As soon as these twelve Elders arrived, they dispersed and stood around the square, supervising the participants.

Soon, a white-haired Taiyi Elder in a cyan robe stepped forward and said loudly to everyone, "Welcome, all contestants, to this artifact refining Competition."

"The rules of the competition are the same as before; it will be divided into three rounds. As long as you meet the prescribed standard in each round, you can advance to the next."

"As for the rewards that everyone is most concerned about, the first-place winner will receive one hundred catties of sea heart sand and one million Immortal Stones. The second-place winner will receive nine hundred thousand Immortal Stones, and the third-place winner will receive eight hundred thousand Immortal Stones."

"I hope everyone can show their true abilities and strive for good results!"

After finishing these basic details about the competition, the Taiyi Elder waved his hand towards the sky.

Streaks of light flashed, and a large number of artifact refining materials appeared out of thin air on the tables in front of each participant. The materials were complete in variety and just the right amount, not too many, not too few.

"The first round of the competition begins now. You have one hour. As long as you can refine a third-grade Immortal Artifact, you will pass and advance to the next round," the Taiyi Elder’s voice rang out again.

"Begin."

With his command, the artifact refining area in the square instantly became lively.

The participants began to act, some first picking up the materials to carefully examine them, confirming the quality and characteristics of each type.

Others directly summoned their Immortal Fire and began to smelt the materials on the table, fearing to waste time.

In fact, refining a third-grade Immortal Artifact was not too difficult for most of the participants present, as almost all who could participate in this competition were Golden Immortal Cultivators.

However, the difficulty lay in refining a third-grade Immortal Artifact within the short time limit of one hour.

This severely tested a Cultivator’s artifact refining proficiency, which is why everyone was so pressed for time, not daring to be even slightly negligent.

Yan Shuai glanced at Yun Fei next to him. Seeing that she hadn’t started yet, he said confidently, "It’s just refining a third-grade Immortal Artifact. What’s so difficult about that?"

"Young Miss, how about we have a little competition? We’ll see who refines an Immortal Artifact first. If I win, you tell me your name, how about it?"

Unexpectedly, Yun Fei didn’t even look at him, merely replying coldly, "Focus on refining your artifact, Octo-freak."

"Pfft."

As soon as Yun Fei spoke, the surrounding participants who heard her couldn’t help but laugh, turning to look at Yan Shuai with eyes full of teasing.

Octo-freak?

Fang Hong also couldn’t help but curl his lips, finding Yun Fei’s words quite amusing. This Sea Race young master’s true form was indeed an octopus.

As expected of the Yun Family’s Young Miss, her words were so assertive. Even when facing royalty of the sea, she wasn’t afraid at all, confronting them directly when needed.

When Yan Shuai heard Yun Fei call him that, the smile on his face instantly vanished, and his expression slowly darkened. The anger in his heart flared up at once.

He hated it most when others talked about his race being octopuses. Yun Fei saying that was undoubtedly a slap in his face.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh, what’s so funny."

Yan Shuai suddenly turned his head and reprimanded the still-laughing participants around him.

Those participants, startled by his roar, immediately stopped laughing. They quickly composed themselves and lowered their heads, focusing on refining their own artifacts, fearing to anger this Sea Race young master.

Yan Shuai glared at Yun Fei, thinking viciously in his heart.

"This lowly maid, how dare she speak to me like that. If she falls into my hands, I’ll make sure she experiences my true power."

This was Purple Cloud Immortal Island, the territory of Human powerhouses. In broad daylight, he dared not cause trouble and could only suppress his Qi in his heart.

Yan Shuai suppressed the anger in his heart and reached out, gathering all the artifact refining materials on the table.

He had to take first place in this artifact refining Competition. Then, he would show this woman the true power of the demon race’s artifact refining techniques.

On the other side, Fang Hong no longer paid attention to Yan Shuai and Yun Fei’s movements.

He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of Immortal Fire, throwing the materials on the table one by one into the fire, beginning to smelt them in an orderly fashion, his movements skilled and fluid.

In the square, over five thousand Cultivators simultaneously began artifact refining, a truly magnificent sight.

Immortal Fire of various colors burned above the tables, and there were even Immortal Cauldrons of different styles placed on the tables.

Everyone’s artifact refining techniques also varied, and the entire square was enveloped in a fervent atmosphere.

As time passed, occasional bang explosions could be heard in the square.

That was someone failing at artifact refining, and their materials being destroyed.

Those disciples who failed at artifact refining all shook their heads despondently, their faces full of disappointment, and walked out of the artifact refining area helplessly.

Each person only had one set of materials for this assessment. Once they ruined it, there was no second chance; they could only watch others continue the competition.

Buzz.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a crisp buzzing sound suddenly emanated from a certain spot in the square.

Immediately after, a dazzling golden light shot into the sky, attracting everyone’s attention.

Everyone turned to look, only to see a golden, shimmering precious sword suspended in the air in front of Fang Hong.

The sword body was smooth and gleaming, with intricate patterns carved upon it.

Clearly, Fang Hong was the first participant to successfully refine a third-grade Immortal Artifact.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding people couldn’t help but show surprised expressions, discussing among themselves.

"He finished so quickly? That speed is too fast." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"I just melted the materials into liquid, and he’s already refined an Immortal Artifact. The difference is too great."

Fang Hong seemed not to hear the discussions around him. He reached out, gently took the precious sword from the air, and placed it on his table.

Then, he sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to rest, quietly awaiting the start of the next round of competition.

For him, refining a third-grade Immortal Artifact was merely child’s play.

"Late Golden Immortal? This person indeed has some skill. It seems it will be somewhat difficult to firmly secure first place this time."

Yun Fei glanced at Fang Hong from the corner of her eye. Seeing that he had refined the Immortal Artifact so quickly, a hint of surprise appeared on her face, and some pressure quietly rose in her heart.

Originally, she thought she had few rivals in artifact refining within the same realm, but Fang Hong’s performance clearly exceeded her expectations.

"Could this bald man really have been hiding his strength all this time, just as the two Dharma Protectors said earlier?" Yan Shuai stood on the other side, turned his head, and glanced at Fang Hong, secretly speculating.

He had previously thought Fang Hong was just an ordinary Cultivator, but given his current artifact refining speed, he must indeed have some skill.

After a while, Yan Shuai also refined a cold, gleaming precious sword, becoming the second participant to successfully refine an artifact.

As he placed the precious sword on the table, he specifically glanced in Fang Hong’s direction, as if silently competing.