Chapter 1102, Grandmaster Yang Yan
Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain
The burly man cursed virulently as he stormed out, disappearing soon after.
âAh, Grandmaster Yang Yan was cursed out again,â Someone in the hall, clearly taking pleasure in otherâs misfortune, laughed.
âShe deserves it, she canât even properly refine a Saint King Grade artefact yet she claims to be an Origin Grade Artifact Refiner. If all Artifact Refiners were like her, how could we feel comfortable leaving our artefacts to them?â
âEn, thatâs right, I heard that someone came to Grandmaster Yang Yan with an artefact he had been using for several dozen years and asked her to perform some maintenance on it. It was originally an excellent Saint King Grade High-Rank artefact, but after that routine maintenance, it actually dropped in quality to become a Saint King Grade Mid-Rank artefact. That guy literally left here shedding tears of distress!â
âWhat does that count for? I heard that someone asked Grandmaster Yang Yan to refine him a sword, but when he came back what he got was a thick machete... Haa, how can one be a qualified Artifact Refiner if they canât even meet the requests of their clients? Sheâs probably just boasting shamelessly about her skills. How could Artefact Refining Pavilion hire such a terrible Artefact Refiner?â
âItâs got nothing to do with Artefact Refining Pavilion. Grandmaster Yang Yan only has a temporary contract with them, everyone who seeks her out for Artifact Refining is warned explicitly by Artifact Refining Pavilionâs staff, but those people still choose to use her services, so they can only blame their own stupidity, thinking they can pick up a bargain with that fake Origin Grade Artifact Refiner.â
âIâd rather wait a few extra months rather than look for Artifact Refining from her.â
.....
All kinds of rumours and stories entered Yang Kaiâs ears, causing his expression to become stranger and stranger.
The shop-hand also let out a big sigh, âHaa, Grandmaster Yang Yan is really too much, Artifact Refining Pavilion has warned her several times yet she still insists on acting this way, refusing to even apologize for her actions. From the looks of it, sheâll only be here for a few more days before being kicked out.â
âWhy is that?â Yang Kai turned to look at him.
âHer acting like this is damaging the reputation of Artifact Refining Pavilion, something the higher-ups naturally cannot tolerate!â
âBut from the looks of it, that war-hammer artefact that big guy took out was extremely high quality, and it also seemed to fit perfectly with his Saint Qi attribute, why was he not satisfied?â
The shop-hand laughed awkwardly and explained, âHe didnât order a war-hammer, he wanted a battle-axe...â
Yang Kaiâs face went black, immediately understanding why that burly man was so angry. It was just as the others in the lobby had said, an Artefact Refiner that couldnât meet the requirements of their customers was not qualified to call themselves an Artifact Refiner.
âHonoured customer, have you made your decision?â The shop-hand turned to Yang Kai again asked again.
âEn,â Yang Kai nodded and handed the pamphlet back, âIâll ask Grandmaster Yang Yan.â
The shop-hand was stunned and stared at Yang Kai strangely for a moment before asking, âAre you sure?â
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, âIâm not here for an artefact, just some simple tools, even if sheâs not really an Origin Grade Artifact Refiner, she should be able to handle my request.â
âIf thatâs what honoured customer has decided, I wonât say anything more, please come with me!â The man stopped discouraging Yang Kai and led him to one of the rooms in the back of the pavilion, stopping before the door and motioning to Yang Kai to go in by himself, adding in a meaningful tone, âGood luck!â
Yang Kai laughed dumbly and walked in.
The room was quite large, covering at least a thousand square meters. There was a huge Refining Furnace in the centre of the room and Yang Kai could spot the outline of a figure sitting cross-legged behind it, probably the so-called Grandmaster Yang Yan.
The curses of the burly man from just now apparently had no effect on her as her aura showed no signs of disturbance, tranquil as an ancient well, only the sound of her breathing echoing in the room.
Yang Kai walked up to the mat in front of the Refining Furnace and sat down. Immediately after, the voice of Grandmaster Yang Yan called out, âWhat do you want to refine?â
Hearing this voice, Yang Kai couldnât help peaking around the Refining Furnace at Yang Yan.
Because despite having been informed about it before, it was still surprising to meet a female Artifact Refiner!
More surprising though was that the sound of Yang Yanâs voice was incredibly melodious and enchanting, arousing Yang Kaiâs curiosity about what this woman looked like.
After taking a glance though, Yang Kai felt somewhat disappointed as the only thing he could see was a pair of shimmering eyes staring back at him. Yang Yan had wrapped her figure in a big black robe and even her facial was covered with black wrappings, obscuring her features.
âWhy is everyone like this? Did you come here for Artifact Refining or to stare at me?â Yang Yan muttered with dissatisfaction.
Yang Kai wore a dumbstruck look but quickly realized that everyone who had come before him must have reacted with the same curiosity as he did and swiftly apologized, âSorry, I was just a bit curious about Grandmaster Yang Yan.â
âEn,â Yang Yan didnât seem to mind, asking once more, âWhat do you want refined?â
Yang Kai got down to business, âA few simple things, not artefacts. Let me show you.â
Saying so, Yang Kai took some pieces of paper that were set out next to the mat he was sitting on and made a few quick sketches.
The cultivators who came here for Artifact Refining services would always have their own ideas and requests, so this pen and paper were prepared ahead of time for them.
After finishing his drawings, Yang Kai passed them over.
Yang Yan accepted them and after flipping through them, seemed to be a bit surprised as she asked, âDo you want to arrange a Spirit Array?â
This time it was Yang Kaiâs turn to be surprised, âYou can tell that from just these rough sketches?â
Yang Yan laughed, âThatâs nothing difficult, other than arranging a Spirit Array, these objects have no other use; if I couldnât tell what they were needed for Iâd be blind. Do you know understand Spirit Arrays?â
âIâm not very proficient,â Yang Kai shook his head and replied honestly. Although he was confident he could arrange a working Spirit Array, he couldnât guarantee how effective it would be.
âWithout a deep understand, fiddling around with these things will just be a waste, the ores and other materials required to refine these things are worth a lot of money after all,â Yang Yan said lightly.
Yang Kai was immediately displeased, âArranging the Spirit Array is my business, your only job is to refine these things, Iâll pay you regardless of the outcome.â
He finally understood why Yang Yan didnât have any customers, it seemed she liked to meddle in othersâ affairs, such people were destined to be unpopular.
But to Yang Kai âs surprise, this woman didnât make any effort to refute him and instead remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying, âI can help you refine these things, and I can even help you to arrange a good Spirit Array, but what are you prepared to offer as compensation?â
âYouâre versed in arranging Spirit Arrays?â
âCanât I be?â
âYouâre not lying, are you?â
âWhat reason do I have to lie to you?â Yang Yan snorted disdainfully, âYou can pay me after youâre satisfied with my arrangement. En, I donât want much, looking at your strength, youâre probably not very well off, so how about a hundred High-Rank Saint Crystal? If you can take out that much, Iâll leave with you right now.â
âAre you short on Saint Crystals?â Yang Kai became somewhat vigilant, feeling that this woman was a bit too kind and enthusiastic. He had only requested her to refine a few simple tools yet now she was actually offering to come with him to arrange a grand Spirit Array for him, it was hard not to be suspicious.
âIâm an Artifact Refiner, of course I lack Saint Crystals, buying materials requires a lot of Saint Crystals.â
âArenât most Artifact Refiners very rich? Why are you lacking Saint Crystals?â Yang Kai was confused. If one were to ask who the richest people in the world were, it would either be Artifact Refiners or Alchemists, these two professions almost never needed to worry about wealth. At the very least, wherever they went, they would never be unable to feed themselves.
âLook at my situation. Do you think I could possibly have spare Saint Crystals?â In the darkness, Yang Yan gave Yang Kai an annoyed look.
Yang Kai immediately understood, since no one was coming to request Artifact Refining services from her, naturally she wasnât able to acquire Saint Crystals.
The vigilance in Yang Kaiâs heart lessened slightly but he still asked cautiously, âIf you leave just like that, wonât there be any problems?â
âThere wonât be. Artefact Refining Pavilion and I only have a temporary contract, I can leave at any time. En, in fact, they all want me to leave as quickly as possible so I donât ruin their reputation, a group of ignorant fools!â
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai nodded and said, âGood, if you can really arrange a satisfactory Spirit Array for me, Iâll pay you a hundred High-Rank Saint Crystals.â
âSounds good, letâs go,â Yang Yan said, taking the big Refining Furnace into her space ring and slowly standing up.
Yang Kai swept his eyes up and down her, and although he still couldnât see her face, he found that this woman was quite petite, the top of her head only reaching his shoulders, but even her thick black robe couldnât hide her pair of towering peaks.
Not only were these mountains grand in size, they were also exquisitely shaped... Yang Kai couldnât help stealing a few more glances at them.
Leaving the room, Yang Yan asked Yang Kai to wait outside for a moment while she went somewhere else in Artifact Refining Pavilion. After a short while, Yang Yan walked out calmly and signalled to Yang Kai to lead the way.
Yang Kai didnât waste any time and summoned out his Star Shuttle, flying off in a certain direction with Yang Yan following close behind.
After the pair left, there seemed to be a burst of cheers from the Artifact Refining Pavilion. Many cultivators were celebrating that Grandmaster Yang Yan had finally left and would no longer ruin their clientâs artefacts. As for the misled Yang Kai, no one said anything to dissuade him, even the shop-hand who previously spoken to him stood at the door to Artifact Refining Pavilion and waved furiously at Yang Yan, as if hoping she would fly as far away as possible.
On the way to Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai and Yang Yan moved forward side by side, but strangely, he always felt that this womanâs eyes were deliberately staring at him, an eager look creeping onto her face.
After first Yang Kai didnât pay this any mind, but after being stared at for quite some time, he couldnât help feeling a bit uncomfortable and asked, âWhy are you staring at me like that?â
Yang Yan lifted her eyes to meet his and pouted, âWho is staring at you!â
âThen what are you looking at?â
âIâm looking at the Star Shuttle youâre riding,â Yang Yan snorted, âA Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttle, not bad. Would you like me to enhance it? I guarantee I can increase its performance by ten perfect. Of course, youâll need to acquire the right materials, En, and youâll need to pay me some compensation.â
Yang Kai almost fell off his Star Shuttle upon hearing this, only managing to calm himself down a moment later and direct a suspicious look towards Yang Yan and ask, âYou couldnât really be an Origin Grade Artifact Refiner, could you?â
Enhancing an artefact was very different from refining one from scratch, with the former being more difficult. Someone capable of enhancing a Saint Grade High-Rank artefact needed to at least be an Origin Grade Low-Rank Artifact Refiner.
Yang Yan daring to say such words meant she was confident in her ability to accomplish it.
âOf course I am,â As soon as Yang Kai mentioned her Artifact Refiner Grade, Yang Yan puffed up her well-rounded chest and her pretty face filled with an air of pride.
Outside in the bright light of day, Yang Kai discovered that this womanâs looks were just as sweet as her voice. She possessed an innocent and harmless look that could easily make others feel comfortable around her.