Hearing this, Ruan Hao waved his hand and laughed.
"You are mistaken!"
The youth leaned in to listen.
Ruan Hao spoke in a slow, resonant voice. "From a craftsman's perspective, this matter was worth it. The art of sword forging has been passed down in Fanzhou for tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of years. Yet, master forgers capable of crafting fine swords are becoming fewer and fewer. Flipping through the history books, those capable of forging immortal weapons were everywhere. Look at today—besides that titan at Ancient Sword Mountain, there is not a single person in the vast world who can forge an immortal weapon."
"If everyone simply followed the rules and stuck to the old ways, I fear that in another few tens of thousands of years, we won't even be able to hammer out a heaven weapon."
"Every forger knows that good iron makes a good sword."
"But your actions yesterday told this world that even bad steel can forge a fine sword."
"In a small sense, you did something no one has ever done before."
"In a larger sense, you have pioneered an unprecedented school of thought. While no one in this generation might be able to replicate it, future generations will certainly follow suit."
"You shall leave a mark in the history books of sword forging. Your contribution is immense."
Pausing, Ruan Hao took a deep drag from his pipe, smoke trailing from his nostrils as he continued, "Of course, from a merchant's perspective, it's naturally not cost-effective. But in the end, you and I are not merchants."
Xu Xian naturally understood the logic.
However, he had learned sword forging specifically to make money.
He needed the money earned from forging to build the twelve stories of the White Jade Capital and raise his cultivation realm.
"What you say is true, Master. But a man with money is a hero, while a man without it finds every step difficult."
Ruan Hao glanced at him and asked, "Are you that short on money?"
Xu Xian hesitated for a moment before speaking against his heart. "Well, not exactly."
Constructing the sword tower cost a fortune.
Ruan Hao had already given him enough; he couldn't bring himself to keep reaching out his hand for more.
The matter of being broke was a burden he could carry alone. His master was at such an age; he didn't want him worrying alongside him.
Ruan Hao's ambitions lay in the Dao of sword forging. It was better for him to have fewer distractions.
Ruan Hao didn't overthink it. He simply said meaningfully, "You are now in the nascent soul stage and a fourth-rank spirit forge master. Your skill in ore purification is also consummate. As long as you're willing to work, making money won't be an issue."
"Mhm!"
Xu Xian nodded.
It truly wasn't an issue.
He could buy ordinary immortal gold, forge it into an earth weapon, and sell it for a profit of at least two thousand spirit stones with ease.
If he found that too troublesome, the Forging Hall always had weapon bounty missions from the Merchant Hall.
A fourth-rank spirit forge master could collect immortal gold from the Forging Hall for free, forge an earth weapon to turn in, and complete the mission. They would receive merit points based on quality and material consumption—anywhere from a hundred thousand to several hundred thousand points.
Ultimately, the Merchant Hall would handle the sales.
With Xu Xian's current ability, he could hammer out one low-grade earth weapon a day, earning several thousand spirit stones daily.
However, Xu Xian needed too much money. Even if he made thousands a day, gathering the funds for a hundred thousand fifth-grade beast bones would take decades at best, or over a century at worst.
The profit margin was still too small.
In sword forging, technical skill aside, raw materials were the bottleneck.
A low-grade earth weapon had a market price ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 spirit stones. The cheapest piece of immortal gold cost at least 1,000 spirit stones, and higher quality pieces were even more expensive.
That wasn't even considering high-level immortal gold.
If it was a rare type, it was often priceless and unavailable even if one had the money.
To speed up construction, he had to increase his profit. To get massive profits, he had to drive down the cost of raw materials. This was the primary reason Xu Xian had spent so much effort researching synthetic immortal gold.
While Xu Xian was calculating, Ruan Hao stood up and dismissed him. "Alright, if there's nothing else, go get busy. Take your spirit furnace and forging table with you. You don't need to report to me every day anymore. Just do your work freely. If there's something you don't understand or if you need help, come find me then."
"This teacher is tired."
Ruan Hao put his hands behind his back and strolled into the house behind the courtyard.
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow but said nothing in the end. Although he was being kicked out, it wasn't a bad thing. It proved that in Ruan Hao's heart, he had already completed his apprenticeship.
He no longer needed to be bound by the previous formalities.
Naturally, he didn't need to struggle through the daily commute to 'punch in' for work anymore.
Seeing Ruan Hao leave, Yao Xiaoxiao, who had been eavesdropping at the door the whole time, finally dared to stand up. She ran over and asked in a low voice, "Little Grand-Uncle, does Master Ruan not want you anymore?"
Xu Xian was speechless. He gave the little girl a flat look. What kind of nonsense was that?
He drained his tea in one gulp, stood up, and laughed. "Doesn't this suit your wishes perfectly?"
"Ah! What does it have to do with me?"
Xu Xian laughed without answering. He approached his forging table and spirit furnace, used an immortal art with a wave of his sleeve, and stored them inside the Divine Sword Pool.
Yao Xiaoxiao followed him closely, looking up at him.
"Little Grand-Uncle, I'm asking you a question!"
As Xu Xian walked toward the exit, he said lazily, "Weren't you afraid of the old man? Since I don't have to come here anymore, you don't have to either. Aren't you happy?"
Yao Xiaoxiao lowered her head guiltily and laughed sheepishly. "Hehe, I am a bit happy. But, well, I wouldn't call it 'fear.'"
"Then what is it?"
"Um... it's respect!" Yao Xiaoxiao tried her best to argue her way out.
"Oh... sure, respect."
"However, as long as it's for Little Grand-Uncle's good, I can still come."
"Mhm."
"Does Master Ruan really not want you?"
"Nonsense. I'm the chief disciple."
"Then why did he tell you to leave?"
"Because I've completed my apprenticeship!"
Yao Xiaoxiao's footsteps faltered slightly before she suddenly realized. She ran to catch up and said innocently:
"Wow! So that's how it is. Little Grand-Uncle, you really are talented!"
"I'm alright."
"..."
Xu Xian returned to Zhijian Peak and set up his forging furnace at Zuiwan Residence.
At first, Li Qingshan didn't care much.
It wasn't like Xu Xian messing around was anything new.
A few days later...
Li Qingshan completely broke down!
Ever since Xu Xian moved back, he started hammering iron day and night. The noise got louder by the day.
He went to negotiate with Xu Xian, attempting to win him over with logic. Instead, Xu Xian turned the tables on him, accusing him of hindering his research and trying to ruin a future master divine forger of the Wendao Sect.
He even claimed he was forging swords for the sake of the sect.
He asked Li Qingshan if he wanted to rebel or commit treason.
In short...
He failed.
He was even slapped with a bunch of serious accusations.
Li Qingshan gritted his teeth and endured it. Using his power as a great ascension stage cultivator, he sealed his own hearing, turning himself into a deaf man...
But what he never expected was that the little girl staying there, Yao Xiaoxiao, also started causing trouble. From morning to night, she opened her furnace to refine pills. The smell of herbs drifted through the entire immortal abode.
Not only was the place in total chaos, but it also became filled with a foul atmosphere.
He went to find Yao Xiaoxiao.
As a result...
After pretending to be deaf, he had to lose his sense of smell as well.
Li Qingshan huddled in his tiny room, getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about it. He found Ye Xianyu to complain—complaining about Xu Xian, complaining about Elder Yao...
"One is refining pills, the other is forging swords. It's absolute chaos and a complete mess! I can't live like this!"
Ye Xianyu looked at him sympathetically and said calmly, "Everything for the greater good!"
Li Qingshan was driven mad with rage.
He stormed back to Zuiwan Residence, packed his bags, and moved into the Peach Blossom Immortal Abode that very day.
Ye Xianyu was stunned.
"What are you doing?"
Li Qingshan said with righteous indignation:
"They are ruining my life, so I'm going to ruin yours. From today on, I'm living here."
Ye Xianyu pondered for a moment. "It's not that you can't stay here, but you have to pay."
Li Qingshan's face darkened. "How much?"
Ye Xianyu blurted out, "Ten thousand merit points a month."
Li Qingshan: "...."
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