Our Family Is Poor

Chen Daoxuan left the Laboratory with a heavy heart.

This time, he did not even carry out his daily Artifact Refining practice before hurriedly riding the wind away. For the first time in five years, he had slacked off.

By the time Chen Daoxuan arrived at Thirteenth Uncle's Cave Mansion again, evening had already fallen.

He raised his head and looked at the moon-bright, star-sparse sky. This was his sixteenth year in this world.

With a mature soul inside him, Chen Daoxuan always felt somewhat out of place in this world whenever he was alone.

"Daoxuan!"

Just as he stood there in a daze, an aged voice pulled him back.

Coming back to himself, Chen Daoxuan found Thirteenth Uncle, Chen Xianhe, standing before him and looking at him with concern.

"Thirteenth Uncle!"

Chen Daoxuan hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Chen Xianhe stepped forward and gently patted his shoulder, saying meaningfully, "Child, you have suffered."

Chen Daoxuan remained silent.

After a long while, he took three large chunks and one small chunk of Red Copper Ore from his Storage Bag. "Thirteenth Uncle, these are the ores brought back from the Red Copper Mine Site today. Just as you expected, the Red Copper Mine's output has fallen again."

Although he had anticipated it, Chen Xianhe still felt a pang in his heart upon hearing the news.

For the past three hundred years, the Chen Family's Red Copper Vein had supported the cultivation of the family's cultivators.

Now that they were about to lose it completely, setting aside the loss of benefits, Chen Xianhe—the only surviving elder of the Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island's Immortal generation—found it emotionally difficult to accept.

Chen Xianhe could still recall the carefree days when he had laughed and chatted with his twelve clan brothers.

Yet now, as time flowed on, everything had become clouds drifting before the eyes.

His clan brothers had died in battle, while he, the youngest of the clan brothers, had been left with no choice but to shoulder the family's heavy burden.

Chen Daoxuan, on the other hand, held little attachment to the Red Copper Mine. In his eyes, it was merely a Spirit Mine vein, nothing more.

Chen Xianhe glanced at the Red Copper Ore Chen Daoxuan offered him and shook his head. "Keep this Red Copper Ore for your Artifact Refining studies."

"Yes, Thirteenth Uncle."

Chen Daoxuan bowed and accepted the order.

"By the way, how is your progress in learning Artifact Refining?"

When the subject turned to Chen Daoxuan's Artifact Refining studies, a trace of nervousness could not help appearing on Chen Xianhe's face.

Hearing Chen Xianhe ask about his Artifact Refining ability, Chen Daoxuan answered seriously, "The family Artifact Forging inheritance records methods for refining thirteen magical artifacts in total: twelve First-tier magical artifacts and one Second-Grade Artifact.

"At present, I have only mastered the refining methods for six Low-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts. As for the other four Medium-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts and two High-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts, your nephew has yet to master their refinement."

Chen Xianhe's eyes brimmed with gratification when he heard Chen Daoxuan's answer. "In merely five years, you have mastered all the refining methods for the Low-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts in the family Artifact Forging inheritance. That is already quite impressive!"

Chen Xianhe knew that although the family possessed an Artifact Forging inheritance, there was no one to teach it.

Chen Daoxuan had learned Artifact Refining entirely through self-study. Chen Xianhe understood deeply just how arduous that was.

After all, every cultivator of their Immortal generation had tried to teach themselves this second-tier Artifact Forging inheritance, yet none had even managed to enter through the door.

The Dao of Artifact Forging was inherently difficult. Not only did it consume vast amounts of resources, but one also needed someone to guide them in order to travel this path more smoothly.

That was why there were almost no Alchemists or Artifact Forgers among Rogue Cultivators.

The Artifact Forging inheritance alone had barred everyone from the door, let alone the various resources consumed by learning Artifact Refining.

Seeing Chen Xianhe's satisfied expression, Chen Daoxuan felt somewhat sheepish.

Because he had just lied.

In truth, he had not only mastered the refinement of six Low-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts. Of the thirteen magical artifacts recorded in the family Artifact Forging inheritance, the only one whose refining method he had not mastered was the Second-Grade Artifact.

Aside from that, Chen Daoxuan had mastered the refinement of every First-tier magical artifact in the Artifact Forging inheritance.

To be precise, Chen Daoxuan could now already be considered a high-grade first-tier Artifact Forger.

It was not that he deliberately wished to hide his abilities, but this news was simply too shocking.

His cultivation was only at the third layer of Qi Refining, yet his Artifact Refining ability had reached a level that many veteran first-tier Artifact Forgers at the ninth layer of Qi Refining could not attain—and he had accomplished it entirely through self-study.

This was no longer talent. This was a monster!

Of course.

Because of his cultivation, although Chen Daoxuan had mastered the refining methods for High-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts, his chances of successfully refining one were still far, far too low.

The reason was that High-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts required more First-tier Spirit Ore to be refined and took longer to refine. With Chen Daoxuan's levels of true qi and Divine Sense, it was difficult for him to hold out until the end.

As for the subsequent shaping and Fusion of Formations, those were not particularly difficult for him.

In five years of studying Artifact Refining, he had only occasionally managed to successfully refine a High-grade First-tier Magical Artifact.

With his cultivation, refining Low-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts posed no pressure at all. Refining Medium-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts was somewhat strenuous, while refining High-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts depended entirely on luck.

It was not that his Artifact Refining skills were lacking, but that his cultivation was insufficient—his true qi and Divine Sense were not enough.

This was also why Chen Daoxuan was so eager to develop a Spirit Ore Furnace.

With the help of such a furnace, he could save the true qi and Divine Sense consumed during the material-refining stage, allowing him to deal more easily with the shaping and Fusion of Formations of magical artifacts.

When the time came, let alone High-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts, Chen Daoxuan might even be able to try refining a Second-Grade Artifact.

The sheepish look on Chen Daoxuan's face vanished in an instant. He quickly adjusted his mindset and said sincerely, "Your nephew does not dare take the credit. If not for the family's full support over these years, my Artifact Refining skill would not have improved so quickly."

Chen Daoxuan was not lying about that.

Over the past five years, the various spirit mine materials the Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island had invested in his Artifact Refining studies would have been worth at least five thousand Spirit Stones if converted into Spirit Stones.

Such an enormous fortune was something not even ordinary Cultivation Families could produce, much less Rogue Cultivators.

The Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island had been able to produce this many Spirit Stones not only because of three centuries of accumulation, but more importantly because of the wealth the cultivators of the Immortal generation had amassed on the battlefield back then.

Even so.

Chen Daoxuan's Artifact Refining studies had still placed immense pressure on the family, to the point where Clan Leader Chen Xianhe had no choice but to consider abandoning the Red Copper Mine and dedicating all their efforts to nurturing Chen Daoxuan.

Hearing Chen Daoxuan's words, Chen Xianhe smiled and nodded. "You neither claim credit nor grow arrogant. Very good!"

As he spoke, Chen Xianhe changed the subject. "Daoxuan, you also know that our family is poor, so you must cherish this opportunity the family has given you to learn Artifact Refining."

"Your nephew will remember!"

After that.

Chen Daoxuan reported to Chen Xianhe on the matter of fully mining the Red Copper Mine, then rode the wind away.

Chen Xianhe watched Chen Daoxuan leave.

He paced back into his own Cave Mansion.

As the Chen Family's current Clan Leader, Chen Xianhe's Spirit Eye had run dry, but in terms of size and grandeur, his Cave Mansion far surpassed Chen Daoxuan's.

Of course, Chen Xianhe had not built Chen Daoxuan's Cave Mansion to be grand and luxurious because he did not want Chen Daoxuan to become addicted to extravagant pleasures at such a young age.

This painstaking intention was destined to remain unspoken to others.

After several turns.

Chen Xianhe arrived before a wall made of Dragon-Slaying Stone.

He extended his palm, and as his true qi surged forth, the Formation Pattern on the wall suddenly lit up.

Then, the Dragon-Slaying Stone wall slowly slid aside, revealing a Secret Chamber.

As Chen Xianhe entered the Secret Chamber, spiritual light glittered within. Packed densely inside were Spirit Stones, each the size of an infant's fist.