Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 242 [Defying Heaven and Reversing the Dao]

This chapter was written yesterday; I forgot to set a timer.

There will be one more update today!

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Chapter 236 [Defying Heaven and Rebelling Against the Dao]

Ten catties of copper from the fire.

Chen Yan quickly calculated the value of this item in his mind; it was probably over 100,000 jade coins—just repairing a substitute puppet wouldn't cost that much.

However, the Fire Copper itself is an extremely rare substance, and it is an important material used to make magical artifacts and treasures.

Chen Yan admitted that he was indeed tempted—wanting to repair the substitute puppet was one aspect, after all, it would give him an extra trump card to save his life.

On the other hand, now that he had obtained Nangong Sheng's insights on weapon crafting, he was eager to put more thought and effort into crafting magical artifacts, and he didn't want to miss out on such rare materials.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yan slowly said, "I can't give you any guarantees, but I can give your weapon-refining techniques and insights to Nangong Sheng to see—as for whether he will appreciate them, I can't guarantee that."

Upon hearing this, Nan Qiao nodded without hesitation: "As long as you can do this, you'll be helping me!"

Chen Yan frowned and looked at Nan Qiao, saying, "Ten catties of Li Huo copper is quite valuable. If you are willing to take out these ten catties of Li Huo copper as a gift to that noble family scion as an apology, he will most likely let your family go."

Why send me these things again, asking me to recommend you to Nangong Sheng, to gamble on an uncertain possibility?

Nan Qiao sighed, a hint of resentment in her eyes. After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, although my Nan family is not a wealthy or powerful family, we still have our own dignity."

That man treated my Nan family like pigs and dogs, constantly forcing and despising us. If we had any other choice, we would never want to grovel before him again!

Moreover, that person is arrogant and frivolous, dissolute and unruly, narrow-minded and vindictive. He's a mad dog!
Even if we kneel down to him this time, offer these gifts, and even involve my sister, maybe we can get him to let my family go—but what about the future?
This man is a mad dog, a capricious and despicable scoundrel. If he comes after us again, are we supposed to let the Nan family bleed dry just to appease him? To be bullied by him time and time again?
Rather than that, I'd rather take a gamble and solve the problem once and for all. If I can be accepted as a disciple by a saintly sect, then my family will never have to fear his persecution again.

Chen Yan nodded, thought for a moment, but still spoke first: "I've heard that your study of the sect's way of the sages these days has not been satisfactory. It seems that your comprehension and understanding of the teachings are not appreciated. Why is that?"

It's still necessary to get to the bottom of things—if the other party is truly a good-for-nothing, then recommending them to Nangong Sheng would be a waste of effort.

Upon hearing this question, Nan Qiao's eyes dimmed: "I dare not hide it from you, fellow Daoist. In fact... during the days I've been in the outer courtyard of the sect for the selection of cultivators, I've increasingly felt that the lineage of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Joyful Union Sect seems to clash with the path I've learned in the past few decades."

"Oh?" Chen Yan suddenly became interested!

The teachings of the sage sect, how could Nan Qiao not learn them? It seems that it's not just a matter of not being able to learn them, but rather that there's a conflict, or that she looks down on them?
He wouldn't normally be interested in such things, but the two spirits inside his ring had both expressed that the Daoist path of this Sage Sect was not to be learned, seemingly showing a very contemptuous attitude towards the Daoist path of this Sage Sect.

You must know, this is the lineage of a sage sect!

In the realms of existence, those who attain the rank of Saint or Venerable are beings akin to gods in the clouds. Why shouldn't the teachings and cultivation paths left behind by Saints and Venerables be accepted?
He really wanted to ask the spirit of the ring about these issues, but he couldn't get in touch with it or communicate with it.

It just so happened that Nan Qiao was also unable to learn the sage's teachings, so she couldn't help but ask him further.

Upon hearing this, Nan Qiao hesitated and struggled, seemingly having some reservations. However, since he needed Chen Yan's help, he dared not refuse to answer Chen Yan's question, fearing that he might offend his only hope at the moment.

Finally, after much hesitation, Nan Qiao slowly said, "The sect's tradition emphasizes facing one's true self and harmonizing Yin and Yang. To put it bluntly, this path ultimately boils down to two words—fusion. Well, or rather, balance."

Even though sects preach, they acknowledge inner demons and do not reject them. They even encourage everyone to face and accept their inner demons.

But ultimately, in the concept of "Heavenly Demon," Heaven comes first, and Demon comes second. Heaven is above, and Demon is below.

The ultimate goal of confronting one's inner demons is to thoroughly understand them and then use the power of natural law to dissolve them, ultimately achieving integration.

This path of cultivation is subtly incompatible with my way of weapon crafting. After all, I am not a mortal who is just beginning to cultivate; I have been cultivating for decades, and my Dao heart is already established, making it difficult for me to reconcile with such doctrines.

So, when I listened to the enlightenment bell, the sage's chanting from the sect, and the elders' sermons, I felt they were completely incompatible with what my Daoist heart had already grasped. That's why... that's why..."

I understand. It's hard to fit in if our values ​​don't align.

Chen Yan sighed: "But you must understand, since your Dao hearts clash, even if you are fortunate enough to stay and join the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect as a formal disciple, your future cultivation path will likely face significant difficulties due to the incompatibility of your Dao hearts!"

The so-called Dao heart refers to one's inherent understanding and faith in one's own path of cultivation.

This is not something that can be easily modified or changed—if the Dao heart were so easily modified and changed, then the Dao heart would be unstable.

If Nan Qiao were to force herself to stay in the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect, it would be tantamount to giving herself an incompatible core. It would be like forcing someone who has studied classical music for decades to change course and become a rapper.

Whether the transformation will be successful or not is another matter, but the process itself is extremely difficult and may require a lot of time investment.

Nan Qiao naturally understood Chen Yan's meaning. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "How could I not know what you are saying, fellow Daoist? It's just that my family's troubles are imminent, and the only way I can solve this problem right now is to join the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Joyful Union Sect."

There is no other sect of saints accepting disciples now, so I can choose again.

For the sake of my family's fate, I have no choice but to make this sacrifice. Perhaps the path I have chosen today will ruin my cultivation future, but I was born into the Nan family, and from childhood to adulthood, my cultivation path has been supported by the family's resources.

Without the support and investment of my family, I would not have the identity of a cultivator and weapon refiner I am today.

"Having received so many resources from my family, it is my responsibility to sacrifice for them when they face difficulties."

These words made Chen Yan look at Nan Qiao with newfound respect.

Putting everything else aside, at least in this respect, this person is quite responsible.

Chen Yan has always believed that if a person has a sense of responsibility and accountability, then even if that person is a bad person, they won't be too bad.

By the way, let me complain a bit. Chen Yan had seen a lot of movies and novels before, and there were often stories where rich young masters or ladies, or princes or princesses, would resist arranged marriages for love and freedom, and then fall in love with some poor boy or girl from somewhere else, abandoning their families or countries to elope...

They often claim that this behavior is a pursuit of love and freedom.

Chen Yan always thought this kind of statement was pretty...shameless.

Whether they are young masters and ladies from wealthy families, princes and princesses, they have been pampered by their families or even the country since childhood, living in luxury, with fine clothes, sumptuous meals, mansions, and exalted status, surrounded by servants...

Oh, you've taken all the benefits and you still think it's all your due.

When the time comes for you to make sacrifices, you wipe your face and say, "No, you can't interfere with or infringe on my freedom..."

That's shameless.

There's nothing wrong with pursuing freedom—but first, pay off your debts!

Although Chen Yan looked down on Nan Qiao for his behavior in other ways, especially the fact that he knelt down as soon as he entered the door, which was a behavior that had a bit of a moral blackmail feel to it.

However, as a member of a cultivation family, and the most talented one at that, his willingness to sacrifice his future for the family at this time demonstrates his responsibility and commitment.

Otherwise, given his talent and status as a weapon refiner, he could easily make a good living elsewhere – weapon refiners are quite sought after.

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Nan Qiao did not bring the ten catties of Fire-Breaking Copper he had agreed to with him, but he made a vow on the spot that he would immediately write a letter back to his family and have someone send the item over. The item would arrive in three days at the latest.

After thanking Chen Yan again, Nan Qiao respectfully took her leave.

After everyone left, Chen Yan closed the door and read through the jade slip left by Nan Qiao.

Nan Qiao wasn't lying; his family had been weapon refiners for three generations, and their expertise in weapon refining was indeed extraordinary.

Chen Yan's skill in weapon crafting wasn't enough to discern its true level of sophistication, but he could tell that the contents of this jade slip were far more substantial and detailed than the one Nangong Sheng had given him. It was more than sufficient as a basic tutorial for weapon crafting.

Nangong Sheng's insights on weapon forging were more of his experimental and hypothetical attempts.

If one wants to properly learn the art of weapon crafting, Nangong Sheng's materials are not suitable as regular teaching materials. On the contrary, Chen Yan finds the weapon crafting inheritance of the Nan family much more interesting.

Just like a complete beginner who has never learned Go, if Ke Jie were to teach you right away, you might not be able to understand or keep up with his thought process.

It might be better to hire a regular basic Go teacher to teach you; that would be more effective.

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The weapon refiners in the realm are divided into ten ranks.

Rank 1 to 3 are considered low-grade weapon refiners. Rank 4 to 6 are considered mid-grade weapon refiners. Rank 7 to 9 are considered high-grade weapon refiners.

The rules for entering a certain rank are very simple: the rank of the magical artifact you can refine determines the rank of the artifact refiner.

The tenth grade is the highest grade – a top-grade weapon refiner can refine magical artifacts, not magical weapons.

However, the rank of a weapon refiner is also related to their own cultivation level.

If your cultivation level is too low, you won't be able to refine anything of a very high quality.

Without exception, all weapon refiners at the Super Grade level must have reached the Celestial Realm or above in their own cultivation. Otherwise, no matter how good their weapon refining skills are, they cannot create magical treasures.

Judging from the Nan family's weapon-refining heritage, the head of the Nan family, who is also Nan Qiao's grandfather, has already been able to refine fourth-grade magic weapons and has initially entered the ranks of mid-grade weapon refiners.

This weapon-refining inheritance from the Nan family is enough for Chen Yanxiu to learn all the basics of weapon refining. If he follows the steps and has enough talent, he can refine his skills all the way to the intermediate level.

What surprised Chen Yan even more was that the things recorded in the Nan family's weapon-refining inheritance actually touched him.

He finally understood what Nan Qiao meant when she said that his Dao heart was incompatible with the Dao lineage and path of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Joyful Union Sect!

The main part of the Nan family's weapon-refining heritage was written by the Nan family head, who was a fourth-grade weapon refiner. The opening chapter introduces this mid-grade weapon refiner's understanding of the way of weapon refining and his direction of cultivation.

Those who forge weapons defy the heavens and defy the laws of nature!

Chen Yan was shocked when he saw this sentence!
That sounds a bit like going down a dark path!

However, as he continued reading, he became completely engrossed.

The Nan family's concept of "the Way" is quite interesting.

Originally, according to the natural order and principles, all things are mutually generating and mutually restraining.

Nangong Sheng also wrote a similar theory: all things have good and evil; those that conform to the laws of nature are good, and those that violate the laws of nature are evil.

But the Nan family's theory clarifies a principle: weapon crafting is rebellion!

That is, the so-called "evil".

All things in the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—have mutual generation and mutual restraint.

Life is good. Restraint is evil.

For example, the material "gold".

According to the Five Elements theory:
Earth produces metal; this is life.

Fire overcomes metal; that is, it overcomes.

When refining a metal, what are the typical refining processes?

We need fire!!

But clearly... fire destroys metal, while earth generates metal.

If we follow the natural order, we should use earth to produce better gold.

But... when refining metals, if you don't use fire to refine them, are you going to bury them in the soil and grow them?

Therefore, the way of weapon crafting is contrary to the laws of nature!

Defying Heaven and defying the natural order!

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Snapped!
After reading this, Chen Yan placed the jade slip on the table, and a thought couldn't help but arise in his mind.

With this insightful reflection and philosophical discussion, the chances of Nan Qiao being noticed by Nan Gong Sheng are probably quite high.

That night, Chen Yan did nothing but stay in his room and carefully read the weapon-refining inheritance.

Chen Yan hadn't slept all night, yet he was still full of energy. He sat in his room reading the jade slip, and heard the disciples gathering in the courtyard outside the door before heading out for their morning lessons.

After the voices faded away, Chen Yan got up, put away the jade slip, and went out.

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He walked out of the outer courtyard area and headed towards the outer gate of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Sect.

He was originally not allowed to go to most of these areas because of the presence of magic arrays that prevented these outer court disciples from passing through.

However, Chen Yan now has an outer disciple token given to him by Nangong Sheng. As long as he doesn't go to the inner sect area of ​​the Immortal Mountain, he can go to any outer sect location on the ground, except for one or two forbidden areas, such as the Scripture Pavilion and the Elders' Council.

Chen Yan first went to a place called "Utensil Hall" outside the gate.

This is where outer disciples can collect and purchase cultivation tools and materials. Since it's a sect of saints, with a weapon-refining hall, disciples can buy basic magical artifacts at low prices. Outer disciples can even receive some simple magical artifacts for free, which are considered sect welfare benefits.

Chen Yan had already planned everything for today last night, and his first step was to come to this "Tool Hall".

He was wearing the robes of an outer disciple in preparation. When he arrived at the equipment hall, he had just passed through the magic array and arrived at a courtyard when he saw two outer disciples walking towards him, both wearing apricot-yellow robes of outer disciples.

When the two men saw Chen Yan and noticed the color of his clothes, they were taken aback at first. However, after seeing the token that Chen Yan had deliberately hung on his waist, the wariness in their eyes disappeared.

“This junior brother looks unfamiliar. Is he a recent disciple?” one of the disciples asked.

"I am Zhao Shanhe, a disciple of the Weapon Refining Hall." Chen Yan smiled slightly.

Upon hearing that they were from the Weapon Forging Hall, the two disciples became more polite—after all, both the Weapon Forging Hall and the Alchemy Hall were places with considerable wealth and benefits. Disciples of the sect who could cultivate good relationships with people from these two halls would naturally reap many hidden advantages.

"So it's Junior Brother Zhao, greetings." Another disciple reacted quickly, smiling, "Junior Brother, did the Refining Hall send you some instructions for our Tool Hall to carry out?"

"No." Chen Yan didn't pretend to be arrogant and said frankly, "I just entered the sect not long ago. My introducer was Senior Brother Nangong Sheng from the inner sect. I came to the Artifact Hall for some personal matters and would like to exchange some magic artifacts for use."

The two disciples exchanged a glance and nodded. The one on the left smiled and said, "In that case, we won't delay Junior Brother Zhao's business any longer."

After saying that, he cupped his hands and smiled at Chen Yan, saying, "I am Jiang Li, a disciple under the outer sect elder who transmits skills. If I have time in the future, I will talk to Junior Brother Zhao again."

After the man took his leave, the man on the right smiled and said, "Junior Brother Zhao is a new disciple and may not know some of the rules yet. I'll go with you to the hall to handle it. — I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kong Zhao, a disciple of the Equipment Hall. You can call me Senior Brother Kong."

Chen Yan also bowed in greeting. After the two finished exchanging greetings, Senior Brother Kong led Chen Yan into the equipment hall.

In the courtyard of the Instrument Hall stood a magnificent seven- or eight-story building. The doors to the main hall were wide open, revealing a woman dressed in a black robe sitting at a table, writing and drawing.

Senior Brother Kong led Chen Yan to the door, but did not go in immediately. Instead, he smiled at Chen Yan and said, "The lady inside is Senior Sister Yue, the steward of the Equipment Hall this month. She is very strict and polite, and she speaks and acts in a very formal manner. She does not like to joke with people. When you go in, just be careful with your words."

He paused, glanced at Chen Yan, and added in a low voice, "Although Senior Sister Le has a cold demeanor, she's actually a good person. She's the most fair and impartial person in the sect when it comes to distributing benefits to disciples, never skimping or making mistakes. She's also never mistreating anyone when it comes to buying or selling items. However, she's aloof and not very patient with people. If you have something to say to her, it's best to keep it brief and to the point, without beating around the bush. Otherwise, she might get impatient and kick you out."

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(End of this chapter)