Chapter 27: I’ll do it… I’ll do it.

“Beep, a forging material ‘Essence Iron’ detected, originating from the Great Yan Empire.”

Lin Fan weighed the piece in his hand. It was surprisingly heavy. This palm-sized chunk of Essence Iron might not be enough for an ordinary craftsman to forge even a single weapon, but Lin Fan had the System. With just this one piece, he could forge a mid-tier weapon.

According to normal standards, no matter how skilled a craftsman might be, it would be impossible to forge a mid-tier weapon using only Essence Iron. However, Lin Fan knew that his profession as a匠宗 (Master Artisan) clearly came with some kind of buff that enhanced the quality of the weapons he crafted.

Lin Fan tossed a piece of Essence Iron into the furnace.

“叮, Congratulations! Forged a low-tier longsword. Craft Grandmaster Experience +100.”

“叮, Congratulations! Forged a low-tier dagger. Artisan’s Sage Experience +100.”

…

Currently, mid-tier weapons were of no use to Lin Fan. In the Outer Courtyard, however, low-tier weapons were in high demand. As long as he could exchange enough Spirit Gathering Pills, he could immediately level up and then head to the Inner Courtyard to cause some trouble.

“叮, Congratulations! Secondary profession leveled up. Artisan Master Level 2.”

While Lin Fan was continuously performing the same action, he suddenly heard this pleasant sound, and at the same time, the Essence Iron had already been completely consumed.

Now in his backpack, there were a total of forty low-tier weapons. As long as nothing unexpected happened, selling just a few of them would guarantee his upgrade.

Dong, dongdong…

At this moment, someone knocked on the door again.

“Senior Brother Yin, what’s wrong?” Lin Fan asked with a smile.

Among the people in the sect, the only ones he could be considered familiar with were Senior Brother Yin and Senior Brother Ni.

“Junior Brother Lin, today the Inner Courtyard seniors are coming to the Outer Courtyard for martial arts competitions. Want to go take a look?” Yin Mochen said excitedly.

“Competition?” Lin Fan was taken aback. “Senior Brother Yin, why are the Inner Courtyard members holding competitions in the Outer Courtyard instead of their own?”

“This is a long-standing tradition of the sect. The Inner Courtyard seniors come to the Outer Courtyard for competitions mainly to motivate us juniors. Also, after the competitions, the Outer Courtyard seniors can consult the Inner Courtyard seniors about any problems they encounter in their cultivation,” Yin Mochen explained.

Lin Fan nodded. This seemed similar to how schools would invite seniors who had been admitted to Tsinghua University to return to their alma mater, giving the younger students some inspiration to work hard and eventually get into top universities like Tsinghua or Peking University.

However, Lin Fan himself wasn’t particularly interested in these competitions. What he did want to see, though, was the actual cultivation level of these Inner Courtyard seniors.

“Alright, Senior Brother, then let’s go,” Lin Fan said.

“Yeah, let’s hurry up, or we won’t even have a place to stand,” Yin Mochen urged.

Every year at this time was the most exciting moment for the Outer Courtyard seniors, as they could finally get solutions to their long-standing cultivation problems from the Inner Courtyard seniors.

When Lin Fan and Senior Brother Yin arrived at the scene, it was already packed with people. In the front was a square-shaped martial arts arena, paved with blue bricks, its corners sharp and distinct. Around the arena stood four dragon-entwined pillars, exuding a majestic aura.

“Junior Brother, let’s go that way. There are fewer people there,” Yin Mochen looked around and finally spotted a less crowded area. Standing there, they couldn’t even see what was happening on the stage. This was a rare opportunity to witness the Inner Courtyard seniors’ martial arts display, something that only happened once a year. Missing this chance meant waiting until next year.

After Lin Fan and Yin Mochen found their spot, people finally appeared on the martial arts stage.

A group of brightly dressed men and women descended from the air like immortals arriving, and as these Inner Courtyard disciples landed, the Outer Courtyard disciples at the scene erupted into even more enthusiastic cheers.

This group of Inner Courtyard disciples was now the center of attention, like superstar performers enjoying the cheers of the crowd.

Lin Fan looked at the group on the stage, carefully observing them.

Late先天 Fifth Stage.

Late Congenital Fourth Stage.

Late先天 Eighth Stage.

…

Late innate Ninth Stage.

Among this group of Inner Courtyard disciples, the highest cultivation level was actually Early Divine Entry Second Stage, which was still far inferior to Meng Yangquan.

This Early Divine Entry Second Stage Inner Courtyard disciple was probably the person in charge this time. After saying a few words to those around him on the stage, he led them toward the high seats at the front.

Lin Fan focused on this Early Divine Entry Second Stage disciple. He could sense a powerful aura being carefully restrained from this person.

“The competition begins…” At this moment, the person sitting on the upper stone chair finally spoke.

Though his voice wasn’t loud, it was like a thunderclap from the ninth heaven, shaking the minds of many Outer Courtyard disciples and making their faces turn pale.

“So strong…” Lin Fan was shocked. It seemed he couldn’t afford to underestimate anyone.

The gap between Late Xiantian and Early Xiantian was an insurmountable chasm, and the difference between Early Xiantian and Divine Entry was even more significant.

At this moment, two Inner Courtyard disciples floated onto the stage. The two exchanged glances, then clasped their fists in salute.

In Lin Fan’s eyes, these two were both Inner Courtyard disciples at the Late先天 Seventh Stage. Although their auras weren’t as powerful as that of the Early Divine Entry Second Stage disciple, they still gave Lin Fan a strong sense of danger.

“Begin.” The Inner Courtyard disciple sitting above spoke like an emperor ruling over the heavens, his every word and action exuding supreme authority that was impossible to resist.

“Roar…”

At this moment, it seemed as if a dragon’s roar echoed through the heavens and earth.

The long swords carried on the backs of the two disciples shot forth, breaking through the air with radiant light, their blades covered in a layer of glowing energy.

“Amazing, absolutely amazing!” Yin Mochen’s eyes sparkled as he watched the two seniors on stage.

“This is the innate realm!”

…

Lin Fan watched the two Inner Courtyard disciples battling on stage, his heart pounding.

“Incredible, absolutely incredible.”

“This is martial arts cultivation. Looks like I really need to go to the library and borrow a few books to study carefully. This is too magnificent, too dazzling.”

“Junior Brother, did you see that? These are the Inner Courtyard seniors. They’re too strong. I wonder when I’ll be able to reach their level,” Yin Mochen said with admiration, not knowing what else to say.

“Very soon, very soon…” Lin Fan kept his eyes fixed on the stage, his heart also filled with excitement.

“Sigh, Junior Brother, Senior Brother knows his own limitations. Entering the Inner Courtyard seems hopeless in this lifetime,” Yin Mochen said with regret.

Lin Fan rolled his eyes, wanting to tell his senior brother that he was talking about himself. But seeing how lacking in confidence Yin Senior Brother was, Lin Fan felt it was his responsibility to give him some proper encouragement.

After the two Inner Courtyard disciples on stage finished their match, the Outer Courtyard disciples below erupted into cheers even more intense than before.

“The next segment is the guidance session. Is there anyone willing to spar with these two seniors? Naturally, there will be no injuries,” the Early Divine Entry Second Stage Inner Courtyard disciple sitting on the chair announced.

At this moment, the Outer Courtyard disciples below began whispering among themselves. This segment was quite interesting, and many Outer Courtyard disciples wanted to go up but were hesitant, fearing their cultivation levels were too low to impress the seniors and being criticized as worthless.

There had been such an example before. A junior brother went up for guidance and was harshly criticized by the senior brother, which broke his spirit due to his weak mentality, causing him to give up completely and become a failure.

At this moment, Lin Fan below the stage was delighted.

“A sparring session with no risk of injury? If I could successfully pull off a sneak attack and steal some cultivation techniques, wouldn’t I become immensely powerful?”

“I… I’ll go!” Without hesitation, Lin Fan raised his hand.

“Junior Brother…” Yin Mochen was stunned, looking at Lin Fan in disbelief.