Chapter 122: Seeking a Craftsman for Repair, The True Value of a Grade-4 Artifact

Seeing Sun Daneng so confident, Yu Xian smiled contentedly and stepped out of the private room.

“Senior, are you looking for magical artifacts, pills, spell techniques, or perhaps exotic treasures and rare materials? Spirit beasts, even? Whatever it is, just say the word—our Golden Scale Pavilion can almost certainly get it,” Su Xiaoduo said cheerfully as she followed closely behind him.

Yu Xian thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you have any artifact forgers who can repair magical tools? I have one that’s been badly damaged, and I’d like to get it fixed.”

“Yes, of course!”

Su Xiaoduo nodded eagerly. “Senior, you might not know this, but two years ago our Golden Scale Pavilion brought in a master artificer. He can craft and repair artifacts up to grade five! Even our manager treats him as a distinguished guest.”

“Oh?”

Yu Xian nodded, a bit relieved. Looks like my Spirit God Shield can be fixed after all.

“But…”

Su Xiaoduo hesitated, glancing at Yu Xian before continuing cautiously, “That master has a bit of a temper… and he charges quite a lot for his work. Senior should be mentally prepared.”

“It’s fine. Anyone capable enough is allowed their quirks. As long as the price isn’t outrageous, I can afford it,” Yu Xian said calmly. “Lead the way.”

“Yes, sir!”

Su Xiaoduo beamed, her eyes turning into crescents of joy as she led him forward.

The third floor was quiet with few guests—understandably so, since it was reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only around a dozen were scattered across various private rooms, making the place feel spacious.

However, despite the emptiness, the spending on the third floor far exceeded the lower floors. Foundation Establishment cultivators dealt in large sums—every transaction was worth dozens or hundreds of times more than what a Qi Condensation cultivator could manage.

After weaving through several rooms selling artifacts, pills, and materials, they arrived at a quiet corner where a solitary door stood.

Su Xiaoduo knocked gently and called out, “Master Yue? Are you in?”

“I’m here. What do you want?” came a calm, indifferent voice from inside.

Yu Xian’s brows furrowed slightly—something about the voice seemed familiar.

Su Xiaoduo replied respectfully, “Master Yue, a senior cultivator is here to request a repair for a magical artifact. Would you be willing to take a look?”

“What grade is it? If it’s under grade four, it’s not worth my time.”

Su Xiaoduo turned to Yu Xian and whispered, “Senior, what grade is the artifact you want repaired?”

“Exactly grade four,” Yu Xian answered smoothly. “Just right for someone like him.”

Su Xiaoduo’s eyes lit up. She turned back and was about to speak again when the door suddenly creaked open.

“Since it’s grade four, then come in,” said the voice from inside.

“Senior, please go ahead. As for the price… you’ll have to negotiate that yourself. I won’t go in,” Su Xiaoduo said brightly.

Yu Xian nodded and stepped inside, eyes showing a hint of curiosity and expectation. That voice… it really is familiar!

As he entered, a wave of heat greeted him.

The room was large, like a mini forge, filled with all sorts of materials and tools. A burly man stood before a furnace, his hands forming seals and casting streams of spiritual energy into it. Occasionally, he would toss in materials while refining a magical weapon.

“Sit and wait. Let me finish this grade-three Crescent Blade first, and then I’ll look at your artifact,” the man said calmly, without even turning around.

Yu Xian quietly observed him. He didn’t interrupt. The figure was familiar—his heart stirred with emotion, but he held his silence.

Then suddenly, the man raised his hand. With a flick, a fiery-red blade shot out of the furnace and landed in a tub of spiritual quenching fluid. A shining, high-grade third-tier magical blade was complete—one that would eventually fall into the hands of some cultivator and stir waves of bloodshed across the world…

Ahem ahem ahem…

Yu Xian coughed lightly and said with a smile, “Master Yue truly deserves the title of master artificer. Your craftsmanship is awe-inspiring.”

“…Hmm!?”

The burly man suddenly turned around, eyes fixed on Yu Xian.

Though four or five years had passed, Yue Pingfeng’s appearance had hardly changed. But Yu Xian had grown from a boy into a young man—his transformation was striking, yet his features remained familiar enough.

Recognition dawned instantly.

“You!?”

Yue Pingfeng’s once-wary expression froze, then morphed into joy. He stepped forward quickly. “You’re alive!?”

“Yu Xian greets Senior Yue,” Yu Xian replied with a respectful salute and a warm smile.

Though he was now in the Foundation Establishment stage and the White Cloud Sect no longer existed, he still regarded Yue Pingfeng as a senior worthy of respect.

Had fate taken a different turn, Yue Pingfeng might have become his master.

“Get up, get up,” Yue Pingfeng said happily, inspecting Yu Xian with joy. “You’ve reached Foundation Establishment… good, very good! That old Xiao was lucky—back then, I had my eyes on you, but you chose alchemy instead of the forging path.”

Yu Xian smiled faintly. “Let’s not dwell on the past—it was all fate.”

“Haha, right, right… fate indeed…” Yue Pingfeng said wistfully, then recovered his mood. “The sect’s destruction took countless Qi Condensation disciples. Seeing you alive and well, and even advanced to Foundation Establishment, makes me very glad.”

“And seeing you safe and sound, Senior, also puts my heart at ease,” Yu Xian replied. Then he asked with hope, “Do you happen to know where my master went? I heard he reached the Golden Core stage and escaped the attack from Blood River Sect…”

Yue Pingfeng shook his head. “I don’t know. He was already a Golden Core elder during the battle and was in a different location from me. I didn’t see where he fled to, and I’ve heard no news of him since.”

“I see…”

Yu Xian’s expression dimmed but soon recovered. “It’s alright. No news is good news. How have things been for you here at Golden Scale Pavilion, Senior?”

Yue Pingfeng gave a bitter chuckle. “I’m just a rogue cultivator living under someone else’s roof. There’s no such thing as good or bad days.”

Then he smiled and changed the topic. “Let’s talk business. You want a grade-four artifact repaired? Take it out, I’ll do my best. But you’ll need to provide the materials yourself.”

Yu Xian nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you. However… it’s actually a grade-five artifact—its damage was so severe that it dropped to grade four.”

“Really?”

Yue Pingfeng’s eyes lit up. “Grade-five artifacts are rare. Even I can’t confidently forge one unless the materials are perfect. Let me take a look!”

Clearly excited by the prospect, Yue Pingfeng was already eager to examine it.

Yu Xian nodded and produced the Spirit God Shield.

Last time it had blocked the clash between two powerful formations. Even though he had chosen the weakest part of the formation clash, the shield had only held for a breath before suffering massive damage—dropping directly from grade five to grade four, and still deteriorating.

As a defensive artifact, any crack meant its spiritual cohesion was compromised, and it would inevitably collapse.

Now, it lay in Yu Xian’s palm, its light dim and surface scarred with charred cracks. Any longer in that clash, and it would’ve shattered completely.

Yue Pingfeng’s eyes flashed as he took it and examined it carefully.

After a while, he let out a sigh of admiration. “What a fine high-grade defensive artifact. The forging technique is superb. Though made entirely from grade-four materials, the embedded triple formation maximized synergy and absorption—it even converts incoming force. Especially the main component…”

Yu Xian had no idea what half of this meant, but he listened patiently.

After six or seven minutes, Yue Pingfeng smiled and said, “It’s a fine piece. Very good.”

“So, Senior, can it be repaired?”

“Of course,” Yue Pingfeng said confidently. “I am the forge master here, after all.”

Yu Xian’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Senior!”

“No need to thank me.”

Yue Pingfeng waved it off. “It can be repaired, but I’ll need several materials—and since I’m not as skilled as the original creator, I’ll also need one grade-five material to fully restore it. Altogether, it’ll require about six components and cost roughly… 150,000 spirit stones. Can you afford that? As you know, I’m just a smith here, not authorized to offer discounts.”

150,000 spirit stones—a hefty price, but completely fair.

A high-grade grade-five artifact could sell for over 1.3 million spirit stones.

Spending 150,000 to restore it was absolutely worth it.

“I can afford it,” Yu Xian said. “No need to worry about that, Senior.”

“Good. Shall I begin now?”

“Please,” Yu Xian nodded, then asked, “How long will it take? If it’s short, I’ll wait. If long, I’ll go shop for other items.”

“Three to four incense sticks’ time. Go about your business—I’ll repair it, and you can collect it later.”

“Understood.”

Yu Xian bowed and turned to leave.

Outside, Su Xiaoduo was surprised to see him return so quickly. “Senior… did the master refuse to repair your artifact?”

Most guests stayed to watch the repairs for fear of shortcuts or theft. Yu Xian exiting so fast meant something must’ve gone wrong… right?

But Yu Xian simply smiled. “No worries. The item’s being repaired. Now take me to look at some magical artifacts—especially binding and speed-type.”

“Right away!”

Su Xiaoduo beamed. Artifact repairs brought high commissions—her first cut was already on its way.

She quickly led him into the massive artifact hall of the third floor.

The hall spanned several hundred meters and displayed only grade-three and above magical items—nothing less.

There were nine Foundation Establishment cultivators browsing various shelves, checking compatibility with their own skills and budgets.

“Senior, this is the Artifact Pavilion. From grade-three lower to grade-five lower artifacts, all types and attributes are available. You asked for binding types? Please, follow me.”

Su Xiaoduo guided him to a specific cabinet. “These hundred-plus items are all for binding, restricting, sealing, capturing, and suppressing. Please choose freely.”

Yu Xian nodded and stepped closer to examine them.

He immediately filtered out the grade-three ones. He was used to grade-four quality—downgrading would be pointless.

After a slow, thoughtful walk through the display, he suddenly paused.

A coiled red rope, glowing faintly like blood jade, sat before him.

Binding Dragon Rope – Grade Four, High Quality.

Upon activation, it extends up to 100 meters. Even ordinary grade-six beasts may struggle to break free once ensnared.

Yu Xian raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Then he glanced at the price tag.

Price: 100,000 spirit stones.