Ye Xuan held up the longsword and explained to the crowd, "You might not see any issues with this Xuanhan Sword at first glance. But after just a few uses, its problems will become glaring. The array patterns are unstable. During a fight, this will cause the entire blade to suddenly shatter, triggering a severe Profound Power backlash."

"In the middle of a battle, if your weapon shatters and you suffer a Profound Power backlash, I’m sure you all know what the consequences would be, don’t you?"

In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone present was a Martial Artist. Not a single one of them was ignorant of the fact that if what Ye Xuan described were to happen in battle, the outcome would surely be the sword breaking and its wielder dying.

"Tell me, if a Profound Soldier like this isn’t trash, what is?"

Ye Xuan shook his head as he spoke, leaving the crowd gaping in shock.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" The old man who had forged the Xuanhan Sword was so furious his beard bristled, his eyes bulging like saucers. He was fuming but didn’t know what to say.

"I hear this Master Li Xu is a Tier Six Artifact Refining Master. You should be able to tell whether I’m speaking nonsense, right?"

Ye Xuan tossed the Xuanhan Sword to Li Xu and spoke calmly.

Li Xu caught the Xuanhan Sword and stared at it intently. His face then turned ashen, and for a long moment, he couldn’t say a word.

Many of the items on display were crafted by the disciples under his master and then offered up. To be honest, he hadn’t actually inspected the presented items in full detail.

At the time, he had only given them a cursory review. He’d found his Third Junior Brother’s Xuanhan Sword to be decent enough and put it on display without a closer look.

Now, after hearing Ye Xuan’s words, he focused his full attention on the sword and immediately discovered that Ye Xuan wasn’t speaking nonsense at all. His claims were well-founded.

There were even many flaws that he himself might not have noticed even with careful inspection, yet Ye Xuan had pointed out the very heart of the problems in a single breath.

’Just who is this kid? Could it be he’s also studied Artifact Refining? But even if he has, his level of attainment is just too ridiculous.’

’Back then, even though I only gave it a quick look, I still spent some time on it and didn’t find any of these issues.’

’But this kid found so many problems with the Xuanhan Sword with just a single glance. That alone is deeply shocking.’

’Could it be that this kid’s skill in Artifact Refining is even greater than my own?’

Li Xu’s heart was a mix of anger, shock, disbelief, and doubt.

In the hall, the crowd saw that Li Xu hadn’t spoken for a long time. They all looked at Ye Xuan with strange expressions, clearly realizing that what he had said must be true.

"You are correct. This Xuanhan Sword does indeed have the problems you mentioned. However, this is merely an isolated incident," Li Xu said lightly, admitting the truth of Ye Xuan’s words. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

An uproar!

The entire hall instantly erupted in clamor, and everyone began talking at once.

Although the crowd had already suspected that Ye Xuan was likely telling the truth, there was a huge difference between their own suspicions and hearing Li Xu admit it with his own mouth.

Ye Xuan was also slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Li Xu to admit it publicly.

"An isolated incident? Then what about this shield?"

Ye Xuan picked up another shield from the display. "This shield had a small amount of Xuanwen Steel added to enhance its Defense Power, but its main body is made of Nether Pavilion Iron. Fusing Xuanwen Steel and Nether Pavilion Iron increases the shield’s physical defense and reduces its weight, but it compromises Profound Power conductivity. As a result, its defense against Profound Power is weakened. If it encounters a Profound-breaking attack, it would actually jeopardize the user’s safety."

After speaking, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head again.

In truth, this shield’s flaw wasn’t obvious. It was merely that its Profound Power conductivity was somewhat weakened, so its defense against Profound Power hadn’t been significantly improved.

But then again, the reason for adding Xuanwen Steel was to improve the shield’s physical defense, reduce its weight, and lessen the burden on the Martial Artist using it.

The Artifact Refiner who forged this shield was only a Tier Five Artifact Refiner, so this was an unavoidable trade-off.

If sold on the open market, it would absolutely be considered a masterpiece.

But Ye Xuan’s eye was incredibly discerning, and his knowledge of Artifact Refining was so vast that he could find fault in anything. For him, pointing out a few problems with this shield was all too easy.

Hearing his explanation, the nearby Artifact Refiners were once again stunned.

"Damn kid," a middle-aged Artifact Refiner muttered, his gaze resentful.

The shield Ye Xuan was holding was the very one he had crafted. He said in a low voice, "Sir, what you say does have some merit. However, Nether Pavilion Iron is inherently brittle. While adding Xuanwen Steel affects Profound Power conductivity, it greatly increases hardness and ductility, thereby enhancing its Defense Power."

"I compared over a dozen materials, and this was the best result. If you insist on criticizing my Nether Steel Shield for its poor Profound Power conductivity, then there’s nothing to be done. After all, besides Xuanwen Steel, there is no better material to fuse with Nether Pavilion Iron. Or can you suggest a better refining method?"

The Artifact Refiner spoke coldly, challenging Ye Xuan.

Anyone can find fault. The real question is whether you can find a solution. Armchair quarterbacking is just a way to make a fool of yourself.

Ye Xuan scoffed at this. "What’s so difficult about it? I can come up with several better methods off the top of my head. For starters, if you just reduce the Xuanwen Steel content by thirty percent and add a small amount of Luomu Rock and Iron-Devouring Essence, the result will be completely different."

’Add Luomu Rock and Iron-Devouring Essence?’

’What kind of logic is that?!’

At first, the Artifact Refiners’ expressions were filled with scorn and doubt, but gradually, they all fell into deep thought.

Then, the shock on their faces grew, and one by one, they became dumbfounded.

Because they realized that Ye Xuan’s proposal was actually feasible.

Luomu Rock’s function is to increase Profound Power activity, so it’s normally used in Array Discs and rarely in Artifact Refining due to its highly unstable properties. However, adding Iron-Devouring Essence changes everything, as it can neutralize Luomu Rock’s volatility.

Furthermore, fusing Iron-Devouring Essence with Nether Pavilion Iron would bring out the full potential of the Nether Pavilion Iron’s properties.

Moreover, both Luomu Rock and Iron-Devouring Essence are Tier Five materials, so incorporating them into the refining process wouldn’t be too difficult. Any Tier Five Artifact Refiner could do it with enough care and caution.

Forging the Nether Steel Shield according to Ye Xuan’s recipe would not only compensate for the weakness in Profound Power conductivity but also increase its Defense Power by a significant margin.

For a moment, the many Artifact Refiners in the Artifact Refining Workshop were left utterly speechless.

If Ye Xuan were just spouting nonsense, they would have beaten him and thrown him out, using him as an example regardless of his background.

But everything Ye Xuan said was logical and well-reasoned, showcasing an astonishing depth of knowledge and insight into Artifact Refining.

It left them all stunned and speechless, deeply moved, and at a complete loss for words.

Ye Xuan’s earlier suggestions, in particular, had left them with a profound sense of shock.

After finding fault with the shield, Ye Xuan picked up a black spear next to it. "Look here. This Refined Iron Spear’s main material is Deep Sea Refined Iron..."

Then, Ye Xuan began to lecture about the Refined Iron Spear.

For a time, everyone in the hall was completely captivated by Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan spoke eloquently and ceaselessly, analyzing the materials and characteristics of one artifact after another in the exhibition hall, pointing out their flaws and shortcomings, and providing solutions for each.

"How can he know the materials of every single exhibit so clearly? Even the proportions and refining processes... he’s so precise! Even you, Senior Brother Li Xu, probably couldn’t do that. Maybe only Master could see so much at a glance."

One of the Artifact Refiners couldn’t help but take a deep breath, thoroughly shaken.

Initially, Li Xu and the other Artifact Refining Masters had been furious. But gradually, their expressions turned to shock, then thoughtfulness. In the end, they were like students, listening to Ye Xuan’s lecture with rapt attention.

Of course, they tried their best to refute him during this process, but their counterarguments were hopelessly fragile before Ye Xuan, scattered like pieces of paper in the wind.

"What’s going on? Why haven’t the masters from the Artifact Refining Workshop taken that kid down yet?"

"Could it be true what he’s saying? That everything made in the Artifact Refining Workshop is trash?"

"That’s impossible, right? The things we’ve bought from the Artifact Refining Workshop before have always been much better than the standard Profound Soldiers on the market."

While Li Xu and the other Artifact Refining Masters were lost in their shock, the talented disciples and Martial Artists who had come to buy Profound Soldiers were completely clueless about the artifact refining processes and material ratios Ye Xuan was discussing.

Seeing Ye Xuan continuously disparage the workshop’s exhibits while Master Li Xu and the others just stood there dumbfounded instead of apprehending him, they couldn’t help but start murmuring among themselves.

Their chatter immediately snapped Master Li Xu and the others out of their shocked and enlightened state.

’This is bad. What are we doing? This kid is slandering the works of our Artifact Refining Workshop!’

’We have to shut that kid up!’

"Senior Brother Li Xu, think of something, quick! If this goes on, the reputation of our Artifact Refining Workshop will be ruined!"

The Artifact Refiners of the workshop grew anxious.

They were all completely stunned by Ye Xuan. Even the strongest among them, Master Li Xu, couldn’t find a way to refute him.

They felt a mixture of shock, anger, and admiration for Ye Xuan’s disruptive behavior.

A thought even crossed their minds: if they could, they would love for Ye Xuan to critique every single exhibit, pointing out all their strengths, weaknesses, and solutions.

But if they really let Ye Xuan continue, the Artifact Refining Workshop’s reputation would be utterly destroyed.

"Quick, go get Master!"

"But Master is in seclusion right now!"

"We can’t worry about that now! If this continues, will our Artifact Refining Workshop even have a future?"

Finally, after some discussion, the Artifact Refiners of the workshop found their only solution.