Qin Tiegu walked over, leading several martial artists in tight-fitting attire.
The staff-wielding Grandmaster approached Chen Zui and appraised him from head to toe. Only after confirming that he was truly unharmed did he let out a sigh of relief.
Then, he suddenly cupped his fists and bowed respectfully to Chen Zui.
“Young Hero Chen, congratulations on reaching the Wind-Riding Realm. A Wind-Riding Realm Grandmaster in his early twenties... forget the Way of the Spear, even across all martial arts, such a genius is rare as a phoenix feather.”
Behind him, the martial artists in tight-fitting attire all cupped their fists in unison and declared with one voice, “Congratulations on reaching the Wind-Riding Realm, Young Hero Chen!”
Looking at the men bowing together before him, a warm feeling welled up in Chen Zui’s chest.
“Senior Qin, seniors...”
He cupped his hands to return the gesture, his tone sincere. “I relied on everyone’s care and guidance all along the way. There is no need for such formality.”
“Young Hero Chen is the one being modest.”
Qin Tiegu straightened up, a look of shame crossing his face.
“To tell you the truth, I feel ashamed. Back at the foot of Mount Danyue, several of us even doubted your motives. Looking back now, I could die of embarrassment. If you hadn't cleared ambush after ambush for us along the way and saved us at Mirror Water Villa, who knows whether the sword ‘Sheiru’ would have ever made it to Jinyang City.”
He paused, a trace of emotion creeping into his voice.
“Looking back now, Elder Qi’s high regard for you was truly a testament to his keen eye. The rest of us were blind to Mount Tai, and we are deeply ashamed.”
The martial artists behind him nodded in agreement, embarrassment showing on their faces.
Back at the foot of Mount Danyue, they had felt a bit resentful, thinking Qi Tianchen showed far too much favor to this young spearman who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Now, having personally witnessed Chen Zui break through two realms in succession amidst the aftershocks of the two Sword Immortals’ clash, and having watched him block a Boundless Realm Grandmaster’s self-detonation with a single spear thrust, that resentment had long transformed into heartfelt admiration.
Such was the martial world.
No matter how eloquent one's words were, true capability was what counted.
Those with real skill were held in high regard wherever they went.
Beside them, A-Tong tilted his head back, looking from his martial uncle to Chen Zui. Suddenly, his eyes darted, landing on the broken spear on Chen Zui's back.
He stared at the two bound halves of the broken spear for a long moment, the smile on his young face slowly fading.
The shaft of the spear had split down the middle, the jagged wooden splinters sticking out unevenly at the break.
Though barely held together by the remaining red tassel, anyone could see that this spear was completely ruined.
Forget fighting someone with it—swinging it twice in the air would likely cause it to fall apart completely.
“Brother Chen, your spear is broken.”
There was a touch of heartache in A-Tong's voice.
As a disciple of Furnace-Listening Pavilion who had grown up beside the forging furnaces, he understood better than anyone what a weapon meant to a martial artist.
Chen Zui glanced down at the broken spear on his back, reaching out to brush his fingers over the break. His tone remained calm.
“Yeah. It's been with me for five or six years now. It's time for it to rest.”
A-Tong fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up, his eyes brightening.
“Brother Chen, come back to Furnace-Listening Pavilion with us!”
Chen Zui was taken aback.
“Didn't Grandpa Qi say he would gather the full strength of our pavilion to forge a new spear for you? But he has to go to the capital to take care of business first, and who knows when he'll be back.”
The more A-Tong spoke, the more excited he became, gesticulating wildly.
“However, our Furnace-Listening Pavilion stores plenty of divine weapons and legendary artifacts!”
He grabbed Chen Zui’s sleeve and looked up at him with utter earnestness.
“Come pick a handy weapon from our collection to use for now! In our pavilion's Arsenal Pavilion, we have sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battleaxes, hooks, forks—every kind of weapon imaginable! There are dozens of spears alone. You can pick whatever you want and take whichever one catches your eye.”
Hearing this, Qin Tiegu also nodded beside them.
“A-Tong is right. Young Hero Chen, you blocked so much trouble for us along the way and saved all our lives. Furnace-Listening Pavilion has yet to properly thank you for such a great favor. Since your spear is broken, why not return with us to Furnace-Listening Pavilion and pick out a suitable weapon to use in the meantime? It certainly won't disappoint you.”
Chen Zui looked down at the little hand clutching his sleeve, then at the sincere expressions on the faces of Qin Tiegu and the other martial artists. A slight smile curved his lips.
“Then I shall bother Furnace-Listening Pavilion.”
At these words, Qin Tiegu and the martial artists shook their heads at the same time.
“No trouble at all, no trouble at all!”
Qin Tiegu said repeatedly, his tone tinged with eagerness, as if afraid Chen Zui might back out.
“What are you saying, Young Hero Chen? Being able to help you is our Furnace-Listening Pavilion's honor.”
Beside him, a martial artist wielding dual sabers chimed in eagerly.
“That's right, Young Hero Chen! A young Grandmaster like you willing to cross our threshold—we could only dream of it! You have no idea: Elder Qi has been in secluded cultivation for so many years, and the disciples back home clamor every single day to meet outside experts. If you go, those young brats will be beside themselves with joy!”
Another martial artist carrying a long staff agreed.
“Exactly! Young Hero Chen, if you come to Furnace-Listening Pavilion, you'll be our honored guest! Don't mention anything about trouble.”
Qin Tiegu glared at them, annoyed that they were being so blunt and blurting out everything in their hearts.
But wasn't he thinking the exact same thing?
Building a close connection with a Wind-Riding Realm Spear Grandmaster barely in his twenties was an opportunity one couldn't find even if searching with a lantern!
Looking across both of the Two Realms, how many people could enter the Wind-Riding Realm in their early twenties?
And among those, how many wielded a spear?
To go toe-to-toe with a Wind-Riding Realm Grandmaster while still in the Mountain-Viewing Realm, and then withstand a Boundless Realm Grandmaster’s self-detonation upon entering the Wind-Riding Realm—there was truly no one else but the young man before his eyes!
Not to mention, he bore the sword qi of Liu Yinsheng within him, had delivered a message to Sword Immortal Shen on behalf of Gu Yiyou, and had personally witnessed Qi Tianchen's realm breakthrough.
The karmic ties and fortunes surrounding this young man were enough to terrify anyone who heard of them.
Befriending someone like him offered Furnace-Listening Pavilion nothing but benefits and zero drawbacks.
Solidifying a relationship with Young Hero Chen before Elder Qi returned was the most ideal course of action imaginable.
Chen Zui could naturally see through their intentions, but he harbored no aversion to it.
Interpersonal ties in the martial world were inherently about mutual assistance.
Besides, though the people of Furnace-Listening Pavilion hadn't been overly welcoming toward him at first, that was only human nature.
Had he been in their position, if an unfamiliar person of unknown background suddenly popped up on the road wanting to travel together, he too would have been suspicious.
Now that the misunderstanding was resolved and they had journeyed shoulder-to-shoulder, they could consider each other half-friends at the very least.
Since they were friends, going to their sect to pick out a weapon was hardly a big deal.
“In that case, I will humbly accept,” Chen Zui said with a smile.
A-Tong gave a cheer, tugging on Chen Zui's sleeve and heading toward the city gate.
Qin Tiegu looked at his overly friendly junior nephew, then at Chen Zui, who had been pulled into taking a stumbling step, and shook his head with a chuckle.
He turned and signaled to his fellow martial brothers, gesturing for everyone to fall into formation and set off.
Crowding around Chen Zui, the group from Furnace-Listening Pavilion walked toward the city gate.
Dusk had deepened, and the lantern lights were beginning to illuminate Jinyang City.
The streets were still bustling with crowds. Most of the martial artists who had watched the battle earlier had not yet dispersed; they gathered in small groups in taverns and teahouses, animatedly dissecting the earth-shattering duel that had just transpired.
Whenever someone recognized the young spearman walking among the convoy of Furnace-Listening Pavilion, they would point at his back and whisper to their companions in tones filled with awe.
Even more people envied Furnace-Listening Pavilion for managing to build a friendship with such a young Grandmaster.
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