Even a martial arts Grandmaster of the Heavenly Origin Realm would not be able to discern the authenticity of these spirit weapons.
Let alone a young man devoid of true qi.
Just as Master Long Duo was gradually regaining his confidence.
Ling Fan extended two fingers and pointed at the body of the spirit sword.
This sudden action drew everyone's gaze.
Under this single finger, to everyone's disbelief, the twenty-five golden spirit patterns, resplendent and golden, on the sword's body slowly floated up!
They were directly peeled off the sword by the seemingly ordinary, gray-haired young man!
Then, Ling Fan flicked his fingers.
These twenty-five golden spirit patterns dissipated like a wisp of smoke!
And the spirit sword, having lost its golden patterns, was instantly reduced to its original form, transforming back into a plain, dull, ordinary sword.
Boom!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Their mouths gaped wide enough to fit a fist.
Their eyes showed profound disbelief, their expressions incredibly vivid.
As if they had seen a ghost.
How could this be!
Steward Zeng and Master Long Duo felt their minds buzz and explode!
As if struck by a bolt of heavenly lightning precisely on their crowns.
Especially Master Long Duo.
The shock in his heart at this moment was so intense it was beyond words.
This was a fake spirit weapon he had spent countless efforts to create using a long-lost ancient method.
It was absolutely capable of deceiving the heavens and fooling the discerning eye!
Even a martial arts Grandmaster of the Heavenly Origin Realm, or a seasoned Master of Xuan-grade weapon forging, would not be able to detect any flaws in a short time.
Yet now, an ordinary young man with no true qi had exposed his trick right before his eyes, and his methods were simply divine, making his heart pound with fear…
This gave him a sense of falling from the clouds into hell.
He was finished!
On the other side, Liu Han was also extremely shocked.
But his expression quickly turned stern.
With his intelligence, he understood that this was a setup.
A setup meticulously crafted by Steward Zeng and Master Long Duo for him.
Once this transaction was completed, and these spirit weapons revealed their true nature, he would be burdened with an immense scapegoat!
And his fate would likely not be a good one.
Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Liu Han's eyes.
A sense of authority and presence emanated from him.
This was the Liu Han who, at a young age, held a high position as the Deputy Protector of the Underground Trading Post!
He cast a cold glance at Master Long Duo, his gaze finally settling on Steward Zeng.
"What is going on here! Steward Zeng, do you have anything to say for yourself."
Steward Zeng, enraged, pointed at Ling Fan and shouted, "You wretched brat must have used some sorcery! You, you, you, you destroyed Master Long Duo's painstakingly forged spirit weapon! You deserve to die! I, I, I'll kill you!"
A powerful aura of the mid-stage Profound Gang Realm suddenly erupted from Steward Zeng. His martial qi surged like a storm, his power surging as he launched a palm strike towards Ling Fan.
Ling Fan remained motionless.
As if he didn't take Steward Zeng's attack seriously.
Just then, an even more powerful, several times stronger aura erupted. Liu Han, with a cold expression, pressed down with his palm, pinning Steward Zeng firmly to the ground.
After subduing Steward Zeng with a single palm, Liu Han, with lingering fear, clasped his hands in a salute to Ling Fan. "Liu Han thanks you for your timely rescue. If you hadn't exposed these two's treacherous plot, I would have fallen right into their trap!"
Ling Fan waved his hand indifferently.
"May I ask your esteemed name? Liu Han will remember your kindness for the rest of his life, and will never forget it!"
"Ling Qingyun."
"So it's Young Master Ling. May I ask how Young Master Ling discerned the authenticity of these spirit weapons?"
Liu Han asked humbly.
The other powerhouses from the underground trading post also looked at Ling Fan with curiosity.
Even Master Long Duo, who was crestfallen and dejected, now looked towards Ling Fan.
While his eyes flashed with hatred, he also desperately wanted to know how Ling Fan had deciphered his spirit pattern technique.
Ling Fan smiled faintly and said, "The so-called spirit patterns are forged using weapon crafting as the brush and formations as the paper, condensing spirit patterns from nothingness and directly imprinting them onto the weapon embryo. This unique forging method is called the Spirit Pattern Forging Method."
"But what this man mastered is merely the superficial!"
Ling Fan looked at Master Long Duo and sneered.
"A true Grandmaster of the Spirit Pattern Forging Method imbues spirit patterns with the power to transform the mundane into the miraculous. After being imprinted onto the weapon embryo, these patterns will not only fail to disappear over time but will profoundly alter the weapon embryo's structure, ultimately causing the weapon to be reborn."
"To use tattoos as an analogy."
"One is a tattoo that is truly inked on, while the other is a temporary sticker. How can their effects be compared!"
"Furthermore, these spirit patterns can be imprinted multiple times, depending on the material and load-bearing capacity of the weapon embryo, layering and enhancing the weapon's power and quality. This is an extremely remarkable path of weapon forging."
"If this man had truly mastered the Spirit Pattern Forging Method, then I would not have been able to peel off these spirit patterns so easily just now."
Ling Fan spoke calmly.
However, to everyone, especially Master Long Duo, his words were like thunderous bells, deafening and enlightening.
Ten years ago, Master Long Duo had, by chance, obtained a fragmented ancient parchment that recorded a miraculous weapon forging method.
However, it was extremely difficult to understand.
And the content was incomplete.
It took Master Long Duo several years to comprehend a mere sliver of it, and he added some of his own understanding of weapon forging.
Later, he spent several more years and hired a formation master at a high price, which was how he managed to produce this batch of spirit weapons that could pass for the real thing.
Upon hearing Ling Fan's words today, he felt as if he had been enlightened!
The more he pondered Ling Fan's words, the more shocked he became.
The areas on the fragmented ancient scroll that he had previously failed to decipher now became clear, and he found a new direction.
As Master Long Duo was still in shock.
Ling Fan continued, "Long Duo, I have exposed your trickery, revealed your true face, and ruined your grand plan today. Do you accept this?"
This statement struck Master Long Duo like a great bell, making his spirit tremble.
He wore a bitter smile, clasped his hands together, and then slowly bowed down, kneeling before Ling Fan.
"Master Ling is unparalleled in both formations and weapon forging. You have undone ten years of my hard work with a flick of your wrist. Long Duo submits!"
"I must also thank Master Ling for your guidance just now. It was Long Duo's greed that led me astray! I forgot the original intention of weapon forging. Today, I have finally awakened, and how could I harbor any resentment towards Master Ling!"
Seeing Master Long Duo kneeling subserviently at Ling Fan's feet, everyone's jaws dropped in astonishment.
Master Long Duo was a top-tier Yellow-grade Master Forger of the Heavenly Chu City Forging Association.
Given his status, even if his trickery was exposed, the Dark Martial Hall would not dare to do anything to him.
At most, they would make him pay some compensation, and it would be over.
But now, because of a single sentence from Ling Fan, he had knelt and submitted.
He even addressed Ling Fan as "Master Ling" and spoke of Ling Fan's dual mastery of formations and weapon forging.
The implications of this were immense!
Liu Han pondered Master Long Duo's words, and after a long while, his eyes shone with brilliance.
He could not help but bow to Ling Fan. "I failed to recognize the Master before me; we were too slow! We were greatly shocked by Master Ling's effortless dismantling of the fake spirit weapons, and we failed to consider the profundity of Master Ling's skills in weapon forging and formations. How foolish we were."
With his statement.
Others also began to understand.
Yes.
The fake spirit weapons that Master Long Duo had painstakingly created with the help of a formation master were so easily broken by Ling Fan in an instant. Doesn't this mean that Ling Fan's attainments in weapon forging and formations far surpass those of Long Duo and that formation master?
Once they grasped this point, everyone's gaze towards Ling Fan changed again.
ps: I took my wife and child to my father-in-law's house in Loudi this weekend, so I'm only updating one chapter. Please forgive me.