"You can be at ease about that. Although Yuan Ming is new, he has already thoroughly studied the 'Basics of Refining' and has no problem identifying ores," said Chen Wan in this manner.

"I can't be at ease just yet. Look here, do you recognize all these ores?" Wu Ri glanced at Yuan Ming and gestured with his chin toward the rack next to them, which had more than a dozen types of ores placed on it.

Yuan Ming's gaze swept over the rack and he began to name them in order: "Black Iron Stone, Fire Jade, Wangyue Iron, Kunshan Sand..."

Initially, Wu Ri had some contempt for Yuan Ming, but as he listened, he finally began to show some emotion.

Today, he was refining a peculiar hidden weapon, and the materials used were very obscure. Yuan Ming had actually named all these ores correctly.

"...As for this last one, it should be Yin Marrow Crystal," Yuan Ming said, pausing for a moment before continuing as he looked at the last black crystal stone, the size of a fist.

"Indeed, you actually recognize this?" The surprise on Wu Ri's face intensified.

He had only received the Yin Marrow Crystal yesterday. It was an extremely rare and obscure type of spiritual material. Had it not been for this task, he wouldn't have recognized it himself.

"I saw a record of it by chance in a book about spiritual materials," Yuan Ming explained.

This Yin Marrow Crystal; he did not know it from the 'Herborist' or 'Basics of Refining', but from the Moonlight Technique. This material contained rich Yin Qi and was one of the spiritual materials needed for the subsequent cultivation of the Moonlight Technique.

"Not bad, I'll take this man," Wu Ri said, his face breaking into a smile as he turned to Chen Wan.

"Then I'll leave this person to you," Chen Wan said without lingering further, turning to leave.

"You're Yuan Ming? Work well under me, and you won't be treated unfairly," Wu Ri said to Yuan Ming, offering words of encouragement.

"Yes, I ask for your guidance, Wu Ri." Yuan Ming replied respectfully, maintaining a modest attitude.

"Very well, start working. As for what to do specifically, listen to Lina's instructions," Wu Ri said, pleased with Yuan Ming's attitude, pointing to the tall female disciple sifting materials before continuing with his forging.

"Senior Sister Lina, please instruct me," said Yuan Ming as he approached the tall female disciple.

"You start by smashing ten pieces of Black Iron Stone," Lina said without even lifting her eyes, her tone cold.

Yuan Ming raised his eyebrows, unsure when he had offended this woman.

However, he did not pay it much mind. He picked up ten pieces of Black Iron Stone from the rack, took a hammer used for breaking stones, and struck down hard on them.

With a loud "clang," the hammer rebounded back, causing his fingers to tingle slightly, but the Black Iron Stone merely cracked open a slit.

Yuan Ming's eyes flashed with surprise. Just now, when Lina and the round-faced female disciple struck the ores, one hit would directly shatter the stones into several pieces. Could it be that his strength was less than that of a woman?

As he pondered, he took a deep breath, swung the hammer down again, putting more force into it, but the result was still unsatisfactory.

"Channel mana into the hammer," a soft voice suggested. It was the round-faced girl kindly reminding him in a whisper.

Yuan Ming's eyes lit up. He channeled mana into the hammer, and a faint golden pattern appeared at the base of the hammerhead, looking like two fractures intersecting each other.

"What is this?" He wondered to himself, surprised, as he swung the hammer down onto the Black Iron Stone.

With a loud "clang," the stone, which had been exceptionally hard before, suddenly became fragile and shattered into several pieces upon impact.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister," Yuan Ming said with joy, thanking the round-faced girl.

In Biluo Cave, seniority was arranged according to the order of entry. Although the round-faced girl seemed younger than him, he still had to address her as Senior Sister.

The round-faced girl's cheeks turned red, and she didn't respond, focusing on her work instead.

Yuan Ming smiled slightly and continued to focus on smashing the Black Iron Stone in front of him.

Once he grasped the knack, his efficiency at breaking stones increased greatly, and he swiftly swung the hammer.

Although he couldn't continuously swing the casting hammer a thousand times, swinging this smaller Gravel Hammer was more than manageable for him. Soon, he finished processing a basket of materials and handed the broken stones over to the round-faced female disciple.

"Next is Wangyue Iron," Lina handed him a basket of Wangyue Iron.

Yuan Ming picked up his hammer and continued working.

With Yuan Ming's help, the sifting work became well-organized, and Wu Ri's casting speed also increased. The day's task was completed well before 11:45 AM.

"Very good, if you can continue at this pace, there will be a thirty percent increase in your remuneration at the end of the month!" Wu Ri was very satisfied with the day's progress.

On the way here, Chen Wan had mentioned that working in the Fire Workshop was not voluntary labor, and Biluo Cave would give some remuneration.

However, this remuneration was usually paid directly to disciples like Wu Ri, who were in forging, while the sifting and fire-tending staff's remuneration was distributed by the forging disciples. This also led to the forging disciples feeling superior.

"Thank you, Brother Wu Ri!" the bald young man was the first to thank him, followed by the two women sifting materials.

Yuan Ming also thanked him.

After Wu Ri encouraged them with a few more words, he turned and left the casting house.

Yuan Ming had been smashing ores all morning and his arms ached. He was just about to finish the last of his tasks and then head back to rest when he suddenly heard the bald young man's voice from behind:

"Hey, come here for a moment."

"Elder Brother Agula, is there something else?" he turned around.

Having spent the morning in the casting house, he had learned a few people's names. The bald youth was named Agula, and the round-faced female disciple was called Qiqige.

"You're called Yuan Ming, right? From now on, after finishing your work each day, clean the casting house before you leave," Agula instructed, pointing around the casting house in a commanding manner.

Yuan Ming looked at Agula and remained silent.

He had been at the Fire Workshop for some time now, and he wasn't completely unaware of how things worked here. In other casting houses, the cleanup was done by everyone except the forging disciples. Agula assigning him this task alone was clearly an attempt to make things difficult on purpose.

"What's the matter, you have a problem with that?" Agula stood up with his hands clasped, cracking his knuckles with a snapping noise.

Yuan Ming pursed his lips and picked up the broom from the corner, beginning to clean.

"Wise decision," Agula chuckled, stretching lazily before turning and walking out.

Lina left as well, and Qiqige hesitated for a moment before she too left the forging house.

It took Yuan Ming almost half an hour to clean the place thoroughly.

Having hammered ore all morning, he was considerably drained. The additional effort of cleaning the casting house left him with a sore back and aching muscles.

He reckoned that if he really got into a fight with the bald man, his adversary might not necessarily come off better. Still new to the place, Yuan Ming didn't want to cause any trouble and decided it was better to keep a low profile.

With the house empty, Yuan Ming closed the door, sat down cross-legged, and started circulating the Nine Elements Technique.

The Nine Elements Technique was effective in quickly restoring physical energy. The fatigue accumulated from swinging the hammer soon dissipated, and strength returned to his body.

"This Nine Elements Technique is truly profound. I wonder what attribute it has? With such strong recovery capabilities, could it be the Wood attribute or perhaps the Water attribute?" Yuan Ming stood up, moving his body.

Cultivators are distinguished by the attributes of their Spirit Roots, and cultivation techniques likewise. The Nine Elements Technique didn't specify any particular attribute, and with his cultivation still shallow, he was unable to discern it on his own.

However, each of the Five Elements has its characteristics: metal and fire are good for offense, earth for defense, and wood and water for recovery. Based on the effects of the Nine Elements Technique, it is very likely related to the wood or water attributes.

Yuan Ming shook his head and stopped pondering this matter as he walked outside.

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped, a trace of blood light flashing in his eyes. A sinister and potent aura surged out from him. It was the malevolence from the Fur Cloak Skill acting up again, and the blood-red fog in his Sea of Consciousness churned tumultuously.

Yuan Ming quickly sat down cross-legged, took out the Mysterious Incense Burner and held it close, while silently operating the Moonlight Technique.

The heat from the incense burner and the effect of the Moonlight Technique worked together. After a long while, he managed to suppress the backlash from the malevolence.

Yuan Ming's clothes were soaked with sweat, his face showed signs of fatigue, and his eyebrows were locked tight.

The severe poison inside his body was cured, and he hadn't used the Fur Cloak Skill recently. The White Ape Skin was also kept far away, yet the malevolent energy still backlashed frequently. This was the third time it had happened recently, not much less than when Elder Hu Huo had poisoned him.

"Is it possible that I still have remnants of the Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance in my body?" Yuan Ming's complexion turned ugly.

At that moment, footsteps approached from outside, coming closer to the casting house. Your support at * keeps the series going.

Yuan Ming hurriedly put away the incense burner and stood up, leaning on the nearby anvil platform.

With a loud "bang," in his rush, he knocked a hammer off the platform and onto the floor.

"Who's there!" The casting house door was flung open, and a figure rushed in—it was Chen Wan.

"Senior Sister Chen, what brings you here?" Yuan Ming had regained his composure and, picking up the hammer from the floor, he asked.

"Fang Ge has something to do today, so I'm checking the Fire Workshop in his place. Seeing that this casting house door was closed but not locked, I came to take a look. Work at the Fire Workshop is already over, why haven't you left?" Chen Wan asked curiously.

"I stayed behind to do some cleaning work, and also practiced my cultivation for a while," Yuan Ming said half-truthfully.

Chen Wan's gaze fell on the hammer in Yuan Ming's hand and his damp clothes, a glimmer of realization in her eyes, "You haven't given up, and are still practicing swinging the hammer?"

Yuan Ming's expression stiffened, but he didn't provide an explanation.

"Central Plains people naturally have weaker physiques, and learning the Artifact Refining Technique of the Southern Border is indeed disadvantageous. If you do have an interest in artifact refining, I may actually have a solution," Chen Wan seemed moved by Yuan Ming's diligence and spoke after a brief contemplation.

Yuan Ming couldn't help but feel amused and troubled. He had only intended to fool Chen Wan to avoid the Fur Cloak Skill's backlash and any implications with the Mysterious Incense Burner, but now had no choice but to go along with Chen Wan's suggestion, "Please do enlighten me, Senior Sister Chen."

"Go to Gui Cang Pavilion and exchange for the Exorcism Technique. There may be a turning point for you," Chen Wan said.

"The Exorcism Technique? Is it a kind of Five Elements Magic?" Yuan Ming raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Exorcism Technique is not a Five Elements Magic. It is a spell for controlling objects with Mana and it's also the foundation for manipulating Magic Artifacts. If you master it, you can use it to assist in wielding the hammer, reducing the physical burden," explained Chen Wan.

Yuan Ming nodded slowly upon hearing this.

He could imagine the effects of the Exorcism Technique; it could indeed help him in swinging the hammer. Right now, his only desire was to increase his cultivation and improve the Moonlight Technique to counter the malevolence within his body. As for the Artifact Refining Technique, he did not have much interest—it was merely a temporary position upon joining the Sect to secure a foothold.

However, if given the chance, he really did want to learn the Exorcism Technique.

Such a technique could control Magic Artifacts; his Green Fish Sword was a Half-magical Artifact. He wondered if the Exorcism Technique could unleash even greater power?