"Whoa—you've got some terrible dark circles!" Instructor Huan looked at Qing Xuanling in surprise. "Didn't Ziyi tell you to rest?"

  Qing Xuanling smiled wryly, avoiding Instructor Huan's astonished gaze. She'd spent the entire night studying the body cultivation technique alongside Xuan Dan—both planning how to replicate the special environment the technique required for practice.

  Surprisingly, They had managed to advance at least halfway despite having spent only one day and one night studying.

  But that study session had left them exhausted—especially Qing Xuanling, who'd already been drained beforehand. Worse still, she'd had to wake up early the next morning.

  After all, today they had to talk to the refiners who would make their weapons to finalize the details of the order!

  According to the clan chief, they'd mobilized the clan's finest refiners! With luck, the weapon Qing Xuanling received would end up being a high-grade artifact!

  She gazed eagerly at the building before her—spanning at least two thousand square meters with dozens of chimneys spewing black smoke.

  The others arrived while she was lost in thought. Qing Ziyi and Qing Wan seemed surprised by her appearance, but Qing Linxi merely smiled faintly.

  "It's quite an interesting technique, isn't it, Sister Xuanling?" Qing Linxi regarded her curiously. "Though I didn't expect you'd look like this… Don't tell me you've already made your decision?"

  Qing Xuanling ignored the others' curious stares and snorted. "It's definitely an interesting technique, almost as interesting as Sister Linxi. And regarding my decision… Didn't you give it to me precisely because you already knew what I'd do?"

  Qing Linxi beamed and linked arms with Qing Xuanling. "Good—very good! I knew Sister Xuanling wouldn't be a coward! Hehe—with both our efforts, the path to Foundation Establishment is assured!"

  Though sudden, the embrace didn't entirely displease Qing Xuanling.

  Even though Qing Linxi had only given her the body cultivation technique to share the burden of completing it, ultimately, that doesn't change the fact that she had received a high-grade profound-rank technique even if it wasn't complete.

  Even cultivating it to the entry level would easily allow Qing Xuanling's strength to surpass her peers.

  Moreover, she and Qing Linxi were now in the same boat. Having a companion beside her would undoubtedly prove immensely helpful.

  To the side, Instructor Huan frowned upon hearing their conversation and closeness. His expression darkened as if recalling something—he regarded Qing Linxi with disapproval—but said nothing.

  He considered Qing Xuanling an adult after the mortal village mission—someone capable of making her own decisions. He sighed and quickly entered the building before them: the Qing Clan's ancestral forge.

  "Come on—the Young Master informed me beforehand to head to Forge Number 3." Instructor Huan led the way. "Several master refiners from the clan are waiting there."

  Everyone—even Qing Chu, who'd kept apart from the group—nodded excitedly. The fame of the Qing Clan's master refiners was known throughout Ziyu City. The prospect of obtaining superior weapons quickened their steps.

  They entered the ancestral forge—a structure as old as the clan itself. It was surprisingly spacious inside. Dozens upon dozens of apprentices and refiners hurried about while masters barked orders with fiery voices.

  The heavy sound of metal being hammered made Qing Xuanling's ears tremble.

  Some apprentices glanced at them curiously—but quickly ignored them and returned to work. They had no time for gossip amid their heavy workload.

  Qing Xuanling quite liked the atmosphere. Though noisy, each person was immersed in their own world—charming in its own way.

  After walking several minutes, they reached Forge Number 3—nearly at the ancestral forge's end. Instructor Huan knocked on the door and asked politely:

  "Qing Huan along with five other clan youths request entry to the forge. We come by the clan head's orders."

  Yet despite Instructor Huan's respectful tone, what they received was a torrent of curses.

  "Tsk—these bastards finally showed up! Had you kept me waiting another minute, I'd have hauled my ass out of here and left!"

  "Tell me about it! Youths grow more disrespectful by the day! Not only does the clan force us to craft weapons for brats like them—they can't even arrive on time!"

  "I swear I'll beat them to death if they don't impress me…!"

  Dozens of curses flew within one minutes—paling Qing Xuanling's face. She unconsciously asked, "Did we come to the wrong place…?"

  Qing Linxi smiled bitterly. "Unfortunately not. Sigh… I'd suspected as much—but the clan truly threw us to these old curmudgeons!"

  Instructor Huan grimaced. "Don't worry. The clan already guaranteed us mid-grade artifacts. Coming here is merely to test our luck…"

  The others nodded solemnly. Qing Xuanling felt slightly confused—but Instructor Huan opened the forge door before she could ask.

  She had no choice but to follow the others inside and save her questions for later.

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  Forge Number 3's interior was relatively ordinary—a anvil, a furnace, and several basic facilities necessary for weapon creation. It didn't seem much different from a common blacksmith's shop.

  But Qing Xuanling wasn't fooled by appearances. She could sense immense energy permeating the entire room—converging at key points like the furnace and anvil. It seemed as if there was a large matrix operating throughout the forge.

  Though Qing Xuanling only glanced briefly at the forge before her attention was captured by the six emaciated elders inside. She was instantly stunned.

  One was even missing an arm!

  She swallowed hard. Could… could these truly be the famed master refiners who would craft their weapons?!

  Qing Xuanling glanced sideways at Instructor Huan—but he'd already bowed his head in apology.

  "We sincerely apologize, Elders. We arrived two hours earlier than the Young Master arranged—but it seems our preparation was insufficient. The fault lies with us youths…"

  Qing Xuanling was stunned again. She'd already been shocked when Instructor Huan sent a servant to fetch her at four in the morning with orders to be at the ancestral forge by five.

  She'd thought they'd arrived too early—but these emaciated elders actually seemed dissatisfied!

  One of the emaciated elders snorted—but his eyes had softened, especially when looking at Instructor Huan. "Hmph—at least you know how to speak properly, little Huan… We only agreed to come because we heard your name."

  Instructor Huan smiled in relief and quickly thanked them. The others—even the ill-mannered Qing Chu—enthusiastically expressed gratitude. Qing Xuanling uncomfortably imitated them. She wasn't accustomed to being so effusive with anyone…

  The elders spoke primarily with Instructor Huan, ignoring the rest. Apparently, this was the prestige granted to one who'd saved the clan before.

  Qing Xuanling even thought they treated him too harshly.

  "Thank you, Elders. Regardless of circumstances—we're already grateful you received us today." Instructor Huan smiled and turned to the group. "Everyone—please bring out the weapons you've been using until now."

  "The elders will decide whether to forge weapons for us based on what they see in our old arms."

  Qing Xuanling frowned, not fully understanding—but drew her weapon along with the others. The sword she accompanied her for two years and stood beside her in her most difficult battles.

  However, the blade was now severely damaged. A slight force would shatter it into hundreds of pieces.

  The others' weapons were in better condition—except Instructor Huan that, who presented his half-broken spear.

  The elders frowned and snatched the sword Qing Chu had drawn. All six crowded around it, inspecting thoroughly. After several tests, one finally tossed it back to Qing Chu with disdain.

  "Tsk—a weapon as mediocre as its owner!" The thinnest old man of them all spat with disdain. "None of us will craft a weapon for someone like you—be gone at once!"

  Qing Chu's face flushed crimson with rage. He gripped the sword's hilt and nearly retorted—but a hand pressed his shoulder.

  Instructor Huan shook his head.

  Qing Chu gritted his teeth, snorted forcefully—and left. His extremely venomous gaze as he left.

  "Anyway—I didn't want old relics living off past glory crafting anything for me!"

  He slammed the door shut upon leaving. The elders erupted in fury under Instructor Huan's helpless gaze. That was precisely why he'd wanted to prevent Qing Chu from speaking—but the fool had too foul a temper…

  The elders cursed Qing Chu for five minutes before finally inspecting Qing Wan's sword.

  They examined it seriously this time. An elder with hands covered in scars praised him: "A well-maintained sword! Unlike that previous idiot—you've kept the blade in good condition… However, you still don't qualify for us to craft a weapon."

  Qing Wan's face fell—but he bowed reverently and thanked the elders. Perhaps due to the contrast between Qing Chu and Qing Wan, one elder remarked:

  "You're not a bad seedling. If you wish—I can have one of my apprentices craft a weapon for you. Are you willing?"

  Qing Wan's eyes lit up. He nodded hastily. "Of course! I'm satisfied with the Elder's arrangement!"

  The elders smiled contentedly and quickly dismissed him.

  Next inspected were Qing Ziyi's and Qing Linxi's weapons. Qing Ziyi's brush was evaluated as well-maintained—the elders themselves praised as worthy of an artifact forged by them.

  The scarred-handed elder decided to craft Qing Ziyi's weapon and led her to his personal forging chamber.

  Qing Linxi was similarly praised—especially her warhammer, which despite radiating a thick aura of death, was impeccably maintained. An elder with scars covering his entire face decided to forge an artifact for her.

  Now only four elders remained, Instructor Huan and Qing Xuanling. She observed the remaining elders: an extremely thin elder, one missing an arm, one missing an eye, and one missing several fingers.

  The four elders scrutinized her too—but first focused on Instructor Huan. They gazed sadly at his half-broken spear.

  "It was a magnificent high-grade weapon…" The one-eyed elder sighed. "I assisted in its forging—I know how fine it was. What did you face to leave it like this?"

  Instructor Huan smiled wryly. "A peak-stage demonic cultivator… Nearly I died—it was this spear that saved my life in the end. But since you mention it—do you plan to forge me a new spear, One-Eyed Elder?"

  One-Eyed Elder pursed his lips—but finally smiled. "It's an honor to forge the weapon of the Qing Clan's hero. Come—let's discuss how we'll craft this new spear…"

  Instructor Huan smiled joyfully and quickly followed One-Eyed Elder out of the forge—not before giving Qing Xuanling an encouraging glance.

  Qing Xuanling forced a smile—but it didn't ease her nerves. She looked at her nearly shattered sword and the three remaining elders who'd harshly criticized Qing Chu for poor weapon maintenance.

  She could already imagine the things these elders would say about her incompetence—but unexpectedly, the first words she heard were…

  "How long have you had this weapon, little one?" The elder missing several fingers asked with a smile. "It's a high-quality mortal-grade weapon—but the damage seems recent… You don't look much older than my granddaughter—how did it end up in this state?"

  "Mmm—indeed, it's surprising you managed to damage such a fine weapon to this degree. Even my granddaughter—that foolish destroyer—can't damage a sword this badly…" The extremely thin elder shook his head.

  Qing Xuanling blinked at the elders' gentle gazes. She was genuinely surprised. These elders had even spoken harshly to Instructor Huan recently!

  But she quickly realized—all these elders seemed to have granddaughters around her age!

  Even the one-armed elder regarded her with relative kindness. She quickly sighed in relief and answered the elders' questions.

  "This weapon has been with me for two years…" Qing Xuanling smiled nostalgically. "A gift from Instructor Huan after I killed my first demonic beast. Since then—it's stayed with me… Especially since I haven't earned enough to buy a better weapon."

  The one-armed elder's eyes gleamed. "You seem to have cared well for this sword if you've kept it two years—how did it end up like this?"

  Qing Xuanling smiled bitterly. "During the battle against that demonic cultivator. I don't know if they informed you—but the reason the clan rewarded us with high-grade artifacts is because we faced an assault by five demonic cultivators. I fought alongside Instructor Huan against a peak-stage demonic cultivator—that's how my sword ended up like this…"

  The elders nodded in understanding. Certainly—the clan had not informed them about that.

  Their gazes toward Qing Xuanling now brimmed with comprehension.

  "Good—I'll personally reforge this sword into a high-grade artifact." The one-armed elder smiled as he took the sword. "It would be a pity to abandon a blade that's stayed with its owner so long—especially when it's about to gain sentience!"

  Qing Xuanling's eyes widened at those last words.

  "Sentience?!"

  The one-armed elder smiled as he exited the forging chamber. "Come—we have much to discuss before deciding how I'll reforge this sword!"

  Qing Xuanling quickly bid farewell to the other elders—who gave her warm smiles—and followed the one-armed elder.