Chapter 182: The Weight of Ambition
"Welcome, young friend. It's been a while."
Su Tianhao smiled in response, his golden eyes never leaving Wei Chang's face—scanning every detail with quiet precision. There was no deceit in the old man's expression. Only sincerity.
He cupped his fists into a respectful bow. "Greetings, Senior."
Wei Chang's face lit up warmly. Just then, Lin Ming stepped into the room behind them—he had been so startled by Su Tianhao's abrupt entry that he had instinctively held back for a moment to collect himself before following.
Wei Chang glanced at him. Their eyes met briefly—no words exchanged, yet an entire conversation passed between them in that single look.
Lin Ming's expression settled into quiet understanding. He walked to a corner of the room and stood there without a sound, still as a statue.
Wei Chang smiled in satisfaction before turning back to his guest. "Have a seat, young friend."
Su Tianhao glanced between the two of them, shrugged lightly, and settled into the chair across from the desk.
Wei Chang laced his fingers together, his expression shifting—effortlessly professional now, the kind of composure that felt less like a performance and more like instinct. His aura carried the dignified weight of a Martial Grandmaster, ancient and unhurried.
"I'll go straight to the point," he said. "Tell me what you need—and don't hesitate. This couldn't simply be pavilion business, could it?"
"You're right," Su Tianhao replied. "While I do have business with the pavilion today, that isn't why I was seeking you."
His golden eyes met Wei Chang's ember glow steadily.
"I need your guidance, Senior."
"Oh?" Wei Chang's lips curved with quiet amusement. "And what might that be? From what I have heard, you are not the type to seek help from others."
Su Tianhao's eyes narrowed slightly. "Where did you hear that?"
"The Ghost-Eyed Appraiser. And there are no small number of testimonies coming from Oakwood City." Wei Chang studied Su Tianhao's expression carefully as he spoke.
Sure enough—Su Tianhao's face darkened immediately, his voice cutting through the room like drawn steel.
"You investigated me?"
Wei Chang raised one unhurried hand. "Not at all, young friend. The Token of Honor you carried last time allowed me to link you to the Ghost-Eyed Appraiser. I grew curious—he is not the type to offer assistance to anyone. Seven years that token sat with him, and never once did he extend it to a customer or show the slightest interest. So I reached out, and he told me a little."
"A little?" Su Tianhao narrowed his eyes.
"Exactly." Wei Chang smiled.
'Tsk. Nothing good comes free,' Su Tianhao thought darkly. 'And that Lu Qingran—why can't he keep his mouth shut? Isn't he supposed to be aloof and indifferent?'
In truth, Lu Qingran had shared very little—and only because Wei Chang was an old friend who had once done him considerable favours. Even then, his reluctance had been plain. A source of entertainment was not something Lu Qingran was eager to share.
Wei Chang coughed lightly, drawing Su Tianhao back from his thoughts. "It seems he was wrong about one thing—you clearly do seek help when it suits you. Though you are certainly cautious about it."
"Hmph."
Su Tianhao snorted softly. "I know when to seek help and when not to. I only seek assistance when it is absolutely necessary. And I haven't come today for any great favours—only answers to a few questions."
"Sound reasoning for someone so young." Wei Chang stroked his beard, expression unreadable. "Very well. What do you wish to ask?"
Su Tianhao's tone turned serious. "My sword sustained heavy damage during training—"
"You need a forge and a weapon craftsman for hire, right?" Wei Chang cut him off abruptly, his voice calm and steady. "Repairs, I assume?"
"Not repairs." Su Tianhao shook his head. "An upgrade."
Wei Chang's brows drew together. He leaned back slowly. "Few craftsmen specialise in weapon upgrading—most focus solely on fresh construction. If I may ask, what rank is the weapon currently, and what rank are you aiming for?"
Su Tianhao held his gaze without wavering. "It's currently a Quasi-Peak Mortal Rank weapon. I intend to upgrade it to Peak Spirit Rank."
"WHAT?!"
The outburst came from the corner. Lin Ming clapped both hands over his mouth the instant the word left him, eyes wide with horror at his own lapse. "I— apologies, Master—"
Wei Chang silenced him with a single sharp look. Lin Ming shrank back into the corner like a reprimanded child.
The elder turned back to Su Tianhao, a strained smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "You can't be serious. My attendant's outburst was undisciplined—but his words aren't without merit. What you're describing is, by any reasonable standard, impossible."
"Is that so?" Su Tianhao's voice was calm. "What if I told you the blade was forged from Nightiron ore?"
The smile vanished.
Wei Chang's composed expression cracked—a flash of genuine surprise, followed swiftly by something closer to outrage. "Nightiron ore?! Who in their right mind uses Nightiron ore for a Mortal Rank weapon?! Do you have any idea what that material is worth? What a waste—"
Su Tianhao's lips twitched, but he held his tongue. In Oakwood City, Master Huan was a revered figure and Shadowfang his greatest creation, mainly because of the Nightiron ore. But out here, that same decision read as nothing short of reckless extravagance. He understood that, but it didn't make the sting any less.
"I know how it sounds," he said evenly. "But it's the truth. And it's precisely why I believe the upgrade is possible."
Wei Chang exhaled softly, the outrage settling into reluctant contemplation. He reached for one of the jade vials on his desk and turned it slowly between his fingers, thinking.
"Even with Nightiron ore as the foundation," he said at last, "upgrading to Peak Spirit Rank remains extraordinarily difficult. High-grade is the more realistic ceiling—and even that would demand exceptional skill and execution."
"Don't worry about that, Senior," Su Tianhao replied. The confidence in his voice wasn't bravado. It was certainty. "I have my way."
Wei Chang studied him for a long moment, then smiled—the quiet, knowing smile of a man who had lived long enough to stop being surprised by the impossible.
"Then I won't press further." He set the vial down. "I know of a place—the Ironveil Forge. It's run by Master Shen Bao, a High-grade Spirit Rank craftsman of considerable reputation. I suspect you have secrets you'd prefer to keep, so I'll add this: in more than fifty years of knowing the man, I have never once seen him show interest in anything beyond advancing his craft. Not wealth. Not status." He paused, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "Not even women."
Su Tianhao blinked.
'This man read through my intentions in a matter of moments. This is exactly what I wanted!'
Wei Chang chuckled at his expression. "You're willing to let a hired craftsman witness whatever method you intend to use—which tells me how pressed for time you are. And pressed men prefer discretion. Master Shen is the closest thing to a sealed vault that Cloudrise City has to offer."
Su Tianhao was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Senior."
"Don't thank me yet." Wei Chang waved a hand, suddenly looking far less like a prestigious Martial Grandmaster and far more like a warm neighbourhood elder settling in for a good conversation. "If your method is as extraordinary as you imply, Shen Bao might get so excited he forgets to charge you altogether. The man lives for rare techniques."
Su Tianhao filed that away with interest.
"Now then," Wei Chang said, straightening. "You mentioned pavilion business as well. Since you're already here—what do you need?"
"Materials for the upgrade," Su Tianhao said. "Five items."
Wei Chang folded his hands. "Go on."
Su Tianhao raised five fingers and counted them off. "Voidtemper Obsidian. Ashenthread Silk. Nightfall Quenching Oil. A grade five Soul Crystal—specifically from a Blood Savage Serpent. And two grade four beast cores—one light-attributed, one lightning-attributed."
Wei Chang was quiet for a moment. "An interesting combination," he said at last, with what might have been admiration. "The first three are Spirit Rank forging materials. The soul crystal and beast cores are another matter entirely."
He leaned forward, ember eyes sharpening. "Blood Savage Serpent soul crystals are volatile—and the lingering will within them is notoriously vicious. Light and lightning attributed cores are rare enough on their own."
His tone turned careful, almost paternal. "You should know when to stop, young friend. Overloading a single weapon with too many powerful, conflicting materials can do more harm than good."
"I understand, Senior." Su Tianhao held his gaze steadily. "My heart is set."
Wei Chang regarded him for a long, unblinking moment. If he knew Su Tianhao intended to infuse seven more beast cores into the weapon alongside these seven materials—the elder's composure might have finally broken entirely.
He exhaled slowly. "I've given my counsel. Whatever follows is yours to own." He settled back. "What quality preference do you want for the forging materials? Low, mid, high, or peak?"
"Low-quality," Su Tianhao answered without hesitation.
Wei Chang's brow furrowed. "For a weapon you intend to raise to Peak Spirit Rank, I would strongly advise peak-quality materials. The foundation matters."
"Just the cost, Senior," Su Tianhao said with quiet finality.
Wei Chang held his gaze for one more beat, then nodded—the resigned acceptance of a man who had made his case and chose not to waste further breath. 'If he fails, the lesson will teach him better than I can,' he thought inwardly, and did the calculations.
"Low-quality Voidtemper Obsidian—one hundred and fifty spirit stones. Ashenthread Silk—one hundred spirit stones. Nightfall Quenching Oil—seventy spirit stones. The Blood Savage Serpent soul crystal would cost three hundred spirit stones. The light and lightning attributed beast cores—five thousand gold coins each, though I'll remind you that despite being grade four, attributed cores of that rarity command prices beyond most grade five specimens."
He paused, doing the arithmetic. "Seven hundred and twenty spirit stones in total. With your Token of Honor discount—five hundred and seventy-six."
Su Tianhao smiled. Less than he had anticipated.
His spatial ring flashed. Spirit stones cascaded onto the desk in a neat, gleaming pile—Exactly five hundred and seventy-six.
'Two thousand, four hundred and twenty-four spirit stones left,' he noted inwardly.
'Time to change that.'
His golden eyes lifted back to Wei Chang.
"Now—the third reason I'm here." A faint, almost mischievous curve touched his lips. "I have spirit beast corpses and beast cores to sell."
Wei Chang tilted his head with quiet interest. "Oh? How many, and what grade?"
"The corpses are seven—ranging from 1st to 2nd level grade four. As for the cores..." Su Tianhao let the pause stretch just long enough. "One hundred and twenty-five. Ranging from 1st level to 2nd level grade four—with one exception. A single 3rd level grade four core."
He kept his expression perfectly composed.
"A Mutant Grey Wolf King core."
Wei Chang stared at him.
The silence stretched for three full seconds—an eternity for a man of his experience.
"One hundred and twenty-five," he repeated, very slowly. His eyes narrowing with surprise bothering on disbelief.
"One hundred and twenty-five," Su Tianhao confirmed pleasantly.
From the corner came a sound like a dying goose trying to scream silently.
Lin Ming had pressed himself so hard against the wall that he looked like he was trying to merge with it. Both hands were clamped over his mouth, but his eyes were bulging so wide they threatened to fall out and roll across the floor. He stared at Su Tianhao as if the young man had just announced he'd killed the city lord, married his daughter, and asked for compensation—all before lunch.
Wei Chang looked at Lin Ming.
Then back at Su Tianhao.
Then—for the first time since their meeting began—the old Martial Grandmaster's meticulously composed expression gave way to a single, incredulous laugh.