Early the next morning, the martial arts arena had been completely rearranged.
The original three hundred refining furnaces were now reduced to one hundred, arranged neatly in the center of the grounds.
When Li Nanzhu entered with the others, she saw the competing disciples taking their places one after another. Disciples from the Water Moon Sect occupied nearly seventy percent of the seats, while the remaining thirty percent were elites from various other sects.
"It seems the other sects truly cannot compare to the legacy of the Water Moon Sect," Feng Qingping said, looking around. "There are far too few people from the other sects left."
Zhu Yinxi's jade flute suddenly trembled slightly. "Look over there."
Everyone looked in that direction and saw Lu Tingyun surrounded by several Water Moon Sect disciples, chatting and laughing freely. He appeared perfectly normal, showing no trace of the dejection from yesterday after exploding two furnaces in a row.
Even more eye-catching was Cang Dongqing standing half a step beside him, her plain white dress making the blood-red bead bracelet on her wrist look all the more bewitching.
"This..." Duan Xianxing nearly bit his tongue. "He was so pathetic yesterday, but today he's acting like nothing happened?"
Li Nanzhu stared at the pair in the distance, her brow furrowing involuntarily.
Cang Dongqing was leaning in slightly, saying something to Lu Tingyun, her fingertips brushing past his cuff almost imperceptibly. Lu Tingyun had a rare, relaxed smile on his face, looking nothing like the tense person from the day before.
The two were talking and laughing, appearing quite intimate.
"Quite the method," Feng Qingping said, shaking her head slightly. "Lending a hand when someone is at their most vulnerable... such scheming..."
"But it is effective," Li Nanzhu sighed, her voice carrying a complex sense of admiration. "To be able to make a refinery master who just experienced two consecutive furnace explosions on the field regain his spirit overnight, one must respect that ability."
She turned her gaze toward Jiang Yifan, who was checking his refining furnace.
Her fourth senior brother's back was still as straight as a pine tree, meticulously adjusting the furnace fire.
Unlike the other disciples who were either nervous or excited, he seemed to be in another world entirely, with only the furnace before him in his eyes.
"If one missed a centennial competition because of a mindset issue..." Li Nanzhu rubbed the Mysterious Light Shield at her waist and whispered, "Such a regret would likely haunt them for a lifetime."
Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "Little Junior Sister has a point. The refining competition is limited to those under a hundred years old; this is the only chance he'll get in this life."
The group fell silent for a moment.
Li Nanzhu's gaze moved back and forth between Cang Dongqing and Lu Tingyun.
Cang Dongqing was indeed formidable—she could precisely intervene at Lu Tingyun's most fragile moment, pulling him out of his slump with the perfect amount of comfort and guidance.
This sharp insight into timing and the ability to grasp the human heart was truly a talent befitting the original heroine.
A flicker of complex emotion rose in her heart.
Cang Dongqing's appearance had indeed disrupted her plans, but upon closer thought, all she had done was help a talented refinery master regain his confidence.
It wasn't that Li Nanzhu had no way to stop Cang Dongqing from contacting Lu Tingyun through Liu Qingyang.
But from what standpoint would she do such a thing?
After all, the benefits Lu Tingyun and the Water Moon Sect gained were real. Asking herself honestly, if she were in that position, would she have actively reached out to pull Lu Tingyun up?
The answer was no.
The morning breeze brushed against her cheeks, carrying the unique freshness of early autumn.
Li Nanzhu took a deep breath, suppressing those chaotic thoughts.
Since she was here, she might as well take things as they came. Instead of obsessing over Cang Dongqing's methods, it was better to focus on what was in front of her.
After all—
Her gaze swept across the Water Moon Sect area. Liu Qingyang was frowning, pondering over what he would create later, while Chu Chenzhou discussed in low tones with an elder.
Which of these direct disciples wasn't a person of firm will? How could they be shaken to their core just by a change in Lu Tingyun?
Furthermore... Li Nanzhu's gaze fell back on Jiang Yifan. Fourth Senior Brother never cared for these convoluted schemes; his eyes held only the purest Dao of refining.
This focus was what truly commanded respect.
"Silence!"
Elder Chang Yan's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting her thoughts.
"I will now announce the rules for the second round of the competition!"
"Each person will be provided with three sets of basic materials, including profound iron, cold crystal stone, and fire copper. In addition, one set of interference materials will be provided, including explosive flame sand, sinking water jade, bone-eroding powder, and others."
He surveyed the field and continued, "You have a limit of three hours to complete the refinement, and you must use at least one type of interference material. The final score will be based on the practicality of the magic tool and the degree of material utilization. The top thirty will advance."
"If the refinement fails, or if no interference material is used, or if the resulting magic tool is useless, you will be disqualified immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the deacon disciples began distributing the materials.
In front of each competing disciple were five portions of basic materials and a small jade box containing a randomly assigned interference material.
As the materials were distributed, exclamations of surprise rose one after another across the field.
"Explosive flame sand?!" A Heavenly Sound Sect disciple's hands trembled as he held the jade box. "This... how am I supposed to refine with this?"
Beside him, a disciple from the Jianghan Sect looked even more despairing. "Bone-eroding powder... even a tiny bit of this will corrode a magic tool!"
But there were also those who were overjoyed.
A Blaze Sect disciple held a piece of fire copper essence, his face flushed with excitement. "Heaven is helping me! This perfectly complements my life-bound cultivation technique!"
Li Nanzhu's gaze swept over the Water Moon Sect area.
Liu Qingyang raised an eyebrow after opening his jade box—inside was a greyish-black yin-malevolent stone. He rubbed the surface of the stone thoughtfully, seemingly calculating something.
Chu Chenzhou had drawn soul-confusing sand, a material that would interfere with divine sense control.
But looking at his steady expression, he didn't seem worried.
The most eye-catching one was Lu Tingyun.
When he opened the jade box and saw that pitch-black piece of sinking water jade, a flash of joy appeared in his eyes.
"Sinking water jade..." Feng Qingping narrowed her eyes. "Though it's difficult to melt, if successful, the resulting magic tool will have excellent toughness."
In comparison, the Water Moon Sect disciples appeared much more composed; after all, as a major refining sect, they were intimately familiar with the properties of various materials.
"What about Fourth Senior Brother? What did he get?" Duan Xianxing strained to see Jiang Yifan's position.
"It's explosive flame sand."
Zhu Yinxi was the first to see that flash of bright red, his brow furrowed tight.
In the cultivation world, this material was known as a refinery master's nightmare. A single oversight would trigger a furnace explosion; even experienced refinery masters were often helpless against it.
Among the many interference materials, it was considered top-tier in difficulty; if ten refinery masters tried to use it, it would be a feat if even three succeeded.
"Fourth Senior Brother..." Duan Xianxing's voice changed pitch. "Isn't this too unlucky?"
Feng Qingping's brow was locked. "Explosive flame sand requires near-exacting control over the heat. A slight error and..."
Zhu Yinxi spun the jade flute between his fingers. He didn't speak, but a hint of worry flashed in his eyes as well.
Other disciples in the field who had drawn explosive flame sand had already turned pale, sinking onto their refining platforms as if they had already foreseen their failure.
However, Jiang Yifan's expression remained as calm as water.
He gently pinched a small amount of the scarlet sand and rubbed it between his fingers, as if the material in his hand was the most ordinary thing in the world.
"The competition begins!"
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