"Is that refiner in Group B a Grade 3 Refiner? I’ve never seen him before."
"No... he seems to be Grade 2. Look at the badge hanging from his waist."
"Strange. With that technique and speed, he doesn't look like a Grade 2 at all."
The whispers from the crowd below reached Nie Shiyun’s ears, but the subject of their discussion showed no reaction, continuing his practiced movements with practiced ease.
Frequent competitions had made the audience quite familiar with the regular participants, so Nie Shiyun’s fresh face naturally drew a significant amount of attention.
This weapon-refining competition did not set up barriers around the participants to block out external noise. As long as a cultivator lost focus for even a moment, they could hear the passersby's critiques and comments clearly. It was said that the Lan family initially felt this added a layer of controversy and would generate more public interest. Over time, however, the refiners began to claim among themselves that this was a deliberate test of their concentration. Since everyone was concerned with their reputation, no one was willing to admit they lacked focus, and thus, the simple measure of "soundproofing" had never been proposed from the past to the present.
Refiners constantly suffered slips of the hand, leading to ruined blanks that forced them to start over in a panic.
Most of the Grade 1 and Grade 2 refiners here were rogue cultivators or from small sects. They were rarely watched by such a large crowd while refining and were already nervous. To make matters worse, Nie Shiyun had appeared in Group B today. Word had spread that he was a Grade 2 refiner from the Lower Layer, yet his techniques were startlingly skilled and mature. Hearing the discussions from below, many cultivators couldn't help but lose focus to steal a glance at his progress, only to end up failing their own work.
"Damn it, it snapped again. Is there still time to start over..."
"Focus, focus..."
Several refiners couldn't help but mutter to themselves in panic. The more mistakes they made, the more they felt the audience's pitying or helpless gazes, which stung so much they couldn't even manage the tasks they usually found easy.
Nie Shiyun had long sensed that not only the people below but also many other refiners in his group were constantly casting glances his way. This was quite an unwise move. Unless one had the absolute confidence to handle their materials with ease, it was better to finish one's own work before worrying about others.
Before long, the first participant of the competition—a Grade 1 refiner—suffered a furnace explosion. The loud bang from his workstation caused several nearby refiners' hands to jerk, their hammers landing in the wrong places, much to their regret.
"Is that man really a rogue cultivator? And is this truly his first time competing?" someone marveled, seeing Nie Shiyun’s unruffled demeanor.
This was true, but not entirely.
Nie Shiyun was indeed currently a rogue cultivator in the Upper Realm. It was also indeed his first time participating in a refining competition here.
However, back when he was at Yunqing Pavilion, he would occasionally join Nie Li and the others to instruct the sect's disciples. He also frequently discussed refining techniques with the couple Du Zhi and Qi Xuan'er in the public refining rooms of the front mountain, processes that were open to their fellow disciples. He was long accustomed to being watched. In fact, even if two juniors were placed beside him right now, he could refine while giving them a lecture.
Looking at the cultivators gathered below, their enthusiasm for the preliminaries was quite high. Perhaps it was because, aside from the fairly fixed rosters of the great families and the Dragon Prince who hadn't yielded his throne in decades, only these preliminaries offered any real entertainment...
The competition time was only half over when Nie Shiyun finished the flying treasure as required. He had made a standard flying sword, not risking an attempt at a Mystic Grade treasure, but striving for the best possible quality within a safe margin. Though the design was ordinary, the quality was superb.
"It’s Mortal Grade, Peak Quality. He’s definitely passed the preliminaries."
"With that speed, was he hiding his true strength?"
"If you want to chat, go to the side. Let those of us in the back get a closer look..."
Seeing the Lan family’s senior refiner walk to Nie Shiyun’s workstation to inspect the piece, then take the refined treasure to the display stand to assign a grade, the crowd immediately surged forward.
"Everyone, please stay calm. There are still refiners on stage currently working," a Lan family attendant urged the crowd to step back.
"Mortal Grade, Peak Quality. If he hasn't already surpassed the level of a Grade 2 refiner, he’s not far from Grade 3. I see he’s still in the Void Refinement stage; perhaps his cultivation is holding back his comprehension."
Though there was only one level of difference between "Peak" and "High" quality, they were worlds apart. "Peak Quality" meant that there was almost no room for improvement for a treasure of that rank. Generally, a refiner could only easily produce Peak Quality items when refining something one rank lower than their own actual grade.
In the eyes of the crowd, Nie Shiyun suddenly seemed to glow with golden light. Everyone was convinced he would soon rise to prominence. With no background, modest cultivation, but immense potential, the sharp-eyed great families were likely already discussing behind the scenes whether to invite him as an apprentice.
When everyone turned around, however, Nie Shiyun was already gone.
There was another reason Nie Shiyun moved exceptionally fast today: he wanted to see the situation of the Grade 3 refiners in the other groups. This was a rare opportunity. If he could glean something from their movements, his success rate in refining Mystic Grade treasures would increase significantly.
"Hey! Do you know this man? Is he really a rogue cultivator?"
"Young Master Ao Fan, we’ve never heard of him," the Lan family cultivator said awkwardly.
Wasn't this the cultivator who had almost bumped into Ao Fan on the street earlier?
They had thought Ao Fan was in a good mood and had forgotten about it, but because this man’s performance in the preliminary group was so eye-catching, Ao Fan had targeted him again. The Lan family cultivators silently offered their condolences.
"His refining technique seems decent, but it's a pity he's only a Grade 2 refiner," Ao Fan remarked, propping up his head and critiquing from his high vantage point.
"Looking at him, he should be just a hair's breadth away from being a Grade 3 refiner," the Lan family refiner, who had been standing by to answer Ao Fan's questions, couldn't help but say. He quickly realized the impropriety of his words—this was the guy who had just provoked the Dragon Prince! He hurriedly added, "But compared to you, Young Master Ao Fan, he is likely still far off."
"Indeed. He looks quite dull-witted to me, probably the first time he's seen such a grand scene. It's a pity I don't have to participate in the preliminaries or the semi-finals, so I can't let him experience the prowess of the number one rank... Oh! I have it! It just so happens the competitions these past few years have been dead quiet. Now that a new toy has arrived, we can't let him get away. Come here." Ao Fan spoke lazily, then suddenly thought of something fun. He slapped the table and beckoned the people behind him to lean in and listen.
The Lan family cultivators looked at each other, expressions of dread crossing their faces. Every time this lord had an idea, it was never anything good...
But orders from above could not be disobeyed. The group had no choice but to bow and scrape as they leaned in, asking what new idea Ao Fan had this time.
"The results of the preliminaries have all been announced. Refiners who passed can use their tokens to collect their share of Immortal Crystals, pills, and talismans from the Refiners' Guild. Seniors from various families and sects, if you find it troublesome, you can also wait until the next few days of events are over, and we will deliver everything to your door."
On the square, today's competition had concluded. The treasures made during the preliminaries would be displayed on the square for one hour. For those refiners who had failed or performed poorly, this was equivalent to a public execution. As soon as it ended, they didn't even want their items back, immediately slinking away with their tails between their legs.
Nie Shiyun had completely forgotten about this, focusing intently on the works of the other Grade 3 refiners, unable to pull himself away. Because of Madam Shang’s reminder and having seen so many seniors who could stably refine Mystic Grade treasures, Nie Shiyun had subconsciously marked the end of his own journey in this competition. Regardless, he had already made back his Immortal Crystals. From here on, as long as he watched and learned more, he would consider it a profit.
He walked around, looking at various treasures while reflecting on the techniques he had seen the Grade 3 refiners use. Connecting this to the secret manuals Madam Shang had lent him, he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. He immediately left the noisy scene, deciding to return to the jade pendant to meditate on his realizations.
As others had expected, people from various families and sects had also come to this competition. In the past, these cultivators responsible for "scouting the opposition's abilities" and "scouting for talent" had been slacking off for decades. Today, as usual, they had found a nearby teahouse to sit and drink tea shortly after the preliminaries began, only arriving at the scene to go through the motions near the end.
To their surprise, this unremarkable refining competition had actually produced a promising talent! Although it was only a Mortal Grade, Peak Quality treasure—far from being a world-shaking sensation—after hearing the surrounding cultivators discuss that this refiner named "Nie Shiyun" had a bone age of less than two hundred and was a rogue cultivator who had recently arrived from the Lower Layer, various families began to consider taking him in as an apprentice.
After all, hearing such a description, everyone's first reaction was that such a high-potential cultivator with no background should be very easy to swindle!
"He seems to have already left." After searching around and finding no sign of Nie Shiyun, a cultivator from a certain sect said with regret.
The person beside him sighed. "We were careless. Could the Lan family have already beaten us to it?"
"Hmph, if he's smart, he shouldn't go to the Lan family. Anyone who asks around would know that with that lord hanging around every day, the Lan family refiners have had a hard time these past few years..."
Seeing the nearby cultivator give a look and a gesture for silence, the two looked toward the tavern together. They saw Ao Fan emerging arrogantly from the main entrance, flanked by two beautiful female cultivators.
Wherever Ao Fan went, pedestrians would spontaneously make way for him, carving out an empty path in the bustling crowd. Ao Fan was very satisfied with this special treatment.
For some reason, he seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today, wearing an expression as if he were waiting to watch a good show. Only the Lan family members behind him looked as miserable as ever. Before long, their group disappeared around a street corner, presumably returning to the Lan family to rest.
"He must have some wicked idea again. The Lan family is truly pathetic." The cultivator whispered to his sect brother.
"Have you forgotten how much benefit the Lan family has gained from the Dragon Race? If you ask me, they deserve it..."
At this moment, Nie Shiyun was peacefully cultivating inside the jade pendant.
The Lan family was quite generous; the pills and talismans were all High Quality. After this, each time he advanced, he would receive double the prizes. However, Nie Shiyun was self-aware; he estimated he would likely be eliminated either tomorrow or the day after.
Even so, he had already gained much. He hadn't expected that observing Grade 3 refiners would truly lead to such insights. Previously, in the Shang family’s outer residence refining workshop, although there were also Grade 3 refiners, they were listless all day and had never displayed their true level in their daily work.
Nie Shiyun didn't mind that he had already refined a treasure earlier; he immediately started the furnace again inside the jade pendant. This time, he also intentionally refrained from using the Phoenix Cauldron and the exotic fire, relying purely on his own spiritual energy to refine. If he previously had only a twenty to thirty percent certainty of refining a Mystic Grade treasure, he could now say he had fifty percent.
However, in the final stages, Nie Shiyun always felt that while he had the ideas in his mind, the spiritual energy in his body hit a ceiling, suppressing his performance.
"It seems my cultivation is still insufficient. There's no helping that."
Having not yet advanced to the Body Integration stage, he was essentially refining treasures across stages. If he factored in the help of the Phoenix Cauldron and Xiao Que, his certainty of refining Mystic Grade would rise to seventy or eighty percent—which, for a refiner at his stage, could already be considered a pipe dream.
By the time this period of insight passed, several days had gone by. Leaving the jade pendant, Nie Shiyun glanced out the window. The sky was turning from dark to light; it was exactly sunrise.
He wondered if Zhai Bairong was also watching the sunrise at this very moment.
In the past, when they occasionally had the leisure, Zhai Bairong would watch the scenery and paint. He always said he wasn't good at it, having only learned a bit during his childhood in the mortal world. But in the eyes of an amateur like Nie Shiyun, he painted very well, no less impressive than the paintings hanging on the walls of shops outside. He simply took Zhai Bairong’s words as modesty.
Once the sun had fully risen, Nie Shiyun stretched, tucking his feelings of longing back into his heart. He dropped lightly from the roof, deciding to head out early to wait near the square.
He thought he had arrived early, but to his surprise, a few people were already scattered about the square waiting.
"Oh, what a coincidence! Isn't this Nie Shiyun?"
"You recognize me?" Nie Shiyun asked in surprise. Looking closely, many of these people seemed to be the same cultivators he had stood in line with yesterday to receive his preliminary group assignment.
Immediately surrounded by a group of cultivators asking this and that, Nie Shiyun finally learned that after he had simply walked away yesterday, many people had been asking about his whereabouts.
"Are you really just a Grade 2 refiner? You didn't hide a Grade 3 badge and just hang a Grade 2 one as a decoration, did you?" someone asked.
"Hardly. I really am just a Grade 2 refiner. When I registered, couldn't the Refiners' Guild check the records..." Nie Shiyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"True. Hey, you're really lucky! Even ordinary Grade 3 refiners can't all squeeze into the great families. But your performance yesterday was too eye-catching; many families should be preparing to invite you as an apprentice now. You have a limitless future!" A familiar cultivator enviously nudged Nie Shiyun with his elbow. "Do you have any thoughts? Which family or sect are you planning to join?"
Nie Shiyun helplessly explained that he was searching for his Dao companion and did not plan to settle down in any specific place.
"A pie falls from the sky and you don't want it? Can you give the chance to me then?" The person beside him gaped so wide his jaw nearly hit the ground.
Everyone thought Nie Shiyun was a fool.
"If you enter a great family and study diligently, once you make a name for yourself, are you afraid you won't be able to find a person?"
Nie Shiyun said with difficulty, "I am grateful that you are all considering my interests. But that would take too long, and I can't sit still. Thinking it over, I feel more at ease setting out to find them myself."
Seeing his pained expression, the cultivators put themselves in his shoes and felt that perhaps the bitterness of longing was indeed hard to bear. They asked how long he had been separated from his Dao companion by accident.
Nie Shiyun said sincerely, "It has been nearly a year."
"..."
Everyone withdrew the sympathy that had just begun to sprout, once again feeling that Nie Shiyun was indeed a fool.
To a cultivator, let alone one year, even ten years were but the blink of an eye. Everyone couldn't help but feel that Nie Shiyun was being too short-sighted, failing to distinguish between what was important and what was urgent. At the same time, they couldn't help but be curious about what kind of divine Dao companion could make someone so obsessed.
Nie Shiyun was certainly anxious, but he also harbored the thought of not wanting to enter the service of other families or sects. If one day in the future he could make Yunqing Pavilion flourish in the Upper Realm, that would naturally be best. If he couldn't, being a leisurely rogue cultivator was still happier than being restricted by rules everywhere.
He didn't need to tell others this.
Before these cultivators could catch another chance to get close to Nie Shiyun, the Lan family’s event coordinator arrived.
Nie Shiyun took this opportunity to offer a few vague words and stopped chatting with the crowd. Seeing him go first to draw today's group assignment, the others looked at each other and stopped their idle talk, following one after another to collect their draw results.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 凡阶极品 | Mortal Grade, Peak Quality | The highest sub-rank within the Mortal Grade. |
| 玄级 | Mystic Grade | A rank of treasures/items above Mortal Grade. |
| 骨龄 | Bone age | A common way to measure a cultivator's true age. |
| 抽签 | Draw lots / Draw | The process of randomly assigning groups or turns. |
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 172 | A Rising Talent's Focus | Novela.app | Novela.app
