Before departing the Great Yan Mountain, Teng Qingshan changed the clothes he’d bought in Yicheng back into simple cloth garments, tucking his battle saber away into a cloth sack. Then, as if returning from any usual day trip, he walked toward the manor with the sack slung over his shoulder.

“Qingshan is back from the mountain!” the guards at the gate of Teng Family Manor greeted him with smiles. Teng Qingshan returned the cheerful greetings to his kinsmen. A single day away, and the Teng Family Manor hadn't changed at all. After all, for a village of over two thousand people, who would pay much attention to the comings and goings of Teng Qingshan?

Even within the manor, Teng Qingshan typically practiced his spear techniques or Xingyi Quan at home, meaning the clansmen rarely saw him anyway.

“Brother!” a pretty, bright-eyed girl called out joyfully from the training grounds.

“Qingyu.” Teng Qingshan doted on his younger sister. Thirteen-year-old Qingyu had grown into quite a beautiful young woman. Girls came of age at fourteen and could marry then. Even now, there were numerous proposals arriving, suitors eager to wed Teng Qingyu, not just from outside the manor, but from within as well.

After all, the Teng Clan was a family with over a thousand years of history. In the past, they had known dangerous times and difficult migrations. For the sake of the clan’s continuation, marriages between cousins—paternal or maternal—were not unheard of.

Now that the Teng Clan’s life was stable, marriages were generally permitted as long as the couple shared no direct blood ties within three generations.

“Qingyu, where is Father?” Teng Qingshan asked.

“He’s over at the forge,” Qingyu replied.

“Go and fetch him for me.” Teng Qingshan entrusted the task. “Oh, I know!” Qingyu immediately darted off towards the weaponsmithy. Teng Qingshan, meanwhile, took his cloth sack and headed toward his own home.

**

Moments later, inside the main hall of Teng Qingshan’s residence.

Teng Yongfan, Teng Qingshan, and Teng Yunlong gathered there, with Teng Yongfan quickly bolting the front door shut.

“Qingshan, what did you trade that seven-jin, two-liang piece of Violet Light Cold Iron for?” Teng Yunlong was visibly excited.

Teng Qingshan shot a surprised look at his maternal grandfather. His father, Teng Yongfan, chuckled beside him. “Qingshan, I spoke with your grandfather about this right after you left for Yicheng. Your grandfather was thrilled—so proud that his grandson could fight a Flood Dragon! Haha, though he was quite displeased with how reckless you were. Fortunately, your grandfather agreed to help me forge this weapon for you.”

“Thank you, Grandfather,” Teng Qingshan said immediately.

“Haha! I’ve been a blacksmith my entire life; to forge a divine weapon before I die—I’d have no regrets!” Teng Yunlong let out a hearty laugh.

“Grandfather, Father, look.”

Teng Qingshan spoke as he uncovered two cloth sacks nearby. One was filled with chunks of Star Pattern Steel ingots, and the other held dazzling, gleaming gold bars, each one a striking sight.

Teng Yunlong and Teng Yongfan both gasped, their eyes widening.

“This is one hundred and ten jin of Star Pattern Steel and sixty jin of gold!” Teng Qingshan announced.

“Sixty jin of gold!” Teng Yunlong paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, exchanging a glance with Teng Yongfan. “Yongfan, in all my life, I’ve never seen so much gold! Sixty jin—that’s six hundred taels of gold! With this money, our Teng Family Manor won't have to worry about running short of silver for at least a hundred years.”

The gold bars varied in size, some weighing one tael, others being great bars of a full jin.

Such a large pile of gold was indeed dazzling, stirring the heart.

“Seven jin, two liang of Violet Light Cold Iron for this much Star Pattern Steel and gold—it’s worth it!” Teng Yongfan laughed as well.

“Forging a divine weapon using Star Pattern Steel and Violet Light Cold Iron—I wouldn’t have dared dream of it!” Teng Yunlong’s eyes shone. “Star Pattern Steel is the best material for the shaft, and Violet Light Cold Iron is the best for the spearhead. On the entirety of the Nine Provinces, there are likely very few spears that could surpass this one.”

“Yongfan, I think we should rest well today, and fire up the furnace bright and early tomorrow!” Teng Yunlong declared.

“Yes, Master. Everything needed for the forging process has been prepared; we are just waiting to light the fire,” Teng Yongfan replied with a smile.

... The next morning.

Both the front and back doors of the weaponsmithy yard were closed. Inside the forge, there were only three people—Teng Yunlong, Teng Yongfan, and Teng Qingshan. Teng Yongfan was in charge, with his father-in-law, Teng Yunlong, assisting. As for Teng Qingshan, he was merely the errand boy. He did whatever his father and grandfather directed him to do immediately.

Teng Qingshan handled all the miscellaneous tasks with remarkable speed.

Before long, darkness fell again.

Teng Qingshan stood by the back door.

“Qingshan, bring this food inside, please,” his mother, Yuan Lan, arrived holding a bamboo basket, handing it to him.

“Mm-hmm,” Teng Qingshan took it and smiled. “Mother, Father and I won't be coming back tonight. You should lock up and go to sleep early; don't wait for us.”

“Your father and your grandfather are truly frantic. To forge a single weapon, they won’t even sleep,” Yuan Lan shook her head helplessly. She only knew that her husband and adoptive father were making a weapon for Teng Qingshan. But she had no idea… just how astonishingly valuable Qingshan’s weapon was.

“Mother, Father and they are doing this for me. All right, I’m going in now.” Teng Qingshan said goodbye to his mother with a smile, then entered the forge and bolted the door again.

“Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!”...

Rhythmic sounds of hammering metal echoed out.

Teng Qingshan watched from afar as his father swung the hammer in the weaponsmithy. Generally, forging a weapon was fast, but Teng Qingshan’s weapon was different. Crafting the shaft wasn't difficult. The hardest part was the spearhead! After all, in terms of material, Star Pattern Steel softened far too easily under high heat.

But the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron posed a much greater challenge.

This Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron was indestructible; it wouldn't deform or melt even under extreme temperatures. Forging it was exceedingly difficult, and even in Yicheng, finding a weaponsmith capable of working with it was rare.

However, the Teng Family Manor had a thousand years of experience in weapon forging. Though their fame wasn't widespread, their skill was indeed profound. Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong dared to undertake forging this spear because they were confident. Teng Qingshan merely observed his grandfather, Teng Yunlong, frequently sprinkling some kind of powder onto the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.

Hiss~~

Each sprinkle produced an intense burst of heat, causing localized softening of the Cold Iron.

“It’s not easy becoming a master weaponsmith,” Teng Qingshan mused, completely unable to comprehend what his father and grandfather were doing.

Night passed, and dawn approached.

Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong hadn’t rested for a moment, their focus entirely locked on the weapon.

Another full day passed.

The sky began to darken.

“Hahaha… it’s done.” Teng Yongfan strode out of the forge laughing, holding a spear. His grandfather, Teng Yunlong, followed, looking exhausted but his eyes brimming with excitement as he entered the courtyard.

“Qingshan, come look at this divine weapon your grandfather and I have forged for you.” Teng Yongfan presented the spear to Teng Qingshan with palpable confidence.

Teng Qingshan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as he took the spear. The shaft felt cool in his grip, bringing a sense of calm. The entire shaft was a silvery-gray color, while the spearhead was black, complemented by a red tassel. At first glance, it looked rather ordinary. The spearhead resembled a standard fine iron spearhead, with a high spine, thin edge, and a sharp point, complete with a blood groove running along the spine.

Though black, the spearhead gleamed brightly, reflecting the light of the forge fire.

“Qingshan, this spear consumed nearly a hundred jin of Star Pattern Steel and eight jin, three liang of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron. The total weight of the spear is 108 jin! Its length is nine feet, six inches!” Teng Yunlong laughed heartily. “That Violet Light Cold Iron—damn, it was hard to refine. Forging just this one spear took nearly eighteen hours.”

After consuming eighteen hours, this divine spear was finally completed.

“Huh? Father, Grandfather, why is the shaft silvery-gray? I can’t see the star patterns anymore?” Teng Qingshan asked, slightly puzzled.

Star Pattern Steel was originally a bright silver, not this subdued silvery-gray.

“This is just a little trick we used,” Teng Yongfan chuckled. “Did you expect us to make it obvious at first glance that the spear shaft was forged from Star Pattern Steel?”

“Yes,” Teng Qingshan nodded repeatedly.

Otherwise, if he were to roam the world, a spear shaft made of Star Pattern Steel would surely attract covetous eyes. It was better for it to remain hidden. As for the spearhead of Violet Light Cold Iron, only in absolute darkness could one faintly perceive a purple halo. Thus, in daily use, most people wouldn't realize the head was forged from Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.

“The materials for this spear were obtained by you, Qingshan, through a near-death experience in the Azure Cold Pool,” Teng Yunlong said with emotion. “Combined with the thousand-year legacy of our Teng Clan’s blacksmithing skill, this divine weapon has finally emerged.”

“This is the first divine weapon in the entire thousand-year history of our Teng Clan!” Teng Yunlong grew emotional, then looked at Teng Qingshan. “Qingshan, what name do you intend to give this divine spear?”