Chapter 1633: Speed of Artifact Refining
“I succeeded in refining it. I can also enter the second round of the Artifact Refining Competition.” Mu Qingying looked at the Imperial Artifact in the void, then glanced at Mu Linxue beside her. She and Lin Feng seemed to have already refined their Imperial Artifact and were quietly waiting for the first round of the Artifact Refining Competition to end.
“Mu Xiao really did deceive me.” Mu Qingying’s gaze fell on Lin Feng beside Mu Linxue. He was as quiet as when he first entered the Mu Mansion, speaking little and appearing unremarkable. But Mu Qingying knew that he had been the one to inscribe the formation earlier, easily completing it and allowing the Imperial Artifact to be born. Lin Feng’s ability in the Array Dao was definitely not inferior to Mu Xiao’s.
“Sister Linxue, keep it up. Aim for a spot in the top ten.” Mu Qingying smiled at Mu Linxue.
“Mm, you too. You did well just now. Try to relax a bit more.” Mu Linxue returned a smile. On the other side, Mu Lie and Mu Yu snorted coldly. “With that level of skill, you want to enter the top ten of the Artifact Refining Competition? Leave the glory of the Mu Mansion for us siblings to fight over.”
Mu Linxue glanced at Mu Lie and said with a faint smile, “Don’t worry. No one will compete with you for the Mu Mansion’s resources in the future. I won’t need them.”
Mu Linxue’s uncle had always advocated for sending her out of the Mu Mansion to marry into the Yan Family. The reason was simple: his own children, Mu Lie and Mu Yu, had very good talent in artifact refining and needed the Mu Mansion’s full support. Mu Linxue was undoubtedly an obstacle for them. Only if Mu Linxue left would Mu Lie and Mu Yu become the young prodigies of the Mu Mansion, receiving all the favor and more resources.
Because of this, Mu Lie and Mu Yu had always harbored some hostility toward Mu Linxue. Of course, with Mu Linxue in the Mu Mansion, their own limelight was greatly overshadowed.
“It’s best if you know your place. Once you marry into the Yan Family, they won’t treat you poorly. Of course, given the shameless things you did with that man beside you just now, I wonder if the Yan Family will forgive you. Don’t end up being despised.” Mu Lie deliberately tried to provoke Mu Linxue with his mockery.
Mu Linxue’s expression turned slightly cold, but Lin Feng said with a smile, “Linxue, talking to people like that lowers your status. They can only do things that are beneath notice.”
“Mm.” Mu Linxue nodded slightly and ignored Mu Lie.
“Quite a sharp tongue. After the Artifact Refining Competition, I’ll see what kind of face you put on.” Mu Lie snorted coldly. Just then, the one-hour time limit was up. A purple-robed Artifact Refining Master stepped forward and shouted to the crowd, “Those who haven’t finished, stop refining now. All who have failed, leave your spot immediately and do not disturb others.”
As the purple-robed Artifact Refining Master’s voice fell, many people left dejectedly. In this first round, more than half of the participants were eliminated. Although everyone who came to the Artifact Refining Competition meant they had the ability to refine an Imperial Artifact, under the immense pressure of being in the public eye, many couldn’t perform at their normal level. Moreover, for most people, refining an Imperial Artifact had a success rate. In this first round, they only had one chance. If they failed, they were eliminated.
Seeing that the square, which had held ten thousand people, now had only a few thousand left, the purple-robed Artifact Refining Master said again, “Alright, now prepare for the second round of the Artifact Refining Competition. This round also lasts one hour, and failure is allowed. However, this round will only accept those who can refine a second-grade Imperial Artifact, and only one hundred groups will be taken. So, the first to succeed in refining should rise into the air next to their Imperial Artifact. The first one hundred advance; the rest are eliminated.”
The crowd was quiet when they heard the rules, showing no surprise. They had clearly known about them beforehand. With several thousand participants, some outstanding refiners might be overlooked. So this second round served as a buffer, selecting one hundred groups of refiners who could produce second-grade Imperial Artifacts. These final one hundred groups would enter the decisive battle, where the crowd could clearly see their skill. Whether it was the Flame Gold Tower or other sect forces, during this process, they could take a liking to certain refiners and try to recruit them.
The Flame Gold Tower and these forces didn’t limit their selection to those who refined the best Imperial Artifacts. After all, among the participants, some were very young—perhaps only around twenty years old—but had great potential. If, at that age, they could already refine a third-grade Imperial Artifact, their future achievements might not be lower than those who could refine third-grade Imperial Artifacts now.
So if such young geniuses appeared, they would also attract attention and be valued.
“Second-grade Imperial Artifact.” Mu Qingying’s eyes dimmed a little, and she showed a bitter smile. It seemed the first round was already her limit. Refining a second-grade Imperial Artifact was beyond her hope, especially since only the first one hundred would advance.
“Second round of refining. Begin now.” The purple-robed master spoke, then stepped back. Instantly, a scorching flame shot into the sky. No one dared to be careless in this round. They all ignited their flames at once, starting to heat their refining furnaces. In this round, time was of the essence.
“Linxue, continue refining the sword. Use better materials. I’ll improve the formation.” Lin Feng said to Mu Linxue. They had already discussed what weapon to refine for the final round, but hadn’t decided on the first two rounds. They decided on the spot, as they had prepared enough refining materials.
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead.” Mu Linxue smiled at Lin Feng. She couldn’t say she wasn’t nervous at all, since she and Lin Feng had only refined second-grade Imperial Artifacts a few times. Of course, she never doubted her refining skill or Lin Feng’s formation strength. As long as they worked together, a second-grade Imperial Artifact was definitely within reach.
The seven purple-robed Artifact Refining Masters of the Flame Gold Tower scanned the crowd. Yan Feng’s quasi-master smiled and said, “You’re backing Mu Linxue, aren’t you? But look, Yan Feng has already half-melted his materials, while her flame is just starting.”
Another purple-robed master glanced at him with a smile. The two seemed to be at odds.
“The speed of refining doesn’t necessarily represent refining strength. Even if Mu Linxue is inferior to Yan Feng now, it’s not because her talent is lesser, but because she doesn’t have the same conditions as Yan Feng.”
“Alright, then you’ll have to see if Mu Linxue can pass this round first.” Yan Feng’s quasi-master said with a faint smile, still watching Yan Feng refine.
This round of refining was clearly more intense than the first, filled with tension. Many were racing against time, drenched in sweat.
“Boom!” A loud explosion rang out. The crowd saw a refiner’s furnace burst with materials in one area, turning that space pitch black. The two refiners were in a sorry state. Their soul power had failed to control the heat properly, causing the explosion and failure. The two showed bitter expressions and simply stopped refining, instead watching others to learn some insights.
Mu Qingying’s heart grew increasingly restless. As the refining progressed, looking at the embryonic artifact forming before her, a look of disappointment appeared in her beautiful eyes.
“With this kind of embryonic artifact and Mu Xiao’s formation, there’s no way it can become a second-grade Imperial Artifact. I might as well give up.” Mu Qingying sighed inwardly, then extinguished her flame. Mu Xiao’s expression tightened, and he said, “Miss!”
“Being able to participate in this Artifact Refining Competition and enter the second round is already quite good. Now, let’s watch others refine.” Mu Qingying wasn’t discouraged. She turned her gaze to Mu Linxue beside her, just as Lin Feng was inscribing a formation. The array patterns were carved very carefully and clearly, flashing within the sword-shaped embryonic artifact. A destructive power emanated, blending with the sword’s sharp aura.
“Such a complex formation. This already surpasses Mu Xiao’s limit.” Mu Qingying’s expression tightened, and she felt a bitter taste in her heart. She had such a formation master by her side but hadn’t noticed. If she hadn’t been so willful and had paid more attention, or even just asked Lin Feng, things might not have come to this. From the moment she first saw Lin Feng, she had been convinced that his formation ability was very poor. And Lin Feng seemed too lazy to explain, just as he had said himself—he entered the Mu Mansion not for her, Mu Qingying.
At this moment, Lin Feng was completely focused, continuing to inscribe on the embryonic artifact. The array patterns intertwined more and more brilliantly, their light dazzling, and a terrifying formation power began to spread, making hearts tremble.
“Such a powerful formation. If Linxue can perfectly integrate this formation into the artifact, it will definitely become a second-grade Imperial Artifact.” Mu Qingying’s eyes grew brighter, while Mu Xiao’s face turned ugly. He had never known that Lin Feng’s Array Dao was so formidable—on a completely different level from his.
“Such solid formation foundations. I wonder how many small formations he can weave together.” The purple-robed master who favored the combination of Mu Linxue and Lin Feng had a glint in his eyes. Lin Feng’s formation inscription was still not flashy, but you couldn’t find any fault with it—precise, flawless. The seemingly stray array patterns appeared useless, but as more lines were added, they perfectly integrated, making the formation weave together flawlessly.
“Good.” Just then, the purple-robed master beside him exclaimed softly. He turned his gaze and saw Yan Feng rising into the air, having already refined a second-grade Imperial Artifact—the first to succeed.
“Haha, good, good!” The Yan Family members were very pleased and all stood up.
Yan Feng stood in the void, looking down arrogantly. His gaze swept over and landed on Mu Linxue below. At that moment, Lin Feng had already raised a giant hammer and was striking the embryonic artifact.
“Overestimating yourselves. I’ll make you witness Mu Linxue in my arms with your own eyes.” Yan Feng’s gaze was cold. Just then, another figure rose into the air with an Imperial Artifact. Hen Changtian had also completed refining a second-grade Imperial Artifact.