“Manager Zhang, let him in.”
As Zhang Tianbao hesitated, a clear female voice sounded in his mind.
His eyelids twitched. He glanced in the direction of the artifact refining room, bowed slightly to Long Haotian, and said, “Guest, senior requests your presence.”
Long Haotian swept a casual glance at Zhang Tianbao, his gaze fixed forward as he entered the backyard. Wang Yi’an quickly followed.
Zhang Tianbao’s mouth twitched. He closed the shop door, shielding it from all eyes, and strode towards the backyard.
Before he could get close, he was stopped by Wang Yi’an, making him stomp his feet in frustration within the shop.
Meanwhile, the moment Long Haotian passed through the corridor, his gaze met Xu Yi’s scrutinizing one. A chill inexplicably crept up his chest.
A Nascent Soul cultivator!
And it was a young woman who looked to be around his age.
Could she be from the Great Artifact Sect?
“What do you want with me?”
Seeing that Long Haotian remained silent, Xu Yi decided to directly inquire about his purpose.
She had a few questions for Zhang Tianbao. Seeing that this person had cornered him, she had summoned him, intending to send him away quickly.
Who knew that upon seeing her, he would fall silent, which gradually wore down her patience.
“Fairy, I am Long Haotian, a disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect. That is my junior brother, Wang Yi’an. We intrude upon you uninvited as we seek a senior’s assistance.”
Long Haotian gritted his teeth, not concealing his identity.
His identity as a disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect was his greatest reliance.
“A disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect?” Xu Yi was somewhat surprised.
But then she remembered that she herself had appeared here, so it didn’t seem surprising that he would appear here.
She shook her head and decisively refused, “I cannot help. Please return.”
Xu Yi had no intention of getting involved.
Moreover, because of Ji Xiu, she kept her distance from the Xuan Qing Sect and did not wish to be associated with its disciples.
Xu Yi’s refusal, however, made Long Haotian more convinced that she was unaware of the secret realm, and his desire to recruit her grew.
“Fairy, don’t be so hasty to refuse,” Long Haotian said with a hint of a mysterious smile. “This matter is related to a secret realm left behind by an ancient artifact refining master. Don’t you want to explore it?”
An ancient artifact refining master!
Xu Yi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately recalled her discoveries in the artifact refining room.
Could the items in the artifact refining room have been obtained from that secret realm?
Xu Yi’s heart pounded. The refusal she was about to utter was swallowed back.
“Could you elaborate?”
“Certainly.”
Long Haotian began to recount the events concerning the secret realm.
A year ago, the Xuan Qing Sect inadvertently stumbled upon clues to a secret realm.
Later, the clues were deciphered, and the sect selected Long Haotian and two others as vanguards to investigate.
When the three arrived at the secret realm, they discovered that to enter it, one had to complete the challenges set outside.
And these challenges could only be completed by artifact refiners.
“The Desolate City is remote, and powerful artifact refiners are even rarer. Therefore, I hope you can accompany us to explore the secret realm, and you may choose any treasures within.”
As a disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect, Long Haotian possessed a high level of vision and character, and he did not mind Xu Yi taking a share of the treasures.
This was because he knew it was the only way to persuade Xu Yi.
As he predicted, Xu Yi was moved.
She wasn’t greedy for the illusory treasures within, but rather sought the inheritance of an artifact refining master.
During her artifact refining process, she discovered that besides the Nether Iron, there was also a peculiar ore that could calm the mind and eliminate distractions.
It was the presence of this ore that allowed her to refine the magical artifact that triggered the artifact tribulation.
Xu Yi felt that this ore had an extraordinary origin and intended to inquire with Zhang Tianbao.
However, Long Haotian’s words made her realize that this ore might be related to the secret realm.
What Xu Yi lacked the most was artifact refining experience, and the inheritance of this ancient artifact refining master struck her precisely.
She pondered for a moment and finally nodded, accepting Long Haotian’s invitation.
“Ten days from now, we will gather outside the Desolate City.”
“Alright.”
Having received Xu Yi’s promise, Long Haotian left with Wang Yi’an. Upon returning to the inn, he remembered he hadn’t asked the female cultivator’s name and chided himself for his oversight.
Xu Yi, unaware of these details, summoned Zhang Tianbao and inquired about the artifact refining room.
Zhang Tianbao had treated the artifact refining room as a storage room and knew nothing about Xu Yi’s questions.
With the news from Long Haotian, Xu Yi was not disappointed. She changed the subject and asked if there were any “flying legs” in the Desolate City that could help deliver messages.
“Flying legs” were messengers in the Nine Provinces Continent responsible for delivering messages and goods.
Zhang Tianbao first shook his head. Seeing Xu Yi’s disappointment, he patted his chest and said he could find someone to help deliver the message.
Xu Yi then handed Zhang Tianbao a jade slip with a secret command, asking him to find someone to deliver it to a contact point of the Xuan Ji Sect in the Central Province.
Zhang Tianbao, eager to flatter Xu Yi, took the jade slip and busied himself finding someone to deliver it.
Xu Yi shook her head with a smile, selected a second-grade magical artifact from the treasure shelf, and went back into the artifact refining room.
Ten days later.
Xu Yi emerged from the artifact refining room precisely on time. Zhang Tianbao was waiting outside.
Xu Yi handed him a pagoda-shaped magical artifact, saying, “Manager Zhang, consider this artifact as payment for renting the artifact refining room during this period.”
Zhang Tianbao received the magical artifact with both hands. Upon closer inspection, his lips trembled as he said, “This is a fourth-grade magical artifact.”
Xu Yi nodded.
She was now in the Nascent Soul stage and could refine fifth-grade magical artifacts.
However, Manager Zhang was only in the Golden Core stage. If she gave him a fifth-grade artifact, it would only bring him disaster. A fourth-grade artifact was just right.
“Thank you, senior, thank you, senior.”
At this moment, Zhang Tianbao wished he could enshrine Xu Yi’s name in his ancestral home.
When he returned after delivering the message, he noticed a magical artifact missing from the treasure shelf and guessed that the senior had taken it for modification, but the result exceeded his expectations.
Xu Yi waved her hand dismissively, preparing to depart, but Zhang Tianbao called out to her.
“Senior, please wait a moment.” Zhang Tianbao took out a yellowed jade slip from his storage bag, touched it with some reluctance, and then handed it to Xu Yi. “This contains some insights left by my ancestor, which may be useful to you.”
Xu Yi was stunned. She solemnly accepted it and swept her divine sense through it, then took out a blank jade slip to record the content before returning the jade slip to Zhang Tianbao.
“Thank you.”
After thanking him, Xu Yi stepped out of the Qiwu斋.
After Xu Yi left, Zhang Tianbao carefully put away the jade slip. When he turned around, he was surprised to find several top-grade spirit stones on the table that hadn’t been there before.
It was the senior!
Zhang Tianbao chased after her, but Xu Yi was nowhere to be seen outside the door.
Outside the Desolate City.
Chen Tao kicked aside a piece of gravel at his feet and muttered, “Why hasn’t that artifact refining master arrived yet?”
A flicker of displeasure flashed in Long Haotian’s eyes. He couldn’t help but scold, “Junior Brother Chen, that artifact refining master is a Nascent Soul cultivator. Watch your words.”
“Senior Brother Long, I know,” Chen Tao said, looking up ingratiatingly. “I’m just saying it here.”
In his heart, however, he scoffed.
What did it matter if she was a Nascent Soul cultivator?
He would also become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future, and moreover, he was a disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect, destined to go further.
That artifact refining master could only show off in front of him now and enjoy the taste of being a senior. He would definitely step on her later.
“Senior Brother Long, someone has arrived.”