Chapter 33

"What's wrong?"

Wei Ziqing saw that he was not speaking and followed his gaze to a dusty piece of ancient jade in the corner.

The ancient jade was covered with marks, looking very old. Wei Ziqing examined it carefully but found nothing extraordinary about it, far from the dazzling Heavenly Pearl they had seen before.

"I didn't expect to find something good this time."

Chen Fan's smile grew wider as he looked at it, then turned to Wei Ziqing and said, "I want this piece of jade. Give me a price."

He still had the bank card with 20 million given by Zhou Tianhao, feeling quite wealthy.

"If Mr. Chen likes it, there's no need for money. Just take it," Wei Ziqing said with a smile.

To win over a Master of the Transformation Realm, her grandfather could easily give away a villa worth tens of millions. Compared to this obscure ancient jade, it was nothing.

"Uncle Lin, what do you think?"

Uncle Lin quickly put on a flattering smile, "Miss, as you say. Since these things are sent by the Third Master for auction, giving them to anyone is the same. If Mr. Chen wants it, just take it."

He was intimidated by Chen Fan's earlier display, realizing that Chen Fan was no ordinary person, and his attitude became much more respectful.

"Alright, I'll owe your family this favor."

To Wei Ziqing's surprise, Chen Fan nodded seriously, then took the ancient jade, his eyes gleaming like a car enthusiast seeing a top-tier sports car.

Wei Ziqing felt both surprised and delighted.

Even when the old man gave him the key to the villa at the top of Cloudy Peak, Chen Fan had remained calm, not even saying thank you, clearly not valuing the villa worth tens of millions. Now, a simple piece of ancient jade had earned him a clear promise of a favor, a pleasant surprise indeed.

Could this piece of ancient jade be more valuable than a villa?

"What's special about this ancient jade?" Wei Ziqing couldn't suppress her curiosity.

"Didn't you just ask what a true magical artifact is?" Chen Fan paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

"That's right."

Wei Ziqing and Uncle Lin exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

"Mr. Chen, could it be... this is a 'true magical artifact'?" Uncle Lin asked cautiously.

This piece of ancient jade looked ordinary, with many impurities, far from the appearance of top-quality jade like white jade, emerald, or yellow dragon jade. It also showed no special qualities.

"Not yet," Chen Fan said calmly, putting the ancient jade in his pocket.

"After I polish and refine it, it will become a true, powerful 'treasure.'"

Both Uncle Lin and Wei Ziqing were surprised. Could Chen Fan have some 'refinement' skills?

But seeing that he didn't want to say more, they could only suppress their surprise.

"There's nothing else to see here. Let's go."

After getting the ancient jade, Chen Fan ignored the other valuable antiques in the exhibition hall.

When they returned to the main hall, everyone looked at him differently. Except for the true big shots in the center of the hall, most of the young people had seen the earlier scene, even Chu Minghui had been humiliated by him, so no one dared to treat him as a regular bar attendant anymore.

"You're here?" Jiang Churan's expression was somewhat awkward when she saw him again.

"Yep." Chen Fan's face was calm as he nodded slightly at her.

Then he turned and affectionately patted the surprised Xu Rongfei's head, saying, "Thanks for standing up for me, Rongfei. If you need anything in the future, just come to me. I'll help if I can."

Throughout the party, no one had stood up for him except Xu Rongfei. Chen Fan naturally wouldn't forget.

Xu Rongfei didn't know he was a cultivator or that the Wei family was backing him, yet she had stood by him without hesitation. Chen Fan was touched. This was the best person to him since his rebirth, besides Aunt Tang. He already considered her like a younger sister.

Blushing slightly from Chen Fan's intimate touch, Xu Rongfei lowered her head, embarrassed.

"Ha ha." Chen Fan laughed and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Even Wei Ziqing, who rarely showed friendliness, nodded at the two before leaving.

Uncle Lin's eyes flickered, and he called over a manager. He instructed him to arrange the two's seats in the first row of the auction and to treat them with the best hospitality, especially Miss Xu Rongfei.

The other girls accompanying Xu Rongfei were envious to the point of jealousy.

Some had already recognized that this old man was the top favorite of Wei Third Master, with a status second only to the top in Fangsheng International, far above the previous Manager Zhu.

Even this person had to curry favor with Chen Fan, indicating that Chen Fan's identity was far from that of a simple worker.

...

After returning to the lakeside community in Wei Ziqing's red BMW Mini, Chen Fan eagerly took out the ancient jade.

"I didn't expect to find jade essence in a place where the spiritual energy on Earth is nearly depleted. This is the best treasure for a Qi Cultivation stage cultivator," Chen Fan smiled genuinely. He had thought Earth was a dead place for cultivators, but there were still such treasures left.

Jade essence is the most precious type of jade, no longer a mundane object, but a 'heavenly spirit object.'

"I originally planned to buy some top-quality jade to refine protective jade talismans. But how can ordinary jade compare to jade essence? Ordinary talismans are one-time use, but a magical artifact refined from jade essence can be used repeatedly," Chen Fan said to himself.

He was now at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, still a mortal. If hit by a bullet, he would be in mortal danger.

If he had a magical artifact refined from jade essence, even a low-grade one, it would greatly enhance his safety, making him no longer fear small-caliber firearms.

"This is the first heavenly treasure I've obtained. I must use it wisely. I might not have such good luck next time."

With this thought, Chen Fan activated his technique, summoning a ball of true fire to envelop the ancient jade.

Soon, the ancient jade began to crackle, and the outer layer of mottled skin fell off, revealing a palm-sized, lustrous piece of jade.

This piece of jade was even finer than the best white jade, shining with a warm luster.

"If sold, it might fetch a sky-high price."

But he only thought this casually. Even if someone offered a billion, he wouldn't sell it.

If this jade essence could be successfully refined, it would be like having an extra life, far beyond what money could measure.

"After refining the magical artifact, I'll buy some good jade to refine protective jade talismans for my parents, Sister An, and Little Qiong." These were the people he was most concerned about in this rebirth.

Thinking of Little Qiong, his heart trembled, and he looked south.

There was Nanjing City, where his childhood sweetheart, the girl he regretted his whole life, lived. According to the current time, Little Qiong should be in her senior year of high school in Nanjing. In the previous life, they met again in college.

Although it had only been a month since his rebirth, his longing for Little Qiong grew stronger every day.

"Little Qiong, wait for me."

"In this life, I'm back, and I won't back down."

"I'll become incredibly powerful, able to protect you, so you never get hurt again. Then I'll stand before you and tell you, I like you."

He made a firm resolve in his heart.

Previously, due to his low cultivation, he couldn't do it. Now, at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, he could refine some protective treasures, so he naturally began to worry about his family's safety.

Next, Chen Fan began to refine his first magical artifact in this life.

This was not like refining the Small Yuan Pill; this was true 'refinement of a magical artifact.' Even refining the lowest-grade magical artifact required extremely high cultivation. Without reaching the Profound Enlightenment stage, one couldn't even touch the refinement process. Only Chen Fan dared to attempt it early.

...

In the class, only Si Yingxia, Chang Wen, and Ji Xingyu knew what happened at the auction party.

Ji Xingyu no longer dared to show up in front of Chen Fan. Si Yingxia, on the other hand, buried herself in her studies, seemingly determined to make a big splash one day.

Only Chang Wen seemed to look at him differently, often hanging around Chen Fan, trying to get into his small circle.

The refinement of the magical artifact was proceeding step by step.

Chen Fan's current magical power was weak, so he could only use a water-grinding method, carving runes, secret spells, and magical arrays on the jade essence every day.

After a few days, the jade essence was covered with countless tiny runes, almost invisible to the naked eye. All of them were carved deep inside by Chen Fan using his magical power, requiring extremely high control.

That night, Chen Fan sighed with relief.

"The first step is finally complete. Next, I need to wear it close to my body and nourish it with true essence."

In front of him, a palm-sized jade talisman was floating in the air, glowing.

Upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny golden runes moving inside the jade talisman, making it look mysterious and magical.

"My magical power is still too weak. I've only carved the 'Spirit Gathering Array,' 'Vajra Spell,' and 'Demon-Exorcising Divine Thunder'—three basic spells," Chen Fan frowned slightly. "Fortunately, there's enough space inside. When I reach the Profound Enlightenment stage, I can carve more spells."

The Spirit Gathering Array was his most urgent need.

The previous cultivation site was no longer sufficient after he reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Setting up a Spirit Gathering Array in the jade essence would be like a miniature portable spiritual energy concentrator, enhancing and amplifying the spiritual energy, enough for him to cultivate to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"With this jade talisman, my cultivation speed will increase by at least thirty percent."

Chen Fan's tired face broke into a smile.

The Vajra Spell and Demon-Exorcising Divine Thunder were basic spells, one for protection and one for attack, each with its own unique power.

"Now that the magical artifact is refined, should I find a place to test its actual effectiveness?"

Chen Fan stroked his chin.

Before he could think of how to test the new magical artifact, an unexpected visitor arrived.

PS: Thanks to Tianxing53 for the 588, and to Laona Fahao丶Kouwei Zhong, Jin Junhe, Fengye Yishu, Gao Yangyangyang, Youmingv Xuejun, A Fan, and Yemeng Renji for their support. O(∩_∩)O

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