Chapter 3974 — Sun Jichuan's Disciple
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Yes, but that was only something I said in passing. Don't take it seriously, Brother Lin. Whatever you do, don't touch the cave walls, and don't even think about digging out the spirit jade inside. If you accidentally disturb the protective array, neither of us will make it out alive." As he spoke, Scrap King took a glowstone he had prepared earlier from his robes and led the way deeper into the cave with practiced ease.
A thought stirred in Wei Zhao's mind, and he asked in puzzlement, "If I'm not mistaken, given how close this place is to Mining Areas One and Two, it should fall within the protective array's range. For all we know, we may already be standing on top of it. I just don't understand why none of the protective arrays have been triggered. How could a cave like this exist here for no apparent reason?"
Scrap King shook his head. "I don't know either. It may have something to do with my master. He was the one who brought me here the first time. After that, the old man left without a word, so apart from me, no one else has ever come to this cave."
"Sun Jichuan?" Wei Zhao paused slightly. The first time they had met at the marketplace, Scrap King had mentioned that he had once studied for a few days under an artifact-forging master named Sun Jichuan. That must be the master he was talking about.
"That's right. My master was a man of extraordinary abilities. Secretly carving out a cave beneath the protective array without Threefold Pavilion noticing might well have been within his power." The admiration on Scrap King's face was impossible to miss.
"A master of that caliber... If I ever have the chance, I would truly like to meet him." Wei Zhao, too, was filled with longing.
The cave looked simple enough, but the fact that it had appeared within such a tightly guarded protective array and had remained undiscovered all this time spoke of abilities that could not be explained in a sentence or two. Whoever had created it deserved at least four words: extraordinary and possessing boundless powers.
"Heh, that depends on fate. Masters like mine are always elusive, glimpsed only in passing and never seen again. Whether I will ever get the chance to meet him one more time in this life... I'm afraid the hope is exceedingly faint." Scrap King sighed deeply.
As they spoke, the two of them reached the depths of the cave. The space ahead was far more open than the passage, covering perhaps thirty or forty square yards. A number of strange and unusual implements were scattered throughout it.
Seeing Wei Zhao studying the implements with curiosity, Scrap King smiled. "These are auxiliary molds that might be used during the artifact-forging process. Whether any of them will actually be useful depends on what kind of weapon you want to forge. Speaking of which, Brother Lin, do you have any particular ideas or requirements?"
"I do. The reason I came to find you this time is that I want you to upgrade a weapon for me." As he spoke, Wei Zhao set down the bundle he had carried on his back since morning and took out an unremarkable firewood stick. It was none other than his refined-steel staff.
The moment he saw the refined-steel staff, Scrap King's eyes lit up. He took it, examined it carefully from end to end, and ran his hands over it once before smacking his lips and offering his assessment. "The materials are all excellent, and whoever forged it clearly had some ideas. But its properties have not been fully drawn out. What a waste."
Wei Zhao secretly wiped away a cold sweat and gave a wry smile. "I worked this thing out on my own through trial and error. I hope you won't laugh at me, Brother Wang."
Scrap King was startled. He stared at Wei Zhao with wide eyes, then said somewhat awkwardly, "So you're an artifact-forger too, Brother Lin? My apologies, my apologies. I was only talking off the top of my head just now. Please don't take it to heart."