Chapter 1674 — Chapter 1674 Metal Dragon Monarch

"Can you show me the workshop for now?" Yuan asked the bald man. "By the way, how should I address you?"

The man lifted his head in a prideful manner and introduced himself, "I am the Metal Dragon Monarch, Refined Obsidian Dragon! I am also one of the few beings in the Primal Expanse capable of creating treasures! As a matter of fact, nobody dares to claim they are number one as long as I am still alive!"

Creating treasures was unheard of in the Primal Expanse until a human skilled in treasure crafting appeared hundreds of millions of years ago. Since then, they have acquired the ability and knowledge to craft treasures.

However, despite its potential, crafting treasures remained a niche practice in the Primal Expanse, as the knowledge and techniques were originally designed solely for humans.

While some, like the Refined Obsidian Dragon, have refined and further developed their techniques to new heights that allowed them to craft treasures for Primals and Predators, most lacked the talent to achieve such mastery and remained mediocre in their abilities.

The lack of treasures for Primals and Predators also contributed to why the beings of this world preferred using human appearances, as that allowed them to wield treasures. That said, only the truly powerful are capable of acquiring treasures, which is why only the top beings in the Primal Expanse take the form of humans.

Sometime later, the Refined Obsidian Dragon led Yuan to a massive cave located at the base of the volcano.

The workshop was so massive that Yuan couldn't help but think it had been built for giants. He glanced at the Refined Obsidian Dragon, whose human form was also significantly larger than normal, resembling that of a miniature giant.

All sorts of tools hung on the wall, but the most eye-catching was the elegant black hammer that hung prominently above the furnace, its surface gleaming with a mysterious aura.

Yingzi also looked around with interest. This was her first time being in this kind of environment, and it piqued her interest.

The Refined Obsidian Dragon took a seat near the entrance, his gaze fixed on Yuan and Yingzi. It was as if he were a vigilant guard, ensuring they wouldn't cause any trouble in his workshop.

Yuan also sat down and closed his eyes to cultivate.

Two days later, Yuan opened his eyes when he sensed a familiar presence appearing on the remote island.

Long Yejun showed up at the workshop shortly after.

"Were you waiting for me?" he asked Yuan.

"Yes. I figured you wanted to watch."

"I sure do! Also, this is for you." Long Yejun retrieved a fist-sized crystal that crackled with electric energy, tiny arcs of lightning dancing across its surface.

"What is this?" Yuan asked.

"The Sky Splitting Dragon wanted me to give you this as your reward for conquering his training ground in record time."

Yuan accepted the crystal and inspected it with interest.

"T-that is!" The Refined Obsidian Dragon's eyes widened with shock after seeing the crystal.

He hastily rushed over to get a closer view of it.

"What a wonderful material! I could craft something even better than my previous masterpiece if I had this!" He glanced at Yuan and frowned, "I doubt you have the ability to handle this material yourself. Even if you can somehow handle it, you'll definitely waste its potential! Instead of wasting such a precious material, you should give it to me. In fact, I am probably the only one in this world who is qualified enough to use it!"

"Refined Obsidian Dragon, even if Brother Yuan is willing to give you the material, the Sky Splitting Dragon won't approve of it since you didn't earn it." Long Yejun shook his head.

Yuan smiled and said, "Sorry, but I have no intention of giving it to you."

"You ignorant bastard! Do you even know what you're holding?! Do you even know how to use it?!" The Refined Obsidian Dragon exclaimed angrily.

"I have never seen this material before, but I will understand it once I spend some time with it. Also, who said that I wouldn't be able to use it properly? I certainly didn't say anything like that." Yuan shrugged.

The Refined Obsidian Dragon then spoke, "You seem confident in your abilities. In that case, let's put you to the test. If you can craft something that satisfies me and prove you can handle this material, I'll no longer attempt to take it from you."

"However," he continued, his eyes narrowing, "if you prove incapable of handling this type of material, you'll have to hand it over to me. No, I'll take it from you!"

Yuan frowned and said, "I don't mind you wanting to test me, but why is there no benefit for me, regardless of the outcome? If I prove my abilities, nothing changes, but if I fail, you'll take my material. Does that sound fair to you?"

"As the one suggesting this test, you should, at the very least, put something on the line! How else will you atone for belittling me?"

The Refined Obsidian Dragon gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress his irritation. Yet, he couldn't find any flaw in Yuan's logic. After all, even he had to admit that he was the aggressor in this situation.

"Very well. If you can prove yourself, I will give you the most valuable material in my possession as an apology!"

Yuan nodded with a smile, "That's more like it."

"Give me a few hours to prepare the materials for your test." The Refined Obsidian Dragon said before leaving the workshop.

"I'm sorry about this, Brother Yuan," Long Yejun said, his tone apologetic. "The Refined Obsidian Dragon may come off as an asshole, but it's only because he's incredibly passionate about his craft."

"In fact, even if you were the Dragon God himself, he would still try to take the material from you if he deemed you unqualified."

Yuan shook his head and said, "You don't need to tell me. I understand where he's coming from, nor do I blame him."

"Thank you." Long Yejun smiled.