31: Chapter 31 Master, she wants to walk this path with me?

Above the sky of the Qingxuan Sect.

Yun Qinghan traveled through the air, surrounded by faint wisps of clouds, moving at a fast yet unhurried pace.

Zhao Ruoan followed by her side, feeling the fierce wind blowing against his face, yet his mind was entirely at peace.

A streak of ice-blue color was particularly striking amidst Revered Master's ink-black hair.

It was precisely the ice phoenix divine hairpin that he had personally refined.

An indescribable warmth welled up in Zhao Ruoan's heart.

"Revered Master, this hairpin suits you very well."

He praised sincerely.

Yun Qinghan's flying posture did not change in the slightest, but her frost-like, cold voice seemed to soften by a fraction.

"Mn."

"Ruoan."

Yun Qinghan took the initiative to speak.

"This Disciple is here."

"Your talent in Artifact Refining is very good."

Yun Qinghan gave her affirmation, and then her tone shifted.

"However, you must not prioritize the trivial over the essential."

"Artifact Refining is ultimately a minor external path; one's own cultivation is the foundation of the martial path. Do not let this path consume too much of your focus and delay your Cultivate."

These words were the most earnest guidance from a Revered Master to a Disciple.

"This Disciple understands, thank you for your teachings, Revered Master."

Zhao Ruoan obediently acknowledged.

Delay Cultivate?

That doesn't exist.

Burdened with a cheat-like Cultivation Technique like the Great Dao Scripture, which allowed him to automatically grow stronger even while slacking off, the last thing he lacked was time to Cultivate.

While others had to go through bitter cultivation, he was winning just by lying down.

Yun Qinghan did not know the little calculations in her Disciple's heart, and she continued to speak.

"One month from now, the Sect will organize all newly promoted Disciples to head to the Tianyao Mountain Range for trial training."

"The Tianyao Mountain Range?"

Zhao Ruoan was somewhat unfamiliar with this name.

"The Sect's protection is ultimately limited."

No emotion could be heard in Yun Qinghan's voice.

"In a greenhouse, true towering trees cannot grow."

"The path of immortal ascension has never been about treating guests to dinner; it is about contending with the heavens, fighting with the earth, and seizing from people. Slaughter and tempering are the main melodies on this path."

Zhao Ruoan listened quietly.

He understood all these principles, but coming from the mouth of this Immortal Emperor Revered Master, they carried a different weight.

Ahead of him, Yun Qinghan's voice suddenly carried some complex and obscure emotions.

"The path of cultivation is very long, and also very lonely."

"Walking alone is too desolate."

She did not look back, but spoke to herself, as if speaking to Zhao Ruoan, and as if speaking to herself.

"This Seat hopes that on the future path, I can have you walking alongside me."

"Together with this Seat, go contend for that heaven and earth Dao, and take a look at the scenery above the peak of the mountain."

Zhao Ruoan's heart was fiercely moved by these words.

He understood.

This was not the expectation of a Peak Revered Master toward a Disciple.

Rather, it was an invitation issued to him by a lofty and lonely powerhouse who walked above the ultimate peak, only to look back along the way she came and find no one there.

Inviting him to catch up to her footsteps and stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

Zhao Ruoan took a deep breath, his tone unprecedentedly firm.

"This Disciple will always accompany Revered Master."

"Whether it is a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, or the Nine Heavens immortal palaces, this Disciple will accompany you there together."

Yun Qinghan did not speak again.

But Zhao Ruoan could feel that the eternal, unmelting chill surrounding them had quietly dissipated by quite a bit.

...

Tianhuo Peak.

When the figures of Yun Qinghan and Zhao Ruoan descended from the sky, Hall Master Liu Xi and the other three, who had long been waiting outside the Artifact Refining Room, instantly plastered enthusiastic smiles on their faces.

"Master Zhao! You have finally come! We brothers have been waiting here for a long time!"

Hall Master Liu Xi took the lead, rubbing his hands as he stepped forward, showing an extreme level of familiarity.

But when he saw the woman in white robes and a cold, aloof temperament standing behind Zhao Ruoan.

The smile on Hall Master Liu Xi's face froze.

The large pile of rhetoric he had prepared to win favor was all stuck in his throat, and not a single word could be spit out.

Bai Ming, Lu Xing, and Elder Fu Gao also wore the exact same expression.

Why did Peak Master Yun follow along as well!

She must be afraid that we would abduct her precious Disciple, so she came personally to keep an eye on him!

The hearts of the four Artifact Refining Grandmasters turned icy cold.

It was over; there was completely no chance left now.

"Greetings, Peak Master Yun."

The four of them hurriedly put away those expressions and bowed respectfully.

Hall Master Liu Xi's brain spun extremely fast as he bit the bullet and stepped forward.

"Lord Peak Revered Master, you are busy with myriad affairs; how could we dare trouble you with such a trivial matter? This Artifact Refining Room is murky and chaotic with many people bustling about, and I fear it might pollute your eyes."

The subtext was: You are a big shot, so please don't stay here; hurry up and leave, as we still need to build rapport with Master Zhao.

What kind of person was Yun Qinghan? How could she not hear the hidden meaning behind his words?

She simply found a clean stone stool and sat down, her voice calm.

"It is fine."

"This Seat will watch right here. You all refine your artifacts; there is no need to mind me."

With a single sentence, she directly blocked all of Hall Master Liu Xi's subsequent rhetoric.

Hall Master Liu Xi and the other three: "..."

Fine.

This great deity was determined to act as a supervisor here.

The four exchanged a helpless expression, no longer daring to harbor any crooked thoughts, and obediently welcomed Zhao Ruoan into the Artifact Refining Room.

"Master Zhao, I wonder what you plan to refine this time?"

Hall Master Liu Xi adjusted his mindset; since they couldn't poach him away, they might as well earnestly learn the technique.

"Whatever Materials you need, just speak up. Tianhuo Peak's treasury is yours to pick from!"

The others also chimed in one after another.

"Right, right, right! Great Master, please don't stand on ceremony at all!"

Zhao Ruoan thought for a moment and said: "Yesterday I promised Luo Li that I would also refine a Spiritual Artifact for her."

"She primarily Cultivates the sword Dao, and she happens to need a Spiritual Artifact that can assist her in comprehending Sword Intent."

Hearing the two words 'sword Dao', Hall Master Liu Xi and the other three all perked up.

For an peerless sword Dao Genius to forge a weapon for another Sword Cultivator, there were countless intricacies to be found within!

"Does Great Master already have a definite plan in mind?"

"Mn." Zhao Ruoan nodded. "I need 'Sword Spirit Jade' as the main material."

"Sword Spirit Jade?"

Hall Master Liu Xi and the other three were all experts. As soon as they heard this name, they understood Zhao Ruoan's intention.

Sword Spirit Jade was a tier-three top-grade material with a spirit-connecting texture. Its effects on transmitting and amplifying Sword Qi were exceptionally superb. Most importantly, it could nourish the user's Divine Thought and help a Sword Cultivator enter the lucid state of the unity of man and sword much faster.

Reforging a longsword with this item was simply a divine Sharp Weapon for a Sword Cultivator at Luo Li's stage!

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

Hall Master Liu Xi clapped his hands in praise. "We only thought about how to enhance the sharpness and sturdiness of the weapon, yet we neglected the compatibility with the user themselves! Great Master's action is truly the great Dao of Artifact Refining!"

Flattery, though late, had finally arrived.

"It's right in the Materials treasury, I will go get it right now!"

Elder Fu Gao volunteered himself and scurried away in a flash.

Soon, Elder Fu Gao returned in quick strides, holding a jade box.

The jade box opened, and a translucent white jade stone about the size of a palm quietly lay inside.

Upon the jade stone, faint flowing lights circulated, and there were even wisps of visible, sharp Qi that freely spat and swallowed indefinitely.

"Master Zhao, what do you think of this piece of Sword Spirit Jade?"

Hall Master Liu Xi leaned forward, his tone full of ingratiation.

"This is the piece with the best Medium Grade appearance in our Tianhuo Peak treasury. It has been nourished inside a sword box for a hundred years and comes with a wisp of Innate Sword Intent. It couldn't be more suitable for refining a personal sword for Jiang Nuxia."

Zhao Ruoan picked up that piece of jade stone; it felt warm to the touch, and his fingertips could clearly feel the spirituality and sharpness contained within.

"Very good, we will use this one."

"Alrighty! Then shall we begin right now?"

Hall Master Liu Xi rubbed his hands, even more enthusiastic than if he were refining artifacts himself.

Zhao Ruoan nodded and walked toward that giant Artifact Refining cauldron.

The four Artifact Refining Grandmasters stood apart around the perimeter, waiting for Zhao Ruoan's instructions.