Wait a minute! (Bonus chapter for the number one fan, thanks to the one buried in the soil as fertilizer)

Shen Jinchuan said very naturally, "Nothing at all. She's still happily living at home as a rich woman. Just kidding, I'm a Disciple of a Heavenly Craftsman. My enemies wouldn't dare touch a single hair on me or my family, would they?"

Jiang Xuan: ...Then why were you sad about it?

However, seeing the unperturbed expressions of the surrounding Artisans, Jiang Xuan seemed to guess something.

Sure enough, at this moment, Di Wanxiang secretly transmitted a message to him:

"Disciple, you fell for Lord Shen's trick. He loves to show off that he's a Disciple of a Heavenly Craftsman from all sorts of angles!"

Jiang Xuan: ...Indeed, I guessed it!

No wonder the other Artisans looked completely accustomed to it!

At this moment, Shen Jinchuan said with a smile:

"Alright, Jiang Xuan, since you've won this competition, these thunder roar boots are yours. Work hard. With your talent, you might someday replace me and become the new head Artisan of the Xuanguang Star Domain!"

These words carried significant weight. Shen Jinchuan waved his hand, about to bestow the thunder roar boots, which were the champion's prize, to Jiang Xuan.

"Wait a moment!"

But just then, a sharp, scathing voice rang out in the Craftsman House.

Jiang Xuan frowned, because he recognized it as He Qingzhu's voice.

Shen Jinchuan paused, looking at He Qingzhu with a gentle expression, and said, "What's wrong?"

He Qingzhu covered her face and said, "Lord Shen, I want to ask you a question."

Shen Jinchuan was a little surprised and said, "What question? Feel free to ask."

He Qingzhu spoke without hesitation, as if she had already prepared her speech, saying, "Suppose, and I mean suppose, there is a Genius with extremely high talent, so high that it's rarely seen in decades, but their character is abominably vile. In your opinion, should such a Genius be disciplined properly or left to their own devices?"

Ever since Jiang Xuan slapped her in front of everyone outside the Craftsman House, He Qingzhu grew more and more resentful. She finally found this perfect opportunity to exact her revenge on Jiang Xuan.

Especially, if she could persuade Lord Shen to cancel Jiang Xuan's reward, that would be a truly heavy blow to Jiang Xuan!

Even the Artisans of the Xuanguang Star Domain would, due to Lord Shen's attitude, intentionally or unintentionally ostracize Jiang Xuan from then on!

High talent? What's the use of high talent? If one's character is vile, they will still be despised!

Unless, this Jiang Xuan possessed talent as high as that Saint Lu!

He Qingzhu had just emerged from seclusion today and heard many Artisans from the House of Heavenly Craftsmanship excitedly mention the legend of the eighteen-year-old Martial Saint, so she vaguely knew about it.

But could Jiang Xuan compare to an existence with god-level potential? Far from it!

Di Wanxiang and Yun Kuanghu were clearly unaware of what had happened, as they had arrived around six or seven in the evening and had been drunk until just recently.

However, seeing that He Qingzhu seemed to be preparing to make trouble for Jiang Xuan, both of them became angry and were about to speak.

But just then, Shen Jinchuan said indifferently, "He Qingzhu, you don't need to give an example. Just say what you want to say."

Seeing her chance, He Qingzhu's voice immediately carried a hint of grievance. She pointed at Jiang Xuan and accused, "Lord Shen, to be frank, it's this brat! I merely chatted with him for a few moments outside the Craftsman House, and he inexplicably slapped me! Tell me, isn't this insubordination? An Intermediate Artisan dares to slap the face of a Grandmaster Craftsman like me. Is there no longer any order? Even if his Artisan talent is high, he shouldn't act this way!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's expressions changed, and they all looked at Jiang Xuan with a "whoosh."

Some were surprised, some shocked, some resentful, some secretly pleased, some puzzled, some gloating... all sorts of expressions appeared on the Artisans' faces.

Jiang Xuan, however, stood with his hands behind his back, quite composed.

After all, the cause and effect were clear. Putting aside everything else, if he merely brought up how He Qingzhu almost ruined his Grandmaster Craftsman apprenticeship test, no one would have any complaints about his slap.

He was waiting for Lord Shen's interrogation so he could reveal everything.

But just then, Shen Jinchuan merely waved his hand, controlling the quasi-Divine Artifact, the thunder roar boots, to place them into his embrace.

At this moment, Jiang Xuan was somewhat stunned. Not only Jiang Xuan, but He Qingzhu was also stunned.

The next moment, Shen Jinchuan spoke, his tone carrying a hint of a sigh:

"Originally, I held this competition just to give this quasi-Divine Artifact to Jiang Xuan. It was merely a formality. The Martial Patterns engraved in the space ring he invented are so intricate that even I struggle to comprehend many of them. How could he possibly lose to anyone else? Impossible."

He Qingzhu was completely stunned:

"Lord Shen, you... you mean..."

Shen Jinchuan stood up and walked step by step towards He Qingzhu, his tone becoming sharper:

"Jiang Xuan did slap you. I actually saw it much earlier. I arrived at the House of Heavenly Craftsmanship around noon, but I had been concealing my presence. With your mere Ten-Star Martial Emperor cultivation, you naturally wouldn't have noticed."

He Qingzhu was even more astonished. Seeing Shen Jinchuan's stern expression, she couldn't help but become very frightened, her emaciated body trembling uncontrollably, and she could barely speak clearly:

"Lord Shen, I, I..."

Shen Jinchuan stopped in front of her, his tone growing colder, like a chilling wind blowing from the Siberian ice caves:

"In comparison, you almost ruined Jiang Xuan's apprenticeship test and nearly caused such a peerless Genius to be overlooked. He merely slapped you. You seem... not to have lost anything, have you?"

Thud!

Under the immense pressure of Shen Jinchuan, a Three-Star Martial Saint, He Qingzhu could no longer resist and actually fell to her knees, her body trembling like a sieve.

What she hadn't expected even more was that Lord Shen was so perceptive and all-knowing, aware of the most crucial grievance between her and Jiang Xuan!

"Lord Shen, I was wrong! I was wrong! I, I will never dare again!"

Shen Jinchuan shook his head and sighed:

"Now, the invasion of the myriad races is becoming more frequent, and the Human Race faces an unprecedented crisis of survival. Yet, you are still infighting, and even almost harmed a peerless Genius. Do you know why I specifically wanted to give these thunder roar boots to Jiang Xuan?"

He Qingzhu shook her head fearfully:

"No... I don't know. Please tell me, Lord Shen!"

The other Artisans also pricked up their ears, because they all understood. From the looks of it, Jiang Xuan's terrifying talent in craftsmanship did not seem to be the sole reason why Lord Shen went to such great lengths to give him this quasi-Divine Artifact.

Could it be that there was some other crucial reason?

Jiang Xuan couldn't possibly be Lord Shen's illegitimate son, could he?

Lord Shen, as a Martial Saint, can live for thousands of years, and he is already over three hundred years old. The ages don't match up!

But the next moment, Shen Jinchuan uttered words that almost knocked everyone to the ground.