Inside the research institute.
At that moment, the entire building was enveloped by the secret realm.
Su Yu was deeply impressed. Old Zhao was truly capable, actually hauling the secret realm right over to wrap around the institute.
Of course, what astonished him even more was that Earth armament.
Zhao Li unsealed the civilized armament.
It shifted shapes in midair, ultimately turning into a colossal hammer.
Staring at the massive suspended hammer, Su Yu fell into contemplation. This hammer... felt exceedingly formidable, yet compared to the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao, it seemed to be missing something.
Naturally, the two were fundamentally different.
Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was lacking.
Noticing his scrutiny, Zhao Li said calmly, "Stop gawking. It's already unsealed. I'm going to forge the armament this time, and you'll be my assistant. I'll make the preparations first while you keep forging. As soon as you succeed in crafting a high-tier Profound-rank civilized armament, we begin."
"Teacher, isn't this a bit too casual?"
Su Yu felt it was entirely too casual!
*You actually went and unsealed it just like that?*
"Casual?"
Zhao Li glanced at him sideways and said indifferently, "Didn't you claim yourself that you wanted to help me forge the armament?"
"..."
*Damn it!*
*I didn't say right this second, and I had no idea it would be this absurdly difficult!*
This Earth armament seemed far more potent and intricate than the Earth armaments he had seen Sun Moon experts wield in the past.
The real issue was that if the forging failed, Old Zhao's primary divine character would shatter, causing massive trouble.
Right then, the little fur ball flew out, eyeing the Earth armament and mumbling, "Yummy!"
It wanted to eat it!
Inside this Earth armament lay a primary divine character.
And it had been nurtured for decades!
Su Yu barked, "Get back here!"
The little fur ball looked on reluctantly, but it still flew back.
Zhao Li glanced at it without paying it any mind, continuing, "Go on and forge your weapons while I begin preparing. We're inside a secret realm right now—a divine character secret realm at the peak of the Sun Moon Realm. An Invincible could probe their way in, but any inspection would trigger instability within the realm. If any Invincible dares to pry and blows up my secret realm, who am I supposed to hold accountable...?"
As for how he would hold them accountable?
By smashing his head into their doorstep until he died!
Even if you're an Invincible, dying right on your doorstep would make your skin crawl and disgust you to death.
"Teacher, do you need any materials?"
"No need. The materials you brought back for me last time are more than enough. Missing a few unimportant ones won't matter..."
Just as he said this, Su Yu pulled out a massive heap of materials. "Teacher, I didn't buy that much, just about a hundred thousand merit points' worth. Take a look and see if there's anything you need."
"..."
Zhao Li shot him a glare and snorted.
*Who are you calling poor?*
*Do I lack money?*
*All right, maybe I'm a little short.*
*Damn it!*
*This little bastard really struck it rich going to the Great Ming Prefecture! A hundred thousand merit points just like that? Back when you enrolled, you specifically pestered me about when you'd get your reward over a few dozen merit points!*
"Cut the chatter!"
Zhao Li snapped at him, "Hurry up and forge. There's plenty of yuanqi here. Both yuanqi and willpower recover swiftly in this place, and breaking through bottlenecks in a Yuanqi Secret Realm is much easier. Whether you're doing body-casting or advancing your willpower, it'll go far more smoothly."
With that, he added, "Also, let me remind you: master the transition between yuanqi and willpower as soon as possible. This forging session might last several days. Can you keep going for several days as you are right now?"
Su Yu was speechless. He couldn't—not unless he smoothed out the transition.
The pressure was suffocating!
He wanted to cry, but no tears came. "Teacher, couldn't you have waited until I mastered it before unsealing it?"
"Without pressure, where would the motivation come from?"
Zhao Li looked completely unbothered. "You don't lack anything except pressure, so I'm giving you some! If the forging fails, I probably won't die anyway. It's just a shattered divine character and some backlash. At worst, my cultivation will plummet back down to early Lingyun. What's the big deal? It's not like I'll be dead."
Su Yu was at a loss. *How is that the same thing?*
*You call that not a big deal?*
When Zhao Li said he was giving him pressure, he truly meant it—no half measures whatsoever.
He genuinely felt like letting the little fur ball eat that divine character!
Well, forget it. Zhao Li's primary divine character had actually advanced to Tier 4, but it was currently restrained by the Earth armament and couldn't return. It wasn't that the divine character couldn't return on its own, but rather... the Earth armament had become the primary divine character itself.
If the Earth armament could not be reclaimed, the divine character could not be retrieved.
Paying him no further attention, Zhao Li began extracting materials and doing preparatory work.
Su Yu wasted no more time with words and resumed forging.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The sound of hammer strikes rang out incessantly. This time, Su Yu didn't do as Zhao Li had previously suggested—exhausting one before switching to the other. Shortly after he began forging, he started alternating between the two. Zhao Li frowned slightly. "A civilized armament forged this way will have too many node flaws. Even if you finish it, it won't be very practical."
Without looking up, Su Yu replied, "I'll melt it back down when I'm done. I'm not making it to use; I'm testing the transition. If I only switch after depleting one completely, it's prone to failure and takes far too long."
Hearing that, Zhao Li paused briefly in surprise.
*That makes sense!*
In the past, he had always pushed until exhaustion before switching, likely constrained by rigid habit. He believed one should avoid switching midway unless pushed to the brink, lest the quality deteriorate; in his forging, he pursued sheer perfection.
Su Yu, on the other hand, cared less about the final product and more about the process and technique.
There was indeed a distinction between the two.
...
While Su Yu was busy forging,
he became famous!
Rather, Cui Lang became famous!
Zhao Li's actions had caused no small stir. He had relocated the Yuanqi Secret Realm, and the phantom of an Earth armament now hovered in midair. Word had spread, and armamentsmiths from various prefectures were already rushing over, including Zhao Tianbing from the Great Zhou Prefecture, who was speeding toward the Great Xia Prefecture at that very moment.
Rumor had it that Zhao Li was attempting to forge an armament this time because he saw promise in Cui Lang assisting him, leading them to join forces!
Cui Lang's name resonated far and wide.
A nominal disciple of Niu Baidao, ninth stage of the Tengkong Realm, an early-tier Profound-rank armamentsmith—perhaps already mid-tier.
He possessed his own unique forging methods, which had earned Zhao Li's regard.
At thirty-five years old, he was remarkably young.
Of course, what made Cui Lang even more infamous was the rumor that he had seduced the granddaughter of Cheng Mo from the Great Tang Prefecture. Cheng Mo was at the ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm, a pillar of stability for the Great Tang Prefecture and an expert bordering on Invincible.
His strength was comparable to the manor lords of the major prefectures.
Now, Cui Lang had ventured out of the Great Ming Prefecture to assist Zhao Li in forging an armament, and the news was spreading like wildfire. Many said that if Zhao Li succeeded, both he and his assistant would reap immense benefits.
Earth armaments were not unheard of, nor were they exceptionally rare; every prefecture possessed a few.
Yet Zhao Li's Earth armament was different.
What he intended to forge was not merely an Earth armament, but the embryonic form of a Heaven armament—two completely different concepts.
Any Heaven armament was an extraordinary treasure.
The Great Ming Prefecture's Pavilion of a Hundred Dao was a Heaven armament. The Super Sensing Jade created later was a pseudo-Heaven armament; naturally, an auxiliary pseudo-Heaven armament was even rarer and every bit as precious as a true Heaven armament.
The Great Xia Prefecture possessed Heaven armaments as well, though not pure ones. The Heaven-Connecting Mirror that peered into the future was indeed a Heaven armament, but only because numerous divine characters were embedded within it; the base artifact was not a Heaven armament on its own, attaining that rank solely through the enhancement of divine characters.
Now, two Profound-rank armamentsmiths were actually attempting to forge the embryonic form of a Heaven armament!
As soon as the news broke, armamentsmiths across the entire Human Realm were intrigued. Experts and armamentsmiths from the Great Ming Prefecture set off as well, given that an armamentsmith from Great Ming was directly involved.
...
In the Great Ming Prefecture.
Hu Qi personally led the contingent.
Concerned for her safety, Vice Head Wang accompanied her in person.
Two Sun Moon experts!
They brought along several prodigies from the Forging faction, including instructors and students.
Bai Junsheng was among them.
At that moment, Bai Junsheng gasped in shock, "When did Senior Brother Cui Lang advance to the Profound rank? And he's collaborating with Master Zhao Li to forge an Earth armament—and not just any ordinary Earth armament at that! How is he this amazing?"
Hu Qi remained silent.
Beside her, another instructor sighed with emotion. "Cui Lang is truly a genius, quietly advancing to the Profound rank—even reaching mid-tier! Regardless of whether they succeed or fail, he'll reap substantial rewards. Forging the embryonic form of a Heaven armament will undoubtedly bring him enlightenment. He might even use this opportunity to step into the high tier or peak of the Profound rank."
Hu Qi still said nothing, though she was quietly astonished.
She knew Su Yu was exceptionally talented, but the boy had barely forged anything, hadn't he?
How could he forge Profound armaments already?!
She was truly in the dark about this. She knew nothing about what happened in the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao; when Su Yu challenged the trials, she had been in closed-door cultivation. Even if she hadn't been, she might not have learned the specifics.
After the others chatted for a while, Hu Qi said softly, "Zhao Li's forging technique is extremely unique. It's best if you don't try to imitate it, though you may draw inspiration from it. The Earth armament he is forging this time is unlike any other. Calling it an Earth armament... is difficult to describe. It's barely armament forging anymore; it's closer to forging a person."
"Once we arrive in the Great Xia Prefecture, don't meddle in other matters. Focus purely on observing the forging process. Naturally, we might not get to watch directly, but by suspending the embryonic Earth armament in the sky, Zhao Li clearly intends to give it his all. We can observe through its projection."
"Understood!"
Everyone voiced their agreement. Soon after, the group set off riding a massive flying beast—not a living creature, but a mechanical puppet beast.
...
From every direction, master armamentsmiths converged toward the Great Xia Prefecture.
...
Meanwhile, within the Great Xia Prefecture, the upcoming public trial of Feng Qi was somewhat overshadowed. People were far more curious about whether Zhao Li's forging would succeed.
Would the Great Xia Prefecture see the birth of a second Earth-rank armamentsmith?
An Earth-rank armamentsmith held a status comparable to a newly risen Sun Moon expert among humanity.
...
Great Xia Civilization Academy.
Once again, it became the focal point of the Human Realm.
The projection of the Earth armament hung high in the sky, surrounded by astonishingly dense yuanqi. Many were thoroughly astonished—Earth armaments weren't supposed to look like this!
The weapon Zhao Li was crafting this time was truly extraordinary.
...
Inside the secret realm.
Sweat poured off Su Yu like rain as Heaven Yuan Qi was steadily consumed and regular yuanqi was absorbed in vast quantities.
*Clang!*
Incessant hammer strikes, forging, and tempering.
He had cast aside his white robe. Bare-chested, his skin radiated a faint golden sheen. Flames surged around him as the "Fire" character blazed without pause; beyond that, he even deployed the Flame of Heritage.
Not for himself, but mainly to spark some inspiration in Zhao Li.
Zhao Li kept his eyes shut, seemingly grasping for enlightenment as he prepared for the upcoming forge.
Fifty-two gold patterns!
With a deafening bang, the weapon exploded once again. A few bloody gashes appeared on Su Yu's torso, but he ignored them, gritting his teeth in frustration. Why had it failed again?
The transition had been seamless, so why the failure?
Still with his eyes closed, Zhao Li spoke abruptly, "Calm your mind! In momentous matters, a serene spirit is essential! It's merely forging an armament—don't let your composure slip. I gave you pressure to sharpen you, not to break you. What if it fails? Calm down! Weapons have feelings too. If your mind is turbulent and your temper flared, the armament will flare up with you!"
Su Yu nodded and said nothing. In the next breath, he activated the "Calm" divine character.
Zhao Li: "..."
*Damn your ancestors!*
Zhao Li felt like cursing out loud. *Just how many divine characters does this brat have?!*
*He has one for literally everything!*
*I tell you to calm your mind, and you actually do—by whipping out a divine character on the spot!*
He wanted to curse, but a moment later, even his own mind calmed down considerably. He sighed helplessly, "This character of yours... is rather bizarre. Quite effective, though."
"Of course. I gleaned it from the Great Zhou King's original manuscript."
The foremost figure of the Quest Realm certainly had real skill.
Caught between laughter and tears, Zhao Li conceded, "Fine, you win!"
With his mind settled, Su Yu gathered his focus for a moment before beginning anew.
Extracting, purifying, quenching, forging...
As for ruining the civilized armament and wasting over a thousand merit points, he didn't care in the slightest.
He began the forging once more!
...
Three hours later, Su Yu tossed aside a civilized armament with fifty-three gold patterns as if it were mere scrap.
He fell silent. After a moment, he said, "Teacher, unless my willpower steps into Tier 3, it'll be difficult for me to craft a high-tier Profound-rank civilized armament."
Zhao Li replied coolly, "Who said that? Use the Expanding Will Art to solidify your foundation."
"But if I use the Expanding Will Art, it might delay my breakthrough into Lingyun for a while."
"Doesn't matter. Forging is cultivation in itself. Why the rush to advance? Does entering Lingyun really grant you that much? If your foundation isn't rock solid, how do you expect to become stronger in the future? Don't compromise your foundation over trivial impatience!"
Su Yu pondered this and could only nod in agreement.
Through the Expanding Will Art, he began compressing his willpower once more, expanding his sea of will and tempering his divine characters.
Then he resumed forging.
With his willpower compressed again, the forging felt somewhat easier than before, but... his saturation percentage had dropped.
Previously, at the peak of Tier 2 willpower—comparable to the Character Nurturing Realm—reaching one hundred percent saturation would have allowed him to step into Tier 3. But now, deploying the Expanding Will Art compressed his willpower once more.
It had been hovering near ninety-five percent before, but now it was further condensed. Naturally, his strength hadn't diminished; instead, with the compression of his willpower and the expansion of his sea of will, his potential had grown. Su Yu had nearly given up on expanding it any further before this.
Zhao Li paid him no more heed. Staring at the massive suspended hammer before him, he took a deep breath and spoke, "I'm going to begin the pre-forging. Continue forging your weapons while observing me. My pre-forging will take a few days, mainly to rework past defects. Back then, I inscribed seventy-two and a half gold patterns, quite a few of which had flaws. I intend to re-forge them!"
Su Yu's expression changed slightly!
*Re-forging!*
Just like the first time he had seen Zhao Li forge, he was going to hammer out the existing inscriptions entirely before forging them anew.
This was vastly more difficult than forging from scratch. Su Yu couldn't even manage to re-forge a Yellow-rank civilized armament.
This was true, consummate skill!
Zhao Li said calmly, "I will re-forge every single inscription, erasing them all before starting over. The re-forging will take several days. Once I finish, you'll step in to help me, and we'll forge the armament together!"
"How long will it take?"
"About three days!"
Zhao Li smiled. "In three days, I'll have re-forged the Earth armament back to its embryonic state. Of course, if all goes smoothly, even in its raw form without a single gold pattern, it will rival an ordinary top-tier Yellow-rank civilized armament!"
"That will make it the finest possible blank!"
"When it is truly completed, this civilized armament will possess immense potential, guaranteed to advance into a Heaven armament in the future!"
Su Yu winced. His teacher was actually ramping up the difficulty. *Isn't this taking the pursuit of perfection a bit too far?*
*Just this step requires three days. Are you certain you can hold out that long?*
"Teacher, I have plenty of yuanqi and Heaven Yuan Qi, but we're short on treasures that rapidly replenish willpower. Should we prepare some first?"
Zhao Li chuckled. "No need, I have plenty!"
With that, he produced over a dozen sticks of the incense he had lit for Su Yu earlier.
"This is made from Mind-Restoring Grass. Each stick is worth over a thousand merit points. I prepared them specifically for re-forging the Earth armament, so they'll come in handy."
Su Yu nodded and tossed over a sphere. "Teacher, this is Heaven Yuan Qi. I still have quite a bit. Normal yuanqi recovers too slowly, so use this. It helps replenish willpower to some extent as well."
In truth, the resources the two were consuming might already exceed the cost of an entire Earth armament.
Yet forging this Earth armament was not solely about the weapon itself.
If Zhao Li succeeded, he was certain to advance into the Shanhai Realm and become an Earth-rank armamentsmith, while Su Yu would also gain considerable benefits.
At a time like this, money was meaningless.
Zhao Li glanced at him, marveling inwardly. *What an outrageously wealthy brat!*
*He still has quite a bit?!*
Too lazy to ask where the boy got it, Zhao Li didn't say anything further. Success would benefit them both tremendously, whereas failure would mean an immense loss. It was far better to succeed. If he pulled this off, he might even establish himself as a mid-tier or high-tier Earth-rank armamentsmith right away.
By then, he would hold considerable standing, enough to speak directly before Invincibles.
Add his senior brother into the mix... that fellow should be arriving soon.
With two Earth-rank armamentsmiths, they could actually exert some influence if any real trouble arose.
Saying no more, Zhao Li let out a shout, and a massive hammer materialized!
The Mind Expansion Hammer in Su Yu's grasp was essentially the offspring of this colossal hammer. The moment the giant hammer appeared, the smaller hammer seemed to hum with excitement.
Zhao Li laughed heartily. "Resonance... excellent. You've strengthened that Mind Expansion Hammer of yours quite a bit. When the time comes, our collaboration will be the most seamless. Since we share the same forging technique, the finished civilized armament will have minimal flaws without any major clashes. That's the primary reason you can assist me. Anyone else—even Zhao Tianbing—would run into minor conflicts with my method. As of today, you and I are the only ones who know the Expanding Will Art."
Su Yu nodded.
Without another word, Zhao Li barked a low shout and slammed his Mind Expansion Hammer down toward the Earth armament, unleashing flames that scorched the empty air!
In that instant, both Su Yu and Zhao Li were drenched in sweat. Zhao Li incinerated his own shirt, leaving himself in nothing but oversized shorts as he roared with laughter, "Remember to put on some clothes when we exit seclusion, or you'll embarrass yourself!"
"Understood, I won't forget!"
Su Yu grinned, resuming the forging of his own civilized armament.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...*
Hammer blow answered hammer blow. Zhao Li worked on his Earth armament while Su Yu continued preparing for the grand forging to come.
Sweat rained down in the blazing heat.
In that moment, both forgot everything in the outside world.
Forging!
The Flame of Heritage continued to burn, and the "Calm" character remained ignited, creating an optimal forging environment for the two of them.
The heart must be calm, and the mind must remain sharp.
...
May 24th.
The second day of Su Yu and Zhao Li's forging.
Outside the Yuanqi Secret Realm, powerful figures gathered one after another, with armamentsmiths from other prefectures securing spots right along the front lines.
Earth-rank armamentsmiths had arrived.
Even the Great Xia Prefecture's own Earth-rank armamentsmith had emerged from seclusion and was currently explaining the scene to those around him.
This Great Xia armamentsmith had shared some minor friction with Zhao Li in the past, but he set that aside for now. Surrounded by numerous armamentsmiths from the Great Xia Prefecture, the white-haired elder said in a deep voice, "Zhao Li is re-forging! That man's ambition is too wild, too brazen! Re-forging is exceedingly difficult. Resetting a semi-Earth armament back to its embryonic state is even harder than forging a new Earth armament from scratch. Once Zhao Li completes the re-forging, he will be a genuine Earth-rank armamentsmith! That fellow likely possessed the skill of an Earth-rank armamentsmith long ago!"
At this moment, everyone could see the projection of the Earth armament in the sky bearing seventy-two and a half gold patterns. That half-formed pattern was currently showing signs of dispersing.
*Re-forging!*
To many armamentsmiths, this was the stuff of legends.
Yet someone was now re-forging a semi-Earth armament. Just as the elder had stated, succeeding in this alone would already make him an Earth-rank armamentsmith.
And after succeeding, Zhao Li intended to keep forging. If he managed to craft a brand-new Earth armament from it, Zhao Li's forging prowess... might very well surpass the elder standing before them.
The elder was currently an early-stage mid-tier Earth-rank armamentsmith, capable of crafting an Earth armament with eighty-two gold patterns.
Even so, he was considered a peak armamentsmith within the Human Realm.
Beside him, a layman who didn't quite understand asked hurriedly, "Elder Chen, why is Master Zhao bothering to re-forge it? Wouldn't it be easier to simply continue forging upon the existing inscriptions? Isn't this an unnecessary complication?"
"The benefits of re-forging are numerous!"
The old man said gravely, "First, after re-forging, the blank becomes stronger. What was originally a mid-tier Earth armament blank can become a peak-tier Earth armament blank."
"Second, it eliminates flaws, achieving greater perfection. Back when he forged it, Zhao Li wasn't as seasoned as he is now. Through re-forging, every single flaw can be completely purged!"
"Third, forging it anew after re-forging will produce an even mightier civilized armament, yielding far greater gains. Forging a top-tier civilized armament brings immense insights and feedback—divine character epiphanies, willpower enlightenment, and much more."
"Fourth..."
He paused, and a chuckle sounded from behind him: "Fourth, Cui Lang, who is assisting Zhao Li, will reap tremendous benefits. He'll witness how an Earth armament is forged step-by-step from absolute scratch, rather than trying to follow along in confusion. If they succeed, Cui Lang's forging skill should easily rise by one or two minor sub-ranks."
Hearing this, many turned to look at the newcomer.
An elderly woman!
Hu Qi!
Elder Chen stood up and turned to face Hu Qi with a smile. "Senior Hu!"
Indeed, a senior.
Hu Qi was also a mid-tier Earth-rank armamentsmith, though slightly stronger than him, largely because she was older. Moreover, she was the paternal aunt of Chief Hu from the Great Xia Prefecture, possessing considerable seniority.
Chief Hu was secretly watching from not far away, not daring to approach because Hu Qi held a slight aversion toward him.
Hu Qi smiled and nodded. "Chen Xu, it has been many years."
"I didn't expect you to come, Senior."
"I came to take a look. After all, I've instructed the boy Cui Lang a few times..."
Hu Qi smiled. "He's Old Niu's student, which makes him half a student of mine as well. Now that an opportunity lies right before him, I hope he can seize it. If he can step into the high tier or even the peak of the Profound rank this time, he is certain to reach the Earth rank within three to five years!"
Her eyes shone as she added, "An Earth-rank armamentsmith before forty! Cui Lang's future is limitless! Even I didn't expect Zhao Li to invite Cui Lang as his assistant for this forge!"
Her words made many onlookers green with envy.
Several instructors from the Forging faction grimaced, one grumbling resentfully, "Who knows what Old Zhao was thinking? The Great Xia Civilization Academy has plenty of Profound-rank armamentsmiths. Senior Brother Wang is a high-tier Profound-rank smith and his direct, senior disciple, so why seek an outsider...?"
Senior Brother Wang, who was standing nearby, smiled and said, "Brother Sun, don't say that. That's just my teacher's personality. If he thinks you're unsuitable, it doesn't matter if you're his disciple; if he thinks you are, he doesn't care whether you're his disciple or not. I've seen the civilized armament Junior Brother Cui forged once—his technique was remarkably solid. He's young and has a brighter future ahead of him. If they truly succeed and he enters the Earth rank in a few years, it will be a blessing for humanity."
Right at that moment, someone gasped in surprise.
Among the seventy-two and a half gold patterns on the massive hammer suspended in the sky, that half-pattern vanished in an instant!
"The re-forging has begun!"
"Once the re-forging succeeds, the re-casting begins. With Zhao Li's strength, if all goes well, he'll finish re-forging within three days. Three days from now, the true forging starts!"
"..."
Everyone watched unblinkingly. Though they couldn't see the interior directly, every time a gold pattern vanished or trembled, it provoked gasps of awe.
This was the forging realm witnessing the birth of a Sun Moon equivalent.
The Earth rank was analogous to the Sun Moon Realm, regardless of combat prowess.
If Zhao Li succeeded, the Great Xia Prefecture would gain another Earth-rank armamentsmith. In the future, there would be another master capable of crafting weapons for Shanhai and Sun Moon experts—though whether Zhao Li would actually agree to forge for them remained uncertain.
...
In the distance.
Xia Huyou and his group of young cultivators were watching as well.
Someone remarked with emotion, "That fellow Cui Lang really has incredible luck. Forging an Earth armament—and an embryonic Heaven armament at that—and he actually got roped in! That guy... isn't exactly a good person. How does he manage to forge ties with everyone?"
"How on earth did Master Zhao Li take a liking to him?"
"He's so unrestrained and flamboyant, stirring up such a massive fuss this time. He'd better watch out, or Old Cheng from the Great Tang Prefecture might come looking for him! It would serve him right if he got dragged back to Great Tang!"
"Hahaha, don't laugh, that's entirely possible! The guy made too big a scene. Everyone knows Cui Lang is helping Master Zhao Li forge an armament. If he succeeds, he'll become a high-tier or peak Profound-rank smith... I bet if Great Tang finds out, they'll call Old Cheng out of seclusion just to drag him back to Great Tang!"
"Didn't you see people from the Great Ming Prefecture arrived too? Senior Hu is a mid-tier Earth-rank armamentsmith, and Vice Head Wang is a Sun Moon expert. Two of them showed up at once, probably afraid their man would get intercepted!"
"..."
They chattered until their throats grew dry. Xia Huyou stroked his chin thoughtfully. *Cui Lang?*
He knew of him!
*How did this guy... manage to win Instructor Zhao Li's favor?*
*Truly bizarre!*
It was miraculous enough that Instructor Zhao had even agreed to see him. Everyone knew Zhao Li's fiery temper—he picked fights with heaven, earth, and everyone in between. If not for the people backing him and his extraordinary heritage, someone would have ambushed him in a dark alley long ago.
*Cui Lang... if he actually succeeds this time, perhaps we can recruit him to join the Great Xia Prefecture. I wonder if he's familiar with that fellow Su Yu?*
...
On the other side.
Atop the roof of the Wen Tan Research Center, Hong Tan and Bai Feng stood side by side.
Arms crossed, Bai Feng stared into the distance and said puzzledly, "Master, what is Old Zhao thinking? Why look for an outsider to forge instead of his own disciple?"
With a touch of jealousy, he added, "Old Zhao's wretched temper is truly insufferable! Master, he was willing to pass the Expanding Will Art to that brat Su Yu, but he wouldn't teach me! Am I really that incompetent?"
*There is no justice in this world!*
In the past, the Expanding Will Art hadn't been widely renowned, though it enjoyed modest fame within the forging community.
Ever since Su Yu had used that hammer to bludgeon Zhou Pingsheng to death and cripple Shan Xiong without even deploying a civilized armament, everyone realized that this technique was an extraordinarily lethal divine skill!
Divine skills were rare to begin with, and one with such overwhelming offensive power that didn't require an intricate alignment of numerous divine characters and apertures was rarer still!
Many now coveted the Expanding Will Art.
However, Old Zhao had a foul temper and refused to teach outsiders. As for Su Yu, since the technique wasn't his to give, he wouldn't share it either, leaving countless Civilization Masters sighing in bitter regret.
Hong Tan chuckled. "It's not a bad thing that he didn't teach you. Your talent is mediocre anyway; if you tried to learn it, how long would it take you to reach Lingyun?"
"..."
*My talent is mediocre?!*
Bai Feng felt utterly dejected!
Just then, he noticed a young man sprinting toward the building. Too annoyed to care, he ignored him—it was his younger cousin, an utterly tiresome fellow not worth his time.
Turning back to Hong Tan, he asked, "Master, what should we do about Senior Brother Feng Qi? Are we just going to leave it be?"
"He'll most likely be fine. The one who's in trouble... isn't him."
Bai Feng went silent for a moment before nodding. "I know! Delaying it by a few days is good. Even if the truth comes to light, Senior Brother will have put more distance between them. It would be best if he escaped to the All-Heavens Battlefield and hid in some minor realm."
Hong Tan smiled faintly. "It's fine, don't worry too much! It might not even have anything to do with your senior brother! Even if it truly does..."
Hong Tan paused, then said calmly, "It has nothing to do with us either!"
"..."
Bai Feng said in frustration, "Master, aside from enduring, is there really no other way?"
"Preserve ourselves first."
Hong Tan said indifferently, "Isn't he still alive? He's not dead yet! As for you, hurry up and enter Lingyun and Shanhai so I have fewer worries. What a useless bum, still stuck in Tengkong to this day... your student is about to surpass you."
"He might already have!"
Bai Feng muttered gloomily, "With the number of divine apertures he's opened, the moment his willpower catches up, he'll be in Lingyun. Master, what am I supposed to do? I'm helpless here! It hasn't even been a year since he enrolled! You're comparing me to him—why don't you try comparing yourself to him instead?!"
"..."
*Thwack!*
Hong Tan sent him flying with a single kick. *Go to hell!*
*I say a few words to you, and you dare talk back to your teacher?!*
Ignoring Bai Feng, he cast another glance toward Zhao Li's direction, murmuring inwardly. *Could it be that Old Zhao chose to forge his armament now specifically to buy time for Chen Yong?*
*If so, we owe him a massive favor!*
At the thought, he felt a wave of helplessness.
Perhaps... it would have been better if Su Yu had joined the Forging faction back then. Bai Feng had recklessly taken Su Yu in, and his senior brother likely hadn't anticipated that Su Yu would rise at such a staggering speed. Now, they were riding a tiger they couldn't dismount.
Shaking his head gently, he hoped Old Zhao would succeed.
Turning his gaze toward the Prefecture Lord Manor, he caught sight of scenery invisible to ordinary eyes—several towering, majestic figures standing in the void, entirely undetectable to common folk.
"Three Invincibles... this student of mine truly knows how to make a splash!"
Hong Tan smiled faintly. Actually... it wasn't bad. Taking out several Shanhai adversaries was a good thing, provided Little Yong could escape.
Glancing across the city, where radiant Sun Moon auras subtly pulsed from various corners, Hong Tan grinned. *Honestly, have they all gathered just to watch the show?*
*What is there to see? Be careful not to watch yourselves into an early grave!*
"They probably can't wait to pin Little Yong to the wall!"
"A public trial is fine too. Whether they're human or ghost, it will reveal their true colors!"
With a scornful laugh, Hong Tan's figure dissolved and vanished. Down below, Bai Feng kicked Bai Junsheng flying before swiftly departing. *What business does the Bai family have sticking their noses into this!*
Chapter 338