Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 925 - Conflict

If anyone asked what the Treasure Institution had the most, everyone would reply with the same answer—forging chambers. These chambers occupied most of the institution's territory, lined up in rows, each connected to the subterranean flame.

Likewise, if anyone asked which area of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy was the wealthiest, they would answer the Treasure Institution. Though they couldn't be considered the richest, they could be ranked in the top three.

After all, weapons and pills were essential to cultivators, and there was the Treasure Institution for blacksmithing.

Whenever a disciple used a forging chamber, they paid with points, which went into the Treasure Institution's accounts. Each month, the collected points were evenly distributed among the disciples.

Besides the Myriad Phase Cavern, the Treasure Institution was the second most desired place to join. Even if they did nothing, they would receive hundreds of monthly points.

Meanwhile, other disciples had to risk their lives to complete dangerous missions for points, but they could not do anything about it. Take the Thousand Divination Court, for example. Those who wished to understand more about astrology or obtain divination would go there, but requesting their service would come at a steep price in points.

Those points would be passed on to their disciples, but few would visit the Thousand Divination Court for their service.

The seven peaks had it worst, as they had no core industry.

Looking at the rows of forging chambers, Liu Wuxie couldn't help but feel a twinge of shock. Though there were thousands of them, it was still far from enough to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of disciples. No wonder securing a chamber was so difficult.

A few hundred forging chambers would be considered ample in the other prominent sects, but it wasn't enough in the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy.

"All those who wish to forge weapons, please line up here!" There was a designated area for queuing, and disciples could enter once it was their turn.

Liu Wuxie naturally had to follow the Treasure Institution's rules and line up. Once he registered his name, he saw that five people were ahead of him.

It wasn't too bad, and each forging chamber had space-time laws. One day outside was equivalent to one month inside; a single day was enough for everyone to forge their weapons.

Time passed, and more disciples came over to forge their weapons. Two hours later, two chambers opened, and the first two people entered.

A few hours later, the next three followed suit. This meant Liu Wuxie now stood first in line, and he was the next.

Though the chambers were sealed shut, Liu Wuxie could sense the powerful runes etched within. It was clear that forging a weapon here would yield twice the result with half the effort.

Time passed, and no one came out, even at night. Even so, Liu Wuxie didn't give up, as he had long waited.

Right then, a group approached from a distance. A youth led the party, walking with a swagger and an air of superiority around him.

Many disciples turned their eyes to them as they approached, including Liu Wuxie. After all, the academy was full of untapped prodigies and rising powers, especially holy sons who held high status in the academy.

"Senior Brother Liu Sheng, why come personally when you wish to refine something? We'll reserve a chamber specially for you," said the disciple at registration, welcoming the newcomer with a respectful smile.

"Liu Sheng?" Liu Wuxie frowned. freewёbnoνel.com

He found the name familiar but couldn't quite place it. Liu Wuxie looked over and saw Liu Sheng watching him, yet the face didn't stir any clear memories. But moments later, his gaze fell on the youth beside Liu Sheng, and his eyes narrowed in recognition.

At the same time, the youth turned to look his way, and his expression froze the instant he saw Liu Wuxie. Recognition struck both of them, and rage flared in their eyes the moment they locked gazes.

"Liu Wuxie, I didn't expect to see you here. Perfect—now I can kill you today!" Liu Lin roared, his voice thunderous and filled with hostility. The crowd around them fell silent, turning their heads in unison toward the source of the outburst.

Upon hearing Liu Wuxie's name, even Liu Sheng raised his head to glance over.

It was also at this moment that Liu Wuxie realized who they were. They were Liu Sheng and Liu Lin, the grandsons of Liu Xiaotian. Liu Sheng had joined the academy five years ago alongside Liu Feng.

Liu Xiaotian was forced to leave the clan due to Liu Wuxie and was left to wander the lands without a home or kin. This naturally made Liu Sheng and Liu Lin furious, and they vowed to avenge their grandfather.

But with Liu Wuxie absent from the academy for so long, they had been powerless to act. Now that fate had brought him back before them, they had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.

Liu Lin naturally knew he wasn't a match for Liu Wuxie. But his elder brother, Liu Sheng, was a holy son at the fifth level of the Spirit Profound Realm and held a prestigious status within the academy.

The surrounding disciples were confused and had no idea what was going on.

"Liu Wuxie?"

"Which one?"

Though many hadn't seen Liu Wuxie with their own eyes, they had all heard about him, especially among the seven peaks. Even those from the five institutions and three courts had heard of him.

"Liu Wuxie, you have chosen the path to hell by presenting yourself before me," Liu Sheng said as he approached Liu Wuxie. The brothers were enraged when they learned that their grandfather was forced to leave the Liu Clan.

This meant their lineage had lost all ties to the Liu Clan, and their lives in the academy had also changed. Once untouchable in the academy due to their clan's backing, they now stood exposed and ridiculed.

The disciples from the other three clans mocked them because of this.

Liu Lin was a disciple of the seven peaks, while Liu Sheng was a disciple of the Treasure Institution. They had come today because Liu Sheng wanted to forge a longsword for his younger brother.

Liu Wuxie was left speechless. He finally understood why Han Feizi had said that the fate of a chosen one was anything but ordinary, with trouble hunting them wherever they went.

He only wanted to reforge the Heretic Blade peacefully but ran into Liu Lin and Liu Sheng.

"I don't go looking for trouble, but I'm not afraid either. Stay out of my way if you know what's good for you," Liu Wuxie said coldly.

To him, these brothers were nothing more than ants, and it didn't matter whether he crushed them or not.

His words were the ultimate insult to the brothers—a blatant disregard for them.

"Liu Wuxie, I'll kill you here and now!" Liu Sheng roared, planning to kill Liu Wuxie.

A forging chamber opened right then, and it was finally Liu Wuxie's turn. If he didn't claim it now, someone else would take the spot, and he would have to wait again.

"Meet me at the Astral Moon Valley tomorrow evening if you want to kill me. A duel to the death," Liu Wuxie said, issuing his challenge. This was one thing Liu Sheng couldn't refuse.

"Fine, I'll let you live one more day," Liu Sheng growled.

There was nothing more to be said with so many people present. After all, Liu Wuxie had been in the queue for so long, and he would've waited for nothing if he had given up his turn now.

Liu Sheng would only invite scorn from the crowd if he acted against Liu Wuxie.

Ignoring Liu Sheng, Liu Wuxie walked straight into the now-vacant chamber. When he inserted his medal, two thousand points were instantly deducted as the cost of using it.

Inside, he was greeted by a wave of intense heat. The chamber wasn't large, but it was spacious enough, with a rough size of around one hundred square meters.

The floor radiated with searing heat; the subterranean flame was sealed beneath. Disciples would have to undo the restriction for flames to gush beneath the ground.

There were countless runes on the stone walls. They weren't just for decoration as they would play an essential role in helping him reforge the Heretic Blade, speeding up the entire process.

"This is a pretty decent place, worth the two thousand points," Liu Wuxie commented.

Two thousand points could get him four first-grade spiritual pills, but he could only stay here for a month, equivalent to one day outside. Then again, there was plenty of time to finish his work.

He took out the Heretic Blade but wasn't ready to reforge it and calmed down. Dao artifacts were more complex than heavenly artifacts, and they could only be called dao artifacts after inscribing dao runes on them. This was like how human cultivators comprehended dao techniques.

These runes amplified and harmonized with the wielder's abilities. Currently, the Heretic Blade could only unleash seventy percent of the Golden Flame Strike's full power.

However, dao runes had to be comprehended, similar to dao techniques. Liu Wuxie had already comprehended dao techniques, so this step wasn't too difficult for him.

Most disciples didn't possess the skill to forge their dao techniques. They often sought out the Treasure Institution's elders to help them with it, but the price wasn't cheap. Refining an ordinary dao artifact would cost three thousand points, which didn't include the two thousand points for the chamber or the cost of materials.

Forging a dao artifact cost anywhere from fifty to sixty million spirit stones—a staggering sum that Liu Wuxie could never have afforded, had he not won it through a wager at the Spirit Jade Pavilion. He hadn't expected weapon forging to be so immensely profitable.

He had already entrusted the blacksmithing affairs of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to Hu Shi. With Hu Shi's skill, it was only a matter of time before the weapons forged under his name swept across the Central Plains.

When Liu Wuxie shot, his eyes opened, and they shone brightly, as he had already analyzed the forging process in his mind. With a wave of his hand, the restriction on the ground opened up, and a subterranean flame gushed, wrapping around the central platform.

He retrieved the Astral Stone, Terranian Purification Soil, and the other items he had acquired from his grandfather, followed by the treasures he had won in the Spirit Jade Pavilion.

The subterranean flame was sufficient to refine ordinary materials, but others, such as the Indigo Lightning Crystal and Earth Essence, required refinement through the demonic flame.

The Heretic Blade hovered in midair and emitted a low, humming sound. Liu Wuxie also began to form seals to inscribe dao runes, each filled with profundity.

The runes on the walls also came to life, as though drawn by the resonance of the dao runes inscribed by Liu Wuxie. The surrounding runes gave off a dazzling brilliance that shone down.

With the surrounding runes' support, Liu Wuxie's process sped up.

Meanwhile, Liu Sheng finally got his turn at a forging chamber and began to forge a longsword for Liu Lin.

The news of Liu Wuxie's duel with Liu Sheng at the Astral Moon Valley had spread, and many people were already looking forward to it.

"Let's get started!"

The Heretic Blade had achieved unity with heaven and earth, so the reforging process wouldn't be complicated, and it could cultivate on its own as long as heaven and earth remained.

Then again, the process was painfully slow, and it would take hundreds of years to reach the level of a dao artifact independently.

The first material fused into the Heretic Blade was the Terranian Purification Soil.