Chapter 82
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Chapter 82: Master Craftsman
Shan Chen was stationed at the main camp, sipping tea and chatting with a young man in a Taoist robe while keeping an eye on the ongoing battle.
“Times have changed, haven’t they? The younger generation is so fierce these days,” Shan Chen mused, reflecting on what he had just witnessed.
“Indeed, they’re impressive. That youngster must come from a powerful family—their spells are both potent and well-structured,” the young man in the Taoist robe remarked.
“We’ll find out soon enough. But seriously, what brings you here? You’re not one to visit without a reason,” Shan Chen asked, noting his friend’s usual cold demeanor, as if the world owed him a fortune in spirit stones.
If it weren’t for the battles they’d fought side by side, this friendship would never have formed.
“I wanted to ask who crafted that precious artifact heavy armor you used against the great beast yesterday,” the young man said, a glimmer of interest in his eyes.
He was in charge of the No. 6 camp and had observed the entire battle through his spiritual perception.
His old friend hadn’t made much progress in cultivation, and it was only thanks to that heavy armor with its precious artifact mystique that he managed to slay the beast.
“Oh? Are you interested in the artifact master who made my armor?”
“Haha, I’m not telling you,” Shan Chen chuckled.
Teasing his stoic friend was one of Shan Chen’s favorite pastimes.
“I’ve gathered all the materials needed to craft a spiritual artifact. The only thing missing is a master craftsman,” the young man said lightly.
“You’re getting greedy. Didn’t you already secure a spot with Elder Bai Lian?” Shan Chen retorted, his tone tinged with resentment. This guy had been ahead of him in line for two centuries.
“Can’t I have more than one spiritual artifact?” the young man replied, his calm demeanor unchanged.
“Wow, you come asking for my help and still have the nerve to talk back.”
“That master isn’t even a craftsman yet. Asking is pointless, and I’m not telling you anyway.”
“You’ve been ahead of me in cultivation and fighting strength for years. Do you really think I’ll let you keep that advantage?”
“Not a chance,” Shan Chen said, locking eyes with the young man.
“Do you know what Sister Luo Ling has been interested in lately?” the young man asked, his tone as steady as ever.
“What does Sister Luo Ling like?” Shan Chen immediately perked up.
“I’m not telling you,” the young man replied, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.
“The master prefers to keep a low profile. I’ll need to ask—is the master still an artifact master, or has he become a craftsman?” Shan Chen said, his thoughts clearly focused on Sister Luo Ling.
“Fine, I can wait.”
“Sister Luo Ling has been wanting to visit the Fairy City of Colorful Clouds to seek enlightenment, but she hasn’t found anyone to accompany her. She might just give up on the idea.”
As soon as the young man finished speaking, Shan Chen vanished from the spot.
“I’ll go request a shift change from the respected elder. Keep an eye on things here—nothing should go wrong with the battleship guarding the area.”
Shan Chen’s voice echoed in the air as he left.
“Ah, such a lovesick fool,” the young man sighed before disappearing as well.
When Xu Fan stepped out of his room, he caught a faint whiff of blood drifting from the Forbidden Ground Defense Line.
“Did I miss something?” he wondered aloud.
Xu Fan walked toward the defense line. Although he knew his disciple was safe, he still wanted to check on them.
When he arrived, he saw that the thirty-mile buffer zone was already stained red with blood, and many beast carcasses were being harvested by cultivators.
After a quick glance around, Xu Fan spotted the siblings.
As he approached, he noticed they were gathered around a giant egg, deep in discussion.
“Are we having egg custard tonight?” Xu Fan joked as he walked up.
“Master,” they greeted him.
“Master, we’re trying to figure out what kind of egg this is. Should we take it back and hatch it to keep Little Flower Deer company?” Xu Yuexian said, eyeing the pink egg.
“Let’s just boil it; it’s not worth much. This is a Soul-Repelling Eagle’s egg, and at best, it’ll only reach the Golden Core Stage,” Xu Fan replied.
“Plus, it’s pretty ugly,” he added, shaking his head. As someone who often read miscellaneous books, he could tell what the egg was at a glance.
“What a waste; this egg was found in the lair of a Golden Core Stage beast,” Xu Yuexian said regretfully.
At that moment, Xu Fan suddenly remembered something about ancient runes. In ancient times, the beast race also had artifact masters, though they were called something else. Back then, the beast race had mastered a complete rune system, and it was said they even had treasures designed to carry the will of the runes for future generations to study.
Since the rise of the human race, this systematic knowledge of runes had been lost. Later, the runes mastered by human artifact masters were fragmented and mostly discovered in naturally occurring treasures.
“From now on, after defeating the beast race, keep an eye out for any treasures related to runes,” Xu Fan instructed. If he could get his hands on the beast race’s runes, it might give his artifact crafting skills a significant boost.
“Understood.”
After the battle, the entire Que Tian Gate defense line fell into a period of calm, with only occasional sounds of fighting heard from beyond the gate.
Xu Fan entered a more relaxed phase, spending his days helping others repair their treasures in the artifact crafting area while enjoying tea and conversation with the three artifact masters who had arrived earlier.
He noticed that the less skilled an artifact master was, the more they liked to boast, often dreaming of crafting top-tier precious artifacts or even spiritual tools.
“Junior Brother Xu, what do you think of my Nine Fire Heavenly Dragon Shield? I plan to use it to prove myself as a master craftsman,” a middle-aged, slick artifact master said excitedly.
“Your Nine Fire Heavenly Dragon Shield is nothing, Junior Brother Xu. My Broken Soul Dragon Spear is far more impressive,” a tall, lean artifact master in the Foundation Establishment Stage retorted.
“Both of your ideas are garbage. My Nine Dragon Domain is the real deal,” another chimed in.
Xu Fan looked at the three bragging artifact masters, feeling a bit exasperated. If any of them could control more than 200 runes, he’d be surprised; they could barely craft a first-tier precious artifact.
Still, the upside was that he could join in on the fun and boast a little too.
“Think bigger, brothers! Setting your sights on spiritual tools is selling yourselves short.”
“Crafting celestial tools and ascending to immortality—that’s the true potential of the three of you,” Xu Fan said with a straight face.
“Come, esteemed seniors, let me tell you about my idea for the Demon-Slaying Immortal Sword.”
Whether they exchanged ideas or not, having fun was what mattered most.
After over ten days of chatting and boasting, Xu Fan received a message from his brother Sha Diao: the master craftsman had finally arrived.
They were preparing to craft and set up Giant Cannons in the second, fourth, and sixth camps.
Upon hearing the news, Xu Fan excused himself from the three boastful masters and stepped out to summon the Spiritual Wind Boat, flying toward the Second Camp.
When he arrived, Xu Fan saw Sha Diao and his master, along with the master craftsman, who was being treated like a celebrity.
Seeing Xu Fan, Sha Diao quickly called him over.
“Isn’t your master the main focus this time?” Xu Fan asked through a transmitted message, as cultivators could hear even the softest sounds, so it was best to communicate this way.
“My master isn’t skilled with this kind of spiritual tool,” Sha Diao whispered as he guided Xu Fan to follow behind the others.
“So who is this master craftsman? I see your master isn’t as popular as him,” Xu Fan asked.
“This is the number one master craftsman in Xiangzhou, Elder Shan Yue. It’s only a matter of time before he becomes a grandmaster.”
