Wang Yun

"Mystic Gold is a crucial material for forging Earth-Grade spirit weapons; its hardness goes without saying, and ordinary mortal flames certainly cannot melt it."

Looking at the Mystic Gold in his hand, Ye Lin fell into deep thought.

Not to mention the Mystic Gold, even the Yellow-Grade High-Tier Longsword he held could not be melted by ordinary fire. To fuse the Mystic Gold into the longsword, he would have to enlist the help of a master blacksmith.

"Sun-Moon City is vast and boundless; I shall see if I can find such a blacksmith."

With that thought, Ye Lin began searching for a blacksmith within Sun-Moon City.

Sun-Moon City was a massive metropolis capable of housing a million people, filled with countless cultivators; it was not impossible that he might find a person of hidden talent.

After searching for half the day, Ye Lin truly did find such a place.

It was an incredibly dilapidated blacksmith shop. Why call it dilapidated? Because the shop before him had a broken front gate, a gaping hole in the roof, and looked utterly wretched.

If not for the three large characters written on the plaque, Ye Lin would have mistaken it for a slum.

Walking through the gate, all that met his eyes was a small workshop and an old man lying on the ground, drinking.

"Get out. I'm closed. If you want something forged, find another shop."

Watching Ye Lin walk in, the old man waved his hand dismissively.

As Ye Lin looked at the old man, a transparent panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Zhang Si Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm Fate Grade: White Fate Logic: [Blacksmith] (Second-Tier) Destiny: To guard this dilapidated blacksmith shop for a lifetime and die in gloom. Recent Opportunity: None

[Blacksmith]: You possess innate divine strength and were born a master of the forge; in the path of smithing, you are always a step ahead of ordinary men.

Seeing the panel, Ye Lin was startled; he had not expected to actually find a blacksmith.

Blacksmiths and alchemists were divided into nine tiers, with the first being the lowest and the ninth the highest.

"Senior, I have circled this city and found no one with true skill. You are the last shop."

"I wonder if you would be willing to help this junior? Afterward, I shall certainly reward you handsomely."

Having said this, Ye Lin placed the longsword and the Mystic Gold before the old man. Seeing this, the old man's previously murky eyes brightened slightly.

"Mystic Gold is a fine treasure. If the materials are gathered, one could forge an Earth-Grade spirit weapon. You are truly generous."

Watching Ye Lin produce the Mystic Gold and the longsword, Zhang Si understood exactly what the fellow wanted.

At these words, Ye Lin wore a bitter smile; the materials for an Earth-Grade spirit weapon were all incomparably precious—how could he possibly find them?

"Senior, I beg of you."

Watching Ye Lin bow to him, Zhang Si nodded inwardly. The exterior of his shop had already turned away countless people, and he had never encountered such a polite junior before.

"Since that is the case, this old man shall help you out, youngster. Once it is done, I require one mid-grade spirit stone."

After Zhang Si spoke, Ye Lin was slightly startled, but he nodded silently.

Mid-grade spirit stones were indeed precious, but blacksmiths were hard to find, and getting one to take action was even harder.

"Very well, one hour."

Once Zhang Si finished speaking, he put away his wine gourd, picked up the longsword and the Mystic Gold, and stepped onto the workshop platform. In an instant, a blue flame appeared on the table.

Zhang Si methodically tossed the Mystic Gold into the fire and began to refine it.

An hour later, Zhang Si was drenched in sweat.

"Seal!"

With a loud shout from Zhang Si, the blue flame vanished, and a longsword radiating cold light lay there.

"Mysterious Grade Low Tier, not bad."

Looking at the longsword, Zhang Si stroked his beard and smiled. As a second-tier blacksmith, refining Earth-Grade materials was still a bit of a stretch for him.

"Many thanks, Senior."

Seeing this, Ye Lin was overjoyed and immediately took out a mid-grade spirit stone to hand to Zhang Si.

"No need. You provided the payment, I provided the labor."

After Zhang Si took the spirit stone, he lay back down on the ground and began to snore loudly. Ye Lin took the longsword, stored it in his Spatial Ring, and walked out of the blacksmith shop.

"With this Mysterious Grade Low Tier longsword to assist me now, I can remain invincible even if I go head-to-head with Zhang Xiao."

Walking down the street, Ye Lin muttered to himself.

He currently possessed many methods and had no fear of Zhang Xiao; as long as Zhang Xiao dared to make a move, he would surely be able to take him down.

"It is time to return to the sect; I still have yet to claim Niu Bo's opportunity."

On the road, the corners of Ye Lin's mouth curled upward.

He hurried toward the Azure Cloud Sect, and by the time he reached the foot of the mountain, night had already fallen, with the moon hanging high overhead.

Halfway up the path, Ye Lin suddenly stopped and scanned his surroundings.

"Who's there?"

Ye Lin put on a show, his sixth-level Qi Refining spiritual energy surging as he looked around, appearing ready to strike at any moment.

"Your alertness is quite high. Sixth-level Qi Refining? Not bad, but sixth-level Qi Refining alone is not enough."

At that moment, a young man in a long robe stepped out from the darkness.

"Who are you?"

Ye Lin's expression turned grave as he looked at the person before him.

Name: Wang Yun
Cultivation: Sixth-level Qi Refining
Fate Grade: White
Life Logic: [Exceptionally Intelligent]
Destiny: In three months, he will descend the mountain to eliminate demons, only to have his life essence drained dry by a fiend and die.
Recent Opportunity: In half a month, he will go to She Mountain for training and accidentally discover a cave containing a Mystic-Grade High-Tier Spirit Fire.

[Exceptionally Intelligent]: You are very clever. You always think things through before acting and can rely on your sharp mind to turn danger into safety when faced with a crisis.

Looking at the man's Life Panel, Ye Lin clicked his tongue. A Spirit Fire was a flame nurtured by heaven and earth.

Whether for alchemy or artifact refining, a Spirit Fire was essential. Such flames were extremely precious; a Mystic-Grade High-Tier Spirit Fire was worth at least three high-grade spirit stones, and even then, it was worth more than gold.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is, don't think that just because you've hidden your cultivation, you can be fearless of Zhang Xiao. The gap between the sixth level and the eighth level of Qi Refining is like a natural chasm."

After Wang Yun finished speaking, he prepared to leave, but the next moment, Ye Lin blocked his path.

"You already know my cultivation level; you must die."

Ye Lin's face was filled with murderous intent, his spiritual energy roiling as his killing intent became fully apparent.

"Hmph, if I want to leave, you have to be able to stop me first."

Seeing this, Wang Yun let out a disdainful snort, circulated the spiritual energy within his body, and vanished into the night using an incredibly strange movement technique.

Watching Wang Yun depart, Ye Lin retracted his cultivation back into his body.

"Scouting, is it? A petty trick."

Ye Lin sneered and continued toward the Azure Cloud Sect.

Although he had never crossed paths with Zhang Xiao, he knew from the panel that the man was cautious; such a cautious person would certainly send someone to scout ahead.

Therefore, from the moment he left the Azure Cloud Sect that morning, he had suppressed his cultivation to the sixth level of Qi Refining specifically to mislead anyone sent to investigate.

The reason he let Wang Yun go now was to ensure he would return to report the news. If he had killed Wang Yun, Zhang Xiao would surely not make a move, which would lead to endless trouble later.

His actions aligned perfectly with the future events foretold on the panel.

"Sixth-level Qi Refining? Hmph, so this is what you rely on? Appearing to be at the fourth level while actually being at the sixth."

"It has been less than half a year since you entered the sect, and in that short time, you went from a mortal to the sixth level of Qi Refining. What kind of treasure do you have on you?"

"However, even if you have a treasure, it belongs to me, Zhang Xiao."

Inside a grand hall, Zhang Xiao wore a sneer, with Wang Yun standing by his side.