Chapter Five: The Sky-Blue Crystal Hammer (Part One)

As soon as the elders spoke, the father, who had been devouring his food, had no objections. The Starry Sky Technique was now in his son's hands. Although his son's right to inherit the family headship was assured, he was not yet the patriarch, and holding onto something like this made his father feel more at ease.

The reason he had been pressing his son to surrender more of the Starry Sky Technique was simply to prevent those within the clan who opposed his son’s succession from finding any excuse to undermine him. Now, seeing an elder take the lead and considering that the four forms of the Starry Sky Technique were already sufficient for the Kuang family, he finally spoke, “Very well, four forms it is. Fatty, copy them out for me now.”

Kuang Chi recalled the technique as he wrote and drew, spending a good while before finally transcribing the diagrams and formulas for the four forms of the Starry Sky Technique. When he handed the four small slips of paper to his father, his father asked cautiously, “Fatty, are you sure there are no mistakes? Look them over carefully a few more times. If there’s a mistake, it could be disastrous.”

Kuang Chi nodded solemnly, “Don’t worry, I checked it thoroughly just now. There are no errors.” His father took a pale blue, palm-sized, rectangular box from his chest, carefully folded the four slips and placed them inside, then handed the box to an elder behind him.

The elder took it and, before everyone, tied the box securely around his waist with a cloth strap. Seeing how seriously everyone treated this, Kuang Chi felt a bit embarrassed; moments ago, he had been petty, bargaining with them. Yet, if not for his rapid progress to the seventh layer of the Wild Dragon Technique, even though he knew the Starry Sky Technique was precious, he could hardly have imagined its importance to the Kuang clan.

His father waited until the elder had secured the box before saying, “Ninth Elder, I entrust the Starry Sky Technique to you.” The elder, addressed as the Ninth Elder, smiled and replied, “Rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will deliver the Starry Sky Technique safely back to Wild Battle Star.”

With that, the Ninth Elder bowed to Kuang Chi and walked out first, followed by three other elders and eight or nine companions. Kuang Chi’s father then sent Kuang Feng and Kuang Qingshan away, leaving only Kuang Chi, Kuang Bao, another elder, and three middle-aged men in the room.

After what seemed like a careful inspection, his father, with a nod from the elder behind him, said, “Fatty, copy the Starry Sky Technique once more.” Kuang Chi understood immediately and produced another copy for his father.

His father packed it into a similar box and handed it to the elder. He then complained, “You rascal, why didn’t you tell us back on Wild Battle Star that you’d acquired the Starry Sky Technique? Now, we have to risk so much to retrieve it.”

Kuang Chi thought for a moment before asking, “Dad, did something happen?” His father shook his head, “Nothing has happened yet. We’re just worried something might occur on the way back. Although few in the clan know you’ve trained the Wild Dragon Technique to the seventh layer and about the Starry Sky Technique, we’re still concerned that once word gets out, someone may try to stop us from securing it. That’s why we must be cautious.”

He smiled, “But there shouldn’t be any trouble. We’ve already made many arrangements.” He paused, then smiled again, “It’s a good occasion to visit you, too. Your mother worries so much about you, and you must be careful on the battlefield. Don’t just focus on killing the enemy and ignore your own safety. Even though Kuang Qingshan and the others are some of our clan’s best fighters in the Third Legion, you still need to be careful.”

Kuang Chi smiled sheepishly. He had indeed caused trouble for Kuang Qingshan and the others recently. The Empire of Gil had also taken notice of Kuang Chi’s unusual group—every time a battle broke out, they sent dozens of experts to counter them. Several times, due to lack of experience, Kuang Chi fell into their traps, causing serious injuries to Kuang Qingshan’s men, who barely managed to rescue him.

His father smiled again, “Your reputation among the nobles is quite impressive now. But you must learn to restrain yourself. As our clan’s heir, being known as a bloodthirsty killer will not help you when you take over the family.”

Kuang Chi nodded reluctantly. Killing was his favorite thing—it not only increased his military merit but was also vital to his cultivation.

Seeing his expression, his father sighed softly, “Enough of that. There’s another reason I came: to give you the weapon your great-grandfather commissioned for you years ago.”

Kuang Chi was surprised. He’d heard of his great-grandfather’s custom-made weapon for him ever since he was young. It was said to be difficult to craft. The last time he left home, his grandfather had mentioned it would take seven or eight more years to finish.

He asked, “Didn’t Grandpa say last time it would need seven or eight more years? How is it ready now?”

His father smiled, “Your grandfather and the elders of the Kuang Martial Hall saw how much you love the battlefield and how you lacked a suitable weapon, so they used our clan’s reserve funds to purchase a batch of Sky Blue Crystal from other families. That’s how it was completed before we set out.”

Sky Blue Crystal is a newly discovered metal among humans—relatively abundant, capable of countering super-powered weapons.

Though weapons made from Sky Blue Crystal still fall short of legendary ancient blades, they are already on par with the highest-grade energy weapons, especially in terms of feel. No matter how advanced energy weapons get, their weight and handling can’t compare to metal weapons.

His father then led Kuang Chi out of the room. Outside, Kuang Chi saw a massive blue eight-sided hammer lying horizontally not far from the door—about two meters long, with a handle as thick as his arm and a head as large as his torso. His eyes nearly popped out.

He walked up to the giant hammer, examined it for a long time, then looked at his father, “Dad, isn’t this too big? This is made of Sky Blue Crystal—can I even lift it?”

His father laughed, “Of course. If you couldn’t lift it, what would be the point of spending so much money and effort making it?”

Kuang Chi measured it, then shook his head—he had no confidence he could wield it.

His father smiled, “This weapon weighs nine hundred and ninety-nine kilograms under standard gravity. It’s made entirely of Sky Blue Crystal, with other even rarer and more valuable metals added, crafted by the most renowned human weapons master over eighteen years. It’s your great-grandfather’s gift for your coming of age.”

Kuang Chi shook his head, “Isn’t it a bit too heavy?”

“That’s because you don’t fully understand the power of your left hand. I, too, thought it was too heavy, but your grandfather said your great-grandfather believed this weight was nothing for your left hand.”

Kuang Chi glanced at his left hand, always hidden under long sleeves and gloves, covered in scale-like armor.

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