Chapter 48

"Yin Kuang, you have this day too! Hahaha!"

Water Wuyu, who had just climbed out of the lake, burst into laughter.

"Get lost!" Yin Kuang casually pushed Water Wuyu away.

However, Water Wuyu, who had been pushed down twice, wasn't so easy to push again. The two of them engaged in a fierce battle, each countering the other's moves.

Su Jin sternly said, "If you want to fight, go outside. If you damage the furnace, can you afford to take responsibility for the mystic artifact?"

With just one sentence, the two of them became as obedient as little lambs.

Su Jin took a step forward and said softly, "Xiao Lang, I know that refining a mystic artifact consumes a lot of spiritual energy. It requires multiple uses of the alchemical fire to assist in smelting and refining the materials. Do you think the three of us are enough? If not, we can ask Mo Ran and Wuyu to join in too?"

"Three people are enough. I don't need much time to refine the artifact, and there's the heavenly fire from the array to help... You three just stand at the乾 (Gan), 坤 (Kun), and 坎 (Kan) positions and release the alchemical fire according to my instructions," Shen Lang said with ease.

Time passed bit by bit. Although Shen Mo Ran's expression was calm, she kept wrapping the silk from her clothes around her fingers, revealing her nervousness.

Yin Kuang and Water Wuyu, the two most idle people, became increasingly shocked as they watched.

Even if Shen Lang failed to refine the mystic artifact at this moment, they probably wouldn't say anything.

Because every move Shen Lang made, every step in the refining process, and all the things they didn't understand, completely stunned them.

These prestigious young nobles from the capital had completely lost their previous sharpness.

In less than half an hour, as Su Jin and the others were panting and sweating, a divine light like a dragon rose from the furnace, illuminating the night sky, then drew a beautiful arc in the air and fell back down.

Shen Lang casually reached out and caught the long sword emitting an unusual light, then closed his eyes.

Everyone exchanged glances, nodded silently, and took a few steps back, not daring to disturb him.

Everyone knew that the critical moment had arrived, and it was time to start inscribing the spirit array on the sword.

However, everyone was still a bit puzzled. From the aura released by the sword just now, it didn't seem to have reached the mystic artifact level yet.

"Buzz!"

After just a short while, a water-blue light emerged from the sword in Shen Lang's hand, wandering in the night, immediately capturing everyone's attention.

"That's not right. I've never heard of such an anomaly when inscribing a spirit array," Yin Kuang said in a daze.

Water Wuyu smiled deeply and said, "Based on my experience, this is a sign that the spirit array has been successfully inscribed. So, it must be done! How can it be so fast? I feel like it's only been a short while!"

Everyone looked at each other, their shock indescribable.

Even though they were not experts in refining, they knew that inscribing a spirit array was a very complex and difficult task. The higher the level of the spirit array, the more complex it was, and the longer it took.

When their own spirit weapons were being refined, the refiners often spent several months.

During these months, at least one-third of the time was spent on the spirit array.

But Shen Lang's method was like playing house. With a quick brush, Su Jin and the others hadn't even had time to rest, and it was already done?

"Water Wuyu must be wrong. Among so many of us, who has ever seen a spirit array inscribed in such a short time?" Lin Yue said, a bit speechless.

Su Jin said cautiously, "With our level of divine consciousness, it takes at least half an hour to inscribe a low-level spirit gathering token... But Xiao Lang is not someone to be measured by ordinary standards..."

Zeng Zuimo gently touched Shen Mo Ran and said, "Mo Ran, your brother is so powerful in refining. Why haven't you ever mentioned it before? Could he really have inscribed a spirit array on your Ning Bi Sword in just a short while? That's too exaggerated..."

Shen Mo Ran shook her head lightly, "I don't know. Xiao Lang has never talked to me about refining. Maybe he had a breakthrough during my time at Jialan Academy."

Just as everyone was about to congratulate them, Shen Lang opened his eyes and lightly shook his left hand, which was holding the sword hilt...

A dragon's roar echoed, and the water-blue cold light around the Ning Bi Sword, like a new moon, immediately appeared at the tip of the sword. Then the cold light expanded, covering the entire sword, with a light tail extending several feet, emitting a dazzling light, golden and green, with a cold and sharp aura.

"Mystic artifact!" The group exclaimed in unison.

Shen Lang frowned, a bit unsatisfied, and said, "Your materials are too poor. I had to use all my strength and various secret methods to barely reach this level."

If someone had dared to say that the materials in Yin Kuang's hands were poor before, a big fight would have been inevitable.

But this time was different. Everyone ignored the first part of Shen Lang's words and only focused on the last few words.

"What level? What is the current level of this Ning Bi Sword?" Yin Kuang was the most impatient.

"I used secret methods to smelt and integrate the carefully selected materials. In terms of the sword's sturdiness and other characteristics, it barely reached the first rank of the mystic level. On the spirit array, I inscribed a fourth-rank water-type spirit array that is highly compatible with this long sword. If someone were to appraise it, the Ning Bi Sword could be considered a third-rank mystic artifact," Shen Lang said, wiping his sweat.

Now, with his level of divine consciousness, inscribing a fourth-rank mystic spirit array was actually quite difficult, not as simple as everyone thought, and the energy consumption was also very high.

"Clang!" Yin Kuang's twisted Fire God Spear, now in a "U" shape, fell to the ground, creating a dazzling spark.

"Third-rank mystic artifact..."

"Fourth-rank mystic spirit array..."

Everyone was in a daze, no one speaking for a long time.

"Let me see, let me see... My goodness, you can just hammer and forge a third-rank mystic artifact in a short while? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it even if you killed me!" Yin Kuang's voice thundered through the courtyard.

Yin Kuang took the Ning Bi Sword, infused a thread of spiritual energy into it, and casually slashed at a tree as thick as a person's embrace. The sword light flashed, and the tree was instantly split in two, falling with a creak.

"Mystic artifact, I've wanted a mystic artifact for a long time, but I never thought..."

"What are you doing? That's Mo Ran's, not yours. Give it back!" Su Jin rolled her eyes and snatched the Ning Bi Sword, handing it to Shen Mo Ran.

Although Shen Mo Ran loved her brother dearly and trusted him, holding the mystic artifact in her hand still felt like a dream.

The three women immediately surrounded Shen Lang, their eyes revealing their intentions without a word.

"Little brother, I was wrong about you. Tell me, what do you want? I can give you anything..." Zeng Zuimo's words were incredibly bold.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes and tried to leave, but was held back by her and Lin Yue on either side.

The soft, elastic objects on both arms rubbed against him, making him laugh and cry.

"This girl is really bold, trying to seduce me in front of so many people. This is like an old bull eating tender grass..." Shen Lang felt more exhausted than when he was refining the mystic artifact.

"Xiao Lang, don't ignore us. We know we said the wrong things at first, but it's only natural because you are so young... We are your sister's good friends. Look, we came to Tianfeng City and didn't go anywhere else, just to your house..."

Lin Yue said in a coquettish voice, her body twisting as she spoke, a scene that would make any normal person's heart race.

But Shen Lang was clearly not a normal person. His face turned slightly red, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Alright, you two let go of Xiao Lang. Be careful, or you might get the opposite effect," Shen Mo Ran said with a smile.

As soon as she spoke, Zeng Zuimo and Lin Yue immediately let go of Shen Lang.

Yin Kuang and Water Wuyu, who had been overlooked, finally found their chance.

They exchanged glances, chuckled, and approached Shen Lang, just as a somewhat sharp voice came from behind: "Hehe, I heard that Cousin Mo Ran has returned, so I came to see. What a coincidence, and to see so many people. You must be Mo Ran's classmates from Jialan Academy, right? Mo Ran, that's not right. Since you brought friends, why didn't you introduce them to us?"

Yin Kuang and Water Wuyu were furious, both feeling a strong urge to draw their weapons and attack.

They had just been preempted by Zeng Zuimo and the others and excluded, and after enduring for a long time, they finally had a chance to speak, only to be interrupted by a eunuch-like voice!

Moreover, it seemed that the newcomer had no good intentions.

They glanced at Shen Mo Ran and saw a hint of disgust in her eyes, which immediately enlightened them.

They turned angrily and saw five or six people walking along the lakeside path, led by a young man of about their age, who had a decent demeanor, but was followed by a few obnoxious lackeys, making the young man look less impressive.

"Who are you? We're busy now, go away!" Yin Kuang, standing like an iron tower, said bluntly.

He had the right to speak this way, not just in this place, but even in the capital.

"I am Shen Fengxiao, Mo Ran's cousin. I heard that a few of her classmates came, so I came to see," Shen Fengxiao's face changed slightly, a flash of anger in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.

Most students at Jialan Academy were either rich or noble, and ordinary people couldn't afford to offend them.

Even among the many noble children, Shen Fengxiao, though the most prominent genius in the Shen family, dared not offend such people easily.

"That's strange, my brother told you to go away, but you're still smiling. Are you deaf or stupid?" Water Wuyu flicked his wrist, opening a fan and said coldly.

He forgot that he had fallen into the lake earlier, and his clothes were still wet, his hair messy. The fan made him look like a beggar trying to act like a rich man, which was quite ridiculous.

Seeing his appearance, Shen Fengxiao didn't laugh, but felt that this person had an extraordinary aura. However, the few people behind Shen Fengxiao couldn't control themselves and burst into laughter.

Water Wuyu closed his fan with a flick and said with a dark face, "You should thank Mo Ran. If you weren't part of her family, you would already be dead!"

"Mo Ran, is this how your friends treat the Shen family?" Shen Fengxiao's face turned red and white, like a dye shop.

Before Shen Mo Ran could speak, Shen Fengxiao suddenly pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, so Shen Lang is back too? The Tayan Academy hasn't even let out for the holidays. Were you expelled? Poor you... But it makes sense, you're a waste of resources without a martial soul."