Chapter 406: Divine Weapon Pavilion

「Da Xuan Capital City.」

Inside the lavish Hua Mansion.

Three people sat around a table.

“Why all the secrecy? What’s going on?”

A still-graceful, middle-aged woman couldn’t help but ask.

Zhang Zhongmei said nothing. He first made sure the doors and windows were shut tight, then reverently placed a small ring on the table.

The middle-aged couple sitting across from him exchanged a look, then broke into amused smiles.

“It’s a ring. If you want to use it to win over your wife, go ahead. Why are you showing it to us?”

the woman said with a laugh.

She was Zhang Zhongmei’s mother, and also a disciple of the Divine Weapon Pavilion.

The other man was, of course, Zhang Zhongmei’s father, a highly respected Grand Scholar in the imperial court.

Zhang Zhongmei didn’t explain. He knew his parents came from wealthy backgrounds and were accustomed to fine things.

He simply picked up a teacup.

SWISH!

The teacup vanished.

“Is that a magic trick?”

Mrs. Zhang laughed. As a master of the Martial Dao, she was surprised she hadn’t been able to see how her son did it.

It was quite peculiar. She knew her son was just an ordinary person who didn’t practice the Martial Dao.

Normally, his movements shouldn’t have been able to escape her notice.

Zhang Zhongmei tapped the ring, and the teacup that had vanished reappeared in his hand.

This time, Mrs. Zhang finally saw clearly.

The smile on her face instantly froze, replaced by a look of utter disbelief.

“This is—”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“That’s right.”

Zhang Zhongmei nodded firmly. “This is a Profound Weapon. I’ve named it the Space Ring. It contains an Inner Space and can be used to store items.”

CRACK!

Mrs. Zhang was so agitated she snapped a piece clean off the table.

The eyebrows of both father and son twitched. After all, they were just ordinary people.

“Where did this come from?”

Father Zhang was the first to recover, asking in a grave voice.

He had married a disciple of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, so even as an ordinary person, he had learned a great deal about Divine Weapons through her.

“I forged it.”

Zhang Zhongmei said with a hint of pride, “Or rather, I supervised the forging. The materials, however, were provided by Su Mu, the Governor of the Taiping Bureau. This Space Ring was my payment!”

He then explained in detail what had happened.

“You shouldn’t have accepted it.”

Mrs. Zhang was silent for a long moment, a look of gratification in her eyes as she spoke slowly.

She knew, of course, that her son had dreamed of becoming a Weapon Master since he was a child. But she also knew that he had no talent for the Martial Dao and could never become one in this lifetime.

Later, though he had some fantastic ideas, Mrs. Zhang had always considered them fundamentally impossible.

Nor were there many Martial Artists who would follow his lead.

She never expected her son to be so fortunate. To think someone was actually willing to believe in him and provide priceless forging materials for him to experiment with!

And she certainly never expected him to actually succeed!

As a disciple of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, Mrs. Zhang knew that Su Mu had given her son a tremendous opportunity. To also accept the Space Ring from him seemed excessive.

“I didn’t want to take it, but Su Mu insisted,”

Zhang Zhongmei said with a sigh. “Besides, this is a Space Ring! Mother, are you telling me you’re not tempted?”

“How could I not be?”

Mrs. Zhang said, “But as your father always says, a gentleman may love wealth, but he must acquire it through righteous means.”

She looked at Father Zhang with adoration, and he took her hand with great tenderness.

Zhang Zhongmei couldn’t help but roll his eyes. They were in the middle of a serious discussion, and here he was, getting a front-row seat to their lovey-dovey moment.

“I’ve thought it over. The Zhang Family can’t hold on to this ring,”

Zhang Zhongmei continued, “so I’m preparing to give it to the Divine Weapon Pavilion!”

At his words, both Father Zhang and Mrs. Zhang snapped to attention, their expressions turning serious as they looked at him.

“You’ve thought this through?”

Father Zhang asked, his voice full of relief and pride.

“I have.”

Zhang Zhongmei said, “The value of a Space Ring is self-evident. Even the Holy Emperor himself would covet it. If the Zhang Family keeps it and word gets out, it will undoubtedly bring us disaster. It’s better to give it to the Divine Weapon Pavilion in exchange for something we need.”

“You haven’t been blinded by personal gain. Son, you’ve truly grown up.”

Father Zhang said, gratified.

“A fine idea.”

Mrs. Zhang nodded. “Zhongmei, you can already forge Profound Weapons. With this Space Ring added to the bargain, it’s more than enough to trade for a position as a Divine Weapon Pavilion Elder. I’ll go talk to the Pavilion Master. If he dares to refuse, I’ll just give this ring to his old rival!”

“Mother, what would I do as a Divine Weapon Pavilion Elder?”

Zhang Zhongmei shook his head. “I’m doing just fine as a court official. Thanks to my recent meritorious service, another promotion is practically a sure thing. I have no interest in being a Divine Weapon Pavilion Elder.”

“Then what do you want in return?”

Mrs. Zhang asked.

“I want to trade it for the Artifact Refining Technique!”

Zhang Zhongmei said in a low, serious voice.

Mrs. Zhang looked at her son, her brow furrowed.

“Are you sure?”

she couldn’t help but ask.

As a disciple of the Divine Weapon Pavilion and a Weapon Master herself, she knew exactly what Zhang Zhongmei meant by the Artifact Refining Technique.

Legend had it that the founding ancestor of the Divine Weapon Pavilion had accidentally obtained an Immortal Skill—the very Artifact Refining Technique Zhang Zhongmei spoke of.

Although the founder was unable to fully comprehend the Artifact Refining Technique, he managed to derive the Weapon Casting Technique from it, thereby establishing the entire tradition of weapon forging.

According to the Divine Weapon Pavilion, weapons are classified as Mortal Weapons, Profound Weapons, and the even more powerful Divine Weapons.

Above Divine Weapons, there are Immortal Soldiers.

Ordinary Weapon Casting Techniques can, at best, only produce Profound Weapons.

Divine Weapons and Immortal Soldiers, however, can only be crafted using the Artifact Refining Technique.

Outsiders assumed this was just a legend the Divine Weapon Pavilion invented to inflate its own prestige, but Mrs. Zhang knew the Artifact Refining Technique was real.