I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 286: High-Grade True Spirit Treasures: A Clash of Quality

From the moment the furnace fires were lit, Lu Tingwei had made a singular, unshakeable decision: he would forge a High-Grade True Spirit Treasure.

His earlier hesitation had stemmed solely from shock—he hadn’t anticipated that Shen Xian’s seemingly mundane flame control could achieve such terrifying efficiency. But now, as they approached the final confrontation of the artifacts themselves, Lu Tingwei was certain of his superiority.

While Shen Xian was already shaping his artifact, Lu Tingwei was still deep in the smelting process, dragging the timeline out further.

This discrepancy piqued the curiosity of the onlookers.

Elder Yan narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked onto the churning flames within Lu Tingwei’s cauldron. Suddenly, his pupils constricted. A look of genuine astonishment washed over his face.

“This spiritual fluctuation… something is different,” Elder Yan muttered, his heart skipping a beat. “This is absolutely not the aura of an ordinary True Spirit Treasure!”

Inside Lu Tingwei’s cauldron, the rising spiritual flames were beginning to shimmer with a seven-colored radiance. The surface of the molten materials was no longer just glowing; it was manifesting profound, arcane patterns.

As a Tier-5 Artifact Refiner, Elder Yan immediately sensed the staggering power contained within.

“He’s actually using Nether Spirit Iron and Nine Underworld Nether Flowers…” Elder Yan’s breathing quickened. “Those are core materials for forging High-Grade True Spirit Treasures! Brother Lu is going for the throat this time!”

At that precise moment, Lu Tingwei’s hands flew through a series of complex seals. The molten liquid in his cauldron began to coalesce.

*Boom!*

A shockwave of spiritual power erupted outward, causing the very flagstones of the plaza to groan and tremble.

“This… what is this?!” Master Zhou of the Hundred Arts Sect shot to his feet, shock written across his features. “Such intense spiritual resonance… could it be?”

Every refiner on the sidelines felt their blood run cold. They felt a physical weight descending upon the square—a crushing Pressure far exceeding anything a standard True Spirit Treasure should emit.

“Heavens!” a white-haired Grandmaster exclaimed, his voice trembling. “This fluctuation… he is definitely forging a High-Grade True Spirit Treasure!”

The entire square instantly boiled over with noise.

“A High-Grade True Spirit Treasure?! Grandmaster Lu intends to forge a treasure of that caliber?”

“No wonder the smelting took so long!”

“This crushing Pressure… truly worthy of a millennium-old Grandmaster!”

Even the Soul Formation cultivators, who had been resting with eyes closed, snapped them open, their gazes holding a trace of surprise. Previously, Shen Xian had only demonstrated the skill to forge Middle-Grade True Spirit Treasures. If Lu Tingwei succeeded here, the victory was all but locked.

Elder Yan scanned the shocked faces of the crowd, a surge of vindication swelling in his chest.

“Do you see now?” He cast a sneering glance at Shen Xian, who was still calmly shaping his artifact. “This is true strength! No matter how exquisite your little tricks are, they are futile before an absolute chasm in power!”

He refused to believe a newly ascended Tier-5 Refiner could possibly forge a High-Grade True Spirit Treasure. That level of artifact was something even he, a Middle-Grade Tier-5 Refiner, found nearly impossible to achieve! Furthermore, with his experienced eye, the materials Shen Xian had smelted didn’t look remotely capable of supporting such a high-tier structure.

Feeling the waves of reverence washing over him, Lu Tingwei’s lips curled into a cold, arrogant smile.

The materials in his cauldron were solidifying at a visible rate, emitting fluctuations so intense they formed tiny, swirling vortices of spiritual energy in the air around him.

*Now, I will show you what the true Dao of Artifact Refining looks like!*

Su Mu stood at the edge of the arena, her slender fingers twisting the fabric of her sleeve white. She looked at her Master’s focused back, then at the terrifying energy building in Lu Tingwei’s cauldron. Her heart sank like a stone.

“This is bad…” She bit her lower lip.

Her Master had only recently broken through. He was likely forging a Middle-Grade True Spirit Treasure. How could that possibly compete?

As a refiner herself, she knew the gap was insurmountable. Middle-Grade and High-Grade might sound like a single step, but they were worlds apart. High-Grade True Spirit Treasures often contained a trace of Law Power, granting them might far beyond the ordinary.

“Master’s technique is exquisite, but the difference in the final quality…” Su Mu’s internal monologue was frantic. “How can skill compensate for a fundamental difference in tier?”

Nearby, Zhao Wuchen of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce frowned deeply, whispering to Venerable Zi Yun, “Celestial Venerable, this situation looks grim…”

A High-Grade True Spirit Treasure.

Even in the vast Holy City, the number of Tier-5 Refiners capable of such a feat could be counted on one hand. Could this Master Wang really pull a miracle out of thin air?

…

As time ticked by, the Spirit Weapon in Lu Tingwei’s cauldron finally revealed its true form.

A phantom image of a shield, abyssal blue in color, rotated slowly within the flames. Ancient, mysterious runes surfaced on its plating, pulsing with a spiritual fluctuation that made the heart palpitate with dread.

“It’s the Xuanming Spirit Shield!” a sharp-eyed refiner screamed. “That is a High-Grade defensive True Spirit Treasure capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a Soul Formation cultivator!”

The crowd erupted into an uproar.

“No wonder the energy fluctuation was so terrifying!”

“Grandmaster Lu lives up to his reputation!”

“The outcome is decided!”

Elder Yan stroked his beard, his face a mask of smug satisfaction. With the birth of the Xuanming Spirit Shield, the contest was over.

He glanced at Shen Xian with pitying disdain. “So what if he melts materials quickly? In front of the Xuanming Spirit Shield, he is nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot!”

Master Zhou of the Hundred Arts Sect nodded slightly, sighing internally. *Brother Lu has indeed shown his true capability. Although the quality of this Xuanming Spirit Shield has minor flaws, it is still a dimension apart from any Middle-Grade treasure.*

He, too, believed Shen Xian was capped at Middle-Grade.

But just as the crowd prepared to declare the winner, a blinding explosion of golden light erupted from Shen Xian’s cauldron!

*BOOM—!*

A pillar of golden light pierced the heavens, instantly tearing through the cloud layer above the plaza. The sky, originally clear, turned abruptly dark as rolling thunderclouds converged with unnatural speed.

Shen Xian’s mouth quirked into a faint, confident smile.

*Since we are playing a game, let us raise the stakes.*

His hands moved in a blur of seals. The True Spirit Treasure in his cauldron finally rose, revealing its majesty—a spear of gold and crimson, suspended in the air. Nine dragon-shaped patterns coiled around the shaft, and as the light hit them, they writhed and moved as if alive.

“That is…” Master Zhou leaped to his feet, his eyes bulging with disbelief. “The Nine Dragons Heaven-Burning Spear?!”

“Impossible!” Elder Yan shrieked, his composure shattering.

That aura… it was unmistakably a High-Grade True Spirit Treasure!

The square descended into chaos.

“Another High-Grade True Spirit Treasure?!”

“And this Pressure… it seems to be on par with the Xuanming Spirit Shield!”

“Heavens, this Master Wang actually…”

Lu Tingwei’s face drained of color, his hand seals nearly breaking from the shock. A storm of disbelief raged in his mind. *How could this kid possibly forge a High-Grade True Spirit Treasure? And looking at that momentum…*

At that moment, the thunderclouds above reached critical mass. A bolt of purple lightning, thick as a water bucket, crashed down!

“Weapon Tribulation! Master Wang has triggered a Weapon Tribulation again!” the white-haired Grandmaster trembled, overcome with emotion.

Every refiner held their breath.

Realization dawned on them like a physical blow. The “ordinary” materials Shen Xian had used… through his specific ratios and refining techniques, they had undergone a fundamental qualitative change!

This was the chasm between a top-tier Tier-5 Refiner and a common one.

Ordinary men saw the grade of the materials. A true Grandmaster understood the *Dao* of the materials—their mutual generation and restraint. They knew how to unlock potential that lay dormant. Shen Xian hadn’t just melted metal; he had manipulated the laws of nature to force “trash” materials to ascend to a higher plane of existence.

*BOOM!*

A second bolt of lightning hammered down. The spear did not shatter. Instead, bathed in the electric glare, it grew more brilliant. The nine dragon patterns on the shaft seemed to awaken, emitting a dragon roar that shook the earth!

The crowd was stunned into silence.

A High-Grade True Spirit Treasure that had undergone a Weapon Tribulation versus one that hadn’t. Which was superior?

The answer was painfully obvious.

“It is not over! Who says you have won?!”

Lu Tingwei’s eyes went bloodshot. In a fit of madness, he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of his own essence blood onto the spirit shield in his cauldron!

*BOOM—!*

The Xuanming Spirit Shield erupted with a piercing, ghostly light. A blue pillar of energy shot straight into the clouds.

The thunderclouds, which had begun to disperse, violently recoiled and gathered once more. The sky above the plaza split into two distinct domains of destruction—one side churning with purple lightning, the other weaving a web of blue thunder.

“Double Weapon Tribulation!” Celestial Venerable Zi Yun stood up abruptly, a terrifying light bursting from his eyes. “A spectacle not seen in a thousand years!”

Lu Tingwei’s hair and beard stood on end, his spiritual power flooding into the cauldron in a desperate torrent.

He screamed internally, his pride refusing to break. *I have immersed myself in artifact refining for a thousand years! I will not be defeated by a mere junior!*