"Uncle Zhou, I've already spread the news that my father's injuries have improved and he is out of danger. I believe the murderer will definitely sneak in again to investigate. Would you mind staying here for a couple of days? I'd feel much more at ease."
"Otherwise, I fear I truly won't be a match for that mastermind!"
Qi Xinlian suddenly interjected.
"You're right. In that case, I can accompany Old Qi as well."
"Rest assured, with me here, the murderer will have nowhere to hide!"
Sect Master Zhou guaranteed.
As for Ye Fei, preoccupied with the task of crafting a new set of silver needles, he directly followed Qi Xinlian to the nearby refining room.
Meanwhile, Sect Master Zhou was left behind to continue guarding Old Qi.
"Ye Fei, this is the refining room my father has used for years."
"Let me know if you need any materials. I'll find them for you."
Qi Xinlian asked.
"I have a few metal materials that I don't have on hand, so I've written them down on this paper. Here!"
Ye Fei directly handed the white paper to Qi Xinlian.
Qi Xinlian glanced at it and found that it listed only very common metal materials.
"Please wait a moment, I'll get the materials you need right away."
Seeing her walk towards the material storage, Ye Fei began to survey the items in the refining room.
Of course, what caught his eye the most was the thousand-year fire marrow piled next to the refining furnace.
Compared to hundred-year fire marrow and ordinary fire marrow, this thousand-year fire marrow possessed a more refined and vigorous heat.
In a short while, Qi Xinlian had brought over all the metal materials Ye Fei required.
She then piled them onto a nearby stone slab and said,
"Ye Fei, I've gathered all the materials you requested."
Ye Fei quickly checked them and nodded immediately.
"Thank you. I'll begin now."
However, Qi Xinlian suddenly looked at Ye Fei, hesitating.
Gritting her teeth, Qi Xinlian, with a hint of shyness, said,
"Ye Fei, can I be your assistant?"
"I'm really very curious!"
Ye Fei agreed without a second thought.
"Of course, I'll be counting on you, Miss Qi!"
Qi Xinlian immediately broke into a smile.
Without further delay, she began.
She first arranged the necessary metal materials nearby and then ignited the fire marrow. With a roar, fierce flames instantly engulfed the entire refining furnace.
It was Ye Fei's first time witnessing the power of the thousand-year fire marrow, and he almost got his face burned by the intense flames due to his momentary lapse.
"Be careful!"
"The flames of this thousand-year fire marrow are extremely potent!"
Qi Xinlian immediately warned him.
Ye Fei touched his face, feeling a lingering fear. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly, or he would have been burned.
"Alright, I'll be more careful this time!"
Ye Fei mumbled.
Henceforth, Ye Fei's movements became considerably more cautious.
As the thousand-year fire marrow burned hotter, the refining furnace turned a deep crimson.
Following this, Ye Fei first placed the more common materials into the refining furnace.
He then proceeded to temper them.
This time, Ye Fei carefully increased the heat, and finally, the situation from the first attempt did not repeat itself.
Meanwhile, Qi Xinlian continued to observe Ye Fei's actions intently.
Having missed the first half of Ye Fei's previous refining of hidden weapons, she was determined not to miss a single detail this time.
Finally, after about fifteen minutes, all the metal materials in the refining furnace had melted.
It was at this moment that Ye Fei tossed a small piece of Guanghan iron from his Qiankun bag into the refining furnace.
He then further increased the heat to melt this metallic material.
Due to the extremely high temperature required to melt Guanghan iron, Ye Fei amplified his Yuan force once more. With a whoosh, the thousand-year fire marrow burned even more fiercely.
With this process, Ye Fei's control over the temperature became increasingly proficient.
Qi Xinlian, standing beside him, watched with great interest, particularly Ye Fei's methods of controlling temperature and heat, which opened her mind and proved immensely beneficial.
After passing all the materials through the cooling pool, Ye Fei commenced the next stage of his work.
This involved hammering and refining to shape them.
This step was also crucial.
It was a direct test of one's skill.
Ye Fei actually had considerable experience in this particular step.
Therefore, he began to hammer with a steady rhythm, the rhythmic clanging filling the air.
This time, Ye Fei decided to employ a new method. Although it was his first time using it, he remained confident, thinking that the worst that could happen was starting over.
Qi Xinlian, who had been standing a distance away from Ye Fei, had unconsciously moved closer to his side, her eyes fixated on his hands.
Indeed, Ye Fei's hammering technique this time was astonishing!
She had already compared this set of techniques with the traditional methods of their Artifact Sect.
Whether it was the rhythm or the effectiveness of the technique, Ye Fei's refining method was far superior to the traditional methods of the Artifact Sect.
What was even more surprising was that Ye Fei was displaying yet another new hammering technique this time.
Before Qi Xinlian could fully comprehend it, Ye Fei had already completed the hammering process.
The next step was the even more critical task of shaping.
This stage demanded a higher level of professional proficiency from the artifact refiner.
Ye Fei began to meticulously polish the uniformly sized, cold-gleaming strips on the stone slab.
These silver needles, infused with the properties of Guanghan iron, possessed enhanced flexibility and toughness.
As time passed, the stone slab before Ye Fei was already lined with dozens of silver needles, all of uniform size and length.
Without pause, Ye Fei finally completed crafting the remaining dozens of silver needles about half an hour later.
"I'm exhausted, this was truly not easy!"
Ye Fei muttered, shaking his sore and numb arms.
Qi Xinlian, hearing his words, nearly stumbled and fell to the ground.
Recalling the hardship of her own artifact refining and comparing it to Ye Fei's smooth process, she felt ashamed.
However, when she looked up, she saw Ye Fei covered in sweat, his clothes clinging to his body, revealing his broad chest.
Qi Xinlian's gaze inadvertently fell upon him, and her face immediately flushed, her eyes unsure where to look.