"Um... Master Liu, could we borrow some of your tools and materials?"

Ouyang Ming rubbed his hands together awkwardly.

Liu Dezhu was dumbfounded by this request.

What the heck?

Borrow tools and materials?

Are you saying the Ouyang Family doesn't even have their own tools and materials?

Liu Dezhu had heard rumors that the Ouyang Family was down on their luck, supposedly even begging for food.

But those were just rumors.

Even seeing the Ouyang Family looking like a bunch of beggars, Liu Dezhu couldn't fully believe they were doing that poorly.

He thought maybe they were just playing the pity card to gain sympathy.

You know how some girls in high-class brothels start their stories with how tough their lives have been, how their parents were forced to sell them... so please, don't pity me, I can handle it!

The good thing about a poor kid's story is that it's resilient!

Damn! Liu Dezhu caught himself, wondering how he ended up thinking about brothels.

He initially thought the Ouyang Family was just playing the pity card to gain sympathy.

But now Liu Dezhu realized, the Ouyang Family wasn't pretending; they were genuinely in dire straits.

When he first heard that the Ouyang Family had sold even their crafting tools, Liu Dezhu didn't believe it.

Those tools were the foundation of the Ouyang Family, and Ouyang Ming, as the family head, surely knew that.

Ouyang Ming did know, but if he didn't sell the tools, the family would have nothing left.

If there were no people left in the Ouyang Family, who would use those tools?

Normally, Liu Dezhu would never lend tools or materials to Ouyang Ming, but since they were at the Grand Sky Sect, Liu Dezhu put on a generous face and nodded to his family members.

Soon, a batch of crafting tools was handed over to the Ouyang Family, along with some leftover materials from the Liu Family.

Chu Xinghe covered his face, too embarrassed to watch.

Look at the Sect Master's expression; for the first time, Chu Xinghe wanted to cry...

How the hell do you manipulate this situation under the table? How do you win?

In the midst of Chu Xinghe's despair, Ouyang Ming, with the help of many Ouyang Family disciples, began crafting a spirit weapon.

Whether it was because the Liu Family's tools were unfamiliar or Ouyang Ming hadn't used crafting tools in a long time, the process was clumsy.

But being a family with a thousand-year history, under Ouyang Ming's guidance, the Ouyang Family quickly got into the groove, and the crafting officially began.

The earthly flame was ignited, and various materials began to be purified under its heat. Ouyang Ming personally crafted the spirit weapon's prototype, though it was unclear what he was making.

But Ouyang Ming's focused expression was commendable.

Chu Xinghe considered whether to praise the Ouyang Family to the Sect Master.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, there was a loud explosion!

In an instant, the earthly flame went wild.

Did the furnace explode?

The sudden explosion almost made Chu Xinghe choke on his breath.

Crafting a spirit weapon and the furnace explodes?

From today on, Ouyang Ming, you're the Prince of Exploding Furnaces. I won't mention the word "explosion" in front of you again.

This is absurd.

Exploding furnaces during pill refining is normal because pill furnaces are special.

But how did Ouyang Ming manage to blow up a crafting furnace?

The scattered flames were quickly subdued by the elders of the Grand Sky Sect. The Great Elder, being close, even had his robe singed by the sudden explosion, leaving visible holes.

The heads of the Wang and Liu families looked at the soot-covered Ouyang Ming in shock.

No wonder the Ouyang Family is a thousand-year-old family; they have a unique way of exploding furnaces that the Wang and Liu families can't replicate.

"Ouyang Ming probably hasn't crafted a spirit weapon in a long time, so some mistakes are understandable. Our Grand Sky Sect will give you another chance."

Chu Xinghe stepped out from the crowd, and as he spoke, the Wang and Liu families were on the verge of tears.

You're really going to cover for them, huh?

The Ouyang Family blew up the furnace, and you're still covering for them?

Giving him another chance, look at Ouyang Ming's sorry state; what's the point of giving him ten more chances?

"Then let's give him another chance," Gu Mingchao said calmly, leaving the Wang and Liu families speechless once more.

"Thank you, Brother Xinghe."

Covered in soot, Ouyang Ming was full of gratitude. When the furnace exploded, he was ready to be kicked out.

After all, at this level of assessment, causing an explosion isn't just about success or failure; it's utterly embarrassing.

Yet, despite this, Senior Brother Xinghe was willing to give him another chance.

Ouyang Ming glanced at his sister beside him, and both of their eyes burned with determination.

Even if not for the Ouyang Family, for Chu Xinghe, they would fight with all their might today!

Soon, Ouyang Ming and his sister Ouyang Ling entered the second crafting attempt. Thankfully, there was no explosion this time, but the spirit weapon they crafted...

Forget about being top-grade; it didn't even seem to reach spirit-grade, did it?

Ouyang Ming crafted a sword, but its quality barely approached spirit-grade, far inferior to those of the Wang and Liu families.

Just as Gu Mingchao was about to shake his head, Ouyang Ling stepped forward.

Spirit Infusion!

Seeing Ouyang Ling take action, Chu Xinghe held his breath again. Could Ouyang Ling have some technique to transform this spirit weapon?

The result came quickly.

After Ouyang Ling's spirit infusion, the spirit sword showed no change at all, remaining exactly the same!

Chu Xinghe was dumbfounded. If that's the case, what was the point of the spirit infusion?

At that moment, Chu Xinghe knew it was over. No matter how eloquent he was, he couldn't change the Ouyang Family's defeat.

In terms of both the quality of the spirit weapon and the level of spirit infusion, the Ouyang Family couldn't compare to the Wang and Liu families. In the end, he had to bear it all alone.

The Great Elder stepped out from the other elders, first glancing at Chu Xinghe, then at the Ouyang Family.

He looked at the spirit sword in Ouyang Ming's hand, shook his head, and finally turned his gaze to the Wang and Liu families.

"Today's assessment is over. Although the Ouyang Family performed admirably, they still fall short of our Grand Sky Sect's requirements. So, I'm sorry, but the Ouyang Family may leave. The Wang and Liu families will stay for further consideration..."

As the Great Elder announced this result, even Chu Xinghe could only nod helplessly.

But just as Chu Xinghe was about to accept this failure, a voice suddenly came from the crowd: "Great Elder, please wait!"

The crowd parted, and He Yanming emerged from among the elders.

He approached Ouyang Ming and asked, "May I take a look at this spirit weapon?"

Ouyang Ming handed the spirit weapon to He Yanming, who examined it closely, a look of disbelief appearing on his face.

The heads of the Wang and Liu families remained unfazed, confident in the spirit weapon's visible quality. How could they lose in this situation?

But just as the two family heads wore expressions of assured victory, Elder He suddenly infused spiritual power into the spirit weapon.

In an instant, the spirit weapon in Elder He's hand emitted a faint glow.

No one understood what Elder He was doing; the spirit weapon's quality was evident, and infusing spiritual power wouldn't change that.

"Everyone, please look!"

Elder He pointed to an inconspicuous spot on the spirit weapon.

"If I'm not mistaken, the crafting technique you used should be the long-lost Cloud Piercing Hammer of the Ouyang Family. The faint cloud pattern here is a mark left by the Cloud Piercing Hammer!"

As Elder He spoke, the crowd erupted in astonishment.

Cloud Piercing Hammer?

Everyone present knew of the Cloud Piercing Hammer.

The Ouyang Family, a thousand-year-old lineage, didn't endure by chance. Their Cloud Piercing Hammer technique was hailed as the ultimate art of spirit weapon crafting.

Unfortunately, the Cloud Piercing Hammer had been lost to the Ouyang Family for many years, and no successor had emerged to wield it.

Upon hearing about the Cloud Piercing Hammer, even the Sect Master, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. In the next moment, the Sect Master stepped forward to stand before Elder He.

A beam of sky-raising light shot out from behind Gu Mingchao.

The magnificent sword light illuminated the entire Grand Sky Hall.

It was the Sect Master's Sky-raising Sword, and as everyone looked closely, they saw the sword's blade was covered in cloud patterns.

Indeed, the Sky-raising Sword was one of the finest divine weapons crafted by the Ouyang Family.

And the technique used to craft the Sky-raising Sword was the Cloud Piercing Hammer.

As the Sky-raising Sword approached the spirit weapon crafted by Ouyang Ming, which hadn't even reached spirit-grade, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

Cloud patterns!

There were indeed cloud patterns, faintly visible on the sword's blade, which might have gone unnoticed without Elder He's infusion of spiritual power.

But the structure of those cloud patterns was identical to those on the Sky-raising Sword!

Gu Mingchao's eyes widened!

The Cloud Piercing Hammer technique! It truly was the Cloud Piercing Hammer technique!

After so many years, had the Ouyang Family really produced someone who inherited the Cloud Piercing Hammer technique?

"My brother has unparalleled crafting talent. Our grandfather always said he was the future of the Ouyang Family, and he's the first in two hundred years to comprehend and use the Cloud Piercing Hammer technique!"

Ouyang Ling spoke loudly, her voice resonating despite her small stature.

"Unfortunately, our grandfather passed away early, and the Cloud Piercing Hammer technique could only be passed from my father to my brother. But when my father died unexpectedly, my brother only received part of the technique. Yet, I believe in my brother's talent; he will surely master the entire Cloud Piercing Hammer technique!"

Ouyang Ling continued, and the entire hall fell silent upon hearing her words...