Chapter 54: Bird in a cage, golden canary!

Haotian City.

At this moment, Xiao Zhan was riding a wave of immense glory. In the brutal war against the Kunyuan Empire, he had personally beheaded the enemy's commanding general with a single stroke of his blade.

Left completely leaderless, the enemy forces were thrown into disarray, allowing him to charge through their ranks as if no one was there.

Ultimately, he captured seven cities in succession and returned in triumphant victory. All of this was owed entirely to the Emperor-grade weapon he possessed. Without it, he would have, at best, fought the enemy to a standstill.

Upon his return to Haotian City, the various noble houses all flocked to the Xiao residence to pay their respects.

Among them was the Ouyang family, which, alongside the Xiao family, stood as one of the four great clans of the Haotian Empire.

The primary motive behind the Ouyang Patriarch's visit was to probe the truth of the situation. In his previous skirmishes with the renowned enemy general, Xiao Zhan had consistently found himself at a disadvantage. Yet this time, his strength had surged astronomically, allowing him to cut down the Empire's famed commander with ease.

Therefore, he needed to uncover the facts, especially since the Ouyang clan threw its full support behind the First Prince. To be victorious in a hundred battles, one must know both oneself and the enemy.

Conversely, the Xiao family supported Mu Qingqing, making the two factions sworn enemies.

Upon meeting, Ouyang Sheng, the head of the Ouyang family, promptly challenged Xiao Zhan to a sparring match. A trial of strength was, after all, the most effective way to test the waters.

Fully aware of Ouyang Sheng's intentions, Xiao Zhan had no desire to conceal his capabilities. Drawing his Emperor-grade weapon immediately, he unleashed a flurry of ferocious, sweeping attacks.

Ouyang Sheng was driven steadily backward under the onslaught. It was then that he finally understood why Xiao Zhan had suddenly become so formidable—he had acquired an Emperor-grade artifact.

Realizing this, Ouyang Sheng hastily conceded defeat. However, Xiao Zhan feigned an inability to check his momentum in time, shattering Ouyang Sheng's semi-Emperor-grade weapon.

Fuming with rage, Ouyang Sheng blew into his beard and glared in fury, yet he could utter not a single word of complaint. Since he had initiated the spar of his own accord, losing due to inferior skill left him with no face to protest.

Returning to his estate, he immediately mobilized his entire intelligence network to investigate the origin of Xiao Zhan's weapon.

First, he eliminated Master Baili Ce of the domestic realm from his suspicions, as the master had been in deep seclusion lately and lacked the capability to forge a true Emperor-grade artifact.

Finally, intelligence gathered by an informant planted within Xiao Zhan's mansion revealed the crucial detail: the Emperor-grade weapon had been obtained during a journey to Qingyun City.

Without a moment's delay, Ouyang Sheng led a detachment speeding toward the Qingyun City Lord's Manor.

Knowing the City Lord maintained close ties with the Xiao family, Ouyang Sheng dispensed with polite pleasantries. Inventing a flimsy pretext, he subdued the City Lord in just two moves and pressed a blade against his throat.

Initially, the City Lord attempted to hold his ground, convinced that Ouyang Sheng was merely bluffing, as casually executing a city lord was no trivial matter. However, unable to bear the sight, his wife cracked under the pressure and spilled every detail of the truth.

Having learned the whole story, Ouyang Sheng led his men rushing toward the Artistic Conception Painting Gallery.

***

Knock, knock, knock!

Despite coming to see an Emperor-grade weaponsmith, he still maintained the courtesy of knocking first. After all, an Emperor-grade artisan commanded a noble status that rivaled even Empress Bingxuan of the Haotian Empire.

Qianxue answered the door.

Ouyang Sheng adopted a gentlemanly demeanor and said, "I have come to pay my respects to Master Qin. I must trouble you to announce my visit."

Hearing that a visitor had arrived to pay homage, Qianxue went inside to report.

When Ouyang Sheng finally laid eyes on Qin Tian, a trace of surprise flickered across his face, for he found himself entirely unable to read Qin Tian's cultivation level.

"Are you the one who forged the Emperor-grade weapon for General Xiao?" Ouyang Sheng probed cautiously.

"Indeed," Qin Tian replied.

"Then might I ask you to forge an Emperor-grade weapon for me as well?" Ouyang Sheng inquired.

"That depends entirely on the compensation you offer," Qin Tian said with a smile.

At these words, Ouyang Sheng scrutinized Qin Tian once more. He was certain that Qin Tian was exceedingly young—even younger than his own son.

Furthermore, there was no spiritual energy emanating from his body, and he resided in a mere backcountry town. Consequently, Ouyang Sheng deduced that Qin Tian must be a prodigy in the art of forging. As for his background, initial judgment suggested it was likely mediocre at best, given that not a single powerful bodyguard accompanied him.

"How about a lower-tier Emperor-grade spiritual herb?" Ouyang Sheng tested the waters.

Hearing this, Qin Tian's expression shifted slightly. Ouyang Sheng's offer was far too low; the previous client had paid with five.

Thus, he stated his own price: "Three portions of forging materials plus seven Emperor-grade spiritual herbs." This valuation also left Ouyang Sheng some room for negotiation.

Yet, upon hearing this demand, Ouyang Sheng believed Qin Tian was deliberately making things difficult for him, as the price was entirely beyond his means.

After pondering deeply, Ouyang Sheng gritted his teeth and countered, "Two portions of forging materials plus three lower-tier Emperor-grade spiritual herbs."

"Two portions plus six lower-tier Emperor-grade spiritual herbs," Qin Tian retorted.

"Do you have any idea what six lower-tier Emperor-grade spiritual herbs represent?" Ouyang Sheng demanded, irritation creeping into his voice.

His anger stemmed primarily from his conviction that he was superior to Qin Tian. If a genuinely venerable and renowned Emperor-grade smith stood before him, he would undoubtedly be meek and deferential. But before him was merely a young man devoid of fame and spiritual energy.

Observing Ouyang Sheng's expression, Qin Tian grew somewhat displeased and casually remarked, "Take it or leave it!"

As soon as these words fell, the arrogant Ouyang Sheng snapped. "Brat, don't toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Once the words left his mouth, a new thought took root in his mind: to capture Qin Tian. He would keep him like a canary in a golden cage, forcing the youth to forge weapons exclusively for him from that day forward.

Once conceived, this notion spiraled completely out of control. With a dedicated Emperor-grade smith at his command, overthrowing the Mu family to claim the imperial throne in the future would be effortless.

***

Consumed by greed, his judgment entirely clouded, he blurted out:

"I'll give you two choices."

"One, come back with me to the Ouyang family. From now on, you will be our clan's exclusive weaponsmith, with all the fine wine and women you could ever desire."

"Two, I drag you back by force. Naturally, the treatment won't be quite as pleasant if we go that route."

With that, an inexplicable sense of pride swelled within him.

"It seems you've come looking for a swift death," Qin Tian said coldly.

Noticing the situation turning sour, Qianxue slipped away to summon Zong Wu.

Matters having reached this juncture, Ouyang Sheng had no retreat left. He signaled to his subordinates with a glance.

Three experts at the third layer of the Saint realm lunged directly toward Qin Tian.

A hint of disdain crossed Qin Tian's face as he slowly retrieved a kitchen knife from his robes.

Swoosh!

Qin Tian lashed out with a single slash, cleanly severing the Heaven-grade weapon of the leading assailant.

Witnessing this spectacle, all three opponents flashed looks of profound wariness.

There was something bizarre about this. Glancing up and down, they locked their gazes firmly onto Qin Tian's blade.

Ouyang Sheng caught onto this as well. An Emperor-grade weapon?

At this realization, the smug smile at the corner of his mouth became impossible to suppress. The previous probe had proven that Qin Tian was ultimately nothing special. Otherwise, that stroke would have lopped off a head instead of merely breaking a weapon.

Abandoning close combat entirely, the three adversaries resorted to ranged attacks from a distance.

Against this style of combat, Qin Tian would have no counter unless he forcibly unsealed his spiritual energy.

Right at that moment, An Miaoqing, Zong Wu, and the others arrived.

Qin Tian retreated to An Miaoqing's side and said, "Miaoqing, I'll leave these three fellows to you."

A wave of subtle warmth washed over An Miaoqing as she heard this. Her master was intentionally leaving three powerful experts behind to temper her skills!

It so happened that she was in urgent need of a fierce battle to stimulate her own breakthrough. These three opponents at the third layer of the Saint realm were an absolute perfect match—capable of posing a genuine threat while remaining well within her threshold of endurance.

Although her current cultivation realm stood only at the third layer of the Semi-Saint stage, her comprehension of the Sword Dao had already reached the threshold of the Sword Domain.

This combat prowess was fully capable of rivaling the Saint realm. If she could bring her Sword Domain to perfection, she would have nothing to fear even against opponents in the Emperor realm.

Upon seeing that their opponent had been replaced by a stunning beauty at the third layer of the Semi-Saint realm, the three Saint-realm experts' eyes lit up.

Even the considerably older Ouyang Sheng found his interest thoroughly piqued.