The afternoon in the southern region was very warm, but Flame City was still bustling. Cultivators rode their carriages through the main gates, asking around for cheaply priced spiritual artifacts.
Mortals were also abundant—some stood outside shops to greet customers, while others served tea or cleaned.
Little Yu Xin was also on the road, though he was no longer so little. After two years of cultivation, his level had already reached Qi Refining Level 7, and his height was much greater than that of children his age.
He had broken through today, so he was particularly happy.
There are nine main meridians, or energy pathways, in the human body. Becoming a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator meant Little Yu Xin had already unblocked seven main meridians. He could already feel his spiritual energy flowing much more smoothly, and his whole body felt lighter.
Other than that, he had also learned to refine rank‑1 middle‑grade artifacts.
To stitch one, Little Yu Xin had to embroider two rank‑1 divine runes on a single artifact and perfectly fuse them together. It was much harder in practice than it sounded—Little Yu Xin had needed about six months to learn it.
A rank‑1 middle‑grade artifact was much stronger than a low‑grade one. It was already made with rank‑1 middle‑grade thread, which was superior to low‑grade material. Additionally, two rank‑1 divine runes would compound on each other when perfectly fused, making the artifact greater than the sum of its parts.
Little Yu Xin's own black robe was a rank‑1 middle‑grade artifact he had refined himself. It could protect him as well as help conceal his cultivation level. After all, he couldn't reasonably explain his cultivation speed with a low‑grade spiritual root without admitting to some great opportunity.
Little Yu Xin couldn't help but sigh, patting Su Rong on her back.
"It looks like we will have to keep hiding for a while longer…"
Su Rong was also wearing a rank‑1 middle‑grade saddle. It was entirely black, and its only purpose was to suppress her aura.
Su Rong was already at the peak of rank‑1 and could break through to rank‑2 at any time. It was just that Yu Xin hadn't found a safe and quiet place for her to do so.
"Let's forget about it for now. Today I am finally going to forge metal artifacts…"
Little Yu Xin couldn't help but clench his teeth in excitement. His openly known cultivation was that he had recently reached Qi Refining Level 3.
Most people believed his parents were pouring all their resources into him, which allowed them to console themselves. Only his parents were confused, but they wisely chose not to ask. His mother had still been adamant about knowing how his cultivation was so fast, fearing someone was trying to harm him. But after Little Yu Xin made multiple promises that no one was scheming, Liu Hua finally let go. It might also have been the multiple rank‑1 middle‑grade robes and dresses Little Yu Xin had given her that successfully bribed her.
Zhao Qingqing's cultivation had also reached Qi Refining Level 3, which was not surprising given her family background. She also had a metal spiritual root, which was much more suitable for refining metal artifacts. So Mr. Yan decided to start teaching them forging from today.
Little Yu Xin was already fed up with stitching clothing. He felt like a kindly grandma.
He quickly arrived at the Blazecore Artisan Hall, leaving Su Rong with the mortal attendant at the gate.
Inside the classroom, Zhao Qingqing was already seated. Yu Xin was stunned to see her—the times she had come to class before him could be counted on one hand.
Zhao Qingqing lifted her head, seemingly triumphant at arriving first. Little Yu Xin chose to ignore her and sat down, waiting for Mr. Yan to arrive. But she didn't want to stay quiet, saying in a tone like an elder's,
"So you have finally broken through to Qi Refining Level 3. Very good."
Little Yu Xin was speechless. She had just broken through a week ago, while he had told others he broke through today. She was acting as if she had cultivated in Qi Refining a thousand years ago, like some great expert.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, saving Yu Xin from Zhao Qingqing.
After entering, Mr. Yan looked at the two, sensing their cultivation levels. Seeing that both were sufficient, he nodded in satisfaction and said,
"Now that you both have reached Qi Refining Level 3, I will give you my divine rune compendium."
Mr. Yan took out two thin booklets from his storage pouch and handed them to Little Yu Xin and Zhao Qingqing.
Zhao Qingqing wasn't particularly interested and just looked over the divine runes curiously. This kind of compendium wasn't unattainable for her—she could have gotten a better one from her family easily. But she had been sent here because she hadn't worked hard at all, and everyone in the Zhao family indulged her. She was sent here in hopes that Mr. Yan could be strict with her and help change her ways.
She didn't care, but Little Yu Xin was very interested. He wanted to compare the two compendiums—one from the System and one from Mr. Yan—and see which was more comprehensive.
But when he went through the text, he was stunned. Not because there were a lot of divine runes or some rare ones, but because there were pitifully few—only about twenty or thirty in total. In the compendium provided by the System, there were at least tens of thousands. He still hadn't gone through all the information in the System's 'Divine Rune Compendium.'
Mr. Yan noticed his reaction but thought he was reacting this way because he had never seen divine runes due to his loose‑cultivator background. If he knew the truth, he would probably die of a heart attack even with his cultivation level.
Only then did Yu Xin understand the value of the System and the preciousness of a true legacy.
Mr. Yan then said,
"Alright, you can look at it later. Now let's go to the artifact‑refining hall."
Both Yu Xin and Zhao Qingqing stood up excitedly and followed Mr. Yan to a furnace room. Both of them were already done with stitching—it was tedious and boring.
'Stitching is for grandmas. Forging is for real men,' Yu Xin thought.
Mr. Yan led them through the corridor into a room filled with heat. The room was not large; the stone walls bore a hint of red from the furnace. The furnace itself was blazing hot, and in front of it stood an anvil. A middle‑aged man stood beside it, continuously hammering a piece of iron.
The man stopped when he saw Mr. Yan, standing obediently. Mr. Yan nodded to the man in greeting, then turned to the two of them and said,
"This is Old Niu. He will teach you mortal forging for now."