The Founding Father of Weapon Refiners?

Only after Zhou Changqing's figure had vanished completely did the crowd erupt!

"What the fuck happened? Why did he suddenly go on a rampage out of nowhere? Judging by their clothes, those three he killed weren't ordinary people."

"Ordinary? Not even close. I know those three. They were Jia Lie Ao of the Jia Lie Family, Aoba Le of the Ao Ba Family, and Cheer Xu of the Cheer Family. Their fathers are the heads of their respective families!"

"?!!"

"Hiss... How did that boy dare?! He's punched a hole through the heavens!"

"Tsk, looks like that boy had a grudge against those three families. He killed all three heirs the moment he made his move. Ruthless!"

"Heh, I happen to know a little of the inside story. All I can say is, they deserved it."

"Looks like the skies over Wutan City are about to change..."

Although the killings had happened right in the street, the onlookers wanted no part in the affair, so word did not immediately reach the three families.

It was the guard whose legs had been severed who finally crawled on his hands to one of the Jia Lie Family's shops, found someone from the family, and passed on the news.

Once the news arrived, the Jia Lie Family, the Ao Ba Family, and the Cheer Family were all shaken to their cores!

When Jia Lie Bi and the other two family heads saw their sons' headless corpses, they were overcome with grief!

"Aaargh! You little beast! I'll carve you into a thousand pieces!"

"My son! My Le!"

"That little bastard! How dare he! How dare he!"

Under the three men's ravenous glares, every member of their families mobilized. A bounty was issued at the same time, and a citywide hunt for Zhou Changqing began.

Anyone who killed or captured Zhou Changqing would receive a Profound Tier Low Grade Dou Technique!

Jia Lie Bi and the other two even took action themselves, swearing to avenge their murdered sons and grind Zhou Changqing's bones to dust!

In an instant, a tremor shook all of Wutan City!

The various factions pulled their people back, not daring to provoke the three families at a time like this.

The three families were practically mad now. Anyone who antagonized them might well become a target for their fury!

Even many of the city's main streets stood empty, with barely a pedestrian in sight, while numerous shops closed their doors.

Compared with the three families' rage and most people's efforts to keep their distance, the Xiao Clan remained far calmer. There was even a hint of delight in their misfortune!

"Heh, my worthy nephew certainly has a ruthless touch. Those three old fellows, Jia Lie Bi and the others, must be wearing some spectacular expressions right now. I'd love to see them."

"Still, with three furious old fellows after him, my worthy nephew won't find it so easy to leave. It's time our Xiao Clan did something."

In the Xiao Clan's main hall, Xiao Zhan sat in the seat of honor, stroking his beard with a smile. Then he sent someone to summon the three elders.

At the same time, the Mittel Auction House also made its move.

As though the two sides had arranged it beforehand, all their strongest fighters headed for the four city gates.

"Xiao Zhan! You dare stand in my way?! Are you going to wage war against our three families for that little beast?!"

"What, are you some great figure, Jia Lie Bi? Why wouldn't I dare stop you? Pah! Who do you think you are, threatening me? War? Then let's fight! The Xiao Clan will see it through to the end!"

"Master Gu Ni! Mittel has always remained neutral. This is a feud between us and that little bastard Zhou Changqing. Please stay out of it!"

"Get lost!"

Why didn't you remember they were a neutral faction when you ignored the Mittel Auction House's warning? Now you want to bring that up?

We at Mittel will do whatever we please. Since when was it your place to tell us what to do?

With Mittel and the Xiao Clan blocking them together, the three families could not leave the city at all.

Jia Lie Bi and the other two were furious, but there was nothing they could do.

If it had only been the Xiao Clan, things would have been manageable. At worst, they could sacrifice some of their accumulated strength and join forces to destroy it.

But Mittel was different. They had already ignored Mittel's warning once. If they attacked Mittel's people now, the nature of the matter would change entirely.

After all, Zhou Changqing was not one of Mittel's people. Their relationship extended no further than business transactions.

While Wutan City descended into chaos, Zhou Changqing had long since left through the eastern gate and headed toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range, disappearing among the mountains.

On the mountain behind the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan sat on the ground atop a cliff, endlessly fiddling with the pile of objects before him as metal clinked against metal.

There were not many of them, just two or three pieces, but they filled all the space in front of him.

There was a two-meter-long halberd decorated with a dragon pattern, a fiery-red iron undershirt of armor, and a metal hand crossbow.

"How did he come up with this stuff? How can it be so badass?"

Xiao Yan curiously handled the soft, comfortable inner armor and the hand crossbow, then ran his hand along the halberd's dragon-patterned shaft. Clicking his tongue in wonder, he addressed the empty space beside him.

"Teacher, you've seen and learned so much. Have you figured out how this Magic Core Armament works?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of white smoke slowly appeared, then condensed into the illusory figure of a middle-aged man in blue robes. His hair and beard were white, yet he did not look old.

"Heh, although I've never seen weapons and armor like these either, my soul perception allows me to glimpse a thing or two about them."

"That friend of yours, Zhou Changqing, is quite a remarkable talent. He actually combined magic cores, formation patterns, and metal to forge weapons and armor that can deliver considerable fighting power without relying on the wielder's own strength."

"Come to think of it, these weapons and armor are rather similar to a weapon in my collection, though the difference in their materials is like heaven and earth."

As Yao Lao examined the weapons and armor, a curious gleam flashed through his somewhat weathered eyes, and he was generous with his praise.

Xiao Yan's interest stirred at that. He looked at Yao Lao and asked, "Teacher, you have a weapon like this too? What's it like? Take it out and let me see!"

"Similar, not exactly the same. That weapon of mine is made from a special material—a fire-attribute meteoric iron called Flamefall Dark Iron."

Yao Lao shook his head and continued, "Although that weapon is extraordinarily sturdy and possesses a few special effects, it doesn't enhance fighting power as much as the Magic Core Armament in front of you."

"But if you want it, I'll give it to you once you break through to Dou Zhe."

At that, Xiao Yan lost much of his interest.

According to Old Zhou, all the weapons before him were top-grade second-tier pieces. Equipped with them, even a Dou Zhe could fight a Dou Shi without losing, and would even have a fair chance of killing one.

By comparison, the weapon Yao Lao described fell quite a bit short.

Naturally, Yao Lao noticed Xiao Yan's disdain. He knocked him on the head in exasperation. "You little brat, don't fail to recognize a true treasure."

"Young Friend Zhou's weapons are fine, but their materials are merely metals a little better than ordinary iron. Though I don't know what method he used to improve their quality so greatly, they're still worlds apart from Flamefall Dark Iron."

"These weapons and armor are only useful at the Dou Zhe and Dou Shi stages. Once you reach Da Dou Shi, they'll hardly have any effect."

Seemingly accustomed to being knocked on the head, Xiao Yan barely felt any pain. He immediately pursed his lips and muttered, "That's useful enough. Put these on the market, and they'd probably fetch over a hundred thousand."

"Besides, I suspect Old Zhou has even better stuff. That fellow loves keeping things up his sleeve."

"Teacher, have you ever heard of a profession called Weapon Refiner?"

As he spoke, a trace of reminiscence flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes, and he posed the question.

He had read plenty of novels in his previous life, and pill refining and Weapon Refining had been extremely common professions in them.

He had originally thought the Dou Qi Continent only had Alchemists. But Old Zhou's Treasure Weapons and Magic Core Armament, along with the special weapon Yao Lao had mentioned, made him suspect that a Weapon Refining path might exist in this world too.

Yao Lao shook his head. "No. I've only heard of blacksmiths. Weapon Refiner? That's an interesting name. A profession dealing with weapons, corresponding to Alchemists? You certainly have quite an imagination, little fellow."

"None, huh?"

Xiao Yan fell silent. Deep down, he kept feeling that Old Zhou's path of weapon-making might not end with Magic Core Armament.

Could Old Zhou end up becoming the founding father of the Weapon Refining Path on the Dou Qi Continent? If he really turns out to be that badass, that would be incredible.

What am I thinking? If people could really refine Magical Artifacts and treasures like those in cultivation novels, the Dou Qi Continent wouldn't only have Alchemists.

Shaking his head to cast aside that earth-shattering notion, Xiao Yan rose and gazed toward the distant, mist-shrouded mountains. He murmured softly, "Old Zhou, take care out there. I'm still waiting for you to come watch me show off at the Three-Year Agreement..."

(End of chapter)