Chapter 40

"Miss Fenghen might have misunderstood me. In fact, I don't like to boast. Whether it's forging artifacts or refining medicines, I'm not very good at them, but I do know a little bit. There's no need to lie about this."

Shen Lang felt he was being quite modest. Saying he "knew a little" was apparently still considered too arrogant, and he couldn't help but touch his nose and smile bitterly.

"Oh?" Sima Yan perked up: "You can forge artifacts and refine medicines?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Mo Liusheng, who looked puzzled and was also watching Shen Lang with great curiosity.

"Just a little, just a little." Shen Lang repeated.

Hearing this, Mo Liusheng's eyes lit up. From the sound of it, Shen Lang's skills in refining medicines might not be inferior to his artifact forging. This was truly amazing!

He now believed Shen Lang's words two hundred percent and dared not have the slightest doubt.

However, Sima Yan, sitting opposite him, was different. His dissatisfaction increased a bit.

If Shen Lang had initially contradicted him, it was understandable. Young people, after gaining some strength, tend to be a bit arrogant, and he had apologized later, which was still decent.

Look at those people who were previously insulted by Shen Lang; weren't they all self-proclaimed geniuses?

Shen Lang had taught these "geniuses" a lesson and, in the heat of the moment, said a few impulsive words, which was also understandable.

But when it came to artifact forging and medicine refining, it wasn't a small matter.

The two old men sitting in front of him were the Dean of the Artifact Forging Academy and the Dean of the Medicine Refining Academy. Even in Tianfeng City, the only ones who could compete with them in artifact forging and medicine refining were the two or three old rascals from the Heavenly God Academy.

Smiling in front of such figures and saying you knew about artifact forging and medicine refining, did you know how arrogant, how presumptuous, and how... foolish you were?

However, before Sima Yan could say a few earnest words, Shen Lang stood up, bowed slightly, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to disturb you all. I haven't been home for months, and this time I just came to visit my parents. I won't disturb you anymore."

As he spoke, he nodded slightly at Mo Liusheng and turned to leave the pavilion.

"That's outrageous! I, Sima Fenghen, have never seen such a presumptuous person in my life! Even Chu Qingcheng isn't as arrogant as this! Who does he think he is? A mere child, and he dares to say he knows about medicine refining and artifact forging in front of Father and Uncle Mo! And he's so impolite! So many people want to say a few words to Father, but he finds it annoying..." Sima Fenghen was very angry.

Mo Liusheng, who had just stood up to follow, immediately stopped and looked at Sima Fenghen awkwardly, saying, "Fenghen, you don't know. Little Brother Shen Lang isn't arrogant at all. What he said is true, and... he's actually very modest!"

Sima Fenghen's expression froze, and though he didn't say anything, his eyes still showed his lingering anger.

"Old Mo, do you know what I hate most about you? It's that you never finish what you say! You keep it all to yourself like it's a treasure! What's so special about Shen Lang? Why do you call him a nobleman? Why don't you just say clearly what talent he has in artifact forging? Stop being so mysterious in front of me! If you don't want to say, just get out! You've ruined my drink!" Sima Yan drained his cup in one go.

"Shen Lang forged a Mystic Artifact right in front of me." Mo Liusheng was very straightforward this time, saying only one sentence.

"Spit!" Sima Yan spat out the drink he had just taken.

Mo Liusheng was prepared, and his protective barrier blocked all the drink, but the food and drinks on the table were ruined.

Sima Yan had already prepared himself mentally, guessing how talented Shen Lang was, strong enough for the Fourth-Rank Spirit Forger Mo Liusheng to consider him a nobleman. But he never expected him to be this strong!

A Mystic Artifact was above a Spirit Artifact.

And the strongest artifact Mo Liusheng could forge was only a Fourth-Rank Spirit Artifact! Even a Fourth-Rank Spirit Artifact, he couldn't forge at will!

The levels of medicine refining were the same as artifact forging. If what Mo Liusheng said was true, then Shen Lang, who had just been insulted by Fenghen, was actually a level higher than Sima Yan?

He said he "knew a little" about artifact forging.

And when it came to medicine refining, he also said he "knew a little." Could it be that he was also...

Even though Sima Yan had seen many great things in his life, he was now a bit stunned and confused.

"Why didn't you say it earlier!" Sima Yan roared, almost wanting to strangle Mo Liusheng.

Another Master Forger and Master Refiner from Tianyun Academy, what a shocking event!

Not to mention being a dual master, even in one field, like artifact forging, with him, Tianyun Academy could easily surpass Heavenly God Academy!

The two academies had been competing openly and secretly for years. Now, with Shen Lang's appearance, what would happen to the people from Heavenly God Academy...

"Ha ha ha!" Thinking of their pale faces, Sima Yan burst into laughter, startling Sima Fenghen.

"It's not that I didn't say it earlier, I really didn't know he could refine medicines. But if you think he can only forge First-Rank Mystic Artifacts, you're wrong. I can't tell how strong he is, but he's definitely not just a First or Second-Rank Mystic Forger. From his techniques, I sensed the aura of a master. He forged a First-Rank Mystic Artifact because the materials weren't good enough, and he dismantled my Third-Rank Spirit Array and reassembled it."

Mo Liusheng leaned back, speaking slowly, enjoying the sight of Sima Yan's wide eyes and open mouth.

"Clatter!" The table was overturned, and the bowls and chopsticks shattered on the ground. Sima Yan pounced and grabbed Mo Liusheng's neck: "You old rascal, you only say this now? I'll strangle you!"

The two old men started fighting.

Sima Fenghen shook her head helplessly, saying, "Here we go again... I really have no presence. I thought you would treat me with more respect since I only come back once every half a year."

She rolled her eyes and quietly left the pavilion, putting her hand to her lips and making a "shh" gesture to the people outside.

"I can't understand how that rascal could be so strong. How old is he? Not only is his cultivation so powerful, but he can also forge artifacts and refine medicines on par with Father and Uncle Mo? No, from what Uncle Mo said, it's not just on par... In Tianyun Academy, I've heard people talk about him, saying he's a waste without a martial soul, the younger brother of Mo Ran. He's really strange..."

Sima Fenghen's red lips parted, and she subconsciously looked down at the street below.

Knowing she wouldn't see him, she still scanned the street, a bit disappointed before finally looking away.

...

One of the four major families, the Shen family, was located in the northwest corner of Tianfeng City, near Tianyun Academy.

So after leaving Tianfeng Tower, Shen Lang didn't take long to return to the Shen family.

"Hey, isn't that our Young Master Shen Lang? I didn't think Young Master Lang would actually come home, how rare..."

"Rare indeed, Young Master Lang hasn't even finished his school term and is already home, ha ha!"

About ten meters from the Shen family courtyard, the servants outside noticed Shen Lang and called out exaggeratedly.

Shen Lang, as if he hadn't heard, walked over at a steady pace.

Servants overstepping their bounds was a very serious and unlikely occurrence in any family or organization.

Except in the Shen family... more specifically, in Shen Lang's home, it was normal.

For this reason, Shen Lang had fought countless battles and been beaten up countless times since he was young.

When his father, Shen Haotian, was the clan leader, such things only happened secretly, and Shen Lang was beaten less often.

But after Shen Haotian stepped down as clan leader, Shen Lang's fights increased.

No matter how many times he fought, it always ended in a stalemate because the clan leader and the council would just gloss over it with a few words.

To most people in the Shen family, Shen Lang's family was a strange combination, with his sister Shen Moran being the only normal one.

Shen Haotian, who hated evil, had offended many people inside and outside the family during his years as clan leader. After he fell ill, those who harbored resentment against him began to target him.

Shen Haotian was bedridden and almost a cripple, only getting a bit better this year and occasionally able to walk.

Shen Lang's mother, it was said, came from the Cuihong Tower, a courtesan who only sold her art, extremely beautiful and kind, but not well-liked in the Shen family.

As for Shen Lang, since he was adopted by Shen Haotian at the age of six, the Shen family never officially recognized his identity; otherwise, these servants wouldn't dare to openly insult the family's young master.

The reason they didn't recognize him wasn't that he lacked the Shen family's bloodline, but that he couldn't cultivate and was a waste with a Heavenly Pulse Sacred Body.

Seeing the servants' arrogance, a cold look appeared in Shen Lang's eyes, and he smiled, saying, "Hello everyone, it's been a long time."

"Hehehe, yes, it's been a long time. I didn't think you, the waste, would grow so tall." The four servants laughed and surrounded him, blocking his path and looking him up and down.

"Yes, yes, I didn't think our Young Master Lang would look so decent, just like his waste of a father."

A flash of killing intent appeared in Shen Lang's eyes, and he smiled, "As a servant of the Shen family, saying such things is a bit too much..."

"Too much your ass! Who do you think you are? The Shen family's young master? You're just a bastard!" The leader spat and said, "I'm a servant of the Shen family, a servant of Young Master Shen Jianfeng, not of your waste of a family! What do you think you can do to me? Can your waste of a father do anything to me? Or can your prostitute of a mother do anything to us? Damn!"

Another small, sharp-faced servant patted Shen Lang's chest and said, "Hey, Young Master Lang, do you have any gold coins? Lend me a few to spend?"

"I do." Shen Lang took out a bag of gold coins very readily.

The servants were stunned and immediately overjoyed. The bag was bulging, and it looked like it contained at least a thousand gold coins!

"This waste must be afraid of us, ha ha, we've made a profit!"

...