Chapter 082
Chapter 82: Master Wang
The crowd fell into silence. How many people could truly surpass the Ten Seals? Most were practitioners of the Ten Seals, after all. Naturally, those below Ten Seals wouldn’t appear either.
“The materials have been distributed. Alright, everyone may begin.”
Wang Jie looked at the worn puppet armor in front of him. Was he supposed to repair this? Around him, puppet masters were at work—some were hammering and chiseling, others were heating or stitching. There was a variety of techniques in action.
Artifact forging Dao—he didn’t understand it well. The only solution was the second field. That field could separate the various materials from a star artifact.
He held the armor piece with the puppet, staying inside the puppet as the scene around him shifted.
He tossed the armor piece into the field and then infused it with star force drawn from the star artifact he’d previously worked with. He was attempting to force the armor into becoming a star artifact. This was a technique of the Celestial Refinement Masters, something he had learned a little about through Mu Ran. Though the knowledge was scarce.
The whole process was quick.
Inside the puppet, Wang Jie looked at the armor piece, now transformed into a star artifact. Could he get away with this? The star force here was minimal, so it couldn’t absorb too much. From what he’d learned, Celestial Refinement Masters wouldn’t refine star artifacts lightly.
He subconsciously glanced at Bei Feng, who sat still, his cultivation clearly surpassing the Ten Seals. No one questioned his presence.
An hour later, Jiang You Sheng inspected the various puppet masters’ armor pieces.
The armor pieces were all kinds of strange shapes and forms.
Jiang You Sheng went from one to the next, inspecting them. “Creatures grow in different environments, and as a result, their senses, smells, and actions differ. Just like how the Berserk Clan can smell the scent of Frost Radiance Sect disciples. As a Seventh Star Chain puppet master, I have a unique sense. Even if a puppet master is trained by the Frost Radiance Sect, even if their techniques are impeccable, I can still tell they’re not of that origin.”
“This sense, everyone here should be able to recognize.”
Wang Jie looked at Jiang You Sheng, understanding that it was probably the energy or aura, but these people didn’t seem to recognize it, nor had they heard of such a concept.
The Death Realm was a presence so formidable that even the Armor One Sect feared it. He wondered when he would meet someone from the Death Realm again.
And his own armor piece had been taken out.
Jiang You Sheng’s gaze landed on the armor piece in front of Wang Jie. Many others followed his line of sight. Their expressions were filled with disdain. The armor had no noticeable changes and hadn’t been repaired.
It was clear—this person didn’t know anything about artifact forging Dao.
He wasn’t a puppet master.
Bei Feng also eyed the armor piece in front of Wang Jie, looking at him with suspicion. Could it be that someone among the group had truly reached this point? Impossible. If someone with Ten Seals could come here, it would be like telling him a fish had crawled ashore and entered a bustling human city. It was ridiculous.
His thoughts drifted to the fact that this person lived in the same place as him, a place that also happened to be the mission location.
“Master, may I ask for your name?” Jiang You Sheng spoke, his tone respectful and somber, vastly different from before. Anyone could tell the change.
Master?
Everyone turned their attention to the armor piece. From which angle had they determined he was a master?
“Star artifact?” Someone suddenly exclaimed.
A wave of shock swept through the crowd. They all focused on the armor piece, shocked.
Bei Feng leaned forward, staring at it. A star artifact? But that was clearly an ordinary armor piece. If it were a star artifact, it would mean…
A Celestial Refinement Master.
There was actually a Celestial Refinement Master here?
Wang Jie had no idea how much of a shock he had caused. He knew little about Celestial Refinement Masters, but there was no other way—this was the only possibility to get by.
The room fell completely silent.
Jiang You Sheng controlled a puppet and stood up, slowly bowing to Wang Jie. “I didn’t expect to meet a Celestial Refinement Master. My apologies for the lack of manners.”
Though no one moved, their gazes towards Wang Jie were filled with complexity. Especially Bei Feng, who hadn’t expected the talkative one to actually be a Celestial Refinement Master. Had he known, he would have just knocked him out and taken him away.
Wang Jie responded indifferently, “No need to be polite.”
A star artifact—its materials naturally carried star force or could be infused with it. Only powerful beings capable of refining themselves into stars might be able to give star force. Another type of person who could do this was the Celestial Refinement Master. Now, Wang Jie was being taken as one.
The ability to infuse star force into ordinary items was the hallmark of a Celestial Refinement Master.
But the question remained—he hadn’t cultivated star force. How could he be a Celestial Refinement Master?
Jiang You Sheng marveled, “It’s such a rare honor to meet a Celestial Refinement Master. Please, Master, rest as you wish. If you need anything, the Puppet Master Tower will make sure to fulfill your requests.”
“And what about this?”
“Master may observe or leave at your leisure. Please feel free.”
Wang Jie left, eager to avoid exposing any flaws.
After his departure, the puppet masters began to speak in low tones, filled with admiration and respect.
Bei Feng watched Wang Jie’s departing figure. A Celestial Refinement Master? That ruled out any suspicion. If there had been a Celestial Refinement Master among them, Yan Fu Yu would have taken them to the sect immediately, not allowed them to wander into the Ninth Star Chain to die.
Because even the Frost Radiance Sect didn’t have a Celestial Refinement Master.
Jiang You Sheng, clearly distracted, finished inspecting the others and left.
Green Square Star had many cities, each with a Puppet Master Tower branch for identifying puppet masters. Normally, no one with Eighth Star Chain cultivation would be able to get through all the layers of security to reach here.
Now, of course, the most important thing was that Celestial Refinement Master.
The Puppet Master Tower was vast, and the courtyards were far apart, as if the puppet masters wanted to protect their privacy.
Wang Jie was currently residing in one of the large courtyards of the Puppet Master Tower.
He shut the door and began to reflect on what had just happened.
The situation was clear now. These puppet masters thought of him as a Celestial Refinement Master and treated him with respect. That meant he had to play the part of a Celestial Refinement Master. The more genuine, the better. But there was one problem—Celestial Refinement Masters should cultivate star force, while he cultivated lock force. How would he explain that?
Also, were Celestial Refinement Masters only able to infuse star force into objects? Did they have other abilities? If they did, what then? If only he had asked Mu Ran more questions earlier.
He thought about many things, but the only answer was to take things as they came. Because for now, he couldn’t leave. All the puppet masters were stuck at the Puppet Master Tower, including Bei Feng. Since that was the case, he could only proceed step by step.
Not long after he settled in, Jiang You Sheng came to visit.
Wang Jie manipulated a puppet to meet him, but Jiang You Sheng didn’t stay in the puppet. Instead, he appeared in front of Wang Jie himself, showing full respect.
“Master, is your stay comfortable? If you have any requests, please feel free to ask. The Puppet Master Tower will make sure to accommodate you,” Jiang You Sheng said, his tone polite. He had a scholarly air about him, quite different from what Wang Jie had imagined a puppet master to be.
Wang Jie’s voice came from within the puppet, “Tower Master, you’re too kind. May I ask why you’ve come?”
Jiang You Sheng quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare to give orders, but I do have a request. Of course, if you’re too busy, it’s no trouble.”
“Please, Tower Master, speak.”
Jiang You Sheng sized up the puppet before him. It was crude, not at all like the work of a Celestial Refinement Master. Perhaps that was why Celestial Refinement Masters were so rarely seen in public. They were too low-key.
“Master, have you heard of the Thunder Well?”
“No.”
Jiang You Sheng briefly explained the Thunder Well.
The Thunder Well was a strange part of the Ninth Star Chain’s sky, filled with heaven thunder. The area was distorted into a well shape, with more violent thunder the deeper one went. Jiang You Sheng mentioned the Thunder Well because it contained thunder pattern gold.
As soon as the words “thunder pattern gold” were spoken, Jiang You Sheng fell silent, clearly expecting Wang Jie to understand.
But Wang Jie didn’t know what it was.
“I have come to ask if Master could assist in infusing star force into materials capable of resisting heavenly thunder, transforming them into star artifacts. This would allow me to enter the Thunder Well and mine the thunder-patterned gold.”
Wang Jie breathed a sigh of relief. So that was it. All the talk made it sound like he was being asked to go to the Thunder Well.
“Alright.”
Jiang You Sheng didn’t expect Wang Jie to agree so easily. “Master agrees?”
Wang Jie nodded, “You may send the materials. However…”
“Rest assured, Master. We will make sure you are compensated. Please, state your price.”
“You decide. But I need star stones.”
Jiang You Sheng was surprised—not by how high Wang Jie’s price was, but by how low it was.
Usually, when requesting a Celestial Refinement Master to infuse star force, there was a fixed price based on the amount of star force needed. This price was typically not in star stones, as star stones were a lower currency for powerful cultivators. Above star stones were galaxy stones and starsea stones.
As for the currencies of various civilizations and empires—those were practically useless.
Infusing star force into materials was the simplest form of refinement, which cost ten thousand star stones per refinement. But Celestial Refinement Masters usually preferred galaxy stones or starsea stones.
A starsea stone was equivalent to ten thousand star stones. However, when exchanged, it would usually fetch more star stones. So, choosing to settle the fee in starsea stones was advantageous for Celestial Refinement Masters.
But Wang Jie only wanted star stones.
“I will go prepare the star stones. Please wait, Master.”
Jiang You Sheng left, and Wang Jie finally relaxed. He wasn’t sure about the usual rates for Celestial Refinement Masters, but he definitely needed star stones. They contained star force, which he needed to extract and infuse into materials. Without star force, he was at a loss. The star force he used earlier had come from the previous star artifact.
As for galaxy stones and starsea stones, he hadn’t even considered them.
Jiang You Sheng could probably tell that Wang Jie hadn’t cultivated star force yet, but he didn’t ask any further questions.
Was he trying to verify if Wang Jie could truly refine star force?
Jiang You Sheng was quick. By the next day, he returned with the materials to be infused with star force and a large amount of star stones.
Wang Jie began his work of infusing star force.
He didn’t know how other Celestial Refinement Masters did it, but he worked quickly—very quickly. Tossing the materials into the field, he extracted the star force, infused it, and it was done. Simple, efficient, and didn’t take much effort.
Of course, he had to be careful not to let Jiang You Sheng notice how fast he was working. Just like the previous star artifact, if he infused too much star force, it would seem suspicious. Other Celestial Refinement Masters certainly wouldn’t work this fast.
Jiang You Sheng had arranged for an assistant to help with the deliveries. The goal was obviously to subtly learn more about Celestial Refinement Masters.
“Jiang Cai.”
“I’m here, Master. What may I do for you?”
“I’ve noticed you’ve been eyeing the courtyard a lot. Is something on your mind? Are you interested in the refining method?”
Jiang Cai quickly responded, “Master, I… I wouldn’t dare covet the refining technique.”
“No worries. Tell me, what do you know about refining?”