Not long after Zhou Changqing and Ya Fei left the Nalan Clan estate, two powerful auras suddenly erupted in the northwestern part of the Imperial Capital, stirring the vast wellspring of ambient energy above the city. From a distance, one could even see the interweaving flashes of icy-blue and earthy-yellow light.
Sensing these two auras, Zhou Changqing merely glanced up before dismissing them. Based on the signatures, it was a clash between two Dou Huangs.
Furthermore, one of them was Hai Bodong. That meant the other was, without a doubt, the Jia Ma Empire's éminence grise, Jia Xingtian.
Had he not encountered Medusa, Zhou Changqing might have gone to watch. After all, a battle between Dou Huang experts was an extremely rare sight in the Jia Ma Empire. Unfortunately for them, he now had a Dou Zong expert by his side and had frequently tested his strength against her before coming to the capital.
It wasn't arrogance; it was simply a fact. They were only Dou Huangs. Even if one of them was at the peak of that rank, their battle held little value for his own study. He had no interest in joining the crowd of onlookers.
Ignoring the disturbance, he and Ya Fei continued on their way, soon arriving back at the Miteer headquarters.
The next morning, Teng Shan arrived at Zhou Changqing's courtyard with a formal calling card from the Mu Clan. Ever since teaching Mu Zhan a lesson the night before, Zhou Changqing had expected them to make a move, whether to seek peace or to escalate the conflict. He just hadn't anticipated they would act so quickly.
Led by Teng Shan, Zhou Changqing met with the Mu Clan's representative. The man who had come was dressed in a white robe, carrying himself with a scholarly elegance. He was a handsome, middle-aged man with a refined air. After the man introduced himself, Zhou Changqing learned his identity and was slightly taken aback. The visitor was Mu Ying, son of the Mu Clan's patriarch, Mu Chen—and Mu Zhan's father.
Zhou Changqing found it hard to believe that such a calm and amiable man could have fathered such a mindless brute. If this weren't the Dou Qi Continent, he would have seriously questioned Mu Zhan's parentage.
Mu Ying's purpose was simple: to offer a formal apology to Zhou Changqing. As a token of their sincerity, he presented a rare metal from the Mu Clan's treasury, a piece of Soft Nether Glass-Iron. It was a pliant, translucent metal that shimmered like fine glass, an excellent material for crafting inner armor.
As the patriarch's son and a high-level Dou Ling, Mu Ying's status within the Mu Clan was considerable. By sending him to apologize and offer such a valuable gift, the Mu Clan was showing the utmost respect. If Patriarch Mu Chen hadn't been away from the Imperial Capital, he likely would have come himself.
After all, the Mu Clan was in the wrong; Mu Zhan had been the one to launch a sneak attack. Most importantly, Zhou Changqing's identity was what they truly feared. He was a Weaponsmith Grandmaster capable of forging Tier 5 weapons that could rival a Dou Wang's power, and he was a young Dou Wang himself.
A figure like that was someone the Mu Clan could not afford to offend. It was the same principle as with alchemists. If Zhou Changqing were to announce that he would forge a Tier 5 Spirit-Gathering Weapon for anyone willing to help him seek justice from the Mu Clan, countless Dou Wangs across the Jia Ma Empire would likely be tempted to act against them. The Mu Clan would find itself in an impossible situation, and they had no doubt that Zhou Changqing possessed that kind of terrifying influence.
Seeing the Mu Clan's sincerity, Zhou Changqing decided not to pursue the matter further. After a few polite exchanges, Mu Ying took his leave. With the matter resolved, there was no need to linger, and it was not the right time to try and forge a deeper connection.
After the Mu Clan's visit, it was as if a floodgate had opened. Various powers from across the Imperial Capital began to arrive one after another. From top-tier factions like the Imperial Family and first-rate powers like the Nalan Clan, down to second-rate clans whose strongest members were merely Dou Lings, they all came in waves to pay their respects to Zhou Changqing at the Miteer headquarters.
This time, Zhou Changqing did not refuse them, receiving each visitor personally. Besides bearing gifts and seeking to curry favor, they all hinted, both directly and indirectly, that they wished to commission him to forge weapons.
This was Zhou Changqing's original goal, so he readily agreed. Whether it was a Tier 5 Spirit-Gathering Armament or a Tier 4 Monster Core Armament, he accepted all requests. The representatives of these factions were overjoyed and rushed back to prepare the necessary materials. In addition to the materials, they also offered substantial compensation.
In a short time, Zhou Changqing had earned a fortune, his gains truly豐碩. For the next while, he dedicated himself almost entirely to weaponsmithing. Fortunately, there were only a limited number of factions in the Imperial Capital who could afford his services; otherwise, he would have been completely overwhelmed.
He wasn't worried about these people turning his own creations against him. The factions capable of affording the materials and fee for a Tier 5 weapon were few and far between. Besides, the weapons he forged for others would never be as good as the ones he made for himself. With his current foundation and strength, even someone a full major realm above him wielding a Tier 5 Spirit-Gathering Weapon would be no match for him. As for those far stronger than that, they could defeat him even without such a weapon. What was there to fear?
As his creations were delivered into the hands of the respective factions, they were met with endless praise after their power was tested. With that, Zhou Changqing's reputation as a Weaponsmith Grandmaster was firmly cemented within the upper echelons of the Imperial Capital.
Surprisingly, the Yunlan Sect, the undisputed hegemon of the Jia Ma Empire, sent no one to commission a weapon. It was unclear whether they were too proud to stoop to such a level or simply looked down on the weapons he forged. Zhou Changqing paid it no mind. In fact, he was happy to see it. After the Three-Year Agreement, his connection to Xiao Yan meant he would likely find himself at odds with the Yunlan Sect. Forging weapons for them, even for a hefty fee, would be no different than arming the enemy.
Speaking of the Three-Year Agreement, Xiao Yan had recently been dedicating nearly all his time to the Alchemist Grand Meeting, aside from treating Nalan Jie's poison. Just as in the original story, he passed through round after round of qualifiers.
Xiao Yan smoothly advanced to the final round, where he faced Yan Li, the vice president of the Chu Yun Empire's Alchemist Association and a fourth-tier alchemist. In order to witness one of Xiao Yan's signature dramatic victories, Zhou Changqing even put his smithing on hold to attend the finals.
The final round was essentially a two-man show, and the atmosphere in the arena was tense enough to cut with a knife. Xiao Yan did not disappoint. In a nail-biting finish, he successfully refined the Three-Lined Green Spirit Pill and claimed the championship.
Zhou Changqing watched the entire process, unable to help but marvel. As expected of the master of clutch victories, his path to the title was a string of improbable successes. Just when everyone thought he was about to fail, he would pull off a stunning reversal, perfectly fitting his classic persona of saving the day at the last possible second.
With the successful conclusion of the Grand Meeting, the name Yan Xiao echoed throughout the Imperial Capital, reaching the ears of countless factions and common citizens alike. After the rise of the Weaponsmith Grandmaster, it became the newest topic of conversation across the city.