Shen Xian tapped the surface of the [Heavenly Mechanism Disk] with a fingertip.

Instantly, the bronze artifact erupted with brilliant starlight. The Yin-Yang fish motif on the disk spun into a blur, while the dragon pearl at its center ignited, bathing the entire second floor in a mysterious, oscillating azure luminescence.

“That energy…” Zhou Fengxing’s pupils constricted to pinpoints.

It can channel the power of the stars? That is at least a high-grade True Spirit Treasure!

As the scion of a talisman clan, Zhou Fengxing was hypersensitive to magical auras. The sheer potency of the artifact made the fine hairs on his neck stand on end.

How does a mere demonic cultivator possess such a heavy treasure?

The [Heavenly Mechanism Disk] hovered directly above the jade box. Dense array formations writhed across its surface like living things, weaving a complex net of light that completely enveloped the target.

Hum—

The golden seals on the box twisted, warped by an invisible force. Under the illumination of the disk’s light net, the ancient, profound talisman patterns began to unravel, decomposing into raw energy before restructuring right before their eyes.

It works.

A sharp glint entered Shen Xian’s eyes.

As a fifth-grade artifact refiner, he could verify that the [Heavenly Mechanism Disk] was dissecting the ancient ban at an astonishing speed. Every rune on the disk countered a specific variable in the seal, while the central dragon pearl calculated the breach point.

“Impossible!”

Lei Yingjie stared in disbelief.

Even my Wind Thunder Sect’s [Thunder Pattern Restriction Breaking Art] failed against this, yet his artifact tears through it like paper?

Nearby, Qiu Ruoli’s white lotus barrier flared instinctively. She watched, mesmerized, as the disk didn’t just break the seal—it devoured it.

What kind of treasure is that? It eats ancient restrictions?

Liu Wanduo clutched the jade pendant at his waist, his cloudy eyes fixed on Shen Xian with renewed wariness.

This demonic cultivator… just who is he?

As the inheritor, Liu Wanduo understood the terror of that golden-patterned jade box better than anyone. The inheritance memory had explicitly warned him: This box is a death trap. Never touch it.

Crack, crack, k-k-crack…

A sound like grinding bone echoed through the silent hall.

The golden patterns on the box shattered inch by inch, dissolving into motes of light that fed into the floating disk. Miraculously, as the golden light merged with the artifact, new miniature array patterns materialized around the Yin-Yang fish.

The Heavenly Mechanism Disk is evolving?

Shen Xian suppressed a grin.

As a refiner, he understood the implications perfectly. With every unique restriction it consumed, the disk’s ability to crack defenses grew exponentially stronger.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out as the final golden seal detonated. The disk flared with blinding intensity; the density of its array patterns had increased by a full thirty percent.

“It’s open…” a Rogue Cultivator murmured, his voice trembling.

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, the golden-patterned jade box—the same one that had humiliated Lei Yingjie—lay defenseless.

The entire process had been smooth and fluid, as if the [Heavenly Mechanism Disk] had been born solely to hunt these ancient bans.

“How is this possible…” Liu Wanduo’s withered fingernails dug into his palms. “The inheritance clearly said…”

A faint smile curled Shen Xian’s lips. He reached out and flipped the lid.

Fwoosh!

A pillar of golden light blasted upward, bleaching the entire second floor of the Treasure Pavilion as white as day. The radiance was so intense it made the starlight of the disk pale in comparison.

Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes. Only Shen Xian, peering into the heart of the brilliance, saw it.

A fist-sized crystal lay resting in the box.

The stone was a deep purple-gold, its surface etched with natural, jagged thunder patterns. Inside the crystal, liquid lightning roamed sluggishly, containing an apocalyptic power.

“Nine Tribulations Thunder Pattern Crystal?!” Shen Xian’s breath hitched.

He had only seen this material in ancient texts.

It was a Top Grade seventh-grade artifact refining material, forged by the tempering of nine heavenly calamities!

Every thunder pattern on the surface contained terrifying purification power. The mere aura radiating from the open box instantly dissolved the demonic Qi within a three-zhang radius.

Shen Xian could feel the three True Spirit Treasures in his Storage Ring vibrating violently, screaming with an unprecedented desire to consume the material.

As the pillar of light faded, the crowd lowered their hands and looked over.

When the prodigies saw the crystal, the atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

“Seventh-grade material!” The heart-palpitating fluctuation caused even Lei Yingjie to lose his composure.

The others were even worse off. Their pupils dilated, and their minds trembled under the allure of the treasure.

“It really is the Nine Tribulations Thunder Pattern Crystal!” An elderly cultivator stammered. “The legendary demon-slaying sacred object!”

Sharp gasps filled the room.

The eyes of the prodigies burned with fervent heat.

Only Liu Wanduo felt a strange sensation. Amidst his shock, his heart began to pound violently, and his spirit wavered as if trying to separate from his body. However, the feeling vanished in an instant, and he attributed it to the adrenaline of the moment.

The emergence of a supreme treasure immediately ignited the greed of the dozen cultivators present.

Lei Yingjie, Zhou Fengxing, and the others quietly began to cycle their spiritual power. Their stances shifted, preparing to strike.

This was a seventh-grade material. It was a treasure even Void Refinement Celestial Venerables would kill for. For Golden Core True Persons like them, it was priceless.

Sensing the murderous intent in the air, Shen Xian’s expression darkened. “Oh?”

Bang!

In the next second, the [Burning Heaven Cauldron] crashed to the floor, vomiting a pillar of crimson flame and roaring profound thunder. simultaneously, the [Heavenly Mechanism Disk] expanded its domain, locking down a ten-zhang radius in a suffocating grid of light.

Two True Spirit Treasures unleashed their full might at once. A tsunami of spiritual Pressure washed over the hall!

“Anyone with a death wish,” Shen Xian said, his voice icy and bone-chilling, “step forward.”

The mob froze mid-step.

The faces of the prodigies drained of color as they were forced to retreat. The sheer density of the Pressure coming from the dual artifacts caused the spiritual power in their meridians to stagnate.

“Damn it, I forgot who we’re dealing with,” Lei Yingjie cursed inwardly.

One True Spirit Treasure was manageable. But two? Even if they swarmed him, the collateral damage would ensure mutual destruction.

Helplessly, the crowd watched as Shen Xian calmly stored the seventh-grade material. Realizing the opportunity was gone, they reluctantly returned to their own jade boxes, throwing themselves into breaking the seals with renewed desperation.

They had to hope their boxes held something equally extraordinary.

Seeing them back down, Shen Xian smirked.

Peace through superior firepower. His earlier display of dominance had paid off; they knew better than to act recklessly now.

His Divine Sense swept over the crystal in his Storage Bag. If I gift this to Zhao Li, I might trigger an eighth-grade return!

Eighth-grade material!

That was a resource on the level of a Mahayana Divine Venerable.

However, Shen Xian paused. He wasn’t in a hurry to give it away.

The multiplier isn’t stable enough.

His previous experiments with the system made him realize that the higher the quality of the item, the more the multiplier mattered. A mere fifty-fold return on a treasure this rare might only yield another seventh-grade Top Grade item.

I need to wait for a high-multiplier trigger, Shen Xian decided.

Just then, the restriction on the largest jade box in the room finally shattered.

A staircase materialized, leading upward. It looked ordinary, emitting a simple, ancient aura.

However, above the entrance, a weathered plaque shimmered into existence, bearing six large characters.

[Ten People May Enter the Third Floor]