The silence in the lobby was deafening, a heavy weight pressing on every soul, broken only by the relentless thump of beating hearts.
Eyes fixed on Elder Yuan, anticipation hung thick in the air, each breath tense and audible.
They had co to witness his mastery, to watch him peel away the Thousand Wealth Chamber mask with surgeon’s precision.
Yet, in a shocking twist, it was Elder Yuan who lay exposed, vulnerably laid bare like an open book.
His stillness, frozen in ti, revealed a silent surrender—proof that he had finally t his match, and in that silence, truth was painfully revealed.
Weng Ping gazed at his master, utterly frozen, a storm of confusion and helplessness swirling within him.
His mind scread to reveal the lies, to shout that this was all a cruel deception, but the words clung stubbornly at his throat, refusing to erge.
Mo Jian looked at the quiet, stunned crowd before his gaze shifted to the master and disciple.
If he was ranked second in artifact refinent, no one would dare claim to be first.
A re Interdiate Tier-2 dared act arrogantly before him. If he was not asking for a thrashing, then what was he asking for?
After what seed like forever, Elder Yuan recovered from his shock. He squinted and arranged his thoughts. Shouting and blind argunt would make him lose more face.
Therefore, he accepted he had t a foe stronger than him. But he was not ready to go down without fighting.
"You said my Stonewall Rune had many errors. But you never said the errors. Perhaps, you are bluffing."
When the still, quiet crowd heard his voice, they looked at Mo Jian, waiting for his response. Their previous bias had long vanished into thin air.
Just the ability to recognize and find the errors in Elder Yuan’s artifact was enough to prove his ttle in artifact refinent.
With what he had shown so far, who would dare call him a novice or fraud? Would a fraud have such profound knowledge about artifact refinent?
If they had such knowledge, they wouldn’t mind being labeled a fraud.
Feeling all the gazes on him, Mo Jian did not fluster. A light smile appeared on his lips. "The Stonewall Rune enhances the physical toughness of artifacts. But when you’re inscribing the runes, there are errors in the third, sixth, eighth, and thirteenth nodes."
"There are more, but they are the major errors." He turned his head and looked at the crowd. "Is there anyone who is a runic master?"
For a mont, no one responded. Just then, a middle-aged man in his early forties stepped forward.
"Young Master, I’m a Tier-1 Rune master."
"Good." Mo Jian nodded. "To prove to everyone I’m not speaking nonsense, he’s going to inscribe the Stonewall Rune according to my correction."
"Though I’m going to correct one error, you must not expect to reveal the secret of my chamber."
The crowd nodded. Who would reveal their secret just because of a re chamber? Everyone looked at Elder Yuan, waiting for his response.
"I don’t mind. As long as it proves what you said." Elder Yuan shrugged. All the flaws in his artifact had been revealed, now he could only hold to this little chance.
Quickly, a female attendant ca with a Tier-1 beastskin and the materials needed for inscribing runes.
They showed both Elder Yuan and the crowd. Everyone confird there wasn’t any fault with the materials.
"Now, I’ll tell you the first correction," Mo Jian said to the man.
The man nodded and listened carefully to Mo Jian’s instructions.
"Do you understand?"
"Young Master, I understand." His eyes brightened; his face full of excitent.
Even those that did not understand runes could tell he had gained massively just from the short explanation.
As for Elder Yuan, a visible shock appeared on his face.
How is this possible?!
Combining the second and thirteenth nodes with the third node in a parallel pattern.
This is not rune.
This is jargon.
The energy will explode.
The ordinary Tier-1 Rune Master might not know the implication of these changes, but how could he not know?
He took a deep breath to control his impulse to scream.
I knew it! This idiot knew nothing about runes.
Perhaps, he only learned a half-baked theory about the rune and thought he was sothing.
Huh! He got in the beginning.
As long as he fails, I can still turn this around.
With that thought, a slight smile crept up his face and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes. Standing beside his master, Weng Ping noticed his master’s behavior and he wondered.
Is it possible the correction was going to fail?
It must be it! Without it, my master wouldn’t be smiling.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was closer to the truth.
I knew it! This fraud was lying all this while.
He clenched his fist, thinking he had taken them for fools. Humph! Just wait, when everything fails and your facade will end.
Unknown to both the master and disciple, the Tier-1 Rune Master had begun to inscribe the rune on the beastskin.
Everyone inside the lobby held their breath, their eyes burning with anticipation.
Will it succeed?
Or was this just a ruse?
With each passing second, the tension grew stronger, and the silence stretched thin. No one dared make a noise.
This was a mont of truth.
Among the crowd, so saw both the master and disciple smile and couldn’t help but wonder why they were smiling.
Slightly, the atmosphere shifted.
Did they know the rune would fail or what?
Or have they gone mad?
Perhaps, the correction was no correction but nonsense.
Various thoughts appeared in their minds, but no one voiced their concern as they all waited for the rune inscription to complete.
After ten minutes, the Tier-1 Rune Master completed inscribing the Stonewall Rune on the beastskin.
He exhaled and wiped off the bead of sweat from his forehead. He had never been this nervous in his life.
"Young Master, I’m done." A bright smile appeared on his lips.
Even though he was amazed by the intricacies of the new rune taught by Mo Jian, there was still so doubt in his mind.
When he was inscribing the rune, he had expected energy to explode or sothing to happen, but none of it appeared.
Without testing the Stonewall Rune, its completion had already spoken volus of how genuine the rune was.
This Young Master was not saying rubbish at all.
As for Elder Yuan, the light smile on his face had long disappeared since the completion of the Stonewall Rune.
How could this be?
How could such jargon work without exploding?
This is impossible!
What happened had driven him to the brink of insanity. Everything he learned or knew was crumbling before this jargon.
"Master, are you alright?" Weng Ping asked in a low voice when he saw the erratic breathing of his master.
Slowly, veins protruded on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot from anger, confusion, and disbelief.
Just then, a voice shouted from the crowd.
"How is it, Elder Yuan? Is it correct?"
"Yes, Elder Yuan, quickly tell us if it is correct or not."
Elder Yuan gritted his teeth, his heart rising and falling with bolted anger. What did these ignorant people know?
He wanted to shout that it failed but couldn’t open his mouth. When they were not blind? They all saw the Stonewall Rune completed.
As for finding flaws in the Stonewall Rune, he barely understood anything from this new Stonewall Rune.
Watching Elder Yuan go crazy from anger and shock, Mo Jian sneered and said calmly.
"You don’t need to ask him. Since the rune did not explode or catch fire, it is successful. There are no errors with my correction."
"Huh!"
The crowd gasped in shock before a look of realization appeared on their faces.
So that was why Elder Yuan was silent. He knew the Stonewall Rune was a success.
I knew it! Soone that could point out flaws from his runes and forging techniques would know a better thod.
Now! I want to hear Elder Yuan’s excuse.
Listening to the chatter of the crowd, both the master’s expressions turned ugly with each passing comnt.
Previously, they thought with the crowd they would rose to fa, but now. They had beco a joke. A joke that would soon spread throughout the capital.
Looking at his quiet master, Weng Ping was enraged. Old man, say sothing. We can’t afford to lose now.
He had offended many people with the prestige of his master and if all were to be lost now, he knew his days in the capital would be hell.
Mo Jian looked at Elder Yuan without any change in his expression. From the beginning, he had not left his expensive couch and frequently sipped his tea.
To him, it seed like Elder Yuan was nothing but a clown.
Indeed, he was a clown.
"Do you have anything to say?" he asked.
Elder Yuan opened his mouth but words failed to co out. He tried to find flaws in everything Mo Jian said or did but found none.
It was like he was in front of an insurmountable mountain. Compared to the mountain, he was nothing but an ant.
"Are you above Tier-2 Artifact Refinent?" Elder Yuan finally asked the question that was burning in his mind.
He tried everything. Only soone who was above him by a large margin could defeat him this easily.
The crowd widened their eyes in disbelief. Soone above a Tier-2!
The Southern Region had never had such a person. Could this young man really be above it?
Everyone turned their attention to him, their eyes burning with anticipation as they waited for his response.
Even Weng Ping could not believe his ears. A boy of his age. Can he really be above Tier-2?
Mo Jian looked at the crowd and stood from his seat. "You don’t need to know. But know this, you’re too far from my level."
With that, he left. He left the audience stunned and their jaws agape. As for the matter of the legendary artifact, who would dare ask about it.
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