"You... you... you... When did you come out?! Have you repaired your artifact?!"
Lian Ye was dumbfounded, his usual composure as a Golden Core cultivator gone, staring at Lin Feng in disbelief.
Lin Feng stood up and gave a slight nod to Lian Ye. "This junior thanks Senior Lian for yielding... Here is the artifact repaired by this junior. Please examine it."
For a fleeting moment, Lian Ye hoped Lin Feng had emerged because he was unable to repair the artifact and had given up. But seeing the perfectly intact artifact offered to him shattered that last sliver of hope instantly.
"It's truly repaired?!" Lian Ye took the artifact from Lin Feng's hand with shock and suspicion, scrutinizing it closely. He found it flawless, as good as newly forged. The repair was impeccable.
Defeated.
He had actually... lost?!
Lian Ye's thoughts became muddled, feeling as if he were in a dream. He looked up at Sun Ronghan beside him and asked, "When did he come out?"
Sun Ronghan's eyes also flickered with disbelief. Hearing Lian Ye's question, he answered awkwardly, "It was... about a quarter of an hour ago."
"A quarter of an hour ago..." Lian Ye was stunned anew. The other party was a full fifteen minutes faster than him... No, technically only five minutes faster, since he had granted the ten-minute head start. But even without that concession, Lin Feng would still have been faster.
"A genius... Truly an artificing genius!!"
Lian Ye marveled inwardly, finally accepting his defeat. He looked at Lin Feng, sighing silently. His Unique Flame is probably ranked within the top sixty, right? To repair an artifact of unknown composition in a mere fifteen minutes... Even if I used my Unique Flame, I wouldn't be much faster... Most crucially, he's only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and so young... His future achievements are bound to be limitless! He will undoubtedly become a new Grandmaster Artificer in the cultivation world! And the figure who nurtured such a talent... what kind of person must that be...?
Lian Ye had clearly categorized Lin Feng as a once-in-a-century artificing prodigy. He spoke aloud, "Young Friend Lin's artificing skill and talent are the most remarkable I've encountered in my lifetime. This old man concedes defeat wholeheartedly. Though I failed to meet your esteemed master today, encountering such a brilliant rising star makes this trip worthwhile nonetheless. A bet is a bet. This robe... you may take it."
Truthfully, Lian Ye's cultivation talent and artificing aptitude were not particularly high. Reaching only the Golden Core realm and the Five-Star Artificer level at his age placed him near the bottom tier in the wider cultivation and artificing circles of the upper realms. That's why he was stationed in such a minor place. Had it not been for the fortuitous acquisition of a Unique Flame, he might not have even reached the Five-Star level. His horizons barely extended beyond the Xia Kingdom. So, calling Lin Feng the most talented person he'd ever seen was, indeed, the truth.
"Senior Lian flatters me too much," Lin Feng said modestly, though inwardly feeling a bit guilty. His victory had nothing to do with 'artificing skill' whatsoever; it was essentially 'cheating'. "This junior only won by sheer luck, entirely due to Senior's repeated concessions. In terms of genuine ability, how could this junior ever compare to Senior..."
In reality, once inside the private room, Lin Feng had repaired the artifact within minutes. He knew emerging immediately would be far too shocking, so he deliberately waited ten minutes. Worried that waiting too long might cause him to lose, he then emerged. He hadn't expected it would still take Lian Ye over ten more minutes to finish. If only I had waited another ten minutes... he thought chaotically.
His thoughts might have been scattered, but his hands moved swiftly. He unceremoniously took the robe Lian Ye offered, his heart already singing with joy – A Spirit Artifact Robe! To 'pick up' such a treasure for free... What an enormous, unexpected windfall...
Despite losing the robe, Lian Ye seemed utterly unconcerned. Given his status as a Five-Star Artificer, a mere million or so low-grade spirit stones meant little. He nodded slightly at Lin Feng. "It's getting late. This old man shall take his leave. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will certainly pay a visit to your esteemed master."
Lin Feng now held considerably more goodwill towards the old man. He bowed respectfully. "We respectfully see off Senior Lian..."
The others also rose to see them out. Sun Ronghan and Qi Minghe bid farewell to the group and followed Lian Ye out of the Laiyue Inn.
Walking down the street, Sun Ronghan and Qi Minghe trailed cautiously behind Lian Ye, neither daring to speak, fearing he might be in a foul mood after losing to a junior.
To their surprise, Lian Ye suddenly sighed as they walked. "That Lin Feng... he undoubtedly harbors many secrets. Putting aside his mysterious 'master,' just himself alone is worth courting. His future accomplishments will likely be boundless. A small place like this cannot confine him. During his time in Biquan City, and later when he returns to Qingyun City, you must strive to interact with him as much as possible. Establishing a good relationship with him before he rises to prominence will absolutely be beneficial, never harmful... Have you understood?"
Sun Ronghan and Qi Minghe were taken aback. It was the first time they had heard Lian Ye speak so highly of anyone. They exchanged a glance of astonishment, then responded simultaneously, "Senior Lian, rest assured. We juniors have remembered..."
...
On the other side, after seeing off Lian Ye and the others, Loong Chengkong also intended to take his leave but was stopped by Lin Feng.
Fresh from winning a Spirit Artifact Robe, Lin Feng was in excellent spirits and proposed that everyone go out for a lavish meal, his treat.
Having personally witnessed Lin Feng's displayed 'artificing prowess,' Dongfang Yuhui and Loong Chengkong both held him in even higher regard. They naturally didn't refuse his invitation. The group left the Laiyue Inn together, heading towards the city's largest spirit cuisine restaurant.
The cultivators who had watched the 'contest' in the inn were also buzzing with excitement—the news that the Treasure Pavilion's Five-Star Artificer, Lian Ye, had 'lost' to Lin Feng was major gossip. Quickly, this news began to spread throughout the city...
...
As the saying goes, joy for some means sorrow for others.
In stark contrast to Lin Feng's buoyant mood, the atmosphere within the Li Family Estate was thick with gloom and despair.
In the main hall of the Li residence, dozens of people had gathered. All key members of the Li Family were present. Even third-generation juniors at the Qi Refining stage, as long as they were old enough to comprehend, had been summoned.
The current family head, Li Ziyao, and the previous head, Li Yanghui, sat side by side on the two main chairs at the head of the hall. Below them, on the left and right, others were seated according to seniority and cultivation level. All the first and second-generation elders wore grim, silent expressions. The third-generation juniors didn't even dare breathe loudly, keeping their heads down and staring at their own toes.
Li Ziyao's face was as dark as wrought iron, looking as if someone had murdered his descendants... Oh, not 'as if'—it was precisely what had happened.
Li Renyao was missing.
They called it 'missing' only because no body had been found. Although charred bloodstains and numerous ash-like remains suspected to be bone fragments had been discovered amidst the pile of burnt debris near Willow Lake on the northern outskirts of the city, Li Ziyao clung to a sliver of hope, unwilling to believe his son's ashes were among them...
Soon, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the main doors. Almost all eyes turned towards the entrance as Li Zixuan strode in quickly.
Li Zixuan's face was also etched with deep concern. Entering, he addressed Li Ziyao at the head of the hall. "Family Head..."
Li Ziyao waved his hand impatiently. "Speak directly! Did you find anything?"
"We did..." Li Zixuan nodded. "Renyao... he secretly contacted the 'Star City Thirteen Tyrants' who recently arrived in Biquan City. He also privately diverted three hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones... Presumably, he hired those men to deal with that Lin Feng..."
"The Star City Thirteen Tyrants?" Li Ziyao frowned. "Who are they?"
Li Zixuan explained, "The Star City Thirteen Tyrants were originally a bandit group active near Star City. Later, they committed a major crime in Star City—it seems they robbed some important item from a prominent family—and were forced to flee here. There are thirteen of them in total. Their leader..."
After listening to the information about the Star City Thirteen Tyrants, Li Ziyao exclaimed in shock, "All thirteen at the Foundation Establishment stage?! A group like that... still couldn't deal with that Lin Feng?! Those remains in the ruins... they must belong to these men? All dead?!"
If even such a formidable group as the Star City Thirteen Tyrants had been wiped out, what chance did Li Renyao have of escaping alive?
Everyone present understood clearly: one of those piles of ashes in the ruins was very likely Li Renyao's...
"It must have been Lin Feng's 'master' who intervened... As we suspected, a Golden Core cultivator?"
"The murder of my son is an enmity that cannot coexist under the same sky! If this vengeance goes unfulfilled, I vow to no longer be human!! Even if it's a Golden Core cultivator... he must die... He must die!!"
Li Ziyao's hands clamped onto the armrests of his chair with crushing force. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across the high-quality ironwood. His face twisted into a feral snarl, resembling a beast on the verge of madness.