Chapter 24: Collaboration

"Good, very good!" Liu Tong took a deep breath, restraining his emotions as he nodded in agreement. Regarding this student, he had once entertained other thoughts; he could have said the student was mediocre, waited until the academy expelled him, and then taken him in—thus acquiring a craftsman versed in this new era of weapon forging. Greed had been at play, but his reason shattered it.

He understood something more important: it was not about the student, but about this unprecedented method of forging weapons. That was the true foundation—it belonged to Butterfly Academy, to the Butterfly Queen herself. Anyone who coveted it would one day face the queen’s thunderous wrath. The small-scale Tongtian Auction House could never withstand such fury. Not just the branch in the Eastern Wilderness, but even those in the other four regions—should a king grow angry, there would be mountains of corpses, rivers of blood, and the prospects of the Five Great Families would be buried forever.

Thus, he could only speak honestly.

"The students from your academy are truly exceptional—beyond my imagination. Even the weakest among them can craft a supreme-grade marching weapon. It’s astonishing." Liu Tong spoke with candor, his expression full of envy. "I just tested it myself; the result was perfect. It increased my combat power by one and a half times." He paused, taking another deep breath to steady himself before continuing, "Traditionally, marching weapons only ever doubled one’s strength. Today, I have been privileged to witness a miracle..."

"Enough. As long as it's up to standard, that’s all that matters. Why are you rambling on? Do you think this is your Tongtian Auction House?" Wu Ying interrupted coldly, her tone brimming with disdain.

Liu Tong was silenced.

His heart harbored resentment—not toward Wu Ying, but toward Liu Zhen. What sort of mess had that scoundrel made to so deeply offend Wu Ying? Did he have nothing but filth in his head? Even if he disregarded her background and the Butterfly Queen standing behind her, Wu Ying alone was a formidable Xiang-level expert. Why provoke her at all?

Throughout the entire Wilds, each generation boasted hundreds of billions of people. How many generations did it take to produce a handful of kings, or even a few thousand Xiang-level experts? The vast majority of cultivators could not even dream of reaching the Marquis realm.

How foolish did one have to be to earn the enmity of a Xiang-level expert? Was he tired of living? If so, he should perish alone—why drag the whole family into ruin?

Liu Tong was racked with worry, but he dared not vent. Once Wu Ying spoke, he obediently fell silent and stood aside. He had patience and determination, so he shamelessly remained. He had a vague sense that perhaps they had brought him here deliberately to witness this, to increase their bargaining power for the upcoming negotiations.

"Not bad. You did well—keep striving." The Headmaster gave Du Gu Bieli an encouraging smile, then turned his gaze to Wu Ying. Wu Ying understood and decided it was time to let things rest. She immediately addressed all the students and instructors: "Work hard, all of you. Don’t let yourself be surpassed by this one—the slowest and least talented among you. Alright, continue your cultivation. Strive to perfect your craft as soon as possible."

Amid the students’ and instructors’ slight embarrassment, she and the Headmaster, hands clasped behind their backs, calmly left the storage room. Liu Tong hurried after them, but as soon as he stepped outside, the scorching brilliance of the ten suns dazzled him. He stumbled and nearly fell.

He was a Grand Walker, at the peak of his path—just one step away from becoming a renowned master, feared across the Wilds. Yet, at this moment, he seemed no different than an ordinary man.

Why? Because a legend had suddenly come to mind.

His family background was distinguished; his character had led him to make wide connections, and years of exposure to the weapon-forging trade had brought him many secrets and legends. Among them, there was a tale: aside from the Human Race’s Light Forging, the Celestial Race’s Water and Fire Forging, there existed another, known as—Divine Forging.

This miraculous method was said to be peerless—unmatched in speed, quality, and wondrous results. Yet, no one had ever witnessed it, nor understood its mysteries.

For ages, people treated it as a fanciful myth—a dream for weapon forgers, nothing more.

But today, it struck Liu Tong like lightning: Du Gu Bieli’s spirit-forging technique confirmed it. Divine Forging was real, and it existed here, in Butterfly Academy!

Divine Forging!

Liu Tong wanted to weep, to shout, to lose himself in wild abandon just to vent his tumultuous feelings. The shocks of today had come in relentless waves, leaving him unsettled. Yet, he had to endure—this was Butterfly Academy, and he could not forget his purpose.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and plastered what he believed was his sincerest smile on his face as he jogged to catch up, bowing slightly behind the Headmaster and Wu Ying, looking every bit the attendant.

Back at Wu Ying’s residence, the Headmaster sat nearby with eyes closed, resting. From here on, everything was left to Wu Ying.

Wu Ying sat arrogantly, paying no attention to Liu Tong, treating him as if he were invisible.

After a long silence, Liu Tong finally forced a bitter smile, stepped forward, and lowered himself further. He removed a spatial ring, holding it out with both hands. "This is to make amends for my cousin’s grievous mistake. I hope you both can forgive..."

"Is this all?" A mental probe revealed the ring was filled with marching weapons. Wu Ying suppressed her excitement and said indifferently, "I may be ordinary, but I represent the Butterfly Queen, one of the six great Wang-level beings in the Eastern Wilderness. That cousin of yours dared covet the Queen’s affairs. The fact that we haven’t already destroyed Tongtian Auction House in war is a testament to my mercy. Even so, we still must answer to the Queen..."

"There is another batch on its way," Liu Tong replied, his face flushed, eyes bloodshot. His hatred for Liu Zhen was now boundless. Seeing that Wu Ying was not appeased, he clenched his teeth and raised his offer, abandoning all thoughts of transaction—this was pure sacrifice and appeasement.

In fact, the Liu family’s reserve of marching weapons was now nearly depleted. To gather another batch, they would have to pay a heavy price and exchange with the other four great families. Given the urgency, the cost would be steep—a true bloodletting.

...

At last, Wu Ying relented, and the atmosphere between them became more harmonious. After further discussion, a verbal agreement was reached regarding future cooperation. Liu Tong was extremely satisfied and did not feel shortchanged in the least.

Once he departed, Wu Ying and the Headmaster exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter, their beards bristling, spittle flying. The two elders poured out the batch of marching weapons, over a hundred pieces spread before them, filling their hearts with delight.

They admired them for a long time before carefully putting them away and returning to the storage room.

By now, the students and instructors had left; Du Gu Bieli was alone, still deep in contemplation. Wu Ying called out with a smile, "Take a break. Remember, balance is important—there’s no need to push yourself too hard."

"How did it go?" Du Gu Bieli opened his eyes, which sparkled with clarity.

"It’s done," Wu Ying replied, beaming.

"Good. At least my performance wasn’t in vain." Du Gu Bieli nodded. "From now on, I’ll return to my normal cultivation. Unless there’s something pressing, please leave me be."

"Of course. Focus on your training," Wu Ying said without the slightest dissatisfaction. Having promised to deliver the reward to his sister and the child, she and the Headmaster took their leave. As they walked, they conversed, "At last, this matter is settled. All that remains is the Storm and Cloud Ranking at the Storm and Cloud Arena..."

"The Storm and Cloud Arena…" Du Gu Bieli pondered in place. "It’s been a long time since I went there. My combat skills still need tempering—perhaps I should head to the Arena first?"

[Editor's recommendation: The complete list of hot books from Zhulang is now online. Click to bookmark.]