Chapter 86 – Immortality | Why is an Artifact Refiner like you always thinking about chopping wood…

The bright moon hung high, starlight twinkling across the sky.

In the Fragrant Orchid Court, the elders of Azure Profound Sect had already arranged the banquet. This time, there were no location restrictions—disciples of every sect could move about freely. Still, most preferred to stay within their own sect’s circle.

Especially the chief disciple teams—they naturally clustered together at one table, with no one eager to disturb the others.

When the Returning Immortal Sect arrived at Fragrant Orchid Court, all eyes turned to them.

After a little nudging by those with agendas, the crowd began to realize something wasn’t right—there was a good chance that the trouble at the Pure Spirit Pool had been caused by the Returning Immortal Sect.

But it was all in the past. They hadn’t caught them in the act, no one had been seriously injured, and there was no real evidence. Pursuing the matter was out of the question.

So everyone just seethed quietly while glaring at the Returning Immortal Sect from a distance.

“This is Azure Profound Sect’s food? That’s it?” Wen Yun leaned in for a look and saw only light vegetarian dishes. He was a little disappointed.

Xu Xianxing didn’t mind and casually picked a seat.

Guan Huailin had stepped away for a bit, leaving an open spot at the chief disciple table. Lian Mu took the opportunity to join, with Guan Shize seated on her left.

Nearby sat the Clear Thought Sect. So far, only these two sects had sat down obediently at their assigned tables. Crimson Sky Sect and Azure Profound Sect were still waiting for something.

Wen Yun glanced around, hoping to see what kind of state the other sects were in, and spotted Shen Wuxie from Clear Thought Sect barely able to sit straight.

Before he could even laugh, Shen Wuxie whipped his head around and glared fiercely at him. “What are you looking at? You bunch of lunatics! Don’t think I don’t know it was your sect stirring up trouble. Just wait for the next round—we’ll settle this in the ring!”

He was loud enough that all the Returning Immortal Sect members looked his way.

Tang Wuxun quickly pulled Shen Wuxie back and tried to smooth things over with a smile. “He’s just agitated. Please don’t take it to heart. Really, our Clear Thought Sect holds no grudge against Returning Immortal Sect. He just has a fiery temper…”

Tang Wuxun wasn’t the type to cause trouble. He always liked to leave himself a way out, unlike the former Chiefs of Clear Thought Sect.

Xu Xianxing, knowing his temperament, said, “Your chief talisman cultivator openly curses people without your command? Would he dare say that on his own?”

Ji Mingyue admired how well he put it—it put Tang Wuxun in a tough spot while also poking at Shen Wuxie’s pride.

Guan Shize looked around. Lian Mu had already started eating, and he wasn’t keen on arguing either. He picked up his chopsticks, ready to grab a bite.

Sure enough, Shen Wuxie snapped, “Who says I need his command to act?”

Tang Wuxun’s smile was nearly frozen as he forced Shen Wuxie back down. “No such thing. Actually, we’ve long wanted to get to know the Returning Immortal Sect. A friendly dinner would’ve been nice, but unfortunately, the seats are already set.”

No sooner had he spoken than the four members of the Returning Immortal Sect paused. Even Lian Mu put down her chopsticks.

Then all five of them lifted their table and carried it over to Clear Thought Sect, combining the tables into one.

Guan Shize had just reached for a dish when the table moved out from under him, leaving him sitting there with his chopsticks midair.

He froze. Lian Mu gave him a look, and he silently relocated to Clear Thought Sect’s side.

Lian Mu said, “Since Chief Tang said so, it’d be rude for us to refuse. What did you want to discuss?”

Tang Wuxun: “……”

With the two tables pushed together, the atmosphere turned awkward. The surrounding disciples were baffled by the Returning Immortal Sect’s bold move.

Even an idiot could tell Tang Wuxun had just been making small talk. Who knew the Returning Immortal Sect would take it seriously and barge in without caring for Clear Thought Sect’s feelings?

Tang Wuxun was speechless for a while. Seeing the silence, Lian Mu said, “It’s fine if you’ve got nothing to say. We can just eat.”

Tang Wuxun forced a stiff smile. “…Fine.”

Once seated, the Clear Thought Sect members were visibly uncomfortable.

The Returning Immortal Sect, however, wasted no time—chopsticks flew like the wind. They didn’t touch their own dishes and instead focused on raiding Clear Thought Sect’s plates. Before their counterparts could even lift their hands, the dishes were cleaned out—not even a leaf left.

Lian Mu and Xu Xianxing were seasoned veterans. Bai Lique had been trained for this. Wen Yun had a massive appetite. Ji Mingyue and Guan Shize each had two pairs of chopsticks going, their hands moving so fast they left afterimages.

The Clear Thought Sect’s top disciples could only sit there, stunned, eyes wide as their food vanished. By the time they recovered, the Returning Immortal Sect team had already picked up their table and moved it back.

“Thanks for the meal. Invite us again sometime,” Lian Mu said.

Everyone else: “……”

So it was all just to steal food… Could they be any more shameless?

But the five of them didn’t look the least bit guilty. In fact, they seemed refreshed and smug, exuding an aura that begged for a punch.

Tang Wuxun looked down—only scraps and bones remained on their table. He clenched his sleeve and forced a smile at Lian Mu. “It’s fine.”

Shen Wuxie was furious. “They ate everything! What are we supposed to eat? This is all your fault for inviting them—now look what—”

Without a word, Tang Wuxun turned and slapped him across the face. He sneered, “Eat this.”

Then he stormed off, robes fluttering in anger.

With the team lead gone, the others had no reason to stay. They followed, leaving Shen Wuxie holding his face, completely stunned.

Before long, the chief body cultivator Yuan Wuxu returned and said, “The team lead told me to ask: did that slap hurt?”

Shen Wuxie, furious, said sarcastically, “Of course not! He’s an artifact refiner, how strong could he be? He doesn’t dare get mad at Returning Immortal Sect, so he bullies—ow!”

Before he could finish, he was slapped again. This one was solid and unreserved.

Yuan Wuxu, conflicted, said, “It’s not like I wanted to. The team lead said if it didn’t hurt, I should do it again. Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Shen Wuxie: “……”

With Clear Thought Sect’s chief disciples all driven off, only disciples from the other three sects remained at the banquet.

What happened that night made everyone wary of the Returning Immortal Sect. Anyone who’d been messed with by them quickly made way when they passed.

After all, with pranks that disgusting and shameless, who knew what else they had up their sleeves?

In the middle of the night, the rankings for the Five Cultivation Disciplines appeared.

Azure Profound Sect and Crimson Sky Sect finally got what they were waiting for, and their disciples swarmed toward the rankings.

This time, the rankings were close to the Returning Immortal Sect. Xu Xianxing tried to rush forward to claim a good viewing spot, expecting a scramble—but to his surprise, the moment the other sects saw him, they all froze and backed away.

Moments later, the other disciples quietly dispersed, leaving only the Returning Immortal Sect team at the leaderboard.

The chief teams from Azure Profound Sect and Crimson Sky Sect didn’t come over. They already knew their own rankings—either first or second.

“Lian Mu, you made it into the top hundred.”

On the image stone, the Yulan Rankings were displayed. Thanks to the recent illusion trial, Lian Mu’s rank jumped up to 97th.

Though she hadn’t encountered many people in the illusion, she had slain numerous magical beasts, including several high-tier ones.

She took a glance—most people ranked above her were dual-spirit-root sword cultivators. Among those with triple roots, she was already near the top.

“Chief Wen, congratulations. Still first on the Red Lotus Rankings,” Guan Shize said.

Wen Yun clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re not bad either.”

Xu Xianxing couldn’t be bothered to look at the Nightshade Rankings. In the past two illusion trials, artifact refiners hadn’t played a big role, so the Nightshade Rankings barely moved. They’d only start to matter later on.

So he turned his attention to the Magnolia Rankings. “Among sword cultivators, Ying You is still ranked first, but Lu Feishuang is catching up. The title of top sword cultivator this round is going to be a hard fight.”

Lian Mu looked up as well. The mention of Lu Feishuang immediately brought to mind her sword.

In the illusion realm, she had seen Lu Feishuang’s technique up close. That strike had given her a clear look at the Breaking Rainbow Sword, and the direct impression it left was far beyond what a lingering image from the Scripture Pavilion could offer.

“Her sword is beautiful,” Lian Mu said, having never exchanged blows with her and thus could only comment on its appearance. “It’s worthy of being one of the Ten Great Named Swords.”

“It is,” Xu Xianxing agreed. “That sword was made by Tang Xuhui. It’s said the Breaking Rainbow was modeled after another famous blade—the Flowing Light Sword. When sword and wielder are in harmony, it glows with rainbow hues. Unfortunately, the Flowing Light Sword has long since vanished, and even its image on the memory stone is blurry at best.”

“Ying You’s sword is beautiful too,” Bai Lique said. “I saw him achieve full resonance with Flying Swan. When blood flows over the blade, it forms an image of a swan gliding over snow.”

“Tsk, all top-grade swords,” Lian Mu clicked her tongue. “Nice to look at and practical.”

Guan Shize looked a little envious. “Only Heaven-grade spiritual roots can get swords that good.”

Xu Xianxing said to Lian Mu, “Aren’t you planning to reforge Wealth Bringer? You could ask your artifact refiner friend to make it more refined too. I think your friend’s quite capable—probably up to the task.”

Lian Mu hesitated. “…Let’s not. She’s… not quite up to it.”

She hadn’t even gathered the materials to reforge Wealth Bringer, and she didn’t have a single spirit stone to her name.

“How could she not be? Artifact refiners who can control the roaming refinement stage are rare,” Xu Xianxing said. “Too bad you’re a triple spiritual root. If your roots were better, your friend could even raise Wealth Bringer’s tier.”

Lian Mu latched onto the key point. “Raise its tier? How?”

Xu Xianxing thought for a moment. “You’re a sword cultivator, so you probably don’t know much about this. To put it simply, Wealth Bringer’s tier isn’t fixed. It can be upgraded through a second refinement.”

“But second refinement is troublesome. It tests the artifact refiner’s skill and also requires a metamorphosis-stage magical beast’s crystal core that matches the tier. Those are extremely rare—nearly impossible to buy.”

Lian Mu silently took note of everything, falling into deep thought. “…”

Xu Xianxing added, “Honestly, your sword’s current tier is already good enough for you. If you just want to maximize its performance within the same tier, a few more refinements will do.”

Ji Mingyue had a question. “By the way, is Wealth Bringer your first sword? Why does it… smell kind of bad?”

“…No.” Lian Mu paused. “I had another sword before this one, but I lost it.”

Strictly speaking, it was the sword she carried when she faced the heavenly tribulation in her past life.

“What was it called?” Bai Lique asked curiously. Lian Mu had a knack for giving her swords weird names.

At his question, Lian Mu lowered her gaze and fell silent for a moment. “…”

That sword was named Longevity.

In her past life, when she had just begun her cultivation journey, her foundation had been unstable, and she nearly died. She was left with a lingering condition afterward.

People who saw her said she wouldn’t live long. So her family gave her a sword and named it Longevity, in hopes she’d stay alive.

Longevity accompanied her throughout her life, but when she neared her heavenly tribulation, she failed to cross that final threshold and died, ending up in this world. When one dies, the sword shatters—it had likely long since turned to dust.

“I forgot,” Lian Mu said casually, not wanting to explain too much. “That sword wasn’t very good. I didn’t like it. Once I got Wealth Bringer, I never thought about it again.”

Ji Mingyue raised a brow. “A sword cultivator who doesn’t like her sword?”

“Because it was ugly,” Lian Mu said, turning her gaze toward Azure Profound Sect. “Unlike Ying You and Lu Feishuang’s swords. I think theirs look pretty good.”

At the moment her eyes shifted, she realized Ying You was also looking at her. She immediately looked away.

Guan Shize suddenly lowered his voice. “Lian Mu, don’t tell me you’re thinking… That won’t do. If you try to steal a Heaven-grade spiritual root’s sword, the consequences could be dire.”

Lian Mu: “???”

Lian Mu: “You’ve got it all wrong. That’s not what I meant.”

But the other four leaned in as well, whispering among themselves:

“Well, it’s not like it’s impossible. What if you do manage to snatch one?”

“I’d love to touch one of those named swords.”

“Think a famous sword is good for chopping wood? Or would it just split the whole stump in one go?”

“Why does an artifact refiner like you want to chop wood every day anyway…”

Lian Mu: “……”