Chapter 153: Jade Scale Cold Fire

Feng Jian's artifact-refining technique was indeed remarkably skilled, showing that he was truly an expert in this field.

While Feng Jian was refining his artifact, Yang Xiao kept a close watch on him in secret. Of course, he also had to put on a convincing display of earnestly refining his own artifact; otherwise, appearing too relaxed would inevitably arouse suspicion.

As expected, Feng Jian failed in his first attempt at refining. This time, Yang Xiao naturally did not use the mysterious jade slip for assistance and deliberately failed as well. Thus, the two ended up in a tie.

During the second attempt, Feng Jian surprisingly succeeded in refining a three-tiered pagoda. At that moment, however, Yang Xiao suddenly noticed something. While Feng Jian was refining, a wisp of milky-white flame emerged from his sleeve, and it was this flame that helped Feng Jian achieve success.

Because the color of this flame was quite similar to that of subterranean fire, and because Feng Jian had been extremely covert, Yang Xiao had not noticed it earlier. Not only Yang Xiao, but likely no one else present had spotted it either.

Had Yang Xiao not been closely observing Feng Jian's artifact refining all along and standing very close to him, it would have been nearly impossible to discover that Feng Jian had relied on an external aid to succeed.

"No wonder Feng Jian is capable of refining superior-grade spiritual treasures, even surpassing Lin Ling, who possesses the Fusion Constitution. It turns out he used other means." Only then did Yang Xiao experience a flash of realization. Earlier, although he had harbored some suspicions, he could not pinpoint the exact problem. Now, he finally understood the whole situation.

Clearly, Feng Jian had relied on some other special type of flame to successfully refine his artifact. As for what kind of flame it actually was, Yang Xiao was still unsure, because many variant flames appeared milky-white. To identify the exact flame, he needed a closer look.

At this moment, many disciples in the audience were stirred. Because Feng Jian had successfully refined another superior-grade spiritual treasure, the feat was truly incredible, especially since a three-tiered pagoda spiritual treasure of this kind was notoriously difficult to refine. Consequently, all the disciples naturally felt a deep sense of admiration for Feng Jian's artifact-refining prowess.

Feng Jian also cast a smug look toward Yang Xiao, clearly showing off in a provocative manner.

Yang Xiao merely responded to the provocation with a cold smile. Amidst what appeared to be an extremely strenuous refining process, a sudden flash of spiritual light enveloped the *ruyi* he was crafting. In an instant, the *ruyi* was successfully refined, also transforming into a superior-grade spiritual treasure.

"How is this possible?" The crowd below had assumed Yang Xiao was bound to lose this time. Judging by his labored artifact-refining process, he clearly lacked much skill. Yet, he had miraculously forged a superior-grade spiritual treasure. How could they not be astonished?

"Oh? Yang Xiao has actually refined a superior-grade spiritual treasure?" Lin Ke was also immensely surprised. He glanced at Lin Ling; aside from Lin Ling, who did not show any overly shocked expression, everyone else was completely dumbfounded.

Seeing that Yang Xiao had also succeeded, Feng Jian was even more taken aback. However, he could only comfort himself by thinking that Yang Xiao must have simply gotten lucky this time; otherwise, how could he have pulled this off?

Nevertheless, with the two seemingly tied once again, Feng Jian proceeded to his third attempt. This time, he was obviously much more focused and invested a tremendous amount of energy. Through his efforts, he successfully refined yet another superior-grade spiritual treasure.

To forge two superior-grade spiritual treasures out of three sets of materials—such a success rate was utterly astonishing. Perhaps only Core Formation cultivators utilizing their inner fires could achieve such a level. Yet Feng Jian had actually accomplished this feat, causing yet another sensation to ripple through the crowd.

However, during this latest artifact-refining process, Yang Xiao kept a sharp watch and finally uncovered Feng Jian's secret. A tiny snake head was seen poking out from Feng Jian's sleeve, featuring bright white scales. It was this little snake that had opened its mouth to spew the milky-white flame, thereby assisting Feng Jian in his success.

"So that is the soul of a Jade-Scaled Python. The Jade-Scaled Python is a type of python capable of spitting fire, and the flames it breathes are particularly unique, known as the Jade-Scale Cold Fire. This flame is indeed immensely helpful for artifact refining, and its efficacy is no less than the inner fire of a Core Formation cultivator. However, a mature Jade-Scaled Python can rival a Universe Realm cultivator. Clearly, this is one of the souls stored within that Soul-Capture Gourd. Because it aids in artifact refining, Feng Ye must have handed it to Feng Jian." Yang Xiao finally figured out the origin of the milky-white flame, piecing the whole story together roughly.

Having encountered such Jade-Scaled Pythons in his past life, Yang Xiao easily recognized it. Anyone else, even if they spotted the small snake, would likely fail to understand what it truly was.

Having succeeded in artifact refining once again, Feng Jian let out a long sigh of relief. Although he had utilized the power of the Jade-Scale Cold Fire, he actually had to expend a considerable amount of mental energy to master it perfectly. Without his highly proficient artifact-refining techniques, it would have been extremely difficult to forge a superior-grade spiritual treasure, even with the aid of the Jade-Scale Cold Fire.

"Three sets of materials yielding two top-tier spiritual treasures—this is simply unimaginable!" The crowd gasped in shock.

Feng Jian was even more pleased with himself this time. He had not expected to continuously forge two superior-grade spiritual treasures. Such a success rate was remarkably high, even with the help of the Jade-Scale Cold Fire. Normally, this was something he struggled to achieve, so this instance could truly be considered an extraordinary performance.

Ordinarily, when refining such complex superior-grade spiritual treasures, succeeding even once in over a dozen attempts would be unlikely. To succeed twice in a row today could only be described as a miracle. Perhaps the pressure of the competition was what allowed Feng Jian to attain such results.

"Haha, it seems Feng Jian is destined to win this time," Feng Ye laughed aloud, refusing to believe that Yang Xiao possessed similar capability.

However, a scene that shocked the crowd once again unfolded. While Yang Xiao appeared to be struggling with his artifact refining, a surge of spiritual light erupted from his sleeve once more. At that moment, the *ruyi* magical treasure he was crafting was successfully completed.

"This is impossible!" Feng Ye rose to his feet, refusing to believe the reality before him.

Yet the *ruyi* magical treasure had indeed been successfully refined, and even if Feng Ye wished to deny it, it was of no use.

"Hmph, so what if it's successfully refined? The three-tiered pagoda refined by Feng Jian is far more complex, so this round should clearly be his victory." Despite being startled by Yang Xiao's technique, Feng Ye believed that when comparing superior-grade spiritual treasures of the same tier, whoever crafted a more intricate and powerful treasure should win.

When Feng Jian and Lin Ling competed, their superior-grade spiritual treasures were of comparable might. Although the pouch-shaped magical treasure refined by Feng Jian was slightly more ornate, they could still only be considered tied. This time, however, was different; Feng Jian's pagoda-shaped magical treasure was clearly more complex, utilized precious materials, and possessed greater might, thus giving him the advantage. *(This three-tiered small pagoda possessed a triple efficacy, naturally making its power somewhat greater than that of an ordinary superior-grade spiritual treasure.)*

"Senior Feng Ye, please take a close look. The *ruyi* magical treasure I just refined is not merely a superior-grade spiritual treasure, but a semi-top-tier spiritual treasure. Therefore, I should be the one who wins." Just as everyone assumed Feng Jian had ultimately triumphed, Yang Xiao uttered words that caught everyone completely off guard.