Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

The air in the examination room seemed to have been pumped away. There was nothing but dead silence for ten seconds. Then, the experts of the trade all jumped to their feet.

”Sand Scorpion? The magnate from Iron Plateau?”

”It’s true that he has a refining center under his name, but does he really know the arts of refining himself and is so adept at them?”

”Is—is it possible? I’m told that he made a fool of himself this morning by purchasing a worthless crap with a fortune. He was the biggest joke in the auction!”

”I remember that he is not very old. Forty years old, tops. The seven components are crafted skillfully without the least hint of hinderance. It also carries a vintage air with it. Such a young man is definitely not able to do that!”

Hearing the exclamations, Xie Qianhe felt that his head was dizzy, and his ears were humming. He could not help but step back in shock.

He opened his mouth, too, and was about to question Master Huangpu, but he knew deep in his heart that Master Xue would not make such a joke in the work report.

Is Sand Scorpion really an expert of refining who has been hiding himself?

Producing such super components, his skills in refining are really unbelievable. Did he start learning the arts of refining before he was born?

Xie Qianhe could not figure out the reason at all.

He recalled his remark about the guy in front of his daughter. His mouth immediately turned sour, and he was grasped by complicated feelings.

Listening to everyone peacefully, Master Huangpu nodded and said, ”To be honest, I found it as hard to believe as every one of you.

”Seeing is believing. It’s very simple if we want to know Sand Scorpion’s expertise in refining.

”Just now, I made a deal with Sand Scorpion through Old Xue that we will ’barter’ tomorrow.”

”What!”

Everybody was greatly surprised. They did not expect that Master Huangpu would propose to communicate with Sand Scorpion despite his fame in the circle of refiners.

’Barter’ was also known as an ’exchange of techniques’. It was a very common method of communication among refiners.

The rules for bartering were very simple.

For example, Master Huangpu was quite interested in the techniques through which Li Yao forged the seven core components and wanted to know more about them. But Li Yao would not show the techniques to anybody easily because such precious techniques were priceless. Therefore, if Master Huangpu was really interested in them, he could offer some of his own techniques for Li Yao to decide. The two parties would demonstrate their own techniques, which were mostly of similar value, unreservedly, including every detail, to each other.

This would be a bartering of techniques.

As for how much the other party would be able to grasp, it would all depend on their own understanding.

’Barter’ was both communication and competition.

The subtext was:

”Even if I show every move of my technique to you right in front of your face, you won’t be able to understand it!

”On the contrary, I will grasp your technique as long as you show it once to me!”

After all, refiners were not combat-type Cultivators who played with blades. Most of them did not have grudges with each other. There was no way that they would engage in a real battle.

Competing with each other by bartering would not only measure the skillfulness of different refiners but also maintain the ostensible peace. Besides, it could also stimulate the development of the arts of refining in general. Therefore, it was quite popular among refiners.

For many refiners, their sole purpose of travelling to Heavenly Saints City after a journey of ten thousand miles was to barter techniques with other experts. Nothing else.

They did not expect that Master Huangpu would propose to barter with a young refiner.

However, on second thought, if the seven core components were indeed refined by Sand Scorpion, the techniques were definitely worth trading with any skill.

Master Huangpu always considered the arts of refining his life. No wonder he would not let go of such an opportunity.

The refiner from the Red Line School hesitated and said, ”Master Huangpu, I want to exchange techniques with Sand Scorpion, too. I wonder, will he accept?”

Master Huangpu smiled. ”I can ask Old Xue to forward your message. But according to Old Xue, Sand Scorpion is an out-and-out maniac in refining who is interested in every skill. It should not be a problem.

”However, what kind of technique are you going to barter with?

”I proposed to exchange his techniques with my ’Heptahedral Dual Rune Array Structure’.

Everybody gasped again simultaneously.

The Heptahedral Dual Rune Array Structure was Master Huangpu’s well-known ultimate skill that could embed two unidentical and different-sized rune arrays together.

Even the simplest rune array groups would have dozens of new variations after employing such a design!

They did not expect that Master Huangpu would be so extravagant as to offer such secret arts.

But in a way, it did make sense. The techniques to forge the seven components were too incredible. The guy would not agree to the barter at all if they were not sophisticated techniques such as the Heptahedral Dual Rune Array Structure, provided he was not an idiot.

Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were all planning to barter with Sand Scorpion. But now that Master Huangpu had provided such a high-level technique, they would not only be considering Sand Scorpion a moron but also slapping Master Xue’s and Master Huangpu’s faces if they were to offer some rudimental skills of refining.

Pondering for a long time, the refiner of the Red Line School stomped on the ground and gritted his teeth. ”I—I can show Sand Scorpion the complete ’Light Chasing Hellfire Art’!

”This secret technique can improve the temperature inside a furnace by at least 1,200 degrees in three seconds!”

Another refiner stepped forward, his eyes red. ”I will trade my ’Heavenly Thread Blood Binding Art’ for his techniques. This is a secret art that can strengthen materials with blood. I have not even taught my true disciples the skill. Is it good enough?”

Seeing the generosity of their companions, the other refiners all gritted their teeth and proposed their ultimate skills.

One of the refiners breathed heavily and said, ”What’s the big deal about bartering? I don’t believe that he can learn such a delicate skill after seeing it only once!”

Xie Qianhe was hesitating at first until he was enlightened by the remark.

He strode forward and said, ”Master Huangpu, I want to barter with Sand Scorpion, too. I cannot reveal the Xie family’s secret arts to outsiders, but I received a secret art named ’Dividing Gold Splitting Jade Art’ ten years ago that can be used to purify materials.

”When Cultivated to the highest level, the secret art can purify lowly materials with abundant impurities into high-level materials with few to no impurities. It is a supreme Cultivation art that can improve the quality of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!

”I believe the technique should be enough to trade with Sand Scorpion!”

Master Huangpu asked everybody to write down the names and effects of their techniques. He then gathered the information and sent it over to Master Xue Yuanxin.

A while later, the response came.

”Sand Scorpion has agreed to barter with everybody in the No.19 refining workshop at dawn tomorrow!”

”Excellent!”

Xie Qianhe clenched his fists hard.

He was going to observe in person whether or not Sand Scorpion’s skills in refining were as good as they appeared to be!

Half an hour later, Xie Qianhe walked out of the examination room and called his wife. ”Ah Xiang, about Anan’s master…”

”Old Xie, not good!”

Dong Hanxiang was quite anxious. ”Anan just left a note and ran away through the window!”

”What?”

Xie Qianhe widened his eyes and was dazed for a long time. Taking a long breath, he said, ”Forget it. Leave her alone. She’s almost twenty years old. She should know what she’s doing.”

Dong Hanxiang was dumbfounded. She expected that her husband to burst into fury when he heard the news and did not think that he would be so calm.

”Old Xie, what happened?”

”Nothing,” Xie Qianhe replied gloomily. ”It’s just that my eyes are not as good as the old days.”

…

”Greetings, dear audience. I am Yi Feilan, a journalist from ’Entertainment Weekly’, reporting from the Edge Sharpeners’ Meeting.

”Even the best magical equipment relies on a Cultivator to dedicate the highest performance. Today, we have been following the young genius Wu Mayan. According to the latest news, Wu Mayan is currently training in the No.77 training room affiliated to the meeting.

”What kind of training did the young genius go through to become the most eye-catching superstar in Flying Star University?

”Now, please follow me to the door of the No.77 training room and wait for Wu Mayan to appear!”

After talking to concealed microphone that was hidden on her collar, Yi Feilan lurked behind some bushes stealthily and mumbled to herself, ”Wu Mayan, I’m definitely going to catch you this time.”

A moment later, the door of the No.77 training room opened slightly.

”He’s here!”

Yi Feilan was refreshed and immediately came up with nineteen interview plans, some of which were hoping to earn his sympathy while some others were bordering on harassment.

However, just when she jumped out of the bushes, she saw the guy’s face in the artificial moonlight.

Yi Feilan gasped and froze.

The man, or rather, the object that appeared to be a man, had a swollen head that was even larger than a pig head and covered in bruises. He was so miserable that even his parents would not have recognized him.

The high-toughness protective suit on his body had been torn into thousands of threads, flying in the wind.

His skin was either blue or purple, and there was absolutely no place that was the normal color. His many body parts were bleeding, as if he had been beaten up by dozens of muscular men for three days and three nights.

Like a dying old man, he held the wall and shivered for two minutes before he staggered forward, crippled and hunched, while hugging his chest with his arms.

Yi Feilan was dazed for a long time.

In the cold moonlight, there were tears on the engorged face.

”Well, I’m sorry, dear audience. Our sources might have made a mistake. The young genius Wu Mayan is not in the No.77 training room. We’ll look around in the few training rooms nearby…”

The deformed young man did not notice the journalist who left in disappointment. He simply wobbled forward at speed lower than that of a grandma. While moving, he gnashed his teeth and grumbled, ”That’s too outrageous. Just one hand, and I was—”

Suddenly, a tiny shadow jumped out from a corner.

The young man was caught off guard and dodged on instinct. However, the wounds all over his body were ripped open, and he felt that he had jumped into a tank of boiling oil!

The young man had an urge to roar and cry.

”Senior Brother Wu!”

With a sunny face, Xie Anan suddenly saw Wu Mayan’s murderous eyes with the help of the moonlight. Her smile was immediately frozen as she asked, ”Senior Brother, why are you crying?”