I Want to Be an Artifact Refiner

Outer sect of the First Saint Sect, Artifact Refining Hall.

A sentry post stood at the entrance. A burly, muscle-bound fellow with granite-like physique went shirtless, idly playing with two iron balls in his hands.

Seeing Ye Xingchen approach, the man did not even lift his eyelids, lazily asking:

"Buy weapons, go to the left side door; repair weapons, go to the right side door. This is the front gate, idlers keep out."

Ye Xingchen stopped in his tracks, cupped his fists, and said, "Senior brother, I am neither buying nor repairing. I am here to become an artifact refiner."

"Become an artifact refiner?"

The iron balls in the man's hands abruptly paused. Finally, he raised his head and looked Ye Xingchen up and down.

Although Ye Xingchen's skin had become fair and his bearing ethereal after the marrow-cleansing and bone-washing, his build still retained the slender, thin frame of a youth.

"Pfft—"

The man failed to hold back and burst into laughter.

"Kid, did you walk into the wrong place? This is the Artifact Refining Hall, not some embroidery pavilion."

The man pointed at his rock-hard biceps and bantered, "Look at those skinny arms and legs of yours. If you go in and swing a hammer a couple of times, you'll probably break your waist. Take this senior brother's advice and stay wherever it's cool; don't come here to make trouble."

Ye Xingchen was not angry, merely offering a faint smile. "Senior brother is mistaken. The Dao of artifact refining lies in the heart and the spirit, not in mere brute strength. If it only came down to strength, wouldn't the black bears in the mountains make the best artifact refiners?"

"Oh? Quite sharp-tongued, aren't you?"

The man put down the iron balls and stood up.

With this stand, he was fully two heads taller than Ye Xingchen, and his massive shadow instantly enveloped him.

"Kid, who in the outer sect doesn't know that artifact refining is bitter toil? But do you think anyone can do this bitter toil?"

"If you want to enter the Artifact Refining Hall, whether you want to learn a craft or just earn a living, you must start from an apprentice!"

Ye Xingchen raised a brow. "An apprentice?"

"Not bad."

The man crossed his arms and snorted, "Don't think that artifact refining is just swinging a sledgehammer. That's the view of an outsider! To become a true First-Rank Artifact Refiner, you must first master the foundation of foundations—the Chaotic Wind Hammer Method!"

Chaotic Wind Hammer Method? Ye Xingchen felt a stir in his heart. The name sounded somewhat familiar.

Seeing Ye Xingchen's blank expression, the disdain in the man's eyes grew even thicker.

"This is a hammer technique that borrows force with force, flowing endlessly. Every hammer strike must borrow the momentum of the preceding one, stacking power so that each strike is stronger than the last!"

"To become an apprentice, you must be able to continuously swing the hammer at least nine times!"

"And if you want to become a formal First-Rank Artifact Refiner..."

The man paused, a trace of arrogant pride showing on his face: "You must do it in one breath without any pauses whatsoever, and continuously swing twenty-four times!"

"Twenty-four strikes?" Ye Xingchen blinked. "Is it hard?"

"Is it hard?!"

The man acted as though he had heard some cosmic joke, his voice suddenly rising by an octave. "Kid, you have quite a big mouth! Do you know how heavy that hammer is? A standard Black Iron Hammer weighs one hundred and eight catties!"

"Swinging it twenty-four times consecutively while ensuring pinpoint accuracy, steady rhythm, and layered power stacking—even cultivators at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refining, without long-term specialized training, would consider it a miracle of ancestral graves smoking if they could manage eighteen strikes!"

"I, Wang Tiezhu, have spent three years in the Artifact Refining Hall, and even now I can barely manage twenty-two strikes, still scraping by as a mere apprentice!"

At this, the burly man who called himself Wang Tiezhu looked at Ye Xingchen with utter contempt. "You? Forget twenty-four strikes; if you can swing that hammer in circles three times without smashing your own feet, I'll count you as a real man!"

One hundred and eight catties? Stacked power?

Though Ye Xingchen's current physical body had been reshaped by the system without looking overly ostentatious, it was at a "reborn and transfigured" level. Coupled with the newly comprehended Tai Chi Fist, it specialized in leveraging force to redirect momentum and moving a thousand catties with four liang.

The most crucial part was...

As long as it's a cultivation technique, even a blacksmithing technique, the system can let me skip it!

Just let me observe that hammer technique or watch a demonstration once, and once the system judges it as initiated, I'll take it straight to Grand Completion with a single click!

By then, never mind twenty-four strikes; even two hundred and forty strikes, and I can swing them into a dazzling blur for you!

Thinking of this, the smile on Ye Xingchen's face grew even brighter, even taking on a hint of "benevolence."

"Many thanks for the clarification, senior brother."

Ye Xingchen cupped his fists, his tone remaining calm and his gaze filled with confidence.

"However, senior brother is being far too arbitrary. Without trying, how do you know I can't do it?"

"Hey! Are you this kid who refuses to shed tears until he sees the coffin?"

"Scram right now! The Artifact Refining Hall is a vital restricted area, and I don't have time to play house with pretty boys like you!"

"Since senior brother puts it so mysteriously, how about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Wang Tiezhu's movements paused.

"If I can execute those twenty-four strikes, senior brother will take me to see the managing elder here. How about that?"

Ye Xingchen stared into Wang Tiezhu's eyes, the corners of his mouth curving into a provocative arc.

"Of course, if I fail, I'll scram out immediately and never mention becoming an artifact refiner again."

"You..."

Just as Wang Tiezhu prepared to open his mouth with mockery, an aged yet resonant voice suddenly echoed from inside the doors.

"Brawling and shouting, what kind of system is this!"

An elderly man in grey robes with white hair was seen walking out slowly, hands clasped behind his back.

Though aged, the old man's eyes beamed with vigor, and his broad, thick palms were covered in calluses, marking him instantly as an expert deeply immersed in the Dao of artifact refining for many years.

"Elder Mo!"

Wang Tiezhu hurriedly bowed in greeting and hastened to explain, "This kid... this kid insists on forcing his way into the Artifact Refining Hall, and this disciple is currently persuading him to leave."

"Oh?"

The elder addressed as Elder Mo ignored Wang Tiezhu, casting his gaze instead toward Ye Xingchen.

That gaze was like a torch, actually concealing suppressed divine sense within.

Unyielding and unruffled, Ye Xingchen met the elder's gaze with a calm expression, his spine held straight.

"A bit interesting."

Elder Mo stroked his beard, a trace of imperceptible appreciation flashing in his eyes.

He had heard the entire conversation between the two clearly from inside.

"Little doll, do you know what you're saying?"

Elder Mo spoke slowly, his voice low: "The Chaotic Wind Hammer Method is the foundational basis of my Artifact Refining Hall. Let alone a newly initiated disciple like you, even those senior disciples at the seventh or eighth layer of Qi Refining dare not claim they can directly execute twenty-four strikes upon their first exposure."

"Artifact refining tolerates not the slightest falsehood."

"If you intend to use this to attract attention and court applause, I advise you to leave early so as not to invite humiliation upon yourself."

Ye Xingchen took a deep breath, cupped his fists in salute, and said in a deep voice:

"The elder's teaching is correct. But since this disciple dares to speak thusly, he possesses a measure of certainty."

"This disciple asks for nothing else, merely a chance."

Elder Mo stared at Ye Xingchen for a long time, the air seeming to freeze.

Standing to the side, Wang Tiezhu did not even dare to breathe loudly, cold sweat beading profusely on his forehead.

After a long while.

Elder Mo suddenly laughed.

His wrinkle-filled aged face unfolded, carrying a hint of banter and a trace of anticipation.

"Good!"

"This old man loves this kind of reckless drive!"

With a wave of his large sleeve, Elder Mo pointed toward an empty forging platform in the courtyard: "Since you are so confident, this old man will give you this chance!"

"As long as you can execute twenty-four strikes using the Chaotic Wind Hammer Method right before my eyes, never mind a First-Rank Artifact Refiner, this old man will take you in personally as a named disciple!"

"But if you fail..."

Elder Mo's gaze abruptly turned chilling, and a powerful spiritual pressure instantly erupted: "Then get yourself to the abandoned mining area to dig ore for three months, just to temper that boundless arrogance of yours!"

"How about it?"

Feeling the surging pressure washing over him, Ye Xingchen not only failed to retreat, but a brilliant light burst forth from his eyes instead.

"This disciple is willing!"