai.

Xu Guanhai's expression shifted slightly.

Array-pattern artifact forging—this was the path he had taken when he first began learning the craft.

Back then, he was full of high spirits, believing he had pioneered a new path in artifact forging that no one had ever walked before.

But only after truly becoming an artifact master did he realize that countless others had tried this method long ago, yet no one had ever reached great heights with it.

While it was barely possible to forge first-grade spiritual artifacts this way, once one reached the second grade, the materials became more complex and the spirituality more concentrated; array patterns alone simply could not contain them.

The method of spirit infusion was the efficient, orthodox path of artifact forging summarized by generations of masters.

To be able to walk this path, this lad certainly had some talent.

It was a pity, he wouldn't go far.

Swish! Swish!

Chen Quan and Gao Qin completed their spirit infusions simultaneously.

Two spiritual artifacts flew out from their cauldrons, radiating scorching spiritual light.

The item Chen Quan forged was a Flame Awl, its body crimson red with spiritual light flowing across its surface.

Gao Qin had forged a pair of Cold-Flame Twin Blades, one red and one blue, with ice and fire intertwined.

At this moment, spiritual light also erupted from Shen Yue's cauldron, and a Red Light Shuttle flew out, its surface covered in complex patterns.

Chen Quan glanced at the Red Light Shuttle and froze for a moment.

How could this person forge with array-pattern inscriptions? Could a wild, unorthodox method really earn Third Uncle's regard?

Gao Qin also swept a glance over it, her heart filled with doubt.

Could it be that he was some relative behind Third Uncle's back who actually had mediocre forging skills and wanted to take a shortcut?

No wonder Third Uncle would assign Flame Heart Island to this person.

But she detested those who lacked ability yet still tried to take shortcuts!

Half a day later.

The three of them finished forging the other two sets of materials.

"All three pieces are top-tier. Not bad."

Chen Yuanya inspected Chen Quan's work first, followed by Gao Qin's.

"These two pieces have reached the top-tier, and the third piece is full of spiritual power with impressive might... it can be considered a rare treasure."

Chen Quan's expression darkened, though he was convinced.

On the third piece, he was indeed inferior to Gao Qin.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen." Gao Qin lifted her fair chin, a look of pride on her face.

The outcome was decided; Flame Heart Island would be hers.

She, Gao Qin, had protected the interests of the marketplace and upheld its fairness; she was a meritorious contributor.

Chen Yuanya smiled and looked at Shen Yue's three spiritual artifacts: "This light shuttle has reached the top-tier, and these two are also not bad, but..."

"It's lacking something," Xu Guanhai said after sweeping a glance over the artifacts.

It was not easy for a minor cultivator from Refining Lake to forge to such a degree, but alas, his luck was poor.

Chen Yuanya knew the act had gone on long enough, so he sighed deliberately and said, "You are all very good, but the path of artifact forging must have its distinctions."

"In this comparison, Gao Qin has the upper hand. Therefore, Flame Heart Island shall belong to..."

Whoosh!

Before he could finish his sentence.

A burst of spiritual light erupted.

The three spiritual artifacts occupied their own positions in the air, their spiritual lights connecting to form a small, triangular array.

"This is..." Chen Yuanya was stunned.

Xu Guanhai's pupils constricted, the indifference and coldness on his face replaced by shock: "Spiritual artifacts forming an array?"

He beckoned with his hand, and the three artifacts broke from their positions, spinning as they flew into his palm.

The three artifacts were densely covered in array patterns, with spiritual power circulating between them; they were not one single object, yet they formed a complete, self-contained spiritual power circuit.

In half a day, using three sets of ordinary materials, he had refined three spiritual artifacts that formed an array.

From start to finish, this boy hadn't just been refining three individual artifacts, but a complete spiritual artifact array!

At such an age, to have reached the same tier in both artifact refining and array formations, and to be able to integrate them so fluidly and skillfully.

The more he watched, the brighter Xu Guanhai's eyes became.

"Brother Chen, this set of spiritual artifacts is extraordinary."

"I believe the question of who is superior should be re-evaluated."

He had originally intended to stay out of today's affairs, but as a fellow outsider artifact refiner, he felt it necessary to speak a word of justice for this young man.

"The Three Talents Flame Array!" Gao Qin and Chen Quan were both startled, recognizing the formation the spiritual artifacts had just composed.

The combination of artifact refining and array formations—was this the true reason Third Uncle valued Shen Yue?

The two looked toward Chen Yuanya, their faces filled with admiration and their hearts heavy with shame.

As an elder and a Foundation Establishment master, how could Third Uncle allow someone to enter through the back door? It was they who had judged a gentleman with a petty mind.

Chen Yuanya was stunned at first, then his heart sank.

Damn it, this kid actually knows how!

Was all his planning today going to benefit an outsider?

What was to be done now?

He couldn't possibly actually hand over Flame Heart Island to someone who recycled scrap from Refining Lake, could he?

Impossible!

He would never allow an outsider to possess an entire island alone.