Chapter 655 653: Artifact Refining Pavilion
Seeing Jiang Chen about to leave after just getting his Apprentice Artifact Refiner certification, Zuo Tu and Luo Quan, who had long been annoyed with him, suddenly appeared in front of him.
At that, Jiang Chen frowned slightly.
"A good dog doesn't block the path."
He really didn't want to stoop to the level of people like Zuo Tu and Luo Quan, so he spoke coldly.
A flicker of rage appeared on Zuo Tu and Luo Quan's faces. Clearly, Jiang Chen's words calling them dogs had genuinely angered them.
But this time, Zuo Tu and Luo Quan glanced at each other and didn't lash out.
Instead, Zuo Tu suddenly sneered, "Kid, we didn't expect you to have such dog-shit luck and become an Apprentice Artifact Refiner."
"But don't you know? To become a true Artifact Refiner, there's a second test. You have to personally refine a Magical Treasure."
He never missed an opportunity to put Jiang Chen down.
Luo Quan also chimed in on the spot.
"Kid, don't tell me you can't even refine a Magical Treasure and just came to the Artifact Refiner Guild to pad the numbers?"
"It's so pathetic. You come to the Artifact Refiner Guild for certification but don't even have the guts to take the second test. People like you are what I despise most."
Inside the Artifact Refiner Guild, Luo Quan wasn't worried that Jiang Chen would dare to attack him.
They both wore mocking smiles as they spoke.
Jiang Chen's face was indifferent. Originally, he hadn't planned on taking the second test.
But now, having run into Zuo Tu and Luo Quan, his expression turned cold as he said, "You really are shameless."
At his words, both Zuo Tu's and Luo Quan's expressions changed.
They hastily retreated a few steps.
Luo Quan said, "This is the Artifact Refiner Guild! You dare to make a move?"
"If you start a fight here, I guarantee you won't walk out of the Artifact Refiner Guild."
Zuo Tu also said, "Kid, if you've got the guts, go take the second test."
Jiang Chen also had no intention of causing trouble in the Artifact Refiner Guild.
"Since you want to see it so badly, then I'll give you a show."
He turned and went back into the Artifact Refiner Guild, heading straight for the Artifact Refining Pavilion.
Seeing this, Zuo Tu and Luo Quan both smiled smugly.
"Haha, we really got to that kid."
"If he goes to the Artifact Refining Pavilion, he's bound to make a fool of himself. Let's go, we should go watch too."
Luo Quan and Zuo Tu then also headed straight for the Artifact Refining Pavilion.
The Artifact Refining Pavilion was the place where the Artifact Refiner Guild tested an Artifact Refiner's Star Level.
Becoming a true Artifact Refiner required more than just basic knowledge. Recognizing materials was only the first step, enough to qualify as an Apprentice Artifact Refiner.
A true Artifact Refiner, however, needed a Star Level.
Artifact Refiners were ranked from One-Star to Nine-Stars.
Those who could refine a Dharma Artifact were One-Star Refiners.
And those who could refine a Treasure Artifact were Two-Star Refiners.
Of course, within the One-Star rank, there were four different grades.
One who could refine a Lower-Grade Dharma Artifact was a One-Star Lower-Grade Refiner. Naturally, one who could refine a Middle-Grade Dharma Artifact was a One-Star Middle-Grade Refiner.
Refining a Top-Grade Dharma Artifact made one a One-Star Top-Grade Refiner, and refining a Supreme-Grade Dharma Artifact made one a One-Star Supreme Refiner.
Of course, if one could refine a Treasure Artifact, they were a Two-Star Refiner. Treasure Artifacts were similarly divided into the four grades of Lower, Middle, Upper, and Super.
At the moment, there weren't many people in the Artifact Refining Pavilion getting their Star Level certified—only about thirty or so.
However, the officials overseeing the certifications were all official Artifact Refiners of the Guild, with the lowest being One-Star Refiners.
There were even Two-Star Refiners present to oversee the process.
The Artifact Refining Pavilion was noticeably quiet.
Jiang Chen's arrival also drew the attention of quite a few people.
"Another one's here."
Someone muttered, not daring to speak loudly.
After a look around, Jiang Chen realized he had to register, get a number, and queue up. Once he got his number, he went to the back of the line.
He saw that some people ahead of him looked very nervous.
If one became an official Star-Level Artifact Refiner, their status and position would change dramatically.
Any Star-Level Artifact Refiner would be respected by everyone.
Even the Artifact Refiner Guild placed great importance on those being certified for a Star Level.
In fact, most of the Artifact Refiners in the Artifact Refiner Guild had joined through this certification process.
Besides that, inside the main hall of the Artifact Refining Pavilion, two groups of people were seated on the left and right sides. They were all staring intently at the candidates.
As Jiang Chen was looking around, Luo Quan and Zuo Tu followed him inside.
The test for the people at the front of the line had already begun.
"Shi Wei."
"Please come forward for your test."
Following the Artifact Refiner's announcement, a man walked forward, full of confidence.
The Artifact Refiner from the Artifact Refiner Guild said, "Next, using the materials provided by our Artifact Refiner Guild, you have one hour to refine a Magical Treasure. After we evaluate the grade of your Magical Treasure, we will confirm your Artifact Refiner Star Level."
"You may begin."
The man stepped forward. The Artifact Refiner Guild had a complete and extensive set of tools for refining Magical Treasures.
Shi Wei took the materials, which were just normal Iron Ore.
He began to refine the Magical Treasure on the spot.
There were a full twenty stations for refining Magical Treasures.
Therefore, twenty people could refine Magical Treasures at the same time.
Soon, twenty people stepped forward, while Jiang Chen and the dozen or so others continued to wait in line.
Jiang Chen was far enough back that he would have to be in the second batch.
Every person here for certification had come from the ranks of Apprentice Artifact Refiners.
Those who came here for certification had basically all honed their Artifact Refining Techniques for some time, and most only came when they were confident they could become a Star-Level Artifact Refiner.
Although the time limit was one hour, some people were fast, while others were slow.
Each person would refine a Magical Treasure suited to their ability within the given time limit.
Just then, Jiang Chen saw the two groups of people sitting on the left and right sides begin to whisper among themselves.
"'I wonder if there are any slightly more outstanding talents in this batch?'"
Someone sighed, "'We've already been waiting for a month and haven't encountered a single outstanding Artifact Refiner. The refiners these days are getting worse every year; the truly outstanding ones are becoming rarer and rarer.'"
"'Isn't that the truth? The Han Family needs to recruit a large number of outstanding Artifact Refiners right now, otherwise we'll have no successors.'"
Then, this group looked at the one opposite them with a hint of hostility.
Someone said, "'The Zuo Family always tries to snatch Artifact Refiners from us. This time, we absolutely cannot let them take the talent we've set our eyes on.'"
"'If the Zuo Family dares to snatch the person the Han Family wants this time, we'll fight them for it.'"
The two groups were none other than people from the two great Artifact Refining Families of Xingyuan City: the Zuo Family and the Han Family.
They were here waiting for the Star-Level Artifact Refiner certifications to discover relatively outstanding refiners among the candidates and recruit them into their respective families.
「As time went on.」
Soon, some obvious changes appeared in the Magical Treasures being refined by the twenty candidates.
SWISH!
Many people suddenly turned their heads to look at Artifact Refining Furnace Number Seven.
At this moment, in front of Furnace Number Seven, a man was continuously hammering the material in his hands. Moreover, the refinement of his Magical Treasure had already reached the final step.
His speed was clearly faster than the others.
Furthermore, as the man was about to complete his refinement, the Magical Treasure in his hands began to emit a faint glow.
