Chapter 663: Discovery

The temperature inside the Sword Forging Hall remained extremely high, with waves of heat permeating the air. Coupled with the deafening sound waves that filled the space above the hall, it placed a tremendous strain on one’s physical and mental strength!
Kai Xin noticed that the few young men who had bullied him earlier were sweating profusely after just a few rounds inside and went outside to meditate and restore their inner energy…
Even some of the seemingly strong disciples of the Sword Forging Hall began to struggle after staying for a while. After persisting for a short time, they left one after another, replaced by new disciples.
Kai Xin grew increasingly impressed: In such a scorching and harsh environment, it was no wonder the northern clans could dominate business in the Central Plains—they truly were not an ordinary force.
It also made sense why the Sword Sect and the Nan Gong family entrusted the repair of the Sky Crystal to the northern clans—if even they couldn’t succeed, few in the world could accomplish this task.
However, through the long-term task, Kai Xin was pleasantly surprised to find that by constantly carrying heavy carbon materials, his arm strength had improved slightly. With the continuous practice of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his inner energy had also increased a bit. His progress in training was no less than that achieved through martial arts practice.
“Truly a great place for cultivation.”
Kai Xin finally understood why the northern clans could cultivate such a large number of sword forgers and masters at the Liberation Realm and Non-Action Realm.
Since the repair of the Sky Crystal would take some time, and Wan Jian would remind him when the time came, Kai Xin decided to fully immerse himself in cultivation, using every moment to slowly enhance his inner energy and arm strength.
With a fight against an emperor approaching, every bit of improvement in these final days was valuable, and Kai Xin wasn’t willing to miss out!
But he didn’t know that half an hour after he entered the Sword Forging Hall, he had already caught the attention of some people.
“That young man must be a new disciple.”
“…Yes, that’s likely. His name seems to be ‘Mu Li’.”
“You have a strong impression of him?”
“Mm. He’s a grandson of Elder Lu. He entered together with him and often bullied him along with his group. I’ve encountered him a few times—he usually takes on excessive work by himself. What’s strange is that his arm strength used to be very weak, but after not seeing him for a while, he’s become much stronger. His arm strength has improved rapidly, and his tolerance and resilience to heat exceed those of ordinary disciples here. It’s truly incredible.”
“Oh, interesting. So he’s quite adapted to our Sword Forging Hall’s environment?”

“It seems you have an idea, Elder—promote him to a full-fledged disciple of the Sword Forging Hall?” Above the Sword Forging Hall, amidst the slowly converging red energy waves, several people stood on the high stairs, quietly monitoring everything inside the hall.

However…

As soon as these people spoke, Kai Xin detected some sounds acutely. Frowning, he followed the gazes directed at him and silently shifted his attention in that direction. The spiritual perception of the Nine Yang Divine Skill became even more intense under the high temperature, allowing him to finally spot the figures hundreds of meters in the air. He was shocked—those people in the sky clearly possessed remarkable cultivation at the Wu Wei realm, with one of them likely not inferior to the Grand Elder of the Demon Sect…

Kai Xin quickly calmed his slightly agitated emotions, checking internally to ensure there were no flaws in his facial mask—had he not been familiar with everything about the Sword Forging Hall and Wan Jian not specially crafted a heat-resistant mask for him given the unique conditions here, his mask would have long shown signs of damage. Additionally, thanks to the subtle nature of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his physique appeared that of an ordinary youth, allowing him to deceive these people’s eyes.

“A talent like this definitely belongs in the Sword Forging Hall, but there’s no need to promote him right away. We can keep an eye on him and see what level he can reach…”

The speaker was a red-haired man in his forties, with bulging temples and sharp eyes. His strong, muscular frame exuded explosive power and an overwhelming presence.

The others around him were also quite impressive, but slightly less so compared to this elder. Their only common trait was that they were all very young!

The elder spoke again: “This time, the Sword Sect and the Nan Gong family brought the Sky Crystal to our northern clans, drawing the attention of many powerful figures from the Central Plains. Besides a few elders from the Nan Gong family, there are also experts from the Xi Cheng family and the Dong Fang family—all of them from the older generation, on the verge of death. Hmph! Upon hearing about the Sky Crystal, they abandoned all sense of shame and wanted to come and take a look, as if my Han Tian Bao were some ordinary place!”

He paused briefly before instructing the people around him: “But these old fools aren’t easy to deal with. They’ll definitely try to interfere! Fortunately, the Sky Crystal reappeared earlier than expected. Stay alert—don’t let them take advantage of the situation.”

“Yes, Elder!”

“Elder, should we really hand over that Sky Crystal to the Sword Sect and the Nan Gong family?”

“Hmph, of course we will!”

The elder sighed deeply and replied without hesitation:

“Back then, the Nangong family reached the pinnacle of the martial world in a short time thanks to the Heavenly Crystal, rising to great power. But what was the outcome? They ended up fighting against the legendary evil forces, resulting in the destruction of their family. That’s how the Nangong family declined to its current state… Although the Heavenly Crystal is an ancient supreme divine weapon, it is also a source of disaster. Possessing it brings nothing but trouble—it is not a blessing!”
Kai Xin listened carefully below, but was stunned in his heart:
Indeed, the elder of this northern noble clan has remarkable insight!
After a pause, the voice continued:
“Over the past few hundred years, our Han Tian Fort has seen all kinds of divine weapons. Who else can surpass us northern nobles in understanding them? True divine weapons belong only to those who are righteous, magnanimous, and capable of ruling the world. Among us northern nobles, there is yet no such person… So, destroying our ancestral rules for a single Heavenly Crystal, bringing disaster upon our fort, and cutting off our legacy— it’s not worth it!”
The elder’s tone in the last sentence was filled with regret and the sorrow of missing out.
Hearing this, Kai Xin frowned:
So, does that mean the northern nobles actually have no intention of competing for or keeping the Heavenly Crystal?
What’s going on?!
Damn it…
Were the four abandoned disciples of the Sword Sect lying to me, or has the mission changed?
With his rich experience from his past life, Kai Xin quickly sensed the changes and identified two possible explanations.
The four abandoned disciples had no reputation within their sect, so it wasn’t impossible they were lying. But from what Kai Xin had learned along the way, the four truly harbored deep hatred for the Sword Sect, which seemed genuine. Besides, Po Jun was even willing to sacrifice his own life to cover for them.
If that possibility was ruled out, then there was only one other option…
The mission had changed!
Kai Xin quickly thought of something mentioned in their previous conversations, and a faint sense of unease arose in his heart:
It seems I’ve stayed in the Sword Forging Hall for too long!