Causing Trouble

"I wasn't finished. This batch of swords is indeed of poor quality, but it wasn't produced by our Chen Family."

Yang Lingtian added unhurriedly.

The Captain's face darkened, but his tone remained arrogant as he said, "Young Master Yang, these weapons bear the Chen Family's unique mark."

"You can't just weasel out of it. You'll have to produce evidence proving they weren't made by your family."

Yang Lingtian didn't respond directly. Instead, he fixed a murderous glare on him.

"Speak. Who sent you to cause trouble?"

For a moment, the Captain was intimidated by that look, but he quickly recovered.

"Young Master Yang, what do you mean? No one sent us!"

"The problem is with the swords you produced. Don't try to change the subject!"

Yang Lingtian pressed on in a sharp tone. "I'm giving you a chance right now. If you don't talk, and I bring out the evidence, none of you will walk away clean."

"Hmph, you think I was born yesterday?"

"There's no real proof these swords aren't from the Chen Family. You're just trying to bluff me." The Captain remained stubborn.

Yang Lingtian gave him a long, hard look, then sneered. "Fine. Since you're so insistent, I'll show you the proof."

He turned to Wang Tie Zhu and said, "Tie Zhu, bring over a mobile forging station."

Soon, Tie Zhu hauled one over.

Yang Lingtian directly placed the broken swords into the forging station and turned up the heat.

Everyone watched in confusion, unsure what he was doing.

As the temperature rose, the broken swords glowed red-hot and eventually melted into a pool of molten iron.

Yang Lingtian then stirred the molten iron steadily, his movements rhythmic.

He continuously channeled his Spiritual Power into the iron, the force applied with great precision.

Some knowledgeable Onlookers finally realized what Yang Lingtian was up to.

They gasped. "That's the Forging Restoration Method! A technique only a First-Rank Artifact Refiner can perform!"

As the exclamations rippled through the crowd, the atmosphere grew tense.

Though rumors claimed Yang Lingtian was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner, no one had truly seen his skill.

So many didn't believe it.

But now, the masterful forging technique Yang Lingtian displayed shocked them, forcing them to believe.

Yang Lingtian really was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner.

Soon, the molten iron separated into two layers. Yang Lingtian skimmed off the top layer.

Once it cooled, a purple ore emerged.

This was high-purity Purple Iron Ore!

The Mercenary Group Captain's heart began to waver, but he still didn't understand what Yang Lingtian was getting at.

He forced himself to stay calm and asked, "I say, Young Master Yang, what's all this fuss about? What does it prove?"

Yang Lingtian held up the piece of Purple Gold Iron and said, "Everyone knows our Chen Family uses Yellow Iron Ore."

"But these broken swords refine into Purple Iron Ore. Clearly, they weren't forged by our family."

The troublemakers looked stunned. The Captain asked in shock, "You could tell just from the broken swords?"

"These swords look no different from the ones your Chen Family forges. How did you figure it out?"

Yang Lingtian sneered. "Indeed, ordinary people can't tell. Even top-tier artifact refining apprentices would struggle."

"But don't forget—I'm a First-Rank Artifact Refiner. This difference is still something I can spot."

"Got anything else to say now?"

The Captain's shocked expression froze. He quickly said, "Misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! After we bought this batch, someone must have swapped them."

"We had no idea these swords weren't from the Chen Family. Let's call this a misunderstanding."

"We won't ask for compensation. Just our bad luck for ending up with a batch of defective swords."

With that, the Captain turned to lead his men out of the Weapon Workshop.

Yang Lingtian bellowed, "Stop!"

"You come here to cause trouble, and you think you can just walk away?"

"I'll say it one more time. If you don't tell me who sent you, none of you are leaving this door."

At Yang Lingtian's signal, the apprentices surrounded them.

In that tense moment, the Weapon Workshop bristled with hostility.

The Mercenary Group knew that if they didn't reveal who was behind this today, the Chen Family wouldn't let it go.

The Captain seemed to make a decision. His expression turned grim.

"Charge out!"

These Mercenary Group members were at least at Qi Refining Level 7, while the apprentices were only around Qi Refining Level 5 or 6.

They were no match for the mercenaries at all!

Soon the apprentices were knocked flying, leaving an opening.

The mercenaries rushed outward one after another.

That was when Chen Yiyue moved. Her aura surged, and with a single leap, she landed before the group.

Qi Refining Level 9!

Yang Lingtian sensed Chen Yiyue's Qi Refining Level 9 presence and felt a flicker of surprise inside.

Not long ago, she was only at Qi Refining Level 7. In just a few weeks, she'd broken through to Level 9.

With talent like that, no wonder she had a bit of an arrogant edge.

"Want to leave? Did you ask me?" Chen Yiyue's icy expression sent a chill through them.

The Mercenary Group's Captain wore a grim look. The aura Chen Yiyue was putting out was far too strong.

"Everyone, attack together!"

At the Captain's command, over a dozen people launched an assault on Chen Yiyue.

Suddenly, a Spirit Sword appeared in Chen Yiyue's hand. She moved, weaving through the crowd like a ghost.

Her figure was swift as lightning, impossible to track.

She dodged all their attacks with uncanny grace, as if her body had merged into the air itself, everywhere at once.

At the same time, she swung her sword. Every strike caught them off guard.

Her attacks were precise and powerful, like a tiger descending a mountain, unstoppable.

In just a few minutes, over a dozen bodies lay before Chen Yiyue, while she remained completely unharmed.

Only the Mercenary Group's Captain was left standing, his face twisted in terror.

Then he dropped to his knees and begged, "I was wrong! Don't kill me! Let me go!"

The scene unfolding left the Onlookers outside stunned, gasping in shock.

"Brutal! That's what you get for making trouble at the Chen Family!"

"This Chen Family eldest daughter is something else. Looks like below Foundation Establishment, few can beat her."

Chen Yiyue walked slowly toward him, pressing her Spirit Sword against his neck. "Talk. Who sent you?" she asked coldly.

"If I tell you, will you let me go?" the Captain said, his voice trembling.

"If you speak, I'll spare your worthless life," Chen Yiyue replied, expressionless.

"It was... the Tang Family. Tang Qi sent us," the Captain answered.

With so many watching, he believed Chen Yiyue wouldn't go back on her word and would release him.

"Hmph. I already guessed it was the Tang Family pulling the strings." Chen Yiyue's voice carried a hint of anger.

"I've told you! Now let me go!"

"I'll let you go, but death is excused, not punishment. Leave an arm behind!"

Chen Yiyue raised her Spirit Sword and sliced off one of his arms.

Ah!

A scream echoed through the Weapon Workshop.

Yang Lingtian watched, swallowing hard, thoughts racing in his mind.

"Yiyue looks so gentle and refined, but she's got such a fierce side. That's way too tough!"

"Looks like I need to raise my cultivation fast. If I really marry her someday and can't keep her in check, I'll be in trouble."

[Congratulations, Host, for helping the Chen Family through a crisis. As a reward, 100 Enlightenment Pills have been granted.]

The system's voice rang in his ears, filling Yang Lingtian with joy. The long-awaited system reward had finally arrived.

Enlightenment Pills were such precious, rare spirit pills, and he'd gotten a hundred at once. The system really delivered.

Just one Enlightenment Pill could spark a frenzy among Golden Core experts outside, yet here with Yang Lingtian, it seemed as easy as picking them up.

With that many Enlightenment Pills, mastering any technique or martial skill would be a breeze!

By then, the Mercenary Group Captain had already fled the Weapon Workshop in disgrace, while the Onlookers' rigid impressions of Yang Lingtian and Chen Yiyue had shifted.

Especially their view of Yang Lingtian—it had done a complete one-eighty.

The former waste and spendthrift was now a First-Rank Artifact Refiner that everyone envied.

That status was quite prestigious in Tianchen City.

Likewise, Chen Yiyue's opinion of Yang Lingtian had also changed somewhat.

But facing him, she still kept a cool distance.

After finishing up here, she left the Weapon Workshop directly and returned to the estate.

Word of what happened soon reached the Tang Family, since there were Onlookers among them who served as their eyes and ears.

At first, the Tang Family didn't believe that useless Yang Lingtian was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner, thinking it was just an excuse the Chen Family had cooked up to cover for the fact they'd already found a new one.

But after this incident, the Tang Family started to wonder whether Yang Lingtian really was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner after all.

Still, they hadn't witnessed it themselves—they'd only heard reports from their underlings.

In the main hall of the Tang residence, a sharp slap rang out.

"Useless! Look at the people you sent—they sold us out so easily."

Tang Family head Tang Deyou struck his son Tang Qi across the face and roared.

"Not only has this damaged the Tang Family's reputation, it's also let the Chen Family know we've been targeting them."

"Now that the Chen Family will be on guard against us from now on, it'll be even harder to make a move."

Tang Qi stammered, "Father, I didn't know either. That Yang Lingtian could actually tell the Broken Sword wasn't forged by them."

"And he even used the Forging Restoration Method, which only a First-Rank Artifact Refiner would know. A lot of people saw it."

Tang Deyou calmed himself and said, "Go find out for me—whether that Yang Lingtian really is a First-Rank Artifact Refiner or not."

Just then, the Tang Family's Great Elder, Tang Defa, walked in and said flatly, "Family head, is there really any need to lose your temper like this?"

"We've always had minor skirmishes with the Chen Family behind the scenes anyway. What difference does it make if it's out in the open now?"

"Whether Yang Lingtian truly is a First-Rank Artifact Refiner or not, just find a chance to kill him and be done with it."