Han Yu narrowed his eyes. "Why so cheap?"
"Because no one gives any jobs!" the disciple blurted, face turning red. "I just want to prove I can actually do sothing without blowing up a forge again—uh, not that I ever blew one up recently!"
"...Right."
Han Yu tapped the glaive on the ground and studied the kid.
There was sothing earnest about the guy. Nervous, yes—but not the conniving type. Besides, the weapon wasn’t enchanted or spiritually bound. If he ruined it, Han Yu could just punch things again until he got a better one.
"Fine," Han Yu said, holding out his hand. "Deal."
The disciple grinned so hard it looked like his face might crack.
"I’m Mu Zhi, by the way!" he said. "I’ll have it ready in three days. Just leave it with and don’t touch the forge doors if you see it sparking."
Han Yu handed over the glaive and the paynt, but hesitated as Mu Zhi slung the weapon over his shoulder and waddled off toward a tiny workshop labeled ’Annex 9¾’, hidden behind a collapsed cart and a very angry chicken.
"Three days," Mu Zhi called back. "I promise you’ll love it!"
As Han Yu left Weapon Peak, he wasn’t sure whether he had just made a clever deal... or entrusted his future to a guy who looked like he’d lose an arm wrestling match with a broom.
Still, he smiled to himself.
This was the first step in making the weapon his.
And he couldn’t wait to see the result.
Three days passed in a blink.
Han Yu returned to Weapon Peak with both excitent and caution swirling in his gut. He half-expected the glaive to be a misshapen ss—or worse, to explode when he touched it. Still, sothing about Mu Zhi’s determined expression last ti had instilled a strange confidence in him.
The forge grounds were as chaotic as ever. Flas roared, sparks flew, and disciples barked at each other over spirit ores and hamr techniques. But nestled in the quieter back corner, behind a smoking barrel and a rather annoyed-looking goat, was the modest sign of Annex 9¾.
Han Yu knocked on the half-broken wooden door.
There was a loud clang, a hiss of steam, and a muffled voice shouting, "I’M ALIVE! I’M—Oh, it’s you! Co in!"
Han Yu stepped inside.
The room was cramped and slled of burnt copper and spiritual flux tal, but on the central workbench—cleared of all clutter—rested a gleaming weapon.
It was the glaive.
Except now it glead with a darker polish, the tal reinforced and perfectly balanced. The shaft was smooth but firm to the grip, with subtle grooves for traction. And best of all, a polished locking chanism sat just below the blade.
"Behold!" Mu Zhi cried dramatically, erging from behind a smoking bellows with soot all over his face and shirt. "Your glaive, Mark Two! Now certified for double-duty devastation!"
Han Yu approached and picked it up.
It felt right. The balance was smoother than before, and the grip no longer felt awkward. With a firm twist at the middle, the shaft separated into two parts with a crisp click, becoming a short-bladed sword and a long staff. Another twist snapped it back into place as a glaive.
"...Not bad," Han Yu muttered.
"Not bad?! That’s engineering artistry!" Mu Zhi said, throwing his arms up. "I replaced the steel cap with a reinforced Spring Iron Alloy for shock absorption. I added a dual-lock latching chanism so it won’t fall apart mid-swing. You can even store spirit pills in the hollow chamber of the staff section—though I wouldn’t recomnd salty snacks. Those ss with the grip as you’ll end up spreading salt on it and making it less grippy."
Han Yu raised an eyebrow. "You... thought about storing snacks?"
"It’s called field innovation," Mu Zhi said proudly. "Now, you’ll probably want to know what kind of spirit weapon path this falls under, right?"
"Actually, yeah." Han Yu twirled the weapon. "This doesn’t feel like an ordinary iron stick. I wanted to ask about the different types."
Mu Zhi dusted his hands and sat on an overturned ore bucket. "Alright, Weapon Theory 101. Spirit weapons are broadly categorized into three main types."
He held up one soot-blackened finger.
"First, you’ve got Pure Forged weapons. These babies are all about the quality of the materials. You use things like Cold Iron, Fla Crystal Steel, Jadeite Crystals—we’re talking tals and resources that are naturally strong, sturdy, and qi-conductive. These weapons don’t rely on any enchantnts or formations. They don’t glow, don’t shoot lightning, but they’ll outlast a war and still be sharp enough to shave your eyebrows."
"Sounds simple."
"It is," Mu Zhi nodded. "But really good materials are rare and expensive. And since there’s no formation support, the weapon’s just as strong as its user."
He held up a second finger.
"Second, there are Enchanted Weapons. Here, the forging process is less about the tal and more about the formations engraved into them. Even if the base material is just tempered steel, with the right formation, it might cast flas, drain qi, or store a technique. These weapons are often expensive to make and can compensate for lower physical strength."
"Downside?" Han Yu asked.
"They’re more fragile," Mu Zhi said. "If the formation gets damaged or disrupted, the weapon becos basically decorative. Plus, they usually require recharging with spirit stones or qi to use thier weapon skills."
He held up the third and final finger.
"Lastly, the Hybrid Type. This is the dream combo: high-quality materials and potent formations. A sword that’s tough enough to parry spirit beast claws, and lets you fire sword beams on command? That’s a hybrid."
Han Yu whistled. "Sounds expensive."
"Extrely," Mu Zhi said, eyes glinting. "They’re hard to make because the materials and the formations have to be compatible. You can’t slap an ice enchantnt on a fla-tuned blade. That’d make it explode. Trust . I know."
Han Yu gave him a look. "You made one explode?"
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