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

Chapter 252: The Assessment, Three Unique Talents

Shen Xian stood in the center of the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze as deep and unreadable as an abyss. A gentle breeze tugged at the hem of his robe, revealing the dragon-shaped jade pendant swaying at his waist.

Before him sat the three applicants: Zhang Yu, Tie Shan, and Su Mu.

Although all three were accomplished Fourth-Rank Refiners with undeniable talent, Shen Xian was not a man to accept disciples lightly. The path of Artificing required more than just skill; it demanded character, perseverance, and a specific kind of enlightenment.

The “Three Days of Comprehension” was the filter. Only those who could grasp the essence of his teachings were worthy of entering his door.

The three sat cross-legged on the stone floor, each holding a jade slip.

The surface of the jade shimmered with complex, flowing runes. Inside was the introductory chapter of the Heavenly Craft Hundred Refinements—a technique Shen Xian had synthesized from his own profound Fifth-Rank knowledge.

Zhang Yu held the jade slip with both hands, his expression solemn.

He was not a flashy genius. His strength lay in his meticulous nature and his rock-solid foundation.

These runes… they are profound, Zhang Yu thought, his heart racing.

Most refining methods he had studied emphasized “Fire Refining”—using intense heat to beat impurities out of the material. But Shen Xian’s technique spoke of “Five Elements Mutual Generation.” It wasn’t about destroying the impurities; it was about using the natural cycles of heaven and earth to transform the material from within.

It was a paradigm shift.

No wonder Master Wang can create such miraculous artifacts…

Zhang Yu did not rush. He didn’t try to memorize the whole text at once. Instead, he broke it down character by character, using his Divine Sense to simulate the flow of energy described in the runes.

By the end of the first day, his forehead was slick with sweat, but his eyes burned with excitement.

I see it! Mutual generation isn’t just stacking attributes. It’s about creating a circulatory system within the metal itself…

On the second day, a faint cyan light began to shimmer around his body. He was unconsciously simulating the Five Elements flow within his own meridians.

If I master this… my refining will reach a new realm.

At dawn on the third day, Zhang Yu’s eyes snapped open. The cyan light around him coalesced into his palm, forming a perfect, miniature rune of the Five Elements.

Success.

Watching from the shadows, Shen Xian nodded imperceptibly.

Excellent comprehension. Patient. Meticulous. He is suited for theoretical research and complex formulations.

Tie Shan was the polar opposite.

The burly man grabbed the jade slip like it was a leg of mutton, grinning with feral intensity.

“Don’t care how hard it is! I, Tie Shan, ain’t afraid of nothin’!”

He was a man of straightforward action. He hated riddles. Unfortunately for him, the Heavenly Craft Hundred Refinements was essentially a book of high-concept riddles.

“Gah! Why is this damn thing so twisty?!”

Tie Shan roared in frustration, the veins on his forehead bulging. The subtle interplay of elemental theory made his head spin.

But he didn’t quit.

Instead of trying to untangle the logic knot, he attacked it. He poured his spiritual power directly into the jade slip, trying to brute-force a connection with the concepts through sheer willpower.

If I can’t think it through, I’ll smash through!

On the evening of the second day, his body suddenly ignited with roaring flames. The massive iron hammer on his back vibrated—HUMMM—and mysterious, fiery patterns spontaneously etched themselves onto the metal.

“Hah! I get it!” Tie Shan laughed, a sound like booming thunder. “Refining ain’t about reading books! My hammer is my Dao! I smash the elements until they agree with me!”

Shen Xian’s eyes flickered with amusement.

Rough. Crude. But effective. He uses force to break complexity. A true smith.

Then there was Su Mu.

She was the most mysterious of the trio. She pressed the jade slip against her forehead, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow and even. She looked like a statue carved from ice.

This structure… it matches my Thousand Machinations Lure technique by seventy percent.

Su Mu possessed an innately powerful soul. Paradoxically, this made standard refining difficult for her; her control was too fine, too delicate for the brute force usually required.

But Shen Xian’s technique was different. It was elegant. It was precise.

It guides soul power to directly inscribe the artifact patterns… It bypasses the physical medium entirely.

The more she read, the more her heart trembled.

This was made for me.

In the final hour of the third day, a beam of brilliant light shot from her forehead. It projected into the air, weaving itself into a complex, glowing geometric pattern.

“Soul Manifestation,” Shen Xian whispered, genuinely surprised.

In high-level refining, the strength of one’s soul determined the upper limit of their potential. For a Fourth-Rank cultivator to manifest their soul so visibly…

Her talent is terrifying.

The three-day limit expired. Shen Xian waved his sleeve, and the three jade slips flew back to his hand.

“Zhang Yu: Forty percent comprehension.”

“Tie Shan: Two and a half percent.”

“Su Mu: Fifty percent.”

Tie Shan scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. “Hehe. Knew I was the dumb one.”

“No,” Shen Xian corrected him. “You found a different path. You bypassed the theory and grasped the intent through instinct. That is rare.”

He swept his gaze over the three of them. His voice deepened.

“From today on, you are my nominal disciples.”

The three dropped to their knees, their heads hitting the floor in unison.

“Disciples pay respects to Master!”

“Since you have entered my door, you will obey my rules,” Shen Xian said, his tone turning cold and authoritative. “First: Do not deceive your Master or betray your ancestors. Second: Do not harm your fellow disciples. Third: In my school, we cultivate the heart before the craft.”

“We will remember!”

Shen Xian nodded. He had already mentally assigned their roles. Zhang Yu for material selection and fusion. Tie Shan for forging and shaping. Su Mu for inscription and array embedding. Together, they would be a formidable production line.

But he didn’t tell them that. Instead, he turned to Ai Xiao.

“Your Eldest Senior Brother will handle the specific arrangements.”

Ai Xiao straightened his back, his chest swelling with pride and gratitude.

He knew he wasn’t the most talented. Zhang Yu was smarter. Su Mu was a prodigy. Even Tie Shan was stronger. But Shen Xian had given him the authority.

I am the Eldest Brother. I must show them I am worthy of the title.

Shen Xian turned and left, leaving the four of them alone.

Ai Xiao looked at his three new juniors. The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Master left it to me… but I don’t really know what they can do, Ai Xiao thought. Better test them.

“Cough.” Ai Xiao cleared his throat. “Today is our first meeting. Words are cheap. Let’s head to the refining room. Each of you will forge a Dharma Treasure. Let’s see what you can do.”

Zhang Yu nodded and walked to the material racks.

He didn’t grab the first thing he saw. He picked up ores, tapped them, listened to the sound, and smelled them.

“Meticulous,” Ai Xiao noted.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu picked up a chunk of bluish-gray ore and frowned. “This piece has internal micro-fractures. It’s useless.”

Ai Xiao blinked. He took the ore and examined it closely. It took him a moment, but he found the hairline cracks Zhang Yu had spotted instantly.

“Sharp eyes, Junior Brother!”

Zhang Yu smiled modestly. “I just know a little about materials.”

Next was Tie Shan.

“I hate picking!” Tie Shan grunted. He grabbed a lump of raw, unrefined black iron and threw it onto the anvil.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

He didn’t use technique. He used violence.

Three hammer strikes later, the impurities were gone, and the metal had been beaten into a perfect knife blank.

“By the gods…” Ai Xiao’s eyes widened. “That strength…”

“Hahaha! That’s all I got!” Tie Shan laughed.

Finally, Su Mu.

She didn’t forge. She picked up the knife blank Tie Shan had made. She closed her eyes.

Faint blue light danced at her fingertips. She began to trace patterns in the air just above the blade.

Ai Xiao watched, stunned. She was inscribing three different elemental arrays simultaneously: Sharp Metal on the edge, Flowing Water on the spine, and Verdant Wood on the hilt.

Zheng—

The knife hummed. Tricolored light exploded from the blade. In seconds, she had elevated its quality by an entire grade.

“Junior Sister…” Ai Xiao swallowed. “That inscription technique is godlike.”

Ai Xiao nodded, his confidence returning. He knew exactly how to use them.

“Alright. From today on, here is how we divide the work…”

From the shadows of the distant corridor, Shen Xian watched them collaborate. A faint smile touched his lips.

Good. Let’s see what kind of surprises you can bring me.