"Thank you, esteemed seniors!"
Chen Ye was overjoyed and respectfully bowed to the two elders.
With these two magical treasures, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly!
But... is the Iron Sword still the Iron Sword now?
When forging the new sword, perhaps only a very, very small essence from the original sword was used.
The elder with the surname Zhong glanced at him.
This elder had a glint of wisdom in his eyes and carried himself with a distinct aura. Stroking his beard, he said:
"This sword holds a sharp edge within, appears heavy on the surface, and possesses the ability to break spells—truly a fine Upper Grade Second Tier magical treasure. However... the name ’Iron Sword’ no longer suits it. Since it’s reborn, it deserves a new name."
Chen Ye understood that many artifact refiners name their prized creations personally.
Although he was used to calling it Iron Sword, it was inappropriate to refuse Zhong Master’s desire to name it, so he promptly and respectfully said:
"Please, Elder Zhong, bestow a name!"
In his heart, Chen Ye was silently guessing Zhong Master’s identity.
Being esteemed by Master Gu and here to renovate the Moon Rhinoceros Grand Array, Elder Zhong’s expertise in artifact refining must be extraordinary, most likely a prominent figure in the Spirit Treasure Sect.
After pondering for a moment, Zhong Master gently brushed his fingertip across the ink-black sword, saying:
"This sword has gold hidden within the ink, heavy as iron, and once drawn, radiance emerges... How about naming it Jade Treasure?"
"Jade Treasure..."
Chen Ye took the flying sword and gently touched its body.
The name fits its form, with its ink black hiding gold, and also reveals its sharpness from within—a fitting name indeed.
Of course, even if Chen Ye was dissatisfied, he could not voice any objection.
"A wonderful name! Thank you, Elder Zhong, for bestowing the name!"
Zhong Master saw his genuine appreciation and sincerely smiled:
"A precious sword for a hero. I hope you use it well and do not betray its spirituality."
Master Gu also chuckled on the side: "When Brother Zhong acts, it’s naturally extraordinary. You brat better cherish it."
At this point, he sighed.
This time, he paid a personal favor.
Fortunately, Chen Ye offered enough Spirit Stones.
The typical price for a Lower Grade magical treasure is one to two thousand, and Middle Grade is three to five thousand.
Initially, he said at least five thousand Spirit Stones.
But later, Chen Ye proved his financial capability and was willing to spend a large amount of Spirit Stones.
In the end, crafting this Upper Grade treasure cost a full eight thousand Spirit Stones!
It’s important to know, this is already the wealth of several Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
Chen Ye nodded solemnly, knowing he must cherish it well.
The Jade Treasure Sword cost most of his Spirit Stones, leaving him only four thousand now.
"Alas, I saved up for a long time and then in the Grotto Heaven, acquired storage bags from Wei Shu, Myriad Puppets Cultivator, Medicine King Valley Pharmacist Xu, and other cultivators. There, with many resources gathered, I accumulated assets worth twenty thousand Spirit Stones..."
He sighed inwardly, realizing that to gather this many Spirit Stones again, he’d have to accumulate slowly through Alchemy.
Fortunately, he mastered the Purple Sun Pill, and with the substantial enterprises of Lin Song and the Wei family, the speed of accumulating Spirit Stones was quite remarkable.
"Soon, I will return to Spirit Treasure Sect, don’t seek me out here anymore."
Master Gu looked at his own shop with a lonely expression and advised,
"You should refine the Iron Sword immediately to avoid any oversight."
Zhong Master stroked his beard and sighed: "Junior Brother, you should have returned to the sect long ago. Master has regretted deeply but can’t bring himself to admit it."
"Don’t call me Junior Brother..."
Master Gu dejectedly waved his hand.
Chen Ye was moved, knowing well that Master Gu hid his identity at Moon Rhinoceros Lake District due to others’ grievances.
It seemed the other reason Zhong Master came to Moon Rhinoceros Lake District was to persuade Master Gu to return to the sect.
However, as an outsider, Chen Ye had no reason to pry into this matter.
"No wonder Master Gu gets along well with him, they were both taught by the same master years ago..."
Chen Ye diligently refined the magical treasure.
No accidents occurred during the refining process, and Chen Ye successfully stored it in his Dantian for nurturing.
After ensuring the treasure was flawless, Chen Ye finally took his leave and handled the final payment.
...
"Excellent!"
As soon as he left, Chen Ye couldn’t wait to control the sword and fly back to Herb Pavilion.
This sword truly is a Second Tier treasure; its flying speed and stability have greatly improved.
Most importantly, it could fully support his vast spiritual power to fly at full speed.
In the future, whether hurrying on a journey or escaping danger, he’ll be like a tiger with wings!
When returning to the small courtyard, Qing Jun was lying on the stone table, boringly poking a little white fox that was sound asleep.
Zhiwei sat quietly beside them, leafing through an ancient book.
"Master is back!" Qing Jun’s eyes lit up, immediately abandoning the poor little white fox, and rushed over.
"Ouch!"
Chen Ye picked up the flying little girl, patting her on the back of her head discontentedly,
"You little brat, you gave Master a scare!"
Qing Jun contentedly rubbed against her master’s neck, murmuring softly: "If Qing Jun doesn’t take the initiative, Master wouldn’t hug Qing Jun at all! He only hugs Senior Sister! Is it true that what he can’t have is what attracts Master?"
Hiss...
What nonsense this little girl was talking about, even Zhiwei felt embarrassed.
Chen Ye glared at her: "It sounds like Master can’t hug Senior Sister."
The little girl retorted confidently, "But Senior Sister won’t take the initiative!"
She believed this without a doubt.
But she didn’t know that last night, Senior Sister asked Master to accompany her...
Chen Ye didn’t reveal this, but rather hugged Qing Jun, sat by the table, and curiously poked the little fox.
This guy played disappearing for so long, why did it appear today?
The little white fox lazily lifted its head, and upon seeing Chen Ye, was shocked and tried to run.
At that moment, as quick as lightning.
A tentacle flew out from Chen Ye’s sleeve, wrapped around the little white fox’s tail, and hung it upside down in front of Chen Ye.
He sneered: "Little White, oh Little White, you are so disobedient. How can a spirit pet run when it sees its master?"
"Goo!"
The little white fox let out a mournful cry; where in the world is there a master who tortures little foxes!
It pitifully rubbed its tail against the vine king.
It was all its fault for believing the deceitful one, otherwise its good friend would still be freely living as a demon plant.
Chen Ye noticed the little white fox’s regret and shook his head, saying:
"In this world, particularly within the Yan Kingdom, the immortal path thrives. Even though the vine king is a Foundation Establishment demon plant, possessing the wood-type Tao Stele, it would eventually be targeted and used as alchemy material. It’s better to follow me, Chen Ye, and live a stable life."
"Humph!" The little white fox glared at Chen Ye.
It would never be fooled by Chen Ye again!
Chen Ye said with a hint of melancholy: "Since you followed us to Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, you must have seen that enormous beast tide? Within it, wasn’t there a Foundation Establishment Middle Period demon beast controlled by someone, attacking the Moon Rhinoceros District, and ultimately being killed?"
"Before, if it weren’t for me, the vine king would have died in the Three Thousand Great Mountains. Life is already gone, who would care about freedom? Besides, it’s just an unconscious demon plant, so living is naturally the most important."
The little white fox’s eyes, which had been glaring, slowly closed.
It whimpered and used its tiny paws to cover its ears.
Oh, no!
This guy is too good at deceiving foxes, and it actually believed him!
No way.
When its Mortal Transformation ends, regardless of how this guy tries to argue, it must not believe him! It will straightforwardly bind him up to make him endure the same suffering!
For example, shoving his dirty fingers into its mouth!
By then, it will shove its feet into Chen Ye’s mouth to see who feels more disgusted!
Chen Ye flicked the little white fox’s forehead and stopped bothering with it, instead asking: "Zhiwei, have you packed everything?"
Zhiwei looked at the Storage Ring, ensuring everything was correct, she then relaxed and replied: "All prepared!"
...
The next day, at dawn.
The Spirit Horse carriage had long since been prepared, parked outside the Herb Pavilion.
Qing Jun excitedly rushed onto the carriage first, taking the best seat by the window.
Zhiwei, holding the still fuming little white fox, quietly followed behind.
Chen Ye boarded last, cupping his hands to Steward Sun and others who came to see them off: "Please stay, and wait for my return from Divine Mist Valley, then we can feast together."
"Safe travels, Guardian Chen!" everyone responded in unison.
The carriage curtain fell, the cloud steed neighed, and it soared into the sky with the morning rays, racing towards the southeast direction of Divine Mist Valley.
Chen Ye closed his eyes to rest, but in his heart was contemplating the inheritance of Heart Slaughter Cave, and... Mao Qingzhu.
Going to Divine Mist Valley this time, he wondered if there would be a chance to meet her?
Ever since cultivating with Qing Jun, he often unconsciously reminisced about Sister Qingzhu’s gentle guidance.
Damn!
It must be the evil little girl scheming against Master!
"Ah!"
Thus, the little girl inexplicably got a tap on the head.