Compared to Lu Yang, Li Haoran had always considered himself fortunate to have a relatively reliable master. Though his master had thrown him into magma, that had been done purely so he could better grasp the profound mysteries of the Fire Spiritual Root.
He never could have imagined that his good master even had enemies here in the Five Elements Sect.
And an entire Fire Vein's worth, at that.
Bai Ming patted Li Haoran on the shoulder. "Don't worry, this is an isolated case. I've heard Elder Zhou Xin has a great reputation and plenty of connections in the artifact crafting world."
That was certainly true. Elder Zhou Xin's craftsmanship was regarded as exceptional across the cultivation world, and his public acclaim was stellar.
Master craftsmen often judged one another's standing by the number of patents they registered, and Elder Zhou Xin had secured more patents than anyone else.
Those patents had brought him immense wealth, to the point where even the Seventh Elder, a master alchemist, possessed fewer spirit stones than the Fifth Elder.
Of course, Elder Zhou Xin's wealth still paled in comparison to Daoist Buyu's.
That wasn't to say Daoist Buyu actually had that much money on hand, but rather that the bounties placed on his head in the black markets were worth a fortune.
"What are those people doing?"
Lu Yang noticed several senior disciples lying almost completely naked on the scorching ground. Oblivious to the burning heat, they lay prone with their eyes closed in deep concentration, their skin coated in a layer of liquid that gleamed under the sun.
A tree branch was planted in the ground beside each of them.
The last time Lu Yang had seen such a spectacle was when people were sunbathing in his past life.
"You mean them? Is it really that hard to figure out? They're comprehending the Intent of the Sun. After extensive research, our Fire Vein elders concluded that the greater the surface area exposed to sunlight, the higher the chance of gaining an epiphany."
"That branch was brought back from Huangzhou by my master. Supposedly, it was a trophy from defeating an ancient cultivator—a branch of the Fusang tree, which is immensely helpful for comprehending the Intent of the Sun."
"And what they've rubbed on themselves is a specially formulated ointment."
"Is it an ointment that enhances comprehension of the Intent of the Sun?"
"It's sunscreen."
Lu Yang quietly looked away. The Five Elements Sect's cultivation methods were truly unique.
"Come on, I'll take you to see the Water Vein's cultivation grounds."
Before they could take a step, several cultivators bearing flame insignias between their brows marched toward them with proud bearings and sweeping strides.
"Which one is Li Haoran?"
"What do you want?" Meng Jingzhou frowned slightly, stepping forward to block their path.
"Are you Li Haoran?" The cultivators with flame marks stared at Meng Jingzhou.
Bai Ming stepped between the two groups, his tone displeased. "Senior Brother Yuan Gang, and the rest of you, what are you trying to do?"
These were senior disciples of the Fire Vein.
"Nothing much. We just heard Elder Zhou Xin's prized disciple had arrived, so we wanted to see what he looks like."
"They are guests."
Yuan Gang said lazily, "I know. I'm not planning to start a fight."
"I am Li Haoran." With matters reaching this point, Li Haoran didn't let anyone else take the fall for him and stepped forward on his own.
"So you're the one with the Fire Spiritual Root, Li Haoran. You can't judge a book by its cover. I heard you received Elder Zhou Xin's true teachings and are a remarkable artifact craftsman. Is that true?"
"What does it matter whether it's true or false?"
A sharp light flashed in Yuan Gang's eyes. "It doesn't matter. My cultivation is one minor realm higher than yours, so beating you in a fight wouldn't prove anything. How about this: you and I will compete in artifact crafting. What do you say?"
"Senior Brother Yuan Gang, Li Haoran is a guest," Bai Ming reminded him once more.
Yuan Gang chuckled. "It's just an exchange of craftsmanship, giving him a chance to learn the Five Elements Sect's methods. What's wrong with that?"
"A crafting contest? Fine." When it came to artifact crafting, Li Haoran had never feared anyone.
"See? Li Haoran himself agreed."
"When will the contest be?"
"No day is better than today. Why not right now? Everyone here can be our witness."
As the confrontation unfolded, more and more Five Elements Sect disciples gathered around, and even the ones sunbathing came over.
"What's going on? What happened?"
"Looks like Yuan Gang stepped forward to regain some face for our Fire Vein elders with an artifact crafting contest."
"Did the other guy agree?"
"He did."
"Then this'll be quite a show. Even the elders praise Senior Brother Yuan Gang's craftsmanship, calling him a future grandmaster of artifact crafting."
"Indeed."
Yuan Gang glanced around with a smile, his gaze settling back on Li Haoran. "Well? Do you want to compete right now, or do you need some time to prepare?"
"What is there to prepare? Now is fine. Tell me, what are the terms?"
Yuan Gang pondered for a moment and said seriously, "The path of artifact crafting ultimately serves cultivators, and cultivators value destructive power above all else. How about we see whose dharma treasure packs more punch?"
"And what's the standard for power?"
Yuan Gang pointed toward several colossal red boulders standing in the distance. "Those are lava essence stones, condensed from erupting volcanic magma by high-level experts using supreme magical power. Their texture is extraordinarily tough. Victory will go to whoever inflicts the most damage on a lava essence stone, with charging time capped at one hundred breaths."
The longer a dharma treasure was charged, the more power it unleashed. Without a time limit, the contest would merely turn into a test of who could charge their treasure longer.
"It's a deal."
"Uh, can the two of us join in as well?"
A light chuckle rang out. Yuan Gang looked over to see Lu Yang raising his hand with a grin, with Meng Jingzhou standing right beside him.
"You two know artifact crafting?" Yuan Gang looked at them suspiciously. He naturally recognized Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, but he had never heard that either of them was skilled in artifact crafting.
"We manage. Beating you shouldn't be much of a problem," Meng Jingzhou said with a cheerful grin.
Yuan Gang let out a laugh born of sheer disbelief. "Such boldness! That's the first time I've ever heard anyone claim they could beat me in artifact crafting! Fine, join in and let me see what you're made of!"
Puzzled, Bai Ming secretly sent a voice transmission to Man Gu and Tao Yaoye. "Do they really know how to craft artifacts?"
Man Gu shook his head in bewilderment, while Tao Yaoye remained silent, recalling their sect entrance trial from two years ago.
Their reactions left Bai Ming even more confused.
Yuan Gang shot a glance at his followers, and one of them retrieved a massive pile of raw crafting materials from an identity jade token: fine steel, ironwood, agate, pure yin water...
"These are the raw materials for crafting. You may use them freely during the competition. Common materials are unlimited, but rare materials are scarce. Once the match begins, it'll depend on who grabs them first."
Lu Yang quipped, "I've never seen such a fair contest. You proposed the match, you set the rules, and now you say rare materials are limited and have to be snatched. You won't mind if I use a few little spells, will you?"
Acting as if he hadn't heard Lu Yang's mockery, Yuan Gang asked with utter composure, "Suit yourself. Are you competing or not?"
The smile never leaving his face, Lu Yang replied, "Of course we're competing. If we didn't, how would you know how formidable our craft really is? But since it's a competition, what's at stake? We can't be betting on mere face, can we?"
"If I lose, you can pick any True Fire you want from this Fire Vein cultivation ground."
"And if you lose, don't set foot on our Fire Vein territory to cultivate for the rest of your stay at the Five Elements Sect!"
Chapter 529