Sword-Forging Manor

Even without the current situation of Grandmaster, the impressive lineup of eleven Spirit Transformation experts alone is enough to intimidate everything. Many battles in history have already proven that an army cannot stop martial arts masters. It is difficult for martial arts masters to annihilate an entire army, but it is very easy for them to kill the army's leader.

As for sending assassins to carry out the assassination, that's a joke; assassin organizations with that kind of guts are already history.

Although the Su State over a hundred registered Spirit Transformation, these Spirit Transformation vary in strength, forming a pyramid structure. The members of the Heaven's Will Palace are undoubtedly in the middle to upper ranks. To deal with these eleven individuals, it would likely be necessary to mobilize all the remaining Spirit Transformation. But why should those Spirit Transformation Grandmaster listen to the officials?

They tried to lure them with power, but when each Spirit Transformation Grandmaster was brought out, the governor had to treat them with utmost respect and deference. They didn't care about the scraps thrown out by the bureaucrats, let alone risk their lives for such scraps.

Ultimately, in this world, power trumps authority; that's the most fundamental issue.

It is likely that Heaven's Will Palace has clashed with the bureaucratic class many times in the past, and since Heaven's Will Palace still exists today, the outcome is self-evident: the weapon of criticism is ultimately no match for the criticism of weapons.

"However, the bureaucrats are not without their own strength. The fact that your Martial Uncle Xiao was framed is probably the result of their decades of efforts, which is why we still haven't chosen Grandmaster." Yan Jinghong's expression was particularly solemn when he talked about this matter.

Si Ming quickly advised, "Martial Uncle Xiao is living a very carefree life now. The last time I saw him, True Intention and full of boundless energy. This matter may be a relief for him. Every cloud has a silver lining."

Yan Jinghong sighed, her expression softening, and said, "Perhaps, but there's one thing you must remember: never enter officialdom. One of these guys' usual tricks is that if they find they can't deal with you, they'll recruit you and make you one of their own. One reason you haven't faced opposition from everyone is that you have a clean background, no political connections whatsoever, and you're even a student. This might be a disadvantage elsewhere, but it's a huge advantage in the Heaven's Will Palace."

Si Ming suddenly realized why his master wanted to be a lone wolf, independent of official organizations, only acting as a collaborator. Thinking about it carefully, others were also intentionally or unintentionally avoiding officialdom.

Ling Huanxi, Zhu Hao, and Wu Xiu are all lone wolves, obeying orders but not decrees. Chen Xiangduan is the leader of the Shadow Hero Guard, forming his own system. Xing Daozhuang is the military region commander. Tu Wangyue and Ji Shichen belong to the Mohist Religion. The only one with any connection is Cang Baiyi, but although the title of "Number One Divine Constable" is impressive, he is really just someone who catches criminals and is not even a police chief. His apparent power is pitifully small.

"Master, don't worry. I have absolutely no interest in officialdom and politics. They're too troublesome and a waste of my cultivation time."

Yan Jinghong smiled but didn't say much. He was adjusting his attitude and trying his best to treat Si Ming as an equal. Otherwise, because of him, the other members of the Heaven's Will Palace would treat Si Ming as a junior, which would be detrimental to Si Ming's future development. He would easily become insignificant and feel inferior to others.

For the sake of his apprentice, he had to give up being the master.

After an hour of rapid travel, the two arrived at their destination and fell from the sky, landing at the mouth of a valley.

Si Ming turned his head and saw a huge manor perched in the valley, with thick smoke rising from it. The sound of hammers striking anvils could be heard from afar. The Five Phases Spiritual Qi were severely imbalanced, and the air was filled with strong metal Yuan Power.

Sword-Forging Manor.

When Si Ming saw the plaque above the manor gate, he had a helpless expression. The name of this manor was too trivial. It felt like it appeared as often as the Yue Lai Inn in martial arts and fantasy novels. It basically never produced any strong people and was usually just there to deliver the protagonist's handy weapons.

But considering that his identity was about to change and he could no longer play the comedic role of the witty one, he swallowed back the words that were about to come out, pretended to be serious, and kept his eyes straight ahead to show respect to the host.

"We apologize for not being able to properly welcome our distinguished guests who have traveled from afar."

Chapter 725 Sword-Forging Manor

"Please, Master Yan; please, Young Master Si."

Greeting the master and apprentice was a middle-aged man dressed in loose, luxurious robes, exuding an air of wealth; he was none other than Yun Fujian of the Sword-Forging Manor.

"Master Teng is at a crucial moment in forging weapons and is unable to leave to personally greet you. I hope you two will understand."

Although Teng Baixin is Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, he only serves as an elder in the Sword-Forging Manor. This is a common situation. Usually, the position of sect leader is held by someone who is shrewd and adept at social maneuvering. Those with high martial arts skills often hold the title of elder or deputy sect leader.

In ancient times, sect leaders could maintain their superior status by monopolizing their sect's unique skills. However, after the Mohist School made its martial arts manuals public, sect leaders, distracted by sect affairs, were easily surpassed by their fellow disciples who focused on martial arts. If the old rule of choosing the most skilled martial artist as sect leader continued, a vicious cycle would quickly ensue—in fact, many sects did split as a result.

While there are alternative methods, such as appointing the most skilled martial artist as the sect leader and the most adept at social interaction as the deputy sect leader, in the current situation, sending a deputy sect leader to greet guests might make the guests feel slighted. Ultimately, it cannot compare to the sect leader personally appearing, even if it's just a difference in address.

Yan Jinghong said, "It's alright, we've been bothering you. We don't know when Brother Teng will have time, we won't bother him for too long, we'll just ask a question and then leave."

Yun Fujian hurriedly said, "That won't do. Please, both of you, stay at my manor for several days. Otherwise, if word gets out, people will only say that my Sword-Forging Manor doesn't know how to treat guests."

After exchanging pleasantries, Yun Fujian said that they only needed to wait another half an hour until the important process of sword forging was completed before they could go to see the Artisan King. As for the Lord of Ten Thousand Weapons, he was rarely seen and had not been at the Sword-Forging Manor for more than half a year.

He led the master and apprentice to the VIP room and ordered tea to be served. Si Ming took a sip. The water was originally warm, but after drinking it, a cool sensation arose in his stomach, spreading along his meridians to his limbs and bones. The heat that had enveloped him when he entered the Sword-Forging Manor was instantly dispelled. The effect was even better than air conditioning. If he had to describe it, it would be Jingjing and refreshingly cool.

"This tea is quite special," Si Ming said in surprise.

Yun Fujian chuckled and said, "This tea is called Ice Heart Tea. The people of my Sword-Forging Manor spend their days forging weapons, constantly surrounded by furnaces, which easily generates 'golden fire' within their bodies. Therefore, we need this tea to clear away this 'fire'."

Si Ming nodded, then asked, "Could you tell me what plant this tea comes from?"

Yun Fujian chuckled and said, "If anyone else asked, I would just say it's a pine tree, but since Young Hero Si has asked, I won't hide it. This tea is a plant that grows on pine trees."

That sounds nice, and it's full of flattery, but anyone who thinks about it can figure it out. Pine trees don't grow tea leaves, and this thing isn't a pine nut. It's easy to find the answer. Giving the answer directly now is just skipping that step of thinking.

However, etiquette dictates that even if you know the other person is talking nonsense, you still have to accept their kindness.

Seeing that Si Ming was interested, Yun Fujian began to explain, "This tea was discovered by my grandfather by chance on the mountain when he was young. At that time, he was fighting a powerful enemy. Although he finally managed to kill him, he was also seriously injured by the enemy's dying blow, which triggered the golden fire that had accumulated in his body for many years. He almost Qi Deviation and became a cripple. Fortunately, the place where my grandfather fell was the pine tree that grows Ice Heart Tea. He took a bite of the tea leaves, and the golden fire immediately dissipated, allowing him to escape death. Afterwards, my grandfather realized the extraordinary nature of Ice Heart Tea and that it would be of great benefit to the people of the Sword-Forging Manor, so he transplanted it. After several generations of cultivation, it has finally reached the scale it is today."

Before coming, Si Ming had already learned that the manor lord's grandfather was the Void Returning Great Grandmaster Lord of Ten Thousand Weapons, Yun Jinzang. Upon hearing about the manor lord's extraordinary life experiences, Si Ming was speechless. He had encountered rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures while injured, turning misfortune into blessing. It was truly a privilege worthy of Long Aotian.

"This Ice Heart Tea can also relax muscles and tendons and dispel internal heat for ordinary martial artists, but it cannot be drunk frequently. Drinking too much can easily lead to physical weakness and coldness. In particular, the tea leaves from the mother tree have a more significant effect. They are naturally imbued with Spiritual Qi, and the tea I brewed for you two is from the mother tree."

Yan Jinghong asked, "Is the mother tree the pine tree that the Great Grandmaster transplanted?"

Yun Fujian proudly stated, "That's right, all the Ice Heart Tea Trees we use now are propagated from that mother tree."

Just then, an untimely voice said, "What's there to be proud of? They come from the same source, which means that once they get infected, none of these Ice Heart Tea Trees will escape."

Everyone turned to look, and the speaker was a beautiful young woman, with a radiant beauty like a pearl and a lustrous jade. There was a scholarly air about her, but her temperament was cold, giving people the impression that she was not easy to get along with.

Yun Fujian's expression changed, and he immediately scolded, "Yinmo, how can you be so rude with such an honored guest here? Have you forgotten all the manners I taught you?"

The young woman stepped forward, bowed gracefully to Yan Jinghong, and said, "This junior greets Hero Yan."

He then said to Si Ming, "Old classmate, it's been a long time."

"Ah, it really has been a long time."

Si Ming looked at Yun Yinmo standing in front of him with great surprise. The two had known each other for a long time at the Mohist Knight Guard base in Tange City. After that, they participated in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament together and went to the same high school, but not in the same class. He never thought that she would be the young lady of the Sword-Forging Manor. This identity was really unexpected.

Could it be that there are hidden talents among those around me, and that everyone with a name or surname actually has a significant background?