Chapter 3975 — Scared Unconscious

"Not at all. Compared to you, Brother Wang, I am a complete layman who knows nothing at all. That is precisely why I hoped to take this opportunity to properly learn the art of artifact-forging from you—if you would allow it?" Wei Zhao said with a smile.

Wei Zhao was, of course, an artifact-forger himself—only a half-baked one. What truly puzzled him was: just who was this Sun Jichuan? Han Jingyi had once said her master was named Sun Jichuan as well. Could these two Sun Sikongs be the same person? And if so, how had he come to Cloud Terrace Island? Was he too a legendary figure, like Zhang Lifeng? The more Wei Zhao thought about it, the deeper his admiration grew.

Scrap King hurriedly said with excitement, "Brother Lin, you are too kind. To have someone of like mind exploring the way of artifact-forging together—that is something I have dreamed of my whole life. Rest assured, Brother Lin: whatever I know, I will keep nothing from you."

"Then I thank you in advance, Brother Wang," Wei Zhao said with a grateful nod. He then took from his bundle the high-grade spirit-beast materials Scrap King had been so desperately longing for—namely, the forepaws and whip-like tail of the Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard.

At the sight of these things, Scrap King's eyes lit up at once, like a starving wolf catching sight of a sheep; his entire demeanor changed in an instant.

Faintly, Wei Zhao even sensed from him the aura of a formidable expert not to be underestimated—proof that even without great strength, when a man devotes himself wholeheartedly to a single pursuit, he can draw forth tremendous latent potential.

"These are all treasures!" Scrap King cradled the items in his arms as if they were his own children, carefully running his fingers over them, terrified of dirtying them by even a speck. From the look of him, he would have gladly slept beside them.

After rejoicing on his own for a moment, Scrap King finally remembered that Wei Zhao was still standing right there. He promptly pulled several things from his own bosom and laid them out before Wei Zhao one by one, introducing them: the black toad tail he had mentioned earlier, the fox-bear bone, and the wolf-spider down.

"Brother Lin, these things may look unremarkable, and none of them are the most valuable parts of their respective spirit beasts, but they are the fruit of months of my scavenging. Paired with your Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard materials, they are absolutely first-rate—the compatibility between these materials is extremely high, and their effect is in no way inferior to any other spirit-beast material." Scrap King presented them to Wei Zhao with great flourish.

"You have gone to great trouble these past months, Brother Wang," Wei Zhao said in sincere gratitude.

"Not at all, not at all—what trouble is there in this? To me these are delightful labors, and I am only too glad to do them," Scrap King said with a chuckle.

After a pause, Scrap King looked at Wei Zhao's refined-steel staff, scratched his head, and spoke with easy fluency: "Brother Lin, you never mentioned this thing to me before, so I had not given any thought to a forging plan. But you need not worry—I took a rough look just now, and this staff of yours does not conflict with the materials from the Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard. Upgrading it should pose no great problem, and it does not involve many materials besides. I trust it will be done before long."

Even by Wei Zhao's layman's eye, it was plain to see that Scrap King was truly a fanatic of artifact-forging, and that he genuinely had real skill in his belly. Given the right opportunity, there was no saying he could not astonish the world in a single stroke.

This Scrap King, belittled and looked down upon by all, was in truth a buried gemstone—once he shone, he would dazzle the world.

Seeing that Scrap King could hardly wait and had already begun envisioning an upgrade plan, Wei Zhao quickly said, "Hold on, Brother Wang. I have other materials on hand as well—why not take a look first?"

"Oh? Bring them out, quickly!" Scrap King's eyes lit up, and he urged him eagerly again and again.

Wei Zhao smiled faintly, then slowly drew a small porcelain bottle from his cloth wrapping and handed it to Scrap King.

Scrap King took it, opened the stopper, and had barely glanced inside before he froze entirely. Unbelieving, he brought his nose close and sniffed carefully, even dipped a finger in and touched it to his tongue to taste. A moment later, he was utterly feverish, his eyes gleaming green like a starving wolf's.

"Brother Lin... this... is this the legendary Primal Pure Land?!" Scrap King asked, stammering.

"Indeed. Brother Wang, you truly have a keen eye—most people could never recognize this thing," Wei Zhao praised with a smile.

The Primal Pure Land was such a rare and obscure treasure that, apart from old monsters like Gui Dongxi, who had lived no one knew how long, ordinary people could not possibly recognize it—they had never even heard of it. Even someone like Yu Jiang, who had steeped himself in ancient texts for years, might not have been able to tell its worth. It was clear that Scrap King truly had a knack for artifact-forging.

At these words, Scrap King nearly rolled his eyes back and keeled over on the spot. He barely managed to collect himself, then gazed at Wei Zhao with tears welling in his eyes, on the verge of dropping to his knees: "Brother Lin, you are truly my second parent! To have the fortune of laying eyes on legendary materials of this caliber—I shall have no regrets in this life."

"Do not be in such a hurry. I still have something I have not brought out," Wei Zhao said, amused by Scrap King's expression of a wish fulfilled. He reached into the bundle once more and drew out another item, handing it to him.

"This—is this a thousand-year tree crystal? You even have something like this? May I make so bold as to ask—just who in the world are you, Brother Lin?" Scrap King's eyes went wide and fixed; drool ran unchecked from the corner of his mouth, and his face wore the vacant, dazed look of a man whose soul had wandered off.

"I am no one of consequence. But I must show you one more thing," Wei Zhao said, and as if performing a magic trick, produced a piece of withered wood and handed it to Scrap King.

Scrap King took the withered wood, examined it carefully for a long while, then without a word toppled over with a thud—he had simply fainted dead away.

Wei Zhao watched this scene, caught between laughter and tears. True, a ten-thousand-year tree crystal was rare beyond all measure, and placed alongside the Primal Pure Land and the thousand-year tree crystal, its impact was no small thing. But for Scrap King to be so overcome that he fainted on the spot was really a bit much.

This was only because he had run into someone like Scrap King, who knew his materials. Anyone else, seeing ten-thousand-year tree crystal or Primal Pure Land in such worthless-looking forms, could not even recognize them, let alone be struck senseless by them.

After a long while, Scrap King finally came slowly back to his senses. One glance at the priceless treasures before him, and he nearly swooned away all over again.

Wei Zhao hastily caught hold of him and joked, "Brother Wang, you are an artifact-forger after all. I merely showed you some materials, and you have already fainted two or three times—how am I to ask for your help at this rate?"

Only then did Scrap King manage to steady himself, scratching his head with an awkward, sheepish grin. Yet his eyes could not tear themselves away from the ten-thousand-year tree crystal and the other treasures.

Wei Zhao could tell that this was not the greed of one who wished to claim them for himself, but purely an appreciation rising from the depths of his heart. It gave one the feeling of a devout believer beholding a legendary deity—a reverent worship radiating from within and without.