Centuries-old refined iron is undeniably much more precious than decade-old refined iron. For a family like the Yu Family, the amount of centuries-old refined iron they could produce was limited. But for Yu Fan, this was merely the lowest-grade metal; in his possession were metals far more valuable than millennia-old refined iron.
The art of artifact forging varied from one artisan to another, and their differing techniques also determined the varying ranks of the Spirit Artifacts they forged.
Decade-old refined iron lacked even the potential to forge a Spirit Artifact; it was merely harder than ordinary iron.
"I wonder what rank of Spirit Artifact I can forge."
Yu Fan was completely absorbed in the state of artifact forging. His surroundings were enveloped in the fiery gale unique to artisans—a special form of protection formed by combining the artisan's own forging flames with spiritual energy, creating a defense far stronger than their own physical resilience while forging.
It was as if heaven and earth respected this profession, refusing to allow anyone to easily disturb the process midway.
At the same time, Yu Fan remained completely oblivious to the anomaly in the sky.
Yet the strange phenomenon directly above Yu Fan had already drawn the attention of countless people. Muffled thunder rumbled from within the dark clouds, striking terror into people's hearts as if an apocalyptic disaster could descend at any moment.
Within the Yu Family estate, Yu Fan's courtyard had clearly become a forbidden zone at this moment.
"Everyone, get away from Yu Fan's courtyard quickly!"
"My son is still inside!" Bai Ling cried out tearfully, attempting to rush in to save her son. Terrifying lightning like this—if it struck Yu Fan, her son wouldn't even have a chance of survival.
She was Yu Fan's mother. Though women are naturally gentle, a mother becomes fierce for her children. While everyone else looked upon the dark clouds with awe and dread, Bai Ling tried desperately to rush in and rescue her son, but Yu Cheng held her back in a tight grip.
"Ling'er, don't get excited. There's a strong possibility that this is a Heavenly Tribulation in the sky—a test imposed by the heavens upon a person. Perhaps Fan'er is undergoing a transformation and is about to become a normal person?" Yu Cheng comforted her. Though he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was burning with intense anxiety, though he couldn't explain why.
*My Fan'er is nothing more than a good-for-nothing who hasn't achieved a single remarkable feat in eighteen years. Why on earth must the heavens torture him like this?*
Suddenly, a terrifying tribulation had descended. Faced with this heavenly calamity, even he felt a deep-seated fear.
It was as if they were confronting a terrifying deity who commanded the thunder.
"Really?" At the thought of this possibility, a flicker of hope suddenly appeared in Bai Ling's eyes. Their son's poor aptitude had kept her and Yu Cheng awake night after night. In this world where martial prowess reigned supreme, they knew all too well what lay ahead for someone without formidable strength.
Countless cold stares and contempt—even though Yu Cheng could protect and pamper him now, there would come a day when he grew old. If that day truly arrived, what would happen to Yu Fan?
"It must be! Otherwise, Fan'er wouldn't even dare kill a chicken on ordinary days; why would he be punished by the heavens? The heavens are reshaping him!"
Under Yu Cheng's comforting words, Bai Ling's initial panic subsided, though she still dared not relax entirely.
Who could say how immensely powerful this heavenly tribulation might be? Even if it was a test, what if her Fan'er failed to pass it?!
"Such terrifying dark clouds. Could that good-for-nothing have been doing something bad in secret and incurred divine retribution?"
"Keep your voice down. The elders can say things like that, but if you're overheard saying such things, you're finished."
...
Meanwhile, outside Qingshan City,
Liu Shuying, who was preparing to go to the Yu Family to find Yu Fan, was struck with utter shock upon seeing the billowing dark clouds in the direction of Qingshan City.
"It's identical to my master's dark clouds—that's a tribulation! Back then, only when Master broke through to the Golden Core realm did she trigger a tribulation. Could it be that a Foundation Establishment Peak expert is hiding within Qingshan City?!"
"What is a tribulation?" asked Uncle Jiang, who was following alongside her. He had accompanied Liu Shuying for a long time, but his knowledge and experience lagged far behind hers.
Bihai Academy was a renowned institution on the Cangling Continent, a complex place harboring all sorts of people that had produced countless mighty figures and human emperors. Even Liu Shuying was merely a drop in the ocean within Bihai Academy at present.
He had merely learned some basic knowledge, yet that had already made him the resident know-it-all within his family.
"A tribulation occurs when someone breaks through to a powerful realm, suddenly experiences a heaven-defying epiphany, forges earth-shattering magical treasures or Spirit Artifacts, or creates medicinal pills with heaven-defying effects. Such events are accompanied by the birth of a tribulation."
"A powerful realm... Young Mistress, could there truly be an expert in Qingshan City?" Uncle Jiang asked, doubt filling his gaze. He simply could not believe there were experts hidden in Qingshan City.
Qingshan City was an utterly remote and impoverished backwater. It got its name because it backed against Qingshan Mountain. However, this mountain was not a spiritual peak; it was merely an ordinary mountain range—barren, incapable of producing any spiritual fruits or herbs. Furthermore, nearly sixty percent of the population in Qingshan City consisted of ordinary mortals. Although there were numerous cultivators on the Cangling Continent, that did not change the rule that not everyone in the world could cultivate.
"Perhaps. I heard from Master that some extremely powerful seniors, after becoming invincible, choose to find a remote little town to live in seclusion and ignore worldly affairs."
"Such people exist? Shouldn't they seek benefits for their family descendants after becoming invincible?" Uncle Jiang was baffled.
Liu Shuying merely smiled and let the matter pass, choosing not to argue excessively about it. Everyone had different outlooks on life and values, leading to differing perspectives on such issues.
In truth, she had no thoughts whatsoever about living in seclusion at present; what occupied her mind was how to attain supreme strength.
"Uncle Jiang, pick up the pace. I want to see where in Qingshan City such a capable person might be." Anticipation stirred in Liu Shuying's heart. Gazing at the dark clouds over Qingshan City in the distance, she suddenly and involuntarily thought of Yu Fan, though a second later she dismissed the notion as impossible.
The dark clouds hanging over the Yu Family caused the entire city of Qingshan City to grind to a halt, with everyone turning their attention to the situation at the Yu Family estate.
Even the previously clear, sunny skies had turned pitch black because of the Yu Family.
"Look! The dark clouds are moving!"
Following a shouted warning, a bolt of lightning abruptly erupted from within the dark clouds and struck straight down into Yu Fan's courtyard within the Yu Family estate.
"Ah! Fan'er!" Bai Ling's mind went completely blank; the lightning just now had been truly startling.
Before anyone could fully process the first strike, a second bolt crashed down fiercely, followed by a third, a fourth...
The speed seemed to be continuously accelerating, yet these flashes of lightning failed to even breach the fiery gale surrounding Yu Fan.
In Qingshan City, a thin man dressed in lavish brocade robes within the Wang Family looked toward the distant direction of the Yu Family, wariness filling his eyes.
"Master once faced a tribulation as well, but the power of this tribulation is likely a hundred times greater than what Master faced back then..."
This thin man was none other than the sole Tier 1 alchemist in Qingshan City—the very person Yu Fan had always suspected of being a canine demon cultivated into human form.
His name was Luo Jiu.
In his early years, he had followed a Tier 5 alchemist as a pill-attendant.