Chapter 22: The Origin Essence Sold

The three of them ventured deep into the smithy. Along the way, the craftsmen they encountered respectfully stepped aside, clearly recognizing the old master, yet they cast curious glances at Qin Liang and Jiang Xuehan.

It was common knowledge that this blacksmith was eccentric and not a man to be trifled with. Yet, here he was, walking alongside a young man and woman—a truly bizarre sight within the smithy.

"My name is Chen Da, a first-grade blacksmith here," the slovenly old man explained as he walked. "I have long wished to break through to the second grade, but I have failed every time due to insufficient physical foundation and weak hammering power. My only hope lies in medicinal pills."

"In that case, the sword blanks you sold earlier were low-grade origin weapons?" Qin Liang asked in surprise.

"I didn't sell them; I exchanged them," Chen Da stubbornly corrected. He continued, "Those were more than mere low-grade origin weapons. They were semi-finished products for high-grade ones. They are far superior to ordinary low-grade weapons. Do you understand?"

"We understand, we fully understand," Jiang Xuehan replied with a nervous, conciliatory smile. Inside, however, she was shaken to her core. They were semi-finished high-grade weapons! Such armaments were things even the City Lord might not possess; news of this would be enough to shock the entire Sulfur City.

Qin Liang's eyes darted around as he asked, "Does the senior have any more of such weapons in stock?"

Since there were two of them, a single weapon would not be enough to satisfy them.

"Hahaha!" Chen Da let out a boisterous laugh, flicking his sleeves. "If you can refine a Strength-Enhancing Bone-Fortifying Pill to help me become a second-grade blacksmith, what’s a single low-grade weapon? I’ll forge you several high-grade ones!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Liang and Jiang Xuehan exchanged a look, both seeing the pleasant surprise in the other's eyes. However, Chen Da’s next words acted like a bucket of cold water on Jiang Xuehan.

"But if you fail to refine it and are just toying with me, not even your clan leader will be able to save you. Hmph!"

His temperament was volatile; one moment he was as kind as a neighborly grandfather, the next, his tone was razor-sharp. In Sulfur City, most of the weapons wielded by the influential figures—including the City Lord—came from Chen Da’s hands. If he were to stomp his foot, the entire city would tremble; his influence was immense.

"You are a man of great virtue and prestige; naturally, I would not dare to deceive you," Qin Liang said, seizing the opportunity to flatter him.

Before long, Chen Da led Qin Liang into a quiet room, where a cauldron the size of a pot sat in the center. A smithy was not a place for alchemy, but producing a cauldron was no difficult task.

"Young Master Qin, you may refine your pills here. The bottom of the cauldron is connected to a fire spring; you can control the temperature using the dial on the stone platform," Chen Da instructed briefly before handing Qin Liang a storage bag containing the necessary spiritual herbs.

"If you fail the refinement, tell Jiang Hai to bring spiritual herbs to redeem the two of you," Chen Da said coldly.

Qin Liang had no choice but to offer reassurances once more. He insisted that he required quiet and did not want to be disturbed, prompting Chen Da and Jiang Xuehan to wait outside. Only then did he summon the Heaven-Desolate Cauldron to begin.

Furthermore, Qin Liang turned the dial to draw the geothermal fire from the spring into the cauldron to serve as a ruse. Otherwise, if Chen Da discovered the cauldron had never been used, he would surely grow suspicious.

Following the pill recipe, he tossed the herbs into the cauldron and left them to stew. Glancing around the quiet room, he found it empty, not even a cabinet in sight, leaving him with no interest in rummaging through anything.

An incense stick’s worth of time later, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted from the cauldron, and a pill was successfully produced. Qin Liang collected the Strength-Enhancing Bone-Fortifying Pill and prepared to leave, but suddenly, his eyes fell upon the cauldron.

"This geothermal fire... it seems to have the effect of tempering the spirit?"

He felt a surge of excitement. Seeing that he still had time, he moved the thousand-pound cauldron aside, revealing the fire vent beneath. It led directly to the fire spring at the base of the smithy. The flames within glowed like sunset clouds, surging with heat so intense it felt as though a sun were sealed inside. Not even a master of the Origin-Condensation Realm would dare approach it; this was a fire capable of melting refined iron ore.

However, Qin Liang adjusted the dial to ensure the heat spilling from the vent was just right. The energy within the fire spring was a great boon for any spirit-refiner who could withstand it. Unfortunately, ordinary people could barely endure it, but Qin Liang, possessing a supreme-heaven tier cultivation technique, decided to try.

He sat cross-legged beside the vent and began to circulate the *Heaven-Desolate Profound Dao Manual*, drawing wisps of heat into his body to temper his spirit and soul. Throughout the process, he felt as if he were inside a furnace, drenched in sweat. Despite the piercing pain, he felt his spirit strengthening and his spiritual perception heightening. Thus, he was pained yet joyful.

As he continued to temper himself, his range of perception gradually expanded, soon reaching over thirty meters and extending outside the quiet room. He sensed Jiang Xuehan’s heart pounding, filled with nervousness and anxiety. He sensed Chen Da’s disheveled hair swaying in the breeze, his breath uneven as if he were restless.

"Who is spying?"

Chen Da was a master of the Origin-Condensation Realm and a blacksmith; his perception was extremely keen. He immediately caught someone watching from the shadows and let out a thunderous shout. The violent sound wave caused Qin Liang’s expression to shift.

Qin Liang quickly withdrew his perception, though his face had already turned pale, his heart racing with lingering fear.

"The Origin-Condensation Realm is truly terrifying!" Qin Liang had only refined his spirit four times; he was no match for such power. He spent a moment regulating his breathing to end the tempering. With his current cultivation, pushing his spiritual perception to such heights was his limit; continuing would have been too much for his frail body.

An hour had passed; he had to go out, or Chen Da would grow suspicious.

*Creak!*

Qin Liang pulled open the door, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and let out a long breath. "I have not failed your expectations."

Chen Da’s eyes widened. He hurriedly took the pill to examine it and was instantly stunned.

"This is... of perfect quality?"

He couldn't believe it, his gaze darting between the pill and Qin Liang, unable to reconcile the two. This meant that Qin Liang might be capable of refining second-grade pills, even if the quality were slightly lower. A second-grade alchemist this young, who was merely a spirit-refiner—if this news spread, the shock it would cause was unimaginable. It was too staggering, like something out of a dream.

Jiang Xuehan stood frozen, stunned. How could she have imagined that the person she was to marry was such a monster? Her thoughts were in disarray; she bit her finger, and the pain confirmed it was real, making the shock even greater.

"Excellent, it truly is a Strength-Enhancing Bone-Fortifying Pill, and of perfect quality." Chen Da brought it to his nose and sniffed; once confirmed, he was as happy as a child. As long as he took this pill, he had a chance to become a second-grade blacksmith—his lifelong wish.

"These two are semi-finished high-grade origin weapons; they are better than any first-grade weapon. Use them for now. Once I become a second-grade blacksmith and forge a true high-grade origin weapon, I will personally deliver it to the Jiang residence."

Chen Da threw two sword blanks to them and ran off without looking back, eager to enter seclusion.

"We got a freebie again," Qin Liang said, shrugging helplessly as he looked at the sword blanks. He stored one away and handed the other to Jiang Xuehan.

"Let’s go. Don't just stand there." Qin Liang took Jiang Xuehan’s hand and walked toward the exit of the smithy.

"You can actually refine pills?" Jiang Xuehan asked, still trying to steady her emotions, her voice full of confusion.

Qin Liang smiled. "I haven't been able to cultivate for the past decade, so I spent my time reading. I just picked it up along the way. As for the perfect quality, that was purely luck—don't take it to heart."

As they walked toward the gate, a middle-aged man in luxurious robes approached them. Seeing Qin Liang and Jiang Xuehan and finding them unfamiliar, he barked, "Stop! Why are you two trespassing in my smithy without reason?"