I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense - Chapter 290
Chapter 290: Chapter 291 This Operation Looks Familiar
Translator: 549690339
When it comes to Artifact Refining, it must, of course, be from Tangneng First-class bathhouse.
However, the bathhouse is not meant for one-time use; if a bathhouse were truly refined, it would actually be a blessing for the Qi Sect cultivators.
Li Xiaobai picked and chose from the materials, selecting a few palm-sized metal ores; these were perfect for constructing a miniature bathhouse.
Such a size could only accommodate a few fingers; even if it were left to the Qi Sect, it wouldn’t have much use.
As per the old rule, useless materials were to be smashed first.
Watching the cultivators around him concentrating intently, Li Xiaobai gave a slight smile, raised the big stick in his hand, and smashed it down.
“Thud, thud, thud!”
The striking noise of the stick continued incessantly, and the intense vibrations swept through the entire hall, causing many cultivators with weaker control to panic; the materials they were refining in their hands instantly turned into useless scrap iron.
“Pfft!”
The flow of Spiritual Power was suddenly interrupted, and the cultivators coughed up blood due to the backlash.
“What does this mean?”
“Is this a new assessment by the Qi Sect this year?”
“Why didn’t it happen in the previous rounds?”
The cultivators fumed, roaring at a few of the Elders.
The Elders were also unprepared for such an oddity to occur within the Artifact Refining hall. Someone was really using a stick to smash things?
“What’s the meaning of this? Why are you deliberately destroying others’ artifact refining?”
An Elder asked Li Xiaobai with a stern face and cold voice, his actions bringing to mind some unpleasant matters.
“Reporting to the Elder, this is ancient refinement; it requires using the most primitive means to maximize the potential of the materials. There seems to be no explicit rules in the Qi Sect competition prohibiting this method of refining, right?”
Li Xiaobai spoke calmly.
“Indeed there isn’t, but a similar incident occurred at the Elixir Sect. A daring individual, under the guise of ancient alchemy, committed widespread sabotage at the Elixir Sect’s contest. He also swung a hammer randomly. What connection might you have with that person?”
The faces of a few Elders turned darkly forbidding. Practicing ancient alchemy is fine, but you just smashed away without using any cultivation level; you didn’t even leave the slightest mark on the materials. That’s hard to justify, isn’t it? Isn’t that blatantly creating trouble?
Without leaving a trace, they cut off all of Li Xiaobai’s retreats, trapping him right in the center.
The other cultivators were now all ears as well, having heard about the incident at the Elixir Sect. That Li Xiaobai was audacious, his noise causing hundreds of cultivators to spoil their alchemy. Thinking carefully, his methods were very similar to the ones used by the man before them!
“Since the Elders have asked, Liangchen will not keep it concealed. Do you know about the recent incident in the Western Desert where nearly ten thousand righteous cultivators had their Space Rings stolen?”
“Of course we know about it. Wasn’t it stolen by a cultivator named Liu Jinshui?”
The Elders responded.
“That’s right, it was stolen by Liu Jinshui. However, Li Xiaobai was also present at the time. Normally, I have a longstanding dispute with Li Xiaobai. He took advantage of the chaos that day to snatch my ring and flee. That ancient alchemy and ancient refinement techniques came from the Space Ring of Liangchen.”
“Liangchen cannot swallow this indignity. Hearing that Li Xiaobai is participating in the Three Sects’ contest, I specifically came to win the Qi Sect’s contest first place, to wash away the past humiliation!”
Li Xiaobai showed deep bitterness and hate in his eyes.
A few Elders looked at each other skeptically, then at Li Xiaobai with doubtful faces: “Do you have that capability?”
“I have sworn with my Daoist heart that in this Qi Sect competition, I will definitely take first place!”
Li Xiaobai’s eyes were resolute.
Several Elders were stunned; to swear with one’s Daoist heart was no child’s play—it was staking one’s entire future. It seemed that the other party must be telling the truth; otherwise, it would not be such a coincidence that both ancient alchemy and ancient refinement techniques had appeared.
However, now that the technique of ancient refinement had appeared in the Qi Sect, they could not let it slip away easily.
One of the Elders made a gesture, quietly exiting the great hall. He needed to find the Sect Master. If the Qi Sect could master the ancient refinement technique themselves, it would definitely greatly enhance the strength of the Sect Disciples.
“What does a mere oath of the Daoist heart prove? I, too, have taken an oath with my Daoist heart just now, that my ranking will not be lower than Li Xiaobai’s. The so-called ancient refinement is not something to be proclaimed by mouth; let’s wait for the finished product and judge then,” said a figure in a black robe sneeringly. He had always found Li Xiaobai disagreeable, someone even more adept at pretense than himself.
He realized that in front of the other, his attempt at pretense was utterly bland.
“Heh, nothing but a disciple ruining his own future, your life will be halted right here,” Li Xiaobai shook his head in pity, continuing to manipulate the materials in his hands.
“Very well, since it is ancient alchemy, and you have issued a Daoist heart oath, I am looking forward to your creation. The competition continues as usual—all according to plan!” The Elders spoke up, tacitly permitting Li Xiaobai’s disturbing conduct.
An item capable of winning first place in the Elixir Sect competition was something they too were eager to see. If a quality item could indeed be refined, it would be a windfall for the Qi Sect. Once the Sect Master arrived, they could pry the secrets of ancient refinement from this fellow, and the sect’s rise in power would be imminent.
The cultivators were angered but dared not speak; on the Qi Sect’s territory, even if they were furious, they dared not act rashly.
Li Xiaobai smiled faintly and raised the large stick in his hand, pounding away once again with a clanking noise.
The grating sound of metal clashing penetrated eardrums, making the cultivators’ minds reel and their concentration impossible to maintain. Their faces contorted, and their hearts surged to the peak of fury.
Years of hard practice were for the purpose of gaining fame in the grand competition of the Three Sects. Yet now, they could not muster even a tenth of their strength; the frustration was unbearable.
“Pfft!”
Another batch of cultivators coughed up blood as their Spiritual Power became chaotic within them, and the materials they had been diligently refining instantly turned into a pile of scrap.
“Dammit, even if you’ve made a Daoist heart oath, you shouldn’t act like this!”
“Exactly, are you refining an artifact, or deliberately sabotaging our competition? Could it be you want all the cultivators here to fail, so you can ascend to first place?”
“If that’s the case, it would be excessively shameless!”
The cultivators erupted in rage, scolding Li Xiaobai.
Despite this, Li Xiaobai turned a deaf ear, his hands moving unremittingly, even striking with greater vigor.
A series of piercing metal scraping noises echoed, one after another. Cultivators on the platforms spewed blood from their mouths as over half suffered from chaotic Spiritual Power and internal injuries due to backlash, with none spared.
The air in the arena was thick with the scent of blood; in just a moment, only the cultivator in the black robe remained stubbornly enduring.
The Qi Sect Elders suppressed the urge to slaughter, remained silent, and waited out the burning of the incense candle.
In his heart, Li Xiaobai sighed; such a familiar scene. This Evil Sect cultivator truly had some substance, being able to withstand such intense disruption was no mean feat.
But what was to come next was not as simple as mere noise pollution!
