Chapter 81: Super Mission

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Super Mission

Even with the same materials and runes, the quality of the forged Profound Weapons could vary. The crucial factor was craftsmanship, as it was the true skill of a Weapon Master.

Aside from their very first creation, only Upper Grade Profound Weapons were worthy of being kept by the Celestial Weapon Sect. Lower Grade and Middle Grade weapons were only fit to be scrapped and reforged.

Yan Qing never expected that Lu Yuan’s second weapon would reach the Upper Grade. The entire process was remarkable, executed with almost zero errors.

"Junior Brother, have you truly never studied weapon forging before?"

"No." Lu Yuan nodded affirmatively.

"You are a genius! A peerless genius!" Yan Qing exclaimed in admiration. He even felt a twinge of jealousy, knowing he couldn’t compare to such true, heaven-defying talent.

"Hey, don’t say that, Senior Brother. You’ll make me arrogant," Lu Yuan chuckled.

"Haha, you have every right to be! You’re a genius, and why shouldn’t a genius be proud?" Yan Qing laughed heartily. "However, we can be proud, but never careless or stagnant. Our ultimate goal is to forge Divine Weapons. Only after forging a Divine Weapon can we relax. Only then is the path of a Craftsman truly complete."

"That’s a lot of pressure," Lu Yuan clicked his tongue. Eleven pieces in over a hundred thousand years.

"I’ll keep this Profound Weapon as a collectible since it’s your first successful piece, Junior Brother." Yan Qing carefully put it away. "Come, I’ll take you to see my treasury."

"A treasury!" Lu Yuan’s eyes lit up. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! We have no secrets between us."

Yan Qing stepped out of the Weapon-Forging Room. He led Lu Yuan into a side bedroom, triggered a hidden mechanism, and revealed a staircase leading downward.

Lu Yuan followed Yan Qing down. They soon arrived in a long, secret chamber spanning several dozen square meters. It was lined with many shelves, though most were empty. Only a little over a dozen Profound Weapons were displayed. Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bows... All were Upper Grade Profound Weapons.

"I’ve been in the Jade Capital for five years. Since the year before last, I’ve forged one every three months. They’re all here," Yan Qing explained. He couldn’t take materials out of the Demon Suppression Bureau, so these were all forged using materials he had gathered outside with his own salary. The material costs alone had consumed nearly ten thousand taels of silver.

"That’s amazing, Senior Brother!" Lu Yuan marveled. Assuming each weapon was worth three thousand taels, this collection was easily worth forty or fifty thousand taels.

"Here, this is the Wind Thunder Saber." Yan Qing picked up a dark cyan long saber from the shelf and handed it to Lu Yuan.

"The Wind Thunder Saber!" Lu Yuan took it and examined it closely.

Now considered an official Craftsman himself, he had a deep understanding of Profound Weapons. Just a light flick of his finger against the blade was enough to gauge its quality.

HUMM.

The crisp sound resonated like a dragon’s roar. It was an absolute Upper Grade weapon, far superior to the two sabers he had just forged. Yan Qing’s years of craftsmanship made his technique much more skilled.

CRACKLE!

Lu Yuan swung it forcefully. Instantly, a large burst of electric sparks appeared, crackling sharply in the air. It was as if the dust itself was being scorched, emitting faint wisps of blue smoke.

"The Power of thunder and lightning! What a great saber!"

"I forged it in my spare time. It isn’t my finest work, but I hope you like it, Junior Brother," Yan Qing smiled.

"I like it! I definitely like it!" Lu Yuan was overjoyed.

With this saber, he could finally practice the Thunder Blade Triple Annihilation. As for his physical requirements... Those conditions were only necessary before reaching perfection. If he mastered it directly, they wouldn’t be needed. At the perfection stage, it might no longer just be the Unity of Man and Blade, but the ability to effortlessly control the Power of thunder and lightning.

Of course, given his rapid growth rate, it shouldn’t take him long to meet the standard anyway. But how was he supposed to get thirty thousand Experience Points?

[You are no longer the person you used to be. As a forty-year-old, you need to produce a battle record to prove your strength and potential with indispensable value, making everyone see you in a new light, while simultaneously earning cultivation resources.]

[Mission Issued: Forge ten Upper Grade Profound Weapons and put them up for auction. Completion Reward: 20 Root Bone and 10,000 Experience Points.]

"Twenty Root Bone and ten thousand Experience Points!" he thought.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but grin broadly. He didn’t care about the mission; he only cared about the reward. This time, it surpassed anything he had received before. Forging Profound Weapons was not a problem, and auctioning them wasn’t either. The only issue was that it felt a bit too high-profile, which he didn’t really like. He was currently less than sixteen years old, not forty. Wouldn’t showing off so much talent be too flashy?

"What’s wrong, Junior Brother?" Yan Qing keenly noticed his expression and asked.

"Senior Brother, well..." Lu Yuan chose his words carefully. "Can I use your Weapon-Forging Room to forge Profound Weapons for an auction?"

He remembered that the Celestial Weapon Sect had two major rivals: the Earth Weapon Sect and the Human Weapon Sect. He was worried about having his creations traced back to him.

"No problem, of course you can." Yan Qing smiled and nodded. "This is a good thing, and I will definitely support you. What’s the matter? Are you short on money?"

"Yes, I want to give my family a better life," Lu Yuan nodded.

Old Lu had been in the Seventh Grade for over a decade and was still only in the Middle Tier, not even reaching the High Tier. It was all because he lacked resources. Otherwise, with Old Lu’s talent, he wasn’t without a chance to break through to the Sixth Grade or even higher. Then there was his mother, Wei Huiling, who was also getting older. In a few more years, she might begin to age rapidly.

"You can use the Weapon-Forging Furnace as much as you like, but you’ll have to cover the material costs yourself," Yan Qing reminded him, as he wasn’t exactly wealthy right now either.

"Naturally," Lu Yuan hurriedly nodded. Just letting him use the Weapon-Forging Room was more than enough. How could he expect his senior to pay for the materials as well? How shameless would that be? "Thank you, Senior Brother."

"There’s no need for such politeness between us."

Yan Qing led Lu Yuan out of the secret chamber, returning outside.

"Not bad, kid. You actually forged an Upper Grade Profound Weapon on your second try." Uncle Yuann stood in the courtyard with his arms crossed, offering his praise.

"It’s all because Senior Brother taught me well, and because our Celestial Weapon Sect’s legacy is so formidable," Lu Yuan said modestly.

"Haha, you’re right." Uncle Yuann pointed a finger at him. "I’ve always felt that you’re much more slippery and dishonest than Yan, but you’re also a lot more interesting. I like that."

"That is my honor."

Lu Yuan always felt that this Uncle Yuan was unfathomably deep. He was definitely not just a sturdy old man. He might look a little aged, but his vitality wasn’t old in the slightest. What role did he play in the Celestial Weapon Sect? A guardian? Or a retainer?

"Kid, I actually have a unique skill. Do you want to learn it?" Uncle Yuann suddenly acted all mysterious.

"What is it?" Lu Yuan was intrigued.

"Listening to music at the brothel!" Uncle Yuann blinked.

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes in silence. "Uncle Yuann, I’m already engaged. I have a fiancée."

"What? Engaged so soon? What’s the rush?" Uncle Yuann was stunned, at a loss for words.

Only those with poor aptitude rushed to get married, pinning their hopes on the next generation. Those with great talent usually focused on improving their cultivation first. Only when they passed their prime age, entered a stagnant period, or hit a bottleneck would they consider getting married for a change of pace.

"Having a fiancée doesn’t matter. It won’t affect anything."

"But I don’t like courtesans. Uncle Yuann, you can ask Senior Brother to keep you company," Lu Yuan immediately deflected the attention. "Look at how serious Senior Brother always is. It would definitely be fun to see him visit a brothel."

"Hey, don’t drag me into this!" Yan Qing quickly glared at Lu Yuan. What kind of kid was this, coming up with such rotten ideas?

"What’s so fun about him? He’s a total blockhead." Uncle Yuann waved his hand in disgust.

"I’m a blockhead?" Yan Qing froze, thinking to himself. So this was the image he had in Uncle Yuann’s heart. That wasn’t being a blockhead; that was being decent and upright!

"It’s getting dark. I need to go home," Lu Yuan said as he quickly made his escape.