"Hey... have you heard? A new forging workshop has opened in the city, and it's run by Xu Xian."
"Xu Xian? Which Xu Xian?"
"Which one could it be? It's the Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sword Sect—the one who gained enlightenment from the sword stele and reached the nascent soul stage in just two years."
"He knows how to forge swords?"
"Tsk tsk, not only does he know how, but his skill is top-tier. He's a genuine sixth-rank spirit forge master."
"Is that for real?"
"As real as it gets. On his first day, he forged six earth weapons in one go. I was right there watching; his technique is incredibly steady. Unfortunately, it takes five fifth-grade ferocious beasts to trade for one. It's beyond my reach."
"That's not even expensive. Five fifth-grade ferocious beasts are only worth about six or seven thousand spirit stones' worth of ore..."
"He doesn't want spirit stones. He doesn't want anything but fifth-grade ferocious beasts. And they have to be intact."
"What kind of bizarre rule is that?"
"Tell me about it. All the demon-slaying squads in the city have already set out, busy hunting fifth-grade ferocious beasts... The Demon Suppression Abyss is about to get very loud..."
Xu Xian had only been there for a few days.
Yet the entirety of Demon-Slaying City was already thick with rumors and shifting winds.
Even though he hadn't actually done anything.
The appearance of his forging workshop had thrown half of Demon-Slaying City into a frenzy.
In particular, those cultivators who had personally witnessed Xu Xian forging earth weapons were all itching to make a move.
For the same amount of money, they could purchase a custom-made earth weapon. To them, the temptation was simply too great.
Especially since they were in Demon-Slaying City, being able to exchange the corpses of ferocious beasts was the most direct method possible.
On the very first day Xu Xian opened for business, Yao Xiaoxiao had registered no fewer than a hundred pre-orders in her ledger—and those were just from people who had the beasts on hand.
Xu Xian went into full gear.
He could forge six items a day. After a few days, he had delivered nearly half of the initial orders. Those who received their goods were beyond satisfied.
The quality was impeccable.
With the reputation of the Wendao Sword Sect and his status as Master Ruan's direct disciple, his work was an absolute bargain.
This caused those who had been waiting on the sidelines to start considering their options as well.
However, intact corpses of fifth-grade ferocious beasts weren't something just anyone possessed.
Consequently, many demon-hunting organizations had charged out over the past few days, heading deep into the Great Desolation around the Demon Suppression Abyss to hunt.
In other places, fifth-grade ferocious beasts might be hard to find, but in the Great Desolation outside the Demon Suppression Abyss, they were everywhere—provided, of course, that you could make it back alive.
Others who were unwilling to risk their lives simply waited at the city gates, purchasing fifth-grade ferocious beast corpses at high prices just to scrape together ten of them to trade with Xu Xian for a high-grade earth weapon.
Most of these people were not short on funds. They were members of minor families from the Central Plains who had some wealth but lacked the channels to purchase high-grade earth weapons.
Encountering such an opportunity, they naturally refused to let it slip by, even if it meant spending a few extra spirit stones.
This resulted in Xu Xian's business becoming exceptionally lucrative.
It was more explosive than he had ever imagined.
At first, his competitors were quite envious. After all, Xu Xian wasn't the only one running a forging workshop in Demon-Slaying City. But within a few days, they realized something.
Xu Xian's presence didn't conflict with their business at all.
On a daily basis, they mostly handled repairs and maintenance or occasionally sold a few spirit weapons. Xu Xian only sold earth weapons.
Their market positioning was completely different.
On the contrary, because of Xu Xian's arrival, the demon hunters of Demon-Slaying City were charging into the Demon Suppression Abyss like madmen to hunt.
Naturally, the business of repairing weapons improved as well.
It was a win-win situation.
In private, many of them spoke highly of Xu Xian, saying he was a righteous man with incredible skill.
......
As time passed, the rumors spread beyond Demon-Slaying City.
Carried by merchant ships, the news that the Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sword Sect had opened the Demon-Slaying City's Number One Forging Workshop gradually reached the Central Plains.
Many people heard the story.
Five fifth-grade ferocious beasts for a low-grade earth weapon, seven for a mid-grade, and ten for a high-grade.
Furthermore, they were forged on the spot according to your wishes and blueprints.
For a time, the truth was hard to distinguish from fiction, and the rumors reached a fever pitch. Many small families and minor sects were moved, sending fifth and sixth stage experts to Demon-Slaying City in the Northern Borders to investigate.
They were given absolute orders: if the rumors were true, they were to go deep into the Demon Suppression Abyss, hunt ferocious beasts, and make the exchange with Xu Xian.
Inevitably, this matter reached the ears of Ye Xianyu.
To this, Ye Xianyu was completely bewildered, not understanding what her Little Junior Brother was really up to.
Doing business?
This was the business he was doing?
When the Hall Masters of the Merchant Hall and the Forging Hall learned of this, they nearly slapped their thighs in frustration. One said the Little Grand-Uncle was selling too cheaply, while the other argued that strategic resources like earth weapons shouldn't be sold so haphazardly to outsiders.
But he was the Little Grand-Uncle; his seniority was higher than theirs, so they didn't dare to question him.
Li Qingshan found Ye Xianyu and asked for her thoughts on the matter.
Ye Xianyu was very calm. She thought it was fine. Selling to anyone was still selling, and selling to those demon hunters meant the weapons would be used to slay demons, wouldn't they?
Li Qingshan said that wasn't his point. He emphasized that Xu Xian had already monopolized the trade of fifth-grade ferocious beasts.
The Wendao Sword Sect's Merchant Hall was fine since they were on the same side, but those people in the Central Plains would surely hold a grudge.
Ye Xianyu only gave him a three-word response: "So what?"
Li Qingshan then mentioned that according to reports from the Shadow Hall, a massive number of people had flocked to Demon-Slaying City in just over a month. The number of ferocious beasts hunted in the Demon Suppression Abyss was already several times higher than in previous years.
If this continued, wouldn't the ferocious beasts retaliate?
Ye Xianyu gave him the same three words: "So what?"
Li Qingshan was trembling with anger. Ye Xianyu knew Li Qingshan wasn't afraid, he was just worried that Xu Xian would be swept into a vortex of trouble.
After all, once bitten, twice shy.
He was afraid that the events of Yecheng from two years ago would repeat themselves.
Moreover, Demon-Slaying City was a place of constant conflict, and since he wasn't in the great ascension stage, he couldn't even go there himself.
Ye Xianyu comforted Li Qingshan.
"Don't worry, your Martial Uncle will be fine. Little Wen and that kid from the Yao family are watching over him. Besides, in Demon-Slaying City, if he just shouts loudly, thousands of Wendao Sword Sect disciples would crawl out in a heartbeat. Who could touch him? As for those fellows in the Great Desolation, they wouldn't dare..."
Ye Xianyu was confident.
Li Qingshan remained silent.
Even a cornered rabbit would bite, wouldn't it?
So, he wrote a letter and had it delivered to Wen Qingxue, asking her to tell Xu Xian to keep a low profile.
Later, he received a reply with only one line:
'I wanted to stay low-key, but my strength simply wouldn't allow it!'
On the other side, in Demon-Slaying City.
Xu Xian's business was better than ever. He did the math: in just two short months, he had collected the remains of over 4,000 fifth-grade ferocious beasts.
Furthermore, the current pre-orders were already backed up for a month.
The volume of orders wasn't an issue.
He made a rough estimate. Given the current momentum and his growing fame, as long as he maintained his production rate, his plan could be realized.
Currently, he was working at full capacity, forging an earth weapon roughly every two hours. He only rested for four hours a day.
He could produce nine to ten earth weapons daily.
On average, he could exchange for about eighty ferocious beast corpses a day.
Four years.
He would only need to work for four years to accumulate 100,000 withered beast bones.
Of course, this was theoretical efficiency. In reality, Xu Xian was reaching his limit. He was gritting his teeth and persisting every day, taking pills to sustain his strength.
At the Divine Sword Pool, the beast corpses were piling up like mountains, but he was becoming increasingly haggard. On the bright side, his forging techniques were advancing by leaps and bounds.
The spirit ore and synthetic immortal gold he had prepared before his departure were running low.
He was facing a shortage of materials.
His funds were hitting rock bottom.
Late one night, Xu Xian asked Yao Xiaoxiao to invite the Merchant Hall Deacon responsible for acquisitions in Demon-Slaying City. He was ready to negotiate a deal.
Clang!
Clang!!
Clang!!!
Yao Xiaoxiao: "Little Grand-Uncle, the person is here."
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