22: Chapter 22 Breakthrough to the Spirit Gathering Realm

Bai Ming and Lu Xing also rushed forward, one on each side, stroking the sword body as if they were looking at some peerless treasure.

"Heaven bless our Tianhuo Peak! Heaven bless our Tianhuo Peak!" Elder Bai Ming wept tears of emotion.

Elder Fu Gao stood to the side, his back straightened rigidly, looking immensely proud.

"Did you see that?"

"This is the talent discovered by yours truly!"

"Are you convinced?"

He cleared his throat, walked up to Zhao Ruoan, and his attitude was unprecedentedly earnest.

"Uncle-Master Zhao!"

"I, Tianhuo Peak Elder Fu Gao, formally invite you to join our Tianhuo Peak!"

"As long as you nod, all Artifact Refining classics of Tianhuo Peak will be open for you to read! All stored Materials are yours to use at will!"

Hall Master Liu Xi also reacted and quickly added, "Not only that! I guarantee in my capacity as Weapon Crafting Hall Revered Master that I can immediately report this to the Sect Master and exceptionally confer upon you the position of Tianhuo Peak Guest Elder! Your status will be on equal footing with us!"

For a moment, everyone looked at Zhao Ruoan with burning expressions, waiting for his answer.

Zhao Ruoan was a bit dazed.

Looking at this group of Elders and hall Revered Masters who had suddenly become incomparably enthusiastic, a slow-forming question mark appeared in his heart.

After all this time, this wasn't a teaching observation, but an on-site recruitment fair for poaching talent?

"Want me to leave Qinghan Peak?"

"Leave my Immortal Emperor Revered Master and three peerlessly beautiful Senior Sisters?"

"You guys must be out of your minds."

"This Junior appreciates the kind intentions of you Seniors."

Zhao Ruoan bowed deeply to everyone.

"It's just that this Junior is a Disciple of Qinghan Peak. Once a Revered Master, always a father. Revered Master has treated me with boundless grace, and it is absolutely impossible for me to change allegiance."

His voice was gentle, but his attitude was resolute.

Are you kidding? Not hugging the thighs of an Immortal Emperor Revered Master, and instead running off to play with fire with a bunch of old men?

My brain isn't flooded with water.

The enthusiasm on Hall Master Liu Xi's Face slightly decreased, but he did not give up.

"Uncle-Master Zhao exaggerates. We are not asking you to betray your sect."

"As a Guest Elder, your status is free. You will still be a Disciple of Qinghan Peak, just holding a title at our Tianhuo Peak to make things convenient."

"Just think about it, the lineage of Qinghan Peak excels in swordsmanship, but in the path of Artifact Refining, they are ultimately laymen. If you want to go further on this path, Tianhuo Peak is your best choice."

Elder Fu Gao also chimed in from the side, "That's right, Junior Martial Uncle! The Artifact Refining Legacy of our Tianhuo Peak is the founding foundation of the Qingxuan Sect with a profound heritage, which can never be compared to those few rare copies of Qinghan Peak!"

"Only by staying here can we provide you with the best resources and the best guidance!"

The Elders spoke one after another, spittle flying, with only one core idea: stay.

Listening to their persuasion, Zhao Ruoan understood it all as clear as a mirror.

He cupped his hands again with an apologetic look on his Face.

"This Junior understands the feelings of you Seniors."

"However, this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided by this Junior alone."

"My Revered Master has a cold temperament and dislikes being disturbed by outsiders. Without Revered Master's approval, this Junior dares not make a promise arbitrarily."

He directly played the trump card of Yun Qinghan.

Sure enough, the moment the three words "Yun Qinghan" were mentioned, the temperature of the entire Artifact Refining Room seemed to drop by a few degrees.

The enthusiasm on the Faces of Hall Master Liu Xi and the others instantly extinguished by more than half.

Elder Fu Gao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but finally held it back.

Are you kidding?

Fight with Yun Qinghan for a Disciple?

Wouldn't that be openly setting oneself against Qinghan Peak?

That person is a ruthless character who even dares not to give Face to the Sect Master.

If they really coaxed Zhao Ruoan to Tianhuo Peak, Yun Qinghan might come over with a sword the next day and ask them if the peak of Tianhuo Peak was too sharp, and if they needed help flattening it a bit.

"Cough... Uncle-Master Zhao is right. This matter indeed requires Grandmaster Yun to decide." Hall Master Liu Xi gave a dry laugh and smoothed things over.

"It was us being abrupt, abrupt."

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward for a moment.

Seeing this, Zhao Ruoan took the initiative to break the stalemate.

"Since all Seniors are here today, this Disciple still wants to refine another batch to consolidate my feel. I ask you Seniors to generously offer your guidance."

With this mention, everyone's attention was immediately diverted.

"Good, good, good. We will observe and definitely won't disturb you." Hall Master Liu Xi nodded quickly.

Being able to witness such divine Artifact Refining with one's eyes was also a kind of enjoyment.

Zhao Ruoan said no more, turned around and walked back to the pile of Materials.

The previous refining gave him a deeper understanding of Artifact Refining.

High Grade Profound Weapons were ultimately still within the category of mortal iron.

Now that he was already in the Spirit Gathering Realm, the quality of his spiritual power could not be compared to before. Perhaps he could try refining a true "Artifact".

His gaze swept across, and from that pile of first-tier spirit Ores, he picked out a few of the best-looking ones.

Afterward, he looked to the other side, at the few second-tier Materials prepared by Duan He.

A piece of "second-tier cold iron Ore" that was pitch-black throughout and exuded a chilly aura.

A piece of "second-tier cyan-patterned steel" covered with cyan patterns and of hard texture.

And a translucent "second-tier flowing wind stone" that seemed to have Qi surging inside.

Elder Fu Gao looked at the Materials he selected and was somewhat puzzled.

"Junior Martial Uncle, what is this...?"

Zhao Ruoan placed the three second-tier spiritual Materials next to the Artifact Refining furnace and calmly spoke.

"The ones refined previously were all Profound Weapons, which ultimately lacked something."

"Today, I luckily achieved a Breakthrough, and my spiritual power is much more abundant. I want to try whether I can refine a true Spiritual Artifact."

As his voice fell,

the entire Artifact Refining Room fell into a deathly silence.

Hall Master Liu Xi, Bai Ming, Lu Xing, and Elder Fu Gao looked as if they had been hit by a body-fixing spell, their expressions frozen on their Faces.

Duan He's legs even went soft, and he almost failed to stand steady.

"Refining... a Spiritual Artifact?"

"Are you serious?"

From a Profound Weapon to a Spiritual Artifact, that was an unbridgeable chasm!

How many Artifact Refiners exhausted their entire lives, stuck at this step, and could only be a "blacksmith" for a lifetime, unable to step into the hall of true Artifact Refining Great Masters.

You are telling us now that you want to refine a Spiritual Artifact?

What is the difference between this and an infant who has just learned to walk saying that he wants to participate in the 100-meter dash?

"Junior Martial Uncle... You... You aren't joking, are you?" Elder Bai Ming's voice was trembling.

"Just trying it out." Zhao Ruoan answered casually and lightly.

He didn't think this was a big deal.

In his view, Artifact Refining was just like cooking; when the Rank of the ingredients was high, the heat and technique naturally had to improve accordingly, with no essential difference.

Looking at Zhao Ruoan's serious expression, Hall Master Liu Xi and the others looked at each other, seeing extreme shock in each other's reactions.

"He's crazy."

This world must be fucking crazy.

Zhao Ruoan ignored them no longer, his mind completely immersed in Artifact Refining.

He urged the stream of spiritual power within his Dantian. This time, he did not hold back at all.

The spiritual power of the Spirit Gathering Realm was magnificent and pure. After being injected into the Artifact Refining furnace, the furnace fire instantly surged, its color changing from scarlet to pure cyan, emitting an astonishingly high temperature.

"Qingyan Fire! He can actually urge out Qingyan Fire!" Elder Lu Xing cried out in a low voice.

This was a High Grade furnace fire that only Cultivators in the Late Stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm could barely generate, and it had miraculous effects on smelting High Grade Materials.

Zhao Ruoan did it casually.

He threw that hardest piece of second-tier cyan-patterned steel into the furnace.

Under the scorching of the Qingyan Fire, the hard Ore began to turn red, but there was no sign of melting at all.

The smelting difficulty of second-tier Materials was indeed far beyond comparison with first-tier ones.