Repair

Elder Xuanyan stroked his beard, his gaze lingering on the banner embroidered with "The World's Number One Forging Master" for a moment before a faint, dismissive smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Xuanye, look at this boastful claim. It's likely just the empty bravado of some young upstart who doesn't know his own limits. If he truly had such skill, why would he need to run such a small shop in Profound Crystal City?"

Elder Xuanye did not reply. He merely tightened his grip on the storage pouch in his hand and remained silent.

Disappointment.

He had genuinely thought they had encountered a real master, but...

Of course, Xuanye also found the banner rather ostentatious. If not for the undeniable transformation of the Moonlight Sword, he would have turned and left right then and there.

But for now, he could only wait silently for Ye Chuan to appear.

Soon, Ye Chuan and Hu Li emerged from the inner hall of the shop. Although he had learned from his disciple that the master was young, he hadn't expected him to be this young.

Judging by his appearance, he was probably only in his early twenties, wasn't he?

This...

Zhang Yuefeng immediately greeted them, "Master, I've brought my master and my martial uncle."

At that moment, Ye Chuan merely glanced at the storage pouch in Xuanye's hand and spoke directly:

"So, did you bring the Star-Shatter Sword?"

Xuanye first sized up Ye Chuan carefully.

He actually couldn't discern Ye Chuan's cultivation level.

Xuanye was at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, a renowned figure in these parts. Yet, looking at Ye Chuan, he was shocked to find he couldn't read the man before him.

Could it be...

His cultivation is above mine?

However, he quickly dismissed that thought, but it still gave Xuanye a sliver more confidence.

Perhaps... he really can do it?

Xuanye carefully retrieved the Star-Shatter Sword from his storage pouch.

The broken blade, its once brilliant starry patterns now dull and lifeless. Only a faint glimmer of spiritual light flickered weakly at the sword's guard—the lingering breath of the weapon spirit.

"Young friend, do you think it can be repaired..." Xuanye's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.

As if afraid Ye Chuan would say no.

He had been disappointed too many times before.

Meanwhile, Xuan Yan stood to the side with his arms crossed, his eyes full of scrutiny. He was determined to see what this "World's Number One" was truly capable of.

Ye Chuan picked up the Star-Shatter Sword, his fingertip lightly tracing the fractured edge.

[Item: Star-Shatter Sword Gold (Damaged)

Top-grade spirit sword, in a damaged state]

Top-grade?

Not bad.

He didn't use his spiritual sense to probe; he simply relied on the instinct of his forging function to scan the blade.

[Materials satisfied. Can be repaired for 100 spirit stones.]

Ye Chuan glanced at the list of required materials and spoke.

"Hmm, not a big problem. The weapon spirit is merely in a deep slumber. The sword's body is made of Meteor Star Iron Sand, and I happen to have matching materials here."

He had picked up too many materials in the Profound Crystal Abyss; Ye Chuan was in no short supply.

"Not a big problem?" Xuan Yan couldn't help but interject.

“Even the most top-notch forging masters of the past were at a loss. They said the connection between this sword's spirit and its body was severed, and forcing a repair would only cause the spirit to dissipate completely. Yet you make it sound so simple.”

Ye Chuan ignored his skepticism and simply asked Xuanye, "Repair it, or not?"

Xuanye took a deep look at Ye Chuan. He could see the confidence in Ye Chuan's eyes. Repairing this sword seemed like a trivial matter to him.

"Repair it."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chuan placed the Star-Shatter Sword on the forging platform. With a flick of his finger, a ball of golden flame ignited out of thin air, enveloping the sword.

The flame's temperature was extremely high, yet it didn't scorch the surrounding wooden counter. Xuanye and Xuan Yan were taken aback—this was the highest realm of fire control, Micro-level Fire Manipulation!

Although Ye Chuan's technique seemed miraculous, in his own eyes, there was only a faint window.

[Repairing... Countdown: 59 seconds]

Time's up.

"Weng—"

A clear, melodious sword hum resonated throughout the entire shop, a hundred times louder than the Moonlight Sword's hum from before.

The previously dim Star-Shatter Sword suddenly erupted with dazzling starlight. The patterns on the blade seemed to come alive, flowing with a radiant, silvery-white glow.

The broken section was now perfectly healed. The blade was so sharp it seemed capable of slicing through the air itself. The spiritual light at the sword guard transformed into a palm-sized, ethereal star spirit apparition, which affectionately nuzzled Ye Chuan's finger.

"It's... it's repaired?!" Elder Xuanye took a step back in shock, his face filled with disbelief.

Especially Xuanye. He rushed forward excitedly, his hand trembling as he reached out. The Star-Shatter Sword seemed to sense him and flew automatically into his grasp.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch, with spiritual energy flowing through it seamlessly. The weapon spirit's aura was even stronger than at its peak!

"Re... repaired? And it took less time than it takes an incense stick to burn!" Elder Xuan Yan also stared wide-eyed as if he'd seen a ghost. His earlier skepticism had completely vanished, replaced by profound shock.

He leaned in to examine the Star-Shatter Sword closely, even holding his breath.

This...

Am I dreaming?

It's really fixed?

Ye Chuan said calmly, "Five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. Settle the bill."

Hearing Ye Chuan's voice, Xuanye snapped back to reality and hurriedly took out a new storage pouch from his own and handed it to Ye Chuan.

"Master, the spirit stones are here! Thank you, Master, for repairing the Star-Shatter Sword. The Profound Moon Sect will never forget this kindness!"

At this moment, Xuanye's address for Ye Chuan had also changed from "young friend" to "Master," clearly shocked by the other's god-like skill.

Ye Chuan took the storage pouch and casually put it away.

Hmm...

One hundred spirit stones, plus a few hundred spirit stones worth of ore for material cost. Profit: five hundred thousand spirit stones.

Passable.

Xuanye gripped the Star-Shatter Sword, feeling the surging power within. He suddenly remembered what Zhang Yuefeng had said earlier about enhancement and strengthening, and tentatively asked:

"Master, you mentioned before... that magical treasures can be further improved?"

"Correct," Ye Chuan nodded. "Looking at your sword, the material is good. You could try Enhancement."

"The price... for two enhancements, let's say ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. It can increase its power by ten percent and also strengthen the weapon spirit."

"Ten percent?!" Xuan Yan, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. "For a spirit sword of this quality, Master, you must be joking?"

Ye Chuan gave him a lazy glance. "This master never deceives anyone."

Xuanye also came to his senses. The joy of having the Star-Shatter Sword just repaired made him unwilling to miss the opportunity.

He immediately said, "Master, I believe you! Please perform the Enhancement and strengthening on the Star-Shatter Sword!"

Ye Chuan took the Star-Shatter Sword and accepted another ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. Then, he directly tossed the sword into a furnace not far away.

"This... this..." Seeing Ye Chuan's rough handling, Xuanye almost said something but forcefully stopped himself.

Soon, the furnace began to shake. Following two pleasant chimes, the Star-Shatter Sword was pushed back out.

The sword was now covered in a special glow. Ye Chuan picked it up and saw the +2 Enhancement had succeeded. After all, enhancements before +7 were straightforward, requiring only money.

"Passable. Not bad," Ye Chuan said, tossing the sword back to Xuanye. "Check it."