Chapter 82: Must Win Over Little Brother Lu

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Must Win Over Little Brother Lu

Upon returning home, Lu Yuan still did not practice his martial arts. During the blood-exchange phase, one shouldn’t excessively drain their energy and required plenty of rest. After guiding Yaoyao’s cultivation, he simply rested.

For an ordinary person, a natural blood exchange would typically take one to two months. An Eighth-Grade Martial Artist, nourished by pure Gang Qi, could complete it in ten days to half a month. With the aid of Pills, this could be shortened further to seven or even five days. But thanks to his Undying Martial Body, Lu Yuan’s recovery was much faster. Three days were more than enough.

"Brother Lu, did Master Yan ask you to buy these ores? Did he take you in as an apprentice?" Liu Zhi asked curiously.

Earlier today, Lu Yuan had suddenly asked if his family traded in ores and Profound Weapons. Naturally, the Liu Family did. As long as there was money to be made, the Liu Family was involved. However, craftsmen placed great emphasis on their lineages. Those with proper inheritances usually belonged to established factions or had long been recruited by major powers and merchant guilds, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to intervene.

The few craftsmen left on the open market either possessed inferior legacies, had only fragmented knowledge, or had blindly figured things out from incomplete manuals. Consequently, the Profound Weapons they produced were mostly of terrible quality. The Liu Family had managed to recruit three such craftsmen, but they only produced an average of four or five Profound Weapons a month, most of which were Lower Grade. These could only be sold to poorer Seventh-Grade Martial Artists, leaving the family’s weapon business completely obscure in the Jade Capital, unable to make a single splash.

"He is now my senior brother. We bow to the same master," Lu Yuan replied with a smile.

"Ah? So fast? So sudden?" Liu Zhi’s jaw dropped in surprise. "Does that mean you’ve successfully learned the Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer?"

"Yes, I did." Lu Yuan nodded.

Liu Zhi’s heart surged with waves of shock. He hadn’t understood a single thing about it himself, yet Lu Yuan had succeeded just like that. He wondered, "Is this Brother Lu’s true talent? Not only is he gifted in the Martial Dao, but he’s also a peerless genius in the art of weapon forging? It’s simply too enviable."

The two soon arrived at the Yan Residence. Standing by the entrance was an incredibly beautiful woman, her demeanor dazzling and her posture elegant and graceful. Two assistants stood beside her, carrying a large chest.

"Lianyue, why did you come in person?" Liu Zhi quickly walked over.

"These ores are quite precious, and the family didn’t have any free hands to escort them, so I came myself," Liu Lianyue said with a smile. She knew of a figure like Yan Qing. Upon learning that the ores were to be delivered here, she had decided to come personally to make his acquaintance. It would naturally be for the best if they could establish a partnership.

"Little Brother Lu." She greeted Lu Yuan with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Liu," Lu Yuan nodded. He walked over to inspect the ores and found no issues; their quality was top-notch.

CREAK.

The main gates suddenly opened, and Uncle Yuann poked his head out from inside.

"So you’re the people this kid called over. I was wondering why a pretty little lady suddenly showed up. I thought it was some karmic debt from my past coming back to haunt me!" He wore a terrified expression, as if he were still deeply traumatized by yesterday’s events.

Liu Lianyue’s face quickly darkened. She thought, "What does he mean by ’karmic debt’? Is that something a normal person would say? How incredibly rude and offensive!"

"These are my friends. Their family runs a business and they came to deliver some ores. This is also Liu Zhi’s older sister," Lu Yuan introduced, pulling Liu Zhi forward. Since Liu Zhi was the bridge between them, they would likely have more interactions in the future, so it was best for everyone to get acquainted now.

"Oh, so that’s how it is. The first time I laid eyes on this kid, I knew his family must have a pretty sister," Uncle Yuann said bluntly.

"Hehe," Liu Lianyue chuckled coldly.

"Bring it in," Lu Yuan waved, gesturing to the two assistants.

"Bring it in," Liu Lianyue nodded in agreement. The two assistants quickly complied.

"Has Master Yan not returned yet?" she asked curiously. If Yan Qing were home, he should have already made an appearance.

"My senior brother might be a bit late today," Lu Yuan shook his head. He had gone to look for Yan Qing before returning, but the man had been busy.

"Senior brother?" Liu Lianyue’s eyes instantly lit up. "Little Brother Lu is also learning how to forge Profound Weapons?"

"Yes, I’ll be using these ores for practice," Lu Yuan nodded.

He chose to disclose this because he wanted to collaborate with them in the future. He didn’t have enough money to buy ores for ten Profound Weapons all at once. He would definitely need to buy on credit or use his completed weapons as collateral. Furthermore, he would need a partner for the subsequent auctions, and handing the business over to the Liu Family was a viable option.

"For practice? You are truly generous, Little Brother Lu," Liu Lianyue smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. Ordinary metals and common ores were perfectly fine for mere practice, while materials meant for Profound Weapons were more than ten times as precious. Unless he was confident in his skills, he wouldn’t use them so casually.

"You two can head back first," she waved her hand at the assistants, who promptly took their leave.

"I currently only have these silver notes on me. This should be enough, right?" Lu Yuan pulled out a stack of silver notes from his chest, which constituted his entire net worth. He had bought enough ores to forge three Profound Weapons in one go.

"There is no rush for the payment," Liu Lianyue smiled. "I wonder what grade of Profound Weapon Little Brother Lu is capable of forging right now?"

"Lianyue, Brother Lu has only just formally acknowledged his master," Liu Zhi hastily reminded her.

"Just now?" The light in Liu Lianyue’s eyes dimmed slightly. She wondered if he could actually forge a Profound Weapon. Was he truly just using these expensive materials to practice?

"This kid Lu is a genius," Uncle Yuann spoke up from the side.

"A genius..." Liu Lianyue’s eyes brightened once more. "What kind of genius?"

"You’ll find out in a bit," Uncle Yuann replied, unwilling to say more. He wasn’t a porter, after all.

"If Sister Liu isn’t in a hurry, I’ll get to work first," Lu Yuan said as he picked out a few pieces of ore.

"Go right ahead," Liu Lianyue quickly waved him off. She glanced casually around the courtyard, then lightly kicked Liu Zhi’s leg, prompting him to bring out two chairs for them.

Why buy raw ores instead of ready-made refined metals? Because metals refined by outsiders were never pure enough, and they were also far more expensive. The Celestial Weapon Sect had its own unique tempering methods. After spending some time on the process, Lu Yuan quickly prepared the liquid metal, shaped it, and began forging.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

A crisp, beautiful melody drifted out, echoing through the surroundings.

Liu Lianyue’s eyebrows immediately shot up. There was no need to even look; the sound alone proved this was no simple feat.

"Is that the sound of forging?"

"Yes," Uncle Yuann nodded. He closed his eyes, immersing himself in a special state of mind or perhaps a distant memory.

"Is this the Yan Sect’s forging technique?" Liu Lianyue marveled. Such a peculiar and beautiful rhythm was undoubtedly the mark of a top-tier forging inheritance.

Liu Zhi was even more shocked. The sound and rhythm were almost on par with what Yan Qing had displayed that day, yet Brother Lu had only been learning for a mere few days!

She secretly clenched her fists, thinking, "I must secure a partnership with Little Brother Lu!" Even if his forging attempt failed this time, he was absolutely worth the investment.

Less than two hours later, Lu Yuan emerged from the forging room, holding a three-foot-long green-steeled sword.

"Please evaluate this, Ms. Liu."

Liu Lianyue raised an eyebrow. "Alright." She took the sword, carefully observing and running her fingers along the blade before lightly flicking it with her finger.

BUZZ...

It produced a crisp hum resembling a dragon’s roar and a sonorous ring like a crane’s cry. Finally, she channeled her True Essence into it.

SHING!

A half-foot-long beam of sharp glint shot out, glowing like the moon. The air in the courtyard seemed to suddenly turn a few degrees colder.

"Upper Grade!"