I’m a bit of a tyrant, aren’t I? Hui mused, sitting in a tree outside his forge. He glanced down at the peak below from his high vantage point, then sighed. If I seriously tried to raise these disciples, it would be different. But for me, the only thing I want is to use them to make money and abuse the sect’s resources before I destroy the sect. Because of that, it doesn’t matter how troubles are resolved, as long as they’re resolved before they get to me. Long-term, that kind of system inevitably breaks down, but for a year or so… It’s not good, but looking at it this way, at least I won’t kill them in the inevitable war.

Peak Lord licked his lips. Healer, Sectgoer’s going full evil again.

What else is new? Healer returned, rolling his eyes. Speaking of going full in on something, how are things on your end?

Peak Lord laughed lightly. Eh, I’m still a bit nervous, you know?

A familiar white-clothed disciple hurried toward the forge. Drowning out the other clones, Hui sat up and tossed a fruit pit at the disciple’s back. “Up here.”

Song Wei turned. He wore clean robes now, and clutched the sword to his chest with both arms, reminding Hui of a kid carrying their favorite stuffed toy. His face lit up at the sight of Hui, and he scurried over. “Master!”

Hui waved his hand. He hopped down from the tree and walked over, reaching for the sword. “Let Master see that.”

Song Wei hesitated. He clutched the sword tighter, afraid to let it go.

“Come on. What has your Master taught you? I’ll give it back,” Hui said, making a grabby gesture.

Around Hui’s neck, Zhubi half-woke and peered sleepily at Song Wei. He opened his mouth in an adorable yawn, then settled back down again, tightening his grip on Hui’s neck.

Hui grabbed Zhubi’s coils, adjusting them just enough to breathe. He nodded at Song Wei. “C’mon. What’re you so afraid of?” This small cultivator? Ha!

Reluctantly, Song Wei handed the sword over.

Hui pored over it, examining the blade closely. It’s roughly made. Quite obviously, Song Wei can’t properly handle the materials he’s trying to use. And yet, though it should by all accounts be a heap of slag, he managed to combine the materials in such a way that even at his level, even with all his limitations… the sword itself can be considered a fifth realm artifact!

Ah, though… quite a cheap one. Another swing or two, and it’ll shatter entirely.

Hmm… but this Hui can use these same exact techniques, as a fifth realm cultivator, to make my own fifth-realm weapons without any of the mistakes or impurities! Hui’s eyes lit up. He nodded to himself, then handed it back to Song Wei. Looking Song Wei in the eye, he said, “Song Wei, for now, focus on cultivation.”

Song Wei’s face fell. “Is it so lacking in Master’s eyes that I should abandon the forge altogether?”

“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t talk down to anyone like that! Ah, except maybe a Young Master like Hong Lu…” Hui coughed. And this very Song Wei… but anyways. “No. What I mean is that you’ve already surpassed your cultivation level in terms of forging ability. You shouldn’t have been able to work with these materials, let alone create a weapon this powerful, at your level. At this point, what’s holding you back isn’t your forging techniques or knowledge, but instead… your cultivation level.”

“Master means, in order for me to progress with forging, what I need to fix right now is my low cultivation,” Song Wei said, nodding. He paused. “Master… would you happen to have a technique or manual you’d like to impart to this disciple?”

“Ah? Don’t be ridiculous! You want to start over from scratch? You’re already a third-realm cultivator. Continue down that path, don’t reset it! In any case, your cultivation technique doesn’t matter. As long as you can progress with forging, any cultivation technique is good enough. Eventually, you’ll be able to combine that technique into forging, and then progress with forging alone,” Hui said wisely.

“But… my cultivation technique is mostly… a sword technique. Surely forging and sword techniques…” Song Wei said hesitantly.

“Who knows better what a good sword is than a swordsman?” Hui retorted, shaking his head. He slapped Song Wei on the back. “Don’t denigrate your skills, but build on them, and adapt!”

Song Wei blinked. He startled, his eyes bright with enlightenment. “Yes, Master’s right! I’ll go cultivate right now.”

“Good, good,” Hui said, nodding. He handed the sword back to Song Wei.

Song Wei pushed the sword back to Hui. “I don’t need it any more, Master. The next time you see me, I’ll have created an even greater weapon.”

“Wonderful, wonderful,” Hui said. He kept the sword, patting it once or twice. I don’t mind having this for continued study. I’m sure I can learn more from long-term study than from a glance!

Hmm, was this what I was missing all along? An expert example to learn from? Or rather… a halfway point between the finished spiritual artifacts that I couldn’t possibly understand, and the trashes I kept making? This half-formed sword has more imperfections, but those imperfections show where I should focus to prevent them in the future, and what I should and shouldn’t do to progress in my forging.

He looked up. Song Wei stood there expectantly, almost fidgety. Hui cleared his throat. Alright, let’s put in a modicum of effort to be a good Peak Lord. “What is it? Whatever it is, you can tell Master.”

“M…Master, I… today, I know I did wrong. My anger got the better of me. Even if this time, Master agreed with me, I… in the future…”

Ah, yes. Well, in the future, you’ll be some kind of horror, won’t you? This grudge-holding and short-tempered nature of yours is only going to get more troublesome as you grow, and the monstrous talent in weapon forging bodes poorly for your future. Hui took a deep breath, then reached out and patted Song Wei’s head. “Mmm. In the future, try not to do anything your Master wouldn’t do. Ah, and think before you strike! I want harmony and peace on my peak, harmony and peace!”

“Not do anything Master wouldn’t do…?” Song Wei mused, putting a hand on his chin.

“Go on, go on, shoo! Master is busy,” Hui said, waving his hand at Song Wei.

“Eh? Wasn’t Master lazing in the tree and eating fruits again when I came?” Song Wei asked.

Hui scowled at him. “This cheeky disciple. Listen to your Master and go cultivate hard!”

Song Wei saluted and scurried off.

He looked at the sword again and tightened his grip on the hilt. Your Master is about to go cultivate hard, too! Ha, thank you for the guidance!

“Master!”

Hui sighed. Not again. He turned. “What is it now?”

Ying Lin descended from the sky. “What kind of a greeting is that?”

“Oh… no, no. Ying Lin, I saw you flying over. Did something hold you up?” Hui asked.

“Ah, that is—I saw that Master had it handled, so I decided to hide myself. After all, I didn’t want to pressure anyone by putting two Peak Lords in their presence.”

Hui looked at her. “Ying Lin, do you think I did the right thing?”

“Right and wrong depend on the perspective, don’t they? Master taught me that. There’s no such thing as objectively right or wrong, just people and their perspectives. In any case, I think Master did what was right for Master,” Ying Lin said, nodding.

Hui laughed. “If you disagree, you can go retrieve that Hong Lu. Ah, I prodded his heart demon, though.”

“I don’t want that troublesome disciple on my peak,” Ying Lin said, wrinkling her nose. She waved her hand. “Master, are you feeling guilty?”

“Mmm… not guilty, but maybe a little… regretful?” Hui mused. I don’t think I did the wrong thing, but Hong Lu did have talent. It might have been hasty of me to throw him out.

Besides, that old man said his clan was bankrupt, but what if it isn’t? He could come back and attack me later… ah, troublesome, troublesome. Maybe I should have killed him on the spot instead.

No, that would’ve been too harsh. It would have totally ruined my harmonious peak, if the other disciples thought I was a blood-soaked tyrant willing to kill his disciples at a moment’s notice! And let’s not forget, killing someone never solves a problem! If Hong Lu has brothers, or siblings, or parents… Ah! Right. I made the right choice not to kill him! This way, his sect… whatever’s left of it, has to spend resources curing and caring for Hong Lu, rather than fueling their retribution against me. Yes, yes. This… was the best option.

But still…

“Better to remove the disharmonious disciple than swallow a poison pill,” Ying Lin replied, nodding.

“Ah! That’s right. Ying Lin, you know just what to say,” Hui said, laughing. He reached over and patted her head. “Today, I’ve been taught by two disciples.”

Ying Lin nodded. She smiled at Hui, but there was something melancholy in her smile.

Hui tilted his head. “What is it?”

“Master, I hope… I hope that Master can always treat me like this,” Ying Lin said quietly. She took his hand and placed it on her head.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Hui asked, blinking at her.

“No—no reason! It’s just, I…” Ying Lin nodded. “Don’t worry about it!”

“Ying Lin, saying it like that will make Master worry about it!” Hui said, shaking his head.

“Really! It’s nothing to worry about,” she insisted.

Hui raised his eyebrows, then smiled. “If you say so, then I’ll believe it.”

“Ah, that’s right. That’s the Master I know,” Ying Lin said.