The Eternal White Works Slowly Cultivating the Immortal Path Slowly Cultivating the Immortal Path Volume 1 Chapter 63 Sixty-Three, Refining Equipment Competition (Seven)

  Wan Jia's last sentence was clearly hinting at something, but the crowd of cultivators didn't delve deeper into it, only hoping that the three seniors would start their evaluation and guidance soon.

  Three people first took out the No. 16 and No. 44 "Jiulong Zhen" separately and put them aside, and then proceeded to identify the remaining ones in the order of their previous answers. First, Fu Chun identified and commented on them, then Ji Ling summarized, and finally Wan Jia added some points based on the evaluations of the two appraisers and the shortcomings of the craftsmen in terms of casting skills. After a round of evaluation, the craftsmen listened with great interest, and it can be said that they benefited greatly.

  Finally finished commenting on the first fourteen "Nine Dragon Needles", and what's left are No. 16 and No. 44. This time, Fu Chun did not start judging immediately like before, but instead, with a very respectful attitude, he bowed to Ji Ling and said: "These two 'Nine Dragon Needles' are both top-notch in my humble opinion, and it's hard to distinguish between them. As I'm still inexperienced and lacking in knowledge, I find it difficult to judge the subtle differences, so I'd rather have a senior do the evaluation, and I'll just listen."

  With a smile on his face, he stroked his beard and said: "Fu Chun's young friend is really too modest. These two magical instruments have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it can be said that they are evenly matched. Even if I were to evaluate them, it would only be subjective speculation, and it all depends on personal preference."

  Fu Chun didn't think much of it, thinking that the old man was just being modest and polite, so he said: "In any case, senior is far more skilled in appraisal than junior, please enlighten me."

  "You're being so polite, if I refuse again it would be too impolite." Having said that, Jie Luan didn't decline anymore and only asked: "Before making a judgment, I'd like to ask you, if you really had to choose one for yourself, which one are you more inclined towards?"

  Fu Chun took the two artifacts in his hands again, gently stroking them, and carefully examined them once more. After a moment, he said, "I choose number sixteen."

  Ji Luan nodded and turned to face Wan Jia, "Wan Jia the old Daoist, what about you? What choice will you make?"

  "Wan Jia smiled and his eyes fell on a young monk not far away, "Number 44 is more in line with my destiny."

  "'Words are not in the heart,'" said Ji Zong, shaking his head. He didn't say anything more to reveal it, but instead took two "Nine Dragon Needles" from Fu Chun's hand and said: "I personally also tend towards what the 44th friend has forged."

  This caused a stir among the contestants, who whispered to each other. Among the 16 contestants, 13 had chosen number 16, while two of the three masters had simultaneously chosen number 44. Wasn't number 44 really better than number 16?

  This made Wan Jia very puzzled, he chose No. 44 just to curb the pride of his own disciples, but in his heart he still favored that stubborn disciple. But Ji Kuang was different, even if it was a good friend, he wouldn't give too much face in appraisal, what he said was one and two, absolutely not violating his own principles! Since he chose No. 44, it means he truly believed it was better than No. 16.

  "For a moment, Wan Jia couldn't help but secretly transmit his voice to Ji Luan and say: 'Old ghost, my family's young master's craftsmanship is really not as good as this No. 44?'"

  Ji Luan knew he was heartbroken for his apprentice, and didn't respond well: "Do you think I'm bullying your beloved apprentice? It's already been said that it's a personal preference. Fu Chun thought I was being polite, could it be that you also think I'm being polite?"

  As the saying goes, "concern leads to chaos", but after being blocked by Wan Jia, he regained his composure. Yu Guang quickly glanced at his own disciple and saw that the little brat was stepping forward with a look of discontent on his face, saying: "Please instruct me, Ji Ling Peak's senior."

  Although Ji Ling is blind, he was born with a keen sense of the five senses and has a sixth sense that allows him to perceive the spirit of all things. He can "see" into the heart of objects through touch, even understanding the temperament of their owners. This little guy collected by Wan Jia is not bad, his innate talent in alchemy is extremely high, it's unlikely that one will appear in a thousand years, he's indeed a genius. However, being naturally intelligent and having smooth sailing in alchemy with few setbacks, he can't help but be arrogant. If he can change this habit, he will definitely become a great instrument, it just depends on whether he has this opportunity or not.

  Well, for the sake of our old friendship, I'll try to reason with him a bit.

  Thinking of this, Ji Ling smiled and said: "Don't worry, young friends. I just mentioned that the evaluation is mostly subjective, not to say that one piece is really inferior to another. But listen to me explain in detail: Indeed, No. 16 is perfect in terms of the four major steps and refining techniques, while No. 44 has some shortcomings in the final polishing and shaping stage, so it looks less refined than No. 16 on the surface." He then turned to the other fifteen people and said: "I think that's why most of you young friends chose No. 16 earlier."

  "The senior is right," everyone nodded in agreement.

  "But," the tone of the voice changed, and those dull white eyes were fixed on the young man, as if seeing through him. "This is only a superficial difference. To say that the 16th also has its shortcomings, it's just that they are not in their accomplishments, so it's harder to notice."

  Hearing that his skills were not the issue, the young man became even more indignant: "May I ask, senior, if it's not a problem with my skills, then what is lacking?"

  "The experience of forging."

  "Fu Chun, little friend," he called out: "I suppose you've also noticed something, but think it's just a minor difference in experience, and that the impact on the tool itself is not great, far less than the obvious lack of skill, which is why you chose number sixteen?"

  He didn't expect himself to be seen through so easily, and Fu Chun couldn't help but admire: "Senior's insight is impressive."

  "Since both sides have their shortcomings, it's up to you all to see which one you prefer more in your hearts, just as I said before, it all depends on personal preference."

  Seeing the young man's expression still couldn't understand, he continued: "Just talking may not be clear enough to you all, let's try these two 'Nine Dragon Needles' and it will be more intuitive. However, at that time, I'm afraid both artifacts will be damaged, and the ownership of the artifacts belongs to you, but I don't know if you two are willing to give them up."

  "Nothing is impossible, seniors please feel free." The young man replied generously.

  "What about that little friend number forty-four?" asked Ji Ling, turning his body slightly to ask.

  At that moment, everyone looked towards the direction of Ji Luan. Although they had already guessed that the 44th "Nine Dragon Needle" might be the only female cultivator in the arena, after confirmation, they couldn't help but feel astonished. Especially Mr. Zhuge, whose face was filled with knots, shaking his head continuously, with an expression of incredulity.

  Xiao Yao was extremely reluctant to destroy the artifact. The young man looked like a wealthy master, and destroying a mid-grade bronze artifact didn't even make him blink. As a poor cultivator, she couldn't compare to those with status and background. If she were to sell this artifact, it would be worth over a million mid-grade yuan crystals. Destroying it would be a huge loss for her. However, in front of everyone, she couldn't just refuse outright without giving him any face, so she said: "This artifact is something I poured my heart and soul into crafting. If it's really destroyed, I'll feel some regret."

  Xiao Yao spoke in a roundabout way, but Wan Jia and Ji Luan still understood. They also saw that although her face was calm, her eyes were tightly fixed on her own "Nine Dragon Needle", as if they would destroy her magic weapon at any moment.

  Even if she cherished her own magic tool, it shouldn't be gazed at like that. Her eyes seemed to gleam with a light, as if she were a miser staring at his treasure.

  As the appraisal was about to come to an end, Wan Jia looked at his disciple's gloomy face and sighed inwardly. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Don't worry, young friend. If there's any damage, I'll give you a bronze-yellow mountain-grade magic tool as compensation."

  Xiao Yao's eyes blinked, and her heart was already racing, but she didn't want to agree too readily, lest she lose face. So, on the surface, she remained serious and said with a hint of difficulty: "Well... since senior has spoken up, it's also for the sake of academic discussion among fellow practitioners. I'll reluctantly part with it, please use it."

  Wan Jia couldn't help but notice the delight in Xiao Yao's eyes. This girl was clearly a money-grubber, yet she still tried to put on airs and pretend to be refined. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, so he simply urged Ji Ling to start quickly.

  And so, Ji Ling didn't rush or delay, first taking out a bright blue bell. The crowd fixed their eyes on it and saw that it was actually a white silver artifact of the highest quality. He shook the bell and suspended it high above the pavilion, instantly enveloping everything in a blue light that formed a circular screen on the ground.

  After doing all this, he took the two "Jiulongzhen" in his hands and handed the 16th "Jiulongzhen" to Wan Jiaodao: "Lend a hand, go to the other side of Yu Ping, and urge it towards me."

  Wan Jia Yi stood at one side of the circular screen, facing Ji Ling, and both of them simultaneously activated the "Nine Dragon Needles" in their hands!

  In an instant, the flying needles clashed fiercely, bringing with them a burst of primal energy that collided in mid-air within the circular screen. A sharp, piercing metallic whine was heard, and the bricks on the ground within the circular screen shattered into fragments. However, outside the circular screen, not even half a ripple was disturbed. After the whine, the eighteen needles scattered all over the ground.

  "Wait!" Tai De shouted, "Withdraw!"

  The bell and the two sets of "Nine Dragon Needles" automatically returned to his hands. Then he put the bell into the mustard seed space, and the two sets of "Nine Dragon Needles" were placed on the round table, saying: "Everyone please look."

  The young man, Xiu, picked up the two needles first, and with just one glance, his face changed slightly. After putting down the needles, he retreated to the side, his eyes gazing at Xiao Yao with a hint of profundity.

  This young man, Dao Han, was a direct disciple of Wan Jia Zuo, with an extremely high innate talent. He could forge copper-grade artifacts within a hundred years of refining equipment. However, he had a rather arrogant personality and only got along with his master, a few senior brothers, and himself, while being distant from fellow disciples of the same level, often coming and going alone.

  Wan Jia saw his own inferior disciple actually start paying attention to others, and couldn't help but curiously walk forward to take a look at the two magical artifacts.

  Because both he and Jilun didn't have any spare energy when activating the law devices, the two sets of "Nine Dragon Needles" on the round table were damaged after intense collision, but the damage to the 44th law device was much smaller than that of the 16th. He carefully examined the damaged parts of the two law devices and found that they were indeed made of the same material and had been well-shaped in the mold. This difference could not be due to differences in material or craftsmanship, so it must have been caused by a gap in experience between them.

  Experience is not like talent and intuition, which can be innate. It has no shortcut, only through years of repeated tempering, learning from failures and successes, is a person's accumulation. This is why the tools made by experienced craftsmen are more handy to use. They are very familiar with every hammer strike, every moment of fire control during forging, and have their own unique ideas and insights about the material, all of which will be reflected in the tool.

  After everyone had seen the law instrument, they all felt enlightened and no one doubted what Ji Luan had said earlier.

  Wan Jia looked at Xiao Yao and said: "I don't know how many years you've been studying alchemy, little friend?"

  Xiao Yao replied: "It's been too many years and I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but from the Golden Elixir period onwards, it's been around 60 to 70 thousand years."

  In an instant, the whole scene was in an uproar. Among the 15 contestants present, all were native cultivators of the Xianling Realm, relying on the rich resources of the Xianling Realm to cultivate at a relatively fast speed. Not one of them had a lifespan exceeding 40,000 years.

  When they looked at Xiao Yao again, their eyes were no longer just admiring, but more respectful.

  Even if it's not the best, one can't help but admire that this girl may not have high innate talent, and her attainments are not the highest, yet to reach today's level is a testament to her persistence and hard work. Those who diligently work hard should earn people's respect.

  At this point, many people on the scene bowed their heads to congratulate the two of them. Even Mr. Zhuge, who had always been suspicious of Xiao Yao's gender, politely congratulated her with a "congratulations".

  Facing the congratulations of the crowd, compared to Xiao Yao's calmness, Dao Han was a bit silent, as if immersed in his own thoughts.

  Wan Jia looked at his apprentice and thought: Although he had a high innate talent and was only interested in forging complex high-level artifacts, the number of times he actually forged was the least among his peers. How could his experience be compared to that girl's? He couldn't help but feel a little disheartened for a moment. He just hoped that after this event, Wan Jia would see his own shortcomings and not become discouraged, which would make all his efforts as a master worthwhile.

  After a while, when the congratulations from the crowd of contestants had subsided, Fu smiled and said to the two: "Congratulations to you two young friends, the Star Master invites you both to come upstairs for a chat."

  The author has something to say: orz, after seeing the comments, I just realized that I missed a paragraph when copying and pasting, what a tragedy. Now it's supplemented. Also, there will be an update tonight at the usual time.