“A true sinister individual always start by trying to become a fellow.”

Just a few kilometers away from the sect entrance at the foot of South mountain, a bustling Maple City could be seen.

Within the region under the direct supervision of Precious Tree Sect, Maple City was the only cultivator city.

It was named as such because the forests surrounding the city were basically filled with large Maple Trees.

When Qai arrived, he was stunned at how large the city was.

It was the first city he saw in the cultivation world and it was already comparable to A duchy’s capital back in his previous life.

When he inquired Official fatty Liu, the latter mentioned to look for an old smith named Nanfeng near the west gate of the city. According to him, Old Nanfeng’s shop was easy to locate since it was the only run-down place in the area.

So Qai did not dawdle around and immediately looked for the shop.

When he found the place, it was indeed shabby with a small signboard hanging by the door which simply said ‘Tool Refinement.’

Qai walked in and, immediately, a faceless puppet faced him.

He was shocked.

It was not the first time he saw a puppet.

In fact, back in Kamaria Island, he and Shu Liang found one. Of course, it ended up in Shu Liang’s hands.

Qai would love to have one for himself but he had the hunch that puppets wouldn't come cheap.

The puppet in front of Qai did not talk. It just stood there while its head turned down and up as if it just sized up Qai’s strength even if it didn't have a face in the first place.

After that, a voice sounded out in the room while an unfathomable aura pressured Qai to drop on the floor.

Qai instantaneously spat a mouthful of blood as he struggled.

“If you have nothing to do here, you better scram quick before I kill you.”

“S.. Senior, I am here to ask you, Grandmaster Nanfeng, to refine a treasure weapon for me.”

“What kind of weapon?”

Qai pulled his Guandao with difficulty and showed it to the puppet.

“Which dumbass fool wasted such material!?”

“Senior, this weapon was crafted by my mortal father.”

A moment of silence then filled the room.

Qai hesitated but he began to explain.

“I would like to have the same kind of weapon out of these materials.”

Qai then showed the items he got from the level 5 Scorpion and the twirling horns of the Eland.

Although there was no response, Qai felt better when the puppet grabbed the items.

“Leave 1000 Spirit Stones. If you don’t have enough, I can spare your life since I admire a fellow smith master. You should thank your father. He’s got some skill for a mortal. And leave this weapon as well. Some of its parts can still be used.”

“Senior, I have already prepared the Spirit Stones.”

“Good!”

Thereafter, the faceless puppet suddenly took a small bottle out which it then tossed over to Qai.

Qai’s initial thoughts were that the bottle contained medicinal pills but then the voice quickly quashed his conjecture.

“Leave a drop of your blood as well. You can come back to pick up your weapon at the same hour tomorrow.”

Qai never got the chance to see the real Old Nanfeng but it didn't matter to him. As long as he could get a new weapon, his purpose was deemed accomplished.

Thus, he left and decided to tour around the city.

Qai had remaining 500 Spirit Stones or so to spare but he was reluctant to spend them. So he just walked from shop to shop to familiarize himself with the prices of commodities.

He entered a pill shop, a tea house, and a treasure pavilion—he even looked into an auction house, although there wasn't a bidding going on.

Qai was just curious.

And to his delight, all of the shopkeepers were surprisingly very accomodating—perhaps it was due to his identity as Precious Tree Sect disciple as evidenced by his robe. After all, the sect was the overlord of the area.

All the things he learned from the inner disciples were becoming clearer and clearer by the day as he immersed himself in the cultivation world.

Qai also came to see young cultivators his generation but they wore varying sets of robes.

He recalled that there were several clans in the region so he surmised they were either clan disciples or rogue cultivators.

He admired the choice of rogue cultivators to be free from the binds of sect or clan rules. But he pitied at the reality that resources were commonly monopolized by these large organizations.

At one point, Qai was approached by a pair of Qi Condensation stage cultivators and asked him if he wanted to join exploring an abandoned immortal cave in a nearby forest.

From the looks of their nondescript robes, they were certainly rogue cultivators.

They introduced themselves as ’Crag Brothers.’

“Fellow Daoist, you can ask around. We got quite a name ourselves around here. And this immortal cave that we speak of is the real deal.”

The brothers were both in the ninth level of the Qi Condensation stage—though their cultivation bases were still far from the great circle.

“What my brother said is right. There should be plenty of treasures. We two just need one more member to help us break the Array formation open.”

When Qai heard their proposal, he knew something was amiss.

He could vaguely sense the ill intention lurking within the smiles of the ‘Crag Brothers.’

Qai never heard of them.

But in truth, they were indeed quite notorious for their villainy—for constantly scheming to rob Qi Condensation stage cultivators who appeared to be wealthy.

And apparently, many doted young masters and disciples had already fallen victim of their schemes.

Qai paused for a moment and tried to gauge the brothers’ strength.

‘Well, if these guys came to steal from me, then let me just rob them instead.’

Qai was not afraid of the two.

And he also wanted to test his own strength in preparation for the sect’s ranking tournament since he hadn't been in a true fight against fellow cultivators.

“Alright, if you can wait for at least tomorrow, then I’ll go with you.”

The Crag Brothers grinned when Qai agreed and their eyes could not hide their greed.

Qai paid 3 Spirit Stones for a night’s stay in an inn named Seven Moon Pavilion.

The place wasn't luxurious—but for just a single night, 3 Spirit Stones weren't inexpensive either. But Qai didn't mind. He needed a place to stay and it was the nearest inn from Old Nanfeng's shop.

Qai just spent the night cultivating and practicing his ‘Sky Piercing Dagger’ technique using the Dart he acquired from the storage pouch.

He just reached its early stage of the technique and wanted to achieve its mid-stage as soon as possible.

The following day, he came to pick up his new Guandao and was astonished to find out that his new weapon was a flying treasure.

Again, only the puppet and the mysterious voice transacted with Qai.

“Good thing, the pair of Eland horns had Wind element. I made use of them to refine this weapon to turn it into a flying treasure. Once you achieve the Foundation Establishment stage, you'll be able to ride on it.

“F.. flying!? Like the flying swords!?”

“Don't make me repeat myself. Thanks to the quality of your materials, this weapon achieved great quality. If you're gonna ask me, this weapon of yours is almost like a quasi-artefact. What do you call this type of weapon again?"

“I apologize, senior. My father told me its a Guandao.”

“A Guandao!? Good! Your father must be a genius. If only he were a cultivator, I could have taken him in as my disciple. Oh, by the way, you won't be needing to brand this weapon. Your drop of blood already did the task, and I'm telling you, they're difficult to erase. Anyway, you can scram now if you don't have any more business.”

Qai bowed deeply and hurriedly left.

But even from outside, he could still hear an elated voice coming from the rundown ‘Tool Refinement’ shop.

“Guandao.. hahaha.. what a weapon.. hahaha..”