CHAPTER 63: WHETHER THE DIVINE RADIANCE SECT FALLS INTO CHAOS, QI YUAN DECIDES

Bizarre occurrences were spreading throughout the Divine Radiance Sect.

Two Qi Refinement realm disciples were sparring when their swords slipped off and clashed furiously in midair on their own. The onlookers were dumbstruck.

"Have Ye Buxiu and Li Fan been hiding their strength all along?! To think they've already mastered sword-flight at only rank three of Qi Refinement! Such a terrifying talent! We must keep an eye on these youths, for they’re destined for greatness!"

Yet below, Ye Buxiu stood frozen, while Li Fan was equally shocked. When did we ever learn sword-flight? Neither had the faintest clue.

As the crowd gasped, a roar thundered down from the heavens, "Quick, help me chase down my furnace! My alchemy furnace has escaped! There is still a batch of pills inside!"

Everyone looked up, only to see a blazing streak of light darting across the sky. An alchemy furnace was scurrying wildly in the sky, bouncing up and down as if struck with some incurable illness.

An elder was chasing it frantically, but before the crowd could react, further chaos erupted.

"Damn it, my sword, it ran away!"

"Aaah! My silver has ascended into the heavens!"

"Ah! The hairpin I meant to give my master’s wife! Come baaack!"

Countless objects of metal flew up into the sky, darting about like lunatics. Many elders were attracted to the bizarre scene. Even those in seclusion had no choice but to emerge when their artifacts burst free of their own storage pouches and flew into the sky inexplicably.

Above the clouds, several elders gathered with Lord Withered Tree, gazing down at the Divine Radiance Sect in bewilderment.

The sight was chaotic, like a horde of demons dancing wildly. Countless metallic tools of various shapes and forms bounced madly across the sky.

A one-armed cultivator wept bitterly. "My Iron Hand! How could you abandon me?"

"Oh my god, Mr. Horn is forged of Innate Flame-Iron! Which junior sister is so ferocious?" [1]

"Whose golden underpants are those? So coquettish!"

"Could it be that our weapons have gained spiritual intelligence and rebelled?"

The disciples were stunned beyond words, unable to make sense of it.

Meanwhile, at Seven-Colored Peak, Qi Yuan’s knife watched enviously as countless weapons soared free into the sky. With a twitch of intent, it snapped its ropes and slipped quietly into the swarm. In this chaos, who would notice a mere knife sneaking in?

Above the clouds, the elders stood behind the Sect Master, their face filled with confusion.

A white-bearded elder, who had been cultivating moments before, suddenly shivered. Feeling a chill under his thighs, he realised his undergarment had vanished.

He frowned. "Sect Master, this is most peculiar."

He had spent a fortune to have the undergarment crafted into a defensive magical weapon inlaid with many precious metals. Yet, it had vanished without a trace. The other elders were equally shaken. Many of their own treasures, too, had betrayed them, soaring off to join the wild dance below.

Lord Withered Tree spread his divine sense to probe every corner of the sect, but found nothing.

At last, he declared, "Most likely, a supreme treasure of metal has emerged, stirring this upheaval."

The elders gasped. A supreme metal treasure? But despite searching high and low, no one could find it.

***

Back at Seven-Colored Peak...

Jiang Lingsu rushed to Qi Yuan’s courtyard, calling anxiously, "Senior Brother! Something terrible has happened!"

Qi Yuan rubbed his bleary eyes, half-awake. "What's wrong?"

"Your pet, that knife, has awakened its soul!"

He blinked. "Huh? Oh, I see."

To him, it was nothing unusual. The knife had already awakened spiritual intelligence, so having a soul was just the next step. It was hardly worth a fuss, so he tried to go back to sleep.

Seeing his indifference, Jiang Lingsu grew flustered. She suspected the chaos stemmed from the birth of a metal supreme treasure, which had thrown all metallic treasures into frenzy. To scare him, she had deliberately exaggerated the situation, yet he remained unshaken.

"Senior Brother, look! Your knife and other magical weapons, they're dancing in the air!"

At that, Qi Yuan finally lifted his gaze and froze. The sky was densely packed with weapons and other objects. Cultivators were chasing desperately after their treasures, only to be toyed with and spun around like fools. He spotted his knife among them, perched atop an alchemy furnace, bouncing in all directions.

Seeing his stunned look, Jiang Lingsu smirked. "See? Your knife’s gone crazy!"

Qi Yuan sneered, glancing behind her back. "Better than your straw hut collapsing."

He usually flattered rich women, but occasionally annoyed them deliberately to leave a stronger impression.

Jiang Lingsu was flushed with fury. She placed her hands on her hips, her chest heaving continuously. Indeed, her straw hut had collapsed amid the chaos. The Mountain-Fixing Rod she used to stabilize it had joined the riot!

Qi Yuan laughed. "If you’ve got nowhere to sleep, I've still got the bench in my room."

"Is this how you protect your junior sister?"

"I’ll even pile hay upon the bench."

The two bickered lightly until Qi Yuan strolled down the mountain.

"Ah, what a scene to wake up to!"

Glancing at his hand, he sensed a faint metallic blood flowing within. Having achieved Perfect Five Elements, he had received a gift from the Five Ancestors. His Qi Refinement had transformed, his ordinary qi being replaced by Five Elements Essence. Of these, metal was the first to complete its refinement, while the other four were still transitioning.

Would that mean the Divine Radiance Sect would suffer four more upheavals ?

Qi Yuan felt a little guilty. He gazed at the bizarre items in the sky. There were treasures that were absurd enough to disgrace any cultivator—from Mr. Horn to the golden underpants—yet their owners dared not claim them.

As Qi Yuan approached, many turned to greet him. "Greetings, Senior Brother!"

The chief disciples of the Divine Radiance Sect were all away, and only Qi Yuan remained at the peak.

"Senior Brother, are you looking for your pet knife? I saw it on top of an alchemy furnace just now!"

"What furnace? Look, it's just right there!"

The disciples turned and saw that the knife had landed near to where Qi Yuan stood.

Qi Yuan glanced at it and the weapons in the sky. He chided, "How dare you sneak off while I slept."

For some reason, he suddenly realised he could unravel the weapons' frenzy with but a thought. Was this the power of metal manipulation after achieving Perfect Five Elements?

Though not yet at true mastery, even this partial control ability was terrifying. The higher the grade of a magical weapon, the weaker the effect of his disruption.

Things were rapidly changing in a battle. Total reliance on a magical weapon meant his life and property hung on its proper function. If it malfunctioned, it could spell disaster.

Casting his emotions aside, Qi Yuan called out, "Knife, hurry back!"

The knife paused. It hesitated, unwilling to expose itself, and hence remained motionless.

Seeing this, the junior brothers and junior sisters chuckled. "Senior Brother, your pet knife's been infected by the metal element and is no longer in control. Let's search for it after the chaos subsides. Even Foundation Establishment realm cultivators and Core Formation realm elders couldn't retrieve their magical weapons."

Qi Yuan ignored them and stepped forward. It was no secret that the chief disciple had an issue with his thinking. If he wanted to waste effort retrieving his knife, let him.

Under their gaze, Qi Yuan walked toward the knife, muttering as he stretched out his hands, "Disobedient, aren't you? Three days of confinement for you."

With that, he seized the knife.

In that instant, time itself seemed to pause. Every magical weapon in the sky froze, then obediently returned to their masters. No one paid any more attention to Qi Yuan. Those who did, dismissed it as coincidence.

"Is it over?"

"Woo woo, my Iron Hand, you’ve come back!"

"My sword, my sharp sword!"

Delight filled the sect as treasures returned to their owners, albeit some were mortified when more indecent treasures exposed their identities.

"Don't come near me, I don't know you."

"You've got the wrong person, I'm not your master."

The person who uttered these words attracted considerable attention. What shocked them the most was that Mr. Horn's owner turned out to be an elder. Some disciples swallowed their saliva nervously. No wonder it was made of Innate Flame-Iron. Some were happy, some were sad.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise, "My weapon has gotten more powerful!"

"Oh my god, my broadsword's grade has actually increased."

Everyone soon discovered their weapons had been enhanced by the upheaval. Even the elder, who had kicked Mr. Horn away, secretly used Dao techniques to summon him back. The turmoil in the Divine Radiance Sect had temporarily subsided, but the aftershocks lingered.

Qi Yuan slipped quietly back to his peak.

***

Meanwhile, Dong Xian clutched his treasured Xuantian Ruler, whispering, "Artifact Master, what just happened?"

Artifact Master’s rasping voice echoed in his mind. "Most likely, a supreme metal treasure has emerged. Or another possibility, but one too impossible to say aloud."

Dong Xian’s eyes shone. "Where is this supreme treasure?"

The elder hesitated. "If I’m right, it is the vegetable knife in Qi Yuan’s hand."

Dong Xian reeled. "What?!"

Senior Brother Qi Yuan’s vegetable knife is a supreme metal treasure?

Artifact Master sighed. "That vegetable knife is no ordinary tool. With it, even a Qi Refinement realm cultivator could slay Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. An early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could kill those in the late stage or even..."

Such a supreme treasure is rare! Who would expect one in the remote Great Shang Kingdom?

Dong Xian’s eyes lit up when he heard this. "It’s that powerful?"

If he could enlist Qi Yuan’s help, his chances of winning the Dragon-Seizing Contest would increase significantly! Still, Qi Yuan wasn’t easily swayed. His only obsession was games.

Games? Dong Xian pondered. Perhaps I should offer Senior Brother the game I’ve secretly treasured for years. It's one of a kind, long banned, and not available anywhere else!

"Once I become crown prince, what use will I have for games? Real people are far more enticing!"

Still, Dong Xian gritted his teeth and resolved to find a suitable time to present the game to Qi Yuan to build rapport. To win the Dragon-Seizing Contest, he had to pay with true treasures!

1. An ancient Chinese erotic device modeled after the male genitalia. These objects were crafted from a variety of materials, including pottery, porcelain, horn, jade, ivory, and metal. They were used to simulate intercourse, arouse desire, or serve as aids to intimacy. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, they were fairly popular and openly sold to women. ☜