Ren Chao was covered in dust from the carnage he had just caused in his own workshop. More than that, he was almost sobbing and refused to look Cao Yun in the eyes. Instead, he kowtowed on the dirty floor while apologizing and insulting himself.

"This vermin betrayed Brother! This wretched moron cut off his Brother's life!"

Immediately, Cao Yun knelt down and grabbed Ren Chao's arm.

"Stand up, Brother. Please, Brother."

No matter how much strength Cao Yun put into it, he simply couldn't move his brother at all. Lifting up the entire residence would be easier than moving Ren Chao. Besides, Cao Yun couldn't just release his blood cultivation. Even though Ren Chao now knew about it, Cao Yun couldn't let it out in public. The array formation plate he had just used wouldn't hide it well enough as it was just meant to make sure no one could spy on his telepathic messages to his brother.

"Come on, Brother, seeing you like this pains me."

"And my crimes against you keep growing. This pathetic one doesn't deserve such a good brother. May the Dao itself punish this criminal!"

"Brother, enough! At the very least, tell me what you're talking about."

"I... I... I gave the means of your destruction to your worst enemy. I built an armor and weapon for Emperor Weide, that vile traitor. Those are my finest works. After more than four years, I finally succeeded in forging a 2-star Spirit armor and a 3-star Spirit sword. No weapon or armor can stand up to them on the entire Piaolu planet. I've given your worst enemy the strongest artifacts. How is that not a crime against my brother?! How is that not betrayal?! And I was proud of it. I boasted about that. I could have boasted that I had just killed my brother and his sister, that would have been the same. Shame on me!"

At last, Cao Yun understood. Honestly, it wasn't very surprising. Since Ren Chao was the best blacksmith in the entire Hongchen Kingdom, of course, the Emperor himself would ask for a weapon. However, it was true that the quality of said weapon, and the armor, was truly shocking. From what Cao Yun understood, that meant that no attack from an early Spirit Warrior could even scratch the armor. Even late Spirit Warriors would need to use all their strength to damage it a little. Without the use of a weapon powerful enough, injuring Emperor Weide was just a dream. That being said, mastery over one's martial art or a martial state could compensate the quality of one's weapon. But, the difference in strength was a bit overwhelming, especially considering that the Emperor had an even more powerful weapon as well.

For quite some time, Cao Yun stayed quiet. He was planning and planning. In fact, he wasn't thinking about Emperor Weide. No, he was thinking about the right words to calm down his brother. Brother Ren Chao was honest to a fault. If Cao Yun didn't find the right words, he could make the situation even worse and he certainly didn't want that.

"Brother, you had no way of knowing any of that. Brother Sun also set up array formations for the Imperial City and..."

"But this can help you, Brother. Brother Sun can use his knowledge to turn those array formations against the traitor. Although he made a mistake, he can correct it and turn it into a boon. Even if I tell you everything about the sword and the armor, it won't help you one bit, it will just show you how despicable I am."

"Sister Mei probably also refined pills for Emperor Weide. You were all trying to help the Hongchen Kingdom, you were doing what's right."

"Is it right to stab your kin in the back?! Is it?!"

Seeing that none of his words would reach him, Cao Yun changed his stance.

"Would you deprive me of your services because you feel ashamed, Brother? I need you more than ever. I need your talent. You built a powerful weapon and an insurmountable armor for my enemy. Now, you can build even better ones for me, can't you? Just forge artifacts that are so superior, they put his to shame! You know exactly what his armor is, so build me a weapon that can easily pierce through it, slice it, and tear it apart. You know exactly what his sword is, so build me an armor he could never penetrate. Besides, you told me that revealing their blueprints wouldn't help me. But in order to forge them, you had to see him perform his martial arts, just like you need to see me perform mine. Even if he didn't trust you completely, he probably showed you most of his strength to be sure to get appropriate weapons. Thus, you can tell me everything about it."

"I... Yes! Brother is right!"

Suddenly Ren Chao stood up. Since Cao Yun had been pulling on his arms all this time, he got thrown backward by the sudden change. Of course, he quickly recovered but Ren Chao almost headbutted him. From that, he probably wouldn't have recovered. But Ren Chao's mood had completely shifted. There was more fire in his eyes than in his furnace.

"Brother, I won't rest until I forge the ultimate weapon and the perfect armor for you. May the Heavens bear witness to my oath! I swear on my Dao Heart that my next pieces will put all of my work to shame!"

"Good, good. But, Brother, never, ever, say that you've betrayed him, ever again. I know that you would give your life for me. And know that I would give mine for you in return. We swore an oath. When you behave like that, you insult my oath as well."

Cao Yun grabbed Ren Chao's neck to approach his head to his.

"Yes, Brother. I'm sorry. I... I may have overreacted. Maybe the wine..."

For quite some time, the two men looked each other in the eye. Then, they broke their embrace apart. Without a moment's delay, Ren Chao started to work his furnace.

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"I meant what I said, Brother. I won't rest until I'm done. Tomorrow, you'll show me your martial arts against Chief Elder Baishen. I will build the best spear you can ever imagine. There is one favor I will have to ask of you though. You see... My blacksmithing has a secret. Alone, I can't even forge a 1-star Heaven weapon yet since I'm no Spirit Warrior. Although my strength can compensate many things, I can't do much when it comes to perception. However, my wife helps me with that. Her senses are much better than mine and she can use many soul techniques I don't even begin to understand. Just with her singing and her music, she helps me refine better weapons. So, I will ask for some pills for her in the process. She doesn't have to assist me all the time, but I will be forced to ask a lot from her too. I don't care about me, but..."

Without any hesitation, Cao Yun took out a bottle of pills from his spatial ring.

"Brother, once again you belittle me. How could I not help you?! But, Brother, do not disregard your parents... and your children."

Both Cao Yun and Ren Chao knew what Cao Yun meant even though he added those last words. Ren Chao's parents were not long for this world. If he spent all his time working on that weapon, he would miss their last moments together. Obviously, Cao Yun didn't want that. But he could also tell that Ren Chao's resolve was strong.

"You're right..."

Unfortunately, there wasn't much conviction in his words.

Until the sun rose again, Ren Chao asked many questions of Cao Yun. He even asked to see his 'Tainted Heavenly Pillar'. Over and over again, he drew many designs but he was never satisfied with the result. Cao Yun even showed him his martial arts manual and revealed almost all his trump cards to him so he could make the best weapon and armor possible, perfectly tailored to Cao Yun's needs.

Finally, the next day had come. Wang Mei opened the workshop and saw the disaster within. Strangely enough, she didn't even bat an eye. Cao Yun could tell that his brother had a custom of venting his frustration on his tools. Indeed, she simply sighed a little and looked at Cao Yun with an apologetic gaze.

Cao Yun walked toward her and spoke softly, low enough so Ren Chao couldn't hear. To be fair he was too focused on his work at the moment.

"No matter what, don't let him drown in his work. He should enjoy his parents' presence."

"Oh?! It's already tomorrow! Brother, let's go to the martial art pavilion right away. I need to see you in action. We can't wait any longer! Oh?! Mei'er?! Perfect, could you have the servants clean up my workshop and bring in a new desk, please. I'll be busy for quite some time. I swore to Brother that I would build him an upper Spirit weapon and armor, so I'll also need your help on the matter. Don't worry, Brother was nice enough to give me some pills for you. I might be very busy in the coming months, but I won't ask too much of you, I promise. I'm sorry. I know we said we would take some time, but..."

"Don't sweat it. I understand."

Wang Mei really understood. Of course, she didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, but she could tell that something had happened between the two men. She knew her husband enough to tell that he felt terrible despite his huge smile and his demeanor. As she left, she sent a few words toward Cao Yun.

"Thank you. I'll keep your words in mind. Don't worry about your brother."

Ren Chao almost ripped Cao Yun's arm out as he grabbed him. Without any delay, they went directly to the martial art pavilion to meet Chief Elder Baishen. Considering the early hour, the Wubei Sect was mostly empty, but those who were awake were surprised to see the large Ren Chao pull someone by the arm. They were convinced that if Ren Chao did the same to them, they would lose their limb immediately. Thus, they sympathized with the poor man behind their prized blacksmith.

Finally, they reached the tall building and entered unceremoniously. Just as they entered, they saw Miss Chen entering as well. She was a bit disheveled as though she had just woken up. And, judging by the direction she came from, Cao Yun shook his head. Miss Chen was looking at the ground in shame when she raised her head and recognized Cao Yun. Immediately, she turned red. They both knew, and they knew that they both knew. Thankfully for the young woman, Ren Chao was oblivious to everything else but the idea of forging the best weapon ever for his brother.

"Miss Chen, I need to see your mistress right away. Tell Chief Elder Baishen that Brother Chen Guo is ready to spar with her."

Honestly, Cao Yun was a bit afraid that Ren Chao would suddenly call him by his real name. But it was the opposite. Ren Chao was so used to the name 'Chen Guo', that he would need to make a lot of efforts not to use it when referring to his brother.

Before Miss Chen could answer, Chief Elder Baishen's voice resounded and she appeared right in front of Ren Chao and Cao Yun. Miss Chen was terrified as she knew that her mistress would understand just by looking at her, but she couldn't allow herself to be late. And Chief Instructor Peng had kept her busy longer than she had expected. Simply thinking back on it, she was red with shame, but also, kind of, wanted to go back. Fortunately for her, Chief Elder Baishen was just as oblivious as Ren Chao. Apparently, she was simply too obsessed with the idea of a fight with Cao Yun.

"Follow me. I already had an arena prepared just for us."

Considering what Spirit Warriors could do to the world around them while fighting, the Wubei Sect had a few places where they could really go all out without destroying everything. Most of the time, they still had to restrain themselves to some degree though.

Without waiting for a reply, Chief Elder Baishen walked toward the outer yard. Ren Chao once again pulled Cao Yun along. As they left, the young man caught a glimpse of Miss Chen's red face. With just a sign, he told her he would keep quiet about what had just happened. As the three of them disappeared into the horizon, Miss Chen let out a sigh of relief. For the moment, she was safe...

-

At last, Ren Chao and Cao Yun got to Chief Elder Baishen. The old woman was standing before the entry to an underground facility. After entering and spending a few minutes walking, they reached a vast arena. It was perfectly circular and almost one li in diameter. In other words, it was huge, much larger than any arena Cao Yun had ever seen. Besides, it was almost just as tall. There were array formations all over the place to make sure that no damage could be done to it. Just by looking at them, Cao Yun could tell that only a late Spirit Warrior could damage the arena. So, unless the fighters actively tried to attack the arena, they wouldn't damage it. Just the ripples of their fight couldn't damage it in any serious way.

Most likely, this arena was used for large-scale training or for very special duels. Chief Elder Baishen was standing in the middle of the arena. While Ren Chao went to a good spot to look at the fight, Cao Yun walked forward and stopped before the old woman.

"Young Sect Master, I won't hold back because I'm pretty certain that you can take it. However, the spear is not the weapon I'm most proficient in. Feel free to take yours though."

Chief Elder Baishen didn't take out any weapon. Instead, she let out her Fist Spirit. Around her hands, Cao Yun could see a golden hue and he could feel his own body shake as though it was acknowledging her superiority. Things had moved very fast and Cao Yun had barely said a word. But here he was. Honestly, he did want to fight Chief Elder Baishen too. After his time with Ren Chao, his soul had mostly recovered. A time of quiet had been very helpful. Besides, it wasn't a life or death battle.

Cao Yun took out his spear. They both cupped their fists and bowed.

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