Chapter 99: Artifact Refining, an Old Friend's Father!

You picked up the iron hammer, returned to your old trade, and began to forge iron.

The first day, you embraced the mindset of settling in since you were already here, and honestly took up the blacksmith's craft.

As for escaping? In front of such an Old Monster, everything was a scheme. Unless the Old Village Chief came in person!

You picked up a red-hot iron block smelted from unknown materials and raised the hammer to strike.

You were surprised to discover that the hammer in your hand weighed almost exactly the same as the one you used in the village!

This discovery, combined with the layout of the blacksmith shop, gave rise to some conjectures in your heart.

You continued swinging the hammer, removing impurities from the red-hot iron block bit by bit.

It took you only a single day to hammer the red-hot iron block into a longsword.

You picked up the longsword and swung it around the blacksmith shop, admiring your handiwork.

"Mm, this sword isn't a spirit artifact, but its strength and sharpness are enough to rival a Yellow-Rank Spirit Artifact!" you murmured to yourself.

"Hm?" The Old Monster appeared at some point, looking at the longsword in your hand, his brow furrowing slightly as he murmured. "So it really is that person's craftsmanship…"

"Senior?" You looked at the Old Monster lost in thought and asked in a low voice.

"Ahem, what the hell is this thing you forged? Is this how you refine artifacts?"

The Old Monster took the longsword from your hand and could not help but curse. "Refining material that could have become an Earth-Rank Low-Grade Treasure, and you turned it into a mortal-grade item!!!"

"This…" You scratched your head awkwardly. When you learned from the blacksmith back then, you never learned how to refine artifacts.

Seeing you like this, the Old Monster pondered for a moment, then said, "Fine, fine. I'll give you one more chance. Use whatever materials you want from here. In one month, I want to see a Profound-Rank Artifact!"

Then the Old Monster tossed you a jade slip, and before leaving, threatened, "If you can't refine it, then you have no use value whatsoever!"

Facing the Old Monster's threat, you didn't take it to heart, silently noting this person down. For a cultivator's revenge, a hundred years was not too late!

Your divine sense poured into the jade slip, and you found it recorded a method of artifact refining.

Seven days later, after continuous study and research, you had roughly grasped the theoretical knowledge of artifact refining.

Selecting some materials for refining a Profound-Rank Treasure from the warehouse, you began preparations.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Through your unremitting efforts, three days later, a Yellow-Rank Mid-Grade Treasure was born!

"Fuck! How is this different from what I imagined?" You looked at the Yellow-Rank Mid-Grade Treasure in your hand, frowning.

Material that could clearly refine a Profound-Rank Treasure, how did it become a Yellow-Rank Treasure? You were baffled.

You took another set of materials from the warehouse and continued refining.

Three days passed. You looked at the Yellow-Rank Low-Grade Artifact in your hand and fell into deep thought…

"How is my skill going backwards the more I practice?"

With little time left, you began refining again.

This time, you refined three sets of artifacts at once. You decided to adopt the sea of questions tactic — practice makes perfect.

Day twenty of artifact refining: you looked at the Yellow-Rank High-Grade Artifact in your hand and revealed a satisfied smile.

A little artifact refining, easily handled! You could not help but feel smug. With the last ten days, you were fully confident you could refine a Profound-Rank Artifact!

Day twenty-nine of artifact refining: the three sets of materials in your hands entered their final stage.

"Whether I can refine a Profound-Rank Artifact depends on today!"

The great iron hammer in your hand fell again and again, and the three artifacts gradually took the shape you wanted.

You swung the final hammer. The first artifact took form — peak Yellow-Rank High-Grade, infinitely close to a Profound-Rank Artifact!

You frowned and tossed it aside, looking to the second artifact.

Another hammer strike, another Yellow-Rank High-Grade Artifact.

You set your gaze on the last artifact embryo. At this moment, you hesitated slightly. This was your last chance.

You didn't know if the Old Monster would kill you. You didn't want to gamble!

You gritted your teeth, looked at the sky already brightening outside, and summoned all your strength, bringing the hammer down with a heavy smash!

The last artifact emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the entire blacksmith shop.

You looked at the artifact before you, and a faint smile appeared on your face. Success!

"Mm, not bad. Barely passing." The Old Monster appeared at some point, nodding as he looked at the Profound-Rank Artifact you had refined.

Little Nannan poked her head out from behind the Old Monster, stuck out her tongue at you, and said with a smile, "Big Brother is so awesome!"

"Little Nannan! Why are you here?" Looking at the unharmed Little Nannan before you, you said somewhat excitedly.

"Little Nannan has been here the whole time while Big Brother was refining artifacts!"

As if knowing the doubt in your heart, Little Nannan explained to you, "It's all Second Grandpa's fault. He wouldn't let me tell you the truth."

"Second Grandpa?" You looked at the Old Monster with a face full of confusion. Was the conjecture in your heart about to come true?

"Ahem, Grandpa here just wanted to see how strong the person that guy took a fancy to really was." The Old Monster seemed somewhat embarrassed, rubbing Little Nannan's head as he explained.

"You know Senior Village Chief?" You voiced the question in your heart.

"Him? He's my sworn brother. We've known each other for over ten thousand years." The Old Monster fell into some kind of recollection.

"The two of us fought from the first layer of the Martial Dao all the way to the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-ninth layer!"

"In the end, he was the first to step into the ten thousandth layer and participated in that great battle to hunt the Heavenly Dao!"

"Ah, ten thousand years without meeting, and when we meet again, it is the son of an old friend!"

You looked at the Old Monster before you, who had lived for over ten thousand years, and for a time you didn't even know what to say.

"Oh, right. The one in the village who taught you blacksmithing is my son."

"Hiss!" This was a path you had never envisioned!

You carefully studied the old man before you, and only then did you see a trace of the village blacksmith in him.

You thought for a moment, then took the damaged Human Sovereign Banner out of the System space and said, "Then, could I trouble Senior to help repair this artifact?"

Since we're all acquaintances now, this small favor shouldn't be refused, right? You thought to yourself.

"You really aren't polite!" The Old Monster looked at you with a half-smile.

Glancing at the Human Sovereign Banner in your hand, the Old Monster refused. "I've already taught you the artifact refining method. Figure it out yourself!"