#1708 - What is the root

“Sect Leader!”

At the summit of Fiery Weapon Mountain, Lu Qianqiu led Ji Dongfeng towards the forging grounds, but they had only gone halfway when a shout rang out.

Ji Dongfeng turned his head upon hearing this, and saw a Forging Sect disciple rushing towards them with a look of urgency.

“What's the rush, kid? How many times have I told you, as a Forging Sect disciple, you must remain calm no matter what you do,” Lu Qianqiu said in a deep voice.

The disciple, hearing this, quickly said, “Sect Leader! The Grand Elder has emerged from seclusion!”

Lu Qianqiu was taken aback upon hearing this, then jumped up on the spot.

“What the f*ck did you say?!” Lu Qianqiu exclaimed.

Ji Dongfeng, hearing this, glanced at Lu Qianqiu and said, puzzled, “Grand Elder?”

“This is a bit troublesome now, a few elders must have gone to invite him out... Little brother, wait here for a moment, I'll go take a look,” Lu Qianqiu said.

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Ji Dongfeng to continue questioning, Lu Qianqiu rushed towards the back mountain. The disciple who came to report was about to follow, but Ji Dongfeng stopped him.

“Wait, what's going on? Is your Grand Elder some kind of terrifying monster?” Ji Dongfeng asked.

The disciple, hearing this, said with a helpless expression, “Of course not, it's just that the Grand Elder is a bit rigid, and he has a principle for handling matters: the best treasures in the Third Heaven should be used on the Forging Sect's own people and not easily used to help outsiders. The Sect Leader obtained that Xuan Turtle Amber, and according to the rules, it should be used internally within the Forging Sect...”

Ji Dongfeng frowned slightly upon hearing this, and said, “I don't understand. Isn't the Forging Sect's pursuit forging? And isn't forging mostly done for outsiders? How can it be used internally within the Forging Sect?”

The disciple sighed upon hearing this and said, “This is a bit complicated to explain... Nearly half of the treasures in the Third Heaven are forged by the Forging Sect, but in the eyes of the Third Heaven's creatures, we are still just a support-type sect. In the First Heaven, other sects still had some respect for us, but in the Third Heaven, as the combat power of others increases, the Forging Sect's status is also declining. Many creatures even feel that the Forging Sect is dispensable...”

“Several hundred years ago, a voice emerged from within the Forging Sect, which was that the Forging Sect should not only forge treasures for other creatures, but should also use treasures on its own people to increase the Forging Sect's combat power, to let the creatures of the Third Heaven know that the Forging Sect can not only forge, but is also very capable in battle! This viewpoint was initially put forward by the Grand Elder, who was then the Great Elder. Under his organization, the Forging Sect established a special force called the Forging Martial Hall. The members of the Forging Martial Hall combined forging and cultivation, and they did not forge for outsiders, but only forged treasures for themselves. They were extremely strong, and the sect also regularly allocated a portion of resources to them...”

“Until now, there are twelve elders under the Forging Sect Leader, six of whom are members of the Forging Martial Hall. The Hall Master is the Great Elder, while the Sect Leader has always insisted that the Forging Sect should focus on the forging path, and that the Forging Martial Hall would only distract the forgers. Facts have proven that as the Forging Martial Hall's power has gradually increased, the Forging Martial Hall has changed its nature...”

Ji Dongfeng frowned upon hearing this and said, “What happened?”

“The members of the Forging Martial Hall, relying on their greater strength, oppress their fellow disciples, forcing them to forge for them, while they focus on cultivation and no longer want to waste time on the path of forging. Even worse, they forcibly snatch forging materials from their fellow disciples. A few days ago, an incident with a bad influence occurred: a member of the Forging Martial Hall snatched a precious material brought by a guest for forging. In the end, the Sect Leader had to intervene to resolve the matter. Not only externally, but also internally, the Forging Martial Hall is full of courage and strife...” The disciple continued.

“This time, the Grand Elder's emergence from seclusion is likely to prevent the extremely rare treasure like the Xuan Turtle Amber from being used on you...”

“Lin Yunsheng, are you itching for a beating, daring to even discuss our Forging Martial Hall?!”

The next moment, a cold laugh rang out, and the Forging Sect disciple shivered all over, quickly retreating to Ji Dongfeng's side. Ji Dongfeng looked up and saw three Forging Sect disciples with fierce faces walking over. The clothing of these three disciples was different from that of the other Forging Sect disciples. The other disciples' clothes had a hammer imprint embroidered on them, while these three had a sword pattern embroidered on them.

“You are the Forging Martial Hall?” Ji Dongfeng raised his eyebrows and asked.

“That's right, you are Ji Dongfeng, we've heard of you. The Sect Leader wants to use the Xuan Turtle Amber on you. I ask you, you are not a member of our Forging Sect, why should you use our Forging Sect's treasure?” The man in the middle sneered.

“This person is called Wu Chong, and he is one of the most courageous and combative in the Forging Martial Hall,” Lin Yunsheng said cautiously.

Ji Dongfeng chuckled upon hearing this and said, “Interesting, it's been a long time since I've heard someone talk to me like this. Wu Chong, is it? I ask you, you are not human, why do you speak my human language?”

Wu Chong was taken aback upon hearing this and was about to speak when Ji Dongfeng snapped his fingers at him.

“But don't worry, if I snap my fingers, you'll forget that you're not human.” Ji Dongfeng chuckled.

“Snap!”

“You! Wait! Who said I'm not human!” Wu Chong shouted angrily.

Wu Chong took a deep breath upon hearing this and said with gritted teeth, “Ji Dongfeng, I know you are now a prominent figure in the Third Heaven, but this is the Forging Sect, and I won't be afraid of you. That Xuan Turtle Amber is a rare treasure that is hard to come by in a thousand years. If it is used on Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Zhao's strength can be further improved. At that time, Senior Brother Zhao will be the number one person among the younger generation, and no force will dare to underestimate our Forging Sect's strength! But if it is used on you? Does it help our Forging Sect in any way!”

“Too small, this pattern, too small,” said the Golden Mausoleum Young Hero.

“With this kind of mindset, the road ahead will definitely become narrower and narrower. Those who can join the Forging Sect are those who are not strong in cultivation talent, but have some talent in forging. If they focus on forging, they may be able to achieve something with the forging path, but now, alas...” said Ying Long.

“Their thoughts are also understandable. After all, the Nine Heavens respect cultivation, and realm and cultivation are the foundation in the eyes of many people,” said Ying Long.

“Senior, shouldn't realm and cultivation be the foundation?” asked Liao Wusheng.

Ying Long smiled upon hearing this and said, “What is the foundation? What is suitable for oneself is the foundation. Walking towards the path that is suitable for oneself is the foundation. The Dao of Heaven evolves in thousands of ways, and no path is destined to be a dead end, but if one is blinded, any path is a dead end.”