Ling Fan was clearly not satisfied.
His gaze fell upon Hu Hao.
Hu Hao's heart tightened as Ling Fan looked his way.
He quickly lowered his head, a trace of gloom flashing in his eyes. Ling Fan's momentum was too strong today; he had even forced the Jin family to retreat. A direct confrontation with Ling Fan now was definitely not a wise choice.
Therefore, he chose to yield.
"Master Ling... Master Ling, what guidance do you have?"
Ling Fan suddenly smiled, but the coldness in his pupils was like ice that had never melted, causing Hu Hao to shiver. A chill shot straight to the crown of his head.
"That top-tier mortal weapon of mine, you sold it to the Jin family of your own accord, didn't you?"
"It was you who sent Hu Mao and a few subordinates to intercept me halfway, wasn't it?"
"It was you and the Jin family colluding to put the Lan family to death, wasn't it?"
Ling Fan fired off a series of questions, each one hitting Hu Hao like a heavy blow.
He buried his head even lower, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Master Wang, standing nearby, turned ashen upon hearing this.
He only now realized that Hu Hao had dared to target Ling Fan repeatedly behind his back.
"Beast, why don't you confess quickly!"
Master Wang's fiery temper, hating evil as he hated enemies, flared up. If the matter hadn't been unclear, he would have loved to smash Hu Hao's skull with a single palm.
"Master Ling, Teacher, I've been wronged!"
Hu Hao was extremely panicked and hastily kowtowed, crying out his innocence.
Master Wang's expression was extremely grim. In fact, he had also sensed something. During the previous weapon forging competition, Hu Hao had clearly favored the Jin family.
As for Hu Hao privately selling that set to the Jin family, the truth of that matter could be easily verified.
Moreover, several people had indeed mysteriously disappeared recently, all of whom were Hu Hao's trusted subordinates.
These people must have been killed by Ling Fan!
The entire Jiangnan City believed Ling Fan to be a good-for-nothing, but only Master Wang knew that Ling Fan possessed extremely powerful true qi cultivation, capable of resolving and clearing the stagnant Geng Metal qi within his own body...
Master Wang's thoughts raced like lightning, and he quickly pieced together many of the events, believing them to be seven or eight parts true.
It must have been Hu Hao's jealousy of Ling Fan's talent, fearing that Ling Fan would threaten his position in Jiangnan City, that led him to commit these wicked deeds.
However, Hu Hao was his disciple, and he had high hopes for him.
After calming down, Master Wang, remembering their teacher-disciple bond, still wanted to spare Hu Hao's life if at all possible, unless there was no other choice.
He cupped his hands towards Ling Fan and said, "Master Ling, if you have any evidence, please present it. If it was indeed my unfilial disciple's doing, I will personally give you an explanation."
Hu Hao held his breath.
Ling Fan said lightly, "In my actions, I follow my heart; I do not need any evidence. If you believe me, then clean up your own house. If you don't believe me, I will resolve it in my own way."
Master Wang gave a bitter smile.
It seemed Ling Fan was determined to kill Hu Hao.
If he protected Hu Hao today, he would likely have no other path but to confront Ling Fan in the future.
Thinking of Ling Fan's various unbelievable methods and abilities, Master Wang did not want to become Ling Fan's enemy.
"Very well! Daring to oppose Master Ling is also my unfilial disciple seeking his own death. I will clean up my house and give you an explanation!"
Master Wang said, taking a deep breath.
Hearing Master Wang's words, Hu Hao, who was prostrate on the ground, was struck as if by lightning.
He simply couldn't believe that his teacher would kill him based on Ling Fan's word!
"I'll fight you to the death!"
"So what if I did all this? I want you dead!"
Hu Hao suddenly erupted, his initial stage Qi Refining cultivation displayed without reservation. A sharp, cold beam of true qi shot towards Ling Fan like a bolt of lightning.
Everyone was startled.
Especially the Lan family members. After hearing Hu Hao admit everything, they realized they had wrongly accused Ling Fan before.
Ling Fan had not betrayed any Lan family secrets; it was all Hu Hao's machinations behind the scenes.
Thinking of this, they felt immensely ashamed.
Lan Xueyi couldn't help but exclaim, "Be careful!"
Just as Lan Tianxiong was about to act, Master Wang had already moved first. He unleashed a solidified, steel-like gust of wind blade, directly blocking Hu Hao's attack.
And Hu Hao himself was instantly killed by the terrifying gust of wind.
The entire scene fell silent!
The brutal scene of blood splashing caused everyone's expressions to stiffen.
They couldn't help but foresee that with Ling Fan, this Yellow-tier forging genius, and the backing of the Forging Association and Master Wang, the Lan family was likely to soar this time!
Everyone looked at the figure holding the Nine-patterned Spirit Sword, their emotions incredibly complex.
Especially the people from the Lan family, who felt a mix of emotions.
"Master Ling, would you mind stepping aside for a chat?"
Master Wang cupped his hands towards Ling Fan.
Ling Fan nodded lightly. As his gaze swept over the Lan family members, it paused on Lan Xueyi.
"Wait a moment."
Ling Fan walked towards Lan Xueyi.
"I don't think I've given you anything yet. Although this sword is a bit lacking, it's the first spirit weapon I forged, so consider it a gift. I've named it the Blue Snow Sword. Of course, if you don't like it, you can change it."
Lan Xueyi was stunned.
She dazedly accepted the treasured sword.
"You..."
She wanted to say something more, but Ling Fan had already left with Master Wang.
Everyone was captivated!
Weren't Ling Fan's words too boastful? A peak Yellow-tier low-grade Nine-patterned Spirit Sword, and he called it "lacking"?
If it were put up for auction, it would start at least at three million. Many families couldn't afford it even if they went bankrupt, and it would be available only in name, not in fact.
Everyone, especially the powerful cultivators, stared at the Nine-patterned Spirit Sword in Lan Xueyi's hand, their eyes fixed on it...
And among the many women, their gazes towards Lan Xueyi were filled with envy.
If someone were to give them a Nine-patterned Spirit Weapon so generously, how wonderful would that be? They would immediately offer themselves.
Previously, all the women in Jiangnan City had gloated over Lan Xueyi, thinking, "So what if she's the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan City? In the end, she's still stuck with a piece of dung."
But now, Ling Fan had become a coveted golden bachelor in everyone's eyes...
After all, he was a Yellow-tier Forgemaster not yet twenty years old!
One person could rival an aristocratic family.
...
This incredibly exciting weapon forging competition finally concluded with the Lan family's complete victory, the Jin family's crushing defeat, and Hu Hao's death.
For a time, the entire Jiangnan City was abuzz with excitement!
Especially in the weapon forging competition, Master Zheng, with all his might, forged a Yellow-tier Spirit Weapon, thus ascending to the ranks of Yellow-tier Masters, astonishing many.
That was a Yellow-tier Forgemaster of high status!
Upon becoming a Yellow-tier Master, his status was comparable to that of a city lord.
What was even more shocking was that Ling Fan, the Lan family's live-in son-in-law who had always been considered the biggest good-for-nothing in Jiangnan City, had actually forged a Nine-patterned Spirit Sword, forcefully crushing Master Zheng and turning the tide!
He had pulled the Lan family back from the brink of death.
The entire city fell silent.
The former useless son-in-law had unexpectedly transformed into a high-ranking Forgemaster, making it difficult for many to accept.