His light descended upon Wenyue Cultivation Market. Qin Sang needed to fulfill the agreement made a year ago first and retrieve the Chilong Sword.
It was not that he was reluctant to part with this baleful artifact on the verge of destruction; he simply did not want the Chilong Sword to wander outside and draw the attention of someone with ulterior motives.
Shopkeeper Wu returned the Chilong Sword to Qin Sang, saying with an embarrassed look, "Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Qin. In my eagerness to study the restrictions at the core of the magic tool, I nearly destroyed this treasure."
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Qin Sang discovered that several new cracks had indeed appeared on the Chilong Sword, and the restrictions upon it hung by a thread. Touching it lightly with spiritual power, the entire blade shattered directly, scattering into fragments. At its core, only a wisp of yin baleful qi remained, which dissipated with the wind.
Shopkeeper Wu's expression changed slightly, and he murmured somewhat dejectedly, "Fellow Daoist Qin, I will compensate you with a high-grade magic tool..."
Qin Sang gave no direct reply. Brushing away the lingering yin baleful qi on his palm, he looked at Shopkeeper Wu and asked, "After studying it for so long, has Fellow Daoist Wu gained anything in the craft of artifact forging?"
Mention of artifact forging seemed to make Shopkeeper Wu instantly forget his worries about compensation. With an energized expression, he said, "The restrictions on this sword are extraordinarily intricate—something I had never heard of before. Unfortunately, limited by my cultivation, I could only comprehend one or two parts in ten, but it will still be of immense benefit to my future forging! To have had this opportunity, I must truly thank you, Fellow Daoist Qin!"
Qin Sang looked at Shopkeeper Wu in surprise.
Old Ghost Yi was a Golden Core Master. To forge a top-grade magic tool using yin baleful qi and a modest amount of spiritual materials—even if it could only be used for a limited time—was an exceedingly formidable forging technique.
Shopkeeper Wu was merely a cultivator at the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. To be able to grasp ten or twenty percent of it after just a year of study showed that he genuinely possessed great talent in artifact forging, and remarkably, his disposition was quite decent as well.
Unfortunately, he was well up in years, with virtually no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment unless he achieved astounding accomplishments in artifact forging, catching the eye of a Golden Core Master or Nascent Soul cultivator willing to spare no expense to help him establish his foundation.
This was the dilemma that plagued many cultivators: those who cultivated bitterly behind closed doors lacked cultivation resources, while those distracted by worldly pursuits—even if they earned some spirit stones—inevitably hindered the advancement of their cultivation, and might never make up for it later.
Only those with strong backing or true prodigies could have both.
"It was merely a damaged spirit sword. If it helped Fellow Daoist Wu gain insight into artifact forging before being destroyed, it served its greatest purpose. Fellow Daoist Wu need not take it to heart."
Qin Sang waved his hand dismissively. Before Shopkeeper Wu could speak, he added, "I have urgent matters to attend to. Another day, I will come ask Fellow Daoist Wu for a cup of tea."
With that, Qin Sang turned and left the shop, striding out of Wenyue Cultivation Market.
***
Beyond Shaohua Mountain, on an unnamed islet.
What was originally just a deserted island was today blanketed in a thin mist, shrouding the islet like a barrier.
*Chirp, chirp...*
A gray-feathered bird carrying a small fish in its beak circled the island anxiously. Its tiny head could not fathom why it could suddenly no longer enter its home; every time it charged into the mist, an inexplicable force pushed it back out.
Still unwilling to give up, it met with failure after failure. Its originally crisp and melodious chirping grew increasingly agitated and harsh.
At this time, atop a giant bluestone that had been artificially leveled, three people sat cross-legged. One of them was none other than Yu Daiyue.
Of the other two, one was a woman whose Daoist name was Qingting, and the other was Wu Yuesheng, whom the two of them had invited.
"How noisy!"
Yu Daiyue glared at the bird, divine light flashing from his eyes like a sharp arrow that shot out of the mist barrier in the blink of an eye.
Unexpectedly, the moment it flew out of the mist, a ray of azure light intercepted it. The two canceled each other out and silently vanished into nothingness, leaving the bird completely oblivious.
Yu Daiyue looked at Qingting in surprise.
Qingting opened her eyes, gazed deeply at the fluttering bird, and said in an inscrutable tone, "All living things have feelings. Let us show kindness to these poor little creatures."
Saying so, she opened a gap in the mist barrier. The bird flew into its nest like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, fed the small fish to its brooding mate, and chattered noisily, as though recounting its fright from moments before.
Yu Daiyue gave a dry laugh. "Senior Sister Qingting is truly kindhearted... By the way, I wonder how Senior Brother Jiang is doing?"
Qingting shook her head and sighed.
Just then, a cluster of white clouds suddenly drifted over from the horizon, while from the south, a skiff cleaved through the waves with two figures standing upon it. Yu Daiyue's expression turned joyful. "Fellow Daoist Baiyun is here! And the Liu brothers have arrived as well."
Seeing Qingting's brows knit slightly, Yu Daiyue comforted her: "Do not worry, Senior Sister. Junior Brother Qin's cave abode is in Guyuan Country; it will take him some time to reach this place."
Before his voice died away, a sound of rushing wind broke from the north, and Qin Sang arrived riding his flying shuttle.
Landing on the bluestone, Qin Sang quietly took in the six people before him.
He already knew Senior Sister Qingting and Yu Daiyue, and he had met the other senior brother once before.
Aside from the three of them, there was an elderly Daoist who looked to be around sixty years old, with grizzled hair and a wispy goatee. He appeared quite aged, his eyes slightly narrowed as if perpetual smiles lingered in them, making him look like a genial senior.
The other two who had arrived on the boat-like magic tool were twin brothers whose appearances were nearly indistinguishable.
What puzzled Qin Sang was that these twin brothers were only at the peak of the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. He remembered Yu Daiyue mentioning that the formation-breaking magic tools required Foundation Establishment cultivators to drive them.
"Fellow Daoists, please have a seat!"
Yu Daiyue greeted them warmly and introduced everyone.
Through the introductions, Qin Sang learned that the senior brother was Wu Yuesheng, whom Yu Daiyue had mentioned before, while the other three were not Shaohua Mountain disciples, but rogue cultivators from the Yuncang Great Marsh.
The old man's Daoist name was Baiyun Shanren, and his cave abode was on Baiyun Island. As for the twin brothers, one was named Liu Jiang and the other Liu Shan, and both cultivated on Qilong Island. All of them were rogue cultivators of modest renown in the vicinity.
Apart from the Liu brothers, everyone present—including Qin Sang—was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, though Qingting and Yu Daiyue were somewhat higher, not far from the middle Foundation Establishment stage.
Sitting to the side, Qin Sang quietly observed the others. He noticed that apart from the Liu brothers, whose expressions carried a faint wariness, everyone else remained impassive, revealing nothing.
One could only tell from their seating that the Liu brothers sat close to Baiyun Shanren, which was only natural.
After completing the introductions, Yu Daiyue said to Qingting, "Senior Sister Qingting, with the exception of Junior Brother Li Zai, all our fellow Daoists have arrived."
Qingting nodded to the group in greeting and said, "Junior Brother Li Zai is currently at a critical juncture in his secluded cultivation. I have already handed a Fire Crow Token over to him to refine, so it will not delay our important undertaking. I will introduce Junior Brother Li to you all later."
As she spoke, Qingting's gaze swept over the crowd before finally resting upon the Liu brothers, her eyes carrying a hint of hesitation.
Seeing this, Yu Daiyue smiled and said, "Senior Sister, there is no need to worry. Although the Liu brothers have not yet reached Foundation Establishment, they jointly cultivate an extraordinary technique. Combining their strength, they can display power no lesser than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Their origin souls are more than sufficient to withstand the impact of the demonic tones, and driving the Fire Crow Token will pose no problem either."
Chapter 150