Chapter 28: You were a black-hearted devil all along!

"Give it a try."

Yang Qingyuan glanced at Li Quzhuo, then walked slowly toward the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, reached out to grasp the shaft, and exerted a sudden burst of force.

Clang!

With a light chime from the tip, the entire spear was lifted into Yang Qingyuan’s hand with surprising ease. Just as the ancient texts described, weapons forged from this type of material were not heavy by nature.

"So light..."

Yang Qingyuan murmured, then began to examine the weapon in his hand more closely. The shaft was crafted from Nine Heavens Mysterious Iron, emitting a faint, cold glint as if it could sever the very clouds beyond the nine heavens. The three-pointed design was unique, each tip razor-sharp, appearing to pierce the void and point toward distant, infinite stars. The two edges were as slender as willow leaves, yet they possessed a sharpness that could slice through iron as if it were mud. The shaft was engraved with a coiled dragon pattern; the dragon’s whiskers seemed to drift, and its eyes were so piercingly lifelike that it appeared as though the creature were riding the clouds, ready to burst forth from the weapon at any moment.

Overall, the aesthetics were flawless, hitting the mark perfectly. At first glance, Yang Qingyuan had even briefly mistaken it for the legendary Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear wielded by the True Monarch himself. Of course, that was just a fleeting thought; the true weapon was said to have been transformed from a dragon-flood serpent subdued by the True Monarch, so this recreation naturally couldn't compare to the original.

"Light? Why don't you try channeling your spiritual power into the shaft?"

A sly, mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Li Quzhuo’s mouth. Assuming Yang Qingyuan was unfamiliar with the properties of the materials, he had intended to play a little prank to tease him.

Yang Qingyuan cast a silent glance at Li Quzhuo. This kid was truly a cunning one. If he wanted to make a fool of him, he shouldn't blame him for what followed. With that thought, Yang Qingyuan began to circulate his own spiritual energy, slowly channeling it into the spear.

As his energy flooded in, he could clearly feel the weight of the spear increasing significantly. However, Yang Qingyuan didn't show it; instead, he continued to wave the weapon around with a calm, casual expression.

"I don't feel anything..."

"What? How is that possible?"

The smile on Li Quzhuo’s face froze, replaced instantly by a serious expression. Despite his usual playful demeanor, whenever the subject turned to artifact forging, Li Quzhuo became a completely different person—thoroughly professional.

"It's true, look if you don't believe me."

As he spoke, Yang Qingyuan continued to channel his power into the spear in front of everyone.

"This can't be. I tested it myself after I finished forging it."

Li Quzhuo, refusing to believe it, decided to try it himself. Seeing that the bait had been taken, a faint, imperceptible smirk touched the corner of Yang Qingyuan’s mouth as he handed the spear over.

"Strange, let me check. Could there be a broken inscription inside..."

Li Quzhuo muttered as he reached out to take the spear. But the moment Yang Qingyuan released his grip, Li Quzhuo’s expression shifted violently.

"What the—!"

The instant his hands touched the shaft, he felt as if he were trying to lift a mountain, an immense force surging into his arms. Fortunately, Yang Qingyuan was only playing, and he immediately grabbed the spear again after letting go. Had he not, that sudden, heavy impact would have surely crushed Li Quzhuo’s fingers!

"Hahahaha..."

Wang Quanbaye and Wang Quanzui could no longer contain themselves, the siblings bursting into laughter. Even Li Zizai, standing behind them, had his shoulders shaking with suppressed mirth.

"Brother Li Quzhuo, didn't you notice that when Yang Qingyuan was channeling his power, the sound of the wind cut by the spear grew significantly heavier?" Wang Quanzui giggled. "You really thought Qingyuan didn't know? You tried to play a trick on him, and ended up getting played yourself!"

Wang Quanbaye also stepped forward, patting Li Quzhuo on the shoulder with an amused expression. This kid was always teasing others—it was about time he got a taste of his own medicine.

"Qingyuan, I thought you were an honest fellow with those clear eyes and handsome features, but it turns out you've got a heart of coal inside!" Li Quzhuo said with a mournful face, casting a gloomy look at Yang Qingyuan.

"If you hadn't tried to play me, I would've been sweet as sugar inside," Yang Qingyuan replied, squinting his eyes with a slight smile.

"Fine, fine, my mistake. I suffered from a lack of intelligence this time, I’ll be more careful next time." Li Quzhuo wiped away a non-existent tear with an affected air of nonchalance, though he didn't take it to heart.

Yang Qingyuan was speechless. This guy actually dared to think there would be a next time? It seemed he hadn't yet experienced the cruel lessons of the world; given the chance, he would have to show him what "adult tactics" really meant.

After the laughter died down, Wang Quanbaye regained his composure and turned his gaze back to the spear in Yang Qingyuan’s hand.

"But in all seriousness, Qingyuan, you have incredible strength. When my sister said you carried the Phantom Dream Sword and fought that monster using only your physical prowess, I was skeptical. But seeing this today, I don't think she was lying."

"Exactly," Li Quzhuo added, still looking a bit shaken as he patted his chest. "I suspect that if you had dropped that weight on me, it would have crushed me, yet you were waving it around with ease. And you still claim you don't practice the Mu family’s body-tempering techniques?!"

"Ahem..." Li Quzhuo coughed awkwardly, gesturing to Wang Quanzui with his eyes that while she could be skeptical, she shouldn't involve him in the accusation.

"I told you, I’m just naturally gifted with strength," Yang Qingyuan said, shrugging before returning to fondly fiddling with the spear.

Truth be told, the feature that allowed the weight to change based on the amount of spiritual power channeled was truly fascinating. Not only was it interesting, but it also held immense potential for development. Once he fully mastered the weapon's properties, the ability to shift its weight at will would surely catch any opponent off guard.

"Is there a limit to the weight this spear can reach?"

"There likely is, but my spiritual power isn't high enough yet to test it. You can explore that slowly on your own later."

"Got it, thanks!"

Yang Qingyuan nodded, expressing his sincere gratitude to Li Quzhuo. There was a saying that anything produced by their "Second Master Li" was guaranteed to be a masterpiece. You could question Li Quzhuo on anything else, but when it came to forging, his talent was undisputed—the absolute best in the Taoist Alliance. If he could even replicate the Wang Quan Sword, what in this world could he not forge?