1600 li east of Chishi Village, there was a small town spanning over 30 li in area, with a rather peculiar layout.
The periphery of the town, much like Chishi Village, was enclosed by terraced walls. Behind these walls were low-rise houses, half of which were submerged underground.
However, as these low-rise dwellings extended inwards, they gradually increased in height. Beyond a width of three li, the town transitioned to normal houses built on ground level, as found in the outside world.
Yet, these ordinary houses were also confined to a width of three li. Behind them, in the very center of the town, lay an area of green and gold spanning over ten li.
At the heart of it all was a small lake, less than one li in circumference.
This was the foundation upon which Linghu Town was established.
At this moment, by the side of the small lake, within an exquisitely crafted octagonal pavilion, an elder with white hair but a youthful countenance was tapping a sickle, section by section, with the back of his finger.
*Pa~*
As his fingertip struck the center of the sickle, it snapped in two.
"Grandfather, this sickle is a low-grade, first-tier artifact. Chishi Village offered it for just 5 spirit stones. If we were to trade for rice, it would be equivalent to 3 spirit stones worth of rice."
A middle-aged man in a blue brocade magic robe, standing before the elder, picked up the two broken pieces of the sickle and explained its origin.
"Chishi Village? That village with only a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator? Go see if they have any Foundation Establishment backing. If not, destroy them and seize their artifact refining inheritance."
"Yes~"
Xu Ruojing had anticipated his grandfather's words from the start. He then bid his grandfather farewell and proceeded to a tavern in the "High Esteem Pavilion," the second ring of the town.
"Village Chief Chen, your trash is not worth three spirit stones, at most two. And we'll only accept spirit stone transactions. Don't even think about rice."
Upon hearing the offer of two spirit stones, Xu Ruojing, without even offering a cup of tea, directly began to haggle down the price.
"Clan Head Chen, how about three spirit stones? We'll accept spirit stone transactions."
Chen Xiaohu's face alternated between red and white in anger at the two spirit stone quote, but he only dared to bargain in a low voice.
He knew that a first-tier artifact on the market would cost at least 10 spirit stones, and the quality of those artifacts was inferior to the sickles he had brought.
"It's two spirit stones, take it or leave it! If you're not selling, get lost!"
Xu Ruojing raised an eyebrow and directly bellowed, simultaneously releasing his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Chen Xiaohu, overwhelmed by the Foundation Establishment aura, immediately knelt down.
"Sell~ Sell~ We'll sell~"
He quickly agreed, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, which he dared not wipe.
To him, a third-level Qi Refining cultivator, the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was akin to a terrifyingly powerful being.
"Good~ Very good. You're too slow, and you haven't even retrieved your storage bag. I'll waste a bit of time and accompany you."
Seeing Chen Xiaohu capitulate, Xu Ruojing summoned his flying sword and pulled Chen Xiaohu onto it.
He gave no consideration to Chen Xiaohu's willingness.
Thus, Chen Xiaohu, drenched in cold sweat, trembled with fear the entire journey.
Upon seeing the bustling blacksmith shop emitting clouds of smoke, Xu Ruojing was taken aback.
"Is your entire village engaged in artifact refining?"
"It's blacksmithing. We only know blacksmithing, and we only craft farming tools."
After the long journey of apprehension, Chen Xiaohu had thought things through. He needed to downplay the importance of Chishi Village and, if possible, conceal the Yang Hong family.
"Blacksmithing? Your blacksmithing sounds this pleasant?"
Xu Ruojing, filled with indignation, pointed towards the blacksmith shop, feeling his intelligence insulted.
The villagers at the blacksmith shop, after over half a year of Yang Hong's tutelage, had all learned "Forty Small Hammers." While their strength varied, their rhythm was now perfectly synchronized.
These villagers had turned blacksmithing into a musical performance.
"Clan Head Xu, this blacksmithing technique of our village is called 'Forty Small Hammers.' By striking the iron block at a fixed frequency for forty strikes, repeated continuously, one can craft a first-tier artifact farming tool."
Chen Xiaohu's explanation was clearly not convincing to Xu Ruojing, who lowered his flying sword and entered the blacksmith shop.
Upon seeing someone arrive via flying sword, everyone stopped hammering and looked up.
Yang Hong, who was wandering around with a teapot, had already seen a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator escorting Chen Xiaohu back.
So, he also walked over, curious about what had happened.
"Village Chief, is this a guest you've found? Can he buy all our farming tools?"
As he spoke these words, he also sent a telepathic message to Chen Xiaohu, instructing him to cooperate.
"This is Clan Head Xu of Linghu Town, a powerful expert in the Foundation Establishment realm. He can surely buy them all. Quickly, go and bring out all the farming tools."
"Right away~ I'll have people go get them."
He responded with an affirmation and turned to instruct people to fetch items from the warehouse.
Soon, Xu Ruojing confirmed that Chishi Village could only craft farming tools, and moreover, that mortals were capable of forging them.
For a moment, Xu Ruojing no longer wished to kill these "trash."
"Your Chishi Village is truly peculiar. You can forge these with mortals?"
Xu Ruojing patiently examined over 3,000 farming tools and watched a live demonstration, still in disbelief.
While these farming tools were the absolute lowest grade of artifacts, they were undeniably artifacts.
Artifacts forged by a group of mortals using iron hammers!
Seizing the opportune moment, Xu Xiaohu approached with a yellowed ancient book.
"Clan Head Xu, would you like this blacksmithing inheritance?"
"Yes!"
Xu Ruojing snatched the ancient book, also without Xu Xiaohu's consent.
*This is an ancient book, a paper ancient book! It must be tens of thousands of years old! This is truly rare.*
Xu Ruojing's eyes lit up upon seeing the paper-based book.
"Fellow Daoist, this book..."
After a considerable amount of time, Xu Ruojing finished reading the book, "Forty Small Hammers," and held it carefully in his hands, reluctant to let go yet afraid to apply too much force.
Xu Xiaohu immediately replied, "Clan Head Xu, for just 100 spirit stones, this ancient book can be yours."
"I'm asking, where did you get this book? It's best you tell me the truth, or you might lose your life!"
As he spoke, Xu Ruojing once again released his Foundation Establishment aura.
"I'll tell you~ I'll tell you, it was in the desert. I'll lead the way, I'll lead the way."
Xu Xiaohu cursed Yang Hong internally for causing trouble, but he still had to play along with Xu Ruojing.
Yang Hong watched from afar, sipping his tea, idle and amused, treating it as a game of teasing a fool.
Thousands of li from Chishi Village, there was a temporary meditation room he had once cultivated in. When he comprehended the laws of time, he had instantaneously accelerated a large area, creating ruins with a "history of tens of thousands of years."
The only item within the ruins was the textbook, "Forty Small Hammers," which Yang Hong had copied using magic arts and given to the villagers of Chishi Village.
He was now using it as a relic to amuse the fool.
Not knowing how Xu Xiaohu performed, Xu Ruojing flew away on his sword after bringing him back.
At night, the ancestor of the Xu family arrived. He marveled at the 50 groups of villagers engaged in blacksmithing.
"This was indeed left behind by a great predecessor, a great sect. It seems to have been a building akin to an armory, but it only stored this secret blacksmithing method."
The Xu family ancestor shook his head in disappointment as he surveyed the "secret realm." He could find no other gains within this "ruin" besides "Forty Small Hammers."
"Take these books. Such ancient texts can still fetch some spirit stones."
He then took the books from the cave and even pried off some of the cave wall rocks.
A crisis that could have led to the annihilation of the village and clan was resolved silently amidst the Xu family ancestor's wild assumptions.