Inside the scorching Sword Furnace, Elder Ashan stood before dozens of elders and disciples, delivering a report to Nan Xi.
“Since you took office, the phrase you have said most to us is ‘keep working hard.’ We thought this was meant to spur us on to greater speeds. Furthermore, with the [Tianhe Judgment] imminent, in order to pass the judgment smoothly…”
Elder Ashan spoke earnestly.
He spoke with such emotion that it seemed as if every word was uttered for the sake of Tianquan Peak and for the benefit of every elder and disciple.
Seeing that Nan Xi seemed moved by his words, Elder Ashan took a deep breath and summoned the courage to speak again.
“So, I took it upon myself to…”
“Oh? You took it upon yourself?”
A cold voice suddenly rang out. Everyone’s gaze instantly converged, focusing on the slightly thin figure standing among the crowd.
His voice was so calm — as calm as the windless surface of a lake in early spring, devoid of any ripples.
Under everyone’s nervous scrutiny, Nan Xi spoke flatly.
“Dear Elder Ashan, could I trouble you to tell me exactly who is the Peak Master here? Is it you, or is it me?”
Buzz!
In an instant, an aura of natural majesty swept through the entire Sword Furnace.
It was clearly only the aura of the Golden Core Stage, yet for some reason, it deathly suppressed every elder present, startling them so much they did not even dare to breathe.
“I… I…”
Among all the elders, Elder Ashan had the highest cultivation. Under Nan Xi’s suppression, he was barely able to maintain a normal state.
Clenching his teeth, he hurriedly cupped his hands in a respectful salute toward Nan Xi.
“Peak Master, this is currently a moment of life and death for Tianquan Peak. We did this for the good of the peak.”
“I do not need your initiative.”
Nan Xi swept a cold gaze over them.
“I only need you to follow my arrangements. Other than that, there is no need to consider anything else.”
“This… this…”
“Now, I shall issue my first Peak Master’s Order!”
Nan Xi spoke softly. Standing beside him, Granny Ji understood his meaning immediately.
She quickly pulled a brush and paper from her bracelet, preparing to record this historic moment.
Every elder and disciple present held their breath, fearing they might miss a single detail.
Of course, standing behind the elders, Elder Luoyi was already trembling slightly with excitement.
‘It’s coming! It’s finally coming!’
‘Nan Xi, let me see which side of the cliff you will walk off!’
“Listen to my command, all elders of the Tianquan Peak Sword Furnace…”
Under everyone’s gaze, Nan Xi suddenly lifted his sharp eyes and spoke in a low voice.
“Everyone is to stop working immediately. Every furnace is to be extinguished. Within half a month, no one is permitted to step a single foot into the Sword Furnace.”
‘That’s it! That’s right!’
‘Nan Xi, you chose to stand against all the elders. By not allowing the elders and disciples to work overtime, you are making it impossible for them to pass the Tianhe…’
Elder Luoyi’s heart was filled with wild joy.
But in the next instant, the smile on his face suddenly froze.
‘Wait, what did he say?’
‘Every furnace… extinguished?’
It wasn’t a return to the original workload; it was a total shutdown?
It wasn’t just Elder Luoyi; everyone present could not believe their ears.
Master Nan Xi said… extinguish every furnace?!
Under normal circumstances, the twelve Sword Furnaces of Tianquan Peak usually maintained a rotation where half were active for forging and the other half were extinguished for maintenance.
But now, Nan Xi actually wanted all the furnaces to be extinguished? And the duration wasn’t just one or two days, but a full half a month!
“Master Nan Xi, this… this absolutely cannot be done!” Elder Ashan could hardly believe his ears.
“Yes… that’s right.”
“Without Spirit Swords being forged, what will we rely on to maintain our income?”
The surrounding elders also fell into deep confusion.
“Master Nan Xi, please reconsider!” Even Granny Ji, who was responsible for the records, took a half-step forward and earnestly pleaded with Nan Xi.
“You do not need to question my decision.”
Nan Xi spoke coldly, his tone icy and decisive.
“This…” Elder Ashan gritted his teeth and stepped forward again. “Master Nan Xi, forgive my boldness in speaking out.”
“Speak.”
After receiving Nan Xi’s permission, Elder Ashan said through gritted teeth, “Without forging swords, we truly have no way to continue surviving.”
“Furthermore, besides us, there are several other branches in the Tianhe Sect that can forge Spirit Swords… For example, the Pill Refinement Branch of Tianxuan Peak. It is said they recently built a new furnace and achieved a new record for Spirit Sword production volume.”
“Oh?” Nan Xi let out a mocking laugh. “Then what is the quality of the Spirit Swords they forge?”
“This… it is roughly the same as ours.”
“Then what use are you?” Nan Xi looked at him with contempt, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across every Sword Casting Elder present.
“But… but…”
Elder Ashan tried to argue, but he was interrupted by Nan Xi’s counter-question in the next second.
“Can you refine pills?”
“No…”
“You cannot refine pills better than others, and your sword forging is no different from anyone else’s.” Nan Xi’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Seriously, what use are you?”
“…”
Looking at the gradually silencing Elder Ashan, Nan Xi knew very well that there was no need to continue explaining.
His gaze swept over all the elders and disciples one last time.
“Remember what I said. What you need to do is obediently obey my instructions.”
The heavy doors of the Sword Furnace crashed open behind Nan Xi. A flurry of snow swept in, clinging to his feet like a loyal servant welcoming his return.
Turning around, Nan Xi stepped out into the vast snow.
At the final moment before disappearing into the snow, his footsteps suddenly paused.
He turned his head sideways to look at the elders and disciples standing there in a daze.
“And then, I will give Tianquan Peak a new future.”
With that, his figure instantly vanished into the white world, nowhere to be seen.
…
Whoosh—
Nan Xi exhaled a long breath of cold air. His breath turned into a mist, briefly blurring his vision.
‘As expected, I’m still not used to appearing in front of so many people.’
However, after coming out of that scorching Sword Furnace, the cold wind cleared Nan Xi’s head significantly.
Strictly speaking, the sudden overtime work by the Sword Furnace elders and disciples had indeed caught Nan Xi off guard.
‘I came to Tianquan Peak to cause destruction. I can’t just let them balance the books so easily.’
Because of that, Nan Xi had directly slammed the brakes to the floor.
‘From today on, no one is allowed to refine swords.’
Without the Sword Furnace, Tianquan Peak’s financial deficit would become uncontrollable, bringing it closer and closer to bankruptcy.
He had also taken the opportunity to establish some authority as the Peak Master.
‘That bit of posturing actually worked.’
At least on the surface, he had intimidated them, which was for the best regarding Nan Xi’s future plans for blind commands.
Of course, Nan Xi had not forgotten to give the elders and disciples an empty promise at the end.
‘Don’t ask why sword forging isn’t allowed. If you ask, it’s just part of the plan for a new future!’
‘A new future, a new future.’
As for whether this new future would be good or bad, he couldn’t say for sure.