"I haven't finished speaking. This batch of swords is indeed very poor in quality, but they weren't produced by our Chen Family."
Yang Lingtian calmly added this.
The Captain's face darkened, but his tone remained arrogant. "Young Master Yang, these weapons bear the unique mark of your Chen Family."
"You can't simply deny them. You'll have to produce evidence proving that they weren't made by your Chen Family."
Yang Lingtian did not answer him directly. Instead, he stared at him with murderous intent in his eyes.
"Tell me. Who sent you here to cause trouble?"
For a moment, the Captain was frightened by that gaze, but he quickly recovered.
"Young Master Yang, what do you mean? No one sent us!"
"There's a problem with the swords your family produced. Don't change the subject!"
Yang Lingtian continued asking in a stern tone, "I'm giving you a chance now. If you refuse to speak, I'll produce the evidence. Then none of you will be able to bear the consequences."
"Hmph, do you think I was scared into growing up?"
"There's no evidence proving that these swords aren't from your Chen Family. You're just trying to frighten me." The Captain remained stubborn.
Yang Lingtian gave him a deep look, then sneered. "Fine. Since you insist so strongly, I'll show you the evidence."
He then turned to Wang Tie Zhu and said, "Tie Zhu, bring over a mobile forging platform."
Before long, Tie Zhu had dragged over the mobile forging platform.
Yang Lingtian directly placed the broken swords inside the forging platform and increased the heat.
Everyone else watched Yang Lingtian operate it in confusion, unaware of what he intended to do.
As the heat intensified, the broken swords were burned red-hot and finally melted into a pool of molten iron.
Yang Lingtian then continuously stirred the molten iron, his movements filled with rhythm.
The Spiritual Power within his body also flowed constantly into the molten iron, and the amount of force involved was extremely precise.
Only then did some knowledgeable onlookers realize what Yang Lingtian intended to do.
They cried out, "That's the Forging Restoration Method! The Forging Restoration Method can only be performed by a First-Rank Artifact Refiner!"
As the cries of astonishment rose from the crowd, the atmosphere at the scene grew tense.
Although there were rumors that Yang Lingtian was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner, no one had ever truly witnessed his abilities.
Thus, many people had refused to believe it.
But the superb forging skills Yang Lingtian displayed this time shocked them, leaving them no choice but to believe it.
Yang Lingtian really was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner.
Soon, two layers separated in the molten iron, and Yang Lingtian picked out the upper layer.
Once it cooled, a purple ore appeared.
This was high-purity Purple Iron Ore!
The Mercenary Group's Captain began to feel uneasy, but he still did not understand what Yang Lingtian intended by doing this.
He put on a calm front and asked, "I say, Young Master Yang, what exactly are you doing? What does this prove?"
Yang Lingtian held up the piece of Purple Gold Iron and said, "Everyone knows that the ore used by our Chen Family is Yellow Iron Ore."
"But the broken swords yielded Purple Iron Ore when refined. Clearly, they weren't forged by our Chen Family."
The troublemakers all wore looks of shock. The Captain asked in disbelief, "You could actually tell directly from the broken swords?"
"These swords look no different from the ones forged by your Chen Family. How did you see it?"
Yang Lingtian sneered. "Indeed, ordinary people can't tell. Even top-tier artifact-refining apprentices would find it difficult."
"But don't forget, I'm a First-Rank Artifact Refiner. I can still tell the difference."
"What else do you have to say now?"
The shock on the Captain's face instantly froze. He hurriedly said, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. These swords must have been switched after we bought them."
"We didn't know these swords weren't produced by your Chen Family. This was all just a misunderstanding."
"We don't want compensation anymore. We'll consider ourselves unlucky to have ended up with a batch of defective swords."
After saying that, the Captain turned around and was about to lead his people out of the Weapon Workshop.
Yang Lingtian shouted furiously, "Stop!"
"You came here to cause trouble, and you think you can leave so easily?"
"I'll say it one more time. If you don't tell me who instructed you to come here, don't even think about stepping out this door."
At Yang Lingtian's signal, the apprentices surrounded them on all sides.
At this tense moment, the atmosphere inside the Weapon Workshop suddenly became drawn and dangerous.
The people from the Mercenary Group knew that unless they revealed the person behind this, the Chen Family would never let the matter rest.
The Captain seemed to make a decision, and his expression turned gloomy.
"Charge your way out!"
The weakest among these Mercenary Group members were at Qi Refining Level 7, while the apprentices were only at Qi Refining Levels 5 or 6.
The apprentices were simply no match for the Mercenary Group!
Before long, the apprentices were sent flying, leaving an opening.
The Mercenary Group members rushed outside one after another.
At that moment, Chen Yiyue moved. Her aura surged explosively, and with one leap, she landed before the group.
Qi Refining Level 9!
Yang Lingtian sensed the aura of Chen Yiyue's Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation and was slightly astonished.
Hadn't she only been at Qi Refining Level 7 some time ago? After merely a few weeks apart, she had already broken through to Qi Refining Level 9.
With such talent, it was no wonder she was somewhat proud.
"Trying to leave? Did you ask me first?" Chen Yiyue's icy expression sent a chill through them.
The Mercenary Group's Captain wore a grave expression. The aura Chen Yiyue displayed was simply too powerful.
"Everyone, attack together!"
At the Captain's command, more than a dozen people attacked Chen Yiyue at once.
Suddenly, a Spirit Sword appeared in Chen Yiyue's hand. Her figure then moved, weaving among the dozen-plus people like a ghost.
Her figure was as swift as lightning, impossible to follow.
All of their attacks were deftly evaded by her, as though her body had melted into the air and was everywhere at once.
At the same time, she swung the sword in her hand. Every stroke caught them off guard.
Her attacks were precise and powerful, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, leaving them unable to resist.
In just a few minutes, more than a dozen corpses already lay before Chen Yiyue, while she remained completely unharmed.
Only the Mercenary Group's Captain remained standing where he was, terror spilling across his face.
He then fell to his knees and begged for mercy. "I was wrong! Don't kill me! Please let me go!"
The scene unfolding before them left the onlookers outside utterly stunned, and cries of astonishment rang out.
"How pitiful! This is what happens when you come to cause trouble at the Chen Family!"
"This Chen Family's eldest daughter is incredible. It seems that beneath Foundation Establishment, very few people can defeat her."
Chen Yiyue slowly walked toward him, placing her Spirit Sword against his neck as she asked coldly, "Speak. Who instructed you to come here?"
"If I tell you, will you let me go?" the Captain asked in a trembling voice.
"As long as you tell me, I can spare your dog's life," Chen Yiyue said expressionlessly.
"It was... it was the Tang Family. Tang Qi instructed us." The Captain answered.
With so many people watching, he believed Chen Yiyue would keep her word and let him go.
"Hmph. I knew someone from the Tang Family had instructed you." Chen Yiyue looked somewhat furious.
"I've already told you! Hurry and let me go!"
"I can let you go, but although the death penalty can be avoided, punishment in life is unavoidable. Leave one arm behind!"
Chen Yiyue raised the Spirit Sword in her hand and directly chopped off one of his arms.
"Ah!"
His shriek echoed through the Weapon Workshop.
Yang Lingtian swallowed when he saw this scene, thinking inwardly:
Yiyue looks like such a delicate young lady, yet she has such a ferocious side. She's far too fierce!
Looks like I have to raise my cultivation as quickly as possible. If I really marry her in the future and can't keep her in check, I'll be doomed.
[Congratulations, Host, on helping the Chen Family overcome a crisis. You have been specially rewarded with 100 Enlightenment Pills]
The system's voice rang in his ears, filling Yang Lingtian with delight. The system reward he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The Enlightenment Pill was such a precious and rare spiritual pill, yet he had obtained a hundred of them in one go. The system really was generous.
Even a single Enlightenment Pill would attract Golden Core experts to fight over it if placed on the outside market. Yet here with Yang Lingtian, it seemed as if they could be obtained casually.
With so many Enlightenment Pills, wouldn't comprehending any cultivation technique or martial skill be effortless?
By now, the Mercenary Group's Captain had already left the Weapon Workshop in a sorry state, while the onlookers' fixed impressions of Yang Lingtian and Chen Yiyue had also changed.
Their impression of Yang Lingtian in particular had undergone a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal.
The useless wastrel who had squandered his family fortune had now become a First-Rank Artifact Refiner admired by everyone.
This identity was considered extremely respectable in Tianchen City.
Likewise, Chen Yiyue's impression of Yang Lingtian had also changed somewhat.
However, when facing Yang Lingtian, she still appeared rather cold.
After resolving the matter, she left the Weapon Workshop directly and returned to the residence.
Before long, what had happened here reached the Tang Family. After all, there were also people keeping watch among the onlookers.
At first, the Tang Family did not believe that the useless Yang Lingtian was a First-Rank Artifact Refiner. They thought the Chen Family had merely found an excuse involving a newly recruited First-Rank Artifact Refiner to cover things up.
But after this incident, the Tang Family began to wonder whether Yang Lingtian might truly be a First-Rank Artifact Refiner.
However, they had not witnessed it personally. They had only heard a report from their servants.
Inside the main hall of the Tang residence, a sharp slap rang out.
"Useless fool! Look at the people you sent. They sold us out so easily!"
The Tang Family Head, Tang Deyou, slapped his son Tang Qi across the face and berated him.
"This has not only damaged our Tang Family's reputation, but also let the Chen Family know that our Tang Family is targeting them."
"Now the Chen Family will be on guard against us. It will be even harder for us to make a move in the future."
Tang Qi said anxiously, "Father, I didn't know that Yang Lingtian could actually tell that the broken swords weren't forged by them."
"He can even use the Forging Restoration Method that only a First-Rank Artifact Refiner can perform. Many people witnessed it at the time."
Tang Deyou calmed himself and said, "Go investigate whether that Yang Lingtian really is a First-Rank Artifact Refiner."
At that moment, the Tang Family's Great Elder, Tang Defa, walked in and said indifferently, "Family Head, is there any need to lose your temper so badly?"
"We've already been engaged in constant minor friction with the Chen Family in secret. So what if it's brought into the open now?"
"Regardless of whether Yang Lingtian is truly a First-Rank Artifact Refiner, we can simply find an opportunity to kill him."
Before you continue