Chapter 784 - 236: [Defying Heaven and Rebelling Against Fate] (Part 2)
This thing should not be altered or changed lightly—if the Dao heart can be so easily modified and altered, then it is not stable.
If Nan Qiao forcibly stays in the Celestial Demon Yin Yang Joyful Sect, it would be like finding an incompatible core for himself. Like someone who has studied classical music for decades, being forced to switch paths and become a rapper.
Whether or not he can successfully transition is another matter, but the process itself is extremely difficult, possibly requiring a huge time investment.
Nan Qiao naturally understood Chen Yan’s meaning. He gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and said: "How could I not know what Fellow Daoist is talking about? But my family’s troubles are imminent, and right now I only have the Celestial Demon Yin Yang Joyful Sect as a way to solve the problem.
There is currently no other Saint’s sect accepting disciples, allowing me a choice anew.
For the fate of my family, I have no choice but to make sacrifices. Perhaps the path I choose today will ruin my prospects in cultivation, but I was born into the Southern Clan. From childhood to adulthood, my cultivation path was nourished by the family’s resources.
Without the support and investment of my family, I wouldn’t have the status of a cultivator and artifact refiner that I have today.
Having received so many resources from the family, when the family is in trouble, making sacrifices for the family is a responsibility I must undertake."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yan couldn’t help but look up to this Nan Qiao.
Nothing else, but at least on this point, this person is quite responsible.
Chen Yan has always believed that if a person is aware of their responsibilities and duties, then even if they become a bad person, they won’t become too bad.
On a side note, Chen Yan had watched many films and novels, often depicting some wealthy young master or lady, prince or princess, rebelling against arranged marriages for love or freedom, and then eloping with some poor guy or girl from some other place...
Such behavior is often self-proclaimed to be in pursuit of love and freedom.
Chen Yan always thought such claims were quite... shameless.
Whether they are wealthy young masters or ladies, or princes or princesses, from a young age, they are nurtured by their family or nation, living in luxury, with expensive cars and houses, of noble status, surrounded by servants...
Oh, you accept all the benefits, and still think this is all rightfully yours.
When it’s time for you to contribute and sacrifice, you wipe your face and say, no, you can’t interfere or infringe on my freedom...
This is just shameless.
Pursuing freedom in itself isn’t wrong—first, pay back what you owe.
This Nan Qiao, though his actions elsewhere made Chen Yan have some contempt, especially as he knelt as soon as he entered, a behavior somewhat akin to moral blackmail.
Yet, as a descendant of a cultivation family, being the most talented, and willing to sacrifice his prospects for the family in such a situation, shows responsibility and duty.
Otherwise, with his not-bad talent and status as an artifact refiner, even if he left, he would do well elsewhere—artifact refiners are quite sought after.
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The ten catties of Li Fire Copper that were agreed upon, Nan Qiao didn’t carry it with him. However, he swore a Heavenly Dao oath on the spot, promising to immediately write to his family to send the items, promising they’d arrive within three days at the latest.
Subsequently, after thanking Chen Yan again, Nan Qiao respectfully bid farewell and left.
After the person left, Chen Yan closed the door, taking the Jade Scroll left by Nan Qiao and read it once.
Indeed, Nan Qiao wasn’t lying; his household has been refining artifacts for three generations, showcasing extraordinary dedication to the art.
Chen Yan couldn’t yet ascertain how sophisticated it was based on his own artifact-refining knowledge, but he could tell that the contents of this Jade Scroll were more solid and detailed compared to the information given to him by Nangong Sheng. As a fundamental tutorial on artifact refining, it’s more than sufficient.
Nangong Sheng’s insights on artifact refining leaned more towards experimental explorations and conjectures.
If one wishes to properly learn the art of artifact refining, Nangong Sheng’s content does not suit as conventional teaching material.
In contrast, Chen Yan found the Southern Clan’s artifact inheritance more engrossing.
It’s akin to a newcomer in Go being taught directly by Ke Jie; you might not be able to grasp or follow his thought process.
Sometimes a regular foundational Go teacher might produce better results.
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Artifact refiners in the Domain Realm are categorized into ten grades.
Grades one to three are entry-level refiners. Grades four to six fall under middle-grade refiners. Seven to nine are upper-grade refiners.
The rules for entering a grade are simple: if you can refine an artifact of a certain grade, then you are a refiner of that grade.
Grade ten is super grade—a super grade refiner deals with not just artifacts, but magical treasures.
However, the grade of an artifact refiner also correlates with their Cultivation and Tao Practice.
If one’s cultivation realm is too low, it is impossible to refine high-grade items.
Every super grade refiner must have their cultivation reach at least the Celestial Human Realm, otherwise, regardless of how skilled they are in artifact refining, they cannot produce magical treasures.
From the Southern Clan’s artifact inheritance, it appears that the clan’s Patriarch, who is Nan Qiao’s grandfather, can already refine fourth-grade artifacts, marking his entry into the ranks of middle-grade refiners.
This Southern Clan’s artifact inheritance suffices for Chen Yan to study all the fundamental content of artifact refining. Step by step, if his talent suffices, it is enough to progress to the middle grade.
Even more unexpected for Chen Yan is that this Southern Clan’s artifact inheritance contains information that surprisingly stirred something within him.