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

Chapter 255: The Refining Assembly, A Display of Mastery

Azure Nether City. Central Plaza.

For the finals of the Refining Assembly, the venue had been shifted to a more expansive area.

Although only six refiners remained, the sheer number of spectators had necessitated a larger arena. As dawn broke, the entire city was already boiling with excitement.

In the center of the plaza, the Hundred Arts Sect had erected a colossal refining platform. Crafted entirely from Dark Azure Jade and inscribed with defensive arrays capable of withstanding the spiritual shockwaves of a Soul Formation cultivator, it stood as a testament to the sect’s resources.

Surrounding the platform were nine tiers of spectator stands, packed so tightly that cultivators jostled shoulder to shoulder, craning their necks in anticipation.

“Look! Chi Xiaozi is here!”

A commotion erupted from the crowd. Chi Xiaozi descended from the sky, his crimson robes fluttering.

Behind him floated his legendary Nine Revolutions Flame Dragon Cauldron. The dragon reliefs on its surface writhed as if alive, emitting a scorching pressure that instantly raised the temperature of the surroundings.

“Elder Xuanji has arrived too!”

From another direction, Elder Xuanji walked with steady steps, holding his bronze compass. Each step left a footprint of starlight, as if he were treading upon the Milky Way, mysterious and profound.

“Fairy Bing Po! Heavens, she really brought the Profound Ice Heart Lotus!”

Fairy Bing Po drifted down like a snowflake, her white robes pristine. Nine rotating ice lotuses orbited her, radiating a chill so intense that fine ice crystals materialized in the air.

“Mister Baicao! Master Chi Lian!”

The other two refining Grandmasters also appeared, each summoning their life-bound cauldrons with imposing momentum.

“Where is Wang Yu? Why hasn’t he shown up?”

Just as the whispers of doubt began to spread—

BOOM!

Thunderclouds suddenly converged in the sky. A streak of golden light tore through the air!

Shen Xian stood atop the Burning Heaven Cauldron, wreathed in intertwined lightning and fire like a descending deity.

Behind him, his four disciples—Ai Xiao, Zhang Yu, Tie Shan, and Su Mu—followed closely. They stood with chests out and heads high, radiating an extraordinary aura.

Four Fourth-Rank Refiners. This scene was truly astonishing!

Especially since all four were disciples of the young man at the front, which drew countless gasps of amazement from the refiners present.

“Even if this Wang Yu cannot win first place in the finals, his previous performance alone is enough to be recorded in history!” an old cultivator sighed from the stands.

On the central viewing platform, the Pavilion Master of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Elder Mo, and a host of other Soul Formation Venerables had taken their seats.

These individuals had heard of Shen Xian’s previous feats and understood the significance of this refining assembly. They had come to witness the birth of a Dharma Treasure.

Among this group of high-ranking figures, an old man in gray robes sat in the very center, quietly sipping tea.

His aura was restrained, yet it made the Soul Formation cultivators standing nearby break out in cold sweat.

“Celestial Venerable, why have you come personally?” an attendant asked cautiously.

This person was actually a Void Refinement Celestial Venerable!

His gaze was profound, fixed on the distant competition grounds.

“The Hundred Arts Sect is making quite a stir this time,” he said lightly. “That young man named Wang Yu is very interesting.”

The attendant’s heart trembled.

For a Void Refinement Celestial Venerable to take notice—could this be an ordinary person?

At that moment, all six competitors had arrived!

Dong— Dong—

The one hundred and eight “Heavenly Craft Drums” of the Hundred Arts Sect thundered in unison, shaking the heavens!

In the center of the plaza, a nine-zhang-tall “Refining Heavenly Ranking” slowly rose, gleaming with golden light, inscribed with the names of the six participants.

Elder Mo waved his sleeve, and nine curtains of multicolored light descended from the sky, weaving into a brilliant barrier over the refining platform.

His aged yet resonant voice echoed throughout the arena:

“In this final round, you will forge only one item: A Top-grade Spirit Treasure!”

“If you cannot even forge a Top-grade Spirit Treasure…” Elder Mo’s eyes swept over the six competitors like lightning: “…then you have no qualification to enter the Holy City!”

The crowd fell solemn.

These words were the truth.

If one couldn’t even refine a Top-grade Spirit Treasure, going would only bring shame!

Elder Mo then raised three fingers. “The Dao of Refining emphasizes three essentials: first, the ability to control fire; second, the vision to perceive providence; third, the refining technique. All three are indispensable!”

Upon hearing this, Chi Xiaozi sneered, flames surging within his Nine Revolutions Flame Dragon Cauldron; Elder Xuanji stroked his beard in contemplation, the runes on his star compass lighting up in sequence; Fairy Bing Po gently caressed her Profound Ice Heart Lotus, a cold glint flashing in her eyes…

“Do you know why the finals require you to use the materials you obtained in the Five Materials Realm?” Elder Mo suddenly changed the subject, his aged voice carrying a mysterious rhythm: “Because in the art of refining—seven parts rely on skill, three parts rely on the will of Heaven!”

On the refining platform, the six refiners wore varied expressions.

Shen Xian thoughtfully stroked the lightning patterns on his Burning Heaven Cauldron as Elder Mo’s final declaration reached his ears:

“The Hundred Arts Sect has stood for hundreds of thousands of years, firmly believing that providence is also a form of strength! Today, let us see whose providence reigns supreme!”

With a deafening drumbeat, six brilliant pillars of light shot into the sky, marking the official start of the finals!

As soon as the words fell, the entire arena erupted!

Chi Xiaozi made the first move!

He waved his sleeve, and the Nine Revolutions Flame Dragon Cauldron slammed onto the ground. The dragon patterns on the cauldron instantly came to life, seven fire dragons roaring forth, coiling around the cauldron and spewing nine-colored flames!

BOOM—

The moment the materials entered the cauldron, a flood dragon phantom appeared, tumbling and swimming within the flames, its dragon roar shaking the heavens!

“Heavens! He integrated a true flood dragon essence!” a cultivator exclaimed.

“His fire control has reached the realm of Transcendence!” a Soul Formation Venerable on the judging panel nodded in admiration. “With this move alone, he stands at the peak of Fourth-Rank refining!”

Chi Xiaozi curled his lips slightly, casting a provocative glance at Shen Xian.

First place—he would take it!

Elder Xuanji remained unhurried, raising his hand to summon his Heavenly Star Compass.

The compass rotated, actually drawing upon the power of the Big Dipper. Seven beams of starlight descended, enveloping the materials!

“Star Refining Technique!” someone cried out.

The materials decomposed and reassembled within the starlight, arranging into mysterious star charts, as if melting and refining themselves with a life of their own!

“His Star Refining Technique has reached seventy percent mastery,” Elder Mo nodded slightly. “If he can advance further, he might touch the threshold of the Fifth Rank.”

Elder Xuanji closed his eyes in concentration, completely undisturbed by the outside world, exuding the demeanor of a Grandmaster.

As a strong contender for the top spot, he had prepared for this day for far too long!

Fairy Bing Po lightly raised her fair hand, and the nine Profound Ice Heart Lotuses bloomed, an extreme chill instantly permeating the entire arena!

However, just as everyone thought she would take a purely cold approach—

Hiss!

At the heart of each lotus, crimson flames simultaneously ignited!

Extreme cold and extreme heat perfectly merged, forming gorgeous patterns of ice and fire on the refining platform, breathtakingly beautiful!

“This is refining as an art form!” On the viewing stands, a group of female cultivators gazed entranced at the interwoven spectacle of ice and fire.

Fairy Bing Po’s expression remained cool, but a flash of confidence flickered in her eyes.

In contrast, Shen Xian’s performance was… utterly ordinary.

The Burning Heaven Cauldron hovered before him, with steady lightning and fire burning. There was none of Chi Xiaozi’s domineering dragon flames, none of Elder Xuanji’s stellar marvels, and none of Fairy Bing Po’s dazzling ice-fire display.

His technique was by-the-book, even seeming somewhat… plain.

“It seems his performance in the Five Materials Realm was a fluke…” a spectator muttered under his breath.

“I told you, Supreme-grade materials aren’t so easy to refine, right?” another shook his head. “He’s probably going to blow his cauldron.”

The manager of the gambling den smiled and said to the person beside him, “Looks like our odds were set correctly. Wang Yu this time… is in trouble.”

Chi Xiaozi’s disciple laughed loudly: “Tie Shan! I’ll gladly accept your three thousand Spirit Stones!”

Tie Shan snorted coldly, but clenched his fists tightly. “Master will not lose!”