Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

At first glance, the nail forged by Jin Quan appeared dark blue; however, after staring at it for a moment, one could notice very fine golden threads amidst the dark blue.

And when rotated against the light, it became even more brilliant and lustrous as the crisscrossing golden threads formed an incomparably magnificent pattern.

As though the surface of the nail was wrapped in a layer of scales from a terrifying demon beast.

”Casting Dragon Scales!”

”Professor Jin has surprisingly used the Casting Dragon Scale Technique and forged this nail into a dragon scale Nail!”

A chubby schoolboy could not help but burst into an exclamation.

He was Jin Quan’s most faithful admirer. A while ago when he saw his idol being humiliated, he felt his heart itch as though it had been scratched by a monkey.

Finally, it was only when Jin Quan had forged the dragon scale nail that he was relieved of that feeling before his face lit up with happiness.

”Casting Dragon Scales” was a secret technique of the Empyrean Terminus Sect. When forging some rather simple and basic components, using the Casting Dragon Scales Technique, the surface of the component would be covered in a layer akin to dragon scales, turning the component harder and stronger in accordance with the bionics principle.

The nail strengthened using the Casting Dragon Scale Technique would be at least five times better than an ordinary nail forged using the same material!

”Professor Jin is truly awesome. I always thought that the Casting Dragon Scales Technique could only be used by the senior refiners of the older generation in the Empyrean Terminus Sect. I can’t believe Professor Jin, who is just twenty years old, had mastered this technique!”

”That’s right! Furthermore, Professor Jin looks so cool when he was crafting, unlike that weirdo who looked more like a convulsing madman.”

”Yeah, a convulsing madman indeed. There also wasn’t any patterns on the nail forged by him. Isn’t that just an ordinary nail? Even I can do that!”

In the blink of an eye, Jin Quan’s image in the hearts of these teenagers started to rise once again.

Refining was a profession where one paid the most attention to practice. Even if one boasted using the most fantastic words, how could it amount to anything?

In the final analysis, it was all about skills!

Squinting his pair of eyes, Li Yao swept a glance at the dragon scale nail in Jin Quan’s hands as the corner of his lips seemed to move; however, he didn’t say anything.

Whereas, his pupils contracted to the limit as two sharp-as-a-needlepoint aurae shot out from them.

He also admitted the fact that it was indeed a top-grade nail.

As before, holding the Dragon Scale nail, Elder Lie Yongming caressed and tossed it upward a few times but didn’t say anything. He silently handed the dragon scale nail back to Jin Quan.

Jin Quan, upon noticing that Li Yao was rendered speechless, also believed that Li Yao had admitted defeat willingly and became even more elated. His prestige, which had been beaten down a moment ago, staged a comeback, and his handsome face distorted a little as he laughed and said:

”Junior Brother Li, the modifications you have done on the crafting furnace are indeed pretty good. It is operating fairly smoothly, and there is not even the slightest bit of hampering in the circulation of spiritual energy. The dispensing of raw materials and mixing of coolants is also very convenient.”

”However, in accordance with the rules, we still have to test the two nails refined by us, testing their actual performance. And as long as there isn’t any too big of a defect, then your modifications will be approved!”

”In order to test the performance of these two nails forged by us, of course, we need many magical equipment and measuring equipment. However, testing through them is time-consuming and laborious, and at the very least, it would take us one and a half day to draw a conclusion.”

”I am confident in the strength of your institute, and as there are also so many students here, why should we waste time? How about we do this, let the two nails collide at a high speed. Generally, through the sound, flashes, and shock waves of the collision, as well as the wear and tear after the collision, we can check the strength of the nail.”

”However, using this ’collision test’, we can only draw a conclusion after three to five collisions. I wonder, can your nail withstand three to five collisions with my dragon scale nail?”

”If you are not confident, then we can forget it. We can still use the conventional testing methods. We would just have to spend a bit more time, that’s all.”

Li Yao was surprised for a moment as he pursed his lips into a smile which carried a sliver of coldness.

In the refiners’ community, the ”collision test” could be considered a relatively common testing method that was suitable for some structures or basic components which needed high rigidity and tensile strength.

During the super-speed collision, when the components collide, experienced refiners could roughly determine the performance of the component from the subsequent sounds, flashes, and shock waves.

However, for him to suddenly propose the collision test, it was obvious that Jin Quan had ill intentions.

The flames in the depths of Li Yao’s eyes burned more and more furiously, as he too was eager to test his own strength. He nodded while clenching his teeth:

”Alright, I don’t have a problem! Although the nail forged by me looks ordinary, I believe it can withstand three to five collision with the dragon scale nail.”

‘He took the bait!’

Jin Quan burst into excitement.

He believed that the crafting furnace was derived from Yuan Manqiu’s hand.

Looking for a bone in the ”Deep Sea Goddess’s” egg was very difficult![1]

However, Jin Quan had absolute confidence in the dragon scale nail forged by him. He muttered to himself, ’Is there any need for three to five collision? Isn’t it alright as long as Li Yao’s rotten nail explodes in the first collision?’

This way, he could more or less vent his hatred and also restore some face, and incidentally, also let everyone get a clear look at Li Yao’s, this braggart’s, true appearance.

Elder Lie Yongming raised his white eyebrows as he deeply stared at Jin Quan. His eyes flickered with an extremely complex look. Suddenly, he said, ”Jin Quan, since you are going to be using the collision test, it is not appropriate for you to conduct it, let me do it!”

Jin Quan was surprised for a moment before his face beamed with happiness.

’Did the old man also realize that Li Yao is a crazy braggart and wants to teach him a small lesson?’

The more Jin Quan thought of this, the more he found it reliable as he happily carried the dragon scale nail:

”Grand Master, please!”

Elder Lie Yongming stretched out his emaciated-like-a-stick hands, and with a slight move of his ten fingers, the two nails jumped out of Li Yao’s and Jin Quan’s hands and flew into the air as though they had been dragged by invisible wires!

All the silver-white hair on Elder Lie Yongming’s head stood erect as though his entire body was shrouded in an invisible static electricity. As he snapped his ten fingers, the two nails started to pull apart from each other bit by bit before they were separated by twenty meters and rotating at a high speed.

Under the direction of Yuan Manqiu, the high school students retreated by a dozen meters and stood behind a defensive array glyph.

Many of them were witnessing such a stimulating collision test for the first time, and soon, they began whispering to each other:

”What do you think? How many times can that weirdo’s rotten nail collide with the dragon scale nail?”

”Up to five times?”

”Three times I think, up to three times. The dragon scale nail is highly rigid. I have heard that some cultivators who move their weapons with their thoughts specially buy a large amount of dragon scale nails and use them as a hidden weapon which could even pierce the shell of demon beasts!”

”I wonder whether this weirdo’s nail will bend from the collision.”

”It should… be impossible. This weirdo still has some ability. I think his nail can collide with the dragon scale nail up to two times!”

Jin Quan stood proudly and comfortably with his arms crossed as though a gentle breeze was caressing his face.

He seemed to be looking up at the two nails; however, most of his attention was on Li Yao.

He didn’t want to miss the stunned, embarrassed, and ashamed look on Li Yao’s face when that rotten jet-black nail explodes!

Li Yao, on the other hand, was staring at the sky with rapt attention while his fists were tightly clenched to the point that thick green veins had emerged on his arms; he was extremely tensed.

”Fizz!”

With the move of Elder Lie Yongming’s thoughts, the two nails rotated to the limit and made an ear-piercing noise from the friction with the air!

Suddenly, Elder Lie Yongming’s eyes opened widely as they radiated with a lustrous and dazzling brilliance as though two crystal searchlights were instantly switched on!

”Whizz!”

”Whizz!”

In the front of the two nails, a mass of white mist respectively appeared.

It was the sound barrier!

The two nails broke through the speed of sound!

Under the speed of sound, the twenty meters gap was engulfed in the blink of an eye as the two nails ruthlessly collided with each other!

Everyone didn’t hear anything and only saw a resplendent ball of light suddenly expand, following which something broke into pieces and was shot out.

A few fragments struck upon the defensive array glyph and burst forth with a ”crack” noise.

Only now did the deafening sound of the collision, the grating noise from the high-speed air friction, as well as the sound of a nail blasting into pieces bombard their ears!

”Ah, it broke into pieces!”

”Li Yao’s nail could not withstand even one collision and was broken by the dragon scale nail!”

”It’s too disappointing, right? Damn, I thought he was someone with peerless skills. Obviously, the many theories he has spoken of sounded plausible!?

”What’s the point of exaggerating theories in superlative terms if he can’t even forge a nail? Refiner my ass!”

”That’s right! Although our Empyrean Terminus Sect’s dragon scale nail has high rigidity, an ordinary nail should be able to withstand at least three to five collision, right!?

”In just one collision, it broke into pieces. Isn’t that disgraceful?”

The Li Yao’s wrapped-in-a-shroud-of-mystery image in the hearts of the teenagers collapsed and was completely reduced to nothing but that of a rhetorical theorist.

Oh, so he was a theorist with great strength.

”Haha, it broke into pieces in just one tenth of a second. It’s even weaker than I imagined!”

Jin Quan bit his tongue hard while laughing before he forced a smile on his face as he gazed at Li Yao’s face.

’Never would have thought that this madman’s face would be so thick that there wouldn’t even be an ounce of expression on his face, but instead, with a shining bright pair of eyes akin to black crystal, he would thoughtfully stare into the air.’

”Stupid, stupid… how could I be so stupid!”

Just as Jin Quan, who was fired with boundless enthusiasm, wanted to open his mouth, two screams suddenly came from behind—it was the chubby boy.

During the collision, some fragments shot at the defensive array glyph and bounced off, which just so happened to fall not too far from him.

The young, fat boy was momentarily excited and stretched out his fat ass as he bent over to the ground to pick up the fragment.

However, he didn’t know that due to the high-speed rotation and collision, the nail had accumulated a lot of heat and was just like a red-hot nail. Immediately, a bunch of blisters emerged on his fingers.

The first scream was precisely due to this.

The second scream, however, was due to the shocking discovery made by the young, fat boy. The fragment on the ground was of dark blue color and was completely covered in thin golden threads as though it was covered in a layer of dragon scales.

To his dismay, it turned out to be a fragment from the dragon scale nail!

During the high-speed collision, was the nail which exploded instantaneously... the Dragon! Scale! Nail!?

The young, fat boy was flabbergasted as he fell down on the ground with his legs apart while distractedly looking at the dragon scale nail’s fragment and even forgot the piercing pain on his fingertips.

His mouth opened wider and wider to the point that the uvula in his throat was showing.

”Li Shanhao, what happened to you?”

One by one, the students noticed the strange appearance of the young, fat boy before they gathered around him

The young, fat boy kept blinking his eyes. His Adam’s apple moved for a long while, but he could not utter one word. He could only use his thick and short trembling finger to point at the fragment of the dragon scale nail.

After half a second, everyone had fallen into the same panic-stricken and dumbfounded state as the fat boy!

Everyone looked at each other; they did not dare to believe their eyes.

Professor Jin Quan, who was the most handsome, the coolest, and the strongest in their mind had actually lost... he had thoroughly lost?

”Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Numerous gaze simultaneously shot towards Jin Quan.

Everyone wanted to see how Jin Quan was going to respond. How would he fight back?

[1] - To find flaws