The speaker was a man named Liu Yi, an outer sect disciple who had joined the sect several years earlier than them. Now, he held a petty supervisory position in the Smelting Pavilion, earning an extra ten low-grade spirit stones a month.
These storage bags, unique to the Fire Refining Sect, didn't have any seal or restriction on their openings.
With a sweep of their divine sense, they could see that three of the bags were filled with beast horns, bones, and hides, while the remaining six each contained one hundred catties of iron ore.
Jian Xiaolou was stunned.
"Why do we have to do all this?"
"You were told to do it. Why so many questions?" one of Liu Yi's two cronies barked.
"We've already finished our assigned tasks. If you don't give us a reason, why should we do this for you?" Jian Xiaolou stood up, brushing the ash from her hands. She frowned and snapped,"Move aside."
At the Fire Refining Sect, it wasn't uncommon for some people to outsource their tasks if they were too lazy or fell behind, paying others to do it for them. But for someone to throw down this much work at once, while barking orders and offering no compensation—she wasn't about to put up with that.
Because if she gave in once, she'd have to give in every time.
Liu Yi squinted at her threateningly.
"Are you doing it or not?!"
"Nope." Jian Xiaolou kicked the storage bags aside with her foot."Let's go, Long Legs."
Zhan Tianxiang said nothing, but got up and followed her.
"Aren't you afraid you'll never be able to show your face in the Smelting Pavilion again?" Liu Yi threatened.
Jian Xiaolou wasn't one to scare easily."From you? Please. I'm doing you a favor by not reporting you. You should be grateful."
Now it was Liu Yi's turn to be dumbfounded. The tasks weren't even his—they belonged to a few powerful inner sect senior brothers. He was just the unlucky middleman.
Over the past few years, he had always dumped these tasks on Mei Ruoyu, but that idiot had gone mining in the Imprisoned Dragon Mountains three days ago and still hadn't returned.
Now in a panic, Liu Yi had no choice but to look for someone else. With nine storage bags of work, even with three people it would take at least five days to complete.
After thinking it over, he set his sights on Zhan Tianxiang and Jian Xiaolou. He knew how fast the two newcomers were. While not nearly as efficient as Mei Ruoyu, if they pulled an all-nighter, they could probably get it done.
At first, he'd only worried about Zhan Tianxiang being difficult to deal with—he hadn't even considered Jian Xiaolou a problem. After all, the girl looked like someone who could be pushed around with ease.
Who would've thought... she had thorns, too.
Now that neither of them was willing, Liu Yi realized he really had no leverage. His cultivation was only at Qi Refining Level 6, which gave him a slight edge over Jian Xiaolou, but compared to Zhan Tianxiang—who practically radiated "don't mess with me" from head to toe—he didn't stand a chance.
And if this turned into a bigger issue and embarrassed those inner sect seniors, he'd be the one to suffer in the end.
So, clenching his teeth, he finally offered,
"I'll pay you ten low-grade spirit stones each!"
Jian Xiaolou didn't even look at him. She knew the going rate—just smelting a single tael of iron essence earned five spirit stones.
"Twenty stones!"
Still no response from Jian Xiaolou.
Liu Yi's face twisted. His lips trembled as he said,
"Twenty-five stones! That's the highest I can go!"
Jian Xiaolou's eyes, round like black grapes, spun craftily as she turned and raised a single finger.
"One hundred low-grade spirit stones. Non-negotiable."
Zhan Tianxiang, who was just about to leave the Smelting Pavilion, stumbled at the door, nearly falling on her face.
Heavens, where's your shame?
"I'm going back first," she said, walking off without looking back. She wanted no part in this ridiculous negotiation.
"One hundred spirit stones?!" Liu Yi ignored Zhan Tianxiang completely. He was stunned by the outrageous price."Why don't you just rob me?!"
"Then I guess there's nothing I can do," Jian Xiaolou said with a shrug, her thin shoulders lifting casually, wearing an expression that clearly said: I'd love to help, but you simply can't afford me.
Enraged, Liu Yi's face turned red as he cursed:
"You ugly freak, just wait! You think I can't tell you're covering that disgusting red birthmark on your forehead with your bangs and hiding it with spiritual energy?!"
Jian Xiaolou narrowed her eyes slightly, unfazed.
She didn't cover the natural red birthmark above her brow because she thought it was ugly.
Go ahead and curse all you want, she thought. Soon enough, you'll be the one begging me.
She pretended to leave, but just as she stepped across the threshold of the Smelting Pavilion, she suddenly felt a wave of spiritual energy rushing toward her. Instinctively forming a defensive seal, she was still knocked off balance by a figure barreling into her.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm late!"
A young man, panting heavily, skidded to a stop in front of Liu Yi and his lackeys. He still found time to turn around and apologize to Jian Xiaolou:
"Junior Sister, did I bump into you?"
"Mei Ruoyu, where the hell have you been!"
Liu Yi's tone was harsh, but his expression betrayed something else—he looked at Mei Ruoyu as though seeing a long-lost relative, as if he wanted to clutch his leg and weep.
"I ran into a stone-scaled fish in the Imprisoned Dragon Mountains and had to hide from it for three whole days before I could get away."
Mei Ruoyu exhaled a long sigh of relief, patting his chest as if he'd narrowly escaped death.
"But that stone-scaled fish was different from the others. The look in its eyes told me—it wasn't an ordinary one."
Stone-scaled fish were basically the equivalent of armadillos running all over the mountains.
To think he hid from an armadillo for three whole days.
Jian Xiaolou studied the ragged, disheveled Mei Ruoyu in front of her, curiosity piqued. This guy clearly has Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation—so why does he seem so weak?
Liu Yi, on the other hand, looked at him like he was mentally challenged. He sneered and said:
"Then take a good look at my eyes—what do they tell you?"
To everyone's surprise, Mei Ruoyu actually stepped closer and stared at Liu Yi seriously. After blinking a few times, he said with total sincerity:
"Senior Brother Liu, you probably haven't been sleeping well lately—you have eye gunk."
The result, naturally, was a beating from Liu Yi and his two cronies.
As Liu Yi stormed off, he still spat a few harsh words in Jian Xiaolou's direction.
But Jian Xiaolou's attention was fully on Mei Ruoyu. She watched as he peeled off his tattered outer robe and sat cross-legged in front of one of the furnaces, ready to begin refining the iron ore. She couldn't help but step forward and ask:
"Senior Brother Mei, are you really going to finish all the materials in those nine storage bags in one night?"
Mei Ruoyu formed a hand seal and began refining the first chunk of ore. He smiled calmly and replied:
"Why would I need a whole night? Two hours is more than enough."
Two hours?
Jian Xiaolou thought he had to be crazy to say something like that.
But the look on his face showed no trace of arrogance or jest—so she decided to stay and watch.
The more she watched, the more she felt like she was about to go crazy.
From the moment the iron ore entered the furnace—through decomposition, condensation, smelting, and purification—the entire process flowed smoothly in one continuous motion, as if someone had pressed fast-forward at ten times her speed.
Jian Xiaolou had always taken great pride in her refining speed. But now, she felt completely crushed—reduced to dust by comparison.
Wearing a face like she was at a funeral, she squatted down beside his left hand and asked:
"Senior Brother Mei, how do you do it?"
Mei Ruoyu smiled and said:
"There's no secret. It's just that practice makes perfect. I've been in the sect for ten years, and now I refine thousands of pounds of ore every single day. You seem unfamiliar—probably from this newest batch of disciples? Let me give you some advice: never underestimate the art of smelting. If you want to become a high-level artifact refiner, a solid foundation is absolutely essential."
Jian Xiaolou drew in a sharp breath. She had always thought she was working hard enough—until she saw Mei Ruoyu and realized she was nowhere near it.
She sat down at the furnace beside Mei Ruoyu, rolled up her sleeves, and said:
"Let me help you."
Mei Ruoyu didn't actually need the help, but seeing how eager and motivated she was, he nodded.
"Then thank you, Junior Sister."
Then he asked,
"I don't know your name yet."
"I'm Jian Xiaolou, from Baiyun City."
"I'm Mei Ruoyu, from the Second Western Immortal Continent, Mie Mo Academy."
Jian Xiaolou was stunned again. Mie Mo Academy?
"Senior Brother Mei, you were originally a Confucian cultivator?"
She knew that Confucian cultivators were well-read and well-traveled, often apprenticing under many masters to broaden their horizons. The academies never restricted their disciples from joining other sects, and major sects likewise welcomed Confucian cultivators.
Still… could someone this unkempt really be a Confucian?
…
Meanwhile, Zhan Tianxiang waited until the moon was high in the sky, but Jian Xiaolou still hadn't returned.
She grew suspicious. Could that fool have actually accepted the spirit stones and stayed behind to refine all that iron essence?
Nine whole storage bags. On her own? Is she choosing money over her life?
Well, if so, that was her own doing.
Zhan Tianxiang closed her eyes and continued meditating.
But by the time the first half of the night had passed, Jian Xiaolou was still nowhere in sight. Unable to resist, Zhan Tianxiang got up and left the room, muttering under her breath:
"I'm just going to check if she's dropped dead from exhaustion. I'm absolutely not going to help her."