After placing their bets, the young gamblers didn’t leave.

The red-clad leader asked, “Dealer, is there a separate betting pool for Tang Biao?”

“Second Master Tang?” The experienced dealer’s mind was racing. “Are they trying to bet on an underdog first, then go for a favorite? Hmm, looks clever, but it’s actually pretty foolish.”

Typically, the chance of an underdog winning is very slim.

The hot favorites might fail spectacularly.

The best bet is usually on something moderately popular, but not too much.

Those are more likely to have a surprising outcome.

These young rich kids, newly allowed out by their elders and drawn to the casino atmosphere, often bet big and lose everything, but keep coming back because they have money.

Casinos love such customers.

The dealer cheerfully led Qin Ruqing and the others over, explaining as they walked, “Here are all the individual betting options for Second Master Tang. There are two: one is whether he will win the championship in this competition, and the other is whether he can create the legendary spirit artifact in a few years.”

Qin Ruqing glanced around and saw the options for the first bet were simply “yes” and “no.” She promptly bet on “no.”

Her decisive manner made the dealer’s mouth twitch.

Then she saw the second bet: how many years it would take Tang Biao to create the spirit artifact.

Qin Ruqing looked up and seriously asked, “Can you add an option for Tang Biao not only failing to create the artifact but also losing his reputation?”

Where did this little maniac come from? The dealer almost thought she was here to cause trouble, but seeing her serious expression, he stiffly shook his head. “No, we don’t have that option.”

Qin Ruqing clicked her tongue, then without hesitation, poured all her remaining chips into the “never create the artifact” option.

As they were leaving, the dealer stopped them because the bet was too large and the option too outrageous.

The casino was afraid of the responsibility.

They had to sign a guarantee form before they were allowed to leave.

In the following days, Qin Ruqing and her companions alternated between the bustling casino and the alchemy square.

The casino was always lively, but the Refining Artifact square had occasional movement.

After three days, the crowds dwindled as the Refiner focused on their work, which wasn’t very entertaining to watch unless one was sincerely interested in learning.

According to a young man on a bench, if they wanted to see excitement, they should come in the last three days.

By then, Refiner would start presenting their finished spirit artifacts to the judges for evaluation.

Naturally, Qin Ruqing and her friends came on the final day.

After all, the person they were interested in shouldn’t finish their work early.

Surprisingly, the young man was still there.

He warmly greeted Qin Ruqing, though his eyes had dark circles that made him look a bit scary.

Qin Ruqing noticed the screen and exclaimed, “Half of them are empty!”

The young man happily pulled up a chair beside her and replied, “Exactly. Those who came out early are generally among the less skilled contestants. Their scores from the judges weren’t very high, mostly just upper-level ratings.”

Qin Ruqing nodded, “What about the favorites in the competition?”

Counting on his fingers, the young man said, “Both the Lin mother and daughter are competing this time, and they’re popular figures. Look, that Fairy Yijun over there is already doing the final tempering process. She’s probably about to finish!”

“The Fairy Yijun’s mother, who is the head of the Lin Clan, hmm… Her progress is a bit slow this time. It seems she’s aiming big and preparing to refine something significant.”

“Next is Old Man Shi, rumored to be an alchemist from the Eastern Region with a mysterious background. His Refining techniques are quite different from ours here, but he’s definitely a master-level expert. I bet he’s not inferior to the Lin Clan Head.”

After going through everyone else, the young man on the bench came to Tang Biao in order.

Just as he was about to mention this name, he hesitated instinctively and nervously looked at Qin Ruqing.

Qin Ruqing glanced at him. “Why should I care? I have no grudge with the Tang family. Go ahead, tell me.”

“No grudge?” The young man clearly didn’t quite believe it, but he swallowed nervously and continued, “Tang Biao… I think most people can see he’s refining his famous artifact this time. After so many years, he seems to have gained new insights and intends to use that artifact to surpass everyone!”

The young man’s face showed a flicker of anticipation, not for Tang Biao himself, but as an refiner, he instinctively anticipated the emergence of such a heavyweight spirit artifact.

Qin Ruqing smirked. “Oh? Tang Biao is choosing to refine his famous artifact this time? That’s quite interesting.”

Wouldn’t this just happen to coincide with Tang Zifeng’s appearance?

Sure, let everyone see the difference between the original and the imitation.

About an hour later, one of the highly anticipated popular contestants finally showed some activity.

The screen for number fifty-one suddenly went dark.

Someone noticed and exclaimed, “Monitor fifty-one went off! It’s Fairy Yijun! Fairy Yijun is coming out!”

Ah, the glamorous sister who always makes an entrance.

Qin Ruqing nodded.

Sure enough, she saw Lin Yijun, dressed in purple, stepping out from the hall.

The moment she appeared, she captivated everyone’s attention.

She stood at the door for a while, seemingly waiting for something.

Only when everyone’s attention was on her did she move.

With a light step, she leaped onto a high platform.

After respectfully greeting the judges, she took out her crafted spirit artifact—a whip-like object.

Lin Yijun raised the whip high and with a smile on her lips, she announced, “This artifact is named the Whip of Mount Tai. Named after Mount Tai’s pressure, each strike can weigh tens of thousands of kilograms. It can exhibit different effects based on the user’s attributes. A thunder attribute user can imbue it with lightning strikes, while a fire attribute user can ignite fierce flames along its length, greatly enhancing its attack power…”

As Lin Yijun spoke, the Refiner in the square showed expressions of astonishment.

Crafting an artifact that harmonized with multiple attributes was already difficult enough, but to make each attribute enhance the artifact uniquely was extraordinary.

Even the master alchemists on the judging panel nodded slowly, showing their approval.

For these accomplished masters, seeing talented young people was always a delight.

The Whip of Mount Tai was first taken into the hands of Grandmaster Qishan.

He was a revered figure in a prominent local Artifact refiner family in Xiling, known for his expertise.

In Xiling, unlike in other regions where status was purely based on lineage, here, due to the limited cultivation of Xiling cultivators, technical skill was also highly valued.

In the realm of artifacts, Grandmaster Qishan’s family was as reputable as the Tang family.

Grandmaster Qishan had always supported Xiling.

Today, seeing such outstanding young talents from Xiling, he couldn’t help but praise them.

“As we all know, normally, artifacts can only maximize their attack power when they match a single attribute. The more attributes they match, the more spirit materials need to be harmonized, which usually weakens the attack power. This whip not only overcomes that drawback but also provides additional effects according to different attributes. Truly remarkable.”

After a moment of contemplation, Grandmaster Qishan declared, “Excellent creativity, excellent attributes, excellent functionality. I rate it as Grade A.”

Grade A! The first Grade A of the competition!

Lin Yijun’s face lit up with joy.

She immediately bowed, “Thank you, Grandmaster Qishan!”

Grandmaster Qishan smiled.

A steward nearby took a golden pen and began engraving the judges’ scores on the announcement board.

As the pen moved, the central board in the square also displayed the scores in large, clear letters, even larger and clearer than those on the high platform.

With Grandmaster Qishan leading the way, subsequent judges, Yuantai and Luming, also awarded Grade A ratings.

This marked the third Grade A so far.

If Lin Yijun were to achieve a fourth Grade A, tomorrow’s newspapers from all realms would spread the news, solidifying her fame across the four domains.

The crucial score was now in the hands of Grandmaster Minghua. He remained solemn and did not show favor just because of Lin Yijun’s age.

After carefully examining the whip, he stated, “I cannot give you Grade A. My rating is… Grade B.”

Grade B! Not even Grade A! Why was his assessment so different from the previous judges!

Lin Yijun’s proud expression shattered momentarily, her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.