Wizard: I Can Refine Everything

The Great Shepherd finished speaking, and suddenly, a shadowy figure in black robes appeared on the previously empty summit.

"The Great Shepherd of the Church of the Lord of Flesh, I never expected that someone as important as you would be drawn here."

Richard looked with interest at the two figures before him, one tall and one short. While others might not notice, as an Alchemy Wizard, Richard immediately saw that the tall goblin beside the Great Shepherd was something akin to a Synthetic Beast.

But surprisingly, this Synthetic Goblin seemed to possess distinct intelligence without a soul having been inserted.

This was highly unusual.

Even with Richard's knowledge, he had never heard of such a technology for Synthetic Beasts.

The Great Shepherd felt a twinge of surprise in his heart as he watched Richard scrutinize his attendant. Although he didn't know what Richard was thinking, his intuition told him that the secret of his attendant had been seen through by this noble-looking man who appeared to have albinism.

"Your Excellency seems very interested in my attendant," the Great Shepherd said calmly.

"Creating a Synthetic Beast with advanced intelligence without using a soul, I've never even heard of such a technology before. But before we discuss technology, let's talk about the main issue first."

In a flash, Richard moved to the Great Shepherd's side, and the invisible pressure of the World Master, heavy as a mountain, bore down upon the Great Shepherd.

"I'm very curious, how did you know I was looking for the Divine Palace?"

Richard's imposing pressure caused a slight change in the Great Shepherd's complexion, and the speech he had prepared lost its purpose.

He knew all too well what this pressure meant; the noble in front of him had broken through the limits of a mortal. In the face of such power, all the methods he had prepared were useless.

The Great Shepherd inwardly gave a wry smile.

"I've encountered a Big Shot."

He bowed slightly towards Richard and then spoke slowly, "Your movements were completely unobstructed; it was clear that you were heading straight for the Golden Summit. The only place on the Golden Summit that could attract a mighty being like you is the legendary Divine Palace."

Richard nodded slightly; he indeed hadn't taken any precautions this time, so it was normal to be seen through.

Thinking of the identity of this Old Goblin before him, Richard changed the subject and asked, "You are the Great Shepherd of the Church of the Lord of Flesh, so I assume you must have researched the Divine Palace, especially since the Divine Gifted Body has an irresistible impact on a researcher of flesh like you."

"Indeed, I have done some research," replied the Great Shepherd. "The Church of the Lord of Flesh has always been searching for the Divine Palace, trying to discover the secret behind the Complete Lord's creation of the Divine Gifted Body."

"So, have you found it?" Richard asked, with a hint of urgency.

The Great Shepherd shook his head, "We have found it, and yet we haven't found it."

Richard was puzzled by the Great Shepherd's response. What did he mean by having found it but not having found it?

"We found the gates of the Divine Palace," explained the Great Shepherd. "But the Divine Palace would not let us in. There is an intelligence, a consciousness within the Divine Palace, and we don't know whether it's a creation of the Complete Lord, but this consciousness controls the gates of the Divine Palace.

We don't have the key, nor do we meet the criteria, so we have been barred from entry for centuries.

I came here because of this."

The Great Shepherd looked at Richard with a longing in his voice.

"Your Excellency, did you bring the key?"

"...The key?"

To be honest, Richard had never considered the matter of a key.

A key to enter the Pioneer Relics?

But on second thought, it made sense. The relics he had encountered from ancient times were significant facilities of the Pioneers. It was impossible for these facilities to be left wide open for anyone to enter.

Security measures were essential.

Richard's bewildered look extinguished the flicker of hope in the Great Shepherd's heart; without a key, they would never be able to enter the Divine Palace in their lifetimes.

"If Your Excellency doesn't have the key, then don't harbor any delusions about entering the Divine Palace," the Great Shepherd replied with a touch of disappointment. "The Palace's defense mechanisms are far beyond our imagination; not even two Divine Kings could forcibly enter.

Your Excellency is formidable, but becoming a Divine King would certainly cause a considerable commotion. Unless you are a visitor from beyond the heavens, it's unlikely you would overpower the Divine Kings in terms of strength."

The Great Shepherd's words left Richard with a peculiar expression. Although the reasoning process was somewhat flawed, the conclusion was ironically accurate.

However, strength was one thing. Entering the Pioneer Relics wasn't solely a matter of brute force.

"You said there is a consciousness within the Divine Palace that manages its gates, correct?"

The Great Shepherd nodded, "That's correct."

Richard then asked, "What is it called? Is it 'the main controller'?"

A look of surprise appeared on the Great Shepherd's face, "How do you know this name? Does your family's records contain information about this consciousness?"

Richard did not answer but instead, his lips curled into a confident smile.

"Where is this Divine Palace? I want to take a look."

Sensing the change in Richard's demeanor, a glimmer of hope was rekindled in the Great Shepherd's heart.

"It's in the Daru Highlands. According to our research, in ancient times, the Daru Highlands were the highest point in the world."

Hearing the location, Richard pulled out the map from his pocket and found the so-called Daru Plateau.

"Actually in the south?" Richard couldn't help but complain.

The Great Shepherd carefully asked from the side, "Did your Excellency recall something? This Divine Palace..."

Before the Great Shepherd could finish his sentence, he saw Richard wave his sleeve, and an invisible force field enveloped him and his attendants. Immediately after, he witnessed an astonishing scene.

Richard grabbed them and leaped hundreds of meters from the summit, free-falling directly from the mountaintop.

12,000 meters, 11,000 meters... The howling wind beside the Great Shepherd's ears sounded like ghostly wails. Although the Great Shepherd was experienced and knowledgeable, his heart still pounded uncontrollably during this ropeless bungee jump.

Even though air resistance would prevent them from dying on impact from a free-fall at an altitude of 12,000 meters, life's instincts still caused his body to tremble slightly.

Original Earth Goblins did not possess the ability to survive high-altitude falls unscathed.

After an unknown amount of time, the Great Shepherd's falling figure suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes and saw that he and his attendants were now hovering in mid-air.

They were following Richard, flying rapidly towards the Daru Plateau.

"You're not a Noble, are you!" shouted the Great Shepherd at Richard.

During their descent, his withered body regained its fullness, and his old body became young again.

This was the Great Shepherd's true appearance. As the leader of the Church of the Lord of Flesh, how could he possibly look like an old creature who couldn't even manage to eat?

Richard looked back and said, "I never claimed I was a big Earth Goblin."

The Great Shepherd looked at the man flying rapidly before him, suddenly filled with anticipation.

The Church of the Lord of Flesh had spent five thousand years searching for the Divine Palace and then got trapped outside its doors for another five thousand years. Every leader of the Church of the Lord of Flesh wished to enter the Divine Palace.

Now, their millennia-old aspiration might be about to come true.

...

Daru Plateau was located at the southernmost part of the Blood and Flesh Court. On this plateau, relentless winds perpetually blew across vast swathes of Wind Blade Grass. With each gust, the grass shot out countless needle-fine wind blades.

Swept up by the violent winds, these blades acted like an invisible meat grinder. Ordinary Goblins caught in this wind would be turned into a cloud of blood mist and bone dust.

"We've arrived."

As the Great Shepherd confirmed their location, Richard descended with him from the sky and landed on this endless green plateau.

The Wind Blade Grass was useless against Richard; the wind blades, capable of marking steel, could not even cut a single hair on Richard. However, these blades helped Richard discern the twisted space.

Following the guidance of the wind blades, Richard found a hidden Space Rift.

The Space Rift was not large, only open about one meter in length. In this vast plateau, without Richard's perception, it would have taken untold years to find this rift.

"You've really outdone yourselves to find such a concealed spot."

The Great Shepherd looked at Richard, who found the rift with ease, and said with a sigh, "We've been searching for this door for five thousand years, and it took you no more than five seconds."

"No, no, no," Richard shook his head, "without your five thousand years of searching, it would have taken me at least a few decades to find this entrance."

As he spoke, Richard began to open the rift.

The hidden rift transformed into a round black entrance under the influx of magic power. But at that moment, the entrance was blocked by an invisible barrier of rules. To pass through the opening, one would have to overcome this barrier.

"h7521 natives, what have you brought this time?"

A voice with a hint of humanity emanated from the black hole, suggesting that the Church of the Lord of Flesh must have attempted entry many times before.

Hearing this voice, the Great Shepherd introduced Richard, "This is the main controller, but we usually refer to it as the Guardian Spirit."

As Richard gazed at the pitch-black entrance, he opened the Space Rift and, to the Great Shepherd's shock, brought out a beautiful creature from the Secret Realm that could almost be considered a work of art.

"Hog, you try."

What Richard had pulled from the Secret Realm was none other than the Dragon King's offspring, Hog.

After years of cultivation, Hog had reached the Third Level, and on her three slender necks were three majestic though beautiful dragon heads.

Hog approached the entrance, looking puzzled. But before she could act, an excited voice rang in her ear.

"The offspring of a Dragon King! Do dragons still exist in this world?"

With Hog's confused gaze, the barrier that blocked others from entering instantly vanished, and a phantom figure in the shape of an Earth Goblin emerged from the hole, bowing politely to Hog:

"Respected descendant of the Dragon Prince, welcome to the Divine Palace Laboratory of world h7521. I am the main controller, Lan. Do you have any attendants?"

Saying this, Lan turned his gaze toward Richard. In its probing, it could sense Dragon Blood within this being.

"Yes, he's my attendant," affirmed Hog.

Her experience at the Star Realm Fortress had made her aware of the current situation.

Lan gave a slight bow to Richard, "Then, respected Dragon King Species, the main controller also welcomes you to the Divine Palace Laboratory of world h7521."