Chapter 76: The Classification of Elixirs and Artifacts

Ye Jiuyao gazed at Ye Chaofeng, her eyes shining as if she were looking upon the God of Wealth himself, then turned to the two others.
“You two... make sure to give them a good thrashing!”

Everyone thought Ye Jiuyao was about to utter something solemn and weighty, but instead, she said something so astonishing that all were left gaping in disbelief. She actually had such audacity, not putting them in her eyes at all—perhaps this was the fearlessness of youth.

“Master of the Xuantian Tavern, may I borrow your esteemed establishment for a moment?”

“Do as you please!” Hua Mingfeng had initially intended to intervene, but upon seeing Ye Jiuyao’s face brimming with confidence, and recalling what had happened earlier, she decided to hold her tongue.

Ye Jiuyao shouted, “All irrelevant people, step aside!”

Those who had long been waiting for the spectacle moved away of their own accord, clearing a space large enough for the four to compete.

“Bring the cauldrons!”

The two from the Divine Artifact Pavilion and the Origin Pill Pavilion exchanged a glance, and then, with a surge of energy from their dantians, two great pill cauldrons tumbled forth from their spatial rings.

The crowd’s eyes widened in shock, their mouths agape. The patterns on those cauldrons were clear and vivid, engraved with lifelike runes—one glance was enough to know their origins were extraordinary.

“Please!” the two said to Tong Zhantian and Xuantian Zha, their faces full of satisfaction.

“Are they planning to cook something? Why bring out cauldrons?”

“No idea—maybe they’re just hungry.”

Though the two seemed to mutter quietly, their voices still rang out for all to hear. Ye Jiuyao smiled at their antics.

The two had become perfectly in sync now; their acting was seamless, exuding an air of exaggerated arrogance.

Sure enough, they shifted the topic.

“Can’t you just refine with your hands? Why use a cauldron—unless...”

“Hmm, perhaps their cultivation is too low. That’s what Little Brother always says.”

Ye Jiuyao was stunned. She’d never said such a thing, and even if she had, she’d never admit it.

“They don’t even know what a pill cauldron is... did we sign up for a fake tutoring class?”

“Shameless merchant, we want our money back!”

“Refund, refund!” With someone taking the lead, the chant was quickly picked up by the crowd, who were always eager for more excitement. In an instant, the hall was filled with a booming clamor.

Ye Jiuyao secretly admired those who could invent such new expressions, but also felt a bit displeased—money earned by her own skill, returned? Not a chance...

“Let’s begin!” Ye Jiuyao shouted, silencing the crowd as the two sat down cross-legged.

“Let’s refine the most basic Seizing Origin Pill, shall we?”

“Shameless...” At the alchemist brought by Ye Chaofeng’s words, the audience erupted in hisses and jeers. They’d seen arrogance before, but never anything like this.

“For artifact forging, I’ll let you choose. I, Ye Chaotian, have no interest in bullying you!”

“The Seizing Origin Pill is the simplest, one of the most common pills. I, Ye Tianchao, also have no desire to bully you, so I picked the easiest one!”

Ye Jiuyao was delighted when she heard their names—one was Ye Chaotian, the other Ye Tianchao. Truly, it was the principle of weaklings flocking together, while the strong grow ever stronger.

“For artifact forging, just do as you please.”

“Sigh, it’s all the same. Let’s start—the audience is getting impatient.” The two waved their hands, and indeed, as they said, the onlookers were eager for the show to begin.

“Then, may the tavern master be our witness!”

“Very well!”

And thus, the four began their contest.

Tong Zhantian and Xuantian Zha did not produce cauldrons; instead, they condensed a miniature cauldron out of pure energy in an instant.

Ye Chaotian, seeing this, ignited a flame inside his cauldron with his energy and began refining his artifact.

This artifact was not some extraordinary or transcendent piece, but a basic weapon capable of being controlled by energy. It was like a common tool fitted with an electronic component, reducing the effort required and making it more handy for the user.

After watching for a while, Ye Jiuyao grew drowsy and promptly lay down to sleep.

Those nearby were speechless—after all, there was ten million riding on this bet. Losing would mean utter ruin.

But Ye Jiuyao was utterly unconcerned, falling asleep as soon as she lay down.

In the arena, the competition was fierce. Countless pairs of eyes watched each movement, their emotions rising and falling with the four contestants.

“Condense!”

Suddenly, a shout came from Tong Zhantian’s side, and a miniature Barrett sniper rifle appeared in his hands.

This ingenious idea was thanks to Ye Jiuyao, who had once regaled him with tales of a different world.

It was a world full of science fiction—no cultivators, no energy, yet people there could scale walls and leap onto roofs, traverse the heavens and the earth, capable of anything!

It was a world built on technology.

Ye Jiuyao’s extravagant stories had made a deep impression on Tong Zhantian, and his imagination took flight. Now, he constructed the first item from that world.

This was the Barrett that Ye Jiuyao so often spoke of.

As for how Ye Jiuyao knew of such things, it was all thanks to a dashing, indescribably handsome and elegant youth from the Canglang Map, who had recounted these tales to her.

Ye Jiuyao had merely repeated those stories to Tong Zhantian.

And so, a tiny seed was planted in his heart.

He wanted to use energy as the foundation to create technological wonders from another world, fusing them with energy to form devastating weapons, far surpassing ordinary artifact weapons.

This was Tong Zhantian’s goal.

Thus, the Thousand Sovereign Realm’s version of the Barrett came into being.

“Hahaha... what is that? Is it for making sauce?”

“Now that you mention it, it kind of does look like that.”

...

The crowd’s mocking and doubting voices rang out, while those who’d signed up looked especially miserable, as if at a funeral.

But Tong Zhantian was unfazed, steadily assembling one component after another.

Meanwhile, Xuantian Zha’s pill was nearly complete. More than half an hour had passed, and the four contestants were all nearing the end.

“Condense!”

Suddenly, each of the four let out a loud shout.

Before them, their respective creations manifested.

Tong Zhantian’s Barrett was assembled swiftly—a complete sniper rifle now lay in his hands.

Xuantian Zha’s pill was even more distinctive: its surface shimmered with seven radiant colors, and inside was carved a tiny figure, so lifelike it resembled Ye Jiuyao herself.

Ye Chaotian had refined a shield-like artifact, its surface gleaming with dazzling lights and radiating a powerful energetic aura.

“A lower seventh-grade artifact!”

Artifacts were divided into Mortal, Lower, Middle, Upper, and Origin grades, each with nine ranks. Of course, there were even higher grades, which would be explained later—just as “artifact weapons” referred to even more advanced items.

So, when everyone saw Ye Chaotian’s artifact, their astonishment was understandable.

“Look, Ye Tianchao’s pill—it’s of the ‘good’ quality in the first grade!”

Pills were divided into thirteen grades, each with four sub-levels: Entry, Common, Good, and Perfect. So Ye Tianchao’s grade was quite remarkable.

By comparison, Tong Zhantian and Xuantian Zha’s results seemed unremarkable, hence the audience’s lack of confidence in them.

“That’s enough.”

The four withdrew their flames and turned to Hua Mingfeng.

“Then, each of you find someone to test them,” she said.

No sooner had she finished speaking than excitement rippled through the crowd. Though everyone suspected the outcome, no one wanted to miss such an opportunity.

Enthusiasm soared to its peak as everyone vied for a chance to try the pills and artifacts from the Divine Artifact Pavilion and the Origin Pill Pavilion.

As for Tong Zhantian and Xuantian Zha, only a single tavern server volunteered.