There were computer terminals available for guests to use, as they usually had to fill out an online form for submission, which included details on what features, abiltiies or powers they wanted for their customized Spirit Armaments.

Normally, after they submitted the order, the requesters would then have to arrange an appointment with the blacksmith in charge of forging their weapons. So I guess, in a way, the Ling Sisters were vindicated in their decision to personally visit Nine-Tailed Fox Sect after all. Come on, man, I wasn"t an official or qualified blacksmith. I had no idea how the actual blacksmithing and administrative processes went. I was finding out about many of them today.

Why were the requestors required to meet the blacksmith?

Well, simply put, while most people could essentially use the ma.s.s produced, not-customized or non-individualized Spirit Weapons (as I had been doing with the cheap, low quality swords I often ordered from the sect), if you were going to invest so much money into personalizing your Spirit Weapon, you might as well go all the way. The blacksmith would tailor-make a Spirit Weapon just for you alone, designing it based on your elemental affinity, level of qi (basically whatever stage, but wouldn"t that become obsolete and redundant if you advance in stages and grow stronger?), fighting style, the martial arts and techniques you learned, both your physical and spiritual const.i.tutions, and the way you channel your qi. Oh, and your physical size, stature and ability, so that the weapon would be of the optimum size, length and weight for you.

Additionally, in many cases, the blacksmith might ask for secrets, such as trump cards or other secret arts or techniques the requester learned and used, to better customize and personalize their individualized Spirit Armament. In order to forge a Spirit Weapon that was hundred percent compatible (though I suspected that figure had been grossly inflated and exaggerated), the blacksmiths would be privy to the requester"s secrets, but would be sworn to an oath not to leak any of those to anyone else. Being blacksmiths rather than actual martial artists, they wouldn"t be able to copy and learn those martial arts even if they knew about their secrets, anyway, and the fighting was largely done to the Blood Blades, not the blacksmiths, so there wasn"t that much of a protest agasint this practice.

In any case, this resulted in the grand hall being compartmentalized into numerous private rooms that were sealed off from the outside world to prevent any leaks and eavesdroppers, and to ensure that those secrets never left the interior of the rooms. Spirit Diagrams glowed softly, conjuring mystical null fields that kept the sound, qi and whatever stuff that needed to be withheld from the greater public inside the private rooms.

Even my gla.s.ses" recording functions were sealed the moment I stepped into these rooms.

After leading the Ling Sisters and Yin Jing Jing into one such private room, I stayed by the door and bowed politely.

"Please wait for a while. I"ll go ask Elder Tie to come."

"Immediately?" Ling Yu Mei looked shocked. I glanced at her dryly.

"What, did you expect me to waste an entire chapter elaborating on how I kept you guys waiting for a whole day because of some bogus authority status I supposedly got in the sect?" Snorting derisively, I shook my head in disapproval, not sure if Qin Lie had a valid reason for doing so, or because he was arrogant enough to think people had to wait for him. "I would much rather get this matter done and over with as soon as possible."

"Thank you. We really appreciate it."

Ling Yu Mei lowered her head, humbled. I waved her grat.i.tude away and stepped out of the door.

"Don"t thank me yet. Wait till I actually get the job done first."

"Wait!"

Before I could leave, however, Yin Jing Jing called out to me. I stopped and turned to look at her with a perplexed expression, wondering what she could want. Before she could say anything, however, someone else showed up.

"Ah, here it is! Room 109, right?"

Tang Qi Hong"s voice traveled down the corridor, accompanied by hasty footsteps.

"Yeah, Tong Xue told me it was Room 109 and that Fei Wu will come today." This time it was Lian Rou. She paused for a moment, and I imagined her turning around. "Right?"

"Right," Tong Xue confirmed. "That"s the information I got."

Where is he getting all his information from? I wondered wearily, but kept my question to myself even as the trio popped up visibly in the corridor.

"Ah, Fei Wu! You"re really here!" Tang Qi Hong hurried over toward me. I smiled bitterly and greeted her, Tong Xue and Lian Rou as they approached. Inside the room, just beyond the door, Yin Jing Jing seemed a little uncomfortable at being interrupted while the Ling Sisters continued to look dazed. Their eyes widened in recognition when they caught sight of Tang Qi Hong

Well, it was natural. Tang Qi Hong was the star of the sect long before Liang Shao Yang or I had come around.

"Yeah. What"s up? Do you need me for anything?"

"Oh, we heard the news." Tang Qi Hong was fidgeting, her hand inside her pocket, and I immediately recognized the pink edge of her smartphone case peeking out. Clearly she had seen the whole thing on social media.

b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, I hadn"t even checked Facebook yet, and already 90% of the sect had watched or read about the event on the website. The information age was really scary.

"Are you all right?" Tong Xue asked, his expression serious. "That b.i.t.c.h really had a go at you, didn"t she?"

Yin Jing Jing cleared her throat inside the room, causing him to jump. He quickly looked apologetic.

"Sorry, I mean…that lady had quite the sharp tongue, didn"t she?"

"Who does she think she is?" Lian Rou flared up. "I don"t care if she is the direct disciple of the leader of the Dark Fiend Valley Sect. No one gets away with being so rude to our fellow sect member, and insulting him like that."

I wanted to point out that if I hadn"t triggered the Spirit Engraved Pillars or achieved anything, and had remained a normal outer sect disciple, n.o.body would have been outraged by Lu Li"s words. h.e.l.l, they might even agree with her. If you were just an insignificant member that n.o.body knows, it was all right if outsiders abused you, but the moment you gained some status in the sect, everyone would be leaping to your defense.

As much as I enjoyed pulling one over that b.i.t.c.h, Lu Li, I couldn"t say I was entirely comfortable with the way society operated.

"She"s my friend," Yin Jing Jing said coldly.

"So?" Lian Rou retorted. "Anyone can insult us, just because she"s your friend?"

Yin Jing Jing flushed. "That"s not what I mean…"

"It"s fine." I held up my hand. I didn"t want to waste time squabbling over such trivial matters, not when I had more important issues to deal with. "Just let it go. Anyway, I"m about to go see Elder Tie now, so I"ll catch you guys later if it"s nothing important."

"Don"t mind if we sit in?" Tang Qi Hong asked as she smiled sweetly. For some reason, she was on her guard, especially when she glanced in the direction of the Ling Sisters. Um…I hope it wasn"t because she was jealous or anything, that would be the most ridiculous premise, especially since I only literally met those two for the first time today.

"No, of course not." Even as I consented, I was bewildered. But there was something in Tang Qi Hong"s gaze that made me uneasy. As I said, I highly suspected it was jealousy, but that made no sense. In that case, she might as well ban me from all contact with any woman, including her best friend Lian Rou.

Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan quickly rose to their feet and greeted the two inner sect disciples and single Blood Blade politely, acknowledging their higher statuses. I remembered how humble their att.i.tude was when I spoke to them.

Though I wasn"t aware of it at that time, it turned out that the two Ling Sisters had come from a small town somewhere in the peripheries of the Great Zhou Empire. A town named Ling Town, if anyone cared. In any case, they felt like small fish who had just left a pond and ventured into an ocean when they were recruited into the Dark Fiend Valley Sect. That was why they were timid whenever they were confronted with the core disciples of such major sects. This put them in contrast with Yin Jing Jing"s arrogant att.i.tude.

"How about asking Qi Hong to forge your Spirit Artifacts?" Lian Rou suggested as she stepped into the room beside Tang Qi Hong. "Si Qi can also forge Profound level Spirit Artifacts. She was the one who forged the artifacts for the Dark Asura Sect Leader."

"With Fei Wu"s help," Tang Qi Hong added unnecessarily.

"I didn"t do much," I muttered under my breath. "And I"m not very good at smithing."

"You make a good a.s.sistant, though," Tang Qi Hong a.s.sured me.

"Yeah!" Lian Rou carried on with an enthusiastic nod. "Qi Hong might be slightly less proficient than an inner sect elder, but among the inner sect disciples, no one is able to surpa.s.s her in blacksmithing and Spirit Engraving."

"Heh…"

Both Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan marveled.

"Um…" Yin Jing Jing cleared her throat again. "I had promised Lu Li that I would definitely get an inner sect elder to forge their Spirit Artifacts."

"And where is that Lu Li now?" I asked sarcastically. Yin Jing Jing flushed, but she pointedly ignored me.

"I mean, yes, Senior Tang is extremely good, but I didn"t want to trouble her. Moreover, I still want you to explain yourself!"

She directed that question at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Explain what?"

"Do you really have to be that petty?" Yin Jing Jing was inadvertently raising her voice. "I know that Lu Li has said some harsh things to you, but did you really have to bar her from setting foot inside the sect?"

"On the other hand, did this Lu Li really have to insult me and throw false accusations at me?" I countered.

"No, but…" Yin Jing Jing refused to falter but Tang Qi Hong cut her off.

"Are you serious?" Glaring at her, the premier inner sect disciple of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect stepped in between us, her hands on her hips and her eyes blazing. "Yin Jing Jing, right? Your friend, Lu Li, insulted our fellow Nine-Tailed Fox Sect member – one of the most promising martial artists in our generation, called him trash and slandered him in public, humiliating him in front of everyone outside. And when she was called out, she didn"t even apologize or show any remorse, but tried to pretend as if she didn"t do it. Even when Jing Wei showed her the video, she still did not apologize. She"s lucky we didn"t kick her out of the city, and you still want to complain that she was banned from entering the sect? Are you listening to yourself?"

"That"s…" Yin Jing Jing had turned frightfully pale and was shrinking back.

"Not only that, you want Fei Wu to explain himself?" Tang Qi Hong"s tone remained level, but there was an iciness to it that would freeze even the most infernal regions of h.e.l.l. "I know that you"re the daughter of the Snow Valley Sect Leader, but you have to remember that this is Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, not your Snow Valley Sect!"

Yin Jing Jing looked even smaller than what seemed possible.

"Liang Shao Yang"s status isn"t lower than yours, right? And what happened to him?" Tang Qi Hong was on a roll right now, ranting before anyone could stop her. "He is Liang Yang Zu"s son. Not long ago, he was the focus of everyone"s attention and the future successor to the sect, according to the Great Elders. His status, talent and level were all greater than yours. And now he"s dead, and that"s it. Did anything happen to Fei Wu?"

"Well…plot happened," I muttered, but n.o.body paid any attention to me.

"Senior Tang, I didn"t mean that. It"s just…I just thought he didn"t need to be petty." Yin Jing Jing was stammering nervously now.

"Petty? Your friend didn"t even apologize for insulting or slandering him! If she doesn"t show him even the most basic of courtesy, why does Fei Wu need to be polite to her? As I said, it wouldn"t be surprising if he threw her out of the city gates. I would have done that if I were him! Fei Wu is already being pretty restrained, considering!"

"I don"t think I have the authority to throw her out of the city gates anyway…" I began, but Tong Xue jumped in.

"Actually, you do," he informed me. "Sect Lady has told all the Blood Blades that anything regarding Lu Li and the Dark Fiend Valley Sect should be left to your discretion." He smiled ominously. "If you give the order, the Blood Blades will throw her over the walls of the city if we have to."

"And feed her to the t.i.tans roaming outside?" I joked. Everyone stared at me.

"What t.i.tans?"

"Never mind." I cleared my throat. "Anyway, there"s no need for that."

Yin Jing Jing looked so pitiful that she was lowering her head and staying mercifully silent. The Ling Sisters glanced at each other, then prostrated themselves at my feet all of a sudden.

"Oi!" I snapped. "Don"t do that!"

"Please accept our apology in the place of Senior Lu!"

"She really didn"t mean what she said! Please understand!"

Tang Qi Hong"s expression softened and she and Lian Rou quickly pulled both sisters back up to their feet.

"It"s not your fault," she told them gently. "And we don"t need an apology from you. You"re not the ones who did anything wrong. If anything, you should tell your senior to apologize personally to Fei Wu, especially if she wants to resolve this amicably."

"Given her att.i.tude and extreme pride, I doubt she will," Tong Xue said dryly, only for Lian Rou to shoot him a glare.

"Well, if there"s nothing else, I"ll be going now." I turned to leave. "I"ll be back."

As a matter of fact, it took me thirty minutes to go up to Elder Tie"s office, speak with him, and then to escort him back to the grand hall. Leading him to Room 109, I briefly filled him in regarding the request.

"I see." Elder Tie was nodding. "Why are you asking me?"

"Um…should I have asked someone else?" I asked nervously. Elder Tie laughed.

"No, no. that"s not what I meant. With your current status, you could have asked any of the inner sect elders and they would obey without question. I was just curious as to why you choose me over all the rest."

"Uh…to be honest, well…" I shrugged. "Because you"re my teacher?"

"Oh…right." Elder Tie nodded as he stroked his chin. "That"s right. You don"t really have much direct contact with the other inner sect elders."

That was true. The only inner sect elder I interacted with was Elder Tie Jiang. I usually communicated with the outer sect elders like Elder Zhao Shi and Elder Cheng Ping more. I guess I did speak to Elder Hai Mo a little, but he was the first elder and had the most reputable status out of all the inner sect disciples, so I wasn"t very comfortable approaching him.

As awkward as it was to admit it, the only reason why I approached Elder Tie was because he was the only inner sect elder I was familiar with. I didn"t really give the matter much thought, just went with the first person who popped into my mind.

"It"s fine." Elder Tie chuckled when he saw my apologetic expression. "I appreciate your candid answer. Since you"ve made the request personally, I"ll give it my all."

"You don"t have to…" I paused when I realized what I was saying. "I mean, that would be great, but don"t feel like you"re under heavy pressure."

"That"s the responsibility of a blacksmith," Elder Tie reminded me, his expression growing severe. "Don"t forget what I taught you. The moment we begin smithing and forging, we"re to put in all our efforts. Our products deserve nothing less."

I broke into a wide smile. "I knew you would be the best choice."

Elder Tie laughed again. "Too late, when I already know the truth."

We reached Room 109, and Elder Tie nodded at the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect disciples waiting in the room with the Ling Sisters.

"Sorry, kids. You guys will have to leave for a few moments." Elder Tie turned to me. "I"m sorry, but you as well, Fei Wu."

"No problem," I a.s.sured him. "I know the oaths we have to take when accepting a request from a customer."

"That"s good." Elder Tie nodded, and raised his voice for the others to hear. "I"ll have to talk with the two requesters alone in private and confirm their specific needs. Of course, it would not be polite if you were to overhear some of these."

"We understand."

The other four Nine-Tailed Fox Sect disciples, including Yin Jing Jing, flooded out of the room. Elder Tie nodded toward me one final time before he stepped into the room, closing the door and sealing the interior from the outside world.

"Oh, right. Fei Wu. There"s something I would like to talk to you about." Tang Qi Hong stepped toward me.

"What is it?" I asked, adjusting my gla.s.ses as I turned to her.

"If you would like, I want to hire you as an a.s.sistant again. I know you"re busy, especially with your Blood Blades duties and martial arts training, but…"

"Sure. Let me know."

It was true that I was busy, but I wasn"t the type to say no to a friend in need, so I nodded. Trying to rearrange my schedule in my head, I decided to take a gander.

"What project do you have in mind?" I asked. Tang Qi Hong paused for a moment.

"To be honest, I don"t know," she admitted. "The requests for Spirit Artifacts have dried up now that we"ve shut down the online order system, and we haven"t been reaching out to many customers. Since we"ve finished the request from Dark Asura Sect, there isn"t much for us to do."

"Then why are you asking me to be your a.s.sistant?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. Lian Rou kicked me in the shin, or tried to, but I dodged on instinct.

"Take the hint, idiot!"

"…"

Okay, I think I got it. And I might have the solution for it.

"Speaking of which," I said carefully. "I do have a project I"m working on. I"ve just gotten the spirit materials today. If it"s all right with you, I would like to ask you for advice regarding them."

That was actually a good idea, given how I sucked at forging and Tang Qi Hong was pretty much the top blacksmith in our generation. She might be able to raise the chances of success and I wouldn"t need to waste too much spirit materials on failures. She might even be able to contribute better than the Internet with her talent and wealth of experience.

"Oh?" As I thought, Tang Qi Hong"s interest was piqued. "What project are you working on? A new Spirit Weapon?"

"Sort of," I admitted somewhat coyly. "I"ll show you later in my workshop, but suffice to say, I"m hoping that I won"t…uh, bomb my project."