Chapter 480
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"You girls are really misunderstanding me. I'm just going to take a look." Yao Ruoxian chuckled and released his grip on Miao Yi. He then took the Mystic Yin Mirror and wiped away the transcendence energy signature inside, intending to try his hand at the artifact.
Miao Yi slightly raised his eyebrow and looked on with anticipation.
As expected, Yao Ruoxian froze up on the spot, his body quickly covered with a layer of frost, greatly shocking Qian'Er and Xue'Er.
Soon, Yao Ruoxian gave his body a shake, and the frost around him cracked and fell onto the ground. It then turned into a black mist and disappeared.
Seeing he was alright, the two girls sighed in relief. On the other hand, Miao Yi felt it was somewhat a pity. Once again, it proved that weapons of this grade had very little effect on Red Lotus cultivators. What a shame.
After a light shiver, Yao Ruoxian looked at Miao Yi suspiciously and said, "Kid, don't you dare tell me you know how to use this transcendent artifact. Under the Red Lotus realm, only Ghost Cultivators are able to do such a thing!"
'No wonder this old coot is an expert at refining artifacts!' Miao Yi nodded and answered, "Why would I be holding onto it if I can't use it? There's a trick to using this Mystic Yin Mirror. You just don't know about it!"
"Mystic Yin Mirror, eh? The name isn't bad at least!" Yao Ruoxian scoffed, "I can figure out everything there is to know about this simple little transcendent artifact with just a single look. There is no trick to speak of. Stop trying to patronize me!" His eyes suddenly flashed as though he just thought of something, then he continued to fumble around with the Mystic Yin Mirror.
After which, Yao Ruoxian was frozen in place yet again. Miao Yi couldn't help musing to himself how easily duped this old man was. However, Yao Ruoxian suddenly turned the Mystic Yin Mirror in his direction, and a powerful Yin energy erupted in his face. With such a short distance between them, Miao Yi couldn't even dodge in time and was helplessly frozen on the spot, his body encased in frost.
"Father! What are you doing?!" the two young ladies exclaimed.
Whoosh! The frost covering Miao Yi's body instantly transformed into a black mist and evaporated into thin air, and he was normal again.
At this point, Yao Ruoxian had also shaken off the frost on him. He lifted a hand to stroke that slovenly beard of his, narrowing his eyes at Miao Yi as he chuckled and said, "No wonder! So you practice a fire-type cultivation art. Any single one of the Five Elemental Arts is highly exceptional. I never thought you actually had the chance to learn one of them. Those that practice fire-type cultivation arts are all highly-renowned in the cultivation realm. Kid, just who is your master?"
Miao Yi finally realized that the old coot was simply testing him out. He shook his head and replied, "That's private and confidential."
Yao Ruoxian simply huffed in response. He also knew that asking such a thing was taboo in the cultivation realm. Since the other party was unwilling to divulge this information, it would be inappropriate of him to pry any further. It was similar to how he himself had never shared his past with anyone else. He tossed the Mystic Yin Mirror back to Miao Yi, then said, "And I thought it was some kind of powerful treasure. The only thing worth noting is the powerful Yin energy stored inside. There isn't much technique involved at all."
Miao Yi tucked away the Mystic Yin Mirror, then watched as Yao Ruoxian held up the black cane. The cane in his grasp abruptly transformed, lengthening itself at times, then shortening back down, changing its width and size accordingly with each transformation.
"So the smallest size is only this big… Not that impressive!" Yao Ruoxian said disdainfully as he waved the cane in his hand around, then tossed it back to Miao Yi.
After which, the beaded necklace in Yao Ruoxian's hand abruptly separated themselves into eighteen individual parts, and each pearl started hovering about him in a circle. These pearls could also change their sizes, growing to about the size of a round table. It was quite impressive to see eighteen table-sized orbs circling about him in mid-air like that.
"Aha! Out of these three items, it seems this is the only one that requires some level of skill. Interesting... These are indeed quite suitable for someone of your cultivation to use to protect yourself." As he gave his appraisal, Yao Ruoxian opened his hand, and the eighteen giant orbs circling around him instantly shrunk back into his grasp. He then tossed it back to Miao Yi, turning to the two girls and smiled, "I'll let the kid use these for now. It's simply because your cultivations are not high enough, so even if I gave them to you, you wouldn't be able to use them."
Suddenly, Yao Ruoxian let out a shout. It seemed the crazy old man had just thought of something again. He abruptly shot over to Miao Yi and grabbed him by the wrist, scanning through his belongings a second time. He then let go of Miao Yi's hand and said coldly, "I knew you were still keeping something for me. You must have hidden away the actual good stuff. What happened to that precious immortal herb of yours?"
Miao Yi sighed and said, "I'm really not hiding anything. Back when the Subjugation Crusade was at its most dangerous, I almost died. With the last of my strength, I used that immortal herb to save myself."
Yao Ruoxian asked suspiciously, "Given that thing's capabilities, it wouldn't be wrong to say that it could reshape one's body entirely. How badly injured were you to use it up completely?"
Miao Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head, waving his hand to indicate that he didn't wish to talk about the matter. Even now, his body still couldn't help shaking whenever he remembered the pain he had experienced at that time.
Yao Ruoxian noticed the fleeting dread in Miao Yi's gaze. That wasn't something that could be feigned. The old man guessed that the other party had indeed been in quite a bit of danger at the time. Well then again, it wasn't surprising for someone to experience danger in that godforsaken Sea of Constellations. Seeing the anxious looks on Qian'Er and Xue'Er's faces, Yao Ruoxian was afraid of letting the two girls worry, so he didn't pry further.
However, he still couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid that I'll run away with your belongings if you hand such a large portion over to me?"
"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have let you adopt Qian'Er and Xue'Er as your daughters. Whether or not you choose to believe me, I have long seen you as a member of my family. Because I know you'll keep an eye on the two girls, I'm able to rest easy and go off on my own. However, let me make things clear. I'm only keeping the things with you for the time being. If I have any use for them, I'll ask Qian'Er and Xue'Er to retrieve them from you," Miao Yi explained.
Hearing how the other party saw him as a family member, Yao Ruoxian's eyes flashed with warmth. However, he quickly shot back with a glare and said, "Bullshit! Doesn't that mean I'm just your personal storage keeper then?!"
Miao Yi nodded and said, "You can use them too if you need to! If you don't have enough Orbs of Will when you're cultivating, you can have Qian'Er and Xue'Er get some more from Wen Fang. As long as you're using them to raise your own cultivation, you can use as many Orbs of Will as you want. Don't worry about using them all up. I won't mind a single bit. I've already handed you my belongings. Isn't that solid enough proof of my sincerity?"
Hearing these words, Yao Ruoxian's heart couldn't help feeling a little conflicted. It was indeed quite a show of trust for the kid to hand such a vast fortune to him. No one had ever treated him this nicely before.
Yao Ruoxian looked at the two girls, then turned his gaze to Miao Yi. His heart was filled with a sense of warmth, and he even felt a little sniffle in his nose. However, he simply huffed and said, "I guess you have some conscience after all, brat."
Suddenly, Miao Yi coughed drily and asked, "Hey old man, umm... Can you help refine a high-grade storage ring for me? I got my hands on several thousand storage rings back in the Sea of Constellations, but I can't stack their effects onto one another. They're a little too conspicuous to be carrying around with me all the time. I'm scared I'll get robbed."
Yao Ruoxian immediately scoffed, "I just knew this sudden politeness meant you wanted to ask me for something. To refine a high-grade storage ring, I'll need Crystalline Gold or at least highly-purified Crystalline Obsidian. We can talk about this once the two girls have the items prepared."
'That means he's agreeing to it!' Miao Yi was absolutely ecstatic. Making full use of this opportunity, he quickly asked, "Then can you refine a top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact for me as well?"
He had witnessed the might of the Flowing Cloud Killer before. That artifact was incredibly powerful, with its ability to transform into all kinds of shapes and sizes. He didn't even stand a chance when he fought against it. And apparently, the old man was its creator. While he was still in the Sea of Constellations, Miao Yi kept reminding himself that he must get the old man to make him something similar once he returned. The guy was living right next to him, so how could he let such a perfect opportunity slip away?
"How greedy can you get, you brat?!" Yao Ruoxian waved his hand and continued, "Buzz off!"
Naturally, Miao Yi had his methods of dealing with Yao Ruoxian. He quickly threw Qian'Er and Xue'Er a glance, and the two girls immediately scurried over. They each grabbed Yao Ruoxian by the arm and pleaded, "Father!"
Yao Ruoxian's face immediately contorted with dismay. He ultimately gave up, and sighed, "Girls! It's not that I don't want to refine one for him, but it's really out of my capabilities! You can't expect me to give him this old life of mine, can you?!"
Hearing how pitiful he sounded, Qian'Er and Xue'Er slowly let him go and turned to look at Miao Yi.
"How is that possible…" Miao Yi said dejectedly. He was close to mentioning the incident with the Flowing Cloud Killer, but out of fear that the old man would overthink things and run away, he quickly changed his approach, saying, "Don't you always boast about how skilled you are with refining artifacts? Don't tell me you can't even refine a single top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact?"
Hearing the lack of faith in his artifact-refining skills, Yao Ruoxian was obviously unhappy. He pointed at Miao Yi's nose and said, "Alright, listen closely, you brat! Anyone capable of refining a high-grade storage ring can refine a top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact without a problem. It's not that I can't refine one for you. However, in order to create a transcendent artifact with transformative abilities like that, it needs something to act as a keystone. You didn't give me anything like that, and I don't have any with me either. If I did, I wouldn't have to depend on those two damn maces to protect myself. I would've just made myself a powerful artifact right from the start!"
Miao Yi asked curiously, "A keystone? What's that?"
"You won't understand even if I explain it to you. Why waste the effort?" Yao Ruoxian huffed. However, when he saw the pleading gaze in both his daughters' eyes, he quickly gave in and sighed, "Fine! I really don't know what to do with you girls. I'll just think of it as explaining to you two and imparting some knowledge."
He then turned to Miao Yi and explained, "Within any transforming transcendent artifact, there must always be a transcendent formation of some kind. And the so-called keystone of a transcendent artifact refers to the formation core within. Take that Mystic Yin Mirror of yours for example. Its formation core is none other than the Yin energy that's stored within. The person who made it must have gathered a large amount of Yin energy and arranged it so that it works as the formation core for the Mystic Yin Mirror. If it didn't have that Yin energy, your Mystic Yin Mirror would be nothing but a piece of scrap metal. Understand?"
Miao Yi and the girls immediately understood. Yao Ruoxian's informative method of explaining had indeed helped them gain some knowledge. Qian'Er asked, "Where can we find something that can be used as a formation core then?"
"You can use all sorts of things to create a formation core. It's just that if you use materials that are subpar, you're essentially wasting your time and resources just to create a garbage transcendent artifact, so it's pretty pointless to do such a thing. Of course, you can always buy high-quality materials from the Chamber of Commerce, but those never come cheap. Girl, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you dare make me use the things that he just gave me to create a formation core. He already has three top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifacts to protect himself. That's more than enough unless he bumps into a Red Lotus expert. However, even then, it'd still just be a waste of resources to refine one more top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact for him. The gap in cultivation cannot be overcome so easily, so why waste that money?"
Yao Ruoxian turned around and started walking away as he said this. He even tried to change the topic, pointing to the two stone lion statues outside the gates of his courtyard as he asked, "I must say, girls, where did you get such an ugly-looking piece of rock? How lousy do you want my front door to look?"
Qian'Er had bought those lion statues during her big shopping spree in the capital city previously. Seeing her father questioning her tastes, Qian'Er felt as though her goodwill was just spat on. Displeased, she immediately dashed over to one of the lion statues, then placed a giant crystalline head on top of it, and snapped brusquely, "There, I changed it to a Qilin for you. It looks better now, right?!"
Yao Ruoxian simply chuckled in response and refrained from arguing with her any further. Just as he was about to step inside his courtyard, his body suddenly froze up. Slowly, he turned his head around as his eyes started to widen in shock, and even his nostrils began flaring up from his deep breaths. With shrunken pupils, he glared straight at the crystalline Qilin head atop the lion statue, looking as if he had seen a ghost!
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"You girls are really misunderstanding me. I'm just going to take a look." Yao Ruoxian chuckled and released his grip on Miao Yi. He then took the Mystic Yin Mirror and wiped away the transcendence energy signature inside, intending to try his hand at the artifact.
Miao Yi slightly raised his eyebrow and looked on with anticipation.
As expected, Yao Ruoxian froze up on the spot, his body quickly covered with a layer of frost, greatly shocking Qian'Er and Xue'Er.
Soon, Yao Ruoxian gave his body a shake, and the frost around him cracked and fell onto the ground. It then turned into a black mist and disappeared.
Seeing he was alright, the two girls sighed in relief. On the other hand, Miao Yi felt it was somewhat a pity. Once again, it proved that weapons of this grade had very little effect on Red Lotus cultivators. What a shame.
After a light shiver, Yao Ruoxian looked at Miao Yi suspiciously and said, "Kid, don't you dare tell me you know how to use this transcendent artifact. Under the Red Lotus realm, only Ghost Cultivators are able to do such a thing!"
'No wonder this old coot is an expert at refining artifacts!' Miao Yi nodded and answered, "Why would I be holding onto it if I can't use it? There's a trick to using this Mystic Yin Mirror. You just don't know about it!"
"Mystic Yin Mirror, eh? The name isn't bad at least!" Yao Ruoxian scoffed, "I can figure out everything there is to know about this simple little transcendent artifact with just a single look. There is no trick to speak of. Stop trying to patronize me!" His eyes suddenly flashed as though he just thought of something, then he continued to fumble around with the Mystic Yin Mirror.
After which, Yao Ruoxian was frozen in place yet again. Miao Yi couldn't help musing to himself how easily duped this old man was. However, Yao Ruoxian suddenly turned the Mystic Yin Mirror in his direction, and a powerful Yin energy erupted in his face. With such a short distance between them, Miao Yi couldn't even dodge in time and was helplessly frozen on the spot, his body encased in frost.
"Father! What are you doing?!" the two young ladies exclaimed.
Whoosh! The frost covering Miao Yi's body instantly transformed into a black mist and evaporated into thin air, and he was normal again.
At this point, Yao Ruoxian had also shaken off the frost on him. He lifted a hand to stroke that slovenly beard of his, narrowing his eyes at Miao Yi as he chuckled and said, "No wonder! So you practice a fire-type cultivation art. Any single one of the Five Elemental Arts is highly exceptional. I never thought you actually had the chance to learn one of them. Those that practice fire-type cultivation arts are all highly-renowned in the cultivation realm. Kid, just who is your master?"
Miao Yi finally realized that the old coot was simply testing him out. He shook his head and replied, "That's private and confidential."
Yao Ruoxian simply huffed in response. He also knew that asking such a thing was taboo in the cultivation realm. Since the other party was unwilling to divulge this information, it would be inappropriate of him to pry any further. It was similar to how he himself had never shared his past with anyone else. He tossed the Mystic Yin Mirror back to Miao Yi, then said, "And I thought it was some kind of powerful treasure. The only thing worth noting is the powerful Yin energy stored inside. There isn't much technique involved at all."
Miao Yi tucked away the Mystic Yin Mirror, then watched as Yao Ruoxian held up the black cane. The cane in his grasp abruptly transformed, lengthening itself at times, then shortening back down, changing its width and size accordingly with each transformation.
"So the smallest size is only this big… Not that impressive!" Yao Ruoxian said disdainfully as he waved the cane in his hand around, then tossed it back to Miao Yi.
After which, the beaded necklace in Yao Ruoxian's hand abruptly separated themselves into eighteen individual parts, and each pearl started hovering about him in a circle. These pearls could also change their sizes, growing to about the size of a round table. It was quite impressive to see eighteen table-sized orbs circling about him in mid-air like that.
"Aha! Out of these three items, it seems this is the only one that requires some level of skill. Interesting... These are indeed quite suitable for someone of your cultivation to use to protect yourself." As he gave his appraisal, Yao Ruoxian opened his hand, and the eighteen giant orbs circling around him instantly shrunk back into his grasp. He then tossed it back to Miao Yi, turning to the two girls and smiled, "I'll let the kid use these for now. It's simply because your cultivations are not high enough, so even if I gave them to you, you wouldn't be able to use them."
Suddenly, Yao Ruoxian let out a shout. It seemed the crazy old man had just thought of something again. He abruptly shot over to Miao Yi and grabbed him by the wrist, scanning through his belongings a second time. He then let go of Miao Yi's hand and said coldly, "I knew you were still keeping something for me. You must have hidden away the actual good stuff. What happened to that precious immortal herb of yours?"
Miao Yi sighed and said, "I'm really not hiding anything. Back when the Subjugation Crusade was at its most dangerous, I almost died. With the last of my strength, I used that immortal herb to save myself."
Yao Ruoxian asked suspiciously, "Given that thing's capabilities, it wouldn't be wrong to say that it could reshape one's body entirely. How badly injured were you to use it up completely?"
Miao Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head, waving his hand to indicate that he didn't wish to talk about the matter. Even now, his body still couldn't help shaking whenever he remembered the pain he had experienced at that time.
Yao Ruoxian noticed the fleeting dread in Miao Yi's gaze. That wasn't something that could be feigned. The old man guessed that the other party had indeed been in quite a bit of danger at the time. Well then again, it wasn't surprising for someone to experience danger in that godforsaken Sea of Constellations. Seeing the anxious looks on Qian'Er and Xue'Er's faces, Yao Ruoxian was afraid of letting the two girls worry, so he didn't pry further.
However, he still couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid that I'll run away with your belongings if you hand such a large portion over to me?"
"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have let you adopt Qian'Er and Xue'Er as your daughters. Whether or not you choose to believe me, I have long seen you as a member of my family. Because I know you'll keep an eye on the two girls, I'm able to rest easy and go off on my own. However, let me make things clear. I'm only keeping the things with you for the time being. If I have any use for them, I'll ask Qian'Er and Xue'Er to retrieve them from you," Miao Yi explained.
Hearing how the other party saw him as a family member, Yao Ruoxian's eyes flashed with warmth. However, he quickly shot back with a glare and said, "Bullshit! Doesn't that mean I'm just your personal storage keeper then?!"
Miao Yi nodded and said, "You can use them too if you need to! If you don't have enough Orbs of Will when you're cultivating, you can have Qian'Er and Xue'Er get some more from Wen Fang. As long as you're using them to raise your own cultivation, you can use as many Orbs of Will as you want. Don't worry about using them all up. I won't mind a single bit. I've already handed you my belongings. Isn't that solid enough proof of my sincerity?"
Hearing these words, Yao Ruoxian's heart couldn't help feeling a little conflicted. It was indeed quite a show of trust for the kid to hand such a vast fortune to him. No one had ever treated him this nicely before.
Yao Ruoxian looked at the two girls, then turned his gaze to Miao Yi. His heart was filled with a sense of warmth, and he even felt a little sniffle in his nose. However, he simply huffed and said, "I guess you have some conscience after all, brat."
Suddenly, Miao Yi coughed drily and asked, "Hey old man, umm... Can you help refine a high-grade storage ring for me? I got my hands on several thousand storage rings back in the Sea of Constellations, but I can't stack their effects onto one another. They're a little too conspicuous to be carrying around with me all the time. I'm scared I'll get robbed."
Yao Ruoxian immediately scoffed, "I just knew this sudden politeness meant you wanted to ask me for something. To refine a high-grade storage ring, I'll need Crystalline Gold or at least highly-purified Crystalline Obsidian. We can talk about this once the two girls have the items prepared."
'That means he's agreeing to it!' Miao Yi was absolutely ecstatic. Making full use of this opportunity, he quickly asked, "Then can you refine a top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact for me as well?"
He had witnessed the might of the Flowing Cloud Killer before. That artifact was incredibly powerful, with its ability to transform into all kinds of shapes and sizes. He didn't even stand a chance when he fought against it. And apparently, the old man was its creator. While he was still in the Sea of Constellations, Miao Yi kept reminding himself that he must get the old man to make him something similar once he returned. The guy was living right next to him, so how could he let such a perfect opportunity slip away?
"How greedy can you get, you brat?!" Yao Ruoxian waved his hand and continued, "Buzz off!"
Naturally, Miao Yi had his methods of dealing with Yao Ruoxian. He quickly threw Qian'Er and Xue'Er a glance, and the two girls immediately scurried over. They each grabbed Yao Ruoxian by the arm and pleaded, "Father!"
Yao Ruoxian's face immediately contorted with dismay. He ultimately gave up, and sighed, "Girls! It's not that I don't want to refine one for him, but it's really out of my capabilities! You can't expect me to give him this old life of mine, can you?!"
Hearing how pitiful he sounded, Qian'Er and Xue'Er slowly let him go and turned to look at Miao Yi.
"How is that possible…" Miao Yi said dejectedly. He was close to mentioning the incident with the Flowing Cloud Killer, but out of fear that the old man would overthink things and run away, he quickly changed his approach, saying, "Don't you always boast about how skilled you are with refining artifacts? Don't tell me you can't even refine a single top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact?"
Hearing the lack of faith in his artifact-refining skills, Yao Ruoxian was obviously unhappy. He pointed at Miao Yi's nose and said, "Alright, listen closely, you brat! Anyone capable of refining a high-grade storage ring can refine a top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact without a problem. It's not that I can't refine one for you. However, in order to create a transcendent artifact with transformative abilities like that, it needs something to act as a keystone. You didn't give me anything like that, and I don't have any with me either. If I did, I wouldn't have to depend on those two damn maces to protect myself. I would've just made myself a powerful artifact right from the start!"
Miao Yi asked curiously, "A keystone? What's that?"
"You won't understand even if I explain it to you. Why waste the effort?" Yao Ruoxian huffed. However, when he saw the pleading gaze in both his daughters' eyes, he quickly gave in and sighed, "Fine! I really don't know what to do with you girls. I'll just think of it as explaining to you two and imparting some knowledge."
He then turned to Miao Yi and explained, "Within any transforming transcendent artifact, there must always be a transcendent formation of some kind. And the so-called keystone of a transcendent artifact refers to the formation core within. Take that Mystic Yin Mirror of yours for example. Its formation core is none other than the Yin energy that's stored within. The person who made it must have gathered a large amount of Yin energy and arranged it so that it works as the formation core for the Mystic Yin Mirror. If it didn't have that Yin energy, your Mystic Yin Mirror would be nothing but a piece of scrap metal. Understand?"
Miao Yi and the girls immediately understood. Yao Ruoxian's informative method of explaining had indeed helped them gain some knowledge. Qian'Er asked, "Where can we find something that can be used as a formation core then?"
"You can use all sorts of things to create a formation core. It's just that if you use materials that are subpar, you're essentially wasting your time and resources just to create a garbage transcendent artifact, so it's pretty pointless to do such a thing. Of course, you can always buy high-quality materials from the Chamber of Commerce, but those never come cheap. Girl, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you dare make me use the things that he just gave me to create a formation core. He already has three top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifacts to protect himself. That's more than enough unless he bumps into a Red Lotus expert. However, even then, it'd still just be a waste of resources to refine one more top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact for him. The gap in cultivation cannot be overcome so easily, so why waste that money?"
Yao Ruoxian turned around and started walking away as he said this. He even tried to change the topic, pointing to the two stone lion statues outside the gates of his courtyard as he asked, "I must say, girls, where did you get such an ugly-looking piece of rock? How lousy do you want my front door to look?"
Qian'Er had bought those lion statues during her big shopping spree in the capital city previously. Seeing her father questioning her tastes, Qian'Er felt as though her goodwill was just spat on. Displeased, she immediately dashed over to one of the lion statues, then placed a giant crystalline head on top of it, and snapped brusquely, "There, I changed it to a Qilin for you. It looks better now, right?!"
Yao Ruoxian simply chuckled in response and refrained from arguing with her any further. Just as he was about to step inside his courtyard, his body suddenly froze up. Slowly, he turned his head around as his eyes started to widen in shock, and even his nostrils began flaring up from his deep breaths. With shrunken pupils, he glared straight at the crystalline Qilin head atop the lion statue, looking as if he had seen a ghost!
"You girls are really misunderstanding me. I'm just going to take a look." Yao Ruoxian chuckled and released his grip on Miao Yi. He then took the Mystic Yin Mirror and wiped away the transcendence energy signature inside, intending to try his hand at the artifact.Miao Yi slightly raised his eyebrow and looked on with anticipation.As expected, Yao Ruoxian froze up on the spot, his body quickly covered with a layer of frost, greatly shocking Qian'Er and Xue'Er.Soon, Yao Ruoxian gave his body a shake, and the frost around him cracked and fell onto the ground. It then turned into a black mist and disappeared.Seeing he was alright, the two girls sighed in relief. On the other hand, Miao Yi felt it was somewhat a pity. Once again, it proved that weapons of this grade had very little effect on Red Lotus cultivators. What a shame.After a light shiver, Yao Ruoxian looked at Miao Yi suspiciously and said, "Kid, don't you dare tell me you know how to use this transcendent artifact. Under the Red Lotus realm, only Ghost Cultivators are able to do such a thing!"'No wonder this old coot is an expert at refining artifacts!' Miao Yi nodded and answered, "Why would I be holding onto it if I can't use it? There's a trick to using this Mystic Yin Mirror. You just don't know about it!""Mystic Yin Mirror, eh? The name isn't bad at least!" Yao Ruoxian scoffed, "I can figure out everything there is to know about this simple little transcendent artifact with just a single look. There is no trick to speak of. Stop trying to patronize me!" His eyes suddenly flashed as though he just thought of something, then he continued to fumble around with the Mystic Yin Mirror.After which, Yao Ruoxian was frozen in place yet again. Miao Yi couldn't help musing to himself how easily duped this old man was. However, Yao Ruoxian suddenly turned the Mystic Yin Mirror in his direction, and a powerful Yin energy erupted in his face. With such a short distance between them, Miao Yi couldn't even dodge in time and was helplessly frozen on the spot, his body encased in frost."Father! What are you doing?!" the two young ladies exclaimed.Whoosh! The frost covering Miao Yi's body instantly transformed into a black mist and evaporated into thin air, and he was normal again.At this point, Yao Ruoxian had also shaken off the frost on him. He lifted a hand to stroke that slovenly beard of his, narrowing his eyes at Miao Yi as he chuckled and said, "No wonder! So you practice a fire-type cultivation art. Any single one of the Five Elemental Arts is highly exceptional. I never thought you actually had the chance to learn one of them. Those that practice fire-type cultivation arts are all highly-renowned in the cultivation realm. Kid, just who is your master?"Miao Yi finally realized that the old coot was simply testing him out. He shook his head and replied, "That's private and confidential."Yao Ruoxian simply huffed in response. He also knew that asking such a thing was taboo in the cultivation realm. Since the other party was unwilling to divulge this information, it would be inappropriate of him to pry any further. It was similar to how he himself had never shared his past with anyone else. He tossed the Mystic Yin Mirror back to Miao Yi, then said, "And I thought it was some kind of powerful treasure. The only thing worth noting is the powerful Yin energy stored inside. There isn't much technique involved at all."Miao Yi tucked away the Mystic Yin Mirror, then watched as Yao Ruoxian held up the black cane. The cane in his grasp abruptly transformed, lengthening itself at times, then shortening back down, changing its width and size accordingly with each transformation."So the smallest size is only this big Not that impressive!" Yao Ruoxian said disdainfully as he waved the cane in his hand around, then tossed it back to Miao Yi.After which, the beaded necklace in Yao Ruoxian's hand abruptly separated themselves into eighteen individual parts, and each pearl started hovering about him in a circle. These pearls could also change their sizes, growing to about the size of a round table. It was quite impressive to see eighteen table-sized orbs circling about him in mid-air like that."Aha! Out of these three items, it seems this is the only one that requires some level of skill. Interesting... These are indeed quite suitable for someone of your cultivation to use to protect yourself." As he gave his appraisal, Yao Ruoxian opened his hand, and the eighteen giant orbs circling around him instantly shrunk back into his grasp. He then tossed it back to Miao Yi, turning to the two girls and smiled, "I'll let the kid use these for now. It's simply because your cultivations are not high enough, so even if I gave them to you, you wouldn't be able to use them."Suddenly, Yao Ruoxian let out a shout. It seemed the crazy old man had just thought of something again. He abruptly shot over to Miao Yi and grabbed him by the wrist, scanning through his belongings a second time. He then let go of Miao Yi's hand and said coldly, "I knew you were still keeping something for me. You must have hidden away the actual good stuff. What happened to that precious immortal herb of yours?"Miao Yi sighed and said, "I'm really not hiding anything. Back when the Subjugation Crusade was at its most dangerous, I almost died. With the last of my strength, I used that immortal herb to save myself."Yao Ruoxian asked suspiciously, "Given that thing's capabilities, it wouldn't be wrong to say that it could reshape one's body entirely. How badly injured were you to use it up completely?"Miao Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head, waving his hand to indicate that he didn't wish to talk about the matter. Even now, his body still couldn't help shaking whenever he remembered the pain he had experienced at that time.Yao Ruoxian noticed the fleeting dread in Miao Yi's gaze. That wasn't something that could be feigned. The old man guessed that the other party had indeed been in quite a bit of danger at the time. Well then again, it wasn't surprising for someone to experience danger in that godforsaken Sea of Constellations. Seeing the anxious looks on Qian'Er and Xue'Er's faces, Yao Ruoxian was afraid of letting the two girls worry, so he didn't pry further.However, he still couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid that I'll run away with your belongings if you hand such a large portion over to me?""If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have let you adopt Qian'Er and Xue'Er as your daughters. Whether or not you choose to believe me, I have long seen you as a member of my family. Because I know you'll keep an eye on the two girls, I'm able to rest easy and go off on my own. However, let me make things clear. I'm only keeping the things with you for the time being. If I have any use for them, I'll ask Qian'Er and Xue'Er to retrieve them from you," Miao Yi explained.Hearing how the other party saw him as a family member, Yao Ruoxian's eyes flashed with warmth. However, he quickly shot back with a glare and said, "Bullshit! Doesn't that mean I'm just your personal storage keeper then?!"Miao Yi nodded and said, "You can use them too if you need to! If you don't have enough Orbs of Will when you're cultivating, you can have Qian'Er and Xue'Er get some more from Wen Fang. As long as you're using them to raise your own cultivation, you can use as many Orbs of Will as you want. Don't worry about using them all up. I won't mind a single bit. I've already handed you my belongings. Isn't that solid enough proof of my sincerity?"Hearing these words, Yao Ruoxian's heart couldn't help feeling a little conflicted. It was indeed quite a show of trust for the kid to hand such a vast fortune to him. No one had ever treated him this nicely before.Yao Ruoxian looked at the two girls, then turned his gaze to Miao Yi. His heart was filled with a sense of warmth, and he even felt a little sniffle in his nose. However, he simply huffed and said, "I guess you have some conscience after all, brat."Suddenly, Miao Yi coughed drily and asked, "Hey old man, umm... Can you help refine a high-grade storage ring for me? I got my hands on several thousand storage rings back in the Sea of Constellations, but I can't stack their effects onto one another. They're a little too conspicuous to be carrying around with me all the time. I'm scared I'll get robbed."Yao Ruoxian immediately scoffed, "I just knew this sudden politeness meant you wanted to ask me for something. To refine a high-grade storage ring, I'll need Crystalline Gold or at least highly-purified Crystalline Obsidian. We can talk about this once the two girls have the items prepared."'That means he's agreeing to it!' Miao Yi was absolutely ecstatic. Making full use of this opportunity, he quickly asked, "Then can you refine a top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact for me as well?"He had witnessed the might of the Flowing Cloud Killer before. That artifact was incredibly powerful, with its ability to transform into all kinds of shapes and sizes. He didn't even stand a chance when he fought against it. And apparently, the old man was its creator. While he was still in the Sea of Constellations, Miao Yi kept reminding himself that he must get the old man to make him something similar once he returned. The guy was living right next to him, so how could he let such a perfect opportunity slip away?"How greedy can you get, you brat?!" Yao Ruoxian waved his hand and continued, "Buzz off!"Naturally, Miao Yi had his methods of dealing with Yao Ruoxian. He quickly threw Qian'Er and Xue'Er a glance, and the two girls immediately scurried over. They each grabbed Yao Ruoxian by the arm and pleaded, "Father!"Yao Ruoxian's face immediately contorted with dismay. He ultimately gave up, and sighed, "Girls! It's not that I don't want to refine one for him, but it's really out of my capabilities! You can't expect me to give him this old life of mine, can you?!"Hearing how pitiful he sounded, Qian'Er and Xue'Er slowly let him goand turned to look at Miao Yi."How is that possible" Miao Yi said dejectedly. He was close to mentioning the incident with the Flowing Cloud Killer, but out of fear that the old man would overthink things and run away, he quickly changed his approach, saying, "Don't you always boast about how skilled you are with refining artifacts? Don't tell me you can't even refine a single top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact?"Hearing the lack of faith in his artifact-refining skills, Yao Ruoxian was obviously unhappy. He pointed at Miao Yi's nose and said, "Alright, listen closely, you brat! Anyone capable of refining a high-grade storage ring can refine a top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact without a problem. It's not that I can't refine one for you. However, in order to create a transcendent artifact with transformative abilities like that, it needs something to act as a keystone. You didn't give me anything like that, and I don't have any with me either. If I did, I wouldn't have to depend on those two damn maces to protect myself. I would've just made myself a powerful artifact right from the start!"Miao Yi asked curiously, "A keystone? What's that?""You won't understand even if I explain it to you. Why waste the effort?" Yao Ruoxian huffed. However, when he saw the pleading gaze in both his daughters' eyes, he quickly gave in and sighed, "Fine! I really don't know what to do with you girls. I'll just think of it as explaining to you two and imparting some knowledge."He then turned to Miao Yi and explained, "Within any transforming transcendent artifact, there must always be a transcendent formation of some kind. And the so-called keystone of a transcendent artifact refers to the formation core within. Take that Mystic Yin Mirror of yours for example. Its formation core is none other than the Yin energy that's stored within. The person who made it must have gathered a large amount of Yin energy and arranged it so that it works as the formation core for the Mystic Yin Mirror. If it didn't have that Yin energy, your Mystic Yin Mirror would be nothing but a piece of scrap metal. Understand?"Miao Yi and the girls immediately understood. Yao Ruoxian's informative method of explaining had indeed helped them gain some knowledge. Qian'Er asked, "Where can we find something that can be used as a formation core then?""You can use all sorts of things to create a formation core. It's just that if you use materials that are subpar, you're essentially wasting your time and resources just to create a garbage transcendent artifact, so it's pretty pointless to do such a thing. Of course, you can always buy high-quality materials from the Chamber of Commerce, but those never come cheap. Girl, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you dare make me use the things that he just gave me to create a formation core. He already has three top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifacts to protect himself. That's more than enough unless he bumps into a Red Lotus expert. However, even then, it'd still just be a waste of resources to refine one more top-tier Second Grade Transcendent Artifact for him. The gap in cultivation cannot be overcome so easily, so why waste that money?"Yao Ruoxian turned around and started walking away as he said this. He even tried to change the topic, pointing to the two stone lion statues outside the gates of his courtyard as he asked, "I must say, girls, where did you get such an ugly-looking piece of rock? How lousy do you want my front door to look?"Qian'Er had bought those lion statues during her big shopping spree in the capital city previously. Seeing her father questioning her tastes, Qian'Er felt as though her goodwill was just spat on. Displeased, she immediately dashed over to one of the lion statues, then placed a giant crystalline head on top of it, and snapped brusquely, "There, I changed it to a Qilin for you. It looks better now, right?!"Yao Ruoxian simply chuckled in response and refrained from arguing with her any further. Just as he was about to step inside his courtyard, his body suddenly froze up. Slowly, he turned his head around as his eyes started to widen in shock, and even his nostrils began flaring up from his deep breaths. With shrunken pupils, he glared straight at the crystalline Qilin head atop the lion statue, looking as if he had seen a ghost!
