Three Weapons Forged · The Lower Four Sects Part Ways

On his way back to Heaven Dou City from the Lake of Life, Nan Feng casually forged three weapons.

Ice Empress's dagger was half a foot long, with a blade as thin as paper, which fit perfectly under the scales on his tail. When it was pulled out, it left a trail of icy blue light.

He spent an extra half day crafting the Snow Empress's longsword. The blade was three feet and three inches long, with an extremely fine ice pattern carved along its spine. When infused with Immortal Power, the ice pattern would light up, and the entire sword would emanate a chilling aura, perfectly mirroring the Snow Empress's own personality.

For the third one, since he hadn't decided who to give it to, he forged a short sword and put it in the Tower Spirit Space. Whoever wants it can take it later.

Old Huai clicked his tongue as he looked at the three weapons.

"Are you going out to form an alliance, or to open a blacksmith shop?"

"Neither will be delayed."

Nan Feng wrapped the dagger and longsword in cloth, put them into the Tower Spirit Space, and headed towards Heaven Dou City.

Once he entered the territory of Heaven Dou City, he sensed that something was wrong.

The number of Soul Master entering and leaving the city gate was 30% higher than usual, and more than half of them were wearing sect insignia.

The black iron armor of the Elephant Armor Sect, the dragon-patterned buckle of the Holy Dragon Sect, and the blue feather emblem of the Wind Sword Sect —the symbols of several minor sects were mixed together.

They exchanged glances as they entered the city gate, but ignored each other as they left.

Nan Feng stood at the city gate for a while, scanning the crowd with his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light. At least three groups of people were staring in the direction of the city gate.

"With the Spirit Hall gone, all these people have come out." Old Huai's voice drifted out from the tower.

"The Elephant Armor Sect and the Holy Dragon Sect sent people to Heaven Dou City a few days ago, ostensibly to congratulate His Xue Beng on his ascension to the throne, but actually to probe your capabilities."

"The Lower Four Sects used to rely on the Spirit Hall for their livelihood. Now that their backing has been broken, they need to find new patrons."

Nan Feng didn't rush into the city. He found a crooked tree by the official road outside the city, sat down, and listened to what the Old Huai had said.

After the Spirit Hall collapsed, the reactions of the Upper Three Sects and the Lower Four Sects were divided into three tiers.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the most decisive; Ning Fengzhi directly sent over a letter of submission. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a step behind; Yu Tianheng was still investigating Yu Xiaogang's theft of the manuscript, and their attitude had already softened. The Clear Sky Sect was the most indecisive. Tang Hao asked Tang San to deliver a message saying that the Clear Sky Sect would not submit to anyone.

But you saved my wife's lingering soul; I will remember that kindness.

The Upper Three Sects at least showed some attitude. The Lower Four Sects were really ugly.

"The Elephant Armor Sect and the Holy Dragon Sect openly sent congratulatory gifts, but secretly they were trying to trip us up," Old Huai continued to mutter.

"Three days ago, we sent people to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to intercept Ye Lingling, saying they wanted to discuss cooperation with the Immortal Master in person, but Qin Ming and his men chased them away."

The next day, they went to the Blazing Fire Academy to find Huo Wu. Huo Wu almost burned off their leader's beard.

"On the third day, he learned his lesson and stopped looking for you. Instead, he started staking out your place. After two days of waiting without catching you, he got tired and ran away."

Nan Feng chuckled after hearing this.

What kind of assassination is this? It's the same kind of thing that Tie Zhu and his Tie Zhu in the Blacksmith Village did when they were kids, like stealing birds' nests.

Something went wrong on the fourth day.

As Nan Feng entered the east gate of Heaven Dou City, his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light suddenly flickered. At a tea stall on the street, there was an old man selling pears. Underneath his pear basket was a Soul Power compression talisman, and the Spiritual Power fluctuations on the talisman were out of place with its surroundings.

Nanfeng walked over and bought a pear, then took out the talisman and took a look. It was written by the Elephant Armor Sect, and the talisman was engraved with the word "sealing". When activated, it could temporarily seal the flow of soul power within a ten-step radius.

"Soul-Sealing Talisman." Nan Feng crumpled the talisman into pieces, and Li took a bite. "The Elephant Armor Sect is trying to embarrass me in the city."

Old Huai snorted.

"Not only that. Go three blocks ahead, there's a cobbler at the entrance of the alley on your left, he hides Spirit-Confusing Powder in his boots. Go two blocks further ahead, there's a candied hawthorn vendor with three bamboo skewers coated with anesthetic stuck in his straw basket."

"Three groups of people, three locations. You'll fall victim to three different attacks if you walk down this street."

Nan Feng threw the pear core into the roadside ditch and clapped his hands.

"Let them wait."

He didn't take a detour or speed up; he walked the three streets at a normal pace.

He crushed the first batch of Soul-Sealing Talisman at the tea stall under his feet, without even giving them a chance to be activated.

Just as the second batch of cobblers took out their Spirit-Confusing Powder, Nan Feng passed by and Tower Suppression pressed it down. The cobbler's hand trembled, and the entire packet of powder landed on his face. He sneezed and fell into the pile of shoes.

The third group of candied hawthorn vendors fared even worse. By the time Nan Feng approached Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light had already locked onto the three bamboo skewers. He casually plucked a candied hawthorn from the straw target and took a bite.

"The anesthetic taste is too strong, and there's not enough sugar coating."

The man selling candied hawthorns paled and turned to run. Nan Feng raised his right hand, and the Tower Suppression pressed down from a distance, causing the man's legs to buckle and he to kneel in the street.

Passersby scattered to both sides. Nan Feng squatted down and looked at the man's face.

" From the Elephant Armor Sect?"

You've admitted your mistake.

"Your collar is embroidered with the armor patterns of the Elephant Armor Sect, and your belt buckle is a dragon scale buckle from the Holy Dragon Sect. Did the two sects send you together?"

Nan Feng reached out and pulled off his belt to take a look.

"Alright. The Elephant Armor Sect provides the personnel, and the Holy Dragon Sect provides the funding. The division of labor is quite clear."

The man's face turned pale.

Nan Feng stood up and threw the belt in front of him.

"Go back and tell your supervisor not to be so stingy next time they send someone. They used Soul-Sealing Talisman made from materials less than a thousand years old, mixed 30% flour into the anesthetic, and didn't even bother to coat the candied hawthorns with an extra layer of sugar."

"You think you can assassinate the Tower Master with this budget? Did your sect's accountant embezzle funds?"

The man scrambled away. Nan Feng dusted off his hands and headed towards the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The Old Huai inside the pagoda laughed so hard that the immortal wood trembled.

"Your mouth is even more hurtful than Tower Suppression's."

"To be honest," Nan Feng said, "the Elephant Armor Sect and the Holy Dragon Sect used to live off subsidies from the Spirit Hall. With the Spirit Hall's collapse, the sects' finances won't last more than three years."

"The people they sent can't even afford a decent Soul Tool, yet they still try to assassinate people. Isn't that just courting death?"

That evening, Nan Feng met Ye Lingling at the college.

Ye Lingling placed the pharmacopoeia on the table and glanced at him.

"The whole city has heard about the commotion you caused in the street today. Two people from the Elephant Armor Sect and the Holy Dragon Sect packed their things and fled overnight. The only one who stayed was their elder, who said he wanted to apologize to you in person."

"The apology is a pretense; their real purpose is to probe my strength." Nan Feng sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "They want to see just how strong I really am, and whether I'm worth pledging allegiance to."

Ye Lingling nodded.

What are your plans to do?

"Don't do anything." Nan Feng took a sip of tea. "Let them watch. The Elephant Armor Sect and the Holy Dragon Sect are not a united front. The two who escaped were from the Holy Dragon Sect, and the ones who stayed were elders from the Elephant Armor Sect."

"The Holy Dragon Sect felt they couldn't bear the shame of a failed assassination and fled. The Elephant Armor Sect felt there was still room for negotiation and stayed. From today onwards, these two sects are no longer partners."

Ye Lingling looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled.

"You've become more calculating than before."

"I'm a blacksmith by trade, I'm used to calculating materials, labor, and the heat." Nan Feng put down his teacup. "Tomorrow I'm going to see that Elder of the Elephant Armor Sect."

"If he knows what's good for him, the Elephant Armor Sect might at least leave him with a whole corpse. If he doesn't—"

Old Huai continued the conversation from inside the tower.

"If they don't know what's good for them, just buy their sect and turn it into a branch of their blacksmith shop."

Nan Feng ignored him, a slight smirk playing on her lips.

The next morning, Elder Huyan Bao of the Elephant Armor Sect was waiting in a teahouse in the east of the city.

The old man was in his seventies, his Martial Soul was the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros, and his Soul Power was level eighty-two. He was considered the second most important person in the Elephant Armor Sect. When he saw Nan Feng enter, he first stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and bowed very humbly.

Nan Feng sat down opposite him and got straight to the point.

"Elder Huyan, your Elephant Armor Sect and the Holy Dragon Sect jointly sent three groups of people to ambush me. Do you admit to this?"

Huyan Bao's face twitched, and he gritted his teeth.

"We admit it. We were confused."

"Where is the confusion?"

"My mistake was... getting involved with the Holy Dragon Sect."

Huyan Bao picked up the teapot and poured Nan Feng a cup.

"Those kids from the Holy Dragon Sect said your foundation is unstable, and that the Immortal Dao Alliance won't last long after the Spirit Hall falls. They told us to choose sides as soon as possible."

"I was momentarily blinded by greed—"

"You're out of your mind, my foot!" Nan Feng interrupted him. "The son of the Elephant Armor Sect's leader married the niece of the Holy Dragon Sect's leader last year. The two sects are related by marriage. You, Huyan Bao, have managed the Elephant Armor Sect's accounts for thirty years. You're more skilled at using an abacus than anyone else. How could you be fooled by a few words?"

The teapot in Huyan Bao's hand froze in mid-air, and sweat poured down his face.

Nan Feng took the teapot from his hand and poured herself a cup.

"I'll show you a way. The Elephant Armor Sect used to rely on the Spirit Hall for its livelihood, but now that the Spirit Hall is gone, your sect won't last more than three years. The Holy Dragon Sect is even poorer than you, which is why they're pulling you into this losing proposition."

"Go back and tell your sect leader. If the Elephant Armor Sect wants to live, they should break off the engagement with the Holy Dragon Sect and then send someone to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to discuss an alliance."

"I'll set the terms. Your sect's Iron Armor Forging Technique will be mine, and I'll give you an introductory chapter of the Immortal Dao Cultivation Method."

"Within three years, the number of Soul Master in the Elephant Armor Sect can double."

Huyan Bao was stunned for a long time.

"Iron Armor Forging Technique... that is the foundation of our sect."

"Your very foundation is nearly bankrupting your sect." Nan Feng slammed his teacup on the table. "Choose. Either annul the engagement and form an alliance, or wait until I visit the Elephant Armor Sect next time and take it yourself."

Huyan Bao remained silent for a long time. Finally, he picked up the teapot and poured Nan Feng another cup.

"This old man will go back and persuade the sect leader."

When Nan Feng came out of the teahouse, Old Huai said in the pagoda, "The Elephant Armor Sect is safe. Huyan Bao is a shrewd man; he'll know you're telling the truth once he goes back and does the accounting."

What about the Holy Dragon Sect?

"Those two from the Holy Dragon Sect who escaped will definitely exaggerate when they get back, saying how powerful the Immortal Dao Alliance is. The Holy Dragon Sect Master is timid and won't dare to make another move in the short term." Old Huai clicked his tongue. "But you just said you'd take it yourself from the Elephant Armor Sect next time. When are you going?"

Nan Feng tightened the red ribbon on her left wrist and walked out of the city.

"No rush. Let's take care of the immediate matters first. The alliance with the Heaven Dou Royal Academy hasn't been officially signed yet, and we'll let Huyan Bao handle things with the Elephant Armor Sect Huyan Bao himself."

"I'm going back to the Blacksmith Village to fix Old Chen's hammer. He sent someone to Heaven Dou City to say that the hammer handle is loose."

Old Huai chuckled twice.

"You're quite filial."

Nan Feng didn't reply, but instead used his footwork to Shrinking the Ground to an Inch steps at a time, and headed towards the Blacksmith Village.

Behind her, on the city gate tower of Heaven Dou City, Ye Lingling stood behind the crenellations, watching his figure disappear at the end of the official road. A slight smile curved her lips as she turned back to organize the pharmacopoeia.

Inside the Tower Spirit Space, the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl spun, and the Three Lights Divine Water condensed into a drop. The Old Huai locust tree's immortal branches swayed, and the old man's face emerged from the bark, muttering something to himself.

"The Elephant Armor Sect broke off the engagement, the Holy Dragon Sect backed down, and the Heaven Dou Royal Academy signed an alliance... Where is this kid supposed to go next?"

He flipped through the non-existent memories and uttered an "oh."

"It's time to go to the Moonlight Pavilion. We've been putting things off with Tang Yuehua for so long; it's time to make a visit."