Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

"Come in."

A flat, emotionless voice rang out.

Ying Shoulu's expression shifted slightly. He turned his head to look back at the other elderly people, nodded slightly, and gestured for them to follow.

Upon entering the hall, Jiang Mo slowly opened his eyes, and an introduction began.

“Master Xuan, these old gentlemen are the inheritors of the Lingduan Sect’s techniques from back then, and they are also the former hall masters of our sect’s weapon refining hall now.”

"good....."

“I have fulfilled your promise. I have destroyed the Jietian Gate and the Lianhun Mountain. I have also found the things that you seniors needed. Please keep your promise.”

Jiang Mo spoke gently, his gaze sweeping over the faces of several spirited, sturdy old men. With a flash of silver light in his right hand, two tattered scrolls of blueprints appeared and flew over to land in their hands.

“Mystic Lord, we will keep our promise to provide what you requested. Just take a look at these blueprints to see if they are complete.”

An elderly man with white hair unfolded the blueprints in his hand. His cloudy eyes gradually revealed a sharp light, followed by a slight tremor in his body as if he had been electrocuted, as if the contents of the blueprints were extremely shocking.

"This...it's it! It's it!!"

"The other part that was lost back then is in their hands!"

Another bald, short old man exclaimed excitedly, "This matches our existing blueprints perfectly, filling in the most important core part!"

"Don't be impatient, allow me to observe further..."

The most senior and highest-ranking weapon refiner was still at a loss for words. He remained calm and composed, observing the situation for a full half hour.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; no one disturbed them.

"Yes...it's all done, the complete blueprints, just like this."

Even after the examination was completed, the elderly people still seemed to be in a dream, unable to believe it. Their faces were full of joy, their brows relaxed, and even their wrinkles seemed to have lessened considerably.

"Reporting to the Venerable Master, the blueprints are correct. We are ready to start refining as soon as you provide sufficient materials."

"But there is one thing that my fellow disciples and I need to tell you."

The old man named Du Yan closed the drawing again and clasped his hands in a fist and asked Jiang Mo, who was seated at the table, for instructions.

"Seniors, please don't be so formal. Speak freely."

"Yes."

“Mysterious Venerable, the longevity elixir you are trying to refine is lacking a large amount of materials.”

"Furthermore, this is the first time we old folks have ever forged anything. Although we have blueprints, we lack the superb skills of our predecessors and have no relevant smelting experience. I'm afraid failure and losses are inevitable."

"I understand that."

Jiang Mo did not make things difficult for them. Even the ancient Lingduan Sect would not dare to claim that their craftsmanship was perfect.

He knew that the more top-tier the magical artifact, the slimmer the chance of success. In fact, there was a certain divine will preventing their creation and disrupting the balance of the world.

Even the broken shuttle that the Spirit Forging Sect forged for the Three Ones Sect failed twice before finally succeeding on the third attempt.

As for the Longevity Instrument, which is on par with the Boundary-Breaking Shuttle and even slightly superior, according to the Supreme's memory, he learned from the oral message passed down from the second-generation master that, under the condition that the weapon refiner's skills are flawless, the success rate of refining the Longevity Instrument is about 25%.

This is still a theoretical statement. It is possible to succeed on the first attempt, or the second or third, but it does not mean that success is guaranteed within four attempts.

If you're unlucky, you might not succeed even once in ten attempts; if you're incredibly lucky, you might succeed on all four attempts.

In short, given the limits of human capability, whether anything else succeeds depends entirely on fate.

"My Lord, I would like to request three sets of materials. I hope you will forgive me, but this is indeed a necessary preparation to deal with potential losses."

Du Yan compiled a long list, fearing it might be too harsh and displease the other party, and added:

"I also have some of the materials here, so there's no need for you to trouble yourself, Venerable Master. The three of us will do our utmost to refine the Longevity Ritual for you. If we fail three times, we are willing to pay with our lives!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Shoulu, who was standing nearby, was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him: "No, Elder Du!"

Objectively speaking, apart from the sleeping Master, the weapon refiners in Yaochi Yinque are the most precious resources. They hold the same status as the other Supreme Elders, and are even more valuable.

Upon hearing the old man's pledge, Jiang Mo chuckled and said:

"No need. It's just a mere longevity utensil, a lifeless object. How can it compare to the precious items of you gentlemen?"

"Even if you feel guilty and are worried that I will implicate your sect, you don't need to do that."

"I'm not that narrow-minded. I'm asking you for help in forging magical artifacts. Whether it succeeds or not, I'll just do my best."

Jiang Mo had no reason to target them; the Longevity Instrument was merely a tool he needed to expand his secret realm.

With the global spiritual energy revival, as long as the Trinity Secret Realm remains open, even without the Longevity Ritual, it will slowly grow to a level where the spiritual energy is more abundant and the vitality is more surging.

"Then we old folks thank Venerable Xuanzun."

"Furthermore, if the matter of the Longevity Ritual is leaked, I implore Venerable Xuanzun to protect the safety of our sect. This is my greatest concern."

Du Yan bowed his head and spoke with a devout expression.

"can."

Jiang Mo glanced at Ying Shoulu and gave the order:

"Starting tomorrow, you will issue a public announcement declaring an alliance with Sany."

"As long as I am still in this world, anyone who covets you, no matter how ambitious they are, will have to think twice about their own worth."

"Yes! Thank you, Venerable Xuanzun!"

Ying Shoulu's tense nerves suddenly relaxed. Under the guise of an alliance, he could be considered to have latched onto this strongest master. In the future, when he established a dojo in the mortal world and had disputes or conflicts with other sects, he would have more confidence.

After a moment, Du Yan handed the completed list of materials to Jiang Mo for review. It involved nearly a thousand kinds of minerals, animal bones, and herbs. Even if the San Yi Sect had emptied its coffers, it wouldn't be able to gather even one-tenth of that amount.

Fortunately, he had the resource vault of the defeated sect, so there was no need to worry. Jiang Mo could find most of the materials at a glance.

Too lazy to select materials one by one, he ordered Yao Wang and Yue Min to assist the two weapon refiners in choosing materials from the list.

As for Du Yan, he was kept behind by him and invited to have tea and talk.

Jiang Mo poured tea and water for him. The old man was somewhat apprehensive and dared not accept such a grand gesture. In his traditional understanding, the Master was the Dao Lord, the highest-ranking being in the human world.

"No, no, Venerable Master, I will come!"

"Senior, please sit down. It's no trouble at all. It's just a formality."

Jiang Mo smiled indifferently, not taking it seriously. He didn't care about such formalities.

He poured a cup of tea and handed it to the old man. Then he took out an object, a transparent rhombus sealed with true qi, inside which was a clump of sand so fine it was almost imperceptible, emitting a silvery glow that flickered on and off.

"Do you recognize this item?"

"!!!"

Du Yan's pupils contracted. At first glance, he wasn't sure, so he quickly moved closer to examine him and asked in a somewhat surprised voice:

"As heavy as immeasurable stars from beyond the heavens?"

“Yes.” Jiang Mo smiled slightly. What the old man had just said was a description of Stardust.

"I have a broken weapon. I have these materials. I wonder if you could help me repair it? I am not skilled in weapon crafting and dare not attempt it lightly."

"But what about Venerable Mingyao's magic sword?!" Du Yan thought immediately.

"Oh? Sir, you know it? It really is it."

Jiang Mo nodded in agreement, and then took out a large, blood-black sword from the Heavenly Kingdom.

Under Du Yan's gaze, filled with deep apprehension and shock, he covered the sword with his right hand, turning the Crimson Blood Demon Armor into a cluster of blood and retracting it.

"In the entire world, there are only a handful of weapons forged from stardust. I am an old man with some knowledge of such things, and I have naturally heard of the great reputation of Wuliangjun."

Du Yan gazed thoughtfully at the shattered heavy sword, and subconsciously said:

"It can be repaired, but it may take a very long time."

"Your sword, along with the stardust, would probably take several years of forging in our furnace to dissolve."

"Then I'll lend you a light."

A wisp of ancient Dao True Fire ignited at Jiang Mo's fingertips, and he said:

"At its temperature, it can heat Wuliang into boiling molten iron in less than half a day. But its weight is comparable to a thousand-foot mountain. I wonder if you have a countermeasure?"

"Half a day? That's great! As for the problem you're concerned about, we can solve it. Our ancestral weapon-forging platform contains a special array that can reduce objects as heavy as Mount Tai to the lightest feather, making them easier for us to forge."

"For safety reasons, senior, your reforging of the Boundless Jun and the forging of the Longevity Instrument will need to be carried out in a secluded place. The manpower you need can be brought in from the weapon-refining workshop."

"It's natural."

Du Yan responded, but his expression was somewhat solemn, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, seemingly weighing whether or not he should say it.

"Senior, do you have any other concerns?" Jiang Mo asked with a smile.

"Yes, but it has nothing to do with us, it concerns you, Venerable Xuan..."

Du Yan glanced meaningfully at the smear of blood that had slipped back into Jiang Mo's sleeve, and said:

"I believe I have a good eye. If I'm not mistaken, the magical artifact that was attached to Wuliang Jun just now must be the famous Crimson Blood Demon Armor of Bixuan Temple, right?"

"Hmm, I obtained it from Mu Jue. What, old sir, do you know any secrets about it?"

Jiang Mo's eyes lit up, and he wanted to ask for more clues.

"I know a little about it, which is why I wanted to remind you to be careful and guard against it."

Du Yan sighed and began to recount the past:

"You've been in contact with it, so you should know it's a living creature, right?"

“I’m telling you, a long time ago, there was an incident in Bixuan Temple where someone was injured by a demon armor, and in the end, our Lingduan Sect was entrusted with resolving it.”

"Oh?" Jiang Mo's eyes narrowed slightly, signaling him to continue.

"This special magical artifact can continuously evolve as long as it absorbs blood."

"It is said that under the care of the successive leaders of Bixuan Temple, it evolved intelligence, but it became uncontrollable and turned against its master, devouring a group of disciples and followers of Bixuan Temple. As a result, it was suppressed by its awakened master and sent to our Lingduan Sect for purification, where its intelligence was erased and its power was weakened before it was returned."

"Of course, these are all strange tales recorded in ancient books. I do not know the specific truth. You should use it with caution to avoid bringing misfortune."

Du Yan answered all his questions without reservation. After speaking, he picked up the teacup in front of him and took a small sip.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior. I wouldn't have known about this if you hadn't told me. I will be more careful in the future."

Jiang Mo expressed his gratitude. Although the evolution of the demon armor was far from threatening him, he still kept it in mind and remembered the matter.

"Therefore... crafting magical artifacts with living beings is the biggest taboo in our line of work. Once a magical artifact has a life of its own, it becomes difficult to control and may even devour its master."

Du Yan said with reverence.

In the ancestral teachings of the Spirit Forging Sect, there is an ironclad rule that magical artifacts must not be allowed to develop a spirit. This spirit is equivalent to the soul of a human being. Once it has self-awareness, it will not willingly be enslaved by others.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Could you take a look and see if it can be repaired?"

Jiang Mo took out the Cloud Frost Jade Robe and handed it to the old man for inspection.

"There's no other way, Venerable Master. This should be your sect's heirloom robe, right?"

Soon, Du Yan's withered fingers traced the charred, tattered clothes. He shook his head and said regretfully:

“Completely damaged, spiritually destroyed. As for the physical appearance, I can repair it to its original state, but that is only the physical appearance.”

"All other supernatural powers are gone, and it looks no different from ordinary clothes. It must be of great significance to you. You can keep it as a collectible."

"Furthermore, if you have the method of refining and the corresponding materials, I am willing to give it a try and forge a new one for you."

"Is that so? Then I'll trouble you, sir. I have both the materials and the refining method."

"Please also repair this old one for me."

After saying that, Jiang Mo condensed a pale blue ball of light in his left hand and directly copied a portion of his memories.

It contains the method for forging the Cloud Frost Jade Suit, which is basically available to every generation of the Three Ones Sect Leader. However, the process is vast and complicated, and Jiang Mo does not have enough time to slowly try it out.

"Very well... I am grateful for the Venerable Master's trust. I will certainly not do anything out of line."

Du Yan touched the memory orb, and a dense array of weapon-refining steps appeared in his mind. He bowed again and clasped his hands in a gesture of commitment.

The two had a pleasant conversation, and half an hour later, they had finished selecting the materials needed for the Longevity Ritual and the Cloud Frost Jade Suit.

Jiang Mo then created another void portal with his bare hands, leading directly to the Jade Pool.

Ying Shoulu was instructed to assist the three weapon-forging masters in transporting materials and various necessary tools, along with dozens of his disciples and grand-disciples, all of whom were brought into his heavenly kingdom to begin preparations for forging. He was also granted a wisp of ancient true fire to aid them in their weapon-forging endeavors.

When everyone arrived at the vast, cold starry sky, Du Yan almost instantly sensed something was wrong. The flow of time was completely different from the outside world. The hourglass hanging at his waist became almost frozen, and its speed was slowed down infinitely.