Chapter 103: Good Disguise

"Very little. Extremely little."

Lu Zefeng attempted a variety of simple movements with his withered arm.

"Channel your Spiritual Power through the arm. See if you feel any blockages."

"Okay."

Fang Yun asked questions and took notes, and Lu Zefeng, sitting on the floor, was very cooperative.

Lu Zefeng watched Fang Yun, noting his incredibly serious expression.

’His talent for Artifact Refining is one thing, but he’s also so meticulous. A person like him will surely become a true Artifact Refining Master someday.’

This was precisely what Lu Zefeng was thinking right then.

Once Fang Yun finished taking notes, Lu Zefeng spoke.

"Junior Brother Fang, take a look at me. Don’t I look like I belong to the Evil Demons and Crooked Paths?"

As he spoke, he struck a pose, pairing it with a cruel smile that ended in a bitter laugh.

A Cultivator’s body was bound to change if they trained in other types of power.

And indeed, Lu Zefeng did look like some Evil Cultivator who had undergone modification.

But no matter what a Cultivator looked like, what ultimately mattered was the power they cultivated.

"Senior Brother Lu, look on the bright side. When you go on missions to the Black Ghost Cave Earth Realm, as long as you don’t release your Spiritual Power, people will think you’re a Ghost Cultivator. That’ll make your missions more convenient."

"That’s true."

Lu Zefeng considered it for a moment. That was indeed one of the advantages.

"When you’re in the sect, you can wrap your hand tightly with some cloth. It’ll look a lot more normal that way," Fang Yun suggested.

"That’s what I was thinking too."

Lu Zefeng looked at his new right arm, then pulled down the sleeve of his Inner Sect Disciple robes, leaving only the withered hand exposed.

"Just how powerful is this arm?" The words had barely left his mouth before Lu Zefeng asked Fang Yun, "I wonder, Junior Brother Fang, are you free tomorrow?"

For Lu Zefeng, Fang Yun was undoubtedly the best sparring partner.

When facing Fang Yun, he didn’t have to worry about being able to break through his defense at all.

In that kind of situation, he could gradually adapt to the arm’s power by continuously attacking Fang Yun.

"I’ll be going to Battle Peak at noon the day after tomorrow," Fang Yun replied after considering his schedule.

"Your first match is with me, Junior Brother Fang."

"Right."

"Thank you, Junior Brother Fang!" Lu Zefeng smiled brightly.

"Senior Brother Lu, you can take the next two days to properly acclimate. Try using the arm for everyday things."

"I will."

The two of them had already spent a day and a half in Upper-Grade Artifact Refining Room Number One.

When he returned the Token for the Artifact Refining Room, Lu Zefeng paid the remaining three Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

The rental fee for the Artifact Refining Room, plus Fang Yun’s refining fee, came to only seventy-six Lower Grade Spirit Stones. For Lu Zefeng, now with a new arm, this was an incredible bargain.

"The refining went quite smoothly," Steward Cai remarked, his eyes falling on Lu Zefeng’s right hand.

He just knew Fang Yun would succeed in refining it.

"Is this arm on the level of an Upper Grade Magical Artifact?" Steward Cai asked curiously.

Lu Zefeng answered before anyone else could.

"Absolutely!"

Many of the materials used to refine the arm were high-quality, so it was possible to create an Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

Although Lu Zefeng hadn’t yet used the arm in combat, he could sense that Fang Yun hadn’t wasted materials and caused a drop in the arm’s power.

As for the overall refining process, he didn’t understand most of it. If forced to judge, he couldn’t have said for sure whether Fang Yun had made a mistake that would have forced an Upper Grade Magical Artifact to be completed as a Middle Grade one instead.

"Fang Yun, you’re not far from being able to refine a Spiritual Artifact," Steward Cai judged based on his own experience.

"Just about."

"Once you refine a Spiritual Artifact, you’ll be a true Artifact Refiner!"

After a brief chat with Steward Cai, Fang Yun and Lu Zefeng left.

Steward Cai watched Fang Yun’s retreating figure, feeling more and more gratified.

After bidding farewell to Lu Zefeng, Fang Yun first went to tend to his six acres of Qi Nourishing Grass before returning to his residence to rest.

’Back when I was in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, I would have been completely exhausted by now. The drain on my mind would have reached its limit.’

But now, at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, he felt it was manageable.

...

「The appointed time with Lu Zefeng arrived.」

Around noon, Fang Yun’s figure appeared at the foot of Battle Peak.

On the way up Battle Peak, an Inner Sect Disciple ran into him and hastily greeted him with a question.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Fang. Do you have an opponent for your first Magical Combat spar?"

This was an Inner Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Many Inner Sect Disciples at this Realm had already started calling Fang Yun "Senior Brother."

It was a sign of respect for Fang Yun’s strength, even though he had become an Inner Sect Disciple after them.

"I already have one," Fang Yun replied.

"What a shame."

He had seen that Fang Yun had no other Inner Sect Disciples with him and assumed he had come to Battle Peak without a confirmed opponent for his first match.

According to Fang Yun’s "rules," he could only try for the second match, but facing Senior Brothers and Sisters at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer was a much greater challenge.

These so-called "rules" of Fang Yun’s weren’t actually established by him; they had formed naturally among the disciples.

Even if this Inner Sect Disciple said he wanted to be Fang Yun’s opponent for the second match, Fang Yun wouldn’t refuse.

Fang Yun hadn’t bothered to clarify this, as he felt there was no need. ’If this is how the Sect Disciples want to do things, then let them,’ he thought.

On his way up Battle Peak, three Inner Sect Disciples had already asked Fang Yun the same question, and all got the same answer from him.

Near the registration area for Magical Combat records, Fang Yun saw Lu Zefeng leaning against a wall, with Zhang Cailing standing beside him.

"Senior Brother Lu, Senior Sister Zhang. Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all. You’re right on time, Junior Brother Fang. We just arrived ourselves." Though he said as much, Lu Zefeng had actually shown up much earlier.

"I really did just arrive, Junior Brother Fang. I can’t speak for this Senior Brother Lu of yours, though," Zhang Cailing said with a smile.

She was taking this Magical Combat spar between Fang Yun and Lu Zefeng very seriously.

She had already learned the general situation from Lu Zefeng: the reattachment of his right arm had been a success. However, how an Upper Grade Magical Artifact like that arm would perform in combat was something you had to see to know.

Observing this Magical Combat match between Lu Zefeng and Fang Yun would help her better coordinate with Lu Zefeng when they went on missions together in the future.

At the same time, she also hoped to have another Magical Combat spar with Fang Yun herself.

The days Fang Yun went to Battle Peak each month weren’t fixed, so as far as they were concerned, there was no discernible pattern to his visits.

After confirming with Lu Zefeng when he would be at Battle Peak, she would have come today for that reason alone.

Lu Zefeng’s situation gave her yet another reason to be here.

Before long, Fang Yun and Lu Zefeng registered with the Steward and were assigned to Dueling Platform Number Three.