28: Selecting weapons

Iron Yama's voice remained cold as he pointed to the dark, heavy short whip at his waist.

"Now, choose your weapons!"

As his voice fell, several older Disciples with steady auras immediately walked over from the edge of the square, carrying several heavy large wooden crates covered with black cloth.

The black cloth was pulled back, and in an instant, an aura mixed with the chill of metal, the scent of blood, and the smell of leather spread out!

Inside the wooden crates was a dazzling array of weapons!

Heavy mountain-splitting axes, thick-backed sabers flashing with cold light, sharp and slender swords, heavy octagonal bronze hammers, twelve-foot spears, flails forged from fine steel, and even small throwing knives and poisoned daggers... Every single piece radiated a cold Killing Intent, clearly no ordinary iron!

"Saber, spear, sword, halberd, axe, battleaxe, hook, fork, whip, mace, hammer, talon, trident, staff, lance, club, pike, rake... All eighteen types of weapons are here!"

Iron Yama's voice carried a metallic texture.

"Choose one! From this day forth, it shall be your limb! You shall cultivate with it as if it were your life! Once chosen, it cannot be changed before Qi Refining! After Qi Refining, if there is an Opportunity, you may perhaps choose another path, but this Dao of weaponry shall be your Foundation!"

His gaze swept over the crowd.

"Choose! You have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

The crowd immediately fell into a commotion.

The youths swarmed toward the wooden crates, their eyes flashing with excitement, greed, and the anxiety of indecision.

Someone grabbed a heavy giant axe and bared their teeth under the weight; someone else stroked a cold, shimmering longsword, unable to put it down; others hesitated before small throwing darts.

Wang Tiezhu's eyes lit up as he looked at the pile of weapons. Without much hesitation, he lunged directly toward a twelve-foot spear that was pitch black all over, its tip flashing with a cold, piercing light.

He exerted himself to pull it from the crate, gripped it with both hands, and tried to swing it. Though his movements were clumsy, the heavy feel of the shaft and that point of cold light brought a satisfied smile to his face.

"Qingfeng! This one is good! It's long enough! Hard enough! This is it!"

Li Qingfeng's gaze patrolled through the many weapons.

The giant axes were too cumbersome, and the longswords were too light and nimble; none were what he wanted.

His gaze finally landed in a corner of a wooden crate where several bows lay quietly.

They weren't the crude wooden bows used by hunters, but heavy bows forged entirely from an unknown dark metal, with smooth lines full of power!

Beside them were several quivers of arrows made of the same material. The arrowheads shimmered with a ghostly cold light, and the fletching was made from the feathers of some bird of prey, carrying a sharp aura.

Li Qingfeng's heart suddenly skipped a beat!

He seemed to see again that quiet and focused profile of his Fourth Brother, Li Qinghe, by the stream on the west side of the village as he drew his bow and notched an arrow.

The tension when the bowstring was pulled taut, the sound of the arrow breaking the air as it left the string, the precision of the prey falling at the sound... That feeling was deeply engraved in his memory.

He stepped forward and picked up one of the bows.

It was heavy and cold to the touch, the bow body incredibly resilient, and the string as taut as steel wire.

He tried to pull it, but with his current strength, he could only draw it less than halfway!

But he did not back down; instead, he felt a sense of compatibility as if they shared the same Bloodline.

"I choose this."

Li Qingfeng's voice was not loud, but it was firm.

He picked up the heavy metal bow and shouldered a heavy quiver of metal arrows.

"A bow?"

Wang Tiezhu was somewhat surprised, then grinned and said:

"That works too! In the future, you shoot from afar, and I'll stab up close! We'll coordinate!"

Iron Yama's cold gaze swept over the bow in Li Qingfeng's hand and seemed to pause slightly, but he said nothing more, only announcing coldly:

"Those who have chosen, take your weapons and return to your positions!"

The new Disciples returned to the ranks, clutching their chosen weapons with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

The heavy weapons made many arms ache, but their faces were full of longing for the future.

"Weapons are your limbs, but the Law Art is your root!"

Iron Yama's voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Take your weapons and return to your quarters immediately to contemplate the Golden Halberd Spirit Induction Art! At this time tomorrow, on the Weapon Grinding Platform, those who fail to induce Qi will receive ten lashes! Those with unstable Qi induction will receive five! For those who are lazy, the punishment will be doubled!"

The cold announcement was like a whip striking everyone's heart.

Immense pressure instantly replaced the joy of having just obtained a weapon.

Li Qingfeng tightly gripped the cold metal bow in his hand, feeling its weight and resilience.

He looked up at the several ferocious metal beast statues at the edge of the Weapon Grinding Platform, then looked down at the Law Art runes flashing with sharp golden light within his identity jade plate.

The Golden Halberd Spirit Induction Art! Induce the Golden Qi of Heaven and Earth to forge the sharp edge of weaponry!

He took a deep breath, the cold air carrying the metallic chill of slaughter into his lungs.

Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Fourth Brother, Father, Mother... wait for me!

I will use this bow and the methods of this Military Dao Peak to carve out a proper future for the Qing Family on this immortal path!

He no longer hesitated. Carrying the heavy bow and arrows and pulling along Wang Tiezhu, who was still clumsily adapting to the weight of the spear, he strode toward the row of cold stone houses.

On the Weapon Grinding Platform, only Iron Yama's cold, iron-like gaze remained, along with the hurried silhouettes of the young Disciples clutching their weapons under immense pressure.

The heavy stone door slammed shut behind him with a "clank," isolating the howling mountain wind and Iron Yama's cold gaze.

In the stone house, only Li Qingfeng's heavy breathing and the cold touch of the metal bow remained.

"Whew... whew... this place is so damn cold!"

Wang Tiezhu leaned his heavy spear against the wall, rubbed his arms, his teeth chattering slightly.

"That Iron Yama is too terrifying. Is he really going to whip us if we can't induce Qi by tomorrow?"

Li Qingfeng didn't answer immediately. He walked to the cold stone bed, sat down, and carefully placed the heavy metal bow on his lap.

The bow was cold and its lines were hard, bringing a heavy sense of security.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement and pressure in his heart, and took out the identity jade plate from his robe—a dull, warm piece of jade.

Following Iron Yama's instructions, he pressed the jade plate firmly against his forehead, and a cold sensation instantly transmitted through.

The next moment, there was a "buzz" in his mind, as if countless tiny golden needles had suddenly pierced in! The methods of the Golden Halberd Spirit Induction Art, carrying an intent of iron-blooded slaughter and extreme sharpness, appeared clearly in his consciousness like a brand.

"Induce the Golden Qi of Heaven and Earth, forge the sharp edge of weaponry... The Spiritual Opportunity is like iron, breathing is like a hammer... The intent is like a blade, carving open the Chaos..."

The difficult formulas and complex Qi Circulation maps flooded his mind, accompanied by an illusion as if he were in a giant blacksmith shop—deafening sounds of forging were in his ears, and before his eyes, glowing hot iron blocks were repeatedly tempered, the air filled with the pungent scent of burning metal.

This feeling was completely different from the soft and cool sensation his Fourth Brother Qinghe had described that night; it was overbearing, sharp, and even carried a hint of stinging pain.

Li Qingfeng gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down, and repeated the words in his heart over and over, pondering them.

He sat cross-legged, imitating Iron Yama's strange weapon-holding seal, his hands loosely gripped as if holding an invisible bow.

The cold stone house became his "Weapon Grinding Platform."

He discarded all stray thoughts, thinking only of the bow in his hand, the sharpness of an arrow breaking the air, and the focused posture of Qinghe shooting an arrow that day.

His intent condensed like an invisible carving knife, clumsily following the map from the jade plate, laboriously "carving" along the unknown paths within his body called "Meridians."

Time passed in the cold silence.

The mountain wind wailed outside the stone door, and the faint distant rumbling seemed to become background noise.