After leaving the Affairs Hall, Zhou Yang headed straight for the summit of Jade Spring Peak.
The cultivator stationed at the summit was still Seventh Grandfather Zhou Yun. As usual, the old man sat beneath the towering Dragon Scale Tree at the mountaintop. The moment he saw Zhou Yang arrive, he insistently pulled him over to sample the medicinal tea he had newly prepared.
With an elder inviting him so warmly, Zhou Yang naturally could not refuse. Besides, he truly did enjoy the old man's medicinal tea.
However, as he drank tea with the old man this time, his gaze was mostly fixed on the Dragon Scale Tree beside them.
The Dragon Scale Tree was an exceedingly rare kind of special spirit wood, named for the dragon-scale-like bark that grew upon its trunk.
The scales of a hundred-year-old Dragon Scale Tree were black, as hard as refined iron, and could be forged into First-Rank defensive artifacts. It was thus classified as First-Rank spirit wood.
Once a Dragon Scale Tree was over five hundred years old, its scales turned silver-gray and became harder than Dark Iron. They could be used to forge Tier 2 defensive artifacts, making it Tier 2 spirit wood.
If a Dragon Scale Tree could grow for over a thousand years, its scales would turn silver. At that point, they could be used to forge third-tier defensive artifacts, making it third-tier spirit wood.
It was said that once a Dragon Scale Tree surpassed five thousand years of age, its scales would turn golden like true dragon scales. They could then be used to forge fifth-tier defensive artifacts—treasures that Golden Core Stage ancestors would fight tooth and nail to obtain.
This Dragon Scale Tree of the Zhou Lineage was around eight hundred years old, not far from becoming third-tier spirit wood. Back when the Zhou Family Ancestor, Zhou Yuquan, discovered Jade Spring Peak, this spirit wood had already been growing on the mountain.
After that, about every ten years, the Zhou Lineage would remove several scales from the Dragon Scale Tree to forge artifacts. The main material of Zhou Yang's Silver Gang Shield had been one such scale taken from this tree.
Although Zhou Yang had known the tree's origins before, he had seen too many hundred-year-old and thousand-year-old giant trees on the mountain. He had never felt much about this spirit wood, which looked rather like a pine tree.
Back then, in his eyes, this Tier 2 spirit wood was far less valuable than the several Tier 2 spirit fruit trees—the Fire Crystal Jujube Trees—in the Spirit Fruit Garden on the mountain.
At the very least, the Fire Crystal Jujube Trees bore fruit once every five years. For Qi Refining Cultivators below Late Qi Cultivation who cultivated yang-based techniques like him, eating one jujube brought benefits equal to ten days of bitter cultivation. Not to mention that the jujubes tasted incredible, far surpassing any fruit he had eaten in his previous life.
But now that he had become an Artifact Forger, the value of the Dragon Scale Tree in Zhou Yang's eyes had suddenly soared.
"Hohoho, Little Nine, are you setting your sights on this Dragon Scale Tree too? It is not that I look down on you, but although you are already a Second-Rank Artifact Forger, you are not yet qualified to use this Dragon Scale Tree's scales. Every single one of these scales becomes a Tier 2 High-grade Artifact in the Old Clan Leader's hands. No matter how highly he regards you, he will not let you waste such treasures for nothing. Wait until you become a Second-tier High-grade Artifact Forger—then you might have a chance!"
Seeing Zhou Yang constantly looking at the Dragon Scale Tree, how could old Zhou Yun not know what he was thinking? He immediately chuckled and mercilessly dealt him a verbal blow.
To the old man, seeing an outstanding junior like Zhou Yang suffer a setback was quite an accomplishment in itself.
Yet the smile on the old man's face had only just bloomed for a few seconds before Zhou Yang's next words stunned him.
"Seventh Grandfather is right. With this grandnephew's current abilities as a Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact Forger, I truly am not qualified to use the Dragon Scale Tree's scales for forging. For a treasure like this, it would not be too late to wait until this grandnephew raises his Artifact Forging Art to Tier 2 High-grade and has sufficient confidence before attempting to forge with it."
"What? Your Artifact Forging Art has already broken through to Tier 2 Mid-grade?"
Old Zhou Yun stared at Zhou Yang in utter shock, his voice even going shrill.
Had this brat not only become a low-grade Second-Rank Artifact Forger last year?
How had he become a Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact Forger again after only one year?
Could it be that the Old Clan Leader had secretly gone down the mountain again to tutor him?
The old man stared in shock at the young junior before him, feeling as though his mind was no longer enough to process this.
Could it be that this young junior was not only a cultivation genius, but possessed even more astonishing talent in artifact forging?
Otherwise, how could he have gone from an outsider who knew nothing to a Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact Forger in less than five years?
If he remembered correctly, even the Old Clan Leader, the Third-tier High-grade Artifact Forger with the greatest artifact-forging talent in the lineage's history, had spent a full twelve years going from beginner to Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact Forger!
"Seventh Grandfather? Seventh Grandfather?"
Seeing old Zhou Yun frozen in shock at the information revealed in his words, Zhou Yang would have been lying if he said he did not feel proud.
After all, being a Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact Forger at twenty-two was indeed something worth bragging about. Not to mention a Foundation Establishment Family like the Zhou Lineage, whose history stretched back only a little over two hundred years—even within the Yellow Sand Sect, which had been passed down for over two thousand years, such speed would rank among the foremost in its history.
Even Zhou Yang himself had never imagined that his artifact-forging talent would be so exceptional.
When he had been a First-Rank Artifact Forger, nothing unusual had shown itself. But after advancing to a Second-Rank Artifact Forger, when he needed to combine several materials to forge artifacts, he discovered that he possessed extraordinarily precise control over the most crucial parts: proportioning the molten metals and regulating the heat.
Later, after comparing the deeds of other Artifact Forgers recorded in artifact-forging manuals with the Old Clan Leader's notes on his artifact-forging insights, he discovered that his talent in these areas was several times stronger than that of most Artifact Forgers of the same level.
If his cultivation had been a little higher, and if he had possessed materials for forging Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts, he felt that he could already attempt to forge Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts.
"Is Little Nine here? Come into the cave abode quickly. This old man happens to have something to tell you."
The Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan's call came at just the right time to rescue the somewhat embarrassed Zhou Yun. The old man's tightly drawn face relaxed from sheer shock, and he hurriedly said with an easy expression, "Little Nine, did you hear that? The Old Clan Leader is calling for you. Hurry over. Do not keep him waiting."
Seeing through it without exposing it—that was the mark of a good grandson.
Naturally, Zhou Yang would not truly make the old man lose face over a momentary fit of pride. Suppressing his smile, he bowed to the old man in farewell and strode briskly toward Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan's cave abode.
"Ah, I am old, old indeed. I can no longer keep up with the pace of the young!"
Beneath the Dragon Scale Tree, the old man watched Zhou Yang's departing back and could not help shaking his head with a sigh.
But the sigh lasted only a few seconds before the old man's expression changed. His face instantly glowed red, his eyes shining as he threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahaha! Young people these days are truly incredible! A twenty-two-year-old Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact Forger—tsk, tsk, tsk! I never imagined that in my lifetime, I would see such a genius emerge from the Zhou Lineage. Heaven blesses the Zhou Lineage! Heaven blesses the Zhou Lineage!"
For an elder of the lineage like Zhou Yun, who had struggled for the family his entire life, perhaps nothing brought him more joy than seeing outstanding juniors emerge within it.
Those great lineages, protected by Golden Core Stage ancestors or even Great Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and passed down for hundreds or thousands of years, might suffer endless open and secret strife over disputes between legitimate and concubine-born branches and the allocation of resources.
But for a small lineage like the Zhou Lineage, which had existed for only five or six generations, had a history of less than three hundred years, and possessed only one Foundation Establishment Cultivator to hold up its name, unity upon unity upon unity was the only proper path. They had to unite everyone's strength, concentrate all resources, and cultivate the few talented disciples within the lineage who possessed the aptitude for Foundation Establishment.
Just think: when purchasing a single Foundation Establishment Pill could exhaust the entire lineage's savings, if the lineage still fought internally and split into factions, the final outcome would certainly be that no one achieved Foundation Establishment, leading to the entire lineage's inheritance being severed.
Cultivators possessed lifespans far beyond those of mortals, and their wisdom also surpassed mortals by far. Naturally, they would not commit such a foolish mistake.
In such an environment, even if certain individuals were blinded by greed and wished to harm the public for private gain, once discovered, they would certainly be attacked by everyone together to uphold the lineage rules.
Therefore, seeing a junior like Zhou Yang prove so outstanding, even though he was not his direct descendant, elders of the Zhou Lineage like Zhou Yun were deeply gratified and sincerely delighted.
Only when the lineage grew stronger could their descendants live better lives, obtain more cultivation resources in the future, and have greater chances of achieving Foundation Establishment. The logic was that simple.
Meanwhile, after Zhou Yang entered the summit cave abode and saw Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan again, he had not even had time to bow before the Old Clan Leader directly brought him into his Artifact Forging Room.
"This old man heard what you said outside just now. Forge a Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact for this old man to see. Tell me whatever materials you need, and this old man will supply them without limit!"
As expected of the head of a lineage, Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan spoke with confidence. Tier 2 spirit materials that ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators fought tooth and nail to obtain seemed like cabbages in his eyes, available without limit.
What else was there for Zhou Yang to say?
Naturally, he rolled up his sleeves and got straight to work.
After wasting three batches of materials in succession, he successfully forged a Tier 2 Mid-grade Artifact flying sword on his fourth attempt.
"Not bad, not bad. Your Artifact Forging Art has indeed improved greatly. Even if this flying sword were placed in the shops of those market towns, it would meet the standard. It seems your artifact-forging talent is much higher than this old man originally expected."
After inspecting the artifact flying sword Zhou Yang had newly forged, the Old Clan Leader, who had always been stern and sparing with words before the lineage's younger generation, could not help revealing a delighted smile this time.
When the old man was in high spirits, rewards naturally followed. He extended his hand and said to Zhou Yang with a smile, "Now watch this old man forge artifacts. Take out the Gold-Eating Rat hide and rat teeth you obtained back then. This old man will forge one offensive and one defensive Tier 2 High-grade Artifact for you free of charge this time, as this old man's reward for your becoming a Second-Rank Artifact Forger."
Please vote, please vote, please vote! This book is about to fall out of the top ten on the fantasy cultivation New Book Ranking. I need all my readers' support. Would any big shots be willing to send a small reward? Not too much—one yuan's worth of Qidian coins will do. With a few yuan in daily rewards, plus this book's recommendation votes, we can hold on to the top ten!
Before you continue