There was no helping it; when one had a Great Saint for a grandfather, they could be that domineering!

「In a certain city.」

Wu Bufan, a junior of the Wu Family, stepped inside. By his side, currents of wind surged. Like a wind dragon, yet also like a blade of wind, his mastery of Wind Tao was quite extraordinary. Ye Qingcheng, Ye Fengdao, Wu Bufan, Hua Tian... One by one, the Martial Arts Heavenly Talents displayed their techniques, taking the lead in Hua Yue Cave Heaven and causing onlookers to gasp in amazement.

「On a beach by a vast blue sea.」

Hong Yuan, who had just arrived at Hua Yue Cave Heaven, shook his head slightly and surveyed his surroundings. The sky was azure, the water clear, and all was peaceful.

Have I arrived at such a remote place? It seems my most important task isn’t to refine an Instrument from local materials, but to find a city first. Hong Yuan stretched out both hands, his expression impassive.

Every city in Hua Yue Cave Heaven had a Hundred Arts Pavilion. Only by gaining recognition from the Hundred Arts Pavilion could one successfully pass this preliminary selection.

In the eyes of outsiders, I, Hong Yuan, am a Cultivator of Wood Tao and Sword Tao. Therefore, in this trial, it’s best if I don’t reveal my Blood Tao techniques or the use of Worms.

"Wood Tao Divine Power—Grass Trees Soldiers!"

A ball of greenish glow emerged from the Aperture between Hong Yuan’s kidneys and flowed to his hands. He then spread his hands toward the sandy beach, allowing the greenish light to cover the area.

The next moment, something magical happened.

On the beach, grass suddenly sprouted. Then, the grass grew wildly, transforming into Sword Grass, peach blossoms, giant trees, and various other strange plants. These peculiar plants began to anthropomorphize, pulling their roots from the ground and assembling into an army of grass and trees ten thousand strong.

Hong Yuan stood on the back of a Grass Dragon, leading this plant army forth. Their momentum was immense and astounding.

This astonishing scene was quickly captured by a Formation in the sky, and the images were transmitted to the outside world.

「Ye Family’s Main City.」

A huge water screen in the sky reflected the situation of the trial takers.

"Whoa, that’s Wu Bufan! My heavens, his Wind Dragon Divine Power is truly amazing!"

"Look over there, quickly, look there! Hua Tian’s Three Heads Six Arms Divine Power is even more formidable, truly worthy of being the Hua Family’s Heavenly Talent."

"Whoa, what have I found? That person actually used the Grass Trees Soldiers Divine Power! Gasp! Truly not to be underestimated..." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The crowd marveled at the Divine Powers displayed by these Heavenly Talents.

Ye Xiner also quickly discovered Hong Yuan’s presence. When she heard people categorize Hong Yuan among the Martial Arts Heavenly Talents, she smiled, her eyes narrowing as she recalled the young figure who had painstakingly polished his physique under the waterfall at the Ye Family in Luochen.

Gu Fan, bloom and shine with your own dazzling light!

「...」

After summoning the plant army, Hong Yuan’s travel pace quickened considerably, and his material collection became exceptionally efficient.

Although I won’t display my strongest Blood Tao techniques, my mastery in Slave Tao is still worth showing off a little.

RIP—

Two teams of plant soldiers swung their bamboo spears with ease, effortlessly killing a group of Thick Forest Leopards.

Hong Yuan remained expressionless as he continued to direct his troop of plant soldiers toward the nearest inhabited area.

「Half a day later.」

He entered the Hundred Arts Pavilion of Green Hornet Jia Seven City.

Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Talisman Making, Beast Taming... These represented the Hundred Arts of cultivation, all of which could be pursued within the pavilion, each with its own established venue. Hong Yuan had dabbled in all of them.

Gazing at the different palace complexes within the Hundred Arts Pavilion, Hong Yuan unhesitatingly chose the area for Artifact Refining.

Arriving at Hurricane Valley, Hong Yuan took out a cyan luminescent cauldron from his storage and tossed it into the air.

RUMBLE!

Hurricanes filled the sky, rocks constantly fell, and wind-blown sand swirled relentlessly. The environment was extremely harsh. Yet, Hong Yuan’s eyes sparkled with mirth.

The path of Artifact Refining has two approaches: the natural refining method and the artificial refining method. Of the two, the natural refining method is far stronger, for it borrows the forces of Heaven and Earth! As a Refining Tao Grandmaster, I am, of course, exceedingly proficient in both.

Of course, I wouldn’t use a trump card like the natural refining method right at the start of the competition. That’s a technique capable of refining Holy Artifacts, reserved for a climactic moment at best! For now, I’m merely leveraging a bit of the natural refining method’s efficacy. Besides, this also serves as practice for refining a Dream Tao Holy Artifact. I’ve never forgotten that my Original Body requires a Dream Tao Holy Artifact as its Life Holy Artifact for tribulation transcendence!

"Come without a trace, leave without a shadow, wind and thunder converge."

Hong Yuan softly chanted and took out the Wind Thunder Roaring Double Wing he had recently acquired.

The Wind Thunder Roar itself was one of the most formidable Ferocious Beasts beneath the rank of Desolate Beasts, infamous for its power. A Wind Thunder Roaring Double Wing possessing merely two wind and thunder Tao Marks was already exceedingly rare. Yet, the pair Hong Yuan now produced had a full ten wind and thunder Tao Marks, making it arguably the finest material beneath the Saint level!

Back in Ye Family’s Main City, some people noticed the Wind Thunder Roaring Double Wing Hong Yuan was using for Artifact Refining.

An old man with graying hair exclaimed in shock, "This person is surely aiming to refine a fifth-rank Instrument in one go! What audacity!"

Not just this old man; others were equally stunned. There was simply no need to refine such a powerful Instrument during the preliminary selection stage. This person must be contending for the title of Leader of Artifact Refining!

"No, it’s not just that," another voice mused. "His strength is likely among the top one or two in this trial. One must remember, the Wind Thunder Roar is no easy foe..."

An elder from the distant Wu Family couldn’t help but shake his head. He felt as if he were witnessing a Supreme Talent using this assembly to soar, becoming a true Master.