Longevity by Grinding Skills

Her expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief as she stared at the Heavy Hammer in Xu Yunfan’s hand, which pulsed with faint, crimson, lava-like patterns.

"A Divine Weapon?! No, you actually have a Treasure Artifact?!"

Her face instantly twisted with a mixture of jealousy, hatred, and malice, contorting her features into a ferocious, terrifying mask.

Xu Yunfan, of course, didn’t hesitate for a moment. He kicked off the ground, launching himself toward the old woman like an arrow from a bow.

Seeing Xu Yunfan charge at her with his hammer, the old woman spun her Chain Blade into an iron curtain of defense, only to see the handle of the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer suddenly split into a three-sectioned Chain Hammer.

The instant the Thunder Pattern Steel chain wrapped around her Chain Blade, the muscles in Xu Yunfan’s arms swelled as he unleashed the full power of the Cloak Hammer Technique’s Ninth Form: Iron Locks Across the River.

Sparks flew as their two immense forces clashed, scorching the bluestone paving in a radius of several feet.

"Let go!"

The old woman suddenly activated a mechanism in the head of her weapon, and three Poison Needles shot out from the eye sockets of its skull-shaped pommel.

Xu Yunfan ducked sharply. The Poisoned Needles grazed his scalp and embedded themselves in the nearby bluestone wall, the force of their passage severing his Hair-Binding Iron Ring.

But the price for that momentary distraction was a slight opening, as his opponent managed to pull the Chain Hammer’s chain out by half a foot.

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Yunfan let the Chain Hammer extend. Just as the old woman leaned back from the momentum, he snapped the chain taut again. A surge of Blood Qi erupted from him, and with a powerful heave of his arms, he took several forceful steps backward, causing the Chain Blade in the old woman’s grasp to grind against his chain, throwing off a shower of sparks.

"Break!"

Xu Yunfan let out a low roar. The muscles on his right arm bulged and rippled as Blood Qi surged through them. They swelled to an extreme, like clusters of knots, the very fibers of his muscles glowing with faint golden threads.

CLANG!

The Fine Steel Chain Blade was snapped clean in two by the sheer force.

The old woman staggered back several steps. Each step she took cracked the bluestone slabs beneath her feet, creating spiderweb patterns.

Before the old woman could regain her footing, Xu Yunfan had already closed the distance. The crisp crack of a knife-hand strike to her throat sounded at the exact same time as the thunderous crash of the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer hitting the ground.

Just as the remaining followers were about to close in, a series of loud cracks echoed from Xu Yunfan’s spine. His back muscles, honed by the Heavy Hammer, flared out like wings. He lifted the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer and smashed it into the ground. The rebound force created a shockwave that sent rubble flying and blasted the approaching followers into mangled heaps.

The hum of the hammer’s rebound mechanism resonated with his heaving chest.

"It seems the Celestial Craft Cave has your Incense and Candle Sect people, too?"

Xu Yunfan swung his hammer, swatting away a tattered follower who was still charging at him with no regard for their own life. Severed limbs struck the wall, sending out sparks. Finally, all was quiet before the desolate gate.

The old woman clutched her throat, a savage grin on her face as she coughed up bloody foam. She ripped open her robes, revealing a Bronze Compass on her chest.

"Sooner or later, the Holy Sect will trample these filthy lands! When the Ming Venerable descends, all will be cleansed!"

The compass’s mechanism snapped open, and hundreds of Poisoned Steel Needles shot out like a torrential downpour. The phosphorous powder on their tips ignited upon contact with the air, creating an eerie blue Ghost Fire.

Already on guard, Xu Yunfan pushed off with his feet, his body moving like a wisp of smoke to easily evade the needles.

Seeing the old woman try to flee, Xu Yunfan flicked his wrist. The middle of his hammer’s handle split apart, transforming into a Chain Hammer. Its tungsten steel cable wrapped around her right leg, and he slammed her violently against a roof beam.

After three heavy impacts, the roof beam groaned under the strain, and the entire courtyard began to tilt and collapse.

By the time the Celestial Craft Cave’s Night Patrol Disciples arrived, Xu Yunfan was dragging the twisted and deformed Bronze Compass from the wreckage.

He had kicked the twelve corpses of the Incense and Candle Followers into a long line. Their severed bodies were still stained with fresh brain matter.

After presenting his Foundry Hall Disciple’s Token, Xu Yunfan stood to the side, letting the Celestial Craft Cave Night Patrol Disciples handle the scene.

"Huh? Why is there a Ming Venerable Statue from the Incense and Candle Sect here?"

"Did they invite the Incense and Candle Sect to the True Inheritance Ceremony?" another disciple asked, bewildered. He couldn’t help but glance at Xu Yunfan, who was calmly cleaning his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer off to the side.

’This senior brother is brutal; none of the bodies are in one piece.’

"Are you stupid?!"

The leader of the night patrol slapped the disciple who had spoken on the back of the head and cursed, "The Incense and Candle Sect was designated an evil cult by the Great Zhou! We of the Celestial Craft Cave are a prestigious and righteous sect. Why would we associate with them? We’ll have the Hidden Blade Pavilion’s Punishment Hall come take a look later."

BOOM!

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted.

Xu Yunfan looked toward the southern part of the city. There, a pillar of fire shot into the clouds. Immediately after, a visible blast of Qi Force flew from the depths of the Celestial Craft Cave and forcibly suppressed the flames.

"Who dares to cause trouble in the Celestial Craft Cave!"

Hong Baichuan’s voice suddenly echoed out. Xu Yunfan, who had been about to go take a look, immediately stopped in his tracks.

’If a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster wielding a Treasure Artifact can’t handle it, I’d just be cannon fodder if I went,’ he thought. ’Better to stay here and see how things develop.’

Xu Yunfan turned his head toward the Weapon Casting Hall’s quarters. ’Master and Senior Brother Fu should be fine.’

By the time the pillar of fire in the south had been completely suppressed, Xu Yunfan was squatting at the head of the Vermilion Bird Bridge, gnawing on his fifth skewer of grilled kidneys.

The Thunderfire Qilin Hammer lay across his knees. His Blood Qi had yet to settle, instead coiling within him like a Fierce Beast lying in wait.

He suddenly reached out and caught a sword scabbard that came flying through the air. A seven-foot-long Fine Steel Sword Box slammed into the ground, cracking the bluestone slab. Qi Huan’s voice came from the other end of the bridge, "The Criminal Law Hall has some questions for you."

"Did the Hidden Blade Pavilion switch careers to become government officials?"

Xu Yunfan licked the chili oil from the corner of his mouth and angled the head of his hammer toward a crack on the Sword Box.

Qi Huan’s knuckles whitened on his sword hilt. He looked ready to lash out, but then seemed to recall something. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "The Thousand Mechanism Disc you destroyed was made by the Mechanical Hall. It was reported stolen three months ago."

The night wind lifted the hem of Qi Huan’s robes, revealing a new ’Punishment’ Iron Token at his waist. The head disciple of the Hidden Blade Pavilion was now a temporary Law Enforcement Steward.

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow. ’He’s showing that off on purpose.’

However, Xu Yunfan suddenly spun, swinging his hammer. The hammer head, dragging its chain, let out a dull whistle as it tore through the air. It flew right past Qi Huan’s ear, and the resulting wind pressure snapped a willow tree thirty feet away in half before smashing an approaching black shadow into the river. The splash shot thirty feet into the air.

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Yunfan recalled the Chain Hammer, which reformed into a Heavy Hammer in his hand.

The corner of Qi Huan’s eye twitched as he watched. Of course, he knew Xu Yunfan had done that on purpose.

"Xu Yunfan!" The head disciple of the Mechanical Hall’s head broke the surface of the water, his furious roar like a clap of thunder. "If my Profound Turtle Shield is damaged by the water, I’ll dismantle you piece by piece and you still won’t be able to pay for it!"

Looking like a drowned rat, Mo Shisan climbed onto the bank, clutching half of a Mechanical Wing. "Xu! I’m the head disciple of the Mechanical Hall, here to inspect the Thousand Mechanism Disc! How dare you attack me without any reason? If I hadn’t activated my Profound Scale Armor in time, you’d be in for a world of trouble!"

Xu Yunfan was a little surprised. ’Though it wasn’t a full-power strike, it still had at least fifty percent of my strength. An ordinary Third Level Martial Artist couldn’t have taken that hit, let alone walk away like Mo Shisan did, as if nothing happened.’

’The head disciple of the Mechanical Hall...’

’He’s really got some skill.’