As Su Ling'er left the Hundred Elixir Workshop, the scene of those crazed disciples still echoed in her mind.
Then, Lin Qingfeng changed the subject:
"Pills are, in the end, external objects meant for internal use. But to walk this perilous world, the foundation of self-protection must ultimately rest upon magical treasures."
Su Ling'er followed behind him, nodding on the surface. "Senior Brother is right."
But inwardly, she grumbled, 'Pills are external objects, but magical treasures aren't? What, are they supposed to grow on your body?'
As the two of them approached the Artifact Refining Pavilion, a wave of heat washed over them.
The air distorted, and as far as the eye could see, everything was a crimson red. Thousands upon thousands of sparks danced wantonly within the pavilion hall.
This was the Artifact Refining Pavilion.
Lin Qingfeng, navigating with ease, led Su Ling'er around a public forging area filled with CLANGING and BANGING to a corner where a familiar figure sat.
It was Mr. Qian again!
His eyes were still just as vacant. He sat there, his only movement being to flip a wooden plaque on the table over and back again.
"A new disciple has joined. According to the rules, she can receive one standard-issue magical sword," Lin Qingfeng said quietly to Mr. Qian.
Mr. Qian's gaze fell upon Su Ling'er. "Identity... token."
Su Ling'er hurriedly handed it over.
Mr. Qian took it without so much as a glance and pulled something out from under the table, placing it on top.
It was a... Wooden Sword.
[Name]: Novice's Wooden Sword Imbued with Special Power
[Type]: Mortal Weapon
[Properties: Cleave (Tier 1), Exorcise (Tier 1).]
[Sword Talent - Initial]
From sunlit wood, a blade unhoned,By simple hands, our sect's Dao sewn.Call not this prize a common thing,One novice's sword can make dragons take wing.
Once, there was an old carpenter who would carve the first sword for every new disciple. He carved them using only a pair of calloused hands and a carving knife.
Each wooden sword was ordinary, yet filled with his most sincere wish: that its wielder could sever the confusion on their path of cultivation and exorcise the initial Heart Demons and evil spirits they encountered.
For countless years, tens of thousands of disciples have taken this sword from his hands and embarked on their own immortal paths. Some went on to become famous with new swords, while others returned to dust still holding this wooden one. But this Wooden Sword was always their most fundamental starting point.
[Upgradeable]
The body of the sword appeared to be carved from the most common wood, and it even had splinters that hadn't been properly smoothed out.
Not a single trace of Spiritual Power could be felt from the entire sword. Its design was simple, and its craftsmanship was crude.
Su Ling'er reached out and grasped the hilt.
She felt like she was just holding a fire poker that had just been pulled from the stove. In fact, she felt that the fire poker used in the Qingxu Temple's kitchens for the past three years was sturdier and more comfortable to hold than this thing.
'This... is the "magical sword" the Guixi Sect gives to new disciples?'
"Junior Sister, you've just joined the sect and have few possessions. Consider this sword a greeting gift from your senior brother. Don't be polite."
Lin Qingfeng smiled, pushing the Wooden Sword in front of Su Ling'er.
'I had to spend a ton of money just to get two extra stats on the starter weapon for every new recruit! And it even randomly rolled an upgradeable trait!'
'Otherwise, it would've been a completely blank Wooden Sword!'
'It's just that the appearance isn't great. If she keeps using it, maybe this kind of sword could become really sharp? It's upgradeable, after all!'
'It's just that its poor appearance makes it unpopular with the player disciples.'
'Tsk, tsk, tsk, damn it! How can they only care about looks?!'
'Anyway, Junior Sister can practice the Sword Refining Skill and become an Immortal Sword herself. Even if this sword is useless, she herself won't be, right?'
But the corner of Su Ling'er's mouth twitched slightly.
'A greeting gift?'
'Are you sure this Wooden Sword isn't just issued directly by the sect to its disciples? And you're just taking credit for it?'
'Thanks a lot!'
Seeing her hesitation, Lin Qingfeng stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
'Oh, here we go. It's time for him to act all profound again!'
"Junior Sister, do you feel this sword is too mundane?"
Su Ling'er began to nod before forcefully changing the motion into a shake of her head. "I wouldn't dare."
"There's no need to be coy."
Lin Qingfeng's voice was low, as if it held some kind of piercing power.
"The Great Dao is simple; it returns to original purity. A true weapon's strength lies not in its form, but in the heart of its wielder."
"Though this sword is but a wooden embryo, it is like a newborn child—pure and flawless. If you nurture it with your own Dao and temper it with your own will, it will become the most faithful companion on your path, your most fundamental Dao Foundation."
"This is the 'beginning' and the 'end' of our Guixi Sect's way of Artifact Refining. Do you understand?"
Su Ling'er: ...
'No matter how you spin it, isn't it still just a piece of wood!'
'Dao Foundation? Why do I feel like you're laying a foundation to bury me?'
But Su Ling'er's face showed a solemn and pious expression. "Thank you for your teachings, Senior Brother! If not for your guidance, I would have nearly missed this monumental opportunity because of its appearance! I will remember the grace of this sword in my heart!"
Lin Qingfeng looked at his little junior sister.
'Even though her innate talent is so poor, she has a Pseudo Spirit Root, and she's a bit of an idiot sometimes, she's so obedient!'
'This child will be a great talent one day. She must not be allowed to live! Ahem! I mean, our sect will be even more powerful with her!'
He cleared his throat and pointed to the disciples in the distance, continuing,
"Of course, this sword is merely the foundation. If Junior Sister needs some Protective Magical Treasures for immediate use, you can also take a look at what the senior brothers have."
"If they have any surplus from the artifacts they usually refine, they sell them here. If you see something you like, you can buy it directly with Spirit Stones. The prices are fair, honest to young and old alike!"
Su Ling'er looked in the direction he was pointing.
She saw a group of disciples who had casually tossed the magical treasures they had refined onto the ground. There were twisted flying swords, bronze bells emitting black smoke, and strangely shaped pieces of armor.
'Keep all the good stuff in the family, is that it?'
'Isn't this just a classic bait and switch?!'
'They call it 'exclusive for members,' but in reality, they're taking their failed scrap metal and specifically ripping off their own sect brothers! They can't scam the Loose Cultivators outside, so they lock the doors and scam their own people!'
'Shameless! Absolutely shameless!'
But outwardly, she wore a humble and eager-to-learn expression. "Senior Brothers are doing this... is it also a form of cultivation?"
"Indeed." Lin Qingfeng nodded. 'Here we go again.'
'I can't just spout philosophical nonsense. If I did, wouldn't all my studying last night have been for nothing? Now that I've finally crammed for this, I have to put on a good show.'
"Commerce is also a form of the Dao. The flow of Spirit Stones is an exchange of karma."
"When a magical treasure passes from one person's hands to another, this is 'karmic affinity.' They may appear to be selling artifacts here, but in truth, they are seeking those with whom they share a destiny, to resolve a piece of karma."
"The profundity within this is difficult to put into words without personal experience."
Su Ling'er was already numb to it.
She discovered that no matter how absurd the behavior, when it came from her senior brother's mouth, it could always be packaged as a path of cultivation containing the highest philosophy.
She began to wonder if this was the reason he was able to become the senior brother. After all, in a way, this was a talent in itself.
In a corner, a disciple was tempering a long saber, and it was just about to take its final form.
However, another disciple walking past accidentally bumped into him, causing his hammer to strike askew.
The artifact-refining disciple's movements froze instantly. He turned his head to look at the fellow sect member who had bumped him.
"You are courting death!"