Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Qin Yu frowned. "Master Xuli, I never said that."

"You didn’t say it, but that’s what you meant. I may be old, Xuli, but I’m not an idiot," Xuli said coldly.

"What you think is your own business. The City Construction Department is demolishing this shop today in full accordance with the laws of the Empire. Does Master Xuli believe his seniority puts him above the law?"

Qin Yu was fuming inside, seeing Xuli ruin his plans.

He was a scion of the prestigious Qin family. If it were Master Li Xu or someone of that caliber, he might have yielded. But he knew Xuli’s status all too well. On paper, Xuli was the Shopkeeper of the Artifact Refining Workshop’s pavilion, but in reality, he was merely a nominal disciple of Master Lu Li. Others might fear him, but Qin Yu, who had been arrogant his whole life, wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

Qin Yu’s attitude infuriated Xuli.

Even the Patriarch of the Qin family would have to treat him with respect. This Qin Yu truly didn’t know his place.

"Huang Zhong, is what Young Master Qin said what you want to say as well?" he asked, glaring coldly at Huang Zhong.

"Th-this..."

Huang Zhong stammered, unable to get a single word out.

"Good. Very good." Xuli’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint within them. "The Artifact Refining Workshop will be taking this matter up directly with Director Wu of the City Construction Department. We’ll see if your department really intends to demolish a shop belonging to our Workshop."

"Master Xuli, this..." Huang Zhong’s face turned pale, and he began to tremble.

He and Qin Yu were the ones who had cooked up this whole "rezoning" of the market’s east street. If this blew up and reached the City Construction Department’s leadership, he would be in for a world of hurt.

"Alright, enough nonsense. This is the Artifact Refining Workshop’s territory. Gentlemen, must I personally ask you to leave? If you really want to demolish the shop, fine. Have your Director Wu bring an official order from the Empire."

With a wave of his hand, Xuli couldn’t be bothered to say any more.

"Kid, you got lucky today. Captain Huang, we’re leaving." Qin Yu shot Ye Xuan a vicious glare before turning and leaving with Huang Zhong.

The few members of the City Construction Department’s Law Enforcement Team who had been taught a lesson saw things weren’t going their way and scurried away after the two.

"Master Xuli, little brother, my apologies for today’s disturbance. Please don’t take offense." Shao Jun cupped his hands toward Xuli and Ye Xuan’s group, plastering on a smile before also leaving the scene with his Celestial Dragon Guard members.

His face was ashen. He wanted nothing more than to chop Huang Zhong into pieces.

Witnessing this turn of events, the crowd on the street began to disperse, their voices a low murmur of discussion.

With just a few words from Master Xuli, the prestigious Qin family, the City Construction Department, and the Celestial Dragon Guard had all backed down. His domineering presence left them breathless.

At the same time, Ye Xuan’s identity became a subject of immense curiosity.

In no time, all sorts of rumors began to spread.

"Thank you for your help, Master Xuli."

"Thank you, Young Master Ye."

Once the crowd had gone, the members of the Luo family finally realized their shop was safe. They stared at Ye Xuan in shock, one by one coming forward to express their gratitude.

They knew that although Master Xuli had been the one to step forward, the key person was Ye Xuan. Without him, the Luo family’s shop would have been done for today.

Xuli waved his hand, then glanced at the part of the Luo family’s shop that had been smashed by the City Construction Department. He cupped his hands toward Ye Xuan and said, "Young Master Ye, rest assured, the Artifact Refining Workshop will get justice for you for what happened today."

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Master Xuli."

After the City Construction Department had caused such a scene, Ye Xuan had no intention of letting them get away scot-free. However, he lacked the influence to do anything himself and could only rely on the Artifact Refining Workshop to act.

The two parties exchanged a few more pleasantries before going their separate ways.

After bidding farewell to Ye Xuan, Xuli didn’t return to the Artifact Refining Workshop’s pavilion. Instead, he hurried to Artifact Lane.

Although he knew the token in Ye Xuan’s hand was real, he had never met Ye Xuan before. The matter was complicated, so he had to report it.

Upon hearing Xuli’s report, Master Li Xu was completely baffled. There was no such person in the Artifact Refining Workshop. But a moment later, he thought of Ye Xuan.

And so, the matter was reported up to Master Lu Li.

"That kid really knows how to stir up trouble. When did he get involved with the Luo family? Here I am, working my tail off to find materials for him, and he’s out there acting all high and mighty. Isn’t that just using me as free labor?" Master Lu Li first burst out laughing, then immediately started cursing Ye Xuan.

"Master, how should we handle this matter?" Seeing that Master Lu Li hadn’t given any instructions, Li Xu and Xuli couldn’t help but ask.

"How to handle it? Do I have to teach you how to deal with such a trivial matter? Since when did a token I, Lu Li, gave out become so useless? Daring to demolish a shop belonging to my Artifact Refining Workshop... The Qin family and the City Construction Department have some nerve. If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll think our Workshop is an easy target."

Master Lu Li was a man with a fiery temper. He laid into Li Xu and Xuli. "If you can’t even handle this, don’t bother coming to see me again. Honestly, not a single one of you can share my burden. You have to come ask me about every little thing."

Master Li Xu knew his master was angry. He and Xuli shared a wry smile and carefully backed out of the room.

However, once they were outside, their expressions turned grim.

"Xuli, if I recall correctly, most of the Empire’s major departments cooperate with our Artifact Refining Workshop for their equipment, don’t they?" Li Xu asked in a cold voice.

"Yes." Xuli was in charge of all the Artifact Refining Workshop’s external business, so he was naturally aware.

The production of many weapons and armors for the City Guard, the Celestial Dragon Guard, and even the Imperial Army was handled by workshops affiliated with the Artifact Refining Workshop.

It was safe to say that the Artifact Refining Workshop held a near-monopoly on all Artifact Refining projects within the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital.

"Halt all of our joint projects with the Celestial Dragon Guard and the City Construction Department. Return all the commissions they previously entrusted to us. Then, send a formal letter to both departments. I want an explanation for what happened today," Li Xu said, his face dark.

He might have to swallow his pride in front of his master, but it was a different story when dealing with other powers.

"I’m giving you full authority to handle this. Don’t bother me with it again. You must resolve Young Master Ye’s matter properly. The most important thing is to make sure Young Master Ye is satisfied."

Li Xu knew his master currently held Ye Xuan in high regard. Moreover, the Artifact Refining talent Ye Xuan had displayed had deeply shocked Li Xu himself.

"Yes."

With the backing of Master Lu Li and Master Li Xu, Xuli was ecstatic.

As the Shopkeeper of the Artifact Refining Workshop, he appeared very prestigious to outsiders. But some of the great families and powers who knew the truth weren’t always respectful to him.

Just earlier, a mere disciple from a great family like Qin Yu had dared to oppose him. How could he not be furious?

With this opportunity, Xuli would make everyone understand that even though he was only a nominal disciple, he was not someone who could be offended by just anyone.

「In a luxurious restaurant in the Imperial Capital.」

Qin Yu was hosting a banquet to help calm the nerves of Huang Zhong and the few injured members of the City Construction Department’s Law Enforcement Team.

"Young Master Qin Yu, we provoked the Artifact Refining Workshop today. Will there be any trouble?"

Ever since leaving the market, Huang Zhong had felt a sense of unease, as if something bad was about to happen.

"What trouble could there be? That market is indeed under the jurisdiction of the City Construction Department. We were just following procedure. No matter how arrogant the Artifact Refining Workshop is, they can’t argue with that."

"But that Master Xuli..."

"Pah! What Master Xuli?" Qin Yu spat, his face full of disdain. "To put it nicely, he’s a ’Master’. To put it bluntly, he’s just a nominal disciple. He’s been following Master Lu Li for at least twenty years, right? And he still hasn’t even become a Direct Disciple. What kind of talent could he have? In the Artifact Refining Workshop, he’s definitely a fringe character."

"Come on, you’re a captain in the City Construction Department. What the hell are you afraid of? If they dare go to your superior to make trouble for you, just mention the Qin family’s name. I’m the one who dragged you into this, so of course I won’t stand by and do nothing."

Qin Yu poured Huang Zhong a cup of wine and continued, "The Qin family can’t afford to provoke the entire Artifact Refining Workshop, but a mere Xuli is nothing to worry about. Come on, drink up."

Hearing Qin Yu’s words, Huang Zhong, though still a bit unsettled, gradually began to calm down.

Originally, Huang Zhong had planned to report this matter to his boss, but as the alcohol went down, he gradually forgot all about it.

"To hell with the damn Artifact Refining Workshop. One of these days, I’ll tear it down myself."

He cursed loudly as he drank.

「Meanwhile, the City Construction Department was in a state of chaos.」

The City Construction Department had a director, surnamed Wu, who oversaw all of the Empire’s urban construction affairs.

Although the City Construction Department didn’t command political power, troops, or finances, it managed all urban construction matters for the Empire, making it a very lucrative department among the many imperial offices.

And Director Wu, despite being just a director, was thriving and throwing his weight around.

Normally, he never bothered with the department’s affairs, leaving them to his deputy director. As for him, he spent his time wining and dining with imperial nobles, living a life of utter leisure.

But today, Director Wu had been sneezing repeatedly at home. Just as he was feeling puzzled and uneasy, he received the news that the Artifact Refining Workshop wanted to terminate its cooperation with the City Construction Department.

Director Wu’s world was instantly thrown into chaos.

He knew that cooperating with the Artifact Refining Workshop wasn’t his decision at all; it was a direct order from the Empire.

Basically, the Empire had an explicit decree that some of its official powers were only allowed to cooperate with the Artifact Refining Workshop.

This was part of a series of efforts made by the Empire to win over Master Lu Li.

After all, an Artifact Refining Master could thrive anywhere. Why should he stay in the Sky Empire?

You say the Sky Empire is Master Lu Li’s homeland? Ridiculous. In this day and age, a powerful individual could roam the continent and live anywhere. This was especially true for an expert Artifact Refining Master like Lu Li. He could even secure a place for himself in a higher realm, so why would he stay in a place like the Dream Realm Plain?