Only after becoming emperor did he realize he was in a fantasy world of immortal cultivation.

Upon hearing this, Gong Ren's deliberately maintained expression of triumphant satisfaction at the imminent revenge froze for a moment.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his sharp, hawk-like gaze fixed on Lin Yuan's bowing figure.

Admit your mistake?

He had prepared a barrage of questions and envisioned all sorts of possible excuses from Lin Yuan—the difficulty in finding materials, the rush of time, or even accusing Gong Xing and others of poor cooperation…

He had already prepared for the subsequent layers of coercion and evidence rebuttal, determined to completely nail Lin Yuan to the charges of "incompetence and negligence" and "dereliction of duty," so that he would never have a chance to turn the tables in front of his father.

But Lin Yuan... just admitted it so easily?

Not even a single explanation or rebuttal?

The feeling was like punching a ball full of force into cotton, or like a carefully set trap into which the prey had fallen, leaving the hunter bewildered and even... feeling a slight annoyance at being slighted.

Gong Ren's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the strange feeling in his heart.

Then I thought: it's good that he admits his mistake; it saves him a lot of trouble.

In any case, the outcome is already decided.

Lin Yuan...

You've given up the desperate struggle; you're showing some sense of decency.

"You admit your mistake?" Gong Ren slowly repeated the two words, his voice low and deep. "Lin Yuan, do you know that this forging of magical artifacts concerns the face of the Gong family, the dignity of Wu Jue, and even the reputation of my Forging Hall! Can your casual 'admit your mistake' make up for the potential losses?"

He took a step forward, his imposing presence intensifying: "You were in charge of forging the sword-making artifacts, and the deadline is approaching, yet you haven't completed the most important one. According to the rules of the Weapon Forging Hall, what punishment should be imposed for delaying a crucial task and causing damage to the family's interests?"

His gaze shifted to Gong Xing, who stood to the side with his head bowed, signaling him to speak.

Gong Xing understood and immediately stepped forward, reciting clearly, "Reporting to Senior Brother Gong Ren, according to Article 5 of Chapter 7 of the Hall Rules: Anyone who undertakes an important refining task and fails to complete it within the specified time without force majeure, causing losses or damage to the family's reputation, shall be punished as follows: at the very least, all contributions and resource quotas for that year shall be confiscated; at worst... the refiner's qualification shall be revoked, and depending on the severity of the circumstances, the case may be transferred to the Enforcement Hall for deliberation."

"Disqualify...transfer to the Enforcement Hall..." Gong Ren chewed on these words softly, his gaze falling back on Lin Yuan, a cruel smile curving his lips. "Lin Yuan, you have only been in the Weapon Refining Hall for a short time, yet you have taken on this heavy responsibility. It was a sign of trust and opportunity. But alas... your abilities are insufficient, or perhaps your mind is not focused, and it has come to this."

He paused, then bowed to the Sixth Elder, who had been sitting quietly sipping tea, and asked, "Elder, for such a crime, the only recourse is to expel him..."

Lin Yuan listened quietly, his expression unchanged.

However, at this moment, the Sixth Elder slightly raised his hand, interrupting Gong Ren's unfinished explanation of the punishment.

All four, including Gong Ren, were startled.

Gong Ren was the most shocked of them all.

He knows his father best.

This obstacle is the variable.

But at this moment, at his father's prompting, he could only bow and step aside for the time being.

The Sixth Elder's mere gesture could cause a dramatic shift in the atmosphere of the hall.

Everyone had their own thoughts, but all eyes were on the Sixth Elder.

He slowly placed the teacup on the table, making a very soft, crisp sound.

Then, he raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over everyone before finally landing on Lin Yuan. His gentle voice broke the silence: "Lin Yuan, the best thing to do is to correct your mistakes."

"When will you be able to finish this vessel?"

These words struck like a stone sinking into the heart of a lake.

This stirred up a great deal of emotions in everyone's hearts.

He Buxi originally had a face etched like stone, but at this moment, his facial muscles appeared much softer.

Gong Xing sighed inwardly: Pisces, Pisces, it seems our fate is coming to an end.

Gong Yong didn't care whether Lin Yuan stayed or left, but the fact that such a scheme could bring Lin Yuan a turning point was hard to say—was it luck or something else entirely...?

Gong Ren frowned deeply. He glared fiercely at Lin Yuan, his anger burning like an inextinguishable flame in his chest.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan met the Sixth Elder's gaze. In that light, there was the gentle warmth of spring rain and the wisdom to understand all things.

He then slowly spoke, "Reporting to the elder, if there is a Wind-Stabilizing Stone..."

"Elder, please wait for three hours."

Upon hearing this, He Buxi, who possessed the "Stone of Calming the Wind," felt his heart tighten even more.

"Oh? The Wind-Stabilizing Stone?" The Sixth Elder, Gong Changya's voice remained as gentle and calm as if he were merely having a casual chat over tea.

But apart from Lin Yuan, no one else in the hall shared this sentiment.

At this moment, Gong Xing and the others felt their hearing amplified several times over. Just a few breaths ago, the Wind-Stabilizing Stone was the thing that helped them determine Lin Yuan's life or death.

But at this moment, it has become a hot potato.

"Do you know this thing?" The Sixth Elder asked softly, his gaze shifting from Lin Yuan to Gong Xing and the other two, his eyes seeming to know everything.

The three people below, even Gong Xing, felt their hearts rise with each word.

Fortunately, the Sixth Elder only asked this one question.

In a flash, Gong Xing made a decision.

He gritted his teeth, stepped forward, avoided Gong Ren's almost murderous gaze, bowed deeply to the Sixth Elder, and said, "Reporting to the Sixth Elder, this item... is not stored in the Refining Hall's storeroom."

"But Brother He has been working hard lately to replenish the warehouse, so perhaps there will be other results."

He Buxi immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the Sixth Elder, I just received ten Wind-Fixing Stones yesterday."

Without further hesitation, he immediately took out a jade box with several spirit-sealing talismans affixed to it from his storage bag.

As the jade box was opened, a strange aura wafted out, seemingly freezing the surrounding air. Inside the box were several fist-sized, bluish-gray stones with a soft luster on their surfaces—these were the Wind-Stabilizing Stones!

Gong Ren looked at the wind-stabilizing stones, his face instantly turned ashen, his chest heaved violently, and his fists clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they cracked, as if he was about to lose control and explode on the spot.

He glared at He Buxi, his eyes like poisoned knives. This good-for-nothing! He actually took out the Wind-Stabilizing Stone!

The Sixth Elder, Gong Changya, finally fixed his gaze on the wind-stabilizing stone, where it lingered for about a breath. His face showed no emotion, he simply nodded slightly, as if this was nothing more than a trivial matter that had been resolved.

"Now that the materials are ready," he looked at Lin Yuan again, his tone still gentle, "Lin Yuan, I will give you three more hours."

Lin Yuan stepped forward and accepted the jade box presented by He Buxi with both hands. His fingertips touched the cool, smooth stone, feeling the strange power contained within. He felt little turmoil; although everything was unexpected, the general direction had not deviated from his prediction.

He put the wind-stabilizing stone into his storage bag, bowed again to the Sixth Elder, and spoke in a calm and resolute tone:

"Lin Yuan will certainly live up to the elder's expectations."