as he spoke to this point, a sly smile crept onto his face."Such a great favor, logically speaking, I should repay you well."But, old man, I am very poor and have nothing. I only have one granddaught..."If you only think that way, then you underestimate Lu Chaoyang too much."

Wen Ding said, "This man is indeed shrewd and cunning, but he also has a very high talent for refining weapons."

It's a pity that there was a figure, Lu Chao Zong, who completely overshadowed him.

So in the eyes of many, he was a wastrel. In fact, Lu Chaoyang was a genuine ninth-rank alchemist.

What I just said, in Lu City, there are no more than a handful of people who can refine top-grade magic weapons, and he is one of them.

"That's how it is."

Ye Bufan had to reconsider this head of the Lu family. It seemed that Lu Zhaozong hadn't taken his younger brother seriously before, which was a manifestation of his pride. In fact, he was also an outstanding alchemist.

Zhao Chengqi followed up, saying: "The Lu family, as the first family of weapon refinement on Kunlun Continent, is not undeservedly famous. It's just that all their previous glory was overshadowed by the Kunlun Artifact God alone."

In fact, there are also other outstanding alchemists, such as the older Rudyi.

Back then, he competed with Kunlun Artifact God and won second place. It shows how profound his skill in refining artifacts is.

Among the younger generation, there are also outstanding disciples, such as Lu Youjian, who is said to have reached the level of a ninth-rank alchemist.

Ye Bufan nodded. Through the introductions of the two elders, he had a new understanding of the Lu family's strength.

Wen Ding continued, "Speaking of Lu Chao Yang having two objectives, I suspect the other one was to draw out Lu Zhao Zong."

As long as the Kunlun Artifact remains, he, the head of the family, will not be able to sleep or eat in peace.

Zhao Chengqi said: "I think so too. The fact that he used Liu Yue'n as a prize shows that this person is definitely not well-intentioned."

That's also why the Alchemist Guild didn't send any disciples this time.

Wen Ding said with concern: “Indeed, I say that Brother Ye should not get involved in this mess this time.”

If you really want to participate, be careful and don't get yourself involved.

"I know, thank you both elders for reminding me."

Ye Bufan nodded. He still had a good impression of these two honest old men.

In the Ru family's meeting hall, Patriarch Ru Chaoyang sat in the center position. Seven or eight other people sat below him. These people were all core members of the Ru family.

"How is it going Have you found any trace of Lu Zhao Zong these days"

Lu Zhaoyang cared most about Lu Zhonghong's whereabouts, so these days he secretly arranged for spies from the Lu family to keep watch over the entire city of Lu, hoping to find his trace.

A gaunt old man beside him said, “Master, we haven't heard from Lu Zhaozong yet.”

He is Lu De-ren, the eldest elder of the Lu family: daily affairs and spies are all under his control.

"He's really able to endure, I wonder how long he can keep it up."

Lu Chao yang's face was gloomy. "I don't believe that tomorrow the competition will start, and Liu Yue nian that woman has been taken by me as a prize, he can still hide."

Lu Youqin wore a knowing smile: "The head of the house is brilliant, Lu Chaozong won't escape your grasp."

Lu ChaoYang nodded, then asked again: "Is there anything else important that has happened recently This alchemy competition was organized by me personally, and absolutely cannot have any mistakes."

"There wasn't really anything major that happened, but something interesting occurred today."

Rude Ren said, "Today, just as the registration deadline was approaching, a young man suddenly came to sign up for the competition, but he had no aptitude for refining tools..."

He recounted Ye Bufan's registration process from beginning to end, and finally said, "That kid is quite interesting. He actually passed the five-tier assessment at the Alchemist Guild in one go and got the badge directly. This speed is really surprising."

"So soon"

Lu Chao-yang also showed a hint of astonishment, thinking to himself that even with his own abilities, he couldn't do it.

Suddenly, his expression changed: "Who the heck is that kid Could he be Lu Chaozong in disguise"

"This is impossible, even I have checked. The boy's name is Ye Bufan, and he comes from Tianluo Prefecture."

He couldn't have been Lu Zhao Zong. He was definitely under twenty-five years old, having participated in the Genius Prodigy Competition just recently.

"Oh!"

Hearing it wasn't Lu Chao Zong, Lu Chaoyang's expression immediately relaxed a lot.

"That's interesting. Why is this little guy so fast Could he really be a once-in-a-thousand-years alchemy prodigy"

"Fifth-order magic weapons belong to low-level refining. Any disciple of our Lu family could refine them casually. This is nothing special, and it's nowhere near comparable to the talent of Lord Sect Master."

It was Lu Youqin speaking again. The reason this guy managed to become Lu Chaoyang's trusted subordinate was twofold: he was incredibly loyal and a master at flattery.

Lu Chao Yang nodded. "That's true."

Rude Ren said: "Old man thinks there are two possibilities. One is that the kid is truly talented, and his speed in refining low-grade magic tools is quite fast."

Another possibility is that he's a person secretly arranged by the Alchemist Guild, and everything is a show, all hype.

Lu Chaoyang pondered for a moment: "There's actually a slight possibility. This time, our Lu family organized the alchemy competition, and the Alchemy Guild didn't even send a single participant."

Those old geezers have never liked our Lu family, so it's possible they sent someone to attack us.

Then he waved his hand dismissively: "Forget it, there's no point in paying attention to people like that. A young man in his twenties wouldn't have any impact on the Lu family's plans."

After briefly discussing the details of the competition the next day, the members of the Lu family dispersed.

One night passed without incident, and the next morning, the entire city of Lu was abuzz. The Alchemy Competition was a holiday-like occasion for all the common people.

People got up early and rushed to the central Forging Square.

The Lu family was renowned throughout the Kunlun continent for their mastery of alchemy. The city of Lucheng derived its name from the Lu family, and here, alchemists were the most esteemed profession. In the very heart of the city lay a sprawling square, measuring ten miles in diameter.

In the center of the square is a platform shaped like a tower, with five tiers, called the Alchemy Tower.

Today's competition is held here. Complete the competition according to the content set by the contest. Every step you climb is a level up, and when you reach the fifth step, you become the ultimate winner.

Next to the alchemy tower, a tall viewing platform was erected early on. This was prepared for the core members of the Lu family and the powerful figures in the city.

Besides, there is also a seat for contestants next to it, only those with the competition pass can enter.

The rest were driven to the outskirts of the refining tower, watching the competition from afar.

Ye Bufan and others arrived here. He showed his token and was then led to the contestant seats by staff, while the others stood by to watch.

On the dais, Lu Chaoyang sat in the center, flanked by core members of the Lu family.

He is now also a powerhouse at the peak of the fusion stage. His divine sense swept over the crowd present, but he still couldn't find Lu Chao Zong's shadow, so he couldn't help but frown.

"What's going on Haven't you found him yet Did he really give up the name of Kunlun God, or even Liu Yue's woman"

As a blood brother, he understood his older brother's personality very well. Even if it meant losing his life, he wouldn't do such a thing. Normally, he should already be here.

"Nothing has been found yet."

Rude Ren said, "I guess he must have changed his appearance and disguised himself as another contestant. "

Either he didn't compete at all, waiting until the last moment to poach someone.

No matter what, after today, the Kunlun Artifact Spirit will be mine.

Lu Chaoyang snorted coldly, "Let's begin!"dn't expected it to be so easily broken.Before he could even recover from the shock, Jiang Fangzhou's right fist slammed hard into his cheekbone. With a sickening crunch, his leg was brutally shattere...