Chapter 129: Refining the Golden Essence

"It’s actually Feng Shen. So he was nearby all along." Lin Tian exclaimed in surprise. It was clear that he, too, had failed to detect Feng Shen's presence earlier, suggesting that Feng Shen had employed some sort of concealment technique.

Lin Tian’s words confirmed Yang Xiao’s suspicions: the newcomer was indeed the master of the Soul-Absorbing Gourd.

Although Yang Xiao now knew the man’s identity, he was unwilling to give up on the artifact. The power of the Soul-Absorbing Gourd was truly extraordinary, and he desperately wanted to claim it for himself.

Yang Xiao poured his full strength into his qi-formed hand, sweeping backward with force to collide with Feng Shen’s own qi-formed hand. The two currents of energy clashed, triggering a violent vibration in the air. Both hands shattered upon impact, revealing the Soul-Absorbing Gourd once more.

Yang Xiao immediately acted again, beckoning the gourd with another surge of qi, intent on seizing it completely. At this moment, Yang Xiao was much closer to the artifact than Feng Shen. If he struck first, he had a genuine chance of snatching it away.

Seeing this, Feng Shen merely sneered. He made no move to intercept; even if he had wanted to, the distance made it impossible for him to match Yang Xiao’s speed.

Instead of attacking, Feng Shen began to chant a mantra. Suddenly, the Soul-Absorbing Gourd began to stir like a living creature, breaking free from Yang Xiao’s influence and flying back toward its master.

Yang Xiao did not attempt any further interference. Judging by the power the gourd had just displayed, he realized that stopping it would be futile. It was evident that Feng Shen had used a secret technique to commune with the spirit within the artifact, granting him absolute control. This also demonstrated that Feng Shen’s method of refining the object was far from ordinary.

Had the gourd landed in his hand, Yang Xiao could have found ways to suppress it, but that would have required a significant expenditure of energy. After a moment of thought, he decided to let it go.

The gourd flew into Feng Shen’s hand, spinning gracefully across his palm. The movement was fluid and natural; clearly, the artifact’s power was being harnessed far more effectively by Feng Shen than it had been by Feng Wei. It was likely that Feng Shen’s cultivation techniques were perfectly synchronized with the gourd, allowing him to command it with such ease.

Yang Xiao also noted Feng Shen’s cultivation level—he was undoubtedly a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. What caught Yang Xiao's attention even more was the sharp-featured young man in the black jacket standing beside Feng Shen. He was also quite young, yet like Feng Shen, he was also at the late stage of Qi Condensation.

This made it clear that the Feng family’s strength was indeed superior to that of the Lin family.

Feng Shen used the Soul-Absorbing Gourd to neutralize the threat to Feng Wei—the sword qi Yang Xiao had fired earlier. However, since that had been a casual strike, Yang Xiao did not dwell on the fact that it had been thwarted.

"You aren't from the Lin family, are you?" Feng Shen said to Yang Xiao. "Why involve yourself in our feud? I suggest you leave while you still can, or else you’re just inviting trouble upon yourself."

"I am indeed not a member of the Lin family," Yang Xiao replied. "However, I have promised them that I will participate in the competition in a few days' time, so I intend to look out for their interests until then. Besides, don't you think it's a bit excessive for people of your cultivation level to bully a young woman?"

"That’s right, Feng Shen! So you’ve been backing Feng Wei this whole time," Lin Tian added indignantly. "Perhaps this provocation was even orchestrated by you. The Feng family is truly despicable."

"And if it was me? The world is ruled by the strong," Feng Shen retorted. "Today, I feel like bullying you. What are you going to do about it?" As he spoke, he prepared to strike again.

However, the young man beside him held him back, leaning in to whisper a few words. Feng Shen responded in kind.

Because they were using a secret sound-transmission technique, no one else could hear their conversation. However, Feng Shen’s attitude shifted dramatically afterward. "Fine," he said. "As Brother Xiang suggests, I will let them go today."

Feng Shen then sneered, "Lin Tian, consider yourselves lucky today. When the two families compete, I certainly won't show any mercy. I will make sure your family suffers a humiliating defeat." With a final, sidelong glance at Yang Xiao, he flicked his sleeves and departed in a flash of light, carrying both the young man and Feng Wei with him. That Feng Shen could carry two others with his own qi demonstrated just how formidable his late-stage Qi Condensation power truly was.

"Brother Yang, you saw it yourself—Feng Shen is the strongest among the younger generation of the Feng family," Lin Tian said to Yang Xiao. "If you face him in the competition, you must be extremely careful."

"I see. He is indeed a man of remarkable ability," Yang Xiao nodded. For some reason, he had a subtle feeling that the young man beside Feng Shen was deliberately concealing his strength. He felt even more powerful than Feng Shen, to the point where Yang Xiao couldn't quite see through him. This was the person he needed to be more wary of.

Of course, Yang Xiao kept these instincts to himself. He did ask Lin Tian about the young man’s identity, but Lin Tian was equally clueless, claiming he had never seen the man before and wondering when the Feng family had acquired such a master.

Since that was the case, Yang Xiao decided not to press the issue. When the two families finally met for the competition, the stranger's identity would inevitably be revealed.

"Sister Lin Ling, didn't Grandfather forbid you from leaving the family grounds?" Lin Tian asked, turning to her. "How did you end up out here? If Brother Yang and I hadn't arrived just in time, you would have been in real danger."

"I came out to purchase some Refined Gold Essence," Lin Ling explained, pulling a small piece of golden metal from her storage pouch.

"Refined Gold Essence?" Yang Xiao and Lin Tian exclaimed in surprise. Both of them were well aware of what it was. It was a rare material used to increase the sharpness of artifacts, capable of multiplying the power of metal-attuned treasures.

"So, Miss Lin Ling is a master refiner," Yang Xiao realized with a start.

"That's right!" Lin Tian asked curiously. "But Brother Yang, how did you guess that? I don't think I ever told you."