On the second day after 'Xue Qinghe' left Gengxin City.
The Blacksmiths Association underwent a major restructuring. They began taking a headcount, preparing to mobilize nearly half of their forces to Suoto City to begin construction of the association branch there.
The news spread within hours. Members of all factions quickly learned of this development.
Before they even had a chance to react, Zhu Jiuyang announced the list.
All the Spirit Masters sent by the Star Luo royal family, as well as those from families and clans that had recently reached agreements with the association regarding talent supply and training, were on the list.
In other words, all Spirit Masters sent by any faction within the Star Luo Empire, who were preparing to advance in the field of blacksmithing, were now to be sent to Suoto City.
This, of course, caused resistance.
Given the choice, who would want to go to a foreign land?
However, the result of resistance was large-scale layoffs.
The Blacksmiths Association directly cut twenty percent of the personnel from the Star Luo faction.
Not only that, but the conditions offered to them were also reduced. The resources originally allocated for everyone were now only given to the remaining eighty percent, who did not receive any increase in their share.
This caused extreme dissatisfaction among the major forces within the Star Luo Empire, including the royal family, who demanded an explanation from the Blacksmiths Association.
Unfortunately, the only ones who could voice their complaints were the representatives present in Gengxin City. In this era of backward information, their parent organizations couldn't communicate with the association in real-time.
Before their parent organizations even received the news, they were being urged by the association to depart. Si Long, Si Yu, and another former Grandmaster-level blacksmith led the team, taking this group to pioneer the new branch.
The representatives sought out the three leaders, wanting an explanation.
The three leaders on this trip were all Spirit Sages!
Even if not skilled in combat, they were still Spirit Sages.
The strongest members sent by the various forces were only Spirit Emperors at best.
This was because after the Spirit Hall reached a cooperation agreement with the Blacksmiths Association, and at Su Ming's request, the new Hall Master sent to take charge of the Gengxin City Spirit Hall Main Hall was only a Spirit Emperor.
Since the Spirit Hall's publicly acknowledged top figure in the city was a Spirit Emperor, the Star Luo royal family and other subsequently cooperating forces, to show sincerity, also did not send personnel above the Spirit Emperor level to Gengxin City.
Although Dai Weis was a prince, with insufficient personal strength, he could only reason with Si Long.
"We are also part of the Blacksmiths Association. Your current actions are treating us like prisoners. Do you really want to offend all the cooperating forces?"
Si Long merely responded calmly, "According to the agreement with the Star Luo royal family, we will train you fully and accept you. But I recall a clause in the agreement stating that the Star Luo Empire shall not hinder the association's cooperation with the Heaven Dou Empire."
Dai Weis's face darkened.
The ambush on 'Xue Qinghe' mid-journey was indeed the work of the Star Luo royal family. But the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou himself is coming into Star Luo territory? Who could resist such a temptation?
The key was that such critical information was spread everywhere at the time; it was simply too enticing.
"The Heaven Dou royal family is very angry. Our association had to pay a significant price to appease them and continue our cooperation."
A significant price?
Dai Weis felt like vomiting blood.
How long was Xue Qinghe actually at the association, from arrival to departure?
It was just a procedural confirmation of the cooperation agreement. How could there have been time for desperate pleas like 'Please, we beg you to cooperate with us' in between?
Dai Weis knew Si Long was talking nonsense.
However, he couldn't refute this point.
What Si Long described was the normal, expected situation. The fact that Xue Qinghe didn't hold the association responsible was abnormal, truly due to the other party's excessive 'magnanimity'.
"Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was also very forgiving. He did not pursue the ambush, but only requested that Your Highness, the Eldest Prince, also make a trip to Suoto City."
"Of course, rest assured, Your Highness. Crown Prince Xue Qinghe has already stated that he will warn all surrounding forces on his return journey not to harm any members of the association."
"Moreover, Your Highness is also part of the association. Our association will definitely ensure Your Highness's safety."
Dai Weis felt extremely aggrieved.
This...
Ambushing Xue Qinghe was our fault, but the conditions the association agreed to for Xue Qinghe simply don't treat him as a person.
"According to the agreement, all members of the royal family who join the Blacksmiths Association, including Your Highness the Eldest Prince, must comply with the association's arrangements, provided their lives are not endangered."
Si Long looked at Dai Weis and added another sentence.
Besides Dai Weis, representatives from other forces also tried to argue, but none dared to be too forceful, fearing further layoffs. In the end, they all received answers similar to Dai Weis's.
And they also grew to resent the Star Luo royal family intensely.
Why did you have to go and ambush Xue Qinghe for no good reason?
Si Long had strong execution capabilities. With Zhu Jiuyang's prior arrangements, he carried out everything according to Zhu Jiuyang's intentions.
Gengxin City Blacksmiths Association.
"Within three days, the Star Luo royal family won't be able to react in time. They might send someone to question us tomorrow, but by then, Dai Weis will already have entered Heaven Dou territory."
Zhu Jiuyang nodded with satisfaction.
Su Ming had explained the overall plan to him, and Zhu Jiuyang handled the rest of the arrangements.
"Currently, only Xiao Ming, I, and Little Gold have mastered the Thousand Refined Spirit Metal technique. The three of us are staying here. The Heaven Dou royal family will also have to obediently send their people here, not to Suoto City."
The core technology remained in Gengxin City. The Heaven Dou royal family would have to accept this, however reluctantly.
Suoto City.
Tang Hao, hidden under his cloak, listened to the conversations of pedestrians on the street, feeling slightly pleased.
"They're actually coming to Suoto City to establish a branch. Coincidentally, Little San will come here in half a year. When the time comes, I can have Little San join the association and learn Thousand Refined Spirit Metal."
Thinking of Spirit Metal, he felt both fondness and resentment.
This stuff could help alleviate his pain because he could inject his Spirit Power into it, let it circulate temporarily within the Spirit Metal, and then guide it back into his body.
With no Spirit Power circulating through his meridians, the pressure on them dropped drastically.
This was also the reason he neglected his cultivation before Tang San's Martial Spirit awakened.
Having neglected cultivation, his Spirit Power gradually receded, greatly reducing the pressure on his meridians, allowing him to live peacefully through those six years.
"What a pity. It can only be used as a tool to relieve pain."
Tang Hao also wanted to use Spirit Metal to construct more Spirit Power cycles, transferring part of his cultivation onto the Spirit Metal. This could potentially solve the internal injuries in his body bit by bit.
Unfortunately, Spirit Metal was too fragile. The spiritual nature within it was scattered and chaotic, unable to withstand his Spirit Power for long.
"If only there was a way to utilize the spiritual nature within Spirit Metal properly... What a pity..."
Suoto City.
Xue Qinghe was temporarily staying in Suoto City. Upon hearing that a contingent from the Blacksmiths Association was arriving not far behind, he had someone investigate the situation.
Upon learning that the people coming to participate in the branch construction were all from the Star Luo side, he was initially amused.
However, after his amusement faded, he couldn't laugh anymore.
Because he searched through the pioneer list for a long time but couldn't find a single Level Three Blacksmith – a blacksmith capable of Thousand Refined Spirit Metal.
(End of Chapter)