Chapter 520: Shattered Stones

The artifact refining competition began. Yuan Gang had already decided which magic artifact he would refine, and he was the first to act, quickly grabbing several extremely rare refining materials.

Li Haoran closed his eyes, pondering deeply what kind of powerful weapon he should refine.

Meng Jingzhou thoughtfully picked a few items from the pile of refining materials.

Lu Yang glanced at the impatient Yuan Gang, sneered, and then hoisted a log from the pile of refining materials.

News of the four individuals' competition quickly reached the upper echelons of the Five Elements Sect. The elders of the Five Branches and Qiu Jinan all appeared at the competition venue, but they concealed their presence, and no one noticed them.

“Old Song, Yuan Gang was your arrangement, wasn't he? That was a bit much,” Qiu Jinan frowned, looking at Song Duantian, the Fire Branch elder.

Song Duantian was portly, dressed in a vibrant red Daoist robe, which made him look somewhat comical. However, those who knew his temper and combat record dared not laugh aloud.

“Sect Master, please don't speak nonsense. It's just Yuan Gang, that filial child, acting on his own initiative. How could it be my arrangement?”

Qiu Jinan chuckled twice and said nothing more.

Did he really think Yuan Gang could win so easily?

The conflict between Zhou Xin and Song Duantian was more than just a struggle over True Fire. Over a thousand years ago, both men fell in love with the same female cultivator and pursued her ardently. With the guidance of the Silent Daoist, Zhou Xin successfully won her over, and they had a daughter named Zhou Lulu.

The animosity between the two could not be resolved by time alone.

Of course, Zhou Xin would often show off his wife in front of Song Duantian, especially in the recent decades since Zhou Lulu was born. He even brought his whole family along for New Year's celebrations, which was indeed a bit excessive.

Time passed by minute by minute. The venue was exceptionally quiet, as all four were meticulously crafting their magic artifacts. Only the clanging sounds of hammering and the sizzling of True Fire could be heard.

“It's done!” Yuan Gang sighed in relief. While he was arrogant and overbearing when challenging others, he became focused and meticulous when refining artifacts.

Even though he had concentrated fully on refining this planned artifact, he still wasn't absolutely certain he could succeed.

But since he managed to refine it, victory was already decided.

What appeared in his hand was a cylindrical object, primarily forged from bronze, with a hollow center. Both its inner and outer surfaces were engraved with inscriptions.

“What kind of artifact is this?”

“It looks so strange.”

“Has anyone seen it before?”

The disciples of the Five Elements Sect whispered among themselves, discussing this never-before-seen artifact.

“I call it the Meteorite Cannon.” This was a powerful weapon he had developed, making its public debut for the first time.

Li Haoran seemed not to hear Yuan Gang's voice, continuing to devote himself entirely to refining his artifact.

The flame in his palm resembled a fiery serpent, and every inch of the artifact melted and reshaped under the flame's intense heat.

This was the Great Derivation True Fire, mastered by Li Haoran. Though not immensely powerful, it was the most suitable for artifact refining, as its flexible and versatile properties allowed for the maximum realization of planned artifacts.

Disappointed that he hadn't distracted Li Haoran, Yuan Gang stood his ground, shouldering the cannon. He continuously poured spiritual energy into the cannon, and the runes inscribed both inside and out flickered, collecting the energy and channeling it to the bottom. The cannon's base turned from green to red, and a terrifying aura began to brew there.

Thirty breaths, forty breaths... ninety breaths, one hundred breaths!

Bai Ming stood nearby, his hairs standing on end, feeling threatened.

If he were to take a direct hit, he would likely be severely injured.

“Let me show you the power of the Meteorite Cannon!”

Amidst the thunderous roar of the Meteorite Cannon, Yuan Gang's laughter was quickly drowned out.

A scorching spiritual energy projectile shot out, seemingly carrying the might of ten thousand bolts of lightning, slamming fiercely into the Lava Essence Stone!

The massive stone instantly developed spiderweb-like cracks!

Gasps of astonishment erupted from the crowd.

“My heavens, what immense power!”

“A Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator can damage a Lava Essence Stone?!”

“What an incredible artifact!”

“That Yuan Gang kid is really something.” Song Duantian chuckled proudly, the power of the Meteorite Cannon bringing honor to his face.

Yuan Gang cast a triumphant glance at Li Haoran, who had by then successfully refined his artifact. It was an extremely fine needle, as thin as an ox's hair, almost invisible to the naked eye.

In addition, there was a disc the size of a millstone, intricately engraved with complex inscriptions that made Yuan Gang dizzy just by looking at them.

Li Haoran placed the hair-thin needle on the edge of the disc and channeled spiritual energy into the disc to activate it.

Circles of inscriptions lit up, and the hair-thin needle floated above the disc's edge, slowly circling.

“Is that all…” Yuan Gang sneered. But before he could finish his sneer, he saw the hair-thin needle flying above the disc, as if an invisible force was binding it.

The needle's flying speed grew faster and faster. Each completed revolution increased its speed by another level. After sixty breaths, the needle was flying so fast it was almost a blur, and by seventy breaths, Yuan Gang could no longer see it at all.

Eighty breaths, ninety breaths, one hundred breaths!

At the hundredth breath, the disc lost its spiritual energy, and the hair-thin needle, now unbound, shot towards the Lava Essence Stone at an invisible speed!

With only a faint sound, the hair-thin needle pierced through three Lava Essence Stones in a row, lodging itself in the fourth. Its tail didn't even tremble in the slightest!

It consecutively penetrated three Lava Essence Stones, leaving a hole as small as an ox's hair in the center of each!

“Senior Brother Yuan Gang, I yield,” Li Haoran cupped his fists and smiled faintly.

Yuan Gang stubbornly refused to concede: “The competition is about who inflicts greater damage on the essence stone. I created such a large spiderweb of cracks, while you only made a tiny puncture. I'm clearly superior.”

Just as Li Haoran was about to argue with Yuan Gang, he heard Meng Jingzhou's laughter from nearby: “Comparing damage to the giant stone, are we? Alright, then it's my turn. Don't renege on your word this time.”

Yuan Gang frowned. What Meng Jingzhou held in his hand was clearly not an artifact, just a rope. What was he going to do?

Meng Jingzhou offered no explanation. He simply used the rope to tie the essence stone, then grasped the other end of the rope and flew higher and higher. Soon, he was out of sight, and only faint sounds could be heard from the sky.

“I wonder how high it needs to fly to break the stone.”

Yuan Gang angrily retorted: “You only have one hundred breaths of time!”

He had never imagined that human strength could shatter the essence stone!

Meng Jingzhou's unhurried voice replied: “But I'm not using an artifact. One hundred breaths is for artifact use, not for me.”

After an unknown period, a meteorite descended from the sky, glowing with light and heat, plummeting straight towards Yuan Gang. The mere sight of it was visually impactful.

Yuan Gang quickly dodged out of the way.

The essence stone fell, shattering into countless pieces and raising an immense cloud of dust. A huge crater was formed in the Fire Branch's area, making Song Duantian's heart ache.

Meng Jingzhou landed, shaking his head with a tsk: “Oh, I thought your artifact was called the Meteorite Cannon and could actually shatter stars. I overestimated you.”

Yuan Gang's face was livid. That brat had deliberately aimed at him!

Meng Jingzhou turned his head: “Lu Yang, are you ready?”

“Long ready, I was just waiting for the stone to fall.” Lu Yang blew away the sawdust from his sword. He had refined a wooden sword, one that would break with a mere snap.

Yuan Gang's face was still livid, and he frowned, unable to comprehend what Lu Yang was about to do.

Lu Yang walked with a smile to another essence stone, raised his hand, and began to wield his sword. His movements were slow and graceful, possessing a unique kind of beauty.

“I heard he's a sword cultivator. What is he going to do, shatter the essence stone with a sword?”

“Impossible! That stone can't be shattered by a Golden Core stage cultivator, not even a sword cultivator!”

It wasn't just the Five Elements Sect disciples; even the elders of the Five Branches and Qiu Jinan couldn't make sense of it. They just found the movements familiar.

Lu Yang's sword-wielding posture was elegant, imbued with an ethereal quality, as if he had become a different person. A triumphant smile played on his lips.

Suddenly, sword light flashed, and Lu Yang transformed into a different appearance.

“Haha, you fools of the Five Elements Sect, you didn't even realize I was using my little apprentice's identity?”

“With such poor eyesight, you think you can catch me? What's the point of practicing Fiery Golden Eyes? You're practically blind!”

The Silent Daoist chuckled, mocking the six hidden figures with his sword dance.

Silent Daoist's Mimicry Fist!

Boom! Boom!

Enormous fireballs appeared above the Silent Daoist's head, like second suns. Golden Earth energy crisscrossed, like clashing spears and thundering cavalry, ready to slay enemies and conquer foes!

The hot-tempered Fire Branch elder and the Metal Branch elder made their move. Fireballs and Golden Earth energy rained down, engulfing the essence stone.

The essence stone didn't even have a chance to turn to dust; it simply vanished into nothingness.

It wasn't that they couldn't discern that this Silent Daoist was an impostor, but they simply couldn't resist.

Especially that tone—it was too similar.