Luo Cheng tried to explain, but Murong Yunyi refused to listen. He said coldly, "Fine. If you won’t come back, then don’t come back at all. From this moment on, the Luo family is no longer affiliated with the Murong family."

After saying this, Murong Yunyi hurriedly cupped his hands toward Li Xu. "Master Li Xu, this person was not brought here by the Murong family, and he has no connection to us whatsoever. You may punish him as you see fit."

The color drained from Luo Cheng’s face, and his mind went blank. His mouth hung open, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

Those words from Young Master Murong Yunyi had obviously cast the Luo family completely aside. Without the Murong family’s protection, the Luo family would be like rootless waterweed among the many aristocratic families of the Imperial Capital, liable to be wiped out at any moment.

He alone had plunged his entire family into peril. A sharp pain, as if a knife were twisting in his heart, seized Luo Cheng. When he imagined his father’s disappointed gaze and sorrowful sighs, his chest ached so much he could barely breathe.

But Ye Xuan was his savior. If he were to say nothing at this moment, his conscience wouldn’t allow it.

This hesitation and internal struggle threw his mind into chaos, completely robbing him of the ability to think.

Zhou Chengping and the others shot Murong Yunxiao a look of lingering fear. Thank goodness they had dissuaded Miss Murong Yunxiao back then. If they had really been the ones to bring Ye Xuan here, it would have meant utter destruction for their families.

Li Xu nodded and sneered. "Since it has nothing to do with the Murong family, I’d like to see which family this person belongs to, daring to cause trouble in my Artifact Refining Workshop."

With that, Master Li Xu’s gaze turned to the two guards stationed at the main entrance.

As the guards responsible for the entrance, they were supposed to keep track of everyone who came in. After all, only those from prominent families were allowed entry; the guards would never let anyone else pass.

A hint of panic appeared on the two guards’ faces under Master Li Xu’s gaze. They hastily said, "Master Li Xu, we don’t know which family or faction he belongs to either."

Li Xu’s gaze turned cold. "Then how did you let him in?"

His voice was filled with authority, radiating an immense pressure, like the calm before a storm.

The two guards were nearly in tears. They hastily explained, "Master Li Xu, we saw he had a Third Grade Soul Refiner’s badge and a Fourth Grade Alchemist’s badge. We assumed he was a disciple from some top-tier faction, so we..."

A Third Grade Soul Refiner’s badge and a Fourth Grade Alchemist’s badge?

For a moment, everyone stared at Ye Xuan in astonishment.

Although the grades of the badges he possessed weren’t particularly high, it was still an incredible shock when considering his age.

After all, while the top disciples of the major factions in the Dream Realm Plain often had a secondary profession—like Dongfang Zisi of Gale Light Academy, who was not only a Tier Five Martial Sect but also a Fourth Grade Alchemist—

most geniuses only had one. Too many secondary professions would divide their focus and severely affect their achievements in the Martial Dao.

Now, Ye Xuan was so young, and not only did his aura seem strong, but he was also a Third Grade Soul Refiner and a Fourth Grade Alchemist. He had what could be considered outstanding achievements in two secondary professions.

Such talent was rare, even among the ten great factions.

Looking at it this way, it was no wonder the two guards had let him pass even though they didn’t know his identity.

"A Third Grade Soul Refiner and a Fourth Grade Alchemist? It seems your background is quite extraordinary." Master Li Xu was also stunned, but a sneer quickly returned to his face. "No wonder you’re so fearless. So you’re from some major faction. Why don’t you tell us which one? I’m very curious to know which faction’s disciple is arrogant enough to cause trouble in my Artifact Refining Workshop."

Master Li Xu’s voice wasn’t loud, but the chilling tone made everyone present shudder.

Anyone familiar with Master Li Xu knew that he was truly enraged.

Ye Xuan’s expression was calm. He said faintly, "What does my faction have to do with my critique of the Artifact Refining Workshop’s wares? Regardless of what faction I’m from, even if I’m just a commoner, trash is trash. Nothing can change that."

"Kid, you’re courting death!"

An Artifact Refiner couldn’t hold back any longer. With a furious roar, he charged forward, the Profound Power of a Tier Five Peak expert surging around him. He clearly intended to strike Ye Xuan dead with a single palm.

Ye Xuan gave a cold smile, not moving an inch. "Trying to silence me with death just because I exposed the truth?"

"Stop." Li Xu snorted coldly. His figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in front of the Artifact Refiner, stopping his attack. At the same time, his frigid gaze, like a sharp sword, stabbed fiercely into Ye Xuan’s eyes.

"You say the items in my Artifact Refining Workshop are trash? Then give me your reasons. If a single word you say is wrong, I will personally strike you down."

"You want reasons? Then I’ll give you some." Ye Xuan walked to the display at the very front of the hall and casually picked up a platinum longsword.

It was a longsword, three-foot-three in length and two fingers wide. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, polished to a perfect reflection. A slight shake produced a clear, ringing sound, and a piercing cold aura blossomed from it, so chilling it seemed capable of freezing a person’s very soul.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Ye Xuan lightly flicked the longsword, a sneer playing on his lips. "This longsword is Tier Five. Its main materials appear to be hundred-year-old Profound Ice Iron, fused with Ice Heart Marrow. Both are Cold Attribute materials. Their combination was clearly intended to enhance the sword’s elemental attack."

"But, as is well known, hundred-year-old Profound Ice Iron is an extremely brittle type of Profound Iron, and Ice Heart Marrow is also a very fragile material. A longsword forged from these two would break easily. To improve the sword’s resilience and flexibility, the Artifact Refiner who forged it added another material: Purple Gold Stone."

"Purple Gold Stone is excellent for improving the fusion between the Profound Ice Iron and the Ice Heart Marrow. However, Purple Gold Stone has a hidden property: it possesses a latent Fire Attribute. Adding a Fire Attribute material to two Ice Attribute materials... this is the single greatest flaw in its design. It’s utterly laughable..."

"Boy, what are you babbling about? That’s pure nonsense!" an old man suddenly bellowed, his hair and beard bristling with fury.

"Third Senior Brother, this person must have picked up a few scraps of Artifact Refining knowledge somewhere and is now using them to deceive the crowd. How could he possibly grasp the true genius of your Xuanhan Sword’s forging?"

"That’s right! As if Third Senior Brother wouldn’t know about Purple Gold Stone’s latent Fire Attribute! This kid is only seeing the surface. He can’t appreciate the design you created to eliminate that very property—*that* is the true masterstroke of the Xuanhan Sword!"

Several Artifact Refiners chimed in, speaking to the old man and looking at Ye Xuan as if he were an idiot. So it turned out this longsword was forged by this old man they called Third Senior Brother.

"Young man, just because you’ve learned a little something, you’ve become arrogant and comment recklessly. Today, this old man will show you what a true Artifact Refining Master is! My Xuanhan Sword is indeed made from the three materials you mentioned, but you only spoke of superficial matters. I was aware of all of it, which is why I put so much effort into the sword’s design..."

But before he could finish, Ye Xuan interrupted him. "You must be talking about the array patterns carved into the longsword, right?"

As his voice fell, Ye Xuan immediately channeled a portion of his Profound Power into the longsword. White lines of light instantly appeared on the blade, forming complex patterns and emitting a brilliant, icy aura.

"A Tier Five Cold Condensing Array, Fire Transformation Array, and Yin Yang Array. You really put a lot of thought into this, old man," Ye Xuan said, his voice dripping with mockery.

"The purpose of the Fire Transformation Array must be to eliminate the Fire Attribute from the Purple Gold Stone. The Yin Yang Array is to fuse the different materials perfectly. And the Cold Condensing Array is to maximize the ice properties of the Profound Ice Iron and Ice Heart Marrow. But tell me, old man, didn’t you know that the array patterns of the Fire Transformation Array and the Cold Condensing Array conflict?"

"Conflict? What conflict?" the old man sneered. "A good Artifact Refiner must not only be versed in the craft itself, but knowledge of array patterns is also essential. I am not just a Tier Five Artifact Refiner, but also a Tier Five Array Pattern Master. You think my understanding of array patterns is less than that of a little whelp like you?"

"Is that so? Then can you, a Tier Five Array Master, tell me how you carved the Cold Condensing Array and the Fire Transformation Array?" Ye Xuan smiled coldly. "On an item like a longsword, the blade is narrow and you have to ensure the material’s stability, so the number of array patterns you can carve is limited."

"And what very few people know is that the Cold Condensing Array and the Fire Transformation Array cannot be inscribed in the same area. There is a subtle conflict in how their patterns function. Therefore, it’s impossible to inscribe the complete versions of both arrays on a single sword blade."

"If I’m not mistaken, you must have abbreviated both arrays. The abbreviated parts would be the second node in the third regional pattern of the Cold Condensing Array, and the fourth node in the seventh regional pattern of the Fire Transformation Array. The patterns in these two regions share a certain similarity, and with a simple modification, you could make them compatible, seemingly without reducing their effectiveness."

With every sentence Ye Xuan spoke, the old man’s expression grew uglier. By the time Ye Xuan finished, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot. At the same time, his eyes were filled with shock.

Because everything Ye Xuan said was completely correct. When he was refining the Xuanhan Sword, he had indeed modified the Cold Condensing Array and the Fire Transformation Array, and the modified parts were exactly as Ye Xuan had described.

’This change is extremely subtle; even a Tier Six Array Master might not spot it at a glance. How did this boy see it in such a short amount of time?’

He suppressed the shock in his heart and said coldly, "So what if you’re right? The array patterns, after my modifications, are perfect! They allow the three materials to combine perfectly, without a single flaw."

"’So what?’ HAHA! You really have the gall to say that. The modified Fire Transformation Array suffers a twenty percent loss in its ability to resolve the Fire Attribute. A twenty percent loss might not matter elsewhere, but on this Xuanhan Sword, it is an extremely grave mistake."