Wei Chen opened his mouth to respond, but his great-grandfather's voice cut through the air with quiet authority.
"Choose weapon forger, boy. Forget about alchemy for now you can always pick it up later if you really want to do it."
The unexpected interruption caused Wei Chen to fall silent, his prepared words dying on his lips.
He subtly turned his gaze toward his great-grandfather, searching the ancient cultivator's weathered features for some explanation.
When their eyes met, Wei Chen saw something profound in those depths not just wisdom, but a specific understanding that went beyond mere suggestion.
His great-grandfather's expression was calm but intense, conveying layers of meaning that only someone who had lived through centuries of cultivation politics could fully grasp.
There was knowledge there, hard-won through experience and loss, that Wei Chen was only beginning to understand.
Wei Chen's mind raced as he processed this unexpected guidance. Why weapon forger specifically? His initial instinct had been toward formations and alchemy, driven by his ring's mysterious pull and his constitution's unique needs.
The reasoning behind his great-grandfather's choice escaped him completely, but one thing was crystal clear though they had only just met, his great-grandfather had already shown nothing but genuine care and wisdom.
There was something in his great-grandfather's eyes, a certainty that spoke of deeper considerations that Wei Chen simply couldn't grasp yet.
The old man clearly had reasons important ones even if those reasons weren't immediately apparent.
Besides, his great-grandfather had already assured him that alchemy could be pursued later if his interest grew. "You can always pick it up later if you really want to do it," he had said. With that reassurance, Wei Chen found he had no internal objection to choosing weapon forging first. If anything, it showed his great-grandfather's thoughtfulness.
His gaze lingered on his great-grandfather's face for a moment longer, reading the subtle encouragement there.
The old man wasn't just suggesting a profession he was offering guidance that ran deeper than Wei Chen could currently fathom. Whatever the reasoning, it came from a place of genuine care and hard-won wisdom.
Wei Chen made his decision not because he fully understood the implications, but because he trusted that his great-grandfather had deeper considerations behind the suggestion.
The old man's assurance that alchemy remained an option for the future only reinforced that this wasn't about closing doors, but about choosing the right starting point.
Finally, Wei Chen turned back to Imperial Aunt Feng Mei, his decision crystallizing with newfound clarity not from complete understanding, but from complete trust.
"Aunty Feng," Wei Chen said slowly, "the auxiliary professions you mentioned particularly weapon forger and inscriptionist these interest me greatly. I believe that creating weapons and understanding the formations that enhance them would complement each other well. And with my constitution, having access to personally crafted weapons suited to my unique needs would be invaluable."
He might not understand all the reasons behind the his great grandfather decision, but he trusted that understanding would come with time and experience.
Imperial Aunt Feng Mei's eyes lit up with approval. "An excellent choice. Our weapon forgers are among the finest in the empire, and many of our greatest weapons are enhanced with formation inscriptions. You would be studying under masters who have served the imperial family for generations, learning to create weapons that could rival the legendary artifacts of old."
"However," she continued, "such training requires complete dedication. The path of dual mastery in weapon forging and inscription work is not for the faint of heart. The intersection of these two disciplines creates some of the most powerful artifacts in existence. Are you prepared for such an undertaking?"
Wei Chen looked at his great-grandfather, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod of approval the first sign of genuine satisfaction the old man had shown throughout the evening.
That small gesture confirmed what Wei Chen had already decided: he might not understand all the reasons, but he trusted the wisdom behind them completely.
"I am prepared, Aunty Feng. I believe this path will allow me to grow strong while maintaining the independence that my great-grandfather values. A master weapon forger can create power rather than merely wielding it."
"Then it is settled," Feng Mei declared with satisfaction. "You will begin your training in both disciplines, with the understanding that mastery in either field could take decades. But with your talent and our resources, I believe you will achieve great things.
Now that they had gotten business out of the way, Feng Mei turned to her old teacher. "Now that we are both in the soul transformation realm, how about a spar?" Feng Mei said with a small smile running across her lips.
The old ancestor didn't say a word, but soon a faint white line appeared between his brows.
Then a miniature figure slowly strode out step by step, its appearance bringing a tremendous change in the fluctuation of spiritual Qi though that wasn't even a shimmer.
A heavy suppression was felt directly by the soul.
His son froze with his arms locked, and his descendants froze under the pressure, their faces paling instantly.
However, the princess felt the suppression even more intensely.
The small figure didn't resemble the old man in front of them, but rather a young and mature cultivator in his late twenties, wrapped in snow-white robes with a sword tied to his waist. The figure was just 3 inches in height, yet the pressure it emanated caused the princess's body to lock up.
With slow small step the figure cause Her Golden Core rose and stopped revolving in her dantian, the spiritual qi in her meridians froze to a slow crawl, and her soul fluctuation dimmed.
The figure didn't look at her and seemingly posed no danger as it slowly turned to look at her aunt.
The person in question's eyes dilated as if seeing a being of immeasurable proportion like the grim reaper its presence here now ment of her death.
Being in the soul transformation early stage and about to break through to the middle stage, she felt better than her niece, not by much as the figure and locked on to her soul.
However, she felt her soul processes seemingly slowed down, and the process of putting up a defence took what she felt to be hours at that time her ashes would have long dissipated to the continental winds.
The figure flashed and appeared right in front of her face and looked directly into her eyes, raising a hand. The pupils in her eyes were gone. Her eyes lost their color and were pure white.
The figure, seeing his former student's reaction, gave a light and small smile, turning away and strolling back to the old ancestor, entering the small white split between the brows.
As the figure entered, the presence disappeared and the room's atmosphere went back to normal.
The room was silent, the heavy feeling now gone. As if noth had happened.
The princess was soaked in sweat, her robes now clinging to her slender figure, her breathing slightly heavier. Her aunt had a drop of sweat running down her face.
"Teacher, teacher, this one now knows that she was impetuous. Please forgive my actions." She bowed her head, touching the table.
The others sitting across didn't know what she had said to provoke such a reaction from the ancestor. After all, between former student and teacher, it's normal to have a small spar after not seeing each other for so long.
"We have completed all that we should." She quickly turned to Wei Chen and used her energy to send a ring in his direction.
"This contains the jade slips for some general information and cultivation techniques given to members up to the Golden Core realm. It's nothing profound, but it will help you cast the best foundation. The weapon forger might require a different technique this will not clash with that when the times comes." She gave a weary smile and got up, bowing to her teacher.
"Teacher." Then she pulled up the princess.
They quickly left the room.
Wei Chen, still shocked by the heavy feeling woke up at the sound of Aunty Mei voce, got up and cupped his hands. "Aunty Feng, and Princess Feng." to the disappearing figures.
Looking at his great-grandfather, he kept on shattering every perception he had built up. Just how amazing is this man? Is that the general feeling of soul transformation? But Aunty Feng is in that realm also. The question would go unanswered.
His grandfather looked at his father with a side eye.
"Have you completed it?"
"Not yet" was the only answer the ancestor gave his son.
His eyes still closed and hand resting of his crutch , any one looking would just seem and seemly normal old man .
However this man who was the Former Imperial Sword Envoy , who was remove obstacles for the imperial family back in the day , was every much of a monster as he ever was even more so now