Chapter 1

Kong Fang's face was adorned with a silly smile, completely stunned by the sudden news that had fallen from the sky.

As an inner hall disciple, Sun Hao had refined a spirit treasure, which already indicated that Sun Hao's talent was extremely formidable. The Artisan Sect bestowed only a three-star soul refinement technique to such a talented disciple, rather than a four-star or five-star one, which showed just how precious the soul refinement technique was.

Kong Fang not only possessed the soul refinement technique in advance but also a starry sky filled with countless stars. This could no longer be measured by stars but was a high-level soul refinement technique that surpassed imagination.

Kong Fang was in a daze all the way, not even knowing how he had climbed to the halfway point of the mountain. He felt as if he were walking on clouds, his feet light and unburdened, even temporarily forgetting the pain of his injuries.

It wasn't until he was almost at the Heavenly Storage Hall on the mountain's halfway point that Kong Fang suddenly snapped back to reality.

His gaze quickly swept around, and upon realizing no one was paying attention to him, Kong Fang let out a long sigh of relief. Having such a powerful soul refinement technique was indeed a good thing, but Kong Fang also understood the principle that possessing great wealth could bring great danger. He was still unfamiliar with this world, and if a powerful person could discern the abnormality in his mind, it would be a big problem.

Therefore, Kong Fang immediately suppressed his excitement, making himself appear more ordinary to avoid drawing the attention of some powerful figures.

Just as Kong Fang, with a 'normal' expression, was about to head to the nearby Heavenly Storage Hall, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise and put his foot back down.

"The injuries on my body have already recovered by more than half. From the foot of the mountain to the Heavenly Storage Hall, it hasn't been that long, yet I've recovered so much. This speed is too fast. Could it be... that the soul refinement technique also has the effect of healing injuries?" Kong Fang was both surprised and delighted.

Although Kong Fang still looked battered and bruised, the internal injuries inflicted by Zhao Yong had already improved significantly.

If he continued to recover at this rate, it wouldn't take long for his injuries to be completely healed.

However, what Kong Fang didn't know was that the soul refinement technique was beneficial to the soul but had little effect on the body. The reason his injuries were recovering so quickly was due to another cause. But with his limited knowledge of this world, Kong Fang was unaware of this.

With the threat of his injuries gone, Kong Fang's mind was at ease, and he immediately headed towards the Heavenly Storage Hall. His first goal now was to quickly obtain some refining materials to study carefully and see if he could refine a passable weapon to pass this assessment. Otherwise, his situation would truly become dangerous.

When Kong Fang reached the massive entrance of the Heavenly Storage Hall, he encountered four people coming out.

Both sides were momentarily stunned when they saw each other.

Of the four, Kong Fang only had a vague impression of the other three and was not familiar with them, but the young man walking in the middle was someone he remembered clearly. This person was none other than Zhao Yong, who had taken his Azure Mist Stone.

Zhao Yong, after a brief moment of surprise, quickly regained his composure. His eyes narrowed, and his gaze turned cold, like a venomous snake staring at its prey.

Then, Zhao Yong continued walking with the other three, but as they passed by Kong Fang, he lowered his voice and slowly said, "You're really tough, I hope you can stay tough forever." Zhao Yong's voice was full of coldness.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Zhao Yong let out a strange laugh and said, "Without the Azure Mist Stone, with your refining skills, you want to pass this assessment? Tsk tsk." Zhao Yong shook his head, his face showing disdain. "After the assessment, I'll be waiting for you outside the Artisan Sect. Rest assured, I'll give you a proper send-off. After all, you gave me the Azure Mist Stone." Zhao Yong smiled sinisterly and left with the other three.

Kong Fang watched as Zhao Yong and the others walked away, a coldness slowly appearing in his eyes. Although he had some resentment towards Zhao Yong before, most of it came from the lingering grudges of this body. Kong Fang himself didn't feel much.

But now it was different. Zhao Yong didn't intend to let him off, which had already endangered his life. For the first time, a murderous intent arose in Kong Fang's heart.

"In the merged memories, there is a simple cultivation technique. Now that I have an extremely powerful soul refinement technique, as long as I condense a 'divine soul,' I can cultivate magical power. It won't take long for me to reach the 'Soul Attraction' realm. At that time, Zhao Yong won't be my match, and I can find an opportunity to eliminate this隐患 (hidden danger) once and for all." Kong Fang quickly formulated a simple plan in his mind.

The Artisan Sect bestowed a simple cultivation technique to each new disciple. Although this simple cultivation technique couldn't help the new disciples reach the first realm of cultivation—the 'Soul Attraction' realm—due to the lack of the crucial soul refinement technique, it could help each new disciple discover their innate talents. For example, those with a fire attribute talent could control fire after cultivating this technique.

Kong Fang quickly walked into the Heavenly Storage Hall.

Inside the Heavenly Storage Hall were many interconnected counters, behind which were various male and female servants.

Kong Fang went straight to an unoccupied counter, first reported his identity, and then said, "I'm here to collect the refining materials for the assessment."

The female servant behind the counter pulled out a scroll from a pile, checked it, and nodded. She then turned to fetch the refining materials, and Kong Fang had to wait patiently at the counter.

While waiting for the refining materials, another person entered the Heavenly Storage Hall. This was an old man in a purple short-sleeved shirt. As soon as he entered, the temperature around him instantly rose several degrees.

This change immediately caught the attention of everyone in the Heavenly Storage Hall. When they saw the old man in the purple shirt, they all quickly bowed their heads and greeted him, "Greetings, Elder Xu."

Although Kong Fang's memory didn't contain information about this Elder Xu, he still followed the others and bowed respectfully.

Xu Chunyang casually nodded at everyone, but when he saw Kong Fang, who was dressed in tattered clothes and covered in blood, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Then, under the surprised gazes of the others, he walked over to Kong Fang.

Kong Fang was somewhat anxious. The elders of the Artisan Sect were at least at the 'Spirit Transformation' realm, and he was afraid that this elder might detect the abnormality in his mind.

"Greetings, Elder Xu." Kong Fang tried to remain as calm as possible.

Xu Chunyang 'hmm'ed and then frowned, staring at Kong Fang, which made Kong Fang even more uneasy.

Just as Kong Fang thought Xu Chunyang had discovered his secret, Xu Chunyang suddenly spoke.

"Having a single attribute talent makes it difficult to achieve great success in cultivation. Coming to our Artisan Sect to learn refining techniques is also a good idea, but..." Xu Chunyang paused here.

Kong Fang looked at Xu Chunyang in surprise, thinking that Xu Chunyang had discovered the secret in his mind, and was frantically thinking of a countermeasure. However, he didn't expect Xu Chunyang to be talking about his cultivation talent.

Noticing Xu Chunyang's frown, Kong Fang quickly suppressed his surprise to avoid arousing suspicion and asked respectfully, "May I ask, Elder, but... what?"

Xu Chunyang's expression suddenly became strange, "But, why would someone with an earth attribute talent come to the Artisan Sect to refine weapons?" Xu Chunyang, as a sect elder, was also puzzled and couldn't figure it out.

For someone with an earth attribute talent to refine weapons was no different from someone with a fire attribute talent playing with water, purely seeking trouble.

Kong Fang was also stunned. Although he had merged with the original owner's memories, he couldn't review all the memories in a short time. Hearing Elder Xu Chunyang's words, Kong Fang felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Without a fire attribute talent, one could still draw on the earth fire to refine weapons, but without the ability to control the flames, it was impossible to refine good weapons. Now, facing the biennial assessment, how could he possibly pass?

Seeing Kong Fang's dispirited appearance, Xu Chunyang shook his head in frustration and left. In Xu Chunyang's view, someone without a fire attribute talent coming to the Artisan Sect to refine weapons was a waste of effort.

The others in the Heavenly Storage Hall also heard Xu Chunyang's words. Some showed pity, but more showed a look of schadenfreude.

When the female servant who had gone to fetch the refining materials returned, Kong Fang finally snapped back to reality.

After collecting the refining materials, Kong Fang headed back.

"This body's original owner must have been doing worse and worse, even living separately from others. With an earth attribute talent, it's no wonder he couldn't do well." Kong Fang was disheartened, realizing that since he had come to this world, everything had gone wrong. First, he had attracted the enmity of Zhao Yong due to a precious refining material, then there was the sect's assessment, and now he had no capital to turn things around, only to find out he had an earth attribute talent.

Could life get any more miserable?

"The cultivation technique given to new disciples by the Artisan Sect can help them discover their potential and understand their innate talents. Others who discover they don't have a fire attribute talent would immediately leave the Artisan Sect and join other sects. But this body's original owner must have been out of his mind, having an earth attribute talent yet staying in the Artisan Sect." Kong Fang felt like crying, but after a moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"I have no choice now. I either refine a weapon that can pass the assessment or be expelled from the Artisan Sect. Just because I have an earth attribute talent, I won't believe I can't refine a weapon." Kong Fang gritted his teeth.

In fact, if Kong Fang were expelled from the sect, it would be extremely dangerous. Zhao Yong dared to act against him secretly within the sect, and without the sect's protection, Zhao Yong would be even more reckless.

"I need to focus on cultivation during this time, hoping to reach the 'Soul Attraction' realm and cultivate magical power. With magical power, I can at least have some means to protect myself." Kong Fang planned his escape route, knowing that having more options increased his chances of survival.

Although this was a backup plan, Kong Fang also understood how difficult it was to cultivate magical power in just a few days. Even those with extremely powerful talents needed at least half a month or a month to reach the 'Soul Attraction' realm and cultivate magical power, and he only had seven days left.

PS: There is a formatting issue with the system, which will be fixed as soon as possible. I apologize for the inconvenience. During the National Day holiday, updates will be once a day, and will return to twice a day after the holiday. Also, I request your support in terms of collections and recommendations. A new book needs care, thank you.