The man in black looked on for a long while, his face showing extreme satisfaction. Turning back to Qin Yu, he exclaimed, "I originally thought that only in the most dangerous depths of the Primordial Wilderness could such a treasure exist. Yet, Third Prince found such a treasure in the ordinary Donglan Mountain, which is truly incredible."
"Just luck," Qin Yu said with a smile.
The man in black turned to Lian Yan and asked, "Senior Lian, since such a treasure was found in Donglan Mountain, have you searched the area around this crystal stone again?"
"Of course, I have searched," Lian Yan replied, shaking his head with a sigh. "Such treasures of heaven and earth are fated to be found by those destined for them. Little Yu stumbled upon this rarity unintentionally, yet despite deploying hundreds of experts to scour the entire Stone Forest, breaking every boulder, we found not even a lesser ore."
Qin Feng, however, said, "We should be content with just this red crystal. It was Little Yu's destiny to obtain it. If we force our search and find nothing, we shouldn't be disheartened."
"Indeed, such a large block of top-grade ore is something I've never heard of before," the man in black, his eyes fixed on the red crystal as if a cat who had seen fish.
"Mr. Hei, are you confident you can refine this red crystal?" Qin Yu asked from the side, prompting everyone to turn their gaze to the Artifact Refining Master. Refining isn't simple; despite having good materials, it also requires a skilled refining expert.
Mr. Hei had been brought to Prince Zhen Dong, Qin De, many years ago at great cost and had spent over ten years in the Prince Mansion.
Mr. Hei shook his head, causing a momentary startle among the crowd.
"Without trying, I can't be sure," Mr. Hei said as he removed his black shirt, revealing a well-built upper body. An unconscious smile appeared at the corners of his mouth—an expression of extreme excitement—the kind that comes with full-force action after a long period of inactivity.
"Bring the 'Blue Flame Water'," Mr. Hei commanded.
"Yes!" Instantly, a half-naked burly man rushed back to the house and soon returned with a crystal bottle, which contained blue water with a curious layer of faint flames dancing on its surface.
Mr. Hei took the crystal bottle, and suddenly, his hands began to redden as a wave of heat started to spread out.
The three half-naked burly men nearby had their eyes shining with excitement.
"Master is finally making a move; it has been a long time since he has been this serious," they murmured among themselves. These three were Mr. Hei's personal disciples and, naturally, key figures being groomed by Prince Zhen Dong's household.
Qin Yu, Qin Feng, Qin Zheng, Lian Yan, and Ge Min all watched Mr. Hei intently.
He opened the crystal bottle's stopper and ever-so-slightly tilted it, immediately releasing drops of 'Blue Flame Water' onto the red crystal. A sizzling sound ensued as the Blue Flame Water underwent a violent reaction.
"This red crystal is indeed formidable. Even Blue Flame Water can't leave the slightest mark on it," an apprentice of Mr. Hei remarked in amazement.
A moment later, the Blue Flame Water formed a thin film, completely covering the red crystal.
"Hmph!" Mr. Hei snorted coldly, a sudden flash of intensity in his eyes, as he directed two fierce streams of flames from his hands onto the thin film covering the crystal surface—formed by the Blue Flame Water. Yet, the red crystal had no changes whatsoever.
"Brother, even Master's Burning Sky Flames combined with Blue Flame Water can't leave a mark, how is that possible?" one of Mr. Hei's disciples exclaimed in shock.
"Even Immortal Upper Grade crystals can't remain unscathed under Master's Burning Sky Flames; this is..." another disciple began, voicing his confusion.
The excitement in Mr. Hei's eyes increased, and suddenly, his face flushed red, then turned ashen, while the flames in his hands diminished. However, the temperature throughout the courtyard soared abruptly.
"So powerful," Qin Yu inwardly gasped in astonishment. He could fully sense the terror of the flames, feeling... he was definitely no match for the man before him. He even felt the air in the courtyard vibrating from the intense heat.
Qin Yu's estimation was spot on: Mr. Hei was not only an Artifact Refining Master but also had reached the pinnacle of the Innate Realm, ranking among the top experts under Prince Zhen Dong.
"The flames produced by special Innate True Qi are much more potent than Mortal Fire. Only such flames can melt ordinary Immortal ore," Qin Yu inwardly marveled. However, looking at the red crystal, Qin Yu was taken aback.
Under such circumstances, the red crystal remained unchanged.
"Hmph!" Mr. Hei's face turned dark all at once. "Boom!" Flames burst forth from his entire body, burning away his clothes entirely, but he was wearing a pair of underwear—woven from Black Gold Silk.
Clearly understanding that reaching the limit of his power would cause his whole body to emit flames, Mr. Hei's sect had passed down these Black Gold Underwear. Woven from Black Gold Silk, it was a lavish investment, accumulated over a long time by Mr. Hei's senior sect members to obtain such an amount of Black Gold.
"It seems that those shorts are made of the same material as my Black Gold Vest," Qin Yu thought to himself.
At the same time, the flames in Mr. Hei's hands became smaller, yet significantly more intense. The entire courtyard was engulfed by waves of heat, and the surrounding people couldn't help but retreat.
"With such flames, even the body of an Innate Expert would be refined to nothing, leaving no residue behind," Qin Yu sighed inwardly. Such flames could melt even Immortal Upper Grade ores, not to mention the bodies of ordinary mortals.
Qin Yu and his three brothers, Lian Yan... and those three fellow disciples all stared at the red crystal, hoping for it to melt. If it couldn't even melt, how could they possibly refine it? As time ticked by second by second, everyone's gaze was fully fixed on the red crystal.
Suddenly—
"Pfft!" Mr. Hei spat out a mouthful of blood, his face changed from dark to deathly pale in an instant, and the flames around him disappeared at once.
"Master!" A disciple behind him immediately handed over some clothes, which Mr. Hei donned. He then let out a long sigh as he looked at the red crystal before turning to address the crowd, including Qin Yu. "Everyone, I'm afraid I've exhausted all options for this red crystal."
Seeing Mr. Hei, an Artifact Refining Master of his generation, looking so pale, everyone understood that he had tried his best.
"How could this be? Didn't Mr. Hei successfully refine a Divine Weapon of Immortal Upper Grade quality for me years ago? How is it that now it can't even be melted?" Qin Feng asked while holding the war saber at his waist. When Qin Feng had reached the Innate Realm, Qin De rewarded him by refining a Divine Weapon from an Immortal Upper Grade ore.
Mr. Hei glanced at the war saber, chuckled, and shook his head, "Foolish boy, do you still not understand? Of course, it's because this red crystal surpasses the Immortal Upper Grade."
Qin Yu was astonished and questioned, "Isn't Immortal Upper Grade the highest level for ores?" In Qin Yu's mind, weapons were divided into Mortal Items and Immortal Items. According to reason, Immortal Upper Grade should be the highest. How could there be something even higher?
"What do you know," Mr. Hei said, a look of pride in his eyes.
He was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of the artifact refining industry.
"It's said that weapons are categorized into Mortal Items and Immortal Items, but that's just according to us mortals. Let me ask you, what about the weapons used by Upper Immortals? Hmph, even an Immortal Upper Grade saber, when faced with an Upper Immortal's Flying Sword, would be easily pierced, as if it were mere paper," Mr. Hei said with a hint of pride at the corner of his mouth.
Everyone present felt a jolt in their hearts at his words.
Right, what level were the weapons of those Upper Immortals who soared through the heavens, capable of slaying enemies from a thousand miles away? Qin Yu and the others had heard about it: those Flying Swords could travel extremely far, killing from a distance where even weapons of Immortal Upper Grade could not withstand.
"Mortal Items and Immortal Items, those are just terms we mortals created. Our horizons are limited. The world of Upper Immortals is beyond our imagination. And this red crystal, if I'm not mistaken, should be the material for refining Upper Immortals' weapons," Mr. Hei said confidently as he stared at the red crystal.
Qin Yu looked at the red crystal, which remained undamaged and emitted a faint red glow.
"What's the use of this red crystal being so extraordinary if it can't even be melted, how can it be refined into a weapon?" Qin Feng shook his head and said, with Lian Yan, Qin Yu, and the others listening with a sense of helplessness. Right, if it couldn't be melted, how could they refine it into a weapon?
Qin Yu shook his head with a smile, "Forget it, if even Mr. Hei can't melt it, there are few in this world who can."
"Hey, Third Prince, why the long face? I may not be able to melt it, but there is a true Artifact Refining Master who can," Mr. Hei said with a smile. At his words, everyone, including his three disciples, looked puzzledly at him.
A true Artifact Refining Master?
"Is there actually an artifact refining expert greater than Mr. Hei?" Qin Zheng asked in disbelief, and everyone at the scene looked doubtingly at Mr. Hei.
Mr. Hei confidently smiled and said, "That's something you don't know. Let me tell you a secret, but you mustn't spread it around. In fact, every Upper Immortal is not only an unparalleled expert but also... each and every one of them is a true Artifact Refining Master."
"Oh?" Although everyone present knew of the invincibility of Upper Immortals and how effortlessly their Flying Swords could kill, they were unaware of the Upper Immortals' level of prowess in artifact refining.
"Every Upper Immortal can use a type of fire, far more powerful than my True Qi fire. With that kind of fire, forging a weapon is a piece of cake. If you think about it, where do you think their Flying Swords come from? They certainly aren't naturally occurring; they are all refined," Mr. Hei explained mystically to the crowd.
Then everyone had a moment of realization.
"Right, I'll immediately send someone to invite the Upper Immortal Feng Yuzi," Lian Yan declared right then.
Qin Yu, however, raised his head and let out a long howl before turning to the crowd, "Little Black is extremely fast, and I'll go with Little Black to invite Uncle Feng." In an instant, a streak of black light shot down from the sky — it was Black Hawk. Qin Yu's figure flashed as he mounted it, and with a cry, Black Hawk flew off swiftly toward the outskirts.