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

Chapter 250: The Finals Approach, A Harvest of Gifts

The moment Shen Xian stepped out of the Five Materials Realm, a strange silence descended upon the viewing platform.

Every eye was locked onto him, or rather, onto the five distinct auras of light swirling around his body. The brilliance was so intense it stung the eyes of weaker cultivators.

“He actually… he really gathered them all…”

A white-haired old refiner trembled, tears welling in his cloudy eyes. He had studied the Dao of Artificing for over a thousand years, but only today did he understand the true meaning of “Five Elements Perfection.”

Nearby, Chi Xiaozi’s disciple looked ashen, his spirit utterly broken.

“Master… lost…” he mumbled, the memory of his arrogant boasts from yesterday burning his cheeks like a slap.

Several guild presidents stood up in unison, their eyes gleaming with predatory interest.

“We must recruit him,” the Pavilion Master of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion calculated silently. “If we can get a Grandmaster of this caliber to sit as our guest elder, our status will soar.”

The younger cultivators were shaking with excitement.

“This is it! This is the pinnacle of the Artificing Dao!” A young boy gripped his robes, his eyes burning with fanatical worship. He felt as if he had just witnessed a god walk among mortals.

Shen Xian stood on the high platform, basking in the waves of awe and envy. His expression remained calm, but internally, he was satisfied.

This is the effect I wanted. The stage is set.

He walked toward Elder Mo.

“Elder Mo,” Shen Xian asked, gesturing to the swirling lights around him. “These five materials…”

They were Supreme-grade treasures. Even as a Fifth-Rank Refiner, Shen Xian coveted them. His initial plan had been to pocket them for his own use or to gift them later. However, technically, everything inside the realm belonged to the Hundred Arts Sect.

“These five materials are the core of the finals,” Elder Mo said, seeing through Shen Xian’s greed with a knowing look. “You may hold onto them for now.”

The finals were simple: Forge a treasure. The catch was that the core ingredients had to be the materials the participant had personally gathered in the second round.

Elder Mo was genuinely curious. What kind of artifact could be born from five Supreme-grade materials? The last time this happened, the Jin family ancestor had forged a Top-tier Spirit Treasure that rivaled a True Spirit Treasure in power.

Shen Xian felt a twinge of disappointment that he couldn’t just pocket them and leave, but he hid it well.

“Understood. I will take my leave then.”

Elder Mo nodded. “The finals begin in three months. Prepare well. Decide what you wish to create.”

The Five Elements materials were the core, but a great artifact required auxiliary materials—binders, catalysts, stabilizers. The higher the quality of the artifact, the more complex the recipe. The finals were not just a test of technique, but a test of a refiner’s foundation and inventory.

Shen Xian bowed and retreated.

By the time Shen Xian returned to his rented courtyard, the street outside was already impassable.

Dozens of cultivators in luxurious robes formed a long, snaking queue. Each held an exquisite storage bag or a gift box with both hands.

“Master Wang! I represent the Maple Leaf Chamber of Commerce. We offer a three-thousand-year-old Nether Yin Cold Iron!”

“Fellow Daoist Wang! The Heavenly Crafts Pavilion is willing to provide ten Fourth-Rank Demon Beast inner cores!”

“Senior! This is Star Sand from the Precious Jewel Tower…”

The noise was deafening. Most of these envoys came from neighboring cities—Maple Leaf City, where Elder Xuanji ruled, and Cold Moon City, home of Fairy Bing Po. Seeing Shen Xian’s terrifying potential, they had decisively switched sides to curry favor.

Shen Xian raised an eyebrow at the cacophony.

“It seems they all want to place a bet on the winning horse.”

He understood the game instantly. The artifact he forged in the finals would be world-famous. If he used materials “sponsored” by a specific merchant guild, that guild would gain immense prestige. It was an investment in fame.

“Everyone,” Shen Xian raised a hand, pressing down against the air.

Silence fell instantly.

“I will select the materials I need,” Shen Xian said, his voice cool and projecting authority. “However…” He swept his gaze over the crowd. “I have no use for common trash.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a purple-robed old man stepped forward. His aura revealed him to be a Deity Transformation Realm cultivator.

“This old man offers a Nine-Aperture Exquisite Stone!”

He opened his palm to reveal a strange, porous stone. Each hole flickered with a different colored light, humming with a natural harmony.

Gasp.

The crowd sucked in a breath.

A Nine-Aperture Exquisite Stone was a rare treasure capable of automatically balancing the volatile energies of the Five Elements. It was a priceless stabilizer for high-level crafting.

Shen Xian’s eyes flashed. Top-tier Fourth-Rank material. Good stuff.

He nodded slightly. “Is there anything better?”

Since they wanted to ride his coattails, he would make them pay for the ticket.

“Master Wang, look at this!” An elder from the Precious Jewel Tower stepped up, presenting a jade vial. “Seven-Colored Spirit Fusion Liquid! It can perfectly fuse mutually conflicting materials!”

The crowd roared again. This was a must-have for any Grandmaster attempting a complex fusion.

Shen Xian smiled. “Now we are talking.”

The floodgates opened. The envoys scrambled to outbid each other with rare materials, mostly auxiliary items that would complement his Five Elements set.

Shen Xian accepted the best gifts personally. For the rest—those from smaller factions or with less impressive offerings—he handed the task over to Qiu Ruoli.

The Saintess of the Tianyao Sect found herself surprisingly willing to play the role of the hostess.

In the days that followed, Qiu Ruoli’s courtyard became a marketplace of treasures.

Envoys streamed in like carp crossing a river. The gifts piled up into small mountains.

Qiu Ruoli sat in the master’s chair, her face a mask of icy detachment, but her heart was fluttering with delight.

“This piece of Thousand-Year Cold Jade…” She ran a finger over the smooth surface of the box. “It would make an excellent Heart-Protecting Mirror.”

With a practiced motion, she slid the box into her own sleeve.

He won’t use all of this anyway. I’m just… filtering the inventory.

However, whenever a truly god-tier item appeared, her hand would pause.

“This bottle of Void Spirit Dew…” She hesitated. She thought of Shen Xian’s eyes—those calm, terrifying eyes that seemed to see through every secret. She shivered.

“Better leave this for him to see.”

What she enjoyed most was the attitude.

“Fairy, this is our guild’s special Beauty Nourishing Pill…”

“Senior, this Ice Soul Sword matches your temperament perfectly…”

Men who were titans in their own cities, men who used to look at her with lust or calculation, now bowed before her like servants.

Qiu Ruoli sipped her tea, hiding a small, satisfied smile behind the cup.

Who knew that borrowing his name could feel so… empowering?

She kept her wits about her, though. When envoys tried to slip her secret messages or establish private alliances, she declined with polite, ironclad refusals.

Old foxes. Do you think this Saintess is blind to your schemes?

At night, when the guests were gone, she counted the loot.

“Enough materials for three Life-Bound Dharma Treasures…” Her lips curved upward.

But then the image of Shen Xian appeared in her mind. She quickly shook her head. “No, no. He gets first pick. I value my life.”

She looked out the window at the high, bright moon.

For the first time since her capture, she thought: Perhaps this life… isn’t so bad after all?