A Kindness in Return

"Xuan Su, take some people to the innermost room of the storeroom and bring out the Star-Fall Profound Steel,"

Xia Wanjin instructed Xuan Su, then turned and smiled at Lin Yiqing. "I must trouble you to wait a little longer, young friend."

Lin Yiqing lifted his teacup and took a small sip, but inwardly he wondered what terms the other party might offer. He didn't believe that good fortune simply fell from the sky.

Before long, Xuan Su directed the staff to carry in an enormous, iron-gray, oval boulder about the size of a water vat. Its surface was pitted and uneven, and it looked extremely ugly.

With a thought, Lin Yiqing activated his Origin Qi Vision. The gloomy, iron-black boulder before him radiated an intensely dazzling platinum light.

Its razor-sharp aura and the concentration of Origin Qi left no doubt: it was high-grade metal-type Origin Qi.

"Lin, this is the Star-Fall Profound Steel. Several decades ago, an elder of our chamber of commerce happened upon it and purchased it. It has been kept in the depths of our storeroom ever since. Today, I'm giving it to you."

Xia Wanjin looked at the Star-Fall Profound Steel before him with a complicated expression and couldn't help sighing.

Over the years, he had considered having it forged into a weapon, but Yan City had no powerful Talisman Master capable of refining it, so the matter had remained on hold.

There were still chances to acquire spirit ore, but even if one searched all of Yan City, not a single Talisman Master could forge a weapon from it.

That was because refining spirit ore required a Talisman Master to reach the Spirit Rune Master realm and be able to use a Mental Power Flame. Only then could they remove its impurities and forge it into a divine weapon.

Beyond the city, however, dangers lurked everywhere. Even if he had a divine weapon forged, he didn't dare gamble on whether someone might kill him for it.

The Great Perfection of Yuan Dan Realm sounded impressive, but he knew his own limits. He might be a powerhouse within one city, but across the whole of Tiandu Prefecture, he was nothing special.

What was more, finding a Spirit Rune Master, paying their fee, and everything else involved would all be a hassle.

Thus, the Star-Fall Profound Steel could only sit in the storeroom, where it was kept in the hope that one day it could be traded away.

"One shouldn't accept a gift without having done anything to deserve it. President Xia, you're giving me such valuable spirit ore for no reason. Are you hoping I'll do something for you?"

The spirit ore he had long coveted was right before him, but Lin Yiqing grew even more cautious. The other party was a businessman through and through; it was entirely possible he might use this as a pretext to make an unreasonable demand.

"Not at all. Don't be nervous, young friend. There's no scheme behind this. Just consider it an apology."

Xia Wanjin looked at Lin Yiqing frankly as he spoke. "You're a clever young man. It was wrong of us to scheme against you before. If you hadn't been so powerful, you might already have lost your life.

"Besides, even without this, you may well have obtained other spirit ore. So why not let this be our apology, settle our grudge, and make a friendly connection? What do you think?"

Lin Yiqing had already guessed what Xia Wanjin was thinking, but the other man's straightforwardness still surprised him.

He could bend without breaking. Xia Wanjin truly lived up to being the head of one of Yan City's three great powers.

Still, even with the other party offering a sincere gesture, it was only enough for Lin Yiqing to accept his apology. As for making a friendly connection, that was utterly out of the question!

When all was said and done, this entire scene was built on his overwhelming strength. If he hadn't beaten Yuan Li that day, he would probably have died at the city gate.

Then how could they have brought him this "apology gift"?

Because he had the strength to forcefully slay someone at the Small Perfection of the Origin Pellet Realm while in the late Heaven Origin Realm; because he had won the Tower Duel and broken into the eighth level; because his spiritual cultivation had reached that of a Three-Seal Spirit Rune Master!

That was why he could stand here today and accept the other party's apology!

Talent could earn someone's approval, but only when talent was turned into strength could it win other people's respect!

"I'll accept President Xia's apology. The matter of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce scheming against me is settled. As for whether we'll make a friendly connection, we'll see what happens from here."

Now that the other party had laid his cards on the table, Lin Yiqing couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush. With a sweep of his sleeve, he put the Star-Fall Profound Steel into his Universe Bag.

"Of course. You're blessed with extraordinary talent, young friend. At your age, your strength already surpasses that of your peers. If you have time in the future, I hope you can teach my Zhilan a thing or two!"

Seeing Lin Yiqing put away the Star-Fall Profound Steel, Xia Wanjin's taut nerves finally relaxed. A smile appeared on his face as he spoke.

Putting away the Profound Steel meant the previous matter was behind them. If Lin Yiqing had refused it, a fierce battle might have been unavoidable.

A Three-Seal Spirit Rune Master was no easy opponent!

If they fell out and failed to kill him, Xia Wanjin would likely never know another moment's peace.

At last, the heavy atmosphere in the room dissipated. Xuan Su and Manager Xia He couldn't help letting out sighs of relief.

Xia Zhilan, who had no idea what was going on, heard Xia Wanjin's words. Her pretty face instantly turned bright red, and a hint of shyness entered her gaze as she looked at Lin Yiqing.

"If that's settled, I'll take my leave!"

Having achieved his goal, Lin Yiqing said no more. He offered a brief pleasantry, then rose to leave. Xia Wanjin and the others didn't try to keep him and accompanied him to the door.

At that moment, Xuan Su beside them asked without thinking, "Young friend Lin, what do you need the Star-Fall Profound Steel for?"

"Forging!"

Lin Yiqing's brief reply left Xia Wanjin and the others aghast, their hearts churning like storm-tossed seas.

Afterward, relief showed in their eyes. Fortunately, they had resolved their grudge with him. Otherwise, who knew what price they would have had to pay?

After leaving the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce, Lin Yiqing hurried straight to the Tianyan Mountain Range.

He hadn't bought himself a residence in the city, and he often made quite a commotion. A crowded place wasn't suitable for him.

So he chose to forge his weapon in the mountains once again. First, the remote wilderness was rarely visited, so he wouldn't be disturbed. Second, even if he caused a bit of a stir, he could quickly deal with it.

This time, he chose a cave on the edge of a circular lake.

The cave had originally been only a few yards across, but Lin Yiqing had modified it and expanded it farther inward.

He carved a hidden channel and drew lake water into a basin he had prepared inside the cave. Then Lin Yiqing began preparing to forge the weapon.

After meditating for a while, Lin Yiqing took out the Star-Fall Profound Steel and placed it on a flat stone platform. His expression was solemn, and a faint light flickered in his eyes.

In an instant, strands of spiritual power, solid as threads, shot from his eyes. They crossed and traced over one another, forming an intricate rune array in the blink of an eye.

Many days of waiting and countless plans had all been for this day!

"Life-Transforming Rune Array, third layer—Myriad Transformation Flame!"

The intricate rune array began spinning rapidly the moment Lin Yiqing formed its hand seals. A fierce surge of spiritual power suddenly spread outward.

"Whoosh!"

The rune array pulsed, and vast spiritual power began gathering at its center. In an instant, a strange, illusory flame sprang up from within it.

The Myriad Transformation Flame looked somewhat like an ordinary flame, but its violent fluctuations of spiritual power still took Lin Yiqing by surprise.

"Refine!"

With a sharp cry, the spiritual power in his Mud Pill Palace surged into the Life-Transforming Rune Array like a tide. Fed by this spiritual power, the Myriad Transformation Flame swelled until it swallowed the entire piece of Star-Fall Profound Steel.