I won’t let this go with you.

The old man and the young one continued deeper into the Twilight Forest.

As they walked, Fang Liuxian grew more talkative. From time to time, he would stop Jiang Feng and point out a particular luminous beast or plant. His knowledge in this field was vast; he could recite their names, ranks, attributes, and characteristics as if listing familiar possessions. Most crucially, he explained the uses of various parts of their bodies.

Jiang Feng recalled the words he’d overheard on the parade ground at the county office and began to understand a few things. He was lost in thought when suddenly the ground began to tremble. Jiang Feng looked up sharply, just as Fang Liuxian cried out, “Split-Horned Rhino! Tier one, level three luminous beast!”

Indeed, moments later, a gray rhinoceros came barreling toward them, its nose topped by a forked, turquoise horn.

Ahead of the rhino, a vine was trying to escape. It looked rather odd, with a large yellow flower blooming atop its head. Two leaves waved like hands, and its root tendrils hurried along, surprisingly swift.

Fang Liuxian explained, “That’s a Stinkblossom. It emits a foul odor that enrages the Split-Horned Rhino. The beast has lost all reason now—be careful!”

With that, he drew out a rod, which suddenly unfurled a small umbrella at its tip. The umbrella spun, lifting him lightly into the air.

He drifted onto a tree branch and called down, “When enraged, the Split-Horned Rhino’s power rises to tier one, level five. Be careful!”

It was clear he intended to enjoy the spectacle.

In an instant, the Split-Horned Rhino had caught up with the Stinkblossom and crushed it to pulp. The stench spread outward, and as Jiang Feng caught a whiff, a wild restlessness ignited deep within him. Locking eyes with the rhino, he felt as if they were mortal enemies; both charged at each other with ferocity.

Fang Liuxian, lounging on a branch above, watched with leisure. “Ah, youth—full of fire,” he mused.

Before Jiang Feng collided with the rhino, the golden essence in his veins suddenly stirred, as if sensing something. The trace of stink that had entered his blood was seized and obliterated in an instant.

Jiang Feng’s mind cleared, and as he regained focus, he was already face to face with the rhino’s heavy breath and the cold gleam of its turquoise horn.

In that critical moment, Jiang Feng reached out and gently pressed the side of the horn.

The rhino’s charging force combined with his own strength, sending him floating lightly into the air, vaulting above the rhino.

The beast charged past, roaring furiously. Suddenly, a tree branch as thick as a man’s wrist shot up in Jiang Feng’s path.

But as if anticipating this, Jiang Feng flicked his finger. The air shrieked as a blade of lightning sliced through the branch, cutting it in two. Arriving just beside it, Jiang Feng seized the branch and gave it a gentle shake.

Golden luminous energy coursed through, causing the bark to fall away in flakes, revealing the pale wood beneath. Midair, Jiang Feng flipped over, facing the rhino as it wheeled back to charge again, and thrust the branch straight forward!

His timing was impeccable. The rhino thundered forward, sending its eye directly onto the tip of the branch. Reinforced by luminous energy, the white branch pierced straight through the beast’s brain.

With a flick of his wrists, Jiang Feng drove the other end of the branch into the earth. The Split-Horned Rhino assumed a posture of abject surrender, head buried in the ground, utterly motionless.

Peace returned. Fang Liuxian floated down from the tree, beaming with unreserved praise. “Beautifully done!”

Jiang Feng replied, “It was only a tier one, level three luminous beast.”

Fang Liuxian reminded him, “It had been enraged by the Stinkblossom—should’ve been tier one, level five.”

Jiang Feng said, “Power comes with a price. When it went berserk, its strength rose but its intelligence dropped. Gain one, lose one—in the end, it was weaker.”

Fang Liuxian raised his brows, surprised. “That’s an intriguing new perspective.”

Jiang Feng continued calmly, “It’s only logical. In normal circumstances, a tier one wood-type luminous beast, especially within a forest, would control its surroundings far more skillfully than that.”

Fang Liuxian mused, “When the rhino controlled the branches to block your path, you seemed prepared. Is that right?”

Jiang Feng nodded. “I was, somewhat. The rhino’s horn was turquoise, which means it’s wood-aligned. Its powers would naturally relate to trees.”

Fang Liuxian waited for him to elaborate, but Jiang Feng stopped there. The old man looked at him oddly. “Is that all?”

Jiang Feng said, “That’s all I could determine at the time.”

“So the rest was all improvisation?”

“Yes.”

“…Couldn’t have guessed it…” Fang Liuxian muttered. Jiang Feng’s actions had seemed as fluid as clouds and water, utterly composed. Who would have thought he was adapting on the fly?

After a moment’s thought, Fang Liuxian asked, “Do you remember the second round of the human trials yesterday?”

Jiang Feng nodded, sensing what was coming.

Fang Liuxian pressed on, “How did you know your opponent would dodge to the right?”

Jiang Feng explained easily, “Though he was restricted from moving at first, he kept glancing right and shifted his stance that way.” He demonstrated—a subtle gesture, barely a twitch of muscle, imperceptible to the untrained.

“Moreover, his gaze was evasive, lacking resolve. He was the type to avoid confrontation. So, I judged he’d dodge immediately, and to the right.”

Fang Liuxian continued, “If you’d guessed wrong, wouldn’t that have been dangerous?”

Jiang Feng smiled slightly. “But I was right, as it turned out.”

Indeed, hindsight proved Jiang Feng correct.

Fang Liuxian thought a moment longer. “In the third match, when you fought Teng Zhi, did you also predict his move?”

Jiang Feng replied, “Every action has a tell before it happens. I’m not fully adept yet, so I can only judge occasionally.”

Fang Liuxian fell silent for a long while, exhaling deeply and regarding Jiang Feng with a newfound respect.

In truth, he’d already suspected much of this, but hearing Jiang Feng explain it aloud was still deeply shocking.

This boy was not yet sixteen!

If this approach was developed further, he could predict his opponents’ actions in battle—always one step ahead, always striking first.

And though the theory sounded simple, putting it into practice was incredibly difficult. Combat was ever-changing—how could one guarantee they could observe so much and instantly judge the right response?

To be fair, the prediction in the second match was easier, given both contenders began motionless, allowing time to observe.

But the third match was different. There, Jiang Feng had predicted his opponent’s move amid the heat of combat. Even if, as he claimed, he succeeded only occasionally, it was a remarkable feat.

Jiang Feng looked up, his gaze clear. “Master Fang, this is why you came to find me, isn’t it?” He smiled a little awkwardly. “What is an Artificer? Can I learn?”

Fang Liuxian paused again, then heaved a long sigh and laughed in wonder. “If you can’t learn, then no one in this world could!”

An Artificer, as the name implies, is a craftsman who creates magical items. Crafting such treasures requires luminous energy, so an Artificer must also be a martial adept.

However, making magical items requires a special gift—a talent possessed by only a rare few martial artists. In the entire world of Mingxin, Artificers are exceedingly scarce. It’s said that only one in a thousand martial adepts might become an Artificer.

Thus, Artificer is a truly rare profession, exalted and respected in most places.

Jiang Feng hadn’t read much about Artificers in books, but there were a few records. The two gold stripes embroidered on Fang Liuxian’s shoulder marked him as a second-tier Artificer.

Generally, Artificers are ranked from first to fifth tier, ascending in order. Each tier can craft items of corresponding grade. The highest, fifth-tier Artificers, number only four on the continent. Whenever one of their creations is completed, a grand ceremony is held—be it in Jiutian or Xuanji, all the mighty gather, eager to attend.

Jiang Feng asked, “What sort of talent does an Artificer require?”

Instead of asking about the benefits, he asked about the requirements first—a caution that greatly pleased Fang Liuxian. Stroking his beard, Fang Liuxian replied, “First, an Artificer must have a keen sensitivity to luminous energy. From the test at the False Gate, it’s clear your range is substantial. We just don’t know how sharp your perception is.”

He pondered a moment, then produced a small booklet and handed it to Jiang Feng. “Open this and tell me what’s pictured on each page.”

The booklet was palm-sized, ten pages thick, but not too thin. The material of the pages was unknown—sturdy and solid, with not a single visible mark or pattern.

The moment Jiang Feng touched it, he sensed a faint ripple of luminous energy. Understanding, he opened a page and ran his finger lightly over it, letting a thin stream of golden light seep into the card’s surface.

In a moment, without looking up, he said, “A butterfly.”

Without pausing for confirmation, he turned to the next page. “A door, with a little path behind it.”

The third page: “A flower—an iris, I believe?”

The fourth: “A three-tailed shrimp.”

Page after page—he was a bit slower at first, but picked up speed, clearly grasping the trick. Before long, he’d read all ten pages, naming each luminous pattern correctly.

Looking up at Fang Liuxian, Jiang Feng said, “That was fairly simple…”

Only then did he notice Fang Liuxian staring in utter amazement, his face a mix of shock and wild delight.

The old man murmured, “Such sensitivity to luminous energy—it’s as if Heaven itself has delivered a treasure to us!”

Gripping Jiang Feng’s arm, he exclaimed, “You must become an Artificer! If you change your mind, I’ll never forgive you!”