Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Perfect Completion
At first, Master Lu Li was eager to showcase his own attainments in Artifact Refining. He wielded the Xinyan Flame with masterful skill, and the first component was rapidly forged, completed after only an hour and a half.
"This won’t do!"
Ye Xuan shook his head slightly upon seeing it.
Master Lu Li was taken aback. "I forged this component strictly according to the blueprints. There shouldn’t be any problems..."
Master Lu Li was somewhat confused.
From the side, Ye Xuan quickly pointed out numerous flaws—all of them minor imperfections, but dozens of them in total.
These imperfections were all within acceptable limits. Strictly speaking, they couldn’t even be considered flaws, yet Ye Xuan pointed them out one by one.
"But aren’t these imperfections within standard tolerances?" Master Lu Li was dumbfounded.
Imperfections within standard tolerances would not affect the final formation of the Spiritual Treasure at all.
Besides, no Profound Soldier in this world could be perfectly forged. Even the strongest Artifact Refiner would create imperfections during the refining process.
Ye Xuan’s demands were difficult for Master Lu Li to understand.
Ye Xuan said gravely, "Refining a Spiritual Treasure is like creating your own child. There’s no such thing as ’good enough’ or ’within standards.’ If you can do better, you absolutely must not be vague about it. It was entirely possible to do better and avoid the previous imperfections. Since that’s the case, why be so careless? Artifact Refiners are just like Alchemists; without a mind that constantly strives for perfection, you will never achieve greatness."
At that moment, Ye Xuan exuded the majestic and lofty aura of a towering mountain that one could only look up to in reverence.
Master Lu Li’s heart jolted in shock.
It was just as Ye Xuan had said. Previously, in his attempt to impress Ye Xuan, he had deliberately rushed the process.
It was more about showing off his own skill in Artifact Refining; there were many areas where he hadn’t meticulously pursued perfection.
In his view, those details were insignificant. They weren’t critical.
But Ye Xuan’s words just now had struck him like a morning bell, a sudden enlightenment, a sharp blow that woke him from his complacency.
A true Artifact Refiner would never be careless for such a reason.
At that moment, he finally understood why his attainments in Artifact Refining had stagnated after reaching the Lord Level. His focus was no longer as sharp as it had been in his youth.
"Fine. I will reforge it."
Master Lu Li was someone who could admit and correct his mistakes. After realizing his error, he didn’t try to argue. Instead, with a solemn expression, he began to reforge the component, addressing the flaws Ye Xuan had pointed out.
This time, he was clearly much more serious. His control over the Xinyan Flame was also more meticulous.
Some of the imperfections Ye Xuan had previously pointed out were swiftly eliminated, bringing the component to a state of perfection.
After a period of reforging, Master Lu Li once again stopped his work.
"Take another look," Master Lu Li said, his voice heavy with concentration.
After another inspection, Ye Xuan nodded. Following the corrections, the number of flaws on the component had been reduced from dozens to just a few.
"There’s still this spot here, and these two over here..."
Ye Xuan pointed out the last few imperfections.
"These few spots are extremely difficult to smelt. It’s almost impossible to do it without a single flaw, isn’t it?" Master Lu Li’s brow furrowed deeply.
Ye Xuan fell into thought. With Master Lu Li’s skill, it would indeed be very difficult for him to reforge and fix the final few imperfections he had pointed out.
"How about this: you release the Xinyan Flame, and I’ll handle the reforging."
In the end, Ye Xuan stepped up to personally begin the reforging.
Master Lu Li, half-believing and half-doubting, released the Xinyan Flame.
Although he greatly admired Ye Xuan’s attainments in Artifact Refining, he didn’t believe that Ye Xuan could cleanly refine away imperfections that even he couldn’t handle.
But in the next moment, his eyes went wide.
Under the Xinyan Flame, Ye Xuan swiftly executed a series of profound seals. An invisible stream of Profound Power combined with the fiery might of the Xinyan Flame, ultimately forming a spinning flower of fire that gently licked at the flawed areas.
Yet Ye Xuan’s expression remained perfectly calm, without a trace of emotional fluctuation.
His face was solemn, his control over every breath and every ounce of power pushed to the absolute limit.
Before Master Lu Li’s astonished gaze, Ye Xuan finished repairing the last few imperfections.
After finishing, Ye Xuan let out a long breath and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Beside him, Master Lu Li was already completely dumbfounded.
After that, Master Lu Li no longer questioned any of Ye Xuan’s decisions. They divided the labor and began to refine with all their might.
Master Lu Li handled the main processes, including smelting the materials and shaping the main body, while Ye Xuan was responsible for the more trivial details.
This included things like repairing formation patterns, managing the heat of the forge, and eliminating any imperfections.
The refining process for the Feathers of Void-Stepping was incredibly complex and troublesome, requiring a level of meticulousness that most people could not possibly maintain.
But neither Ye Xuan nor Master Lu Li was an ordinary person, so naturally, it didn’t affect them much.
「In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.」
During this time, Luo Min had come looking for Ye Xuan several times, because there was only one month left until Gale Light Academy opened for the year.
The journey from the Sky Empire to Gale Light Academy was very long, and it was necessary to set aside a full month for travel.
Luo Cheng wanted to see Ye Xuan before he departed.
Unfortunately, Ye Xuan and Lu Li were deep in Artifact Refining, and no one dared to disturb them.
In the end, Luo Cheng could only regretfully follow Yuan An of the Yuan family and set off on the road to Gale Light Academy.
Besides Luo Min looking for Ye Xuan, many others had come to see Master Lu Li, but they were all stopped outside by Master Li Xu.
While Master Lu Li was engaged in Artifact Refining, no one was allowed to disturb him.
Not even the imperial royal family.
「Inside the Artifact Refining Hall.」
An astonishing pressure was gradually emanating from within.
Master Li Xu stood guard at the entrance, his heart trembling slightly.
During this period, he would periodically come to the outside of the Artifact Refining Hall to see if his master had any instructions.
Every time he approached, he could feel a terrifying aura pouring out from the Artifact Refining Hall. The potent flame power and the unique aura given off by smelting High Tier materials were enough to make his spirit tremble, even when only a wisp or two leaked out.
In all his years of following Master Lu Li, he had rarely witnessed such a phenomenon.
’I wonder what kind of treasure Master and Master Xuan Ye are refining,’ Li Xu marveled inwardly.
Even when his master had forged Tier Seven Profound Soldiers in the past, they hadn’t necessarily emitted such a terrifying pressure.
It was clear that the item being refined this time was absolutely extraordinary.
Although Li Xu was curious, he didn’t speculate too much, instead standing guard conscientiously.
One day, Li Xu was quietly meditating with his eyes closed.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A terrifying wave of pressure erupted from the Artifact Refining Hall. The dreadful aura, like a hurricane, instantly swept through the entire Artifact Refining Workshop and even surged through the whole of Artifact Alley.
Above Artifact Alley, a powerful storm of Profound Qi suddenly formed—immense and majestic, it shot straight into the clouds.
CRACKLE!
Within the sky-spanning storm of Profound Qi, bolts of lightning began to crackle. Flashing blue and purple, they coalesced into a single, coiling beam of thunderlight that snaked between heaven and earth.
It was as if the heavens themselves were enraged, their vast and mighty power on full display.
The entire phenomenon lasted for a full quarter of an hour before the swirling vortex of Profound Qi and the thunderlight gradually dissipated, returning to calm.
This scene attracted the attention of countless Martial Artists in the Imperial Capital, all of whom stared at the sky with wide eyes.
"A Profound Qi vortex... above the Artifact Refining Workshop... Could it be... Master Lu Li has forged another Tier Seven Profound Soldier?"
"A Profound Qi vortex this terrifying... this seems to be a first in the history of the Artifact Refining Workshop, right?"
"It’s terrifying! Not just the Profound Qi eruption that accompanies a treasure’s birth, but there’s also surging lightning. Could Master Lu Li have forged a Thunder Attribute Divine Soldier?"
"I remember two years ago, when Master Lu Li forged the Golden Dragon Iron Halberd Sword for the royal family, the Profound Qi eruption wasn’t this massive, was it?"
One expert after another spoke up, their hearts filled with shock.
Even the major noble houses and the experts of the royal family took notice of this scene, their eyes glinting.
「Inside the Artifact Refining Hall.」
Ye Xuan looked at the pair of light purple wings in his hands, a satisfied expression on his face.
It was a pair of exquisitely crafted wings, a faint azure blue visible within their light purple hue.
Wisps of blue-purple thunderlight snaked around them, the surging lightning dazzling to the eye.
The intimidating power of the thunderlight radiated outwards, causing the atmosphere in the entire Artifact Refining Hall to feel heavy and oppressive.
"Haha! This is the most powerful Spiritual Treasure I have ever forged in my entire life!"
A look of amazement was also on Master Lu Li’s face.
He gazed at it as if he were looking at a masterpiece of art.
Its graceful lines and terrifying power seemed like a work of nature’s own ingenious design, leaving him utterly captivated.
He had never imagined that he could forge such a perfect work of art.
He couldn’t help but glance at Ye Xuan. Although he had been responsible for the vast majority of the refining over the past seven days, he understood clearly that the true core of the operation had been this youth who wasn’t even twenty years old.
The Hand Skills and concepts Ye Xuan had demonstrated during the refining process had left him incomparably shocked.
He had never conceived that Artifact Refining could be done in such a way.
"Master Xuan Ye, you should try them on! Let’s see how powerful these Feathers of Void-Stepping are!" Master Lu Li said, his heart filled with curiosity.
Ye Xuan had been thinking the same thing. He channeled his unique Profound Power into the Feathers of Void-Stepping, and they transformed into a flash of lightning that shot abruptly into his body.
The next moment...
WHOOSH!
A ten-foot-long streak of flowing light appeared behind Ye Xuan, its terrifying lightning power bathing the entire hall in a brilliant blue-purple glow.
"Master Xuan Ye, try attacking me. Let’s test their power," Master Lu Li said with an expectant look.
Ye Xuan’s expression shifted slightly.
CRACKLE!
A bolt of blue-purple lightning shot out, striking Master Lu Li and sending him flying backward. His gray-white hair was nearly charred to a crisp.
"This power..."
Master Lu Li was dumbfounded.
Purple lightning crackled on his palm, revealing a faint scorch mark.
"You’re only a Tier Five Martial Sect, yet you were able to injure me?"
Master Lu Li was in disbelief. Although he had some understanding of the power of the Feathers of Void-Stepping and he hadn’t put up any defenses, the fact that Ye Xuan, a mere Tier Five Martial Sect, could actually injure him left him utterly shocked.
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