152: Chapter 152 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (100)

The smile on Elder Jin's face faded away bit by bit.

In truth, he had long anticipated this answer.

That rascal, Peak Master Lieyang, treated Chu Shi like a precious gem. How could he possibly be willing to send such a talented martial arts seedling to him to be an apprentice in artifact refining?

Yet, even with his mental preparation, hearing Chu Shi state it so decisively with his own ears still made the old man's heart feel as if it were heavily blocked by something, leaving him feeling weighed down and unable to breathe.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say, "Stay, and I will teach you everything I have learned in my life," wanting to say, "The path of artifact refining is not necessarily inferior to the martial path," and wanting to say, "With your talent, you will certainly become the number one artifact refiner in the world in the future."

But in the end, all those words turned into a long sigh.

"Forget it, everyone has their own aspirations." Elder Jin waved his hand and turned to walk outside.

His back seemed even more hunched than usual, and his footsteps were somewhat heavy.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell upon him, stretching his shadow into something exceptionally lonely and desolate.

"On the day you truly intend to leave, come find me in the inner room."

The old man's voice drifted over from afar, carrying a trace of imperceptible hoarseness.

Watching the old man's gradually receding back, a faint touch of emotion swept through Chu Shi's heart.

Over these past six months, Elder Jin had indeed taught him everything he knew, without holding anything back.

From the most basic skills of identifying ores, discerning flames, and controlling temperatures, to the profound techniques of rune carving and Treasure Artifact refining, the old man had broken down and meticulously taught him all the experience he had gathered from his lifetime of struggle.

Though they were teacher and student in name, they were more like friends across generations in reality.

But this emotion was quickly suppressed by him.

Ultimately, artifact refining was merely an external path, a means to assist in the martial path.

In this life, he had sworn an oath from the very beginning of his reincarnation: he would reach the pinnacle of the martial path and resolve all the regrets of his previous four lives.

He would never confuse what was primary and what was secondary.

He could only let down the old man's good intentions.

Afterwards, Chu Shi withdrew his gaze and began to examine the longsword in his hand once more.

The sword's body was as white and lustrous as snow, its edge as sharp as frost, casting a cold and chilling luster under the flickering firelight.

Although this sword's grade was far inferior to the two high-grade Treasure Artifacts bestowed upon him by his master at the Apprenticeship Ceremony, it was something he had hammered out with his own hands, so its significance was naturally incomparable.

Moreover, those two high-grade Treasure Artifacts bestowed by his master were simply an eternal pain in Chu Shi's heart.

One was a heavy black iron gauntlet covered in hideous spikes; wearing it on his hand looked exactly like a beast's claw.

The other was even more outrageous: an immensely large mountain-splitting hammer. Swinging it created a fierce wind, and its power was indeed astonishing, but it really ruined his handsome and dashing style too much.

Whenever Chu Shi thought about himself walking around with a giant hammer in the future, he couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

"From now on, you will be my main weapon." Chu Shi gently ran his fingertips over the sword body, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Later, I will go to Jinwu City and get you the best shark-silk scabbard, and inlay it with a few moonstones.

As for those two ugly things... I'll keep them at the bottom of the chest for now; I absolutely won't take them out unless it's a last resort."

He carefully stored the longsword into his storage bag and was just about to return to his room to rest when a nervous, tearful voice came from behind him.

"Senior... Senior Brother Chu."

Chu Shi turned around and saw Shi Tie, along with two other Utility Disciples, standing in a corner not far away.

All three of them had their heads lowered, their fingers nervously twisting the corners of their clothes, not daring to look at him.

The one who spoke was the youngest of the three. His eyes were red, his voice trembling with deep confusion and despair:

"Are... are you really leaving? With such great talent for artifact refining, why... why are you giving it up?"

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Tie suddenly reached out, grabbed his arm tightly, and shook his head vigorously.

Afterwards, Shi Tie bowed deeply to Chu Shi, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying. His eyes were filled with unconcealable anxiety, as well as the dead gray of hope completely shattered.

"Senior Brother Chu, he is ignorant; please don't take offense."

Shi Tie's voice was somewhat dry, "This disciple congratulates Senior Brother on your bright and boundless future on the martial path."

Chu Shi looked at the three of them, slightly stunned, before realizing the situation.

He had indeed told them before that while he was learning his craft, he would take time to guide them in the basics of artifact refining.

Once he had mastered the craft, he would even help them apply for the status of Outer Sect Disciple.

For Utility Disciples like Shi Tie who were recruited from the foot of Lieyang Peak, this was almost their only chance to change their destiny.

All three of them were already twenty years old, with mediocre aptitude and average bone structure.

The strongest among them, Shi Tie, was only at the peak of the Ox-Skin Realm.

At a normal pace, it was almost impossible for them to break through to the Iron Skin Realm on their own in this lifetime to become formal Outer Sect Disciples.

What awaited them could only be a lifetime of labor in the Chore Hall, eventually dying of old age in the valley.

Now, seeing hope right before them, within reach, he was about to leave.

Whoever it was, they would feel as if the sky had collapsed.

Chu Shi chuckled inwardly, then began to think seriously.

Over the past six months, the three of them had indeed helped him quite a bit.

They were conscientious and diligent, handling all the miscellaneous tasks in the workshop in an orderly manner without complaint.

Starting fires, preparing materials, clearing out furnace slag, polishing rough embryos—they never had a single word of complaint about these dull and tedious tasks.

Moreover, the three of them were honest and loyal, without any devious thoughts; they were people who could be trusted.

More importantly, although his ambition lay in the martial path, he couldn't completely abandon the craft of artifact refining.

With this skill, he could refine his own Magical Artifacts and Treasure Artifacts to exchange for a steady stream of cultivation resources, without having to rely on his master for everything.

But once he left the Artifact Refining Valley, without the ready-made artifact furnaces and material storage of Elder Jin, wanting to refine artifacts steadily would require him to prepare materials, build a workshop, and handle various trifles himself, which would inevitably consume a large amount of precious cultivation time.

It would be better to take these three under his command.

Not only could they help him handle the miscellaneous tasks of artifact refining and prepare materials, but it also wouldn't violate the promise he made to them initially.

Having figured this out, a gentle smile appeared on Chu Shi's face.

He looked at the three dejected young men and asked, "Are the three of you willing to leave the Artifact Refining Valley and follow me?"

The three of them, including Shi Tie, suddenly raised their heads, their eyes wide and mouths agape, thinking they had misheard.

"I can help you arrange your status, directly transferring you to become Outer Sect Disciples, registered under my name."

Chu Shi continued, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable power.

"The monthly allowances, cave dwellings, and cultivation resources that the sect provides—you won't receive a single bit less.

It's just that in the future, you will need to spend most of your time helping me handle matters related to artifact refining, acting as assistants, preparing materials...

Think through the pros and cons yourself."