Volume 1, Chapter 56: An Artifact Refiner with Ambition and Belief!

Relying on his identity as the son of the Holy Lord, his predecessor did far more than simply throw his weight around outside the Holy Land.

Take this God-Forging Island, for instance.

He had visited it countless times. Whether it was precious elixirs refined by the Pill Pavilion, divine weapons crafted by the Artifact Pavilion, or even unformed artifact embryos, as long as he laid eyes on them, they would inevitably be pillaged and taken away.

He never paid a single coin.

Logically speaking, his predecessor had no use for those items at all.

Even if he needed them, he was hardly lacking.

To put it bluntly, he did it purely for the thrill of robbery, to satisfy an extreme inner emptiness. Seeing those people full of anger yet utterly helpless against him gave him a sense of fulfillment.

In Wang Mu's view, that was already a precursor to perversion, a distorted state of mind.

Fortunately, he had taken over the body.

Otherwise, his future end would undoubtedly have been bleak.

...

Shaking his head to banish those messy thoughts from his mind, Wang Mu walked straight toward the Artifact Pavilion.

From afar, the sound of rhythmic hammering echoed. Although irregular, when blended together, it lacked any sense of chaos and instead carried a unique charm.

Before his eyes stood over a hundred scattered houses.

In front of every single house, disciples and elders were busy refining treasures and forging divine metals, thoroughly engrossed in their work.

Wang Mu walked directly toward the tallest building situated right in the center.

Before even getting close, he could feel waves of scorching heat seeping out through the doors and windows, making even the space itself appear distorted by the intense temperatures.

Standing outside the door, he could hear the continuous, rapid-fire sounds of iron being forged. The rapid, clanging blows compelled Wang Mu's mind to conjure the image of a shirtless, burly man hammering away until his shoulders blurred into afterimages.

He was striking the metal at least a dozen times a second.

Yet, peering through a crack in the window, the scene inside caused Wang Mu's eyes to light up.

It was a tall, slender woman.

Due to the blistering heat, her attire was extremely minimal.

Her long, alabaster legs were almost entirely exposed to the air with a stunning visual impact, covered by clothing only near the very tops of her thighs.

Her upper body was much the same.

Her full, voluptuous breasts were restrained beneath a thin undergarment, threatening to burst free at any moment, rivaling Nie Tingting's magnificent scale by only a fraction.

Her arms, flat abdomen, and delicate collarbones were completely uncovered.

Fine beads of sweat soaked her garments entirely, leaving her flawless figure on full display.

With a solemn expression, hand seals flashing rapidly from her fingers, she projected strands of runes that merged into the forging furnace.

That massive bronze hammer emitted an intensely brilliant radiance, raining down frantic blows at an astonishing speed upon an indistinguishable artifact embryo, sending brilliant sparks flying in all directions.

Later.

She seemingly felt it was still not enough, and lifted a hand to point.

Two more large hammers flew out from the side, joining the rhythmic pounding.

Instantly, a continuous chorus of slaps and clangs filled the entire room with a melodious rhythm.

After a long while, she slowly came to a halt.

Changing her hand seals, she retrieved the artifact embryo from the raging inferno, picked up a single hammer, and resumed forging it with her own hands.

Her movements were exceptionally flawless.

Though her figure possessed a slender and alluring grace, the moment she hoisted the hammer, the muscles on her arms instantly tensed, exuding a formidable sense of strength.

Every single strike was delivered with absolute precision.

The sound was far from grating, possessing a distinct and captivating rhythm instead.

It was worth noting that with her every movement, that pair of already full breasts began to heave violently, painting a rather magnificent picture.

Wang Mu timely let out a light cough.

"Who is it?"

The woman abruptly halted her movements and looked toward the door.

With a smile, Wang Mu pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Senior Sister Xia, long time no see!"

Xia Yaoyao.

The sole personal disciple of the Master of the Northern Nether Holy Land's Artifact Pavilion.

Simultaneously ranked in the top ten of the Holy Land's Hundred Flowers List, she was a standout figure in both natural talent and appearance, regarded as the Goddess of dreams by countless young talents.

At that exact moment, a transparent panel naturally materialized before Wang Mu's eyes.

[Name: Xia Yaoyao]
[Race: Human]
[Realm: Mid Nascent Soul Stage]
[Aptitude: Divine Grade]
[Trait: Hundred-Refined Mysterious Physique—A natural-born prodigy for artifact crafting, excelling at gaining insights into the Great Dao through a thousand tribulations of forging. The rarer the materials refined and hammered, the faster the cultivation progress!]
[Investment Assessment: Promising potential, investment recommended!]

Truly worthy of being the sole personal disciple of the Artifact Pavilion Master.

A prodigy who was practically guaranteed to succeed as the next head of the Artifact Pavilion.

Possessing the Nascent Soul cultivation stage at such a young age.

Wang Mu could not help but narrow his eyes slightly.

"It's you?" Xia Yaoyao frowned slightly. Naturally, she recognized Wang Mu, and she held no favorable impression of him whatsoever. "What are you doing here?"

Coughing twice, Wang Mu said pointedly, "Senior Sister Xia, perhaps you should put on some proper clothes before we chat?"

At these words, Xia Yaoyao suddenly became aware of her current state. A flash of shame and anger crossed her face, and after muttering "pervert," she turned on her heel and retreated into the inner chamber.

Wang Mu opened his mouth, feeling rather wronged—clearly, she was the one who was improperly dressed, how could she blame him?

However, considering that he had indeed accidentally caught a glimpse of some scenery just moments ago, he decided not to hold it against her.

Moments later, Xia Yaoyao emerged once more.

She had donned a loose, cyan outer robe, yet it still failed to conceal her proud, curvaceous figure.

Looking at Wang Mu, she wore an unfriendly expression. "Spit it out quickly and get lost once you're done!"

Unfazed, Wang Mu maintained a calm smile. "My purpose in coming here today is to do business with your Artifact Pavilion!"

"Business?"

Xia Yaoyao's pretty brows furrowed slightly. She couldn't help but size up Wang Mu, a look of playful mockery on her face. "Could it be that Young Master Wang has suddenly grown a conscience and actually plans to pay this time instead of robbing us outright?"

Maintaining his expression, Wang Mu produced a blueprint, handed it over, and smiled. "Why don't Senior Sister take a look first before speaking?"

Xia Yaoyao felt a trace of oddity.

She felt as though the Wang Mu before her had completely transformed into a different person.

Given his previous playboy temperament, had he been teased and mocked by her in such a manner, he would have long since flown into a rage.

Yet right now, he acted as though nothing had happened.

Suspiciously, she took the blueprint and glanced over it. "Isn't this just a communication talisman? It just has a few flashy, bells-and-whistles features added to it!"

Wang Mu smiled and said, "Senior Sister has a sharp eye! I would like to enlist the Artifact Pavilion to modify these communication jade talismans for me in bulk!"

Hearing this, Xia Yaoyao understood his intent and flew into a rage. "I thought you had turned over a new leaf today, but you're still the exact same wretched self, only even more insidious! What kind of place do you take my Artifact Pavilion for?

Such low-level trash requiring no difficulty, no skill, and no aesthetic value can be cobbled together by any random forging workshop outside!

Are you insulting my Artifact Pavilion?"

The reputation of the Northern Nether Holy Land's Artifact Pavilion in the art of artifact crafting might not be the absolute pinnacle of the Northern Domain, but it could at least rank within the top five.

The primary reason was not a lack of technical prowess, but rather their ingrained arrogance.

They disdained the practice of ordinary forging workshops that mass-produced low-level merchandise like first- or second-tier magic treasures purely for profit.

In other words, their forging was pursued in order to attain higher realms of mastery, to achieve the Dao through artifacts!

They were a group of artisans with pursuits and ideals.

Yet now, Wang Mu was asking them to craft such low-end, utterly meritless objects—it was a total humiliation to them.

However, facing Xia Yaoyao's wrath, Wang Mu's expression remained unchanged as he smiled calmly. "Don't be hasty, Senior Sister. I want a large quantity, and I'll pay a high price!"

Xia Yaoyao stated with righteous indignation, "Apologies, Young Master Wang, but if you wish to flaunt your wealth, you've come to the wrong place and asked the wrong person! My Artifact Pavilion will never lower its dignity for a mere handful of spirit stones. Please leave!"

At that, Wang Mu let out a feigned sigh, turned around, and said, "Since that's the case, so be it! Then this order for one million pieces will simply have to be handed over to someone else."

Xia Yaoyao's pupils suddenly constricted.

"Young master, please stay!"