Starforce Warriors

Chapter 257: Grinding The Horn To A Sword

What were the Five Spirits? The Five Spirits involved refining the spiritual energy of the five vital organs, the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. A warrior at the peak of the Five Spirits Realm can significantly extend their lifespan, enhance their resilience, dramatically improve their physical constitution, and gain extraordinary regenerative abilities. They would not die instantly even if their internal organs were shattered. As long as their body remained intact and their brain unharmed, there was still a chance for recovery and healing.

Elder Cheng was at the second stage of the Five Spirits Realm, meaning he had refined and tempered his heart and liver. However, after taking Li Xiaofei’s palm strike, his five vital organs were completely torn apart. His body flew backward, crashing through a wall and landing in a heap of bricks and dust.

"What?!" Gu Langhuo was utterly stunned by the scene.

That was a true expert of the Five Spirits Realm. And yet, he had been defeated by a single strike?

He had brought Elder Cheng to the Western Rock Star Beasts Disassembly Plant to bait and kill Li Xiaofei. Instead, it seemed they had caught a shark. As he realized the grave danger he was in, Gu Langhuo's long-dormant intelligence finally kicked in. Without wasting a single word, he turned and fled. Although he was at the Meridian Expanding Realm, and a high-level expert in Liuhe Base City, he was as weak as a mere chick before Li Xiaofei.

Whoosh!

A sliver of sword energy shot out and Gu Langhuo’s head fell to the ground. The other Gu family warriors trembled in fear, too terrified to make a move.

"I killed him. It has nothing to do with the Western Rock Disassembly Plant," Li Xiaofei said calmly, looking at the lackeys. "Take the body with you. Tell Gu Juechen that I’m in the city, and if he seeks revenge, I’m ready anytime."

Since there was no turning back now, there was no room for mercy. The gray-suited lackeys, trembling in fear, hurriedly lifted Gu Langhuo's corpse and fled without looking back.

Li Xiaofei turned his gaze to the broken wall outside.

"Huh?"

A hint of surprise appeared on his face. Elder Cheng's body had disappeared.

He wasn’t dead? His five vital organs had been completely shattered, yet he didn’t die on the spot.

Li Xiaofei pondered the situation.

At that moment, Xie Renyu, trembling in fear, came over and fell to his knees with a thud. "President Li, I'm sorry... If you must kill someone, kill only me, but please spare my wife and child."

“Daddy.” The little girl walked over, wrapping her arms tightly around Xie Renyu's neck. His wife also knelt down with a thud, looking at Li Xiaofei with pleading eyes.

Li Xiaofei helped him up and said, “This isn’t your fault.”

Xie Renyu, filled with guilt, responded, “I’m sorry, President Li. I truly had no choice. If I hadn’t made that call, they would’ve killed my wife and child...”

Li Xiaofei reassured him, “I’m the one who involved you in this.”

Xie Renyu quickly shook his head, “No, no, it's an honor for Western Rock to disassemble a fifth grade star beast. We can waive the fee for this disassembly, I—"

Li Xiaofei smiled and patted his shoulder, “I’ve told you, this isn’t your fault. Settle it as usual. It hasn’t been easy for anyone lately, and I can’t let so many skilled workers labor for free.”

Xie Renyu was at a loss for words.

The stories surrounding President Li of the Cloudy Sky Gang painted him as a bloodthirsty killer. It was said that he single-handedly slaughtered hundreds from the Dragon Claw Gang. But in reality, he was unexpectedly gentle and reasonable.

"By the way, I was just about to ask Manager Xie something," Li Xiaofei said. "You've been in this industry for a long time and know more than I do. Is there a master craftsman in Liuhe Base City capable of grinding down beast bones, specifically from a bull-horned beast?"

Xie Renyu immediately understood and replied, "President Li, are you looking to have that massive bull horn polished?"

"Exactly."

"Well, you've come to the right person. My uncle is a master in this field and the only weapons specialist in the city with experience polishing bones from fifth grade beasts."

"Oh? That’s great news. Could you introduce me? Who is this master?"

"He’s none other than the current rotating chairman of the Gang Alliance, Mr. Ning."

"Hm? Him?"

Li Xiaofei was taken aback. He knew that Ning Wuwo was the current chairman of the alliance. However, Ning Wuwo was the head of the Xuanku Gang, and was renowned for his medical expertise. He followed the path of a healer and was famously known for his motto, “Only save lives, never kill.' He was a well-known miracle doctor.

A doctor... can also grind weapons?

"President Li, there’s something you may not know," Xie Renyu smiled as he explained. "Mr. Ning once pursued dual cultivation in both medicine and weapon forging. He traveled across various major base cities within the Great Xia Realm, and his skills in medicine and cold weapon forging were unrivaled. However, after a few events that left him disheartened, he returned to Liuhe Base City and focused solely on medicine."

Li Xiaofei was surprised by this revelation. He recalled a conversation he had with Ning Wuwo on the phone previously, which was making more sense. This man seemed to have a deeper motivation driving him.

"I’m familiar with Mr. Ning. I’ll visit him personally to make the request," Li Xiaofei said. "As for the disassembled Bull Demon’s blood, flesh, tendons, and bones, have them loaded onto the trucks and sent back to the Cloudy Sky Gang."

"President Li, aren’t you planning to auction them?" Xie Renyu asked.

"No, I’ll be keeping them for personal use," Li Xiaofei replied.

Xie Renyu felt a twinge of regret but knew better than to press the matter. Li Xiaofei casually took the ten Inscribed Treasure Bones as well. On his way back, Li Xiaofei gave Ning Wuwo a call.

"How did you find out that I could still work with beast bones?" Ning Wuwo sounded surprised.

Li Xiaofei playfully sold out Xie Renyu without hesitation.

"I haven’t touched a blade in thirty years," Ning Wuwo said, laughing. "If anyone else had asked, I would’ve flatly refused, but since it’s you, Old Li, how could I say no? Bring the horn over."

The old fox, Ning Wuwo, had seized the opportunity to secure a favor from Li Xiaofei in return. Half an hour later, the massive bull horn was delivered to the back courtyard of the Xuanku Gang.

Ning Wuwo, accompanied by a few slender, fair-skinned, and beautiful female disciples, personally greeted Li Xiaofei.

"A horn from a fifth grade star beast, the Purple Thunder Sky-Crashing Unihorn Bull Demon... Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is a rare treasure. Its value is on par with its Inscribed Treasure Bones," Ning Wuwo remarked after carefully examining the two-meter-long horn.

He then asked, "What kind of weapon do you want to craft from it?"

Li Xiaofei replied, "A blade, a spear, or perhaps a sword."

Ning Wuwo meticulously measured and examined the horn before concluding, "Based on its texture, shape, and size, it would be most suitable to craft a broad blade."

"Then a blade it is," Li Xiaofei decided without hesitation.

"How long will it take?" he asked.

Ning Wuwo paused for a moment, then raised one finger.

"One month?" Li Xiaofei hesitated for a moment before saying, "That's a bit long, but I can wait."

Ning Wuwo smiled slightly and said with pride, "One day."

Li Xiaofei was taken aback and exclaimed, "That fast?"

Ning Wuwo chuckled, not bothering with false modesty. "These old bones aren’t as quick as they used to be. If this were twenty years ago, I could have finished it in ten hours."

"In that case, please start right away, Old Ning. I'll stand guard for you," Li Xiaofei offered.

Ning Wuwo thought for a moment before saying, "I’ve delved deeply into the art of forging weapons and, by chance, glimpsed some of the ancient alchemical secrets from immortal traditions. I also have some knowledge of powered weapons. How about I enhance this blade even further? What do you think, Old Li?"