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

Chapter 277: Refining a True Treasure, the Li Family Comes Knocking

Back within the confines of the Duobao Workshop, Shen Xian stood alone in the refining chamber. His gaze lingered on the top-grade spirit treasures adorning the walls before settling on the Burning Heaven Cauldron in front of him.

True Spirit Treasure…

The cauldron, a low-grade True Spirit Treasure he had painstakingly tempered, now hummed with a faint, rhythmic pulse. It was no longer just heat radiating from the metal; it was the fluctuation of Laws—the fundamental principles of reality woven into physical form.

Although he hadn’t forged this vessel from scratch, the countless sessions of tempering and nurturing had granted him an intimate familiarity with the power of the Laws contained within.

However, forging a True Spirit Treasure from nothing was a challenge far surpassing mere tempering.

As a fifth-rank artifact refiner, the theoretical path was clear to him.

“The primary material must possess innate Dao Resonance. The auxiliary materials must include at least three types of fifth-rank spiritual substances. And during the forging process, one must use Divine Sense to guide the invisible Laws into a tangible form…”

Shen Xian murmured the requirements, his brow furrowing with each syllable.

The barrier of materials alone was enough to strangle the ambitions of ninety percent of all artifact refiners.

Profound Heaven Star Iron, Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Marrow, Void Crystal Sand… every single item on the list was a peerless rarity, the kind of treasure that had a price but no market.

Even with his current accumulated wealth, scraping together a single complete set of materials for a True Spirit Treasure would leave him destitute.

And that didn’t even account for the catastrophic risks of the refinement process itself. A hair’s breadth of error wouldn’t just result in a pile of scrap metal; the backlash from the collapsing Laws could obliterate the refiner’s soul.

But, Shen Xian calculated coldly, if this gamble secures me half the authority over Black Profound City, the return on investment is infinite.

“Master.”

Su Mu pushed the door open gently, a ledger in his hands. “These are the latest quotes for the materials you requested.”

Shen Xian scanned the page and shook his head with a cynical smile. “A piece of Profound Heaven Star Iron the size of my palm… asking for 500,000 High Grade Spirit Stones?”

“And that is the ‘friendship price’ from the Chamber of Commerce,” Su Mu said helplessly. “Rumor has it that in the Hundred Arts Sect’s private vaults, such materials are listed even higher.”

Tie Shan, passing by with a heavy basket of ores on his shoulder, chimed in, “I heard that even Master Shen You, back when he attempted his first True Spirit Treasure, ruined three entire furnaces of materials before he succeeded once!”

Ai Xiao, who was organizing artifact blanks nearby, looked up from his work. “The most terrifying part is the Law Guidance. They say some fifth-rank refiners spend their entire lives unable to grasp the threshold…”

Shen Xian remained silent.

The system had imbued him with the experience of a fifth-rank refiner, granting him perfect technique. But without the practical experience of guiding the Laws into a True Spirit Treasure with his own hands, he was still missing that final spark of mastery.

He ran his hand along the rim of the Burning Heaven Cauldron, feeling the Thunder-Fire Dao Resonance coursing through it.

If only there were someone willing to provide the materials for me to practice on…

A thought crystallized in his mind. Shen Xian turned to his disciples, his expression shifting from contemplation to command.

“Su Mu. Go out and spread a rumor. Tell them your master has broken through to become a fifth-rank artifact refiner. Tell them I am capable of forging True Spirit Treasures.”

Su Mu started, eyes going wide, before a look of pure ecstasy overtook his face. “Master, you… you’ve broken through?”

“Close enough,” Shen Xian waved his hand dismissively.

“Understood! I’ll spread the word immediately!” Su Mu practically vibrated with excitement.

For disciples, their master ascending to the fifth rank was a monumental event, elevating their own status in the cultivation world.

Shen Xian watched his second disciple dash off, a calculating glint in his eyes.

Let’s see if this bait is enticing enough to lure a big fish to my doorstep.

…

The news of Shen Xian’s ascension to a fifth-rank artifact refiner detonated in the Sacred City like a thunderclap. The entire Artisan Workshop district was instantly thrown into a frenzy.

“What? Master Wang has broken through to the fifth rank?!” A Golden Core cultivator browsing for artifacts trembled, nearly dropping a precious jade bottle.

Next door, an old shopkeeper stroked his beard, nodding sagely. “I told you all! How could someone capable of refining those top-grade spirit treasures be merely rank four?”

However, within the branch of the Hundred Arts Sect, the reaction was far more acidic.

“Preposterous!” A fourth-rank refiner slammed his hand on the table, rising in anger. “Do they think True Spirit Treasures are cabbage? I say the Duobao Workshop has too many backlogged orders and is just releasing hot air to boost their prestige!”

His colleague sneered in agreement. “Even the fifth-rank Masters of our Hundred Arts Sect have a success rate below thirty percent. How old is this Wang Yu? He’s barely weaned!”

The debate raged through the streets, polarizing the cultivators of the Sacred City.

On the top floor of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce, Zhao Wuchen studied the intelligence jade slip in his hand, his brows knitting together. “Master Wang… is he playing for keeps?”

He walked to the window, gazing toward the Duobao Workshop.

A crowd had already gathered at the entrance—some hopeful, some mocking, all curious. The announcement had attracted a swarm of artifact refiners hoping to catch a glimpse of the new grandmaster.

But Shen Xian did not appear. He hadn’t released the news for vanity.

“Master,” Ai Xiao’s voice came through a transmission, tinged with urgency. “The Patriarch of the Li Family has arrived!”

The Li Family. One of the top five powers in the Sacred City, boasting two Void Refinement Celestial Venerables. Their foundation was even deeper than the Wei Family’s.

The fish has bitten.

Shen Xian straightened his robes, his expression smoothing into one of unbothered serenity, and walked briskly to the front hall.

A middle-aged man in purple-gold robes stood there, hands clasped behind his back. Two guards with aura as deep as the ocean stood silently behind him.

“Patriarch Li,” Shen Xian cupped his hands. “A pleasure.”

Li Xuanfeng, the current Patriarch of the Li Family and a late-stage Soul Formation expert, scrutinized Shen Xian with a gaze that felt like physical weight. He seemed intent on dissecting the young refiner who had stirred up such a storm.

“Master Wang,” Li Xuanfeng said, skipping the pleasantries. “I hear you can refine True Spirit Treasures?”

Shen Xian met his gaze without flinching. “I am confident.”

A sharp glint flashed in Li Xuanfeng’s eyes. He produced a jade box.

As the lid was lifted, the temperature in the hall plummeted instantly. Resting inside was a crystal that glowed with a deep, bloody crimson, its surface etched with natural patterns that flowed like molten lava.

“Crimson Flame Profound Crystal,” Li Xuanfeng announced, his voice heavy with pride. “A supreme treasure my Li Family has guarded for centuries. If you can refine this into a Crimson Flame Sword, your remuneration will be 2 million High Grade Spirit Stones.”

Shen Xian’s heart gave a singular, powerful thud.

A massive opening move.

The Dao Resonance within the Crimson Flame Profound Crystal was flawless, a perfect convergence of natural laws. The quality exceeded his expectations. If he used this as the core, the resulting Crimson Flame Sword would be, at minimum, a mid-grade True Spirit Treasure!

He suppressed his internal excitement, maintaining his mask of indifference. “Patriarch Li places great trust in me. I am flattered.”

Li Xuanfeng didn’t bother with modesty. “The Hundred Arts Sect asks for too much, and their waitlist is three years long.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. “More importantly… I examined the Azure Spirit Sword you forged for the Sword Pavilion. The artifact patterns were natural, the fire control impeccable. My family’s refiners tell me…”

He took a breath. “That level of skill has already touched the threshold of the True Spirit realm.”

So that’s it.

Shen Xian understood. The market reaction to his previous work had been even stronger than he realized.

“However,” Li Xuanfeng’s tone shifted, becoming business-like and cold. He produced a scroll. “Materials for True Spirit Treasures are irreplaceable. We require a Heavenly Dao Oath. Should the refinement fail, Master Wang must compensate the Li Family for ninety percent of the material’s value.”

Shen Xian’s expression cooled instantly.

This wasn’t a contract; it was an insult.

He looked at Li Xuanfeng, his eyes turning frosty. “Tie Shan. See the guest out.”

Li Xuanfeng frowned, clearly taken aback. “Master Wang, what is the meaning of this?”

Shen Xian raised a hand, and a fresh pricing list materialized in the air between them. “Market rates. The Crimson Flame Profound Crystal is valued at 800,000 Spirit Stones. The auxiliary materials also have set prices. If the refinement fails, I will compensate at most half the value.”

He stared directly into the Soul Formation expert’s eyes.

“You want me to bear the risk of creation, yet you also demand I insure your asset? You want the prestige of a custom True Spirit Treasure without paying the price of the gamble?”

Shen Xian’s voice dropped an octave. “Do you take me for a greenhorn fresh out of the mountains?”

Li Xuanfeng’s face darkened. “Master Wang, this is my Li Family’s heritage treasure…”

“Then please take it back,” Shen Xian stood up, dismissing him. “The Duobao Workshop operates on fairness. We do not accept charity cases.”

Li Xuanfeng surged to his feet, the terrifying pressure of a Soul Formation cultivator erupting like a volcano. The air in the room turned to lead.

“Insolent junior!”

He sneered, his voice dripping with menace. “The Li Family gave you face by coming here, and you dare haggle with me? A mere Nascent Soul cultivator… do you even understand what a Law is?”

If the Hundred Arts Sect hadn’t been so extortionate, Li Xuanfeng would never have lowered himself to visit this upstart.

“You…” Tie Shan and the other disciples bristled, their spiritual energy flaring. To insult their master in his own hall was courting death!

The atmosphere was pulled taut, ready to snap.

Suddenly, a boisterous, thunderous laugh echoed from the entrance.

“Hahaha! Old Ghost Li, bullying the younger generation again? Have you no shame?”

A red-robed elder strode in, radiating vitality, followed by a retinue of cultivators with extraordinary bearings.

“Luo Tianxiong?!” Li Xuanfeng’s expression twisted into something ugly.

The Luo and Li families were the titans of the Sacred City, locked in a blood feud that spanned generations. Their meetings were never peaceful.

Luo Tianxiong, the Luo Family Patriarch, ignored Li Xuanfeng entirely. He walked straight to Shen Xian, his demeanor shifting to one of warm respect.

“Master Wang! I have admired your name for a long time!”

With a sweep of his broad sleeve, a crimson crystal suspended itself in the air, radiating a paradoxical, bone-chilling cold.

“Thousand-Year Cold Marrow! Market value: 1 million! If Master Wang is willing to refine a True Spirit Treasure for my Luo Family, we ask for zero compensation in the event of failure. And upon success, there will be a heavy reward!”

Shen Xian’s eyes lit up.

Now this… this is how you do business.

Li Xuanfeng’s face turned the color of liver. “Old Ghost Luo, you…!”

Luo Tianxiong finally turned, a mocking sneer plastered across his face.

“Old Ghost Li, you can’t catch the wolf if you’re afraid to lose the bait. With that stingy, petty calculation of yours, do you really think you’re worthy of inviting a Grandmaster like Master Wang?”

He turned back to Shen Xian, his face the picture of sincerity. “Master, rest assured. My Luo Family is nothing like some people who count every copper coin.”

Li Xuanfeng trembled with rage, his aura fluctuating wildly. Finally, realizing he had lost all face, he let out a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and stormed out.

Watching the Li Family’s entourage retreat in disgrace, the corner of Shen Xian’s mouth hooked upward.

He turned to Luo Tianxiong and cupped his hands solemnly.

“Patriarch Luo. It will be a pleasure to work with you.”