"The twenty-three battle sabers and giant swords here have all been damaged and corroded according to the standard procedures of the Skyhill Sword Seminar. All the damage and damage are almost the same. You may choose one of them according to your expertise," Tu Yongqing said.
"However, since this is not a formal competition, there is no need to be so serious. So, let's not use any tools but polish and repair the weapons with the water in the pond and the stones next to the pond. The time limit is ten minutes. Let's see who can finish the work in the shortest time and whose degree of repair is the highest. What do you think?"
"Please, please!"
Xie Anan was the referee. Everybody chose a ragged weapon.
Li Yao chose a chainsword randomly, too, but he never took off the big and clumsy grey gloves on his hands.
Other people did not care, either.
Refiners paid special attention to the maintenance of their hands. With the upcoming competition, many refiners would use secret methods to maintain their hands. Among the crowd, there were also three to five refiners who were wearing gloves and smearing moisturizing ointment on their hands.
However, their gloves were as thin as the wings of a cicada and would not affect the movement of their hands. They were all priceless magical equipment that had been passed down for generations. Of course, they were not as crude and clumsy as Li Yao's.
"Begin!"
Xie Anan started the countdown.
For a moment, thousands of cold winds seemed to be blowing in the bamboo forest. The bamboo leaves were shaking crazily as if they were colliding with blades. There was nothing but rustling noises.
The ragged weapons in front of the experts of refining all rose from the ground and revolved around them.
Everybody was trying to show off their skills.
Some people only used their spirit threads to capture dozens of green stones, which they then smashed into each other and ground into dust. Then, they turned the green dust into a whirlwind, enveloping the weapons and carefully polishing them.
Somebody whistled. Ripples immediately spread out in the pond. Water flowed out of the pond like dragons and flowed to the shore, leaking into the gaps of the magical equipment.
Somebody's hands were so fast that they turned their hands into a cluster of grey mist. They dismantled the magical equipment into the most fundamental components within a moment. Then, their hands danced up and down as if they were plucking the strings of a piano. The components sang and danced like demons with wings, too. They were brand-new.
On the faces of the people, some were focused, some were satisfied, and some were enjoying themselves. The extraordinary spirit of the refining experts slowly rippled in the bamboo forest.
Xie Anan, on the other hand, stared at Li Yao.
She believed that Li Yao would definitely have a shocking performance.
However …
Li Yao frowned. His expression was serious. He was so serious that he was gnashing his teeth.
Wearing the clumsy gray gloves, his movements were meticulous, completely following the most standard polishing and maintenance procedures. He carefully dismantled the components one by one, cleaned and polished them with the green stones and the pond water.
The most standard was also the most ordinary. There was nothing unexpected about it.
By the standards of an ordinary Artifact Refiner, his speed was not slow.
However, among these first-rate experts, they were slightly clumsy and could not keep up with the pace.
It could be seen that it was an extremely difficult task for him to forcibly keep up with everyone's rhythm. In just over two minutes, his face was ashen, cold sweat was dripping down his face, and his muscles were twisted. His breathing was rapid, and his expression was pained.
Five minutes later, although his movements were still methodical, the ragged clothes on his body were soaked in sweat, and his veins were bulging. Veins were jumping out of his neck and forehead.
Even an outsider could tell that he was trying his best and had reached his limits.
Xie Anan could not have been more confused.
Polishing magical equipment is the fundamental skill of a Refiner. With Senior Brother Li Yao's amazing performance during the registration, why is it so difficult for him?
Is he hiding his strength on purpose so that he can amaze everyone in the Skyhill Sword Seminar?
But it doesn't look like it. Judging from the sweat on his forehead and the hideous look on his face, he is obviously trying his best!
Seven minutes later, Long Yunxin's smooth movements came to an abrupt halt. She snapped her hands, and the dust on her hands was blown away by the wind. Her hands were as clean as jade again.
A rusty chainsword was refreshed under her marvelous polishing and maintenance. It was stabbed into the mud shallowly. Although there was no wind, it was shivering softly and uttering vague roars of dragons.
Long Yunxin glanced at Li Yao and smiled casually.
Seven and a half minutes later, all the refiners finished their work one after another. Sharpness was surging in the bamboo forest.
Li Yao was the only one who was still gnashing his teeth, his veins bulging, while he was still pondering attentively.
Seeing that he was so serious, the refiners were too embarrassed to interrupt him. They simply looked at each other thoughtfully.
It was not until the last second of the ten minutes had passed that Li Yao finally finished polishing the last rune array and handed in his work in exhaustion.
But it was not hard to tell that, although his chainsword was refreshed, it was slightly lackluster compared to the sabers and swords polished by the other refiners.
Compared to the experts such as Long Yunxin, his work was still lacking in 'spirit'!
Li Yao took a deep breath and was silent for ten seconds before he was back to himself. His eyes lingered on the other refiners' work for a moment, before he smiled tiredly and said, "I've lost. Everybody's work is better than mine."
Li Yao's modesty made the young masters of the noble families somewhat embarrassed. They all felt guilty for bullying a kid.
Yes. They were born in a noble family of refining, and they had received the most professional training since they were little. Their hands had been soaked in all kinds of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures since they were young. The guy was just a refiner in a second-rate Exo Society. It was possible that he had never received any formal training in refining. It was already quite impressive that he could finish the maintenance work in ten minutes through a thick pair of gloves!
It was only natural that they were slightly better than the guy. What was there to be proud of?
"Although Brother Li's hand speed is slightly slower, I can tell that you have been very careful in every step. Not bad!"
"Brother Li, you must be taking care of your hands by wearing such a pair of gloves, right? So, you haven't carried out your full capability yet, right? Three days later, when you take off the gloves, I believe that your hand speed will be improved by at least 30%. Chances are that you will make it into the top 500! "
"The chainsword that Brother Li is polishing doesn't have too many flaws except for the lack of 'spirit'!"
"Let's not talk about anything else. Just by looking at Brother Li's full concentration when polishing and repairing the equipment, I know that Brother Li is a person who is truly obsessed with the Dao of Artifact Forging. With such a Dao Heart, there will come a day when Brother Li will become a Dao Master. Someday, you will become a super refiner! "
Li Yao secretly remarked that the young masters of the noble families were all decent people except for their expertise in refining. They could communicate with each other often.
It was a pity that he had something else to do and couldn't delay any longer. He could only apologize again and leave.
Looking at Li Yao's back as he left in a hurry, Luo Dong, the fatty from the Luo family of East Brightness, remarked, "When it comes to techniques, the young masters of the noble families all have their own expertise. Of course, the children of aristocratic families all have their own unique skills. However, this ordinary refiner from the common folk really has a lot of energy. Just now, he obviously couldn't hold on and almost fainted several times, but he still gritted his teeth and held on. The finished product in the end is actually not bad! "
Tu Yongqing nodded and said, "The refiners from the Exo Societies travel in the sea of stars all the time. Their theories may not be very solid. Their skills may not be brilliant, either, but their experience and perseverance are indeed extraordinary. Although the guy is not a first-rate expert, he is definitely qualified to be a 'second-rate expert'! "
Long Yunxin chuckled and said, "Alright. Our guest is gone now. Let's begin the real competition! The sabers and swords that we have polished are on par with each other on the surface. We need to compare their power in order to decide which one is better! "
"Alright!"
"Alright!"
The young masters of the noble families were beaming with interest.
Xie Anan, on the other hand, stood up and walked out.
Long Yunxin said in surprise, "An 'an. "Anan, where are you going?"
Xie Anan hesitated for a moment and said, "Senior Brother Li Yao doesn't seem to be feeling well. I'm going to check on him. After all, I'll be his receptionist tomorrow. It won't be good if anything happens to him."
Before Long Yunxin replied … Xie Anan strode out of the room.
Li Yao was walking fast. Xie Anan followed him closely. It was not until more than ten minutes later that she saw Li Yao's back again.
The suspicions in Xie Anan's heart were like a balloon that was getting bigger and bigger and was about to explode.
A monster who knows the structural designs of magical equipment like the back of his hand and has an unbelievably high computational ability, yet he is neither good at theories nor good at practical operations? That's too weird!
But judging from his appearance, he was not trying to keep a low profile. He was indeed gritting his teeth, his veins were bulging, and he was sweating like three buckets!
Is it possible that he is only talented in the structural designs of magical equipment and doesn't know anything about other skills?
Xie Anan strode forward, trying to catch up with him. But Li Yao was running fast in the crowd like a loach.
After another ten minutes of chasing, they reached a common residential area in the Skyhill Domain.
The Skyhill Domain was the same as other world fragments. Cultivators and ordinary people lived together.
Both Cultivators and ordinary people had to eat.
If they wanted to eat, there was a lively vegetable market next to the residential area.
Experienced people knew that the snacks sold at stalls in the wet market were fresh and the price would be lower.
Xie Anan saw that Li Yao had bought a large pile of leek pies and a bag of cold soy milk that he had left in the morning from a stall.
Then, he bought half a piece of raw pig liver from a meat stall and asked the owner to mince it.
What is he up to? A refiner who is qualified to take part in the Skyhill Sword Seminar can't be so poor, can he?
Xie Anan was more and more curious. She followed Li Yao like a little tail and entered an old residential area after many turns. Li Yao found a small garden that was overgrown with weeds and sat down on the ground. He ate the leek pies without taking off his gloves.
Li Yao ate very fast. The coarsest pancakes on the street were like the most delicious delicacies. He could finish one pancake in a couple of bites. He did not even drink the soy milk. A moment later, the whole pile of pancakes had been devoured by him like a tornado.
After drinking the soy milk in one gulp, Li Yao patted his belly and opened the oiled paper bag containing the chopped pig liver.
"Eating raw pig liver is very helpful for cultivation?" Xie Anan hid in a corner, her heart beating fast. She felt that everything Li Yao was doing was too weird.
Li Yao put the pig liver aside and was about to take off his gloves.
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