Tao Yang had never held much hope in the first place; he had only pretended to humbly seek advice for fear of angering this expert.
But after talking with him for a while, Tao Yang couldn't help but adopt a grave expression. He discovered that while this middle-aged man was indeed not specialized in the art of artifact refining and very likely seldom refined artifacts with his own hands, the techniques and knowledge he possessed far surpassed Tao Yang's own understanding and experience. They were things he had never even heard of, transcending the current standards of artifact refinement.
This time, not only was Tao Yang shocked, but even Wu Yan, who had been somewhat dismissive before, finally composed his expression and listened intently.
Half an hour later, Wu Yan could no longer contain himself and joined in, offering his own views on various matters related to artifact refinement. The expert surnamed Di remained unperturbed, addressing each point with effortless composure.
…………
Battle City, Yang Kai's residence, in his Little Senior Sister's room — Yang Kai drew a deep breath as the bone shield in his hands finally transformed into a streak of light and sank into his body, vanishing without a trace.
Refining a single mysterious-grade Artifact had consumed a full five days of Yang Kai's time, and that was only possible with an uninterrupted supply of True Yang Energy. If it were any other martial artist of comparable level, refining a mysterious-grade Artifact would take no fewer than ten days to half a month.
Once the bone shield entered his body, Yang Kai instantly came to understand its structure and functions with perfect clarity. He furrowed his brows in contemplation for a moment before breaking into a faint, satisfied smile.
Truly worthy of being a mysterious-grade Artifact — the role it could play was indeed substantial. If used well, it would be a lethal weapon.
The reason Yang Kai had prioritized refining this bone shield over the mirror or the small sword was a matter of careful consideration on his part.
The mirror's grade was a tier above the bone shield, so the time required for refinement would certainly be much longer. As for the small sword, it was a soul-type Artifact. Although Yang Kai felt his Divine Sense was now formidable, he still lacked a Sea of Consciousness, meaning the refinement process would undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties.
The bone shield naturally became his first choice.
With the bone shield merged into his body, the formations inscribed within it and the profound laws contained in the mysterious-grade Artifact granted Yang Kai a sudden flash of insight. Unconsciously, his cultivation at the eighth level of the Zhenyuan Realm surged forward by a noticeable margin.
Yang Kai estimated that if he could refine the mirror into his body as well, he would surely advance to the ninth level of the Zhenyuan Realm!
After one's strength had risen, breaking through the current bottleneck was no longer as simple as merely accumulating power. More important was the elevation of one's temperament and the depth of one's comprehension of the martial path.
Once those latter two requirements were met, the accumulation of power would become effortless.
As Yang Kai was examining the mysteries and wonders within the bone shield, he suddenly felt a ripple of energy pass through his mind. He couldn't help but freeze, snapping his head up to gaze toward the door as a broad grin of elation spread across his face.
"You old fossil, you've finally shown yourself!" Yang Kai cracked a smile, slowly rising to his feet before opening the door and stepping outside.
"Young Master!" Shadow Nine materialized like a phantom.
Yang Kai gave him a casual glance, sweeping his Divine Sense over his body and confirming that he had fully recovered. He nodded with satisfaction but said nothing more than, "Go cultivate on your own. I won't be needing you for now."
"Understood!" Shadow Nine's figure gradually faded into the air.
In truth, Shadow Nine was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Yang Kai to show no astonishment at all regarding his current state, as if he had long anticipated that Meng Wuya would be able to lift the seal of the Yuan Suppression Curse.
The door to the adjacent room suddenly swung open, and Meng Wuya strode out with a solemn expression, gazing toward a direction in the void.
"There's demonic energy!" Manager Meng said, his gaze flickering toward Yang Kai—whether deliberately or inadvertently—"and it feels somewhat familiar!"
"You've met him before." Yang Kai grinned.
Meng Wuya's brow furrowed, and he squinted as he said, "That demon?"
"That's right." Yang Kai gave a slight nod.
Back beneath Kunlong Gorge, Meng Wuya had ripped the Earth Demon from Yang Kai's body in a single move, and the two had exchanged some sharp words. Although Meng Wuya hadn't actually harmed the Earth Demon, who was merely a spiritual entity, and possessed an overwhelming advantage, Yang Kai had keenly perceived that Meng Wuya was somewhat wary of the Earth Demon.
"Since it's him, then I won't meddle. When he arrives, have him come see me." Meng Wuya said lightly.
Yang Kai was taken aback but still nodded gently.
"Little Yang Kai, don't blame this old man for speaking out of turn, but you'd best be careful around that demon. He's not as simple as you think."
"I know."
"Also, tell him to rein it in. There are eight powerful experts monitoring the Battle City. His arrival has surely already alarmed those eight."
Yang Kai couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. The Eight Great Families of Zhongdu had eight Divine Transcendence Realm experts stationed in the Battle City, keeping watch over everything in all directions. The Earth Demon's aura couldn't possibly be concealed from those eight. Although he could offer some protection, if the Earth Demon did anything truly out of line, those eight certainly wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
After saying a few more words, Meng Wuya turned and walked back inside.
Yang Kai wore a helpless expression as he stepped forward to head outside and meet the approaching visitors. He was actually quite curious to find out what the Earth Demon had been up to these past few months.
Moreover, in his perception, the arriving party didn't just include the Earth Demon—there was also Leng Shan's soul fluctuation.
Since Leng Shan had come, the people from Ghost King Valley must have come as well. This was something Yang Kai hadn't anticipated.
On the way, he encountered a warrior of unknown affiliation. Yang Kai ordered, "Go fetch Qiu Yimeng!"
"Yes, sir." The man responded and hurried off to find Qiu Yimeng.