With this understanding, everyone's gaze towards Ling Fan shifted once more.
Setting aside his array mastery for a moment.
Master Long Duo was a Yellow-tier High-grade weapon refiner!
If he was even stronger than him...
Did that mean this gray-haired youth, who called himself Ling Qingyun, was actually a Profound-tier weapon refiner!
Their eyes trembled with shock.
They felt they had never encountered anything so unbelievable in their lives.
Such a young Profound-tier weapon refiner.
If this were to spread, it would likely cause a seismic upheaval in the weapon refining world of the entire Tian Chu Province.
"Greetings, Master Ling. We were all very presumptuous earlier. We beg Master Ling for forgiveness."
The strong individuals from the underground trading market bowed and apologized to Ling Fan.
Although Ling Fan exhibited no cultivation fluctuations, and the weakest among these powerhouses was at the peak of the Qi Refining realm, with most being in the Xuan Gang realm!
Yet, they now prostrated themselves before Ling Fan, fearing his displeasure.
This was the transcendent weight of a Profound-tier weapon refiner!
Ling Fan waved his hand indifferently.
As for Steward Zeng, who was pinned down by Liu Han, he was utterly stunned.
He never imagined that this unremarkable, gray-haired youth, who looked like he wouldn't live long, was actually a Profound-tier weapon refiner!
"Guards, Zeng Fari colluded with outsiders to frame this Deputy Protector, nearly causing severe losses to the Dark Martial Hall. For now, his position as steward is revoked. Escort him away. After I report to the Protector and the Dark Martial Hall, further action will be taken."
Liu Han said coldly.
"Yes!"
Several strong individuals from the underground trading market dragged the crestfallen Steward Zeng away like a dead dog.
Master Long Duo, however, stood by with a look of guilt, like a student who had made a mistake and awaited punishment from their teacher.
Liu Han glanced at Master Long Duo, feeling a bit troubled.
Although he was a Deputy Protector of the Dark Martial Hall's underground trading market, a position of no small importance, he was still not qualified to deal with a Yellow-tier High-grade weapon refiner from the Tian Chu City Weapon Refining Association.
As Liu Han was in a dilemma.
Ling Fan said calmly, "Long Duo, although your clever plan did not succeed, you are still at fault. I sentence you to forge three spirit weapons for Liu Han, and from now on, you must prioritize supplying spirit weapons to Liu Han."
Upon hearing this, Liu Han cast a grateful look at Ling Fan and joked, "Master Long Duo, you can't try to fool this junior with fake spirit weapons anymore."
Master Long Duo's old face flushed.
He cupped his hands towards Ling Fan and said, "Long Duo respectfully obeys Master Ling's command! Thank you, Master Ling, for your magnanimity. I will surely repent and diligently hone my weapon refining skills. With Master Ling's guidance today, I have a premonition that I am not far from breaking through to the Profound-tier weapon refiner!"
Ling Fan nodded slightly and said, "Wait outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with Liu Han."
"As you command."
Master Long Duo respectfully bowed to Ling Fan, then closed the door and stood guard outside.
"Why did you save Ji Hong?"
Ling Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze as calm as a bottomless abyss, looking at Liu Han.
Liu Han's body trembled violently, and he suddenly looked up, staring intently at Ling Fan.
"Master Ling, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
Liu Han said cautiously.
"You don't need to deny it. I overheard Zeng and Long Duo plotting in the carriage. Young Master Mo Xie of the Dark Martial Hall intends to deal with you, and he also wants to kill Ji Hong."
"And I am Ji Hong's friend. It is precisely for this reason that I intervened to save you. Otherwise, we are strangers, why would I help you?"
Ling Fan said calmly.
After hearing Ling Fan's words, Liu Han's eyes widened.
After a good while, he sighed as if deflated.
"This matter is a long story!"
"The Ji family and our Liu family have been serving the Dark Martial Hall for a long time. The Ji family belongs to the Beast Taming Hall, and our Liu family belongs to the underground trading market. My parents were good friends with Ji Hong's parents. I am a few years older than Ji Hong, and I am his sworn brother."
"More than ten years ago, when Ji Hong's parents took the then-young Ji Hong hunting for demonic beasts, an accident occurred. Ji Hong's parents both perished, and he went missing."
"At that time, we all thought Ji Hong had been devoured by beasts. But more than half a month ago, Ji Hong suddenly returned to the Ji family."
"Unexpectedly, not only did he not die, but after being raised by demonic beasts, his current strength has become terrifying, his combat power comparable to the peak of the Xuan Gang realm. Even I feel inferior."
Liu Han shook his head in lament.
Clearly surprised by Ji Hong's current formidable strength.
Ling Fan asked, "With Ji Hong's strength, the Ji family should have valued him greatly. Why would they watch indifferently as Ji Hong was thrown into the death prison by the Dark Martial Hall?"
Liu Han said with a wry smile, "This matter... alas, every family has its own troubles. After the deaths of Ji Hong's parents, the Ji family declined day by day, becoming weaker and weaker. Therefore, as soon as Ji Hong returned, the Ji family treated him like a new cash cow!"
Cash cow!
A cold glint flashed in Ling Fan's eyes.
"How did the Ji family exploit him?"
He asked.
Liu Han, clearly recalling some events, became very angry. "After Ji Hong returned, the Ji family first made him fight in the martial arena. Mr. Ling, you should also know that Ji Hong's strength far surpasses his apparent realm. Therefore, Ji Hong won consecutive battles at first. Below the quasi-Heavenly Origin realm, he was almost invincible."
"And the Ji family would always place heavy bets on him, thus quickly amassing a fortune... these people from the Ji family are utterly despicable, they didn't treat Ji Hong like a human at all. Once they tasted the benefits, they madly made him fight, wanting to squeeze out his last bit of value."
"But later, everyone knew Ji Hong's strength, so they also started betting on him to win. The people from the martial arena then approached the Ji family, asking Ji Hong to throw matches."
"With Ji Hong's character, he would never agree," Ling Fan said gravely.
"Yes, Ji Hong is stubborn. If he doesn't want to do something, even nine oxen can't pull him back. From here, Ji Hong offended Young Master Mo Xie!"
Liu Han shook his head with a wry smile.
To deal with Ji Hong, Young Master Mo Xie later sent a quasi-Heavenly Origin realm expert to fight him. That battle was extremely fierce. Although Ji Hong eventually won, it was a pyrrhic victory, and he almost lost half his life!
"After Ji Hong suffered severe injuries, and the Ji family saw that they could no longer profit from him in the arena, they began to harbor other wicked intentions."
"What wicked intentions?"
Ling Fan asked.
"The Ji family actually wanted Ji Hong to lead them to hunt Black Demonic Apes."
Upon hearing this, a hint of coldness flashed in Ling Fan's eyes.
In fact, when he witnessed Ji Ba and the other four trying to assault Ji Yan.
Ling Fan already felt that there weren't many good people in the Ji family.
He just didn't expect that he had underestimated these people from the Ji family.
This Ji family was truly extremely unscrupulous, having committed all sorts of evil deeds!
"The Ji family colluded with the Dark Martial Hall's Beast Taming Hall and lured Ji Hong to the Demonic Ape Ridge, where the Black Demonic Apes resided, intending to use Ji Hong's relationship with the Black Demonic Ape clan to ambush those Black Demonic Apes!"
"In that battle, the Black Demonic Ape clan suffered heavy casualties. When Ji Hong discovered he was being used, he went into a frenzy and, along with the remaining Black Demonic Apes, killed almost all of the accompanying Ji family members and the Dark Martial Hall's Beast Taming Hall experts."
"The Dark Martial Hall was thus enraged and dispatched several Protectors to capture Ji Hong and throw him into the death prison."
"This is the entire sequence of events."
Liu Han said.