Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 135 Refining Alliance

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Ping’an left the stall.

Besides the abandoned Spirit Sword, he bought a seemingly useless book.

This book contained records of a Damaged Formation.

The stall owner sold it to Xu Ping’an for ten Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

The owner thought that the incomplete Low Grade Spirit Formation was worthless, but in fact, it was a damaged Superior Grade Sword Array.

Although it was damaged, with Xu Ping’an’s abilities, it would take some time, but he could still repair it.

And the value of this Superior Grade Sword Array was at least above one hundred thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

In the end, the stall owner sent Xu Ping’an off with a hearty laugh, telling him to come again next time.

Xu Ping’an responded with a smile, telling the stall owner to keep him in mind if there were any good items.

The passersby nearby were helplessly under the impression that Xu Ping’an was a young master from some influential family making his debut.

After leaving the stall, Xu Ping’an intended to find a Refining Furnace and prepare to repair the Heaven Peering Mirror.

He also planned to study that mysterious prohibition and the Superior Grade Sword Array.

However, the flame needed for the refinement of a Superior Grade Spirit Instrument was not ordinary.

Ordinary flames were enough for refining Low Grade and Intermediate Grade Spirit Instruments.

But to refine High Grade or Superior Grade Spirit Instruments, one must use Heavenly Fire.

And the power of Heavenly Fire was extremely terrifying; without a Cultivation of the Fifth Rank or higher, trying to control Heavenly Fire could very likely lead to burning oneself to death.

However, Xu Ping’an’s control over flames was extremely strong, so he should be able to barely control Heavenly Fire.

In Giant Sword City, the most famous Refining Room belonged to the Refining Alliance.

At this moment, Xu Ping’an arrived at the Refining Alliance.

Before Xu Ping’an could even step into the great hall of the Refining Alliance, a cold rebuke came from behind: "Who are you? Do you know what place this is?"

Xu Ping’an turned around and saw a beautiful woman in a red dress looking at him.

"Isn’t this the Refining Alliance?" Xu Ping’an asked, confused.

"Yes, this is the Refining Alliance, but not just anyone can enter. Only certified Artifact Refiners may." The woman sized up Xu Ping’an and then pointed to the badge on her chest.

On the woman’s chest was a circular badge, which bore the symbol of intertwining swords and axes.

"Artifact Refiner?" Xu Ping’an was taken aback for a moment.

It seemed here, an Artifact Refiner must be accredited.

"Right, every Artifact Refiner must be acknowledged by the Refining Alliance and be issued a badge of the Alliance before they can enter here," the woman said arrogantly.

"I just want to use the Refining Alliance’s Heavenly Fire Refining Room; I don’t intend to certify as an Artifact Refiner," Xu Ping’an shook his head and said.

"If you want to refine in the Refining Alliance, you must have a badge. Heavenly Fire Refining... What? Did you say you want to use the Heavenly Fire Refining Room?" The woman stopped mid-sentence, her expression turning to one of shock.

"Right, I heard that only here is there a Heavenly Fire Refining Room," Xu Ping’an said.

"Indeed, we do have a Heavenly Fire Refining Room here, but that’s not the point. The point is, can you control Heavenly Fire?" she asked Xu Ping’an, astonished.

"I should be able to!" Xu Ping’an nodded.

However, the woman clearly didn’t believe him.

"Even if you were an Artifact Refiner of the Refining Alliance, to use the Heavenly Fire Refining Room, you would need the Alliance Hierarch’s personal approval. And the Alliance Hierarch left on a long journey a few days ago," the woman explained.

"Ah? That unfortunate? When will he be back?" Xu Ping’an inquired.

"Probably after three months," the woman responded.

Xu Ping’an was suddenly at a complete loss.

After three months, he would have gone to the imperial capital.

"Well then, since that’s the case, I won’t bother you any further." Xu Ping’an bid farewell and turned to leave.

"You really want to borrow the Heavenly Fire Refining Room? If you truly need it, I have a way," the woman suddenly said, pulling on Xu Ping’an.

"Huh? Who are you?" Xu Ping’an asked, somewhat surprised.

The woman, who had previously seemed so aggressive, was now offering to help him?

"I forgot to mention earlier, the head of the Refining Alliance is my father, and my name is Song Lingxue," the woman said with pride.

Xu Ping’an’s mouth twitched.

The daughter of the Refining Alliance’s leader?

"Alright, you say you can help me use the Heavenly Fire Refining Room. What do you plan to do?" Xu Ping’an asked.

"It’s quite simple, actually. There is another way to use the Heavenly Fire Refining Room, which is to solve a problem for our Refining Alliance," Song Lingxue said with a smile.

"What problem?" Xu Ping’an asked curiously.

"Follow me, and you’ll find out," Song Lingxue said.

After speaking, she led Xu Ping’an into the great hall.

They passed through the hall and took Xu Ping’an to the backyard of the Refining Alliance.

In the courtyard, there was a gigantic snake-shaped mechanized puppet about ten meters in length.

The puppet stood erect in the center of the courtyard, but it was clearly damaged.

"Is this the problem you were talking about?" Xu Ping’an asked, surprised.

"Yes, that’s the one. It’s an Intermediate Grade Spirit Puppet with tremendous offensive power. When fully activated, it can fight on par with a Fifth Rank powerhouse, but unfortunately, it’s broken," Song Lingxue explained.

"How is this related to the problem?" Xu Ping’an asked, still surprised.

"This Giant Serpent Puppet is a challenge posed by the Imperial Capital’s Refining Alliance for our Tianlong County. Only if we repair it can our Tianlong County Refining Alliance secure a spot to enter the Spirit Realm. Unfortunately, no one in our Refining Alliance has been able to fix it, and now, all the elders are nearly driven mad by this puppet," Song Lingxue said with a sigh.

"So, you want me to help repair this puppet?" Xu Ping’an asked.

"Exactly. If you can fix it, not only will you be able to use the Heavenly Fire Refining Room, but you could also directly become an Artifact Refiner for our Tianlong County Refining Alliance and enter the Spirit Realm," Song Lingxue said.

"While it may be an Intermediate Grade Spirit Puppet, its huge size and complex structure make it a challenge to fix. Not just High Grade Artifact Refiners, but even Superior Grade Artifact Refiners might not be able to repair it," Xu Ping’an shook his head and said.

"So you’re not confident either?" Song Lingxue looked disappointed.

"It’s not that I have no confidence, but it’s not much. Perhaps fifty percent at best, given my current Cultivation level and lack of materials," Xu Ping’an replied.

"The Alliance has materials in abundance, as much as you need!" Song Lingxue quickly said.

Fifty percent confidence?

If true, that’s certainly not low.

"Well, I’d say my confidence is at least above seventy percent, but I’m curious, how do you know what I’m saying is true?" Xu Ping’an asked with a smile.

He had not revealed any of his Artifact Refining skills, so why did Song Ningxue believe him so readily?

"She doesn’t believe you per se, instead, she brings every Artifact Refiner she encounters here to try and repair this puppet," a hoarse voice interjected just then.

Upon hearing these words, the corner of Xu Ping’an’s mouth twitched once more.

So that was it?

It seemed this woman was just casting a wide net.

"Grandfather Liu, what brings you here?" the woman greeted the elder with excitement as she approached.

Following the elder, there was a particularly handsome young man.

"Sister Lingxue!" the young man greeted her with a gentle smile as he saw the woman.

However, Song Lingxue paid no attention to him.

The young man felt a tad awkward, but he didn’t get upset.

"All right, stop fooling around. The Heavenly Mechanism Serpent isn’t something just anyone can repair. Let this young man leave," the elder advised.

"No, Grandfather Liu, he said he has a seventy percent chance of fixing it," Song Lingxue argued.

"Seventy percent? I’m afraid not even a Superior Grade Artifact Refiner would be so sure," the young man behind the elder sneered before the elder could speak.

The elder also frowned as he looked at Xu Ping’an, clearly skeptical of his claim.