Chapter 49

As soon as Lu Fan's voice fell, he waved his large sleeves, and the array diagrams in his hands floated out. Then, incantations surged, and several light screens suddenly took shape, with the array diagrams suspended upon them.

Qi Yue and Yang Bin were the first to react, focusing their eyes, and then their expressions changed drastically, both exclaiming in horror: "Young Master Lu, what kind of rune tool is this? Why is it so strange-looking, and it even has four wheels!"

The others were also full of curiosity, waiting for Lu Fan to answer. Only Zhu Ge Qing Ming smiled, seemingly having seen some of the mysteries.

"Mr. Zhu Ge, could it be that you know what this thing is? Why don't you explain it to everyone?"

Han Zhen's observation was very keen, and he asked Zhu Ge Qing Ming, who was to the side.

"Cough, cough..." Zhu Ge Qing Ming took an extra look at Han Zhen and then said calmly: "This thing should be a Rune War Chariot, which is also a type of rune tool, but it seems there is a problem with its grade!"

"Rune War Chariot? You're not joking, are you!" Ge Hui was so shocked that he stood up abruptly, which affected the injuries all over his body, causing him to wince.

Qi Yue was slightly surprised and said to Ge Hui: "What is a Rune War Chariot?" Although he was a Second-Tier Rune Master, he had spent most of his life in Shanjin Town, so his knowledge was not very rich.

The others seemed equally confused, casting curious gazes toward Ge Hui, which made the latter slightly happy and quite proud as he said: "A Rune War Chariot is a powerful rune tool, at least Fifth-Tier. Some powerful dynasties and sects refine these things specifically for fighting. It is said that if a Fifth-Tier Rune King drives a Fifth-Tier war chariot, they can take on ten alone; it is an incredible weapon."

Qi Yue and the others were stunned. Once they heard it was at least "Fifth-Tier," they were all astonished beyond words, thinking to themselves, how could we refine such things?

"Hmm! Your strength is not much, but your knowledge is quite extensive!" Lu Fan nodded, and couldn't help but think more highly of Ge Hui. The appreciative gaze made the latter overjoyed and trembling.

"This thing is not a Rune War Chariot; at most, it is a First-Tier Spirit Tool. However, the refining method is similar to the arcane sand table, so you can all use it for practice."

As soon as Lu Fan's words fell, Qi Yue and the others were all delighted. They had gained a lot from watching Lu Fan refine the arcane sand table just now, and if they could refine some rune tools under his guidance this time, they would probably benefit greatly.

Thinking of this, they could no longer hold back. Although they were extremely exhausted physically, their spirits were indescribably excited, and one by one, as if they had been injected with chicken blood, they began to get busy.

Qi Yue and Yang Bin took control of the overall situation, a dozen or so First-Tier Rune Masters served as the main force, and the remaining rune apprentices were responsible for extracting materials and acting as assistants.

In the blink of an eye, the entire Rune Master Guild was orderly and began to refine slowly.

Seeing this situation, Lu Fan couldn't help but think of the time in his previous life when he led the various forces of his domain to refine the supreme divine artifact, "Earth Sha."

"Yuwen Pojun joined forces with several domain masters to besiege me that day, and Earth Sha shattered. I don't know which plane it scattered to. Once my strength recovers a bit, I must find it back!"

Thoughts surged in his heart, and he recalled the past, feeling a faint sadness.

"Young Master Lu! This rune tool is refined; do you think it's okay?"

Qi Yue's excited words were transmitted over, and Lu Fan slowly woke up. He looked toward the sound and nodded indifferently: "Hmm! Not bad, this mining rune cart is passable!"

Upon hearing Ye Fei's appreciative words, Qi Yue was overjoyed. Although the grade of this rune tool was low, the refining process was truly complex, something he had never seen before. If it hadn't been for Lu Fan's previous demonstration of the arcane sand table, he would definitely have had no clue.

"Mining rune cart?" Ge Hui caught the words immediately and was slightly confused. Rune masters like them were devoted to the study of the Art Dao and had no interest in most things in the world.

If it weren't for the large amount of spirit mines in Shanjin Town that were convenient for them to refine, the Rune Master Guild would never have been stationed here. This "mining rune cart" sounded like it was for the convenience of mining, but using the Rune Dao for such things seemed like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, which was a waste.

Qi Yue and the others also realized this and had expressions of disbelief.

"The efficiency of the several major mines in Shanjin Town is too low. Han Zhen and I intend to integrate them, so I asked you all to refine a few rune tools!" Lu Fan saw what everyone was thinking and said indifferently.

Qi Yue and the others were slightly stunned, and then they looked heavily at Han Zhen. Lu Fan was using the Great Dao of Art Refining for such things; it seemed this Han Zhen had quite a lot of weight, and they dared not be negligent anymore.

Ge Hui's pupils shrank, and he suddenly grasped something, saying loudly: "There are still a few rune tools left; everyone, hurry up and refine them. Master Lu's time is precious; after this time, there will be no one to give pointers!"

Now the hall was bustling with activity again. Qi Yue and the others knew it well. Although they succeeded in refining the mining rune cart for the first time, the complexity involved exceeded their past knowledge. The remaining things were probably similar, and if they didn't seize the opportunity now, they would regret it endlessly later.

The subsequent refining indeed encountered many problems, but Lu Fan discovered them in advance and gave timely pointers. By dusk, six different rune tools had all been refined. Although they were all only First-Tier Spirit Tools, the artifact charm within them was indescribable.

Qi Yue and the others were all satisfied. Being able to refine such rune tools with their own hands, they would surely gain a lot after a little reflection in the future.

Just at this moment, Ge Hui spoke up again: "Young Master Lu, these rune tools have just been refined and are not yet stable, and their effects are hard to say. Why don't you let me test them? What do you think?"

As soon as his words fell, the people around immediately understood. One by one, they regretted it endlessly, sighing that Ge Hui was a cunning fellow.

Testing rune tools was originally a dangerous job, and few people were willing to do it. Most of the time, they would order the rune apprentices to do such things.

But these few rune tools of Lu Fan were a bit different; they were only First-Tier, so there shouldn't be any danger. If they took this job and had further contact with Lu Fan, the benefits would be unimaginable. A casual pointer from the other party would definitely be worth three to five years of hard cultivation.

Qi Yue snorted coldly and said: "Ge Hui, get out of the way! These rune tools of Young Master Lu are so important, and you don't have enough experience; it's better for me to do it myself!"

Yang Bin, who was to the side, had his expression change, thinking that he could not miss such an opportunity, and said to Qi Yue in a strange tone: "Old Qi, you are the Vice President of our guild and carry a heavy burden; let me do this kind of work!"

Qi Yue would not agree, his face cold, and he began to bicker with Yang Bin, refusing to let go no matter what.

Ge Hui now had a mournful face. How could he dare to compete with two Rune Masters? He cursed them in his heart: Old bastards, truly shameless!

The others also came to their senses, and the shameless faces of Qi and Yang left them speechless. Usually, dangerous jobs were done by them, and when it came to testing rune tools, these two old bastards were never to be seen.

Han Zhen was stunned at this moment. In his heart, the people of the Rune Master Guild had always been high and mighty, not eating the food of mortals. Looking at it now, they were clearly shameless people, no different from the peddlers in the vegetable market who quarreled to take advantage!

Just as Qi and Yang were arguing endlessly, Zu Qing Tan emerged from somewhere and coughed twice, waking the two of them up.

"President, aren't you in seclusion?"

Qi Yue's expression was a bit ugly, and he looked trembling. Yang Bin also remembered something and felt slightly regretful.

"Hmph! You two have such great courage, actually treating my words as wind in the ears. Young Master Lu came, and you didn't call me; you're going to be the death of me!"

Zu Qing Tan snorted coldly, blowing his beard and staring. After advancing to a Great Rune Master, his aura was magnificent, shocking everyone around into silence.

Qi Yue and Yang Bin had bitter faces, mumbling and not daring to explain at all.

"President Zu, the two of them were also thirsty for the Rune Dao and couldn't help themselves in their excitement; if you want to blame someone, blame me, Lu!"

Lu Fan waved his hand and comforted him.

Zu Qing Tan, who had been a storm a moment ago, became amiable in an instant, showing his old face and saying: "Young Master Lu! You should have said so earlier if you were coming to Shanjin Town! I could have sent someone to welcome you; otherwise, if the people below didn't take good care of you, I wouldn't be able to bear the blame!"

Lu Fan smiled faintly and said: "It's fine, their reception was quite good. I came this time, one to refine a few rune tools, and two to ask you, how is the preparation for the Preaching Assembly going?"

He had only said half of his words when Zu Qing Tan raised his eyebrows and hurriedly interrupted Lu Fan, saying: "Someone seemed to want to test the rune tools just now; I am the most proficient at this, let me do it!"

Qi Yue and Yang Bin rolled their eyes, thinking: Old thing, truly shameless, actually stealing my job!

The group of rune masters was also stunned. Usually, Zu Qing Tan was bossy and loved to show off his seniority. Seeing him change into this face, it was truly an eye-opener, and their original respect silently dissolved and dissipated.

Lu Fan waved his hand, appearing calm, but his expression gradually sank. He had been interrupted by Zu Qing Tan halfway through his words, and the topic had been deliberately diverted; it was likely that the Preaching Assembly had other twists and turns.

"It's just a First-Tier Spirit Tool. This young man Ge Hui has good eyes, and I like him very much, so let's leave it to him!"

Ge Hui was overjoyed, feeling as if a pie had fallen from the sky, almost knocking him dizzy. The others glared at him, envious and jealous, with ten thousand grass-mud horses galloping in their hearts.

Zu Qing Tan was clearly not focused on this; he had already felt Lu Fan's change, his expression was slightly flustered, and he was about to change the subject, but Lu Fan spoke again.

"President Zu, how is the matter that I discussed with you before? You should give me a definite answer!"

Upon hearing this, Zu Qing Tan's expression stiffened, appearing very embarrassed, and he said sheepishly: "Young Master Lu, that matter is too important, I'm afraid..."

"Hmph!" Lu Fan snorted coldly, dignified without anger, "I originally wanted to exchange some Rune Dao insights with the members of the guild. Since President Zu is unwilling, then forget it! Farewell!"

As soon as his voice fell, he waved his large sleeves, collected the few rune tools, and even wrapped the arcane sand table within them, turning to leave.

Qi Yue and the others were stunned. Hearing words like "exchange" and "Rune Dao insights," they were overjoyed. Lu Fan said it was an exchange, but it was clearly giving them pointers; if they missed this, they would be idiots.

"Young Master Lu! Let's talk this over!"

Qi Yue and Yang Bin took a step forward, one on the left and one on the right, hugging Lu Fan's shoulders, refusing to let the other party leave no matter what.

"There's nothing to talk about. Your President Zu's attitude is right here; does Lu Fan have to look at his face?"

Lu Fan said coldly, leaving no room for sentiment.

Qi Yue gritted his teeth, looked back at Zu Qing Tan, and said fiercely: "President Zu is old, and it's inevitable that he can't see some problems clearly; I beg Young Master Lu to stay."

His words sounded euphemistic, but they clearly meant that Zu Qing Tan was old and dim-sighted. The people around were all terrified, but in their hearts, they secretly agreed. Actually refusing Lu Fan's "exchange of Rune Dao insights"—if this wasn't being old and dim-sighted, what was it?