"Ding! Clang!"
Every hammer strike landed with precise force, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Li Pingcan approached the stall and silently observed for a while without interrupting.
Only when the burly man placed the iron billet back into the furnace did he cup his hands and speak in a hoarse voice: "I wish to forge a flying sword."
This blacksmith was a renowned rogue cultivator in the area, formerly a sect blacksmith who had fallen into the wilderness due to certain circumstances, now making a living through his craft.
Rogue cultivators with such specialized skills were rare, hence Li Pingcan's extra courtesy.
The burly man looked up, his voice as hard and cold as the hammer in his hand: "Materials? Spirit stones?"
"I'll provide the materials myself." Li Pingcan took out the Star Iron and the halberd material obtained from the Martial God's tomb from his storage pouch, placing them on the stall.
The moment the Star Iron appeared, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier, its deep hue appearing to absorb all light.
As for the halberd, though damaged, it was wreathed in a murderous aura."Hmm?!"
The burly man suddenly stood up, grabbing the Star Iron to examine it closely, exclaiming in amazement.
"Fine iron! Truly fine iron! This weight, this texture - at least first-grade superior spirit material! Where did you get this, boy?"
He then picked up the halberd, sensing the tangible killing intent within it. His expression grew increasingly excited, even showing traces of fanaticism.
"Ancient Army Specter! Tempered by battle intent, sharpened through slaughter! What a pity, what a pity! If intact, this would have been an earth-shaking weapon! Now its spirit is lost, its murderous aura scattered. It can only be reforged, extracting its essence to make a sword."
He fixed Li Pingcan with a burning gaze, "Speak, what kind of sword do you want?"
"I need a sword capable of channeling the power of the Five Elements."
Li Pingcan explained his requirements: "The sword must be heavy, slow, and sharp, ideally compatible with formation techniques."
"Five Elements power? And formation compatibility?"
The burly man frowned initially, then relaxed with an excited smile.
"Interesting! Very interesting! Ordinary swords only pursue extreme sharpness and speed. Your demands are novel, but the forging difficulty is high, requiring far more effort and materials than regular swords."
"Payment won't be an issue." Having obtained many treasures, Li Pingcan could now be considered "newly wealthy." If not for the River Serpent meat's excessive yin energy, he could have easily paid the blacksmith.
Even so, to cover the costs, he had to spend most of his battlefield gains.
"Here's thirty percent as deposit. The remainder upon completion."
"Deal."
The burly man nodded approvingly. This ordinary-looking middle-aged rogue cultivator's wealth surprised even this black market veteran.
"But let me be clear - forging such a sword carries high failure risk. If successful, all's well. If it fails, the deposit stays with me!"
"Agreed." Li Pingcan accepted this market norm without hesitation.
"Straightforward!"
The burly man laughed heartily, collecting all materials. "I'm Tie Zhong - a man of my word! Return in three days for your sword."
With that, he ignored Li Pingcan and immediately began smelting the materials.
Seeing this, Li Pingcan left without further disturbance, blending into the crowd.
For these three days, he remained in the rogue cultivator market, finding a secluded spot to set up a simple Concealment Formation for meditation, while also looking for potential treasures.
Though this Ghost Market was chaotic, that very quality often yielded unexpected "surprises."
The stall owner before him was a hollow-eyed middle-aged cultivator lazily dozing against a rock wall, his wares sparsely displayed - among them a dusty pill furnace.
"Fellow Daoist, how much for this pill furnace?"
The stall owner lazily lifted one eyelid, answering weakly: "Prices are marked."
Following his gesture, Li Pingcan saw a small wooden sign with crooked characters:
"First-grade inferior: thirty mid-grade spirit stones?"
"First-grade medium: sixty mid-grade spirit stones?"
Li Pingcan marveled inwardly at these exorbitant black market prices.
Expensive as they were, quality items could still be found.
His gaze fell on a waist-high pill furnace in the corner. Sending his divine consciousness inside for careful inspection:
"Even furnace walls, spiritual energy flow slightly obstructed - just accumulated dust from disuse. Placed in the least noticeable spot - clearly the owner doesn't recognize its value."
This was for his son Li Mengze.
Though the prefectural academy had pill halls, having one's own furnace was far more convenient.
"How much for this unpriced one?"
"Which?" The stall owner glanced over. "First-grade medium pill furnace, sixty mid-grade spirit stones."
Li Pingcan frowned disapprovingly: "Fellow Daoist, this isn't honest. There's a fine crack at the furnace base - it might explode upon first use! At best it's worth inferior-grade price."
The stall owner argued, "This treasure was dug from an ancient cultivator's cave at great personal risk! Not a stone less!"
"Ancient cave? With your Refining Qi Stage Three cultivation, you'd have been devoured by guardian beasts before reaching the entrance!"
Li Pingcan retorted bluntly. "Twenty stones. Take it or I'll leave - might check Master Tie's stall instead."
He made as if to depart.
"Wait, wait! Fellow Daoist!"
Seeing him leave, the stall owner panicked. To him, this furnace was defective stock that had sat unsold for nearly a year. Few asked, fewer bought - he couldn't let this potential buyer escape.
"Twenty-five! Fellow Daoist, twenty-five lower-grade stones - this is blood-loss pricing!"
"Ten."
"Twenty! Can't go lower! I paid eighteen originally!"
After intense haggling, Li Pingcan finally secured it for twenty lower-grade spirit stones.
The stall owner shoved the furnace at him, muttering "loss, loss" repeatedly.
Li Pingcan also wore a pained expression as he stored the furnace and left without looking back.
Next, he approached a stall selling flying sword artifacts.
The cloaked stall owner displayed only three swords, each radiating lethal sharpness - clearly blooded weapons.
"Fellow Daoist, sword shopping?" The black-cloaked man's voice rasped.
Li Pingcan's gaze fixed on a sleek, two-foot black short sword with minimal adornment beyond a faint blood groove, exuding restrained deadliness.
"How much for this sword?"
The cloaked man gave him a surprised look. "Good eye. This is 'Shadow Fang,' excelling in stealth and armor-piercing. First-grade medium, fifty-five lower-grade stones."
A fair price.
Li Pingcan lifted "Shadow Fang." Cool to the touch, he channeled a wisp of magic power into it. The blade vibrated, releasing razor-sharp energy that actually made him feel threatened.
"Fine blade!"
"My son Mengjin has innate sword physique. This 'Shadow Fang' complements his attributes perfectly," he thought.
"Fellow Daoist, fine as it is, this sword's killing intent is too strong, tainted by malice. Only the strong-willed can wield it without backlash. Forty lower-grade stones?"
"Fifty-three," the cloaked man said succinctly.
"Fifty, final offer." Li Pingcan tired of haggling.
After a pause, the cloaked man nodded: "Deal."
Li Pingcan paid promptly and stored "Shadow Fang."
The pill furnace for Mengze, Shadow Fang for Mengjin - gifts from their father.
Several days later...
Trading common Qi Gathering Pills with an alcoholic old Taoist, he obtained a "Southern Border Curiosities" tome recording various oddities.
Most intriguing was an entry about "Metal-Devouring Ants" - strange demonic insects that consumed metal ores, excreting "Ant Gold," a rare material that greatly enhanced artifacts' spirituality.
"If I could tame Metal-Devouring Ants, wouldn't material shortages become irrelevant for artifact forging?"
Li Pingcan's calculations made this trip increasingly worthwhile.
............
Seven days later, he returned to Tie Zhong's stall as agreed.
"Clang!"
A clear sword cry echoed through the valley.
Tie Zhong held a pristine longsword - slender as autumn water, deep black from refined Star Iron.
The blade bore no decorative patterns yet naturally shimmered.
Sharp yet restrained sword intent radiated, distorting the surrounding air.
"Magnificent!"
Li Pingcan's eyes lit up. He could feel the sword almost alive, resonating with his own sword intent.
"Hah, you've got taste, boy."
Tie Zhong handed over the sword, his expression pained as if giving away a daughter. "Named 'Awakening Thunder.' Star Iron core, infused with Ancient Army Specter essence, tempered with Five Elements materials. Razor-sharp yet capable of channeling elemental power at will - infinitely versatile."
He paused proudly: "This isn't ordinary first-grade - it's half-step into second-grade 'quasi-artifact'! Boy, I used my last reserves for this! Short me on payment and you won't leave this valley alive!"
Li Pingcan took "Awakening Thunder." Substantial yet not heavy, his magic power automatically synchronized with the blade.
With a thought, the sword sheathed itself in verdant Wood-element energy, radiating vitality.
Another thought transformed it to blazing fire, raising the ambient temperature.
"Excellent! Perfect!"
Li Pingcan was overjoyed - "Awakening Thunder" exceeded expectations!
He paid the balance promptly.
Tie Zhong's reluctance faded somewhat upon receiving payment. "If you obtain more good materials, remember me. Price... negotiable!"
"Certainly!"
Li Pingcan smiled, cupping his hands. Storing the sword, he turned to leave - only to be stopped.
"Wait!"
Tie Zhong handed him a black iron token. "My token. Show this here if trouble finds you - it'll protect you."
He added: "Beyond this valley, you're on your own. Carrying such treasures, many must be eyeing you already."
The token bore a crooked "Tie" character. Touched, Li Pingcan said: "Thank you for the warning, Master Tie. Farewell."
Without lingering, he vanished in a wisp of smoke.
Watching him leave, Tie Zhong mused:
"That boy... not simple. Hope he doesn't die too soon."
........
Qingyang County government office.
Wei Yanzheng listened to his subordinate's report, his face darkening.
"You're saying both Divine Blade Sect and Yunxia Valley are blaming me?" His voice was hoarse with suppressed rage.
The subordinate bowed: "Reporting, my lord - they claim... your faulty command and Chen Batian's reckless aggression triggered the serpent's early evolution, causing heavy casualties."
"Nonsense!"
Wei Yanzheng slammed the table. "Useless fools! Had they not coveted the demon core, would the serpent have been alerted? Now they dump all blame on me!"
Furious yet helpless - as overall commander, this blame was unavoidable.
As he fumed, a guard scrambled in:
"My...my lord! Trouble! The...the Su Family matriarch is storming in!"
"What?!"
Wei Yanzheng's headache worsened.
Su Qingxue? That notorious madwoman? What does she want?
Before he could ponder, icy sword intent filled the hall.
Su Qingxue appeared at the entrance - white-robed, holding an autumn-water sword, her beautiful face murderous.
"Wei Yanzheng!"
Her voice was colder than winter's wind: "Where is my daughter?"
"Lady Su?"
Wei Yanzheng frowned deeply, answering coldly: "What do you mean? Hasn't your daughter been meditating at home? When did she come to Qingyang County?"
"Seven Stars Sect disciple Li Qian is my daughter Su Huanuan! Her soul lamp shattered - no remains! Dare you claim innocence?"
Su Qingxue's rage boiled.
Seven Stars Sect only accepted commoners - she'd schemed for years, even using forbidden arts to steal destiny and replace bones, all to infiltrate the sect for a secret technique crucial to the Su Family's century-spanning destiny!
Now her daughter died obscurely during Qingyang's beast disaster - Wei Yanzheng, as imperial celestial official overseeing the battle, bore responsibility!
Understanding dawned on Wei Yanzheng, followed by deeper contempt.
"So that's it. I wondered how a country girl got superior spiritual roots - turns out it was your noble house's 'substitution' trick."
Though disdainful, he knew this wouldn't end peacefully - the Su Family's Foundation Establishment ancestor was notoriously unreasonable.
He adopted a "grieving" expression with a sigh.
"I see. My condolences, Lady Su! This was my oversight. During the beast attack, your daughter's Seven Stars unit defended the southern walls, but the beasts were overwhelming..."
"I want no excuses!" Su Qingxue snapped. "Just tell me whose error doomed my daughter!"
"Well..."
Wei Yanzheng had waited for this. Feigning hesitation, he showed appropriate difficulty: "Lady Su, this involves military personnel..."
Su Qingxue sneered, "You'd rather not offend the Su Family?"
"Very well." Wei Yanzheng sighed, asking his subordinate: "Who commanded the southern defenses?"
The subordinate hesitated.
The actual commander was Su Qingxue, but Su Huanuan's death was unrelated - the Seven Stars trio had voluntarily left camp to chase the River Serpent, vanishing thereafter.
Of course, Su Qingxue's belated inquiry suggested she'd investigated and likely knew this.
Wei Yanzheng also understood - the actual cause didn't matter; both sides sought to shift blame for profit or damage control.
The true victim was Li Pingfu - the Yunshui County Captain who'd performed heroically and was now aiding other counties.
With Li Pingfu's high reputation and Mu Family connections, framing him might backfire.
Though inclined to warn, the subordinate met Wei Yanzheng's icy glare and capitulated: "Yunshui County Captain Li Pingfu."
"Li Pingfu?"
Su Qingxue repeated the name, murder in her eyes.
She cared not for complexities - these mortals' lives were worthless. Dying for her daughter was their privilege.
Sheathing her sword, she coldly told Wei Yanzheng: "I'll uncover the truth - but you won't escape blame! My daughter's death won't end here!"
In a white streak, she vanished.
"Finally rid of that scourge."
Wei Yanzheng sighed exasperatedly. Were he not severely injured, would he have humored this unreasonable woman?
Naturally, he never considered the scapegoat's innocence.
Whether Li Pingfu lived or died, justly or unjustly - what was that to him?
A mere warrior - what honor to serve as immortal appeasement!