"Thank you both for your trust in the Order. I will do my best as the judge in this case to bring it to a resolution that you both can find acceptable.
As I inform everyone who comes before me, each of you will take turns presenting your side of things so I can get a clearer picture of the situation. I may also invite experts on the matter to provide additional information. This is not just for my sake, but for yours as well.
Once I have gathered sufficient information, I will pass my ruling, which will take immediate effect unless stated otherwise," Yang Qing patiently explained.
Yang Qing leaned forward slightly as he rested both his hands on his podium as his gaze softened as it fell on Tan Delun who looked to be ill at ease.
"Well then, Tan Delun, I think we should start with you before moving on to Wen Yingjie's testimony.
The floor is now yours," Yang Qing said gently as he motioned for Tan Delun to begin.
"Thank... you... Judge... Yang Qing," Tan Delun said, his voice trembling.
He had spent most of his life behind the forge, holding conversations with refining materials rather than people. Dealing with new customers at the shop was already a nervous struggle for him, but at least then he had his forge and the smell of the furnace to draw strength from but now, being in an unfamiliar setting, dealing with unfamiliar people only served to make him all the more nervous. To make matters worse, the presence of the otherworldly beauties in Mao Yunru and Luo Meili, was like throwing fuel onto an already raging fire.
Yang Qing and the others quickly noticed his discomfort, finding his nervous state amusing. Mao Yunru even offered him a comforting smile, but that only made his face turn redder than the furnace he spent his days around—one he very much wished he was standing beside instead of being here.
"Ahem," Yang Qing gently coughed, pulling Tan Delun out of his stupor.
"Hehehe," Tan Delun chuckled nervously as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his robes.
"As I said earlier, my name is Tan Delun, the 17th-generation master of the Falling Meteor Blacksmith Shop. However, the shop is still under the leadership of my father, Tan Ping, the 16th-generation master.
From our records, Master Wen Yingjie commissioned a custom-made saber from our shop. The order was placed nine months ago, and my father personally took up the commission. I have already handed a copy of that record to Elder Sister Luo Meili," said Tan Delun, though his voice was still a little bit shaky, but still miles better from how he started.
"As you can see from the record, Master Wen Yingjie provided the materials he wanted the saber to be made from. My father also accepted some of those materials as payment for the commission. The materials were: violet dusk metal, faceted oak, baleful jewel, orange frost deer horn, obsidian wyrm scale, a dangkang's tusk, and, lastly, falling aurora jade, which was to be the main body of the saber.
All these are top-grade sky-rank ingredients, which was why my father accepted payment in the form of materials instead of spirit stones. After three months, my father successfully crafted the saber which took the form of a willow leaf saber that you see before you," Tan Delun explained.
The moment he started talking about blacksmithing, all his earlier nervousness seemed to vanish into thin air.
As Tan Delun detailed the records, Luo Meili handed the saber to Yang Qing for examination. The information had been stored in a white jade talisman along with the case details.
Yang Qing couldn't help but admire the saber in his hand. It was 44 inches long, sheathed in a black scabbard adorned with golden vine patterns with tiny leaves. Just from the workmanship alone—the intricate carvings on the scabbard and the hilt, which was pure white with hints of orange, most likely a consequence of the orange frost deer horn—he could tell that the craftsman had poured his heart and soul into it.
He gently unsheathed the saber, revealing a smooth, slender, and gently curving blade. It looked more like pure glass than metal. The blade itself was a cloudy white, with golden flashes of light flowing along its surface like something swimming from cloud to cloud. At first glance, the edge seemed blunt, but a faint, almost nigh imperceptible thin violet coating wrapped itself around it.
Yang Qing slid his index finger across the blade as if testing its sharpness.
Wen Yingjie and Tan Delun both stiffened, their eyes widening in shock. They had seen firsthand how sharp that blade was. With just the tiniest bit of force, It could easily tear through low-tier sky-grade metals or even an early-stage core formation expert with the same ease as a hot knife slicing through butter.
And that was without even factoring in the violet dusk metal used in the forging. The metal possessed deeply corrosive and destructive properties. If an early-stage core formation expert were cut by a weapon made from it, even without the attacker's qi, they would suffer an injury that would take months of seclusion to heal.
Even Wen Yingjie, with his peak-stage Core Formation cultivation, wasn't confident he could pass his hand over the blade's edge without injury. Yet, the torn flesh they expected to see on Yang Qing never appeared. Instead, they were met with a sight they wouldn't forget. Everywhere Yang Qing's finger passed, sparks ignited along the blade's edge, as if his touch were sharpening it with each movement.
"What an excellent blade… even I'm tempted to add it to my arsenal." Yang Qing mused, admiration evident in his tone. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sheathed the blade and tossed it toward Yi Jie. "Yi Jie, here. I'll be needing your expertise on this case."
Yi Jie's eyes briefly lit up as he caught sight of the saber, though he quickly masked his interest and returned to his usual composed demeanor.
"Continue, Owner Tan Delun," Yang Qing prompted.
Tan Delun took a moment to collect himself, still shaken by the brief but baffling display of Yang Qing's abilities. Once he steadied his thoughts, he resumed.
"Yes, as I mentioned earlier, my father finished the saber in three months, and Master Wen Yingjie was called in to retrieve it. He examined it alongside my father and found no issues with it at the time. He was more than pleased with the result so much so that he even gifted my father a few more materials as a token of appreciation.
After that, he left, and my father entered closed-door cultivation that very same day. Crafting the saber had given him immense insights, enough that he felt the barriers to the Palace Realm thin. He had been stuck at the peak of the Core Formation Realm for so long that he had nearly given up on ever reaching the Palace Realm in his lifetime. But when the opportunity presented itself, he dropped everything and focused entirely on breaking through.
He didn't even notify the Thundercrane Royal Family that he would be going into seclusion… and left all these troubles for me to handle," Tan Delun finished with an aggrieved expression and frustration clear in his tone.
While he was happy for his father, his seclusion couldn't have come at a worse time.
"He has been in seclusion ever since, and this marks the sixth month." Tan Delun continued, his voice carrying a trace of helplessness.
"Master Wen Yingjie returned three months ago, claiming there was a problem with the saber, but with my father unavailable, I had no way of addressing the issue. The shop is run by just the two of us, and my father is the only one capable of forging sky-rank weapons. Solving an issue with one… is far beyond my capabilities," Tan Delun admitted.
"I informed Wen Yingjie of my father's situation, and he was kind enough to understand. He decided to wait for my father to emerge from seclusion, but even after three months, my father has yet to appear and however much his insights are needed on this, we can't interrupt him.
Unfortunately, Master Wen Yingjie was pressed for time, and despite my willingness to help, I simply lacked the ability. That's when we decided to seek an intermediary we could trust, which led us to you," said Tan Delun.
"Judge Yang Qing, I humbly seek your guidance and assistance in this matter. With my father out of commission and my own inexperience, and nowhere else to turn to, I can only shamelessly request the Order's help in this," Tan Delun solemnly declared as he cupped his fists in plea and bowed his head slightly.
Yang Qing couldn't help but sympathize with the young lad. He had been thrown into the fire with no time to prepare, no foundation to stand on. Carrying the weight of ensuring that the legacy his predecessors had built with blood, sweat, and tears didn't crumble under his watch.
That was no easy task especially for someone as young as Tan Delun, a mere foundation realm expert, now standing at the helm of a top-rank four organization. The Falling Meteor Blacksmith Shop had a widespread reputation, particularly among core formation experts and other influential figures, yet he had no one to turn to for guidance. It was an immense burden to bear alone.
At the side, Wen Yingjie let out a quiet sigh. If circumstances were different, he would have gladly waited, even a year if necessary. But his current situation was pressing as he had a very important time-sensitive matter that he could not afford to delay in which his chances of success on said matter hinged on having a top-grade sky-rank weapon at the very least.