Yu Capital, Panyang City.

Legend has it that the founding ancestor of the Yu Dynasty did not have the intention to become an emperor. But one night, he dreamt of an immortal who told him that a Pan Yang ancient jade was buried in a hill, and whoever obtained it would gain control of the world. The next day, the founding ancestor went to the hill and indeed dug out a divine and extraordinary ancient jade. Feeling a sense of destiny, he declared himself emperor and established the Yu Dynasty.

Later, when the Yu Dynasty was established, the hill was named Emperor’s Hill. The capital city was built there and named Panyang City, also known as Yu Capital and Jade Capital…

Today, Panyang City has become the largest city in the world, accommodating countless people and flourishing beyond description.

With the continuous expansion of the city, Emperor’s Hill has long been included within it and now serves as the location of the ancestral temple on the outskirts of the imperial city.

Inside the imperial city is the court.

Important government officials’ offices are set up here, and if someone possesses the ability to see aura, they can see the purple aura soaring into the sky.

Further inside is the palace.

Layers of high walls and deep courtyards hold the most powerful dragon aura in the world. A feng shui master once said that if the Nine Provinces is the dragon’s veins, then Emperor’s Hill is undoubtedly the dragon’s head. This palace is the dragon ball held in the dragon’s mouth.

Late at night, the palace walls are brightly lit.

A tall old man is sitting at a desk, still writing something, but he stops after a while. He places the pen on a jade stand and sighs.

“Anything else?” he asks.

“There is an urgent secret report from the Southern Region,” a high-pitched voice reports from a palace maid bowing her head.

“So urgent? Read it to me,” the tall old man says.

“This evening, a disciple from the Southern Music Hall held a performance outside the South Gate City. Before the performance started, several disciples from Shu Mountain caused a disturbance and killed Lord Ding Shan on the spot! They also captured Young Marquis.”

The old man furrows his brows, his breath slightly heavy.

The palace maid immediately becomes fearful and continues, “The cause… it seems that Lord Ding Shan’s residence colluded with the Dongjing Gang to traffic women, which was discovered by the Shu Mountain disciples, leading to the conflict. Our spies are still investigating the subsequent events, and the memorial from South Gate City should be presented tomorrow.”

“These cultivators from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths…” the old man closes his eyes, muttering to himself, “they are becoming more and more disrespectful towards imperial authority. Even if they commit grave crimes, they are still members of the imperial family… yet they directly kill without going through the court trial…”

The palace maid seems to feel a suffocating pressure and immediately kneels down, whispering, “Your Majesty, please calm down…”

“It seems that they need to be taught a lesson, otherwise, if left unchecked, the immortal sects will become more audacious, and the order we have painstakingly established will crumble…” the old man continues to mutter to himself, pausing for a moment before asking, “Lord Ding Shan seems to be at the Sixth Realm. The person who took action in Shu Mountain should have a high status. Who is it?”

“It’s the Peak Master of Shu Mountain, Di Nvfeng,” the palace maid says.

“Hmm?”

Upon hearing this name, the old man’s eyes suddenly open wide, shining brightly.

The palace maid trembles in fear.

“It’s her?” the old man murmurs, “It makes sense. Besides her… no one else would act so recklessly…”

After a moment of silence, he speaks again, “Send the order: Lord Ding Shan’s residence is guilty of heinous crimes and will be wiped out tomorrow. Investigate the Dongjing Gang… Jiang Shenting should find out the truth. Anyone involved in the case, execute them publicly. All accomplices, regardless of their involvement, must be severely punished! Investigate thoroughly and do not let anyone escape!”

Above the palace, the dragon aura surges, dispersing the night clouds.

A crescent moon appears.

…

“Oh no, this is really bad…”

Inside the Sword Transmission Hall, Wen Yulong touches the crack on the Green Leaf artifact, his face filled with distress.

Although this artifact has nothing to do with him anymore, it was still his first completed work and he can’t help but care about it.

“It’s not just a small crack…” Chu Liang says.

The Green Leaf artifact can carry several people, but it only has a few inches long knife mark on it. Chu Liang can’t help but think that Wen Yulong is being a bit exaggerated.

“You don’t understand,” Wen Yulong shakes his head and sighs, “Although it’s just a small crack, the damage is quite severe. It’s almost impossible to completely restore it to its original state… If I don’t have good materials, I can only patch it up, which will leave a flaw in the future…”

“I see,” Chu Liang finally understands, “It saved my life from a Sixth Realm expert. It’s already quite extraordinary. Just do your best to repair it, no matter how it turns out.”

“But you have to pay,” Wen Yulong raises his head and cautiously says.

He still remembers Chu Liang’s haggling last time, so he wants to make sure in advance.

“Don’t worry,” Chu Liang smiles.

He has saved up quite a bit during this period and is not lacking money.

Moreover, he gained something from that Lu Shi this time, so he believes he can make a profit inside and out.

“I also gained something extra this time. I came to you to ask for your help in appraising a treasure,” Chu Liang says.

“Really?” Wen Yulong seems quite interested, his eyes immediately brighten.

Chu Liang takes out the broken blade and says, “First, tell me what material this is.”

Wen Yulong takes it, touches it, smells it, taps it with his fingers, then looks up and cautiously says to Chu Liang, “Ten Sword Coins.”

“… ” Chu Liang smiles bitterly. What kind of impression did he leave on this junior brother? Why does he seem so afraid that Chu Liang won’t pay?

He immediately takes out ten Sword Coins and places them on the table.

“You’re generous, boss,” Wen Yulong laughs as he accepts the payment, then says, “My appraisal fee is definitely worth it.”

“This broken blade is made of Black Meteorite Iron. It is not only lightweight and tough, but it can also suppress the true qi attached to it, making it perfect for assassination and sneak attacks. If it were sold as a material alone, it would probably be worth seven to eight hundred Sword Coins. It’s a good item,” he explains in detail.

“I think it’s still intact. Can you make it into a weapon for me?” Chu Liang asks.”Hmm… forging swords is not my forte, huh? But if I have materials of this caliber, I can use them to repair… no, to significantly upgrade…” He took the Green Leaf artifact and said, “I can directly infuse another attack array into it, creating an artifact for you that excels in both offense and defense, without any weaknesses.”

Thinking of Wen Yulong’s methods, Chu Liang was somewhat hesitant.

But considering that the Green Leaf artifact had saved his life, it would be a pity if it couldn’t be repaired. Moreover, Wen Yulong’s claim of a significant upgrade… perhaps there might be a surprise?

Anyway, he couldn’t use either of these two items now. It was like combining two broken tools into one complete tool, so it was worth a try.

So, he nodded slightly in agreement.

Seeing his nod, Wen Yulong immediately laughed and said, “Two hundred sword coins.”

“What?”

“Forging fee, two hundred sword coins,” Wen Yulong said. “Trust me, it’s absolutely worth the price.”

“Can you give me a discount?” Chu Liang asked.

“One price only, take it or leave it,” Wen Yulong firmly shook his head.

“Junior brother, you’ve changed…” Chu Liang looked deeply at Wen Yulong, “You’re no longer that innocent young man who loved refining artifacts.”

Wen Yulong’s eyes were subtle.

As if to say…

Don’t you know how I’ve changed?