C93 A Sugar Baby

With a swift leap, Chu Yan vaulted through the air and in a heartbeat, he found himself on the opposite side of the temporal prison. The Inflammatory Spear was embedded firmly in the ground. With a swift motion, Chu Yan grasped the spear and brought it to hand. Instantly, his entire being radiated an intense, unyielding aura, as if he were a deity of war, fresh from a harrowing battle amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. A scent of blood and tragedy swiftly filled the air, strong enough to make the faint-hearted swoon in fear.

No sooner had Chu Yan grasped the Inflammatory Spear than the stone golems he had previously decimated were replaced by a fresh, undamaged batch. "Blood Bath in the Sky!" he bellowed, unleashing the Inflammatory Spear like a black dragon, its formidable presence crashing forth with the force of a landslide.

This was the third technique of the Blood Yang Spear Art, a skill requiring the mastery of the fifth level of the Genuine Force Stage. During the Lin Family Qualification Competition, Chu Yan, having just advanced, lacked the time to practice this move. But now, after relentless training night and day, he had not only learned but also mastered these martial techniques.

Bang, bang, bang! In a flash, the stone golems were decimated, their upper torsos shattered or their waists blown apart, their halves sent flying.

As the stone golems were hurled through the air, Chu Yan advanced and thrust his Inflammatory Spear with lethal precision. "Scorching Sun in Blood War!" In a mere moment, he unleashed a flurry of stabs, each one puncturing the golems and leaving bowl-sized holes, as if piercing through tofu.

Having completed his onslaught, Chu Yan returned to the ground, spear pointed downwards, and exhaled deeply. "Fifteen days have passed in the outside world, yet I've spent forty-five in this temporal cage. The effort was not in vain. My Tiger's Eleven Kicks, Blood Yang Spear Art, and Seven Stars Windstorm Steps have all seen significant improvement."

I have one more month left, which translates to ninety days in the Space and Time Prison. I must continue to make the most of this time and not let it go to waste."

"However, today I need to make a trip outside." Chu Yan quickly got his things together and made his way to the sixth floor of the Return to the Ruins Tower.

Entry to the sixth floor of the tower requires one to be at the fifth level of the Genuine Force Stage.

Over ten days ago, on the night of his advancement, Chu Yan had already visited this floor.

At that time, he hadn't had the chance to examine the items there, so he had set them aside for later.

Only after the selection competition ended did Chu Yan find the opportunity to delve into a thorough study.

Unlike the previous floors, the sixth floor of the Return to the Ruins Tower was adorned like a blacksmith's forge.

Yet, this forge was evidently leagues above any ordinary blacksmith's shop.

Whether it was the furnace, the cooling pool, or even the dark liquid within the pool, Chu Yan was unfamiliar with the materials used.

Here on the sixth floor, Chu Yan's task wasn't to forge martial skills, but to refine weapons.

The methods for refining were detailed in a booklet beside the furnace.

The process was deceptively simple, broken down into three steps.

First, place the weapon and materials into the furnace.

Second, begin the refining process.

Third, upon completion, retrieve the refined weapon from the cooling pool.

Chu Yan's research had revealed that refining didn't mean creating a weapon from raw materials, but enhancing an existing weapon's strength through the furnace and materials.

This bore a resemblance to the process of inscription.

However, inscriptions were external powers that could be removed by erasing the inscriptions themselves.

Refining was different; it imbued the weapon with intrinsic strength that was irreversible.

The prospect of refining was alluring, but Chu Yan had yet to attempt it.

His complete lack of experience in this area meant that failure could lead to unnecessary setbacks for him at this time.

Nevertheless, this was a legacy left by his mother. Since she had established a weapon refining system on this floor, it surely had its purpose, and Chu Yan had no intention of neglecting it.

Although Chu Yan wasn't entirely familiar with the art of refining, he knew others might be, and he could seek their expertise.

This approach would save him far more time than aimlessly studying on his own.

The first person Chu Yan thought to consult was Su Yuqing from the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce.

She was the kind of beautiful young woman who inspired trust at first glance.

"She seems very knowledgeable, and it's been a while since I last visited her," Chu Yan mused. Resolved, he gathered his things and set off for the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce.

Chu Yan's visit wasn't solely about refining; if possible, he also wanted to discuss a few other matters with Su Yuqing, hoping she could lend her assistance.

Chu Yan was no stranger to the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce, but today, as luck would have it, he arrived at the Engravement Realm only to find the proprietor, Zhao Shude, absent.

Inside the booth, three customers were seated, and one of them was all too familiar to Chu Yan—it was Bai Feiyu, who had previously suffered a crushing defeat at Chu Yan's hands.

Upon spotting Chu Yan, Bai Feiyu's eyes widened in alarm, and then he stood up, pointing at Chu Yan with a shaky finger, "You, you, you're not..."

Bai Feiyu's reaction caught the attention of the other two guests, who turned to look at Chu Yan.

"Fei Yu, who is this?" asked one of the guests, a young man about Chu Yan's age, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Bai Feiyu quickly leaned in and murmured something to the young man.

Instantly, the young man's expression shifted from curiosity to disdain as he regarded Chu Yan.

"So you're the infamous son-in-law of the Lin Family, the least deserving of the title among Evergreen Town's ten great young geniuses. The notorious freeloader, Chu Yan—I've heard so much about you," the young man said mockingly. "I am Bai Yingcai of the Bai Family."

"What did you say?" Chu Yan's eyebrows knitted together in displeasure.

Knowing him was one thing, but what was with that string of disparaging titles?

"Brother Chu Yan, it seems you're unaware that you've been listed among Evergreen Town's top ten young geniuses," Bai Feiyu said with a sneer. "But who would have guessed that this 'genius' only rose to prominence by riding on someone else's coattails? It's a shame, really, for the other nine."

"Heh, I was wondering what happened to that servant of yours who was selling his backside. Turns out, today it's you on the market," Chu Yan said with a cold laugh, throwing the insult right back.

Last time, Bai Feiyu's servants were all over the place, speaking up for their master. But today, it seemed Bai Feiyu had taken on the role of his own servants.

Bai Feiyu's face soured when he realized Chu Yan was insinuating something about him. "What did you just say?"

"You seem pretty bold today, raising your voice at me. What's the matter? Sold yourself so hard that your guts have slipped out with your spine?" Chu Yan's words dripped with sarcasm.

"Stop spouting such nonsense! Do you even know who this is?" Bai Feiyu, flustered and frantic, struggled to get his words out. He gestured to the man standing next to Bai Yingcai and said, "See him? This is none other than Master Zheng Wen, the Inscription Apprentice. He's here today to select inscriptions for my cousin Bai Yingcai and me!"