Shi Xueyun once again displayed her domineering nature, leaving the three elders speechless—especially the Second Elder. Even though Yi Tianyun had now been vindicated, Shi Xueyun couldn't resist scolding her.
It was all because the elder had been far too timid, believing it was always best to keep a low profile. But this was beyond keeping a low profile. Excessive compromise would only lead others to believe they were easy to bully!
"Palace Master, we can't be too rash about this. If we actually trigger a major war, it will be extremely detrimental to Merak Palace!" the Third Elder couldn't help but speak up.
"It seems you're all worrying far too much. How much trouble do you really think that Master Kong can stir up? He's just a Third-Grade Blacksmith. Tianyun's skill level is higher than his. If this really got out, who would choose to stand with him?" Shi Xueyun said grimly.
If Yi Tianyun's skill was superior to Master Kong's, those families would undoubtedly switch their allegiance. They would certainly favor them, not Master Kong.
People want the strong, not the weak!
"Tianyun's skill level is slightly higher, but it's not a significant gap. That's not enough to create a major advantage, and besides, he has no connections," the Second Elder retorted.
"So you're saying that if my skill level were significantly higher than his, you would have nothing more to say, is that right?" Yi Tianyun said nonchalantly. "In that case, I'll give you another demonstration. I'll forge a few more Spirit Swords, and then the Elders will see for themselves."
'Although the elders are targeting me at every turn, they're undeniably thinking of what's best for Merak Palace. To avoid putting Shi Xueyun in a difficult position, I have no choice but to step in and help.'
With that, Yi Tianyun tossed another batch of materials into the furnace and began forging a Spiritual Artifact.
His initial actions were no different than before. But then, an incredibly scorching flame erupted from his palm. He tossed it into the furnace, and it began to rapidly purify the materials for the Spiritual Artifact.
The process immediately sped up, and the rate at which impurities were being purified increased dramatically!
"Th-this... What is that flame?"
They stared, stunned. Normally, only those who were natural-born fire masters or had absorbed a special flame could produce such an effect.
They never imagined Yi Tianyun also possessed such a special flame!
Shi Xueyun's eyes widened as well. She found it incredible; she had never expected Yi Tianyun to be capable of this. It was beyond her imagination.
They had been wondering about Yi Tianyun's forging method, but they never expected him to use a special flame. 'Does this mean he didn't reveal his full strength when he was in front of Master Kong?'
In reality, that wasn't the case. Yi Tianyun had certainly used his full strength before. He had only just obtained this flame; otherwise, how could he have possibly used it?
Soon, he finished forging a Spirit Sword. After pulling it from the forge, it landed in his hand. This Spirit Sword was a cut above the previous one, radiating a chilling aura. It was at least a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact!
"A Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact!?"
They were stunned when they saw it. The price difference between a Low-Grade and a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact was enormous.
Disregarding its power, the price difference alone was about two to three times. For example, if a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact sold for 30,000 taels, a Middle-Grade one would sell for as much as 60,000 to 70,000 taels—and that was a conservative estimate.
[Ding! Congratulations to Player 'Yi Tianyun' for gaining fifty Skill Level points.]
After successfully forging the Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact, his Skill Level shot up by fifty points, five times more than before. 'If I keep forging like this, leveling up won't be difficult at all.'
This was all thanks to the Immortal Fire. Using it for forging instantly raised the level of the final product.
Without it, his success rate for forging a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact at his current level would only be about thirty percent. But with the Immortal Fire, that rate soared to over eighty percent.
'Good thing I didn't fail. That would have been awkward.'
"It really is a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact... You can actually forge Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifacts..."
They were completely stunned. This was the demonstration of strength Yi Tianyun had promised. This was the ultimate proof.
This time, they were speechless. What more could they possibly say? His skill was clearly far superior to Master Kong's. If he were to present himself to one of those other families, they would all be scrambling to invite him to be an Honored Guest Elder.
"Elders, how does this level of skill compare to Master Kong's?" Yi Tianyun asked nonchalantly.
"On this point... I am convinced," the First Elder admitted.
The First Elder was finally, truly convinced. 'In the end, Shi Xueyun's judgment was right all along. We're getting old; our eyes can't judge people properly anymore.'
"Palace Master, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave... From now on, I will follow your instructions," the Second Elder said.
The Second Elder let out a deep sigh. Internally, she could no longer muster even a trace of opposition. 'With this level of skill, my disciple is no longer qualified to compete with him.'
This was the benefit of having an extra skill. With one more advantage on his side, her disciple simply couldn't compare.
The Third Elder also excused herself. They needed to go back and process everything. This incident had been a great shock to them. From now on, Shi Xueyun's position would be even more unshakeable.
It was just as Shi Xueyun had said: Merak Palace could no longer allow itself to be bullied.
The same was true for the entry slots to the Celestial Sinking Ruins. The Celestial Spirit Sect had tried to forcibly take one, thinking Merak Palace was an easy target. They had forced them into a duel where the loser would have to give up a slot.
Each power had a different number of slots; Merak Palace only had two. If they had lost the duel, they would have been left with only one, which would have been even more humiliating.
After the elders had left, Yi Tianyun picked up the Spirit Sword that Master Kong had forged, handed it to Lian, and said, "Lian, this Spirit Sword is for you."
"Th-this... Young Master, I absolutely can't accept this! It's a Spirit Sword!" Lian said, hastily trying to refuse.
"Don't worry about whether it's a Spirit Sword or not. That Master Kong bullied you earlier, so this sword is yours to do with as you please!" Yi Tianyun said with a smile.
"If Tianyun wants you to have it, just take it," Shi Xueyun said, motioning for Lian to accept the weapon. "It's only a Low-Grade Spirit Sword. You saw that he can forge Middle-Grade Spirit Swords, so a Low-Grade one is nothing to him."
"Alright... Then, thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Palace Master!"
Lian was thrilled. Obtaining a Spirit Sword would be a huge help to her. Many disciples in the palace didn't even own a Spiritual Artifact, yet now she had one.
"Then I'll get back to forging the rest of these materials. That way, we'll have more equipment."
Yi Tianyun smiled. "Better yet, let's bring out all the materials. I'll forge a whole batch of Spirit Swords so that all of our sisters can have one. Then, who would dare bully our Merak Palace again!"
A Blacksmith who could forge Spiritual Artifacts could afford to be this bold. Besides, this was a perfect opportunity to raise his Skill Level. 'And if I level it up, it won't be as simple as just being able to forge Spiritual Artifacts...'