Low-tier Artifact Forging Technique!

Great Bamboo Peak.

The small woods behind Shou Jing Hall.

The wind died down.

Su Ru froze.

Even Tian Buyi, who had been pretending to admire the scenery, abruptly turned around. His beady little eyes were full of disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"You little rascal, do you even know what this is?"

"This is a Nine Heavens Divine Weapon!"

"A treasure people would kill to get their hands on!"

"Did a donkey kick you in the head?"

Tian Buyi couldn't help speaking up, his voice rising by an octave.

Though the sword made him feel a little uncomfortable, that was his own problem.

His disciple had a chance to get a divine weapon like this, and he was turning it down?

Was the boy stupid?

"Seventh, don't be willful."

"This isn't an ordinary sword. It's..."

Su Ru was getting anxious too.

"I know it's Ink Snow, a Nine Heavens Divine Weapon."

"And that's exactly why I don't want it. It's a divine weapon that someone else already forged."

Ye Xuan cut off his mistress.

A radiant smile appeared on his face, brimming with a young man's arrogance and confidence.

"No matter how good Ink Snow is, it represents someone else's glory. It's someone else's path."

"Since I, Ye Xuan, have an Innate Dao Body and intend to pursue the path to immortality, how can I rely on someone else's light from the very beginning?"

"If I'm going to forge something, I'll forge my own treasure!"

"I'll make sure everyone in the world knows!"

"It's not the divine weapon that makes me strong!"

"It's because that treasure is in my hands, Ye Xuan, that it deserves to be called a divine weapon!"

Then,

Ye Xuan raised his hand and pointed at his chest.

His words rang out with such conviction that even the air seemed to freeze.

Tian Buyi gaped, staring blankly at his youngest disciple.

At that moment,

in this ten-year-old child, he saw a boldness that could swallow mountains and rivers.

A domineering spirit even he had never possessed!

"Good!"

A thunderous shout shattered the silence.

Tian Buyi slapped his thigh, his chubby cheeks quivering as an unprecedented brilliance shone in his beady little eyes.

His sour mood vanished in an instant, replaced by irrepressible delight and pride.

That was his disciple, Tian Buyi's disciple!

Hahahaha!

Tian Buyi felt so good.

At that moment, he was more comfortable than if he'd eaten a ginseng fruit.

He strode forward and gave Ye Xuan a hearty slap on the shoulder, nearly pounding him into the dirt.

"That's the spirit!"

"Now that's a real man!"

"Even if it's just a Firewood Stick, if you forged it yourself, then it's the strongest!"

"What's so impressive about taking something ready-made?"

"That's what useless people do!"

It was hard to tell whether he was praising his disciple or slyly insulting someone else.

Whatever the case, Tian Buyi was in such a good mood he could sing.

Su Ru looked at the man and boy.

First, she was taken aback.

Then she shook her head helplessly.

But a tender smile played at the corners of her mouth.

She sighed softly and turned her hand over.

The light on Ink Snow gradually faded, and she wrapped the sword back up in its blue silk cloth.

"Since your mind is made up, your mistress won't force you."

"Still, forging a magic treasure is no child's play. You'll need top-grade materials."

"If you can't find anything good and end up making something useless, don't come crying to me afterward."

Su Ru looked at Ye Xuan, her eyes filled with approval.

"Don't worry, Mistress!"

"I may not have much, but I've got good luck!"

"Maybe I'll trip on my way out and find some ten-thousand-year-old refined iron or a meteorite from beyond the heavens!"

Ye Xuan thumped his chest so hard it boomed.

Of course he was confident.

With the God-tier Sign-in System, what heavenly treasures couldn't he get his hands on?

Forget Ink Snow—even the Zhu Xian Ancient Sword might not be beyond his reach someday!

Three days later.

Dawn was just breaking, and the morning mist had yet to lift.

A figure rode an iron sword that looked rather shabby, wobbling as he flew out of Great Bamboo Peak.

Ye Xuan didn't look back.

He was afraid he'd see that deadbeat fatso hiding behind a tree, secretly wiping away tears.

Too sentimental.

That didn't suit his transmigrator persona.

Then,

Ye Xuan looked down at the sword beneath his feet.

This was the standard issue given to Qingyun Sect disciples setting out on their first trip down the mountain.

Commonly known as: Mass-Produced Flying Sword No. 001.

Material: Refined iron.

Special effects: None.

Its only function was flying—and not very steadily at that. Hit a little turbulence and it wobbled like a drunkard.

Compared with Ink Snow, it was just a Firewood Stick.

But Ye Xuan didn't care.

His goal was clear.

He wasn't going down the mountain to vanquish demons and defend the righteous, nor was he heading for the bustling Heyang City.

Instead...

Small Bamboo Peak!

Ye Xuan steered the rickety sword beneath his feet through a huge arc in the sky.

After avoiding the patrolling disciples on Heaven-Piercing Peak, he quietly made his way toward Small Bamboo Peak.

The system's designated sign-in location was Small Bamboo Peak.

But the system hadn't said he had to go into the courtyards!

Small Bamboo Peak was a mountain.

The foot of the mountain was part of it too.

Perfectly logical. No problem!

As a transmigrator who valued his life, Ye Xuan would have to be out of his mind to barge onto Small Bamboo Peak.

Whose territory was that?

Master Shuiyue's!

That short-tempered old woman was even more protective than Tian Buyi.

And to make matters worse, the place was full of female disciples.

If he dared trespass, he'd probably be turned into a pincushion by their flying swords before he even landed.

Then the next day's Qingyun Sect headlines would read:

<Shocking! Great Bamboo Peak disciple caught spying on Small Bamboo Peak and executed on the spot!>

"Tian Buyi weeps behind his hands, claims he'll sever ties with his disciple!"

The mental image was too horrifying to bear.

So,

Ye Xuan sensibly settled for skimming the edge.

The wind howled.

Below him, the rugged pine and cypress gradually gave way to vast stretches of lush bamboo.

Tear Bamboo.

A specialty of Small Bamboo Peak.

Even from far away, Ye Xuan could feel a fresh, cool breeze wash over him.

There was even a faint fragrance of bamboo leaves in the air.

"That should be about far enough."

Ye Xuan brought his flying sword down ten miles from Small Bamboo Peak's entrance.

This was the foot of the mountain on Small Bamboo Peak's rear side.

Deserted.

Only a few wild rabbits hopped around in the grass.

Beyond this point lay the area covered by Small Bamboo Peak's protective formation.

Ye Xuan landed on a moss-covered boulder, straightened his windblown clothes, and struck what he considered his most dashing pose.

Even though no one was watching,

a sense of ceremony was important.

"System."

"Sign in!"

Ye Xuan murmured inwardly.

A few seconds of silence.

There was nothing but the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind.

Ye Xuan's heart was in his throat.

Had the system glitched and failed?

Just as Ye Xuan was about to curse,

the cold, mechanical voice—though to Ye Xuan it sounded like heavenly music—finally rang out in his mind.

[Ping!]

[Sign-in successful!]

[Congratulations, host. You have received the reward: Low-tier Artifact Forging Technique!]

When he heard the system's voice,

Ye Xuan let out a long breath, nearly collapsing onto the ground.

This lousy system was so slow it scared the hell out of him!

The next moment,

a vast stream of information burst into Ye Xuan's mind.

There were no ancient books or gleaming scrolls.

Just pure information.

It struck his skull like a massive hammer.

"Holy crap..."

Clutching his head, Ye Xuan grimaced in pain, nearly tumbling off the boulder.

The information wasn't merely about how to forge a sword or smelt a piece of iron.

It also included an analysis of materials' underlying nature, the application of array inscriptions, and even a profound understanding of how spiritual energy from heaven and earth combined with matter!

Hardcore!

Way too hardcore!

And this was low-tier?

You call this low-tier?