Chapter 24: A Genius Emerges

Lei Yan granted Su Yun three days to prepare. During this time, her primary task was to immerse herself in the art of artifact refining, studying both the techniques and Lei Yan’s personal insights. There was no rush to master the entire material catalog; a foundational understanding of basic components would suffice.

To achieve the rank of a First-Tier Artifact Refiner, one had to successfully forge a low-grade, First-Tier magical artifact. There were, after all, no shortcuts on the path of an artifact refiner.

Over these past few days, Su Yun had truly settled her mind, unperturbed by the presence of Lin Shuang and Lin Xue. Indeed, Lin Shuang and Lin Xue spent most of their time away from the residence, often found either at the sect’s Sword Discussion Platform or within its Sword Comprehension Pagoda.

These were sacred grounds: one for disciples to engage in friendly combat, and the other for dedicated cultivation.

On the morning of the third day, a visitor arrived at Su Yun’s dwelling. It was an elder disciple from the sect, a cultivator in the Qi Refining realm, who had come bearing a delivery for her.

“Knock, knock! Is Junior Sister Su in?” a female voice called out, followed by another knock on Su Yun’s door. “I’m from the Disciple Management Office, here to deliver your custom-made Artifact Refining Peak attire.”

Su Yun, who had been engrossed in studying the diagrams within, promptly rose and hastened to the entrance, opening the door.

The female disciple outside immediately extended a set of dazzling, fiery-red robes toward Su Yun.

“Junior Sister Su,” the disciple explained, “this garment is known as the Phoenix Flame Gilded Robe. It is a top-grade, Second-Tier treasure garment, personally crafted for you by Elder Lei Yan himself.”

Su Yun paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, before she accepted the garment.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

The female disciple offered a polite nod, then turned and departed.

Su Yun, cradling the robes in her arms, closed the door and made her way to her bedside.

‘Are clothes also crafted by artifact refiners?’ Su Yun mused, spreading the garment to examine it. ‘I wouldn’t have expected Master, with his gruff exterior, to possess such delicate skill, crafting women’s attire with such exquisite detail.’

The style of this robe mirrored the one that manifested after she activated her bloodline, though it lacked the same opulent splendor.

Its design was identical to the robes worn by Lin Xue and Lin Shuang, marking it as the distinct attire for direct disciples. Golden phoenix and flame motifs were intricately embroidered upon the soft, silken fabric.

As a treasured item, the robe required a drop of blood to acknowledge its master. Only after this ritual could its wearer fully comprehend its numerous functions and special properties.

Su Yun pricked her finger with a nail, squeezing out a single drop of fresh blood that fell upon the fabric. Instantly, the robe absorbed the crimson bead, and a radiant golden-red glow erupted from its surface. In that moment, Su Yun felt an inexplicable connection forge between herself and the garment.

This exquisite robe was, in essence, a special favor from Lei Yan to Su Yun. Typically, the attire bestowed upon direct disciples was merely a low-grade, Second-Tier item.

Yet, Lei Yan had personally funded a top-grade, Second-Tier set for her. This gesture clearly revealed the depth of his genuine affection, treating Su Yun as if she were his own daughter.

As most cultivators rarely had their own descendants, their disciples often became akin to their own children.

The robe boasted a multitude of effects, including dust-repelling, fire resistance, and waterproofing. Moreover, it could withstand attacks from all magical artifacts below the Third Tier. Naturally, the extent of its defensive capabilities depended on the wearer’s cultivation realm. However, given Su Yun’s current stage, it would effortlessly render her immune to the attacks of any Qi Refining realm cultivator.

“This is truly a fine item,” Su Yun mused with a sigh, “though I haven’t quite grown accustomed to wearing long skirts.”

Yet, there was no escaping it; whether she embraced it or resisted, the change was inevitable. Resigned, Su Yun shed her ordinary clothes. With a mere thought, the treasure robe seemed to stir with a life of its own, gracefully floating upwards and settling onto her form. It was entirely automatic, even fastening its own sash.

“Tsk, tsk,” Su Yun exclaimed, a joyful smile gracing her lips. “The effects are truly remarkable! I must find a way to incorporate these features into my own artifact crafting.”

In a matter of moments, Su Yun was transformed into a stunning maiden, adorned with a crimson jade hair crown and a flowing gown of gold and fiery red.

Once fully adorned, Su Yun eagerly glanced into the mirror. She was immensely pleased with the image reflected back; the treasure robe, as expected, automatically contoured to her figure.

The robe flawlessly accentuated Su Yun’s figure. Though her physique was not yet fully mature, it already possessed graceful curves. From a side profile, her body traced a perfect S-shape, and her waist-to-hip ratio was particularly striking. Even Su Yun herself couldn’t resist striking a pose before the mirror, finding herself increasingly captivated by her own reflection.

‘My chest, it must be a B-cup now, right? If only it were a little larger, it would be absolutely perfect.’ Su Yun murmured, turning sideways to cup her own breasts, uttering a remark whose innocent impropriety she didn’t even notice.

The robe felt incredibly smooth and comfortable against her skin. Aside from a potential slight awkwardness when walking, everything else felt perfectly fine.

Opening her door, she stepped out, clad in the new attire. She first lifted the hem of her skirt and took a few experimental steps. Assured that there were no immediate issues, she lowered it and began to walk slowly, trying to acclimate to the unfamiliar length.

After a continuous stroll, she began to quicken her pace. However, moving too swiftly and taking overly large strides inevitably led to her stepping on the hem of her skirt. After numerous trials, she concluded that while her steps could be quick, they could not be too wide. To move with complete naturalness, she estimated it would take at least a month or two of practice.

With time, her body would develop an innate sense of movement, and such embarrassing incidents would cease to occur.

The last time she had met Sun Biyue with Su Muxue, Su Yun had felt an awkwardness that made her want to scratch her feet.

The following day, Su Yun donned her new robes and made her way to the Artifact Refining Peak. It seemed she would be spending a considerable amount of time there in the coming days.

“Haha, excellent, excellent! My judgment truly is impeccable,” Lei Yan chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Su Yun’s new appearance with immense satisfaction. “How is it, my little disciple? Does this treasure robe suit you?”

“Yes, thank you, Master,” Su Yun replied, her voice filled with gratitude. “I just heard Senior Brother mention that direct disciples typically receive only low-grade, Second-Tier robes. I never expected you would procure a top-grade, Second-Tier one for me.”

Lei Yan immediately waved a dismissive hand.

“You are an Artifact Refining Peak disciple, distinct from those ordinary students,” Lei Yan stated. “There’s no need to compare yourself to them. Come, let’s begin your formal instruction in artifact refining today.” With that, Lei Yan led Su Yun to her designated refining chamber.

As they stepped inside, the door to the refining chamber silently closed behind them. Su Yun’s chamber, with its striking silver-white door, stood in stark contrast to the other dark, somber refining rooms.

Lei Yan approached the grand furnace and began to elaborate on the initial stage of artifact refining to Su Yun.

“My little disciple,” Lei Yan began, “the most crucial element in artifact refining is fire. As you are currently only at the First Stage of Qi Refining, you cannot yet summon true spiritual flames. For now, you must rely on these burning materials to achieve your purpose.” He continued, “The flames produced by these materials vary greatly in temperature. Too high, and the material will instantly melt; too low, and it will fail to soften properly.”

“The specific refining process depends entirely on the equipment you intend to craft,” Lei Yan explained further. “Some artifacts demand that the materials be completely melted, while others merely require them to be softened…”

As Lei Yan continued his explanation, he simultaneously began to demonstrate. Since Su Yun was temporarily unable to conjure true flames, the process had to be performed manually.

Lei Yan intended to forge a low-grade, First-Tier treasured sword. Magical artifacts themselves were categorized into various types, such as weapons, treasure garments, tools, and battle armor, each demanding a unique crafting approach.

Among these, weapons were arguably the most straightforward to refine.

One simply needed to select appropriate metal materials, place them into the furnace to soften, and then temper them repeatedly until the desired properties were achieved.

Adjacent to the furnace stood a molding platform, designed for shaping the artifacts. These molds could be custom-made, with different materials necessitating specific molds, as some substances reached temperatures that standard molds could not endure.

As Lei Yan simultaneously crafted and lectured, a gleaming silver, First-Tier treasured sword emerged from the furnace. The entire process had taken less than half an hour.

“There, little disciple, did you observe closely?” Lei Yan asked, holding the treasured sword. “This is the fundamental process for forging a First-Tier weapon. Other weapons follow a similar pattern. Once you’ve mastered weapon crafting, I will instruct you in the creation of more intricate magical artifacts.” He then extended the sword to Su Yun, inviting her to inspect it herself.

Su Yun, still somewhat dazed, accepted the treasured sword, which still radiated a faint residual warmth. Her surprise was profound.

She cast a quick glance at the sword in her hand, then, with a surge of excitement, turned to Lei Yan.

“Master,” she asked, “may I try?”

Lei Yan smiled and nodded in affirmation.

“Indeed, go ahead,” he encouraged. “Do not fear failure. Artifact refiners, too, require innate talent. In my own youth, I failed over a dozen times before achieving success.” Lei Yan stroked his beard, a look of smug pride on his face.

Su Yun, meanwhile, was already bursting with eagerness to begin.

Having committed Lei Yan’s entire demonstration to memory, she proceeded to mimic his actions precisely: igniting the flames, carefully selecting the raw materials, subjecting them to intense heat, and then meticulously tempering them.

The entire sequence flowed with astonishing seamlessness. Lei Yan, observing from the side, found himself utterly dumbfounded.

Approximately twenty minutes later, a gleaming silver treasured sword emerged from the furnace.

“Master, is this correct?” Su Yun asked, her face beaming as she presented her freshly forged treasured sword to Lei Yan.

Lei Yan, however, was utterly dumbstruck. He gazed at the treasured sword in Su Yun’s grasp, which shimmered with an even finer luster than his own creation, and his astonishment knew no bounds.

“You? A genius! Yun’er, you are truly a genius!” Lei Yan exclaimed, looking as though he had stumbled upon an invaluable treasure.

Only Lei Yan truly understood that artifact refining tested more than mere memory; its most critical component was an innate sense, a ‘feel’ for the craft. While one could imitate actions, that intrinsic sensitivity was impossible to replicate.