Tang Ling clenched his fists as Xiao Lao's story echoed in his ears. "Uncle Dan never once asked me to call him 'Master'… but he guided me like one every single day."
A strange heaviness filled his chest. Had Uncle Dan… been afraid to ask for that title?
Still trying to process everything, Tang Ling looked up, his voice uncertain. "Then… how did Uncle Dan survive? How did he end up in this jungle after being betrayed?"
Xiao Lao's expression turned flat. "You don't need to know that yet. When you're strong enough—when you've grown—I'll tell you the rest."
Tang Ling hesitated but couldn't hold back another question. "Then… is Min Yan still alive?"
Xiao Lao paused before nodding slightly. "Yes. But don't even think about facing him. You're too weak right now."
Tang Ling gritted his teeth and threw a punch into the air, his frustration boiling over.
Xiao Lao gave a small smirk. "Don't beat yourself up. For your age, you're already a genius."
Tang Ling took a deep breath, calming himself as his clenched hand relaxed. "When I'm strong, I'll beat his ass."
Xiao Lao crossed his arms and resumed his lecture, voice carrying a heavy edge. "Since you're my disciple, I'll tell you something important: Never love anyone in this world. Be so strong that people fear you, or choose to be weak—and live with the fact that you can't even protect your own life."
"I haven't found my reason to become strong yet… but I will become someone strong—someone who's kind and good. I don't believe being good is a bad thing."
Xiao Lao's eyes narrowed. "Fine. But remember this—good people fall, just like your Uncle Dan."
He paused, then added, "To become powerful, you must focus on cultivation. But many geniuses get distracted—they become spiritual device crafters, spiritual blacksmiths, or spiritual device designers. You're choosing to walk two paths at once. That will only make it harder. So, I'm not forcing you to learn spiritual device crafting from me. You can choose not to become a crafter."
Tang Ling's voice was firm. "Master, I love both—designing and crafting. You don't have to feel like you're forcing me. I want to learn both spiritual device crafting and spiritual device designing."
Xiao Lao raised an eyebrow and gave a proud snort. "Hmph. I know you're talented and passionate. But this path is difficult. If you fail, it won't just slow you down—it could ruin your future. And just so you know, I only know spiritual device crafting, not designing."
Tang Ling smiled. "Then don't you believe in your own teachings?"
The old man chuckled, rubbing his black beard. "Of course I do—Iʼm your master! Dan raised a lazy, talentless brat and still made him strong. I've got a little genius in front of me—how could I lose to that guy?"
Fully fired up, Xiao Lao beckoned him over. "Come here and watch carefully. Sit at the table. I'm going to show you what true crafting looks like. After that, I'll tell you every single mistake you made with your gun."
Tang Ling sat quietly on one side of the stone table, carved earlier by Xiao Lao with a rune cutter. His master sat across from him, laying out the same materials Tang Ling had used before.
As Xiao Lao pulled on a pair of black gloves—larger than Tang Ling's, of course, to fit his bigger hands—he began explaining, "Boy, always wear crafter's gloves. These aren't the same as combat gloves. They're made for channeling energy efficiently into the rune cutter. For anyone below the Lingqi Shi realm, it's a must. Without them, rune carving becomes unstable—and worse, you could destroy the energy core."
Tang Ling's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Wait... Master, are you also below Lingqi Shi?"
Xiao Lao shot him a glare. "Brat. Do I look like someone stuck below that realm?"
Tang Ling blinked. "Then why are you wearing gloves?"
Xiao Lao smirked. "Because you learn better when I show you, idiot."
Tang Ling scratched his cheek. "Ohhh…"
Xiao Lao continued, "Second—pay attention. The rune cutter is the most crucial tool. A high-quality one is essential. If your cutter is low-tier, the success rate drops drastically, and the risk of damaging the energy core increases. In the worst case, it could explode. But if you're using a higher-tier cutter, you gain several benefits—more precision, better energy flow, and reduced failure rate and much more.
I recommend aiming for a ranked rune cutter. Even the lowest-ranked ones come with special abilities and offer various benefits. However, they're hard to come by—don't worry about it for now. But if you ever get the chance, don't let it slip away."
"As for the ranking system, rune cutters are graded from 1 to 1000, with Rank 1 being the highest and Rank 1000 the lowest.
Tang Ling asked, "What is this rank system, Master?"
Xiao Lao explained, "Ranks are honors for crafters, designers, and blacksmiths. After reaching Tier 10, there's no further level to climb, so they created ranks to compete among themselves. They make masterpieces, and those are ranked based on quality and performance.
"But since combining all professions into one rank would be unfair, four separate rankings were created: Metal Treasure Rank for blacksmiths, Treasure Device Design Rank for designers, Treasure Device Rank for crafters, and lastly, the Rune Cutter Rank. Rune Cutter Rank doesn't offer titles—it's just for personal pride and competition."
"Having something on the ranking list is extremely rare. Treasures stay on it for years unless something better comes along. Those who manage to get even one item on any list are called Ranking Grandmasters. They receive a title based on the highest-ranking item they've made."
Tang Ling asked, "Master, are you a Ranking Grandmaster?"
Xiao Lao smirked. "Maybe. Maybe not."
Tang Ling pouted. "Don't tease me, tell me for real!"
Xiao Lao replied, "I haven't even reached Tier 10 yet. Do you think it's that easy? It takes deep, profound knowledge—and only a few ever get that far. And don't compare me to those old geezers—I'm only thirty-six."
Tang Ling tilted his head and said seriously, "You really don't look thirty-six, Master… more like sixty."
Xiao Lao's eyes twitched. "You brat! I'm going to increase your trai—"
Tang Ling quickly waved his hands. "W-wait! I'm sorry, Master!"
Xiao Lao sighed. "Alright. I'm a High Master. I'll let you off... for now." He emphasized the last two words with a knowing glint in his eyes that Tang Ling, caught up in his relief, completely missed.
Tang Ling muttered, "That was close. I almost hit my own foot with a shovel."
Xiao Lao pointed at him and resumed his teaching. "Now, third—and listen carefully—you're both a designer and a crafter. When you made your gun, you designed something amazing. But you crafted the parts and only checked the blueprint once at the end, right?"
Tang Ling tilted his head. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"
Xiao Lao smacked the table. "You little bastard! Do you know how many times a real crafter looks at the blueprint while crafting?"
Tang Ling blinked. "Once?"
"Exactly. One time!" Xiao Lao bellowed. "And that's why you messed up! A real weapon crafter constantly refers to the blueprint. Just because you memorized it doesn't mean you'll execute it perfectly."
Tang Ling scratched his head, grinning. "Hehe... I kind of memorized it after drawing it. Thought I didn't need to check again."
Xiao Lao sighed deeply. "Ugh. I'll find a way to beat that habit out of you."
With the prep done, Xiao Lao picked up Tang Ling's blueprint and began crafting. He selected a metal block—the same kind Tang Ling had used—and started cutting.
His hands moved like flowing water—clean, sharp strokes that sliced the metal like butter. His technique was fast, yet beautiful to watch. Every motion had purpose. Every strike, precision.
Tang Ling watched in awe. In just half an hour, Xiao Lao had completed all the body parts.
"Boy," Xiao Lao said mockingly, "this is the speed a proper weapon crafter should have. Not two hours. If you're that slow, you're not worthy of being called even a Tier 1 designer. You better practice harder—or go jump in a pond."
Tang Ling grinned, "You don't have to throw me into the pond, Master. I swear I'll practice even harder!"
Next came rune carving.
Xiao Lao picked up the energy core and the same rune cutter. As he etched the pattern, he continued teaching, "Your rune carving speed isn't bad. But aim for an hour max. That's your target."
Tang Ling nodded, eyes focused.
Xiao Lao's carving was mesmerizing. His hand glided over the glowing core, weaving a rune pattern that looked impossibly complex.
Tang Ling's eyes widened. "This rune… I saw something similar in a book. Isn't this beyond Tier 7?"
Xiao Lao finished carving in just thirty minutes, then carefully assembled all the weapon parts using the design as a guide.
Tang Ling asked, "Master… during rune carving, you didn't check the blueprint once."
Xiao Lao nodded. "Blueprints are for design and part crafting. Rune patterns depend on the depth of your understanding. The more you know, the more complex your carvings can be."
Tang Ling was buzzing with excitement. "The way you carved that energy pattern was amazing! I want to learn it too!"
Xiao Lao smiled slyly. "Finish your task first. Bring me what I asked from the forest, and then I'll teach you that technique."
Then he leaned back and asked with a smirk, "So, boy… what did you learn from all this?"