Chapter 183 — Why the Weakest

CHAPTER 183

Why the Weakest

“Was it only Xu Changhe?” He Zhen asked.

Shi Feng sat at the quieter table behind the recruitment courtyard. The public argument had ended, but the delegate's curiosity hadn't.

“No,” Shi Feng replied.

He Zhen waited instead of supplying the answer himself.

“His sword art helped me,” Shi Feng said. “His notes gave me a useful beginning. I want to see the place where he worked and study what suits me there.”

“You don't owe the whole Hall your life because of that,” He Zhen said.

“I returned his badge and journal,” Shi Feng replied. “I didn't sell myself with them.”

The delegate nodded slowly. The answer was blunter than a speech about repaying an immortal kindness, but it was easier to trust.

Shi Feng looked toward the signed agreement.

“Martial Palace offered more,” Shi Feng said. “I heard it. I still prefer this choice.”

“A sect with nothing to lose doesn't sell its disciples,” He Zhen said.

Shi Feng looked at him steadily.

“Then keep that promise after we arrive,” Shi Feng replied.

He Zhen nodded without adding another grand claim.

“You know we're weaker overall,” He Zhen said.

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

“And the inner court won't have endless resources waiting because you're a champion,” He Zhen added.

“Then I'll earn what I need,” Shi Feng said. “I've done that before.”

He Zhen smiled at last. He wasn't being promised a grateful disciple who'd accept every demand without thinking. He was receiving someone who knew what he wanted.

He Zhen checked the preliminary record before closing it.

“One point,” He Zhen said. “Learning from Xu Changhe's notes isn't the same as being formally accepted as his disciple.”

“I know,” Shi Feng replied.

“Some people may ask,” He Zhen added.

“Then I'll answer honestly,” Shi Feng said. “I found his remains, learnt useful things, and returned what identified him. He wasn't alive to promise me a place.”

He Zhen nodded, clearly relieved that the distinction wouldn't become an argument at the gate.

Shi Feng didn't need a dead man's name to replace the result he'd earned. The champion's token already opened the way. What he learnt after entering would depend on his own work.

That might cause trouble later. It might also be useful.

Duan Yichen found him outside the courtyard with the old sword wrapped beneath one arm.

“Repairing it?” Duan Yichen asked.

“Having someone inspect it,” Shi Feng replied.

“I know a materials shop,” Duan Yichen said.

“Do they know weapons?” Shi Feng asked.

“They sent me away when I asked for cheap good ones,” Duan Yichen replied. “That seems promising.”

Shi Feng laughed and followed him through the market.

The shop stood beside a narrow forge yard. A plain Sky Pavilion certificate hung near the entrance, naming Qin Zheng as a 1 Mark refiner. The craftsman himself was at early Golden Core, with grey sleeves and a small burn above one eyebrow.

He checked the broken blade without asking who won the final.

Then he looked at Shi Feng.

“You put this against Golden Core force?” Qin Zheng asked.

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

“Repeatedly?” Qin Zheng asked.

“Once. It broke,” Shi Feng said.

Qin Zheng placed the two pieces side by side.

“It did well to hold your counterstrike before parting,” Qin Zheng said.

Duan Yichen leaned over the counter.

“So it can be repaired?” Duan Yichen asked.

“It can be reforged with better materials,” Qin Zheng replied. “That's nearly another sword. A simple join won't give the old metal a new limit.”

Shi Feng nodded. That was what he needed to know.

He understood some ordinary crafting from Xu Changhe's notes. Mo Tianheng's alchemy experience wasn't going to tell him how to remake every weapon channel through a damaged blade.

Asking a proper refiner was faster than pretending.

Qin Zheng showed them two examples of stronger work, explaining the materials and the way each blade accepted qi.

The explanation was clear. The prices were equally clear.

Shi Feng could afford more now. He didn't need to buy the first expensive weapon placed in his hands simply because the previous one broke.

He tested the weight and returned both.

“I'll examine the Hall's stores after arriving,” Shi Feng said.

“Artificer Hall?” Qin Zheng asked.

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

The refiner's expression changed into interest.

“Then ask to see the channel before praising the polish,” Qin Zheng said. “Their younger disciples sometimes make fine work look like an unfinished farm tool.”

Duan Yichen laughed.

“That's encouragement?” Duan Yichen asked.

“That's advice,” Qin Zheng replied. “You can recognise it because I haven't charged for it.”

Shi Feng paid for the inspection and accepted the sword pieces back in clean wrapping. The craftsman didn't insist that a champion ought to spend more before leaving.

An ordinary fair transaction could end there.

They stopped for food near the forge street. Duan Yichen unfolded his Martial Palace offer while waiting for the bowls.

The sabre user read the training allotment again and looked pleased.

“You're certain?” Duan Yichen asked Shi Feng.

“About Artificer Hall?” Shi Feng asked.

“Yes,” Duan Yichen replied.

“I am,” Shi Feng said.

Duan Yichen folded the paper.

“Then good,” Duan Yichen said. “I can stop trying to understand the part you already decided.”

Shi Feng smiled. The sabre user wanted his friend to do well. He didn't need identical sect tokens to make that possible.

They ate while the forge hammers sounded beyond the wall. Nobody at the table required a speech about the strongest sect or the noblest debt.

There was work ahead in either place.

When they separated, Shi Feng returned to the inn and packed the broken sword carefully. He didn't place it in the ordinary sheath as though the blade were whole again.

The new token rested beside the wrapping.

His choice wasn't proof that Artificer Hall was full of good people. He hadn't met its disciples or tested its rules yet. He expected greed, arrogance, useful teachers, and ordinary fools there just as elsewhere.

He'd decide how to handle each when they appeared.

For now, the important thing was simple.

The choice belonged to him.

Outside, Kang Liu began telling a guest that the champion chose his inn for its excellent roof. Shi Feng closed the window before the claim reached a divine level.