Given his usual character, today he would definitely not let go of the Liu Family's treasures.
Since both his son and grandson needed cultivation resources, he might not care about himself in his old age, but he always had to secure the future of his descendants.
"How else should we handle this? This betrothal gift was given by Shuying to my son, so of course it belongs to my son!"
"A betrothal gift!"
Yu Yuan let out a cold snort. "I certainly didn't hear anyone from the Liu Family say this was a betrothal gift. Besides, since when does a grown man accept a betrothal gift?"
"Exactly, exactly. I bet the Patriarch just wants to swallow it up himself and hand it over to that good-for-nothing," Third Elder Yu Da sneered with extreme indignation.
"What's the use of pouring endless resources into a good-for-nothing? You'd be better off giving them to my son. His talent is exceptional, and given time—at twenty-three years old, he has already reached the Qi Condensation 7th Layer—it won't be long before he catches up with us old fellows, and he might even become the number one Foundation Establishment expert of the Yu Family."
"Get out!" Yu Cheng's eyes flashed sharply as a surge of killing intent welled up.
Feeling Yu Cheng's genuine killing intent, the elders didn't dare to run their mouths any further.
As the head of the Yu Family, Yu Cheng still commanded a certain degree of authority.
*It seems I need to find a way to whip this family into shape,* Yu Fan mused inwardly. The chaotic atmosphere within the clan, where nobody seemed to respect his father as the patriarch, simply wouldn't do.
...
"Young Miss, this old servant just doesn't understand—why did you go back on your word?" On the empty road back, Uncle Jiang finally couldn't suppress the question in his heart.
As Liu Shuying's guardian, Uncle Jiang could be said to have protected her since childhood, and he knew her temperament very well. Precisely because he knew her character so well, he was all the more certain that Liu Shuying would never marry a good-for-nothing like Yu Fan.
Liu Shuying revered strength. Her gaze was fixed upon the boundless river of stars, and even Bihai Academy fell short of her ambitions.
How could she possibly be held back by a good-for-nothing?
From his perspective, the Young Miss would never do anything detrimental to her own prospects.
"I am not only going back on my word, I am also going to make him come with me to Bihai Academy." Liu Shuying smiled faintly.
"Why?"
Liu Shuying offered no explanation.
She would never reveal that she could hear Yu Fan's inner thoughts; that was her secret.
...
Three days later, [Congratulations on successfully acting the part of a good-for-nothing yesterday. Successful check-in. Check-in reward obtained: Seven-Star Artifact Refining Technique.]
"Artifact Refining Technique?"
The art of artifact refining was a specialized craft. On the Cangling Continent, various professions existed, with alchemy and artifact refining being the most common. They were inextricably linked to every cultivator on the continent, as spirit artifacts and medicinal pills were indispensable for every cultivator's growth and combat.
There were simply too many professions on the Cangling Continent. Spirit-attuners, seal-masters, physiognomy masters, poison-masters...
None of these could match the utility of artifact refiners and alchemists.
In Qingshan City, the sole 1-star alchemist also held a prestigious status, treated as an honored guest of the entire city. After all, he was capable of refining medicinal pills—specifically, Qi Condensation Pills.
These were the most universally needed pills for cultivators in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Previously, Yu Cheng had given Yu Fan plenty of pills to aid his cultivation, but Yu Fan hadn't touched those Qi Condensation Pills to this day because... they were absolute trash. Not only were they of no help to him, but they were actually harmful, containing far too many impurities.
There were so many impurities that it felt as though a handful of grass roots and dirt had been ground up and squeezed into a pill shape.
The medicinal properties inherent to the herbs had all been lost.
He had always felt that this alchemist couldn't possibly be human; a human shouldn't be able to refine such pills.
Either that, or it was a stray dog that had gained sentience.
Or perhaps a chimpanzee that had evolved.
If that 1-star alchemist ever found out about these thoughts, he would surely butcher Yu Fan.
The Seven-Star Artifact Refining Technique quickly fused and became thoroughly understood within Yu Fan's mind. The rewards obtained from the system didn't even require him to comprehend or cultivate them—which was precisely a huge source of distress for Yu Fan, completely robbing him of the joy of cultivation.
And on top of that, he still had to pretend to be a good-for-nothing every day.
It was simply too distressing.
His current mission was to keep up the act until he was invincible across the world.
In the center of Yu Fan's courtyard sat an artifact refining cauldron. The cauldron possessed four legs, stood nine feet tall, and had dragon motifs engraved on its cold, purple-gold surface. Nine dragons encircled a giant axe resting in the center, and that axe radiated an aura capable of splitting heaven and cleaving the primordial chaos, filling anyone who laid eyes upon it with awe.
This was the Nine-Dragon Purple-Gold Cauldron—a reward Yu Fan had obtained from checking in three years ago.
Normally he kept it put away, but today, having acquired the artifact-refining technique from his check-in, he was preparing to put it on display.
...
After Liu Shuying returned home and explained the situation to her father, she reluctantly won his understanding. Liu Shuying had been a girl of immense self-confidence and stubbornness since childhood, and her stubbornness forced Liu Tianxin to abandon any attempts at lecturing her.
However, that did not mean he directly consented to their marriage.
At least for now, the Yu Family had nothing about it that caught his eye.
"Father, I need to make another trip to the Yu Family."
"You're going again? Could it really be that you've taken a fancy to that brat?" Liu Tianxin frowned. This would never do; even though he had temporarily stopped bringing up the annulment,
that didn't mean he agreed to his daughter's marriage to that kid. Even if his daughter was willing, he certainly wasn't—an alliance with the Yu Family would simply saddle the Liu Family with a useless tail-ender.
"Father, this matter is my secret; I can only share it with you." Liu Shuying did not offer any excessive explanation.
"But Father can rest assured, I will definitely not let you down."
Looking into his daughter's resolute gaze, the anxiety in Liu Tianxin's heart finally settled.
Indeed, this daughter of his had never disappointed him since she was a child.
No matter the situation, she always displayed an intellect far beyond her years.
It almost felt as though she had been born with the mind of a full-grown adult.
He didn't dwell on it too much, simply feeling that his daughter was uniquely gifted—and that was a good thing.
Precisely because her intelligence far surpassed her peers, her innate talent and cultivation had also far outstripped everyone else.
"Alright, Shuying, Father trusts you. Go do whatever you wish."
...
Yu Fan was refining artifacts in his courtyard. Supplemented by the unique Seven-Star Artifact Refining Technique, seven stars flickered behind Yu Fan. This dazzling starlight emitted a scorching astral fire, infusing a block of century-old refined iron inside Yu Fan's cauldron with a special stellar power.
Under the tempering of Yu Fan's stellar power, unique patterns were already being engraved into the century-old refined iron.
At that very moment, dark clouds gathered above the Yu Family estate, and rumbling thunder seemed to speak of a primordial lightning dragon concealed within the dark clouds, glaring down at the Yu Family—or perhaps even glaring down at the century-old refined iron being forged inside Yu Fan's courtyard.
Although century-old refined iron was several times more precious than ten-year refined iron, it was by no means a rare treasure.