"This is Elder Wei, one of the two artifact refiners in our Three Emperor Temple. From now on, you'll be assisting Elder Wei temporarily while picking up the art of artifact refining. Don't worry — we won't actually be making you into a refiner. Our temple doesn't have the financial means to train a dedicated artifact refiner. It's only because we're currently forging an important treasure and need some extra helping hands. However, if you perform well during this period, once the two or three years are up, I'll grant you spirit pills and personally offer you some guidance in your cultivation. I certainly won't go back on my earlier promise to you!"
Fairy Hualian, who had been speaking to Han Li, was standing in the middle of a secret room piled high with all manner of materials. Beside her stood a red-faced elder who appeared to be in his fifties, at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He was looking Han Li up and down with furrowed brows.
At this point, what could Han Li possibly say? He could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
"Fellow Daoist Hualian, does this junior nephew really understand artifact refining? His age and cultivation level seem rather too low, don't they? I thought you were going to the White Dew Academy to find me a suitable assistant?" the old man said, clearly displeased.
"The treasure we're refining this time is of utmost importance — it would be best not to involve cultivators from other sects. Perhaps Junior Nephew Han's cultivation and experience are still lacking, but with some guidance from Elder Wei, he should be perfectly capable of handling material refinement tasks," Fairy Hualian replied with a light smile.
"But even material refinement requires a certain amount of talent. Otherwise, you'd just be wasting the raw materials. Still, since you put it that way, I suppose we can let the boy stay and give it a try," the old man said reluctantly.
"Rest assured, my eye isn't that poor. Although Junior Nephew Han's cultivation level isn't high, his magical power is exceptionally pure. He should have excellent control over it, which means he shouldn't be too bad at artifact refining," the Daoist nun replied, pursing her lips into a graceful smile.
"Oh? Is that so? He does seem to have some potential after all. It appears Fellow Daoist Hualian didn't just grab someone at random," Elder Wei said, re-examining Han Li with a flicker of surprise on his face.
"The person Elder Wei needs has been delivered. You should pick up the pace on the refining progress from now on. Our temple has already fallen behind the other two. Whatever you do, don't delay the important matter in the end — neither you nor I can afford those consequences. Now, I'll take my leave." Fairy Hualian finally rose to depart, adding one last word of caution before she left.
"Don't worry — as long as the boy proves useful, it won't delay our progress," the red-faced old man said, rising to see her off with a firm promise.
Only after hearing this did the Daoist nun truly leave, satisfied.
And so, in the secret room, only Han Li and the old man remained.
"You've heard what was just said. Whether or not you have any interest or talent in artifact refining, I will spend one month teaching you the fundamentals of the art in earnest. After that, I'll assign you tasks. As long as you complete your assignments on time each month, you're free to do as you wish with the rest of your time. But if you fail to complete your tasks, then get out immediately — I'll find someone else suitable for the Artifact Refining Hall." Elder Wei showed no sentimentality whatsoever, speaking bluntly.
"Yes — this disciple will do his utmost!" Han Li replied calmly.
"Of course, being a disciple in the Artifact Refining Hall isn't without its benefits. Not only can you use some of the hall's magical artifacts and the Earthfire Pool for free, but the spirit stones distributed monthly are also far more than what disciples in the other halls receive. Now come with me to meet the other Artifact Refining Hall disciples. In the future, some materials may require your joint effort to complete." Seemingly satisfied with Han Li's attitude, the old man's expression softened slightly.
He then led Han Li out of the secret room.
And so, after meeting the three other low-level disciples at the Qi Refining stage and being given a place to stay, Han Li's cultivation life at Huangqing Temple officially began.
The so-called Artifact Refining Hall was actually a separate courtyard built midway up the mountain where Huangqing Temple stood. The buildings weren't particularly numerous — apart from one great Earthfire Hall and several Artifact Refining Pavilions, there was nothing else of note. The disciples of the hall even had to live in caves carved into the mountainside.
As for the people in the hall, aside from the red-haired old man — the dedicated artifact refiner — there were two other middle-aged cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Refining stage who served as his assistants during the refining process. The rest were the four Artifact Refining Hall disciples, including Han Li.
The place wasn't large, but it was more than enough for this handful of people.
However, every day quite a few male and female disciples of Huangqing Temple came to the Artifact Refining Hall to rent out Artifact Refining Pavilions or directly commission the crafting of various items. Since it was a female temple, naturally eight or nine out of ten were female disciples. And these female cultivators weren't all Daoist nuns — quite a few were young women of marriageable age who had taken up cultivation, each one remarkable in appearance and bearing, like daughters of noble families.
Watching coldly from the side, Han Li noticed that the three male disciples of the Artifact Refining Hall, though exhausted every day, had long been utterly bewitched by the female cultivators who came and went. Apart from spending all their time trying to please these female disciples by frantically refining artifacts, their own cultivation had stagnated for years.
The smaller number of male disciples who came here were mostly Outer Sect disciples doing odd jobs, similar to those in the Artifact Refining Hall. Some were responsible for studying magic formations, others for refining pills, and so on. As for those female disciples, they only needed to focus on their cultivation.
After silently shaking his head at all this, Han Li had no intention of meddling in other people's affairs. Moreover, receiving these male and female disciples was the responsibility of the other three. Han Li had been specifically assigned to learn material refinement and purification first. The red-faced old man would set aside one hour each day to explain the fundamentals of artifact refining to Han Li, and would even sometimes personally demonstrate techniques and offer guidance.