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

Chapter 253: Preparations on All Sides, Teaching the Disciples

Azure Nether City. The Chi Xiao Artifact Forge.

In the main hall of a luxurious mansion, Chi Xiaozi sat on the master’s throne, his black robes pooling around him like spilled ink. A shadow of gloom hung heavy between his brows.

His fingers tapped a restless rhythm on the armrest. His heart churned with a toxic mix of ambition and unwillingness. The Fifth-Rank inheritance, the Heavenly Creations Precious Record—he had to have it.

Below him, a dozen disciples stood with bowed heads, barely daring to breathe.

“Master,” the eldest disciple stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly. “As per your orders, we have secured the Starfall Profound Iron, Thousand-Year Cold Jade Marrow, and Earthfire Essence Gold. All are top-tier Fourth-Grade materials. They are sufficient for the finals.”

Chi Xiaozi nodded, but the anxiety in his chest didn’t loosen.

“Materials are only the foundation,” he said, his voice deep and resonant. “Artificing requires the harmony of Heaven, Earth, and Man. This final will be conducted under the gaze of thousands. A single mistake will lead to ruin.”

His mind drifted to Wang Yu. That Wang Yu gathered five Supreme-grade materials in the Five Materials Realm. He has already seized the initiative. If I do not go all out, how can I guarantee victory?

He stood abruptly, his sleeve snapping in the air.

“Go. Bring me the Nine Revolutions Flame Dragon Cauldron.”

The disciples gasped.

That was Chi Xiaozi’s life-bound artifact. He rarely touched it, saving it only for the creation of Top-Tier Spirit Treasures.

“Master, do you intend to temper the cauldron in advance?” the second disciple asked cautiously.

Chi Xiaozi’s gaze was dark. “Correct. The finals are imminent. I must ensure the cauldron and materials are in perfect resonance. I will tolerate no errors.”

He walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the city. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself on the stage, crushing his competitors with supreme skill.

“Pass down my order: From today on, the forge is closed to visitors. No one is to disturb me,” he commanded coldly. “I will personally adjust the cauldron’s fire and familiarize myself with the material properties. When the finals arrive, nothing will go wrong.”

He clenched his fist until the knuckles turned white.

“Wang Yu… even if you have Supreme-grade materials, you cannot defeat decades of experience! This time, I will win!”

Across Azure Nether City, the other titans of the refining world were making their own desperate preparations.

Maple Leaf City, Xuanji Pavilion.

Elder Xuanji sat cross-legged before an ancient bronze cauldron, tracing the intricate cloud patterns on its surface with a trembling finger.

“Old partner,” he murmured. “I fear I must draw upon your origin power this time…”

On the table before him sat five ores that shimmered with starlight—legendary Extraterrestrial Meteorite Iron, capable of channeling the power of the cosmos.

“That boy Wang Yu may have gathered the Five Elements,” Xuanji whispered, his eyes gleaming. “But this old man will use the Stars to break the Five Elements!”

Cold Moon City, Ice Crystal Tower.

Fairy Bing Po waved a pale hand. Nine Profound Ice Lotuses rotated slowly above her workbench.

In the center of each lotus, a wisp of pale white flame burned silently. The cold radiating from them was so intense that fine cracks appeared in the surrounding space.

“Profound Yin True Fire combined with Thousand-Year Cold Marrow…” She smiled, cold and sharp as a icicle. “Let us see whose artifact patterns are purer. Mine, or his.”

Skyfire City, Furnace Hall.

Master Chi Lian stood bare-chested, his bronze skin glowing with active flame tattoos.

He poured bucket after bucket of magma into the volcanic vent in the center of his hall. Screaming phantoms of fierce beasts surfaced in the molten rock.

“An artifact spirit nourished by Earth Vein Fire Essence…” He thrust a crimson hammer into the magma, and the hall echoed with the roar of a beast. “How can ordinary spirit treasures compare?”

Azure Nether City. Listening Bamboo Pavilion, Refining Room.

Inside the Burning Heaven Cauldron, thunder and fire surged, casting dancing shadows against the walls.

Shen Xian stood quietly to the side, observing his four disciples. His gaze settled on the third disciple, Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu was sweating. His face was pale with concentration as he manipulated the Ice-Fire Jade on a Five Elements Dharma Disk.

The spiritual patterns on the jade flickered dangerously. Water and Fire spiritual energy collided at the edges of the material, emitting sharp cracking sounds.

“Failed again…” Zhang Yu gritted his teeth, frustration flashing in his eyes.

Hairline fractures had appeared on the surface of the jade. If he continued, the expensive material would shatter.

Shen Xian walked over, hands behind his back. “Do you know why Ice-Fire Jade is difficult to form?”

Zhang Yu jumped, nearly dropping the disk. “Because Water and Fire oppose each other! The slightest imbalance causes a spiritual clash that destroys the material.”

Shen Xian shook his head.

Without warning, he reached out—

SLAP!

He struck the Five Elements Dharma Disk.

CRACK!

The Ice-Fire Jade shattered into a dozen pieces.

“Master?!” Zhang Yu cried out in horror.

Shen Xian’s expression didn’t change. He flicked a finger, and a wisp of thunder-fire from the Burning Heaven Cauldron snaked out, wrapping around the fragments instantly.

“Watch closely.”

Under the influence of the thunder-fire, the fragments didn’t burn. They began to move.

Red and blue spiritual liquid oozed from the cracks, but instead of exploding, the opposing energies intertwined like a pair of Yin-Yang fish. The fragments pulled themselves back together.

“Cracks are not flaws,” Shen Xian said, his voice low and resonant. “They are opportunities for rebirth.”

He clapped his hands together.

BOOM!

The thunder-fire exploded outward.

A brand new Ice-Fire Jade hovered in the air. The cracks were gone—or rather, they had transformed. They were now natural artifact patterns, veins of energy that flowed more smoothly than any carving Zhang Yu had ever attempted.

Zhang Yu’s pupils contracted to pinpoints.

“No destruction, no creation.” Shen Xian tossed the warm jade to him. “Obsession with perfection is the greatest flaw.”

Zhang Yu caught the jade, staring at it as if it held the secrets of the universe. “No destruction… no creation…”

A memory surfaced from the depths of his mind.

Thousands of years ago, the Zhang family had been a titan of the refining world, possessing the Five Elements Treasure Appraisal Art. But greed and internal strife over the inheritance had shattered them.

As a child, Zhang Yu had watched his elders slaughter each other over a piece of Heavenly Star Iron. The family collapsed, and he was left drifting with a fragmented inheritance, wandering from guild to guild, seeking the missing pieces of his Dao.

Master’s technique… it is seventy percent similar to my family’s art, Zhang Yu realized, shaken to his core. But my family’s text only spoke of Mutual Restraint. Master speaks of Mutual Generation!

He looked up at Shen Xian, awe filling his chest.

Tie Shan had come for power to break his bottlenecks. Su Mu had come because her soul was too strong for ordinary methods. They all had flaws.

But this man…

Shen Xian stood calm and composed, a Fourth-Rank Refiner in name only. His vision pierced through the veil of cultivation levels. He had seen Zhang Yu’s internal struggle with a single glance and shattered it with a single slap.

Even a Fifth-Rank Grandmaster might not have such insight.

Zhang Yu clutched the jade tight.

I am fortunate. This is my fated chance.