Chapter 7: The Artisan Competition

Tan Wu, the attendant of the Xiao Ding Hall, was the one in Fire Treasure Town who dealt with merchant groups. By chance, he discovered that Fang Mo was selling divine artifacts, so he began investigating and found that Fang Mo had secretly sold hundreds of them.
Of course, the actual number of divine artifacts Fang Mo had sold was in the tens of thousands, a figure even Tan Wu couldn’t determine.
A hundred divine artifacts were a routine transaction for the Xiao Ding Hall. But since these artifacts came from the Fang Qi Pavilion, it caught Tan Wu’s attention.
The Fang Qi Pavilion hadn’t sold a single divine artifact in tens of millions of years.
Surprised, Tan Wu went to the Fang Qi Pavilion’s store on his own, intending to argue with Fang Mo and try to figure out why the pavilion possessed so many divine artifacts.
Unexpectedly, Qu Yi appeared, immediately angering Tan Wu.
After leaving the Fang Qi Pavilion’s store, Tan Wu immediately took out his identity card and contacted his master, Tan Changhuo, an elder of the Xiao Ding Hall.
Seeing Tan Wu return, Qu Yi shouted threateningly and said with a faint smile, “Tan Wu, is your master coming? Good, I’ll just wait here.”
Fang Mo realized that the argument between the two had escalated beyond reconciliation, so he didn’t bother to speak.
Seeing that neither Qu Yi nor Fang Mo would argue anymore, Tan Wu sat down in a corner of the store, seemingly to keep an eye on them and prevent them from escaping.
“Fang Mo, go handle things alone. I’ll stay here to guard the store,” Qu Yi said, somewhat exasperated by Tan Wu’s audacity, and informed Fang Mo.
Fang Mo understood Qu Yi’s intention—he should sell the hundred thousand beast cores he had just obtained as soon as possible to exchange for divine crystals, then gather the materials Qu Yi needed.
“Yes, Master Qu Yi,” Fang Mo replied respectfully.
Then, with a proud stride, Fang Mo set out to sell the beast cores outside.
Seeing this, Tan Wu immediately stood up to block him, shouting, “Fang Mo, are you trying to call for help? Don’t even think about it.”
Fang Mo’s face showed anger, but he didn’t know what to say.
Qu Yi tapped the counter with his right hand and said smilingly, “That Tan Wu, do you want your left hand disabled too?”
Hearing this, Tan Wu trembled slightly and, annoyed, moved aside to clear the path.
Fang Mo smiled and, full of enthusiasm, strode out of the store.
Tan Wu sat back down, puzzled, staring at Qu Yi and constantly guessing his identity.

“This person has such a mysterious background. How did he suddenly appear?”
“I know most of the alchemists in Huobao Town. As for those at the Divine Weapon level, I know them all—there’s never been anyone named Qu Yi.”
“It seems the recent oddities at Fangqi Pavilion are definitely related to this Qu Yi.”
“As long as Master comes, he’ll surely crush Qu Yi’s reputation and prevent him from settling in Huobao Town again. Hmph, Fangqi Pavilion better not think it can overpower us.”
Tan Wu sat on the ground, speculating randomly while keeping an eye on Qu Yi’s movements, fearing he might take the chance to escape and leave Tan Wu in humiliation he could never wash away.
Qu Yi gave Tan Wu a smile, then sat cross-legged, planning his next moves in his mind.
“The holographic simulation array is set up—now is the time to start training a large number of alchemists.”
“It will take Xu Ming ten thousand years to reach Beiyang Island. That time is enough to train many alchemists capable of creating weapon cores.”
“Wuyuan and Wuqing need a place to train as well.”
“Bai Shou Village and Tianfeng Fort also need to be arranged.”
Qu Yi meticulously planned everything in his mind—there was still much to do to build his own power in the Divine Realm.
Three days later.
“I am Tan Changhuo from Xiaoding Hall, here to seek advice from Fangqi Pavilion,” came a loud voice suddenly outside the pavilion.
Upon hearing this, Tan Wu immediately stood up and rushed to the door.
“Master, you’re here! You must teach this Qu Yi a lesson,” Tan Wu said, almost in tears.
Tan Changhuo had silver hair and a youthful appearance, of average height. Dressed in a magnificent red robe, he strode in with fierce determination, staring at Qu Yi, who was still sitting there.
Qu Yi opened his eyes, smiled at Tan Changhuo, and suddenly said, “Nice clothes, but the wearer isn’t great.”
Tan Changhuo’s already large eyes widened further, his gaze blazing with anger, his presence growing even more imposing.
“You’re Qu Yi, huh? Fine, since you’re so arrogant, I’ll teach you a lesson today. You’re an alchemist, right? I want to compete in alchemy!” Tan Changhuo’s voice was so loud it almost shattered the entire pavilion.
Qu Yi slowly stood up and smiled, saying, “Alchemy? You’re no match.”
Tan Changhuo’s anger, which he had barely suppressed, flared up again. He slammed the counter in front of him, turning it to dust in an instant.

“Qu Yi, I’m not here today to argue with you. If you’ve got the guts, have a proper competition with me—don’t just seek verbal victory,” Tan Changhuo shouted angrily.
By now, Tan Changhuo had already concluded that Qu Yi’s skill in crafting was surely poor; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to provoke him with words.
Qu Yi shook his head and then smiled, saying, “Competing in crafting skills isn’t impossible. Since you’re so eager to lose, I’ll of course fulfill your wish. How about this? Tell me what you’ll give me if I win, and I’ll think about it.”
A competition naturally requires a reward—no one wants to work hard for nothing.
Tan Changhuo showed a smug smile. His earlier words were meant to provoke Qu Yi into competing with him in crafting, and now that Qu Yi had fallen for it, he felt pleased.
“A stake, right? Easy. If I win, your Fangqi Pavilion store will belong to our Xiaoding Hall,” Tan Changhuo said with a smile.
From the information he’d received from his disciple Tan Wu, Tan Changhuo had already become wary that Fangqi Pavilion might be planning something major. Therefore, his goal upon coming here was twofold: to win the crafting competition and to cut off Fangqi Pavilion’s future prospects.
Once Fangqi Pavilion lost its store, it would be impossible for them to gain a foothold in Huobao Town, as Xiaoding Hall would definitely stand in their way.
Seeing that Tan Changhuo was playing word games with him, Qu Yi couldn’t help but laugh lightly and said, “Your Xiaoding Hall is truly despicable. What can you offer me if I win?”
Tan Changhuo’s face turned angry. He was annoyed that Qu Yi had insulted his sect, but he wasn’t in a hurry to retort. He planned to return those insults to Qu Yi after winning the crafting competition.
“If you win, I’ll give you Xiaoding Hall’s third store,” Tan Changhuo said coldly.
Xiaoding Hall ranked tenth in Huobao Town, owning three stores all in excellent locations, attracting large numbers of merchant groups constantly.
Upon hearing this, Tan Wu was slightly shocked—those third stores were under his control.
Hearing Tan Changhuo’s condition, Qu Yi immediately laughed, a glint in his eyes, as if he had already devised a cunning plan.
Fangqi Pavilion’s store was located too far away, on the outskirts of Huobao Town. Merchant groups visiting for the first time would never come here. If they could obtain Xiaoding Hall’s third store, Fangqi Pavilion’s business would surely thrive.

Qu Yi immediately said, “Good, this bet amount is fair. Tan Changhuo, now you can tell us about the content of our competition in crafting artifacts.”
Tan Changhuo looked at Qu Yi calmly, but his mind was busy thinking. He knew nothing about Qu Yi either, so he couldn’t be careless.
In the Xiaoding Hall, only those who could craft a divine weapon at the Divine Weapon level were eligible to become elders. Of course, not all elders could craft divine weapons of that level, as they could only comprehend two complete laws, and their divine essence could only support the creation of artifacts containing those two laws.
Tan Changhuo had already grasped the laws of fire and water, so the divine weapons he could craft were those containing both of these laws. However, given the performance requirements, he could only create two or three such artifacts.
After some thought, Tan Changhuo decided not to compete in crafting divine weapons of that level. Qu Yi had a mysterious background, and if the performance of his crafted artifact was slightly inferior, he would not only lose face but also his entire shop—a situation he couldn’t afford.
“Qu Yi, let’s compete in crafting artifacts at the Divine Human level. The time limit is one hundred years. Whoever creates the most artifacts wins. How about that?” Tan Changhuo said with a smile.
He was somewhat proud—other artifact craftsmen needed at least ten thousand years to craft a single artifact at the Divine Human level, while he himself could create one in just a hundred years. Naturally, he wanted to use this artifact to defeat Qu Yi.
Upon hearing Tan Changhuo’s words, Qu Yi’s expression immediately darkened. He frowned deeply, his whole demeanor turning gloomy.
Undoubtedly, this sight only strengthened Tan Changhuo’s confidence—that Qu Yi’s crafting skills were not yet sufficient to create an artifact in a hundred years.
“Qu Yi, hurry up and reply. If you think you can’t beat me, just say so. You only need to place a stone tablet at the entrance of Fangqi Pavilion, admitting that Fangqi Pavilion can never compare to Xiaoding Hall.” Tan Changhuo urged him with a smile, his eyes filled with mockery.
Tan Wu saw Qu Yi’s expression and immediately smiled happily.
“Well, Qu Yi? Even you have to admit that your crafting skills are inferior to my master’s, right?” Tan Wu shouted joyfully.

At that moment, Qu Yi bit his lip, took a deep breath, and said, “Alright, I agree. One year from now, we’ll have a crafting competition under the supervision of the Fire Treasure Town Crafting Guild.”
Tan Changhuo was shocked. He hadn’t expected Qu Yi to actually agree. But seeing Qu Yi’s hesitant expression, he felt relieved, assuming that Qu Yi’s crafting skills were still not enough to create a divine artifact within a hundred years.
“Since you’ve agreed, I’ll go to the Crafting Guild now to apply for a crafting space. One year from now, we’ll meet there,” Tan Changhuo said happily.
Qu Yi pressed his lips together, his voice slightly tense, as he slowly replied, “Alright, one year from now, we’ll meet at the Crafting Guild.”
Tan Changhuo and Tan Wu then burst into laughter, strode away with great confidence, leaving the Fangqi Pavilion shop in a show of triumph.
The moment he saw them leave, a glimmer of joy appeared in Qu Yi’s eyes, revealing unmistakably the satisfaction of a scheme succeeding.