Lin Hao didn’t stay in the Pill Furnace Hall for long before departing.

The reason Lin Hao chose the Pill Furnace Hall as his first stop was, naturally, to test the skills of the Alchemy Masters.

Normally, testing the skills of the various Alchemy Masters would have taken a significant amount of time. However, the moment Lin Hao arrived at the Pill Furnace Hall, he suddenly recalled a certain Alchemy Hand Seal.

The Carefree Divine Monarch, while not versed in martial arts, possessed an inexplicably vast Spiritual Power. That particular Alchemy Hand Seal required immense Spiritual Power to support it.

Previously, Lin Hao would have been completely unable to perform it. But after obtaining the *Divine Illumination Scripture*, his soul was nourished by the power of the stars, and his Spiritual Power was also growing at an exponential rate.

Just as all the Alchemy Masters ceased their movements, Lin Hao subconsciously performed that very hand seal.

After successfully executing it, Lin Hao naturally got a clear understanding of all the Alchemy Masters’ skill levels.

And they did not disappoint him; they had clearly passed the test.

Seeing how reserved they were, Lin Hao saw no reason to stay. He tapped Wu Kui on the forehead, transferring most of his Alchemy Skill to him. Without waiting for a reaction, he then took his leave.

His next destination was the Divine Weapon Hall.

For a sect to become powerful, Cultivation Techniques, martial arts, pills, and mystic realms were all indispensable.

The Scripture Pavilion had plenty of Cultivation Techniques and martial arts, so Lin Hao wasn’t worried about that. As for mystic realms, Wu Taichu had already explained things on the way to the Saha World, so that wasn’t an immediate concern either.

Pills, needless to say, were something he had just assessed.

Cultivation Techniques, martial arts, pills, and mystic realms can make a sect strong, but if it truly wants to become one of the continent’s top sects, then in terms of importance, Spiritual Artifacts would definitely rank in the top two.

Before he left, Lin Hao had taught Lian Lanxin many Artifact Refining techniques. Now, it was time to inspect the results.

Before he even reached the Divine Weapon Hall, Lian Lanxin had already given Lin Hao a pleasant surprise.

Lin Hao saw a stone monument erected not far from the Divine Weapon Hall. The monument had a peculiar shape—it looked like a sword.

Carved into the center of the stone sword were three powerful words: Divine Weapon Hall.

Aside from these three words, the stone sword was engraved with many lifelike patterns: flying birds, mountains and rivers, and even the sun, moon, and stars.

Lin Hao could tell at a glance whose handiwork this was.

Staring at the stone sword for a moment, a glint of surprise appeared in Lin Hao’s eyes.

Lian Lanxin’s rate of growth had exceeded his imagination.

A flicker of anticipation rose in Lin Hao’s heart as he walked forward.

"Who goes there?!" Lin Hao had only taken a single step when he stopped, a sharp cry ringing out from the distance.

The next moment, two Heaven-Stepping Sect disciples appeared before him. Their cultivation was not weak; both were at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer.

But that wasn’t the main point. What was important was that they were each holding a weapon.

With just a glance, Lin Hao could tell that both weapons were Tier One Spiritual Artifacts.

"Not bad," Lin Hao said coolly.

"Senior Brother, you’re back!" The two disciples were stunned for a moment upon seeing Lin Hao, then spoke with delight.

Before Lin Hao could speak, a joyful voice called out, "Big Brother!"

The next moment, a girl whose face was lit up by a radiant smile appeared before Lin Hao. It was none other than Lian Lanxin.

"It’s been a few months, and you’ve gotten taller," Lin Hao teased with a smile upon seeing her.

This simple sentence, however, made Lian Lanxin’s pretty face flush red as she lowered her head.

The two disciples at the side stared, dumbfounded.

When it came to status in the Heaven-Stepping Sect, Lian Lanxin was definitely one of the top figures. Moreover, in Artifact Refining, she was decisive and forceful; there was no one who didn’t fear her.

But now, this "Iron Lady" Lian Lanxin was showing such a girlish reaction to a simple sentence. It made the two disciples feel like they were seeing things.

"What are you staring at? Get back to work!" Just as the two were spacing out, Lian Lanxin’s icy words made them jump, and they immediately turned tail and fled.

The sudden change left even Lin Hao a bit stunned, after which he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Big Brother, when did you get back?" Lian Lanxin’s face reddened again as she asked Lin Hao in a soft voice.

"Just now. You truly have a talent for this. Your accomplishments in Artifact Refining have already reached such heights." Lin Hao gazed at the stone sword and praised her sincerely.

Lin Hao’s words of praise, however, made Lian Lanxin’s face suddenly turn pale.

She bit her lip and was about to speak when Lin Hao interrupted her.

"I know what you want to say, and I don’t blame you. To make this much progress in just a few months is truly the mark of a genius. I believe that one day, you will be the one to wield that stone sword," Lin Hao said encouragingly.

"Big Brother, you even know that the Jinglian Saint Institute has a stone sword?" Lian Lanxin was greatly surprised to hear this.

Lin Hao smiled. "Of course, I do."

Not only did he know that the Jinglian Saint Institute had a stone sword, but he also knew of its origin.

Lian Lanxin was not one to pry, so she didn’t press the matter.

"Big Brother, over the past few months, we’ve refined one hundred and seven Tier One Spiritual Artifacts, thirty-five Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts, and one Tier Three Spiritual Artifact. In total, we used... blood-vein Crystal Stones..." Lian Lanxin paused, then began to report the results of the past few months to Lin Hao.

If anyone else had heard Lian Lanxin’s words, they would surely have fainted from shock.

A sect that could actually refine Spiritual Artifacts, and had even succeeded in creating a Tier Three one!

One had to understand that on the Celestial Yang Continent, the phrase "Spiritual Artifacts come from Jinglian" was not just a slogan.

There might be people outside who could refine Tier One or Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts, but aside from the disciples of the Jinglian Saint Institute, those who could refine Tier Three Spiritual Artifacts were almost nonexistent.

Now, Lian Lanxin had actually managed to refine a Tier Three Spiritual Artifact. Forget the five great divine sects—even the Jinglian Saint Institute itself would probably be shocked.

Of course, none of them knew, so there was no way to gauge their reaction. But at this moment, Lin Hao, upon hearing this, was at the very least quite shocked himself.

Before Lian Lanxin could finish, Lin Hao spoke up. "I don’t care how many Crystal Stones you used. Lan Xin, you actually managed to refine a Tier Three Spiritual Artifact. That’s incredible."

Lin Hao had never imagined that Lian Lanxin would be able to refine a Tier Three Spiritual Artifact in such a short amount of time.

"It’s all thanks to your guidance, Big Brother," Lian Lanxin said, embarrassed by Lin Hao’s praise.

Lin Hao shook his head, then suddenly extended a finger and pointed it at Lian Lanxin’s forehead.

Lian Lanxin was startled by Lin Hao’s sudden intimate gesture, her body tensing up instantly. But the next moment, her eyes went wide.

Because with that seemingly intimate touch of his finger, Lin Hao had actually transmitted a vast amount of Artifact Refining techniques into her mind.

"Big Brother, this..." The Artifact Refining techniques Lin Hao had sent into her mind left Lian Lanxin completely stunned.

"You have a talent for Artifact Refining. Take these techniques and study them well," Lin Hao said with a casual smile.

To Lin Hao, neither Alchemy nor Artifact Refining techniques were particularly important. Besides, he had kept the true essence for himself, so he wasn’t the least bit worried about any mishaps.

Moreover, now that his cultivation had reached the Soul Gathering Realm, the even more mysterious and unpredictable Array Pattern Skill awaited him. Lin Hao naturally wouldn’t be focusing his efforts on Alchemy or Artifact Refining.

After his experience with Yunxi’s beast-taming arts, Lin Hao felt it was necessary to start making use of the Array Pattern Skill.