The Swordfield Middle Domain was a fairly large middle domain within the human territories. Slightly more powerful than the Red Cauldron Middle Domain, it ranked among the more formidable middle domains.
Back when Jiang Chen had departed from the Myriad Phenomena Region to make his way to Glazed Royal City, he had passed through the Swordfield Middle Domain's Tai'a City along the way.
The visit to Tai'a City had left Jiang Chen with thoroughly unpleasant memories.
The Undying Heavenly Capital had spread a rumor in that city, claiming they had captured Pool Master Dan of the Danqing Palace — all as bait to lure Jiang Chen in.
Though Jiang Chen had suspected it was a scheme by the Undying Heavenly Capital, he had still gone to Tai'a City regardless.
At the time, Tai'a City had sided entirely with the Undying Heavenly Capital, playing accomplice to their villainy.
Had Jiang Chen not kept his composure, that trip could very well have ended in disaster. He had subsequently turned the tables through a series of stratagems, luring the Undying Heavenly Capital's Wuji and his men into Weeping Infant Valley, where he used the Spirit-Bewildering Miasma to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
Still, the Swordfield Middle Domain — and Tai'a City in particular — remained seared in Jiang Chen's memory.
The fact that he hadn't gone back to settle the score with Tai'a City did not mean he had cheerfully forgotten that experience.
Luo Tianshu noticed Jiang Chen's somewhat detached expression and felt a flicker of surprise. This was his first time dealing with the Young Lord Zhen. It seemed the Young Lord's gaze toward him wasn't exactly friendly?
Could it be that the Young Lord maintained one standard for rogue cultivators and another for sect forces? That didn't seem right either — it was plain to see that the Young Lord treated all guests with courtesy and had shown no signs of hostility toward anyone.
Could the Young Lord hold some grudge against the Langya Sect?
But when Luo Tianshu had first mentioned the Langya Sect, the Young Lord hadn't reacted with any displeasure. He'd appeared not to have much impression of it at all.
It was only after the words "Swordfield Middle Domain" were spoken that his expression changed.
Luo Tianshu's heart churned with unease. He might be an elder of a second-rate sect, but standing before the Young Lord of Glazed Royal City, he instinctively felt three shades lesser.
If the Young Lord truly took issue with him, forget the Langya Sect — the entire Swordfield Middle Domain could be in serious trouble.
"Young Lord Zhen, I've heard that you are purchasing several types of rare materials, and among them is Heaven-Fallen True Iron?" Luo Tianshu asked gingerly, his voice trembling ever so slightly.
"That's right, Elder Luo. Please, have a seat and speak freely," Jiang Chen replied with a faint smile.
There was no way Luo Tianshu would dare sit down in front of Jiang Chen. He smiled apologetically. "I'm fine standing, thank you."
"Elder Luo, this Heaven-Fallen True Iron — does your Langya Sect truly have it?" Jiang Chen knew that in terms of sheer pressure, he had already overwhelmed this Luo Tianshu.
"I cannot say for certain, but based on Mister Jiao's description, it does seem like our Langya Sect may indeed possess a piece."
"Oh? A single piece? How large?" Jiang Chen's interest was piqued.
"About the size of a watermelon," Luo Tianshu answered honestly.
"What?" Jiang Chen blinked. "The size of a watermelon? Do you have any idea what Heaven-Fallen True Iron of that size would be worth?"
"I honestly don't," Luo Tianshu said with a bitter smile. "That thing is extremely heavy. Though it's only about the size of a watermelon, it feels as though it weighs two or three hundred jin when you hold it."
"If it's truly watermelon-sized, it would weigh at least three hundred jin," Jiang Chen said gravely.
He needed to forge a set of eighty-one Celestial Golden Dipper Swords. Even if each flying sword incorporated only two jin of Heaven-Fallen True Iron, he would still need nearly two hundred jin in total.
Of course, infusing a mere two jin of Heaven-Fallen True Iron into a single flying sword would clearly be insufficient to achieve proper quality.
To reach the ideal standard, each sword would need at least four to five jin of the material. And for a perfect result, each sword would require a full nine jin.
At nine jin per sword, eighty-one swords would demand over seven hundred jin of Heaven-Fallen True Iron — a staggering quantity.
However, if he could reach that volume, the resulting set of eighty-one flying swords would absolutely surpass the Heavenly grade, rivaling those of the Heavens tier.
Even many Heavenly-realm powerhouses' weapons likely couldn't match such quality.
Jiang Chen's initial plan had been to infuse four jin of Heaven-Fallen True Iron into each flying sword — that would be acceptable. Even at four jin per sword, a complete set would still require over three hundred jin.
And yet this Luo Tianshu from the Langya Sect actually dared to claim that the sect possessed a piece of Heaven-Fallen True Iron the size of a watermelon? Regardless of whether it was true, the claim genuinely startled Jiang Chen.
He had originally assumed that a second-rate sect like the Langya Sect, with its limited resources, might be able to produce a finger-sized piece — perhaps ten jin or so — which would already be impressive.
He had never expected Luo Tianshu to drop such a bombshell.
"Elder Luo, a piece of Heaven-Fallen True Iron that large is no laughing matter. You wouldn't be teasing this Young Lord with such a claim, would you?" Jiang Chen said, his tone measured.
"I wouldn't dare," Luo Tianshu replied, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He forced a smile. "I came specifically to verify the matter, having seen that the Young Lord was purchasing Heaven-Fallen True Iron."