Even though the blacksmith suspected that the broken weapon Dai Chengfeng, a soul master, had taken an interest in was no ordinary item—
He didn't charge a single extra coin for it.
Soon, Zhu Fan finished paying and caught up with Dai Chengfeng.
The two figures disappeared at the end of the street.
Meanwhile, the blacksmith remained rooted in place, staring at the room where they had departed, unable to snap out of his daze. "So spear techniques don't have to be like Master's—they can also be so overwhelmingly domineering…"
At this moment.
A disheveled old man walked out from the back courtyard, rubbing his sleepy eyes. His hair was messy, as if it hadn't been groomed in ages, and specks of metal shavings clung to his clothes.
As he rubbed his bleary eyes, he muttered, "Tie Gen, what was all that noise just now? Can't a person even rest properly at noon… huh?"
Before he could finish speaking—
His gaze fell on the shattered wall and the startling cracks left on the ground by Dai Chengfeng's strike.
Instantly, he became much more alert. "Tie Gen, did a soul master come to wreck the shop today?"
He smacked his lips, unable to help but marvel.
"Tsk, tsk. The soul power fluctuations weren't particularly strong, but look at this destructive power—the strength is truly impressive!"
"It seems to be a soul master with a hammer-type martial soul…"
"I'm really curious what kind of hammer their martial soul is. This strength almost rivals the Hao Tian Hammer!"
"Could it be that dead blacksmith brought his son to see me?"
"No, with his personality, there's no way he'd visit me. Besides, didn't his son just awaken his martial soul not long ago?"
On the other side,
The blacksmith Tie Gen, hearing the old man's words, quickly shook his head and explained, "Master, it wasn't a hammer—it was done with a halberd!"
"What? A halberd?!"
Looking at Tie Gen, the old man's eyes were full of disbelief, and he immediately shook his head. "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Spear and halberd are of the same family—halberd techniques are essentially spear techniques. Who in the world could surpass my Breaking Clan in spear techniques?"
"Pity!"
"In my clan, I've never seen such overwhelmingly domineering spear techniques…"
"This strength isn't any weaker than the Hao Tian Hammer at the same level of soul power—it might even be stronger!"
"And you're telling me it was a halberd?"
Hearing this, Tie Gen's expression turned serious. "It's true, Master. How dare I lie to you!"
"He also said…"
"Who says spears can only focus on technique and aggression? That the strength route is inferior to hammers?"
"Hammers used to represent strength, but that won't be the case anymore."
"The world will soon know that those who wield spears can also… lift mountains and dominate the world with their might!"
"lift mountains and dominate the world with their might!… Tsk! In just nine words, he perfectly captured that unstoppable force!"
The old man's eyes were filled with amazement, but he suddenly felt a pang of unease.
After all, he knew his disciple well—there was no way Tie Gen could utter such words.
Moreover, it was precisely because he saw Tie Gen's honesty that he had exceptionally accepted him as a disciple, despite him not being a soul master.
"Tie Gen wouldn't dare deceive me. Could it really be spear techniques?"
Thinking of this, the old man eagerly stepped forward and carefully examined the cracks on the ground.
With just one glance, he felt a chill run down his spine, his scalp tingling, his eyes wide with shock.
Because he realized—
The cracks on the ground were sharp and clearly not something that could have been caused by a hammer!
"This… this… is it really a halberd? How could it possibly be a halberd!"
"This completely transcends the world's understanding of spear techniques!"
Suddenly, the old man stood up, trembling with excitement. "Such overwhelming strength—I've only ever seen it in the Hao Tian Hammer wielded by that damn blacksmith…"
"Back then, because of that damn blacksmith, I was implicated, forcing me to live under a false name, too afraid to refine medicine or return home."
"If I could bring back this unprecedented, overwhelmingly domineering spear technique to my Breaker Clan, could it elevate our clan's overall combat strength to the next level?"
Thinking of this, the old man abruptly grabbed Tie Gen's arm with both hands, gripping it so tightly that Tie Gen couldn't help but wince.
His eyes burned with undeniable urgency.
"Tie Gen, do you remember which direction they went after leaving?"
"And what did they look like?"
"Quick! Tell me!"
Tie Gen was startled by his master's sudden excitement and instinctively pointed toward the direction Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan had left.
"One was a middle-aged man in black robes, and the other was a noble young man in white robes embroidered with gold threads…"
Before Tie Gen could finish, the old man hurriedly nodded. "A middle-aged man in black robes, you say? Though he's middle-aged, which is a bit embarrassing, wisdom knows no age."
"So be it!"
"When I return, I'll reward you!"
With that, he dashed off like an arrow released from a bow.
Only then did Tie Gen finally snap out of his daze. He shouted after his master's retreating figure, "Master, where are you going?!"
"To seek a master!"
"This overwhelmingly domineering spear technique is unheard of and unseen before!"
"If I don't learn it!"
"I'll have lived my life in vain, utterly in vain!"
The old man's voice echoed from afar.
"Se… See… seeking a master?"
Tie Gen stared at his master's departing figure, his face full of disbelief. "But that person… was just a young boy…"
---
The streets of Tian Dou City were bustling with activity. Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan walked side by side through the crowd, conversing quietly.
Suddenly, Zhu Fan couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Is that halberd really as miraculous as you said, Chengfeng?"
Without stopping his steps, Dai Chengfeng nodded, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the halberd. "I can only say—it's even more miraculous than I described!"
"It may still have many hidden abilities that I haven't yet discovered!"
"In that case, Chengfeng, you've truly stumbled upon an incredible treasure! Your luck is simply unmatched!"
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng's lips curled slightly upward, and it was clear how pleased he was. However, he still shook his head slightly. "It's not just luck."
"We must thank Elder Ning Fengyuan of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect!"
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to obtain it."
"Haha… Ning Fengyuan is such a good person!" Zhu Fan burst into laughter. "But if he knew he missed out on such a treasure, I wonder if he'd be so upset he couldn't sleep?"
Dai Chengfeng chuckled. "Hard to say."
"Elder Ning Fengyuan's martial soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda—a top-tier auxiliary martial soul."
"For him, this Heaven-Splitting Halberd would only be useful if melted down. He wouldn't have any use for it otherwise."
"If it were him, he probably would have thrown it into the furnace as soon as he got it, without noticing anything unusual."
"True…" Zhu Fan nodded.
As they spoke, suddenly Zhu Fan leaned closer to Dai Chengfeng and lowered his voice. "By the way, Chengfeng."
"You suddenly bought whale glue at Ye Family Clinic earlier. Isn't whale glue supposed to be an aphrodisiac? You don't need that, right?"
After saying this, he raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Are you keeping it for future use?"
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng couldn't help but glance at Zhu Fan, recalling his 'whale glue mixed with rice,' and struggled to suppress a laugh.
"Cough, cough~"
"To say whale glue is an aphrodisiac—it does indeed enhance virility."
"But apart from that, it has another effect that the world knows nothing about!"
"It can also increase the maximum year limit of spirit rings one can obtain!"
"What?!"
Zhu Fan's eyes widened. "There's such a thing?"
Dai Chengfeng nodded slightly. "I happened to read about it in an ancient text a few days ago."
As the two were talking, suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead on the street.
Curious, Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan turned their heads to see a disheveled old man in gray robes charging through the crowd behind them.
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