Yue Ze's words were barely out when Jian Xiaolou felt her heart skip a beat.
"Who's she?"
Li Jianzhao, only now noticing the other person in the room, gave Jian Xiaolou a once-over and immediately sneered. "No stars at all, weaker than me, and you expect her to teach me?"
Standing with her back to them, Jian Xiaolou's face darkened: Look who's talking! As if I wanted to teach you in the first place.
Yue Ze chuckled softly. "She's a promising talent I recently discovered. Despite being in the sect for only half a year under a rather subpar master, she's managed to refine iron essence that's just as pure as Jin He."
"Really?" Li Jianzhao used his spiritual sense to inspect the molten iron in the furnace. He couldn't discern much, but someone Yue Ze deemed qualified to teach must have her merits. "Why wait until tomorrow? Start now!"
"No rush," Yue Ze said with a shake of his head. "You're still missing a proper furnace."
"You're kidding, right?" Li Jianzhao scoffed, his tone mocking. "A sect as grand as Fire Refining Sect can't spare me a furnace?"
Yue Ze shook his head again. "It's not about the quantity. The furnaces here are mostly common-grade. How could such mediocrity befit someone as uniquely talented as you?"
Li Jianzhao narrowed his eyes, as though considering this deeply. "Makes sense."
With that, he strode forward, grabbed Jian Xiaolou by the collar, and dragged her outside like a ragdoll. Ignoring her protests, he called back to Yue Ze, "I'm taking her with me. She'll help me pick the furnace."
Pick what furnace?!
The quality of a furnace was obvious enough; buying the most expensive one would do the trick, wouldn't it?
Red-faced with fury, Jian Xiaolou struggled to free herself but dared not resist too fiercely. She mentally cursed Li Jianzhao and all eight generations of his ancestors.
Outside the Tianbing Pavilion, thirty-odd qilin horses awaited, each with a black-armored guard standing at attention. The front row was filled with Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the rear consisted of Qi Refinement cultivators. Upon seeing Li Jianzhao emerge, they saluted in unison.
Li Jianzhao tossed Jian Xiaolou at a late-stage Foundation Establishment female cultivator in the lead. "Nan Lin, take her."
"Yes."
Li Jianzhao mounted his horse as his retinue followed suit. The leading qilin horse neighed sharply, and Jian Xiaolou's ears filled with the metallic clinking of armor.
Surrounded by Foundation Establishment cultivators, Jian Xiaolou perched on the horse behind Nan Lin, nerves taut.
Although the guards maintained a stoic demeanor, their spiritual senses brushed over her repeatedly. One of them nearly shattered her protective aura—undoubtedly the work of a hidden Golden Core powerhouse.
This revelation made her frown deeply. How had that lanky idiot ever thought he could kill Li Jianzhao alone?
The procession left Fire Refining Sect openly, heading into the main street of the bustling Floating Light City. They stopped at the city's most famous artisan shop, Heavenly Craft Pavilion.
Once inside, a shop attendant spotted Li Jianzhao's entourage from afar. Though he didn't recognize the man, the grandeur of the procession left no doubt. Pale-faced, he called for the shopkeeper, who hurried out with curses on his lips. Upon seeing Li Jianzhao, his legs turned to jelly. Bowing deeply, he stammered, "Li Gongzi, welcome to our humble establishment. Forgive me for not greeting you sooner."
Li Jianzhao ignored him, instead jerking his chin toward Jian Xiaolou. "Pick one for me."
Forced into a corner, Jian Xiaolou stiffly bowed to the shopkeeper. "Senior, may I trouble you to show us your finest furnaces?"
Realizing Li Jianzhao was here to buy, the shopkeeper immediately led them to a side room displaying various scaled-down furnaces. Skipping the average ones, he introduced three top-tier models, proudly declaring, "These three are the treasures of our pavilion. One of them was even used by a seven-star artisan centuries ago."
He didn't specify which one, and Jian Xiaolou couldn't tell. All three seemed excellent—though still far inferior to those in Yue Ze's residence.
"This one looks decent." After examining them briefly, she pointed to one at random. "How much?"
"An excellent choice, Fairy! This is the best of the lot, priced at 300 upper-grade spirit stones," the shopkeeper said enthusiastically.
300 upper-grade spirit stones?! Enough to sustain a small family clan for decades!
Swallowing hard, Jian Xiaolou reminded herself it wasn't her money being spent.
Unexpectedly, Li Jianzhao spoke up. "What about this one in my hand?"
The shopkeeper turned and saw the furnace Li Jianzhao had picked. "Third-grade quality, only two mid-grade spirit stones. If you fancy it, I'll gift you a few."
Li Jianzhao tossed two spirit stones over. "No need. I'll take it."
The shopkeeper caught them, puzzled.
Jian Xiaolou was equally baffled. The furnace Li Jianzhao picked was barely better than communal furnaces. Could it be hiding some secret?
Li Jianzhao casually tossed the purchased furnace to Nan Lin. "Keep it safe."
Nan Lin caught it with a solemn expression, her hands exerting force. With a loud boom, the furnace shattered into scrap metal.
The shopkeeper was dumbfounded.
Money to burn, Jian Xiaolou thought, giving him a mental thumbs-up.
But Li Jianzhao's eyes suddenly turned icy as he sneered, "Bold of you to sell such shoddy fakes in Floating Light City, trying to scam me! Thankfully, I, Li Jianzhao, am peerlessly wise and saw through your scheme!"
"Fake?! How could it be fake?" the shopkeeper stammered.
Li Jianzhao crossed his arms and smirked. "It broke upon touch. Still not a fake?"
Jian Xiaolou was stunned. A mere third-grade furnace couldn't possibly withstand the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This was blatant extortion.
Realizing Li Jianzhao's true intentions, the shopkeeper wished he could smash a furnace over his head. Yet, trembling, he said, "Li Gongzi, please calm down. I'll compensate you with a better one."
"Just one?" Li Jianzhao's eyes glinted menacingly.
"Take all three..."
Li Jianzhao left Heavenly Craft Pavilion with three premium furnaces in tow, leaving Jian Xiaolou behind—a small mercy she was thankful for. Watching his departing figure, she grumbled, "Calling him a spoiled brat is too kind. He's nothing but a tyrant."
As she wandered the city, she stumbled upon a peculiar wind-fire fan at a small workshop, sparking her curiosity. But the price—150 lower-grade spirit stones—was steep.
Before she could decide, a monk appeared and purchased it. To her surprise, he handed the fan to her as a gift, insisting, "A destined meeting." Then, before she could refuse, he vanished.
When she returned to Fire Refining Sect, her day took an even stranger turn. A confrontation with Gao Zhan revealed a startling claim:
"Disciple, I am your master."
Jian Xiaolou's anger exploded: "I'm your grandmother!"