Chapter 58 - Shocked Elder Tie
Elder Tie shook his head, sighing at the eccentricities of the White Lotus Peak Master. "The needles will be ten thousand points. The training weapons and defensive gear will cost five thousand. As for the premium spatial ring, I have a Deep-Void Iron Ring carved from void crystals that will run you another ten thousand points. In total, you owe forty thousand contribution points."
He looked at Su Ming, a trace of pity in his eyes. "Do you even have forty thousand points to your name?"
Su Ming smiled faintly. Instead of answering, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out several pouches and storage rings. He poured and pulled out the contents onto the corner of the room.
A Small mountain of high-quality, raw thunder-fire crystals spilled out, clattering against each other. The volcanic chamber was instantly filled with a thick, pure wave of thunder-fire element spiritual Qi. The crystals glowed like burning embers, their deep red surfaces crackling with faint arcs of natural lightning.
Before Elder Tie could speak, Su Ming reached back into his sleeve and produced a small, polished wooden box and several heavy chunks of raw, metallic ore that glimmered with a cold blue sheen—the high-grade Azure Iron ores. He laid the ores down next to the glowing crystals, then opened the wooden box’s lid.
Inside sat four shimmering, thick crimson dragon scales and a polished, heavy piece of ancient dragon bone, radiating a faint, draconic pressure that caused the lava bubbling beneath the forge to momentarily grow quiet.
"Can I exchange these for points?" Su Ming said, his voice calm. "Or use them to reinforce the Crimson Heaven Sword and forge a new sword."
Elder Tie froze, his mouth falling open as he stared back and forth between the pile of glowing crystals, the dragon remains, and the ores.
Elder Tie did not speak. His gaze remained locked on the small wooden box, his hand trembling slightly as he reached out to touch the ancient dragon bone. The heat radiating from it was not fiery like lava, but rather a deep, ancient pressure that resonated with the volcanic flame of his furnace.
"Ancient dragon remains..." Elder Tie breathed, his voice barely a whisper before he suddenly looked up, his face flushed. "You... you actually brought the scales and bones of an Ancient dragon? This is not a high-grade serpent or a drake! The density of this bone, the purity of these four scales, they carry the raw law-essence of fire and thunder!"
He gripped the table, leaning so close his beard almost brushed the crystals. "Su Ming, do you realize what you are asking? Forging with these is a golden opportunity that most blacksmiths will never see in their lifetimes. These Azure Iron ores you brought are magnificent, and incorporating true dragon scales and bone into the core of a blade will completely redefine its threshold. Previously, I forged this sword with a Demon Lord rank core, but using these ores and scales to reinforce the Crimson Heaven Sword, and the remaining bone and scales to forge a brand new sword, will elevate both to absolute limits."
Elder Tie’s eyes shone with a burning flame of passion. "Both swords will definitely reach the absolute limit of the Mystic rank. I will guarantee that!"
"And the cost?" Su Ming asked, remaining calm.
"Forget the extra cost!" Elder Tie waved his thick hand dismissively. "The honor of forging with dragon bones is enough. I will cover the labor. As for the thunder-fire crystals you brought, they are the absolute best raw materials for this process. With this purity, the market value of these crystals is immense."
He gestured to the crystals, the ores, and the dragon remains. "I will deduct the forty thousand points for the sword repairs, the needle sets, and the cost of the void-iron storage ring I promised. The Forging Hall will still owe you fifty thousand contribution points and thirty thousand spirit stones. Do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal," Su Ming said, nodding.
Elder Tie grunted in satisfaction, carefully packing the dragon scales and bone into a velvet-lined case. He then reached into an iron cabinet and pulled out a heavy, matte-black metal ring carved with faint, swirling silver runes that seemed to absorb the light around them.
"This is the Deep-Void Iron Ring," Elder Tie said, sliding it across the table. "I forged it using void-iron ore from the southern rift. It is completely stabilized. Bind it with your blood."
Su Ming bit his finger, letting a drop of fresh blood fall onto the matte-black metal. The silver runes flared with a brief, white light before fading. Instantly, a massive, cavernous space opened in his mind—broad, cold, and empty, ready to receive his assets.
He spent the next few minutes transferring his sorted items from his rented pouches into the new ring. Once everything was moved, he planned to return the rented storage bags to the Outer Affairs Hall.
Su Ming glanced at the velvet case holding the dragon remains. "Elder Tie, I would appreciate it if this transaction and the materials I brought today remain confidential. I do not wish to attract unnecessary attention."
Elder Tie grunted, waving a soot-stained hand dismissively. "Do not insult me, boy. We blacksmiths of the Vermilion Flame Peak only care about hammer and fire. I have no interest in gossiping with the administrative busybodies of the main peak. Your business stays in this chamber."
"The needles, the training swords, and the defensive armor will be ready in a few days," Elder Tie added, his eyes already tracing the shape of the dragon bone. "But the reinforced sword and the new sword... those will take time. Forging with dragon remains cannot be rushed. It will take at least two weeks. Do not disturb me until I summon you."
"Thank you, Elder Tie," Su Ming said, bowing before leaving. As he walked out into the sulfurous air, his hand felt light. His financial strain was entirely resolved, and his ledger now held a comfortable surplus of points and spirit stones.
***
A week later, a heavy wooden crate was delivered to White Lotus Peak by an outer affairs deacon. Inside were twenty complete sets of specialized surgical needles, each carved with precise edges to guide Qi. Below the needle sets lay five standard steel training swords and five sets of dark leather defensive vests and armors, crafted to reinforce the peak’s security.
Bai Qingxian stood in Su Ming’s study, picking up one of the specialized needles. She examined the micro-grooves under the light, her eyes showing quiet satisfaction.
"Elder Tie’s craftsmanship is good," she noted, setting the needle down. "These are perfectly balanced. They will not bend when channeling dense Qi. Now, the real training begins."
Su Ming opened one of the wooden cases, exposing ten complete sets, and slid it across the desk toward her.
"These are yours," he said. "You taught me many things, and you should have your own tools for the surgery. This is my small token of gratitude."
Bai Qingxian looked at the case for a moment, then closed it and nodded. "Thank you," she said.
’He had no intention of relying on the Twilight Nether Lantern’s Halo of Insight for his practice. During this time, he had already mastered the physical execution of the technique and ingrained the feeling into his muscle memory and manual control.
Su Ming closed his eyes, projecting a single thread of silver Qi from his index finger.
"You are forcing it. Do not compress the outer edges; let them dissolve naturally while you pull the core inward. Relax your wrist."
Su Ming adjusted the flow, but the result was not much better.
"Again," she said.
The training was grueling. For hours, he sat in the same posture, his fingers trembling under the strain. His forearm muscles cramped as the intense focus drained him. His skin was slick with sweat, his breathing heavy as he pushed his physical limits.
’This is completely different from sword practice,’ Su Ming thought, his teeth gritting as he pulled another thread.
This required maintaining multiple needles stable at the same time while keeping the edges sharp.
Alongside his needle training, Su Ming refines his sword arts at night. Under the quiet starlight of White Lotus Peak, he practiced the movements of the Cloud Dragon Sword Technique. Through deep reflection on his new and improved Dragon Will, he had successfully conceptualized the second move of the technique.
He had also reached the Great Achievement stage in the Sky Sovereign Sword Technique.
However, he encountered a major bottleneck. He was still struggling to integrate the Sovereign Will—the absolute, domineering will of the Sovereign—into the sword strikes continuously.
Although the Sovereign Will, the technique required, was a level of authority and dominance that naturally came with this body cultivation’s Sovereign Domination, he struggled a bit to channel it through his sword technique.
By further studying the two sword techniques, he realized these two techniques shared a fundamental connection. Given that both stemmed from the same origin, this was hardly surprising.
The Cloud Chasing Sword Technique was a lesser version of the Sky Sovereign Sword Technique. In contrast, the Cloud Dragon Sword Technique he developed truly came into being when he integrated his newly awakened Dragon Will into the evolved version of the technique that was modeled after the fundamental principles of the Cloud Chasing Sword Technique.