Chapter 1

For a while, Li Yunxiao had been in a daze, with various images flashing through his mind as if he had become someone else. He would occasionally fall into a state of epilepsy, shouting, crying, and laughing uncontrollably.

What was even more peculiar was that a voice kept echoing in his mind, seemingly reciting a strange scripture. Sometimes, when he listened carefully, it sounded like a cultivation technique, and his body would involuntarily move along with it. The more he lost his mind, the more fragments of memories appeared, becoming increasingly complete.

Finally, one day, he was tormented to the point of fainting. When he woke up again, all the fragments were seamlessly connected in his mind. Li Yunxiao's eyes were clear, like ancient stars, and he finally awoke.

"Who would have thought I would be reborn?" Li Yunxiao's eyes shot out a glimmer of starlight, and he turned his head slightly to look at the towering statue in the clouds outside the window. "In the year 1033 of the Tianwu Era, have I, Gu Feiyang, been dead for fifteen years?"

Fifteen years ago, one of the ten titled martial emperors of the Tianwu World, the Peku Martial Emperor—Gu Feiyang—unexpectedly fell in the Tianrang Mountains, shocking the entire continent! After that, various forces began to stir, and conflicts intensified. The Tianwu Continent, which had been dormant for hundreds of years, once again saw a surge of activity.

"Heh," Li Yunxiao grinned and sighed softly, "Who would have thought I've been reborn for fifteen years. I, Gu Feiyang, have finally returned."

Suddenly, a cold voice shouted, "Li Yunxiao!"

"Whoosh!"

A sharp sound broke the air, and Li Yunxiao lifted his head slightly to see a piece of chalk flying towards his face. He casually caught it with two fingers and placed it on the desk, looking at the class teacher, Luo Yunshang, whose face was growing colder.

Li Yunxiao had been distracted in class many times, and if he weren't, it would be strange. But today, Luo Yunshang's mood was clearly very bad, so she needed a scapegoat to vent her frustrations.

And the widely recognized waste, Li Yunxiao, was undoubtedly the best choice. For a long time, all the teachers who were in a bad mood also liked to pick on him, which seemed to have become a habit. Whenever a teacher was in a bad mood, everyone knew Li Yunxiao was in trouble.

Everyone began to laugh and gloat, eagerly waiting for the show, and some students even started to cheer.

Li Yunxiao squinted his eyes and looked at Luo Yunshang on the podium, thinking, "This girl has a great figure, with long hair and a handsome face. If she wore a red robe, silver boots, and a sky-blue cloak, and carried the Frost's Sorrow, she would be a living Red Lotus Martial Emperor. Hehe, she has great potential in uniforms. I wonder if the Red Lotus girl would kill me if she knew."

Luo Yunshang suddenly felt a shock, and a hint of a smile seemed to flash in Li Yunxiao's eyes, making her shiver inexplicably. It was as if a gentle white rabbit had suddenly been stared at by a fierce tiger, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"What just happened? This boy's gaze... He seemed to be smiling just now? Impossible! I am a Fourth Phase Great Martial Master, how could I lose my composure to an ordinary boy? It must be because I've been preoccupied with that matter recently, making my mind unstable."

The shock in her eyes quickly disappeared, and she quickly regained her composure. Her eyes turned cold, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth. "Li Yunxiao, we just talked about the refinement of mystic weapons. Tell me, how many methods are there to refine ordinary mystic weapons?"

Luo Yunshang was teaching the basics of refinement, and although only a few could become refinement masters, every martial practitioner needed to understand the basic knowledge of refinement.

"Refining mystic weapons? Ha, I am a Ninth Rank Imperial Refinement Master on the Tianwu Continent. Apart from those few old immortals, who would dare to mention the art of refinement in front of me!"

Li Yunxiao said casually, "There are forty-eight methods to refine ordinary mystic weapons."

"Forty-eight methods?"

The classroom suddenly fell silent, and then burst into laughter!

"Ha ha, this boy is definitely sleepwalking."

"I told you, looking at his calm face, I thought he knew it!"

"Tsk! If he knew this, I would have become a national iron guard long ago!"

Li Yunxiao frowned, and his gaze fell on the textbook in front of him. He flipped it open and saw a sentence, "There are thirty-six methods to refine ordinary mystic weapons. They are..."

He closed the book and saw the title "Basics of Refinement" on the cover, and below it, in small print, "by Yang Di."

"Yang Di, didn't I tell him there are forty-eight methods? This guy just ignored me and won't listen to my lectures anymore."

He instantly sentenced the author of the book to death. If Yang Di knew, he would probably cry to death.

Li Yunxiao ignored the various taunts and said calmly, "There are thirty-six orthodox refinement methods, but sixty years ago, Gu Feiyang created twelve new methods, which were recognized by the Refinement Master Association and included in the basic refinement methods. So there should be forty-eight methods."

"Tsk, what are you talking about, do you think you know more than Master Yang Di?"

"Ha ha, this boy is probably talking nonsense to avoid punishment."

"Exactly, Master Yang Di, as a student of the Great Martial Emperor Gu Feiyang, wouldn't he know how many basic refinement methods there are?"

The taunts grew louder, and suddenly a loud voice silenced everyone.

"Shut up! He is right!"

Luo Yunshang slapped the table, and a gust of wind spread out, making everyone feel a powerful pressure. Their faces turned pale in shock. Some students near the podium were almost as white as paper, almost bleeding.

Li Yunxiao felt the gust of wind and smiled inwardly, "Second Phase, this girl has good talent. And her soul power seems very strong, at least a high-level refinement apprentice." He was slightly surprised; he knew Luo Yunshang was very capable, but he didn't expect her to be at the Fourth Phase level.

Martial practitioners have nine levels: First Phase (Warrior), Second Phase (Martial Master), Third Phase (Great Martial Master), Fourth Phase (Martial Lord), Fifth Phase (Martial King), Sixth Phase (Martial Ancestor), Seventh Phase (Martial Emperor), Eighth Phase (Martial Venerable), Ninth Phase (Martial Emperor). At the peak of the Ninth Phase, one can be granted a title by the Holy City, becoming a titled martial emperor.

Each level is further divided into nine sub-levels from one star to nine stars.

Luo Yunshang looked at Li Yunxiao coldly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She scanned the class and slowly explained.

"The basic refinement methods have always been thirty-six. Sixty years ago, the Great Martial Emperor Gu Feiyang, with his unparalleled talent in refinement, created twelve new basic methods, which were recognized by the Refinement Master Association. However, these twelve methods are too difficult for ordinary people to master, so Master Yang Di did not include them in the 'Basics of Refinement' when he wrote it."

All the students were shocked, looking at Li Yunxiao with disbelief, as if the last student had suddenly solved a problem that even the top students couldn't.

Luo Yunshang was also surprised. The fact that there are forty-eight basic refinement methods is not a secret to refinement masters, but for a martial apprentice to know it is quite valuable.

She suddenly had a thought, "They say Li Yunxiao is a martial waste, but could he have a talent for refinement, so he studied a lot of materials on his own?" This idea made her heart race. If she could cultivate a refinement master, the value would far exceed a martial practitioner!

Let's test him again!

Luo Yunshang looked up and saw Li Yunxiao smiling at her, giving her a feeling as if a teacher was looking at her student, making her slightly angry. She sneered, "Don't think that learning some obscure things means you can skip class. I'll ask you one more question. If you answer correctly, you don't have to come to my class anymore, and I'll give you full marks. If you can't, humph! You'll have to stay in the tenfold gravity room for three hours! Tell me, why do we add Tianjing Sand when refining mystic weapons?"

"Zzz!"

"Three hours in the tenfold gravity room, that's too harsh!"

"Ha ha, didn't you notice that Teacher Nalan was in a bad mood today? This boy just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Hehe, he deserves it. Look at his face, I can't wait to kick him a few times!"

"Wow, did you hear that? This question is too difficult. Everyone knows that Tianjing Sand is added when refining mystic weapons, but why?"

"Right, it's like asking why one plus one equals two. Ha ha, it looks like the teacher is deliberately trying to make Li Yunxiao look bad. Hehe!"

"Three hours in the tenfold gravity room?"

Li Yunxiao shook his head slightly in helplessness. If it were before, even a thousandfold gravity wouldn't affect him. But with this body, tenfold gravity was indeed a challenge.

His helpless expression was quickly interpreted by Luo Yunshang as fear, and the admiration she had just felt was completely erased. She thought, "A martial waste is still a martial waste, nothing has changed."

Moreover, as soon as she asked the question, she immediately regretted it. She felt guilty and ashamed for tricking a student. After all, he had just answered a basic question very well, showing a completely different attitude towards learning compared to before. Was she going to undermine his confidence and self-esteem, and stifle a flower that was just beginning to bloom?

While she was lost in thought, Li Yunxiao answered almost without thinking.

"Actually, refining mystic weapons doesn't necessarily require Tianjing Sand. It's just that ordinary refinement masters find it difficult to control the fusion of materials during the refinement process, so they need the neutralizing properties of Tianjing Sand to moderate the process."

After he finished speaking, the classroom fell into an eerie silence, and everyone looked at each other, as they didn't understand what Li Yunxiao was saying.