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"But the little martial granduncle should be here to strengthen his physique, right?" Ah, so this was what it felt like to call someone little martial granduncle. How subtly strange. Zheng Jin leaned back against the bookshelf behind him. "Using a sword to form an array is a fine idea, but it does not suit little martial granduncle's current needs."

Wen Xu naturally understood that. "Thank you for the reminder, True Lord. You needn't call me little martial granduncle."

Zheng Jin immediately seized the opening and climbed higher. "How could I accept that? If my master heard it, he'd surely nag my ear off again, saying I didn't respect propriety and had no regard for my elders. Sigh."

Wen Xu: ...What a difficult person to talk to.

So after thinking about it, he simply answered the earlier question. "The Windfold Fan is very good. I like it very much. Thank you, True Lord, for parting with it and giving it to me."

"As long as you like it. No need to call me True Lord. See? I already agreed not to call you little martial granduncle." Zheng Jin was accustomed to pushing his luck. "You call me Senior Brother Zheng, and I'll call you Junior Brother Wen. How about it?"

...Sure enough, he was very difficult to talk to.

Wen Xu decided not to argue over such trivial details. He felt that even if he did argue, it would be useless, so he readily changed his form of address. "Senior Brother Zheng."

Ah, how nice. If not for that Mutated Wind Spiritual Root, he would have pulled him into his master's bowl no matter what. What a pity. Now even his master had to call him little martial granduncle.

"Junior Brother Wen, you should be lacking a sword, shouldn't you?"

With a flip of his hand, Zheng Jin suddenly had a longsword in his grasp. "What do you think of this?"

First a folding fan, then a sword. Wen Xu did not think he was someone people found particularly likable. "Senior Brother Zheng, why are you so good to me?"

"I'm good to whoever I want to be good to. Why must there be a reason?" Zheng Jin casually played with the sword in his hand. It was actually an ordinary low-grade spirit sword. Outside, it would be worth at most a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Its only distinguishing feature was that it could adjust the weight of its blade according to the spiritual power used by the cultivator.

In other words, it was an excellent beginner practice spirit sword for Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

Did Wen Xu believe him? Of course not.

"I don't understand."

"Perhaps we simply hit it off."

Zheng Jin suddenly said that in earnest, but he soon reverted to his old ways. "Just take it. At worst, you can pay me Spirit Stones. I just want to make this deal with you today."

In the end, Wen Xu paid eighty Spirit Stones for the sword, and Zheng Jin thoughtfully provided a Body Tempering sword technique for reference as well.

"How about this Nine-Turn Sword Technique?"

Wen Xu used his spiritual power to read the jade slip and quickly discovered that it was a sword technique that disregarded Spiritual Root attributes. In other words, cultivators with any Spiritual Root could practice it. But he soon realized that if someone with a Wind Spiritual Root practiced it, they would receive a training boost unique to them.

As its name suggested, the Nine-Turn Sword Technique had nine forms, and each form required the sword wielder to turn his body as he swung. Once all nine forms were completed, the body would have turned nine times with the sword. If practiced frequently and repeatedly, it would not only fulfill his Body Tempering needs, but even allow him to comprehend the formation of wind while practicing the sword.

Wen Xu suddenly realized that every cultivator capable of successfully advancing possessed unparalleled comprehension and insight into cultivation.

Even though Senior Brother Zheng's Spiritual Root had nothing to do with wind, he could still easily find the most suitable Body Tempering sword technique for him amid the vast sea of jade slips.

Wen Xu was thoroughly convinced. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Zheng. Wen Xu has learned much." Having just formally set foot on the path of cultivation and immediately gained enlightenment to advance to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, Wen Xu had not shown it, but there had indeed been a faint sense of pride in his heart.

But now, that pride scattered in all directions, slowly settling into calm.

Zheng Jin noticed the little martial granduncle's change, and the smile in his eyes immediately overflowed. Worthy of a Mutated Spiritual Root—his comprehension truly left nothing to be desired. Not only could he gain sudden enlightenment, but after just a few words from him, he could promptly reflect on himself. Zheng Jin was already looking forward to next year's Yonglu Mountain disciples' grand competition.

Ah, he just loved watching geniuses steal the limelight.

"Since Junior Brother Wen wants to thank me, don't you have any practical way of showing it?"

For the first time, Wen Xu realized that talking to someone could be this exhausting. "What do you mean, Senior Brother Zheng?"

Zheng Jin immediately rubbed his hands together. "When you practice swordsmanship, would you mind changing locations?"

"Ah?"

"Artifact Refining Peak, beside my forging furnace. How about it?"

Wen Xu had not expected that this was what Zheng Jin was after. Was he planning to make a Wind Spiritual Root like him fan the flames?

"Hey, if you didn't refuse, that means you agree. Hurry, hurry, hurry! Better to run into a day than choose one. First make copies of these three jade slips, then we'll go fan the wind—oh, no, practice swordsmanship! I came to find you the moment I got out of the Discipline Hall! This is an emergency in the martial world! If we wait any longer, I'm afraid my forging furnace won't hold out!"

For the first time, Wen Xu was pushed along by someone. By the time he arrived at Artifact Refining Peak with his sword in hand, before he could even steady himself, a young disciple came running over in frantic little steps. "Little martial uncle, you're finally back!"

"Ah, don't panic. Didn't I go fetch a savior?"

A savior? Only then did the young Lu Nian notice the handsome blind young man beside him. "Ah, little martial granduncle?!" Heaven help them! Little martial uncle had been suppressed by seniority and had started bullying the Divine Venerable's disciple! Sect Master, save Artifact Refining Peak! Ever since the peak master entered seclusion, little martial uncle had become completely lawless!

"Hello..." Wen Xu had just greeted him when he was pushed onward again. As he walked, he heard the person pushing him say, "There's no time for pleasantries. Junior Brother Wen, just treat Artifact Refining Peak like your own home. Don't stand on ceremony."

Terror flashed across Lu Nian's face. What Junior Brother Wen? Could little martial uncle also want to become the Divine Venerable's disciple?

Peak Master, please come out and take charge of the situation!

No one knew of young Lu Nian's furious inner roar. By then, Zheng Jin had already brought Wen Xu before his forging furnace. The furnace was more than ten meters tall, black and gold from top to bottom. Intricate runes climbed upward from its base, making it obvious that this was an extremely high-end forging artifact.

Wen Xu knew nothing whatsoever about artifact refining, but that did not stop him from noticing that the forging furnace was currently in a state of "about to explode." "It..."

"That's right. Because too much Wind Spirit Beast blood was used, the air inside the furnace—or rather, the wind—is about to reach its critical limit." Zheng Jin made a gesture of things scattering in every direction. "Before long, it's going to explode!"