by <unknown>
The other refiners came to similar conclusions.
Two of the refiners had already examined the stone in the auction. They thought they had made a mistake and examined it again today, but the result was the same.
"I seem to have taken advantage of you in the barter just now," Li Yao said frankly. "Now that everybody is interested, please step back and trigger your best defensive magical equipment. I will dissect the stone here and now. Consider it compensation for everybody."
Everybody recalled how Li Yao had swung the Star Basher so fast that it seemed to disappear entirely. They knew how terrifying the human-shaped beast's refining arts were already.
Thankfully, it was Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that the hammer was smashing. If the target of the hammer were a skull, even ten grand masters of refining would have been smashed to pieces.
Was he going to perform an even more brutal skill in refining?
Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment and retreated to a corner.
As refiners, they carried a lot of magical equipment with them. Now, every one of them triggered five or so pieces of defense magical equipment, which wreathed them in multiple layers of colorful spiritual shields. Then they calmed down and observed Li Yao again.
They had thought that Li Yao would bring out an even more appalling hammer than the Star Basher.
But Li Yao simply took out a pair of silver, glittering gloves from his Cosmos Ring and put them on.
Li Yao's face was extremely solemn. Veins and nerves bulged on his two arms again, and his fingers were cramping crazily, as if he were using a piece of invisible magical equipment.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Xie Qianhe squinted and maximized his sight. He saw that Li Yao was extremely prudent and no more as confident and smooth as when he was waving the Star Basher, but he did not see anything in Li Yao's hands at all.
Right then—
Shua!
One of the protruding bumps on the top right corner of the Red Streak Gold Hair Stone was dismembered from the main body and fell down onto the Divine Anvil, before it rolled on the ground just in front of everyone.
The fracture was as smooth as a mirror, without the slightest error, like a piece of tofu that was cut by the sharpest scalpel.
But it was not tofu; it was an extremely hard meteorite!
With the illumination of the lights, Xie Qianhe vaguely saw that something gold was blinking right in front of Li Yao. Several gold threads that were thinner than a hair were floating in midair.
The threads were almost transparent and would only glimmer when the lights were at the appropriate angle.
The source of the threads were Li Yao's gloves.
He was extremely cautious about the threads, too, while he drove the threads toward the Red Streak Gold Hair Stone with his spiritual energy.
The threads were very thin, but they were also very sharp when filled with spiritual energy. When they brushed the meteorite, it was peeled apart layer by layer as if it were an onion.
Gazing at the Red Streak Gold Hair Stone, Li Yao spoke softly after a moment, with drops of sweat hanging all over his naked upper body.
"This is 'Monocrystal Mica Thread', which I invented recently. They are very sharp but equally difficult to utilize. I haven't got the hang of using them yet and might lose control at any moment. I was worried that I might hurt you."
Although he spoke very casually, the refiners all felt that their eyelids were twitching when they chewed on it.
The Monocrystal Mica Thread were so sharp, erratic, and unpredictable. It was naturally prefect to cut Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but wouldn't it be easier to cut the body of flesh and blood?
They all shuddered when they thought of dozens of Monocrystal Mica Thread piercing through them silently and dismembering them into several pieces without them feeling any pain.
This is too brutal. The Monocrystal Mica Thread is not a piece of refining magical equipment at all. It is meant for attacks!
Several refiners were all mumbling to themselves.
When they were back to themselves, Li Yao had already removed the outmost shell of the Red Streak Gold Hair Stone. The raw minerals inside looked like grey coral stained with white spots.
Grey Crystals indeed!
The experts all recognized it immediately. If the real Radiating Crystals were inside, the spots on the surface would have been bright silver instead of the lifeless pale white right now.
But Li Yao did not even bat an eye. He suddenly widened his half-closed eyes, while his hands turned into a cluster of mist.
The countless Monocrystal Mica Threads phantomized into streaks of gold like invisible darts that completely wreathed the Grey Crystals. After a while of clattering noises, the Grey Crystals and the other impurities were all cut off the stone and flung into the air!
Shiu!
When the Monocrystal Mica Threads reached the core of the Grey Crystals, a weird shriek suddenly echoed on the Divine Anvil. Something green soared to the ceiling and flooded the entire workshop with a green glow. Everybody seemed to smell a certain fragrance!
"What?"
Xie Qianhe gasped.
Li Yao suddenly stopped his movements and retracted the Monocrystal Mica Threads. It was not until this moment that he took a long breath in relief, and his sweat poured down like rain.
On the Divine Anvil, amid the scraps and powder of the Grey Crystals, a weird material that looked like metal, wood, stone, and jade was lying quietly.
It was the size of a fist and a warm green color. It seemed like water that had been frozen, and green mist was gradually spreading out from the material.
Just one glance at it was enough to refresh one's heart and soul!
"This is—"
The six refiners, including Xie Qianhe, scratched their heads and looked at each other in confusion. They thought hard, but they couldn't tell what the material was.
They all looked at Master Huangpu to ask for help.
But after pondering for a moment, Master Huangpu shook his head with a bitter smile, too, and looked at Li Yao.
Li Yao warmed up his arms, which were sore and aching. With a smile of relief, he explained, "This is 'Green Sky Jade', a very ancient material. I only browsed through its introduction in an ancient notebook a while ago."
"It looks like jade, but it is actually some sort of 'amber'. For some reason, it fell underground and experienced countless accidental events and changes. After billions of years, it is finally condensed.
"Even in the ancient Cultivation world forty thousand years ago, Green Sky Jade was also very rarely-seen. I did not expect that I to sense the signs of Green Sky Jade in the meteorite when I saw it. Although I was only 30% sure, I decided to take a shot anyway."
"That explains a lot!"
All the refiners realized what had happened.
The refiner from the Red Line School said somewhat in embarrassment, "Fellow Cultivator Sand is indeed knowledgeable. Even rarely-seen materials from forty thousand years ago could not escape your attention. I did not think too much of it when my friends talked about the matter, but now I know that I misjudged. Fellow Cultivator Sand has found an invaluable treasure!"
"Not necessarily invaluable," Li Yao said. "It is indeed an ancient treasure, but items from the past are not always good.
"Every stone below our feet were formed billions of years ago. They could be called 'Wonderful Stones from Billions of Years Ago' if you will. But are they of any use?
"The Green Sky Jade, although rarely-seen, does not have many amazing effects. Honestly speaking, it can only cleanse the veins and build up the body for the user.
"Besides, it will take a long time before the effects reveal themselves. Therefore, the Green Sky Jade is only suitable to be crafted into personal ornament for the low-level Cultivators to wear.
"In terms of value, it is not necessarily worth the price I paid."
The refiner from
the Red Line School was confused. "If there was only a 30% likelihood that the Green Sky Jade is stored inside, and it won't pay off even if it does, why did you buy it, Fellow Cultivator Sand?"
Pausing for a moment, he slapped his head and realized the reason. "Fellow Cultivator Sand is a collector who loves the rarely-seen items, aren't you? Since it is a collection, measuring it with its value is not appropriate."
Li Yao smiled casually and glanced at Xie Qianhe. He shook his head and said, "I didn't buy it for my personal collection.
"I have a student who is extremely determined but not very talented. She has been doing very harsh training with my guidance.
"I mean to recruit her as a true disciple, but her life will become even more difficult.
"This student of mine is a girl. I don't want her to be exhausted because of over-training, nor do I want her to become a thick and hideous monster. Therefore, I have been hesitating.
"Thankfully, with the Green Sky Jade, her nerves, veins, and bones will gradually be strengthened, and her aptitude will be more or less improved. Besides, it will also help her recover after the harsh training and maintain her body figure."
Xie Qianhe was dumbfounded and immediately blushed.
He was so ashamed of himself that he was about to find a hole in the ground and crawl in.
As it turned out, Sand Scorpion had bought the meteorite with such a fortune because he wanted to give the gift to his daughter!
The guy had made thorough plans for Anan!
He was only 30% certain that the Green Sky Jade was stored inside, which meant that there was a 70% likelihood that he would gain nothing and really become a big joke in the circle of refiners!
All he did was for Anan!
The refiner from the Red Line School was amazed. "Fellow Cultivator Sand is not only erudite but also considerate of the students. Those who are recruited as his true disciples must've done a lot of good things in their previous life!"
"You don't say. Just look at Wu Mayan."
Another refiner smiled. "Although the arts of combats and the arts of refining are different, after witnessing Fellow Cultivator Sand's… intimidating skills today, I'm pretty sure that Fellow Cultivator Sand's new true disciple will be a new superstar before long just like Wu Mayan!"
"Master Sand!"
Xie Qianhe's face was so rad that somebody might have dipped pepper oil on it. He could not help it any longer and strode forward. He bowed so deeply to Li Yao that his head nearly hit the ground, and he said, "I—I was really blind. I'm terribly sorry!"
The refiners looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing why Xie Qianhe, the deputy director of a major department in the Silver Heart School, suddenly became so courteous toward Sand Scorpion.
It seemed a bit too much, even if Sand Scorpion's skills were better than his.
Li Yao was dazed, too. He frowned and said, "Fellow Cultivator Xie, we can talk in private."
"No!"
Xie Qianhe was breathing heavily and his hands were shivering, while he said, "Master Sand thought and did so much, but I've been—
"If I don't explain it to everybody right now, I will deserve to be neither a refiner nor a father!
"It's perfect that so many fellow Cultivators are here today. Please be my Observers. I'm going to make an announcement."
Taking a deep breath, Xie Qianhe turned to Huangpu Bo. He bowed to the ground again and said solemnly, "I'm very sorry, Master Huangpu, but I didn't know that my daughter Anan had found the best master for herself since long ago!"
Chapter 676: Planet V.S. Planet! |
Ten days had passed since the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting began.
As the product release conferences were held and more advanced seminars were hosted, the name of the 'Glorious Sunlight Group' was gradually acknowledged by a lot of refiners.
At first, it released the 'Combat Ability Detector', a piece of MP magical equipment very suitable for ordinary people and low-level Cultivators.
Then, together with the Refining Department of Flying Star University, it released the Aurora Chain Gun and the Unparalleled Extension.
The Aurora Chain Gun targeted ordinary people and low-end users as potential customers just as the Combat Ability Detector did.
But, the Unparalleled Extension was designed for the wealthy, high-end users.
One rudimental and the other advanced, the invention of the two pieces of magical equipment showed the research ability of the Glorious Sunlight Group.
However, as for 'Sand Scorpion', the owner of the Glorious Sunlight Group, there were two opposing opinions.
Those who had communicated with him naturally knew Li Yao's capability very well.
But most people still considered him an idiotic magnate who hired a batch of top-tier refiners with the wealth that he had accumulated through the trade between Iron Plateau and space. The so-called products were actually those refiners' work, and he had merely bought them out in order to make himself look better.
The anecdote that he had paid tens of millions of dollars for a worthless stone in the auction was widely known, too, after spreading over several days.
Not only had every refiner learned of the story, even many ordinary people who came to visit the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting had heard a thing or two about it.
Through the people's lips and the gossip columns, in most people's eyes, Li Yao became an out-and-out pretentious magnate.
However, the explosive news yesterday smashed their illusion into pieces!
Xie Anan, a member of the main bloodline of the Xie family of West Rock, had formally acknowledged Sand Scorpion as her master!
It was said that the recruitment ceremony had been quite splendid. Not only had every member of the Xie family who participated in the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting arrived, even the top experts of the trade, including Xue Yuanxin and Huangpu Bo, had come as guests and offered valuable presents for the master and the disciple!
Outsiders might not know what it meant, but the event raised a riot in the circle of refiners.
The Xie family of West Rock was incomparable for the Mo family and the Huangpu family, but it was an ancient noble family that had existed for hundreds of years.
What was a noble family best known for? They were best known for their honorable blood, and they could be quite stubborn and unfriendly. They would die before they were disgraced.
When a descendant of a noble family looked for a master, they had to find a truly excellent one because it concerned the honor of their family.
Even if the family was running to a dead end, there was no way that anyone from the family would succumb to an unscholarly magnate!
Besides, the Xie family had been operating quite well recently. It seemed unnecessary to resort to such a method even if it was trying to cooperate with the Glorious Sunlight Group.
Moreover, even Xue Yuanxin and Huangpu Bo, two renowned experts of the trade, had come to congratulate in person!
It was natural that Xue Yuanxin showed up. Everybody knew that his Ares Laboratory was collaborating with the Glorious Sunlight Group, and the two parties were quite close.
But Master Huangpu Bo had absolutely nothing to do with the Glorious Sunlight Group!
For a moment, there were all kinds of speculations. The 'pretentious idiot' was now wreathed in a halo of mysteries!
However, in the eleventh day, all the whispers were gone, because the main theme of the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting this year had finally come.
After five thousand years, the Flying Star Sector was about to initiate a plan to craft a piece of super magical equipment above the planetary level!
Dwarfed by such an influential event, any explosive news became sparks that were not worth mentioning at all.
…
The main conference hall of the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting was a building half buried underground and half open to the air that looked like a giant crystal egg. It was named 'Great Hall of the Next Millennium'.
The d
ecisions to be made there were indeed going to change the fate of the Flying Star Sector in the next thousand years or even longer!
When Li Yao stepped into the main conference hall, he felt that he entered a boundless universe.
The black marbles on the ground boasted special sound-absorption and light-absorption technology. Together with the brilliant stars on the dome, he inevitably had the feeling that he was just an insignificant being.
Yes, insignificant.
He could be called an expert of refining in many regards right now.
But when it came to planetary-level magical equipment, no refiners would be able to produce them purely on their own, not even the best experts.
The sweat and wisdom of thousands of refiners and the resources of an entire Sector had to be gathered in order to produce a piece of such magical equipment after arduous efforts!
Just think about the defense rings of Iron Plateau, which had been crafted five thousand years ago before the arrival of the apocalypse.
To produce the magical equipment, the entire sector was divided!
Li Yao walked into a small meeting room with Xue Yuanxin and Huangpu Bo.
The Great Hall of Next Millennium adopted a very advanced system that combined reality with illusion. All the participants would enter their respective booth, but they could be connected to each other through the 'Half-Step Grand Illusionary Land'.
That way, they could listen to the presentation of the project proposers while discussing with each other in secret without affecting anybody else.
Today, more than 13,000 people joined the 'Millennium Meeting'.
Other than the refiners, there were also leaders of the major sects and organizations.
The production of the planetary-level magical equipment required the collaboration of the entire Flying Star Sector. All the sects would have to provide resources more or less.
Li Yao was allowed to enter the meeting room of the highest level together with Xue Yuanxin and Huangpu Bo, two renowned masters of refining, not only because of his expertise in refining, but also because he was a representative of the Glorious Sunlight Group as well as Iron Plateau.
