Starting with an orphanage, I mass-produced peerless empresses.

Inside the orphanage, Lin Yun looked at the white-haired old man in front of him, who resembled a candle flickering in the wind.

Behind him followed a small girl, who was dressed entirely in a black robe.

This combination of an old man and a young boy prompted Lin Yun to ask a question.

"I said, are you really the Ghostly Master?"

"Ahem... It is indeed this old man."

The white-haired old man coughed weakly, then took out a piece of paper and said...

"Is this the note you received back then?"

Lin Yun then compared it with the one Bai Xiaoxue brought back, and confirmed that he had not shown it to any outsiders.

"Alright, I'll believe you're the Ghostly Master for now."

Lin Yun figured that no one would dare to mess with him at this critical juncture.

The white-haired old man chuckled and said, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Jian Jiu. This Ghost Shadow Saint Hand is just a code name given to me by others."

"Sword Nine? That's a rather peculiar name..."

Lin Yun seemed to be deep in thought, then glanced at the little girl beside him.

"By the way, this is..."

"She is my granddaughter, just call her Xiao Xi."

"You even brought your granddaughter along on business?"

However, Lin Yun still smiled and waved to her afterwards.

Hello, Xiaoxi.

But as soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Xi timidly hid behind her grandfather.

Just like how Long Shishi was to him back then.

Seeing this, Jian Jiu smiled wryly and said, "I'm sorry, this girl rarely goes out and is rather shy."

"It's okay, he's still just a kid."

Lin Yun smiled and then asked.

"Speaking of which, you've come here to forge swords for us as promised?"

Jian Jiu pondered for a moment and said, "Would it be alright if we spoke alone?"

Lin Yun paused for a moment, then nodded.

"No problem, but what about her?"

This naturally refers to Xiao Xi.

Upon hearing this, Jian Jiu could only turn around and comfort her.

"Xiao Xi, Grandpa has something to talk to him about. Can you wait here for Grandpa for a while?"

"Hmm... okay..."

You could tell she was quite scared, but she still obediently agreed.

Then, Lin Yun glanced at Bai Xiaoxue and the others.

"Please look after her during this time."

"Yes, yes, we understand!"

Bai Xiaoxue readily agreed, then smiled and walked up to Xiaoxi, extending her hand.

"Hello, little sister, my name is Bai Xiaoxue, nice to meet you!"

Upon seeing her approach, Xiao Xi retreated repeatedly, appearing terrified.

Jian Jiu also quickly spoke up.

"Wait a minute, young lady. Xiao Xi's situation is special. You must not touch her."

Upon hearing this, all three women looked puzzled.

Seeing how careful he was, Lin Yun, before leaving, also gave him a special instruction not to come into contact with her.

Afterwards, Lin Yun led Jian Jiu into the reception room.

As soon as he sat down, Jian Jiu smiled.

"Dean Lin, you have truly broadened my horizons in this Qingyun Grand Competition."

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow when he mentioned this.

So, you were there?

"That's right, I watched the whole thing. When Senior Xu came later, I was really on edge."

Jian Jiu smiled faintly.

But Lin Yun had a whole host of questions.

"How did you know we would be participating in the Qingyun Grand Competition? And how did you know it was us who wanted you to forge our swords?"

"It's very simple, I just happen to know some methods for predicting the future."

Jian Jiu smiled and explained, "I used the person who forged the sword as the starting point and saw their future of winning the Dragon Pattern Meteorite Iron."

"In this way, whoever wins the Dragon Pattern Meteorite Iron will naturally be the one to have me forge the sword."

This logic seemed reasonable at first glance, but Lin Yun quickly realized a problem.

"What if the Heavenly Sword Sect reneges on the agreement and doesn't offer the Dragon Pattern Meteorite as a prize? Wouldn't your test be in vain?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Jiu shook his head.

"In fact, the Heavenly Sword Sect never intended to offer the Dragon Pattern Meteorite Iron as a reward."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow, remembering that Lu Xian'er had also found this matter strange at the time.

Jian Jiu smiled faintly at this.

"It's simply because I made a deal with the Heavenly Sword Sect at the very beginning."

"In exchange for my unique forging method, I will have the Heavenly Sword Sect provide the Dragon Pattern Meteorite Iron as a reward."

"They believed that even if they had to pay it out, they could win it back, so they readily agreed."

"But little did we know, these two extraordinary prodigies emerged from your orphanage this year..."

After learning the truth, Lin Yun suddenly understood.

"No wonder, that guy said back then that I tricked them out of their Dragon Pattern Meteorite."

"Hehe, that's how it is..."

“But I still don’t understand.”

Lin Yun asked curiously, "What forging method could make them willing to take such a big risk?"

After all, Dragon Pattern Meteorite Iron is arguably the best forging material in the world, and is extremely precious.

“He was an ancient imperial-level blacksmith, and his forging techniques had long been lost, so they were naturally very interested in him.”

Lin Yun immediately seized upon the key point.

"Wait, if it was lost to time, how come it's with you?"

"It's very simple..."

Jian Jiu looked up at him, a glint of light flashing in his murky eyes.

"I am an Emperor-level blacksmith from ancient times..."

"???"

Lin Yun's expression was strange.

"Are you trying to say that you are an Emperor-level expert?"

"Yes, it was."

Jian Jiu gave a bitter smile.

"To be precise, it was after I passed away that I discovered I had retained my memories and had been reborn."

"You mean, you're a reborn person?"

"Hmm...that description is accurate."

Jian Jiu was surprised for a moment, then sighed.

"In ancient times, I spent my whole life searching for the path to immortality but to no avail. Even until my death, I was unable to find the right opportunity."

"I never thought I would have the chance to be reborn, allowing me to experience the life of an ordinary person once again."

Hearing his words of emotion, Lin Yun was still half-convinced.

"What you say sounds very convincing, but I just don't believe it."

The idea of ​​a reborn person is a bit far-fetched.

Although, frankly speaking, it's even more absurd for me to be a transmigrator with a system...

In response, Jian Jiu opened his hand, and a crimson glow bloomed in his palm, like a fire lotus, containing incomparably profound Daoist charm!

"This is the power of laws, which evolved from the power of the Great Dao. It is also a symbol of a Venerable stepping into the Emperor rank. Dean Lin should be very clear about this, right?"

Clearly, he genuinely regarded Lin Yun as a super strong expert.

"Yes...of course I know very well."

Lin Yun coughed lightly. Although he didn't understand, he still had to pretend to be innocent to avoid being exposed on the spot.

"I'll assume you're a reincarnated person for now. In your previous life, you failed to become an immortal. Have you found any opportunities in this life?"

This was also something he cared about a lot: could immortals truly be made on the Xuan Tian Continent?

Unfortunately, Jian Jiu gently shook his head.

"In my past life, I exhausted all my efforts but could not find an opportunity. In this life, I have come to terms with it."

"I just want to experience the life of an ordinary person in this mortal world..."

Clearly, he's completely detached from worldly affairs and has given up.

Lin Yun was both amused and exasperated, and sighed.

"Okay, this is a good choice."

Then, he took a deep breath and said.

"Let's leave the story here for now. How about we get down to business? You've gone to so much trouble to help us, what kind of reward are you hoping for?"

Lin Yun believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

The other party even gave away the forging method; he didn't believe a word of it if they said they didn't want anything in return.

Unexpectedly, Jian Jiu's next words were even more significant.

"I don't want anything from you, I can even give you everything I have!"

"As for forging, I will forge an unparalleled divine weapon for you free of charge!"

For a moment, Lin Yun was stunned by what he said.

"No, are you alright?"