Feng Zikang seemed flustered, shaking his hands rapidly as he flatly refused. While a Merit Task wasn't strictly required to be completed independently, according to the rules of the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Military School, asking an elder for help meant the task was voided. Not only would the merit points be forfeited, but a punishment would also follow.

Feng Zikang knew Elder Yun must have an ulterior motive, deliberately using retreat as a strategy; he certainly didn't want to help someone else and incur a debt of gratitude in the process.

"Uh, there's no need to be so rigid. This Class A Merit First Place is genuinely too difficult. A little guidance from Old Yun wouldn't amount to much, besides, no one would know..."

"Absolutely not! Impossible!"

Feng Zikang refused sternly. "Words spoken are known to Heaven and Earth—you know, I know, how can you say no one knows? Since this disciple accepted this Merit Task, I must strive to complete it earnestly, never harboring thoughts of relying on outside force for an easy victory!"

Elder Yun felt an urge to strangle this sanctimonious, ungrateful disciple. Why must he be so rigidly upright? Just like his master, so honest he wouldn't bend even slightly. What a disadvantage that was!

Seeing his goodwill slipping through his fingers, Elder Yun frowned, unable to think of a solution.

"If Martial Uncle has no other request, then this disciple will take his leave!" Feng Zikang deliberately emphasized the word 'request.'

"That’s it!"

Elder Yun slapped his forehead, his face suddenly beaming. "I was just testing your integrity, and as expected, you live up to being Little Ye's apprentice—very good, very good! Since you adhere so firmly to your principles, you're heading to the Southern Barbarian Lands anyway. Old Yun happens to have something I need entrusting to you. Are you willing to accept?"

Feng Zikang secretly chuckled and readily agreed.

"Martial Uncle, please state your command. This disciple will brave fire and water without hesitation!"

It was obvious that Elder Yun’s roundabout approach was just to get Feng Zikang to run an errand for him while he was in the Southern Barbarian Lands, solving the issue of Wuduyar with a casual tip—a win-win situation.

However, because Feng Zikang staunchly refused the initial premise, it flipped the dynamic: now it was Elder Yun requesting a favor from the disciple. An elder entrusting a task inherently required payment, just as Elder Chiyuan offered three Military Ration Pills for information about Miao Yuchun's whereabouts—though a year had passed, no one seemed to have succeeded yet.

What could Elder Yun possibly ask of him, and what recompense could he offer?

Elder Yun was a straightforward man. Believing he had devised a brilliant idea, he cheerfully pulled an object from his sleeve and placed it on the table. It was a dark, unremarkable nail, about three inches long.

"This object is called the Heart-Piercing Nail. It is three cun and three fen long, and it is a magical artifact I have cultivated for many years!" Elder Yun declared proudly, seeming quite pleased with this little thing.

A magical artifact?

Feng Zikang was surprised. He hadn't expected this Martial Uncle to be so generous, offering such a fine item just for a small task!

Cultivators often engaged in combat, and aside from consumable items like talismans or thunder-fire mixtures used for offense, there were generally only three common categories of equipment.

Magical Soldiers, Magical Artifacts, and Magical Treasures!

Magical Soldiers, like Feng Zikang’s Soul Bone Sword or the Nameless Iron Sword, required a certain level of personal strength. When refined into a Natal Magical Soldier later on, they could be tempered and upgraded, growing slowly alongside the cultivator's power—considered the practitioner's first essential piece of gear.

Magical Artifacts were quite different. Although they also demanded a certain level of skill from the user, the requirement was much looser. Even disciples with low cultivation bases could wield the immensely powerful effects sealed within a Magical Artifact, thanks to the artifact’s lower rank housing exceptionally potent inherent divine abilities.

However, Magical Artifacts relied on high-level masters to seal powers within them, often imposing usage limits. After exhausting the charges, the artifact had to be returned to the original owner to have the divine abilities sealed inside again before reuse.

Magical Treasures were far more ethereal, usually possessing unique effects. Similar to Magical Artifacts, they had no usage limits. Their classifications were vast, ranging from ordinary Magical Treasures that required usage according to specific tiers, to Spirit Treasures without rank. It was rumored that above Spirit Treasures lay Primordial Treasures, which no one had ever seen—purely legendary.

For instance, the Star River Shuttle gifted by Luo Lianxin, if its restrictions could be broken, would likely be an astonishing Spirit Treasure-grade Magical Treasure.

Magical Treasures were so rare that even elders in the Golden Core stage likely possessed very few. Those in the Military School genre paid even less attention to such subtle techniques and odds-and-ends, prioritizing the tempering of their Magical Soldiers, making the retention of Magical Treasures even scarcer.

Consequently, among lower-tier disciples, Magical Artifacts were highly favored. After all, these items possessed formidable power, and as long as a senior in the sect was willing to invest the effort to seal divine abilities within them, they could easily surpass ordinary Magical Treasures.

"Ah, how can this disciple deserve such a gift!"

Despite his words, Feng Zikang’s hand had already darted out, snatching the Heart-Piercing Nail and stuffing it into his robes.

"However, when a senior bestows a gift, I dare not refuse. Since Martial Uncle insists on gifting it, this disciple can only respectfully obey and shamelessly accept. But may I ask what instructions Martial Uncle has for me?"

Elder Yun stared blankly.

"Ah... that is... I didn't say... cough!"

Although he felt a pang of heartache, now that his grand-disciple nephew had misunderstood and already pocketed the item, what could he possibly say? His original intention was merely to lend the Heart-Piercing Nail to Feng Zikang. With this artifact in hand, perhaps there was a chance to secretly strike Wuduyar. Offering this as payment to complete a small task should have been sufficient.

But now... Elder Yun shook his head helplessly, feeling his grand-disciple nephew was far too straightforward, accepting the item before the old man had even finished speaking. It was difficult to go back on his word now.

"...This Heart-Piercing Nail was refined over many years from a piece of celestial meteorite. It is inherently supremely sharp, capable of piercing anything. Furthermore, it has been imbued with thirty-nine layers of 'Unstoppable Sharpness' divine ability. Unless facing the Pseudo-Immortal body of a Nascent Soul expert or a high-grade Profound protective armor, it will pierce through all mundane objects! However, the divine ability is limited—it can only be used once!"

This thing was truly a monstrous object!

Feng Zikang hadn't expected the Heart-Piercing Nail to serve this purpose. It was the ultimate edge-case weapon. Among mundane soldiers, sharpness was paramount, but the superiority of Magical Soldiers or Artifacts largely depended on the added divine effects. This artifact took a unique path, purely aiming to maximize sharpness, transforming it into an object that could pierce anything mundane but otherwise a semi-useless item.

It must be remembered that in combat among cultivators, the opponent wouldn't foolishly stand still to be hit. Even if the target was perfectly aligned, this nail could pierce mundane material, but it would be completely ineffective against a protective divine shield.

However, this item would indeed be incredibly effective against those Southern Barbarian demons who cultivated only divine abilities and neglected Dao techniques! Wuduyar possessed monstrous strength, but he certainly couldn't compare to the Pseudo-Immortal body of a Nascent Soul expert. He possessed no defensive spells, relying only on fierce demonic arts to run rampant. With this item, seizing a chance for a single fatal blow might not be impossible!

Feng Zikang was very pleased with this item and certainly wouldn't let it go easily. His only current worry was what kind of task this old man would assign him in exchange for such a valuable Magical Artifact. If it were too difficult, he would have to regretfully part with it.

"Martial Uncle, please state your instructions clearly if you would!"