Chapter 535 - 533: Appreciation

Of course Lin Xuan wouldn’t fail—in fact, he was certain to succeed! With the Phoenix’s Soul Possession, it was as if he were possessed by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster. How could he possibly fail?

While the Phoenix Soul Lin Xuan had obtained wasn’t particularly powerful, its skill level was still very high; refining artifacts with his bare hands was no problem at all. One could say that everyone in the Phoenix Race was at the Artifact Refining Master Level, capable of forging Weapons using their own Flame. This was an innate talent, one he would certainly put to good use.

Beneath the scorching Flame, the forging materials melted rapidly. Under his control, a prototype gradually took shape. It looked like a long rod, floating in the Flame in the palm of his hand. As he tempered it, impurities were continuously expelled, leaving behind only the purest Weapon.

"A technique like this... he’s definitely at the Level of a Fifth Grade Artifact Refiner. His Fire Control Ability alone is enough to completely crush Bu Fantian..." Bu Chi’s mind wandered. ’So this is the "little bit of experience" Lin Xuan mentioned before?’

It was simply too absurd. An ability that could completely dominate Bu Fantian was called just "a little bit of experience"?

Since the process wasn’t over, they didn’t dare conclude that Lin Xuan would succeed. Only upon reaching the final step would they know if the forging was a success.

Next came the stage of infusing the Essence Blood. Lin Xuan casually took the Essence Blood from Bu Fantian and dripped a single drop onto the Weapon. It was instantly and thoroughly absorbed. There was barely any struggle before it completely fused into the long rod, generating no resentment whatsoever.

The scene left them stunned. Bu Fantian, in particular, was so incredulous that he stammered, "W-what’s going on? It didn’t generate any resentment, and there was no resistance? Could there be something wrong with this Essence Blood? Was it completely tamed?"

Under normal circumstances, the Essence Blood of any Demon Beast would struggle at least a little. But this time, there was hardly any struggle before it vanished. There had been a tiny bit of resistance, but it was so negligible it might as well have been nothing.

Lin Xuan paid no mind to their shocked expressions. He quickly retracted the Flame, and a long, light blue rod appeared before them. Because it had been infused with the Sea Demon’s Essence Blood, it leaned toward the Water Elemental Power Attribute. This Water Elemental Power Attribute was fully expressed in the long rod, giving it its light blue color.

"It’s done..." Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. ’My first time ever performing Artifact Refining, and it’s a perfect success—completely flawless.’

Under the Phoenix’s Soul Possession, he had become the equivalent of a Fifth Grade Artifact Refiner; completing the Artifact Refining with his bare hands was no problem. Without the possession, however, problems could have easily arisen. It would take time to fully assimilate those memories.

Soul Possession bypassed that issue. He had used Soul Possession specifically to make Bu Chi see him in a new light. Normally, if his Cultivation were lower, it wouldn’t have lasted for long. But now, he had been performing Artifact Refining for over a full day without any issue.

That was why he had said that only by reaching Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation could he fully unleash the power of these souls. Only then could it last longer. If it couldn’t be sustained, then even the most powerful Soul Possession would be meaningless.

"He really succeeded..." Bu Fantian could tell at a glance that the Spiritual Artifact was a success. Moreover, it was an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact, the same Grade as the one he had refined before—and possibly even a little better.

Even if it had been slightly worse, he still would have lost by a wide margin. The two of them were simply not on the same level. Lin Xuan had performed Artifact Refining with his bare hands; his skill level far surpassed Bu Fantian’s. In a real competition, Bu Fantian would have been utterly humiliated.

"Second Elder, I have finished. Please take a look!" Lin Xuan said with a faint smile, handing the newly refined Weapon over. Bu Chi took it, and after a moment of inspection, a look of shock filled his eyes.

In truth, he didn’t even need to touch it to know its Grade. As an Artifact Refining Master, a single glance was all he needed to understand its properties.

"Bare-handed Artifact Refining, an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact..." Bu Chi’s eyes were filled with pleasant surprise. "How in the world do you practice Cultivation? Judging by your Artifact Refining Technique, you must do this constantly. So this was your ’little bit of experience’? You rascal, you even deceived an Elder like me!"

His words held a hint of reprimand, but they were filled more with delight. Who doesn’t love a genius? Especially an all-around talent like Lin Xuan—they loved him even more.

"I wouldn’t dare claim to be experienced before an Elder. After all, in front of a senior, what I have learned is merely scratching the surface," Lin Xuan said with considerable humility, causing Bu Chi to burst into laughter. So, his claim of having only "a little experience" was just him being modest before an Elder.

"Such a silver tongue. It seems I’ve truly struck gold this time. No wonder you chose my Fourth Celestial Peak; your Artifact Refining skill was already impressive to begin with!" Bu Chi praised. "This talent alone is enough to make the Elders of the other Four Great Celestial Peaks burn with jealousy. Heh heh, but in the end, you still chose me."

Bu Fantian watched from the side, grinding his teeth. Lin Xuan’s radiance had completely eclipsed him. This meant that from now on, Bu Chi would favor Lin Xuan even more, no longer giving him special treatment.

"At your current level, you rank among the very top of all the disciples on the Fourth Celestial Peak. I hereby grant you the status of Core Disciple. I hope you will continue to work hard and not disappoint us," Bu Chi said with a faint smile.

Beside them, Bu Fantian’s eyes burned with jealousy. Not every disciple could become a Core Disciple; most remained just that, disciples. Lin Xuan had become a Core Disciple the moment he arrived. How could Bu Fantian not be consumed by envy?

He was a Core Disciple, true, but he had been here for a long time before earning that title. Crucially, he was also a disciple of the Bu Family, and even with that connection, it had taken immense effort to become a Core Disciple. Yet Lin Xuan had just arrived and easily surpassed them all. How could he not be furious?

Bu Chi paid no mind to their feelings. To him, ability was what mattered. Lin Xuan’s skill was such that he could probably refine a Divine Artifact—that was true talent! And with such talent, he deserved a corresponding status.

"Thank you, Fourth Peak Master!" Lin Xuan immediately switched his form of address from the general "Elder" to the more formal "Peak Master."

Bu Chi beamed. "Mm, I hope you’ll redouble your efforts. During the next internal trial of the Fifth Layer Celestial Peak, if you can rank among the top, I will absolutely reward you with a great treasure!"

"Thank you, Fourth Peak Master," Lin Xuan said respectfully. He didn’t know what this "great treasure" was, but he was sure it wouldn’t be anything shabby.

After giving a few more instructions, Bu Chi left. He had stayed long enough. He had many other matters to attend to and couldn’t linger, but he had left most of the work for Lin Xuan to handle.

With the status of a Core Disciple, he would be able to obtain better resources. ’I’ll be better able to find information about the Lin Family, or find the materials to repair the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod!’