Chapter 29: Nothing More Than Freeloading from the Heavens and Earth

At the very moment Qin Ming forged the prototype of a King-grade treasure, the sky above the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, despite being clear and sunny, was suddenly filled with thunder and lightning.

This was a Tribulation of Artifacts!

Moreover, it seemed as if some unseen force had locked onto the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Along the long street, the artifacts of every cultivator began to moan and tremble, as if bowing to welcome their king. This was a form of absolute suppression between artifacts.

Such an eerie scene caused many cultivators to cast sideways glances. Since they were mentally intertwined with their own personal artifacts, they could naturally sense the fear and submission of their weapons.

"Clang!"
"Clang!"

The ancient bell within the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion rang out, clear and melodious, stirring the hearts of all who heard it. The elder guarding the Scripture Pavilion was the first to realize something was amiss. For the first time, he lifted his head, which was usually kept bowed. A sharp light shot from his clouded eyes.

"The Heavenly Treasure Bell is ringing, which means a treasure of at least King-grade has appeared."

The elder stood up. His bones remained sturdy, and he stood tall like a pine tree. He rushed toward the smithy without delay. On his way, he glanced at the sky, his calm face showing signs of astonishment.

"A Tribulation of Artifacts?"

It was no wonder the elder was so shocked. Only items feared by heaven and earth would trigger such a tribulation. This alone was enough to reveal the treasure's potential. It seemed that what had been forged was no ordinary King-grade treasure; perhaps it was a king among kings, with the hope of evolving into a Saint-grade or even Emperor-grade weapon in the future.

"Which great figure has come to the smithy? To have forged such a bizarre treasure."

The elder mentally cycled through the names of several master blacksmiths, but he could not determine the identity of the person. Those he knew were either in seclusion or not in Qingzhou. Before long, he arrived at the Heaven-1 smithy, only to see Qin Ming walking away with long strides.

He paused for a moment, marveling at how wealthy this young man was to have rented the Heaven-1 smithy. However, the elder did not dwell on it. The tribulation only locked onto a general area. If it wasn't the Heaven-1 smithy, could it be the Heaven-2 one next door? He knew Qin Ming well, having personally witnessed him flipping through introductory books on smithing in the Scripture Pavilion. Furthermore, the subtle energy fluctuation he had sensed earlier was at least King-grade. Even master blacksmiths might not have the capability to succeed.

Qin Ming was too young. He had only been exposed to smithing for six or seven days at most. What kind of progress could he have made? He likely hadn't even finished reading a single book on the subject. Could he have reached a level of mastery that takes others decades or even centuries in just a week?

With that, the elder fixed his gaze on the Heaven-2 smithy, his eyes burning with excitement as he waited for the senior inside to emerge.

Inside the room, Xu Yao’s cheeks were flushed, and she looked enchanting. She stared blankly at the jade bottle floating above the furnace—it shimmered with a faint, dignified luster.

"A supreme-grade True Treasure?!" Xu Yao exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes. In her mind, being able to forge a mid-grade True Treasure would have been an accomplishment. She never expected it to be of supreme grade. What surprised her even more was that just a day ago, the situation had been so dire that she had nearly blown up the furnace. Even now, she didn't know how it had happened.

After calming her emotions, Xu Yao packed away the supreme-grade True Treasure. As she walked out of the smithy, she encountered the elder, who was just about to salute her with cupped hands. They stared at each other, both feeling a moment of awkwardness.

"Elder Chen?" Xu Yao asked in surprise. Why was he here? Elder Chen was also a blacksmith, rumored to have great skill, though he had retired from the craft. Why would he grace the smithy with his presence today?

Elder Chen’s expression was strange as he straightened his posture. He glanced at the supreme-grade True Treasure in Xu Yao's hand, his eyes lighting up for a second before dimming again. He had to admit, being able to forge a supreme-grade True Treasure at this age proved Xu Yao was a genius. But he was also disappointed. The senior who had forged the mysterious King-grade treasure was not here; where had they gone?

"I am Chen Jiu. May I ask which senior was smithing here?" Ignoring Xu Yao’s strange look, Chen Jiu cupped his hands and shouted to the surroundings. There was no response.

Receiving no answer, Chen Jiu sighed. It seemed that senior did not wish to reveal himself. He appeared indifferent to smithing, but in reality, he had long been troubled by a question regarding the craft—it was his inner demon. Perhaps that senior could have helped him, but they had missed their chance to meet.

"Elder Chen, I have some business to attend to. Let's talk another time." Xu Yao, being lively, left in a hurry. She wanted to find out who the young man in the Heaven-1 smithy was. He was her lucky star! She had to hire him at a high price to be her alchemy "boy." That way, her alchemy fortune would surely skyrocket. In exchange, she could at most provide some guidance on his smithing.

...

Meanwhile, Qin Ming had left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and traveled to a desolate mountain outside the massive city. He stood on the peak, waiting quietly.

"Heh, you brat, you really are crazy!" Master Ding’s voice rang out.

Qin Ming shook his head and replied seriously, "There is no 'crazy' about it. If one wishes to transcend, one must act against the heavens."

A long time passed. Dense black clouds drifted in, crackling with lightning. Seeing this, Qin Ming said calmly, "It’s here!"

His eyes shone with infinite brilliance as he unleashed the Heavenly Tribulation Root within his body. Strands of lightning spread from him, resonating with the heavenly thunder. Under the influence of the Tribulation Root, the black clouds expanded, and the lightning became increasingly fierce.

"Haha, you really dare to dream! Using heaven and earth as a furnace, letting them carve divine runes for you—this is a 'Heaven-made Divine Rune'." Master Ding, who rarely spoke so much, sounded impressed. "Tsk tsk, the path of smithing is truly exciting with you around."

"Just freeloading off the heavens," Qin Ming laughed.

He formed a hand seal, undoing the seal on the sword embryo, and threw it with all his might. The formed embryo whistled as it shot into the clouds. The heavenly thunder seemed to lock onto its target, striking the embryo repeatedly. Each strike left a pattern behind. This was the Heaven-made Divine Rune!

Qin Ming continuously channeled his Tribulation Root to attract more lightning, behaving like an unscrupulous landlord, while the thunder was reduced to his tireless tenant farmer. Of course, while this process appeared easy, it was indeed easy. With his current level of mastery, he could easily control the changes, keeping both sides in a delicate balance—freeloading off the heavens without provoking their full wrath.

While Qin Ming was busy forging, a group of eerie beings appeared on the land of Qingzhou. They wore black robes and numbered in the hundreds. Behind the crowd, two rotting monsters were pulling a blood-red stone coffin through the air!

These two rotting monsters looked grotesque, yet their cultivation was not weak—they were at the ninth level of the Bitter Sea Realm! And yet, they were merely pulling a coffin. One could only imagine how powerful the existence lying inside must be.

Qingzhou cultivators fled in terror. They recognized the group immediately by their attire and aura: the Yin Corpse Sect!

"This is the first time a Central Plains power has entered Qingzhou with such fanfare..."
"Looking at the direction, they seem to be heading for the Tongtian Immortal Sect!"
"Hiss, how did the Tongtian Immortal Sect offend the Yin Corpse Sect? Looking at this posture, they are clearly here to destroy it!"