Chapter 534 - 532: Bare-Handed Artifact Refining

"Wait... you need a Divine Artifact Forging Furnace just to forge a Spiritual Artifact?"

Lin Xuan’s words left everyone speechless. Bu Fantian, who had been so proud moments before, saw his expression collapse, his face turning an ugly, ashen color.

"What, are you saying that with your skill, you could easily succeed with just a Spiritual Artifact Level Forging Furnace?" Bu Fantian sneered. "I could too, of course, but why bother forging in such a poor environment? When you have a suitable Forging Furnace, you should use a good one! If you’re not convinced, I can use a more ordinary furnace and still forge it just the same!"

He might not be a match for Lin Xuan in a fight, but he was very confident when it came to Artifact Refining. Thus, Lin Xuan’s rebuttal left him feeling deeply annoyed.

Bu Chi stood silently to the side, curious to see what Lin Xuan would say.

Lin Xuan said calmly, "I was saying, I thought you could successfully refine a Spiritual Artifact without a Forging Furnace at all, not that you should use a different one."

His words sent another shockwave through the crowd. They had expected him to suggest trying with a lower-grade Forging Furnace, but who would have thought he meant trying with bare hands! The difficulty of that was on another level entirely. It was one thing for an ordinary Weapon, but who would dare attempt such a thing with a decent Spiritual Artifact?

The main issue wasn’t even the Essence Blood. The resentful energy was simply too potent. A Forging Furnace’s purpose was to suppress it so the refiner wouldn’t be harmed. If that resentful energy injured the refiner, the forging would fail.

Therefore, Artifact Refining had to be completed in one go without any interruptions, unless someone else took over midway.

"Oh, it seems Junior Brother has seen plenty of people forge weapons with their bare hands?" Bu Fantian said sarcastically. "I admit I haven’t reached that level, but I have no problem with ordinary weapons. In other words, before you raise such a question, shouldn’t you know a thing or two about it yourself?"

Talk was cheap. Bu Chi could forge a Spiritual Artifact with his bare hands, but his Cultivation was incredibly high, and his Control Power was immense. He could forge not just Spiritual Artifacts but even Divine Artifacts bare-handed, though that was limited to those of a relatively low Grade.

The Divine Beast Essence Blood infused into a Divine Artifact was even more ferocious, making it harder to control. Besides, while Artifact Refining without a furnace could show off one’s power, it was ultimately just for show. Why would you forge with your bare hands when you had a good Forging Furnace available?

It was like having a horse-drawn carriage but insisting on a running race. Wasn’t that just idiotic?

Of course, if one truly succeeded bare-handed, it meant their Fire Control Ability was exceptional. That was something worth showing off, and no one would dare to mock them. After all, if they were that powerful even with their bare hands, using a high-quality Forging Furnace would let them achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Yes, I can forge weapons with my bare hands." Lin Xuan smiled faintly. He wasn’t one for modesty. When it was time to be bold, he would be bold.

He wanted to use the materials here to repair his Chi Dragon Heavens Rod. If he took things slow, how long would it take to find the materials he needed? The Forging Pavilion had them, but the problem was whether he was qualified to take them. The materials were all precious; you couldn’t just take them as you pleased.

If anyone could just take them, no amount of materials would be enough to cover the high failure rate. Bu Fantian, for example, made it look easy, but in reality, anyone else would have failed long ago. An Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact wasn’t so easy to forge; even with a Divine Artifact Forging Furnace, it was still quite difficult.

"What!?" The cry didn’t come from Bu Fantian, but from Bu Chi. Even he was shocked.

If Lin Xuan was telling the truth, this was an incredibly remarkable feat. It was far more than just "a little experience"—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him Master Level!

Artifact Refiners, like Pattern Masters, were divided into Grades. To be able to forge a Spiritual Artifact bare-handed required at least the skill of a Fifth Grade Artifact Refiner. Bu Chi himself was only a Sixth Grade Artifact Refiner. ’Doesn’t this mean Lin Xuan is already catching up to me?’

Bu Fantian’s Grade was only that of a Fourth Grade Artifact Refiner, which was already an astonishing level. The standard for these assessments was based on what Grade of Weapon one could successfully forge using a Forging Furnace. But someone who could forge an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact bare-handed could definitely forge a Low Grade Divine Artifact if they used a Divine Artifact Forging Furnace!

Based on that result, he would be a Fifth Grade Artifact Refiner. ’If Lin Xuan actually succeeds, he’s a true genius among geniuses. I’ve really found a treasure!’

"Is that so? Then I’d really like to see it for myself!" Bu Fantian said, snapping out of his shock, his voice full of disbelief. "Second Elder, why don’t we let our junior brother here give it a try and see if he can actually forge it! Let us witness what a true genius looks like!"

"Are you certain you can forge a Spiritual Artifact bare-handed? I won’t even ask about Upper Grade. What about a Middle Grade one?" Bu Chi asked.

"A Middle Grade one is no problem. As for an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact, I can only do my best to try." Lin Xuan gave a casual smile, looking utterly confident.

Bu Fantian was speechless, unable to tell if Lin Xuan’s confidence was real or just an act. Regardless, he quickly went to fetch the forging materials and handed them over, sneering at the same time, "I hope Junior Brother can successfully forge it and give us all a good show!"

"I will." After taking the materials, Lin Xuan initiated a Soul Possession with the Phoenix’s soul to ensure he could forge in his optimal state.

Instantly, the Phoenix Essence Blood in his body was activated. A red sheen covered his body, and a crimson light flickered in his pupils as his aura shifted. It was more accurate to say he had completely entered a Phoenix state, and the Phoenix Essence Blood within him flared to life.

FWOOSH!

An incredibly high-temperature flame erupted from his hand—the Immortal Fire of the Phoenix! Seeing this terrifying Flame, Bu Fantian’s heart shook. ’No wonder Lin Xuan is so confident. It turns out he has the Phoenix Fire. Its temperature can instantly overpower the flame I release; he doesn’t need the boost from a Forging Furnace at all.’

However, high temperature didn’t guarantee success. It only made the melting process easier. Ultimately, it all came down to one’s Fire Control Ability. A temperature that was too high wasn’t always a good thing; it could easily burn the materials to a crisp!

Lin Xuan paid this no mind. Without hesitation, he picked up the materials and tossed them into the flame in his hand. The Immortal Fire enveloped them, and they began to melt rapidly in the blink of an eye.

Lin Xuan moved like an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, refining the materials at a steady, unhurried pace. He tossed the materials in to melt, one by one in perfect order, all while forming Hand Seals without a single mistake.

This scene stunned Bu Fantian. ’This isn’t just "a little experience," he’s incredibly practiced! He must have practiced this countless times!’

’Is he... really going to succeed just like that...?’ Bu Fantian’s expression grew uglier and uglier. If Lin Xuan actually succeeded, his own status would plummet. He would be completely incomparable to Lin Xuan.

At this moment, all he could do was pray for Lin Xuan to fail. Not only would Lin Xuan become a laughingstock, but he would also get injured. It would be killing two birds with one stone!

The only problem was... would Lin Xuan really fail?