Song Changsheng was baffled by her stare. Though he considered himself fairly handsome, he didn’t think he was so attractive that she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

When she didn’t seem to hear his question, he raised his voice slightly. "Do you have any requirements regarding the timeline or design?"

The woman finally looked away and said nonchalantly, "I will be back for it in six months."

After speaking, the woman simply floated away. Song Changsheng quickly ran out after her, but she was already gone from the spacious street. "What a strange woman," he muttered.

This wasn’t the first time he’d performed Artifact Refining for a client, but they usually came with all sorts of demands. This woman, on the other hand, had none, giving him complete creative freedom.

Furthermore, orders usually required a deposit. This client didn’t play by the book; she paid in full upfront. Her generosity was almost unbelievable.

Shaking his head, he returned to the shop. He picked up the Qiankun Bag again and began to inspect the materials inside, first taking out a piece of jade streaked with green and white.

The Jade was over a foot long and two inches thick. It felt cold and heavy to the touch, and its surface, adorned with a layered, rippling pattern, was exceptionally beautiful.

This was the main material for the Artifact Refining, provided by that "Elder Casual": a Tier Two Top Grade Water-shining Cyan Jade. It was good enough to forge a Tier Two Top Grade Magical Artifact, let alone the Tier Two Low-Grade one she had requested.

The other supplementary materials were also first-rate, at least of Tier Two High Grade quality.

’If I fail this, everything I’ve done before will be for naught. Thank goodness I have six months.’ Song Changsheng shook his head with a wry smile, then instructed Song Xiantu to stop accepting new orders for the time being.

For the next six months, he would dedicate all his energy to this one Magical Artifact.

Taking the materials with him, Song Changsheng entered the Artifact Refining Chamber.

After composing himself, he took out a large cauldron—the highest-grade Artifact Refining Cauldron in the shop.

He drew upon the Earth Fire, heating the large cauldron until it glowed crimson. Then, he tossed the supplementary materials in one by one, following a specific sequence to smelt them into a Spiritual Liquid. This was a very long process.

While the Spiritual Liquid was smelting, he took out the Water-shining Cyan Jade. He condensed his Power of Divine Sense into a blade and began to carve the Jade as if with a chisel.

Tiny slivers of Jade chipped away, falling like winter snowflakes onto his robes and the cold floor.

Soon, the rectangular block of Jade had been shaped into a rod. Song Changsheng took a short rest to recover his heavily taxed Divine Sense Power, then once again condensed it into a blade and began the hollowing process.

This step was several times more difficult than the last. He had to be exceedingly careful, striving for absolute perfection.

’Elder Casual’s payment was so generous; I have to make this piece perfect,’ Song Changsheng thought. ’This Magical Artifact will be my greatest masterpiece to date!’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. The block of Jade had been transformed into the shape of a flute. With that, the first step was complete.

By this time, the Spiritual Liquid in the cauldron was nearly ready. He submerged the Jade Flute in the molten liquid and stoked the flames, making them roar with even greater intensity...

「The Hundred Thousand Mountains, a nameless land.」

Amidst the vast, wild forests, streaks of Sword Light flared violently, punctuated by furious, intermittent roars.

RUMBLE!

A tremor rocked the earth, and countless trees toppled over with a thunderous crash. This was followed by an even more enraged roar from a Demon Beast.

In the heart of the battle, a slender figure stood atop the crown of an ancient tree, sword in hand. His robes were whiter than snow, their hems snapping in the wind. A full head of black hair danced freely, giving him the elegant, unrestrained air of a celestial being.

But strangely, where most Swordsmen held their blade in their right hand, he held his in his left. His right sleeve was empty, flapping in the wind—he was a One-armed Swordsman!

And before him stood a behemoth.

Its body was like a leopard’s, but it was covered entirely in scales that gave off a dark sheen in the sunlight. Black fur covered its cheeks, and a single horn protruded from its head, giving it an incredibly bizarre appearance.

This Demon Beast was a Zheng Beast, a Tier Two Middle Grade creature. Legend held that it possessed a sliver of the bloodline of the Ancient Exotic Beast known as the Zheng, and it was typically a creature that reigned supreme over its territory.

Today, however, it faced the greatest crisis of its existence. Its scales were shattered and broken, covered in sword gashes.

Its beautiful tail had been severed, and blood gushed from the wound. That tail had once been its greatest source of pride.

It maintained an aggressive stance, its gaze fixed coldly on the figure perched in the treetop. It would kill this trespasser who had dared to invade its territory!

ROAR—

The Zheng Beast let out a heaven-shaking roar. The powerful sonic wave pulverized the surrounding leaves, shattered tree trunks, and turned stone to dust, causing the very earth to tremble.

Yet the ancient tree beneath the One-armed Swordsman’s feet remained unaffected. He watched the Zheng Beast coldly, as if looking at a monkey putting on a desperate show.

SHING!

The instant the Zheng Beast’s attack subsided, the sword in the One-armed Swordsman’s hand finally moved. It let out a high-pitched cry, unleashing a beam of white Sword Light dozens of feet long.

This strike had been building power for a long time. The Zheng Beast was powerless to block it, even with all its might. In the end, it could only watch as the blade cleanly severed its ten-foot-long horn.

AWOOOO~

Its horn was its very life force. Now severed, the Zheng Beast let out a piteous cry and collapsed, a flicker of terror in its eyes. It had never met such a terrifying opponent.

At that moment, the white-robed Swordsman drifted down, Long Sword in hand. He regarded the Zheng Beast with a calm expression and finally spoke his first words since the battle began: "Remember this. The one who killed you is Xu Yunhe!"