Chapter 271: Incense, Incense, and Still Incense

The Thunder Sound Dao, Purple Cloud Province, towering mountain ranges.

"Something isn't quite right."

A pale eagle spread its wings and landed on a hill; Yu Ju jumped down from the eagle's back, his eyes suspicious and alert.

"Elder, this..."

He turned around. On the eagle, Wang Wen Yuan stood with hands behind his back, his brows slightly furrowed:

"Enter the Mi Jing first."

"This subordinate will scout ahead first."

Yu Ju bowed slightly.

"No need."

Wang Wen Yuan tapped his foot and leaped off the cliff; Yu Ju followed closely behind.

Buzz~

The instant they stepped off the cliff, the light and shadow shifted; the two landed, looked up, and saw the Eight Directions Tower standing upon the earth.

"Who?!"

The instant the two entered, a cold shout came from not far away; a gray-robed swordsman with an eagle-faced iron mask approached, sword in hand.

"It's me!"

Wang Wen Yuan looked up, wearing a rat-faced mask.

"Wang Lao?"

The swordsman was slightly startled; after checking the token, he bowed slightly:

"Chi Zhui Yang and Murong Qing, taking advantage of the elders descending the mountain, suddenly rose up and broke into the Eight Directions Tower. This subordinate is incompetent."

"Chi Zhui Yang?"

Wang Wen Yuan frowned deeply: "He has defected as well?"

"The second on the Hero List, the Coiled Dragon Chi Zhui Yang?"

Yu Ju's heart jumped; this famous Grandmaster was once of the Star-Picking Tower, and moreover, had defected?

"Several elders have already pursued them into the tower, but..."

While reporting, the gray-robed swordsman led Wang Wen Yuan to the main headquarters.

Beneath the Eight Directions Tower, towering like Shenshan, various buildings stood in clusters; beyond lay endless spirit fields.

"Heaven-class assassins?"

In a corner of the spirit fields, Han Chui Jun brushed the dirt from his clothes, looking coldly at the rat-faced old man led by the gray-robed swordsman, his heart stirring slightly.

The Star-Picking Tower's core assassins numbered only one hundred and eight; the Heaven-class numbered thirty-six, forming the true core of the Star-Picking Tower.

But except for a handful of people, even the Heaven-class assassins did not know each other's identities.

In fact, had it not been for the defection of Chi Zhui Yang and Murong Qing, no one would have known that these two supreme Grandmasters were once Heaven-class assassins of the Star-Picking Tower, and ranked extremely high.

"Who could this person be?"

Han Chui Jun narrowed his eyes slightly and walked over as well.

Beneath the Eight Directions Tower, dozens of Star-Picking Tower assassins stood or sat, all gripping their swords and blades.

Wang Wen Yuan looked up at the giant tower; he could clearly see beams of light rapidly ascending from bottom to top, already reaching over seventy floors.

"The Eight Directions Tower."

Wang Wen Yuan looked at the faceless old man approaching:

"Faceless brother, many years since we last met."

"Wang Wen Yuan, you are not yet dead?"

The faceless old man's voice was very cold; he had no mood to meet an old acquaintance. He pointed at the Eight Directions Tower:

"Chi Zhui Yang and Murong Qing both carry Heaven-class tokens; we cannot let them roam the Eight Directions Tower at will. Do you have a way to drive them away?"

"You yourself said these two carry Heaven-class tokens; how can they be driven away?"

Wang Wen Yuan shook his head:

"Unless the Sect Master and the two Vice Sect Masters return now, otherwise someone must ascend over a thousand floors before them to suppress and drive the two away."

"But..."

Wang Wen Yuan paused slightly, the meaning unspoken.

Chi Zhui Yang and the other were supreme under heaven, possessing extremely high Wu Gong; moreover, holding Heaven-class tokens, the difficulty of a latecomer surpassing them was beyond imagination.

"There is not no way!"

The faceless old man suddenly spoke: "When the Sect Master departed, he entrusted me with the Eight Directions Tower. Although I cannot drive these two away, I can send someone to over a thousand floors!"

He looked at Wang Wen Yuan:

"But, are you certain that over a thousand floors can drive away, or suppress, these two?"

"Perhaps?"

Wang Wen Yuan said nothing, merely sweeping his gaze over the crowd of Star-Picking Tower assassins; behind each mask, who it was, he was not entirely clear:

"Everyone, is there anyone willing to go with this old man on a journey?"

Silence!

Beneath the Eight Directions Tower, the assembled top assassins all frowned.

The Eight Directions Tower, also known as the Endless Tower, is the true foundation of the Star-Picking Tower; it contains creation, yet also hides lethal danger.

Many present had ventured through this tower, but those able to cross into the hundredth floor were already few; who dared to go to the thousandth floor?

"For this journey, regardless of success or failure, whoever dares to go shall be taught the Long Long Modadan Heart Sutra and granted one Long Long Modadan pill!"

The faceless old man spoke in a deep voice.

At this moment, someone stepped out from the crowd, raised his head slightly, his iron mask as ghostly as a demon's.

"Asura?"

The faceless old man glanced at him, his expression softening slightly: "You must think clearly. This journey is dangerous. Do you truly dare to go?"

Han Han Chuijun pressed the iron mask on his face.

"Why would I not dare?"

On Pure Gao Peak, the sound of hammering forged metal merged into a continuous roar.

Before the forging platform, Li Yuan flipped through the blueprint of the 'Supreme Autumn Water Sword'; the preparations for crafting this supreme-grade famous artifact were all complete.

"With my current mastery of weapon forging, there is a possibility of failure when crafting a supreme-grade famous artifact. Should failure occur, its value will plummet."

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

Supreme-grade famous artifacts represent the pinnacle of mortal weapons; even as powerful as the Dragon Tiger Temple, most elders possess weapons of only this grade.

While Li Yuan examined the blueprint, many people had gathered around the front and back of his forging platform; most were disciples of Pure Gao Peak, having learned he was preparing to craft a supreme-grade famous artifact and coming specifically to observe.

The Dragon Tiger Temple, known as the First Pill Sect, is not particularly renowned for weapon forging; only a handful of individuals can independently craft supreme-grade famous artifacts.

"Does the Helmsman not wish to take a look?"

Deep within the quenching zone, Lin Tingfeng, bare-chested, twitched his beard which resembled straw; he glanced at Li Yuan in the forging zone.

"Weapon forging is not like practicing martial arts; do you think one can craft a supreme-grade famous artifact without the accumulation of experience?"

After Long Xi Xiang emerged from seclusion, Li Yuan smoothly joined the Pure Gao Helmsman's division; naturally, Lin Tingfeng held no strong objections, but he did not hold high expectations for him.

It was not that Li Yuan's talent was poor, but rather that his talent was too good; a true seedling with the potential to become a Grandmaster, could he truly persist in hammering and forging weapons?

He himself found it hard to believe.

In fact, Li Yuan's free repair and forging of weapons appeared to him as preparation for advancing to become a True Disciple.

'This youth possesses top-tier talent and great ambition; he will not remain in the Pure Gao Helmsman's division for long...'

Lin Tingfeng knew this clearly, yet hearing the murmurs behind him, he could not help but turn back, only to see Li Yuan put away the blueprint.

Then, he raised the hammer and brought it down.

Buzz!

The hammer sound rippled outward; the crowd before and behind the forging platform stepped back one by one. Hearing only this hammer sound, they felt a numbness spread through their bodies, as if struck by lightning.

"Dragon Tiger Hun Tian Hammer? This youth is progressing so fast; is he about to reach mastery?!"

Lin Tingfeng's pupils contracted.

He had also studied half of the Dragon Tiger Hun Tian Hammer, but reaching mastery at that time took him six or seven years.

How long has this youth been practicing?

Moreover, this hammer sound...

"This hammer sound?!"

After one hammer strike, Li Yuan's movements paused; a look of astonishment appeared on his face, yet his eyes were frighteningly bright.

He had hammered iron for many years and heard countless hammer sounds, but with this single strike, he detected something unusual.

He sensed the Listening Sound Talisman; although no characters appeared on the wooden talisman, in his perception, this hammer sound contained a message.

"The hammer sound is also a sound?"

Li Yuan's spirit surged; he raised and dropped the hammer again. This time, he focused his mind intensely, even though the Listening Sound Talisman showed no reaction.

Yet, he understood the 'sound' contained within this hammer strike.

This sound came from the forging hammer in his hand, and also from the 'Millennium Cold Iron' being struck!

'The heat level, the force applied, the reaction, the characteristics of the iron material...'

Li Yuan's eyes brightened greatly; this hammer sound felt incredibly familiar in his perception, as if whispering something to him.

With the blessing of the Weapon-Commanding Talisman, his weapon forging mastery had already reached perfection; the only thing constraining him was actually the control of heat level, and the meaning represented by every minute change during weapon forging.

This was purely experience, not something talent could determine.

But now...

"Does the Sound-Commanding Talisman have this effect? That makes sense; the rhythm of all things is sound, and the hammer sound is also sound... if that is the case?"

"Thunder Sound is also sound, is it not?!"

As this thought surged into his mind, Li Yuan's heart pounded; he not only thought of the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound and the Thunder Form, which he had long failed to achieve.

If this line of thought expands...

The sound of wind, the sound of rain, the sound of clouds rolling and relaxing, are these not also sounds?

Buzz!

Buzz~~

Li Yuan's movements did not stop; immersed in hammer sounds rising higher and higher, his thoughts continued to expand.

Over these years, relying on the Weapon-Commanding Talisman, whether it was the form of a mortal beast or a spiritual beast, an ancient elephant form or a dragon form, he could quickly master them.

The only form he had never altered was the form of Heaven and Earth.

But now...

"If that is the case? The form of Heaven and Earth..."

As his thoughts expanded to this point, Li Yuan immediately felt that the utility of the Sound-Commanding Talisman would soon surpass his expectations.

Crafting a supreme-grade famous artifact cannot be accomplished in a day or two; as the sky gradually darkened, Li Yuan sealed the fire and the furnace, then lifted his hammer and returned.

Along the way, he remained immersed in his speculation regarding the Sound-Commanding Talisman.

"The hammer sounds of others, I cannot hear clearly; at present, only the hammer sound I myself strike is most vivid and clear.

Perhaps I need to advance a few more tiers?"

Li Yuan pondered; he felt this might be related to the low grade of the Palm Sound Talisman, after all, it was only Tier Two.

It was just...

"Advancing the Palm Sound Talisman is not complex; one only needs to continuously listen to sounds, but Tiers Two and Three are fine, after that it becomes very troublesome."

Thinking of this, Li Yuan felt a headache again.

The incense for Tiers Two and Three is still manageable; for Tiers Four and Five it is already very difficult; for Tiers Six and Seven it is even more difficult.

Even if there were any, they would surely prioritize commanding soldiers first; the Commanding Soldier Talisman is his fundamental base.

"Incense, incense..."

At dusk, lights were already lit in the mountain temple; Li Yuan could occasionally sense the glow of weapons.

In any small temple, there is at least one or two incense burners.

"The exchange of old for new must continue, but I must obtain a stable incense channel... The most incense comes from the imperial court and the Xieshen Sect."

Before the sky grew completely dark, Li Yuan returned to the courtyard, skillfully cooked a pot of spirit rice for himself, his mind still pondering.

"Not much spirit rice remains; this even used Wang Shan Xuan's share... No wonder internal sect gambling matches are prevalent; everyone goes for the other's share."

Chewing the spirit rice, fragrance lingered in his mouth; without needing any side dishes, Li Yuan ate very contentedly.

Better than pills, and the medicinal power is even more gentle and pure; except for being expensive and scarce, spirit rice has no flaws.

"Pity, no one seeks me out for a gambling match."

Putting down the bowl and chopsticks, Li Yuan took out the 'Sound-Listening Ledger'; every time he listened to sounds, he would record important matters.

He flipped open one page; this was the information obtained from the three Tier Three incense he used yesterday:

"Within Hengshan City, there is a gang of stealthy people eyeing the incense collected by the Dao Office..."