The snow was falling heavily.
An endless white shroud covered the entirety of Tianquan Peak, wrapping the world in a coat of silver.
Compared to the previous few days, the number of disciples and elders appearing outside had significantly decreased.
After all, in such freezing weather, no one would willingly come out to face the biting cold.
Except for Nan Xi.
And Granny Ji.
The two were currently trekking through the heavy snow. The accumulation almost reached their knees, making every step an immense struggle.
It wasn’t that Nan Xi hadn’t considered summoning his sword for Sword Flight, then pulling Granny Ji—who didn’t know how to fly—along with him.
However, Granny Ji was afraid of heights, so that plan was abandoned.
Fortunately, Tianquan Peak was small enough.
They only needed to wade through the snow for thirty minutes to reach their destination for the day…
After some hardship, the two finally arrived at their goal.
Nan Xi shook the snow off his body and looked up at the tall building.
[Sword Furnace]
Granny Ji had previously explained that this was the place where swords were forged on Tianquan Peak.
Nearly all the Spirit Swords in the Tianhe Sect came from the hands of the blacksmiths here.
But now, looking at the turbulent black smoke billowing out, Nan Xi had an ominous premonition.
Rumble —
As they pushed open the heavy doors of the Sword Furnace, a wave of heat rushed toward them, making Nan Xi’s head spin.
“One, two, three, heave-ho! One, two, three, heave-ho!”
“Forge the spirit swords! Oh, I love you so!”
“Go a day without it! Oh, how I miss it so!”
Inside the massive Sword Furnace, dozens of bare-chested elders and disciples were vigorously swinging heavy hammers, slamming them down onto unfinished Spirit Swords.
“Secret Art! Blazing Red Lotus!”
“Secret Art! Dragon Breath Art!”
On the other side, elders proficient in fire arts stood before the furnaces.
They were fueling the flames with all their spiritual power, turning the fire inside the Sword Furnace a brilliant red.
Roar!
Tongues of fire licked the air. Within the erupting flames, the faint shapes of lotuses and dragon heads could even be seen.
This scene of bustling activity stood in stark contrast to the heavy snow falling outside.
“What… exactly are you all doing?”
“Hmm!?” The muscular men stopped their movements simultaneously.
They all turned their heads to look at Nan Xi, who was standing at the entrance.
Eep —
Nan Xi’s raised hand froze, and the words he wanted to say caught in his throat.
Compared to this group of bare-chested, burly men, Nan Xi was undoubtedly much thinner.
For a moment, even his aura was completely swallowed up.
“Master Nan Xi!”
A sturdy man squeezed out from the crowd of muscular men and tightly gripped Nan Xi’s hand.
“What brings you here today? We are working hard for the cause of Tianquan Peak!”
“Uh…”
Nan Xi looked at the rippling muscles before him, then slowly raised his head to look at the honest and simple face.
“Are you… Elder Ashan!?”
“It’s me! I didn’t expect Master Nan Xi to remember me!” Elder Ashan scratched his head and gave a simple smile.
‘Wait, I didn’t think you were this huge before?’
Nan Xi was deeply shocked.
No! He didn’t come here today to talk about this.
“What are you doing?”
Nan Xi frowned and asked Elder Ashan.
“As you can see, we are forging swords!” Elder Ashan’s tone was sincere, as if he had an endless supply of strength.
“Huh?”
“Cough, perhaps it is better to let Elder Luoyi report to you.”
Elder Ashan waved his hand toward the back. A slightly shorter figure immediately emerged from the crowd and bowed to Nan Xi.
“Greetings, Master Nan Xi.”
“Anyone is fine. Just give me an explanation of the current situation,” Nan Xi said helplessly.
“Cough, cough —”
Elder Luoyi cleared his throat and reached behind his back…
‘You’re pulling out a list too?!’
Nan Xi paused, nearly losing his breath from the shock.
However, when Elder Luoyi’s hand came out, what appeared was not a list, but a sword.
A Spirit Sword.
With just one glance, Nan Xi could tell that this sword was definitely not a mass-produced, common item.
Could it be an Earth-grade, or even a higher Heaven-grade Spirit Sword?!
Seeing the change in Nan Xi’s expression, a hint of secret delight curled at the corner of Elder Luoyi’s mouth.
“Master Nan Xi, please look. This is a Spirit Sword forged by our craftsmen working day and night. It has reached the peak Earth-grade level.”
“Peak Earth-grade!?”
“That’s right. Besides this, we have also forged three mid-tier Earth-grade Spirit Swords, and ten low-tier Earth-grade Spirit Swords.”
The more Elder Luoyi spoke, the more triumphant he became. His tone even carried a hint of pride.
“As for the common Spirit Swords we forge daily, compared to last month, we have even doubled our output!”
“Look, how is this for a result?”
“Oh, or perhaps you can step over here and observe the elders forging swords from up close.”
Elder Luoyi gave a meaningful look. The forging elders, who had been standing dazed nearby, immediately understood.
They swung their heavy hammers —
“Forge the spirit swords! Oh, I love you so!”
“Go a day without it! Oh, how I miss it so!”
In an instant, sparks flew once more within the Sword Furnace. The passion of the forging elders seemed to have been awakened again.
Amidst the clanging sounds of the hammers, Nan Xi watched the elders working with feverish intensity, and his gaze slowly dropped.
His long bangs briefly obscured his face, making it impossible to guess his current expression.
But in the next instant, his aura suddenly became sharp.
“How did I instruct you before?”
“This…” Elder Luoyi was suddenly speechless.
The forging elders, who had been so energetic a moment ago, also put down their massive hammers. They looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Ultimately, it was Elder Ashan who stepped to the front of the group.
“You said… to maintain the status quo and keep working hard.”
“Then what are you doing now?”
“This, well, we thought this was a test of our abilities. Furthermore, with the Tianhe Judgment approaching, we were afraid that… so, we took it upon ourselves to come to the Sword Furnace and forge swords.”
Elder Ashan spoke hesitantly, his momentum seemingly weakening all at once.
He lowered his head, appearing as though he didn’t dare to look Nan Xi in the eye.
…
Tch —
Behind Elder Ashan, Elder Luoyi—who had hidden back into the crowd at some point—already had a cold sneer on his face.
The trap had now been set for Nan Xi.
According to the plan he and Elder Ashan had arranged —
If Nan Xi allowed them to continue working at such a high intensity, these craftsmen would inevitably suffer various degrees of injury within half a month.
At that time, the balance of income and expenses they were desperately maintaining would shatter like a bubble, and it would be impossible to restore.
On the other hand, if Nan Xi immediately called a stop to the overtime and demanded they return to their previous state, he would be placing himself in direct opposition to the survival of the craftsmen and elders.
Faced with the Tianhe Judgment six months from now, without outstanding results, they would surely be executed by the system.
No matter how you play this move, you lose.
Regardless of which side he chose, Tianquan Peak would ultimately meet only one end: destruction.
Come now, respected Master Nan Xi.
Which cliff will you choose to walk off of?