Chapter 200: The Furnace Fire

After the furnace cooled, Master Chen ordered his apprentices to take it apart.

Mo Hua continued to complete the unfinished array, including a true first-grade Melting Flame Array, a standard Cold Air Array, and a Jin Shi Array.

The Jin Shi Array's function was to reinforce the furnace's inner walls, making the smelting furnace more durable.

The Cold Air Array was meant to cool the smelting furnace.

After Mo Hua completed the arrays, Master Chen had the furnace reassembled.

All the array pivots and arrays within this true first-grade Melting Flame Composite Array were now fully drawn.

Mo Hua let out a long breath.

This composite array was far more complex than he had expected, and actually drawing it revealed many small problems he hadn't anticipated.

But now, at last, it was finished.

This was a composite array containing two true first-grade arrays.

Mo Hua felt a flicker of pride, then told Master Chen to reassemble the furnace; he activated the Spirit Gathering Array through the array pivot.

Spiritual energy flowed within the furnace, and the furnace fire surged upward.

Master Chen circled the furnace once, frowning:

"The fire doesn't seem bigger—it's even smaller than before."

Previously, he could feel the furnace's scorching heat from far away; now, standing close to the furnace, he felt no heat at all.

Mo Hua also noticed that, despite activating the furnace fire, the surrounding temperature remained low.

"Did I draw something wrong?"

Mo Hua rubbed his chin, thinking to himself.

At that moment, Master Chen studied the furnace fire again and suddenly froze.

His finger trembled as he pointed at the fire, "This fire… it's bright red."

Mo Hua looked over and saw that the flame was indeed different—now purer, glowing intensely red, almost as if solidified.

"Bright red furnace fire…"

Master Chen murmured, eyes filled with disbelief.

"Is this good or bad?" Mo Hua didn't quite understand.

"Good!" Master Chen said.

He wanted to explain why, but his heart was too stirred to find the words.

Elder Yu calmed his expression and said to Mo Hua:

"The purer the furnace fire's color, the fewer impurities it contains and the stronger its spiritual energy. This bright, pure furnace fire has already surpassed the range of ordinary Qi Condensation stage spiritual energy, and even shows faint signs of solidification."

"Solidification?"

"When spiritual energy becomes pure enough and accumulates to a certain point, it solidifies. Qi Condensation stage spiritual energy is gaseous; Foundation Establishment stage spiritual energy condenses into liquid. That's what people mean when they say, 'Spiritual energy like mercury—break through to Foundation Establishment.'"

Elder Yu explained, then flipped his palm—pale golden spiritual energy coalesced there, truly like liquid mercury, exquisitely pure.

So this is Foundation Establishment stage spiritual energy…

Mo Hua was stunned, then asked: "Then is this furnace fire a Foundation Establishment stage furnace fire?"

"Is it that simple?"

Elder Yu shook his head, gazing at the fire, "It only shows faint signs of solidification—it's still far weaker than Foundation Establishment stage spiritual energy. But it's significantly stronger than ordinary Qi Condensation stage spiritual energy."

Mo Hua nodded, deeply satisfied.

This was truly a true first-grade Melting Flame Composite Array—the effect was extraordinary indeed!

All the time he spent, the mental energy expended, the spiritual ink used, the countless practice runs—it was all worth it.

From the result, every effort had been justified.

Mo Hua nodded involuntarily.

Elder Yu's expression remained calm, yet his inner shock was unmistakable.

He had known Mo Hua's array was unusual, but never imagined it could be this extraordinary.

The furnace fire was pure, bright red, almost solidified.

Could this really be an array drawn by a true first-grade array master…?

Elder Yu glanced at the furnace and felt something was off; he frowned:

"Logically, this furnace fire should be stronger, the temperature higher—why, even standing this close, do I feel no scorching heat?"

"Oh right." Mo Hua remembered.

He walked around the furnace, thought through the arrays in the composite, then suddenly understood.

"It's the Cold Air Array."

"Cold Air Array?"

Mo Hua nodded and explained: "There's a Cold Air Array inside the composite array, drawn on the furnace walls—it blocks excess heat from escaping, so the smith won't feel overheated during smelting…"

Mo Hua hadn't considered this when drawing the arrays—he simply followed the diagram—but now he realized placing a Cold Air Array in this composite array was no accident.

This way, the smith wouldn't be constantly roasted by the furnace fire, sparing him great hardship.

The elder array master who designed this array truly thought of everything.

Elder Yu sighed: "This array is… remarkably thoughtful…"

Master Chen still stood frozen before the furnace, staring at the furnace fire—so pure it seemed almost luxurious—his blood boiling, his heart unable to settle for a long time.

Such pure furnace fire—he had never even dreamed of it…

With the arrays on the smelting furnace completed, the forge could now begin operations.

Preparation of smelting materials, placement of the furnace, assignment of smiths, types and procedures of smelting—all were left to Elder Yu and Master Chen to arrange.

Elder Yu had long commanded the Monster Hunters; Master Chen had abundant smelting experience.

The two of them planned everything meticulously, arranging all aspects of the forging workshop in orderly fashion.

Mo Hua was unfamiliar with these specific matters, so he did not inquire.

But he still felt some concern, so he asked Elder Yu: "Elder, how many Grade-One forging furnaces does the Qian family have?"

"I think there are three or four," Elder Yu replied after thinking.

"Then just one furnace—is that enough?"

Elder Yu pondered for a moment and said: "Probably not enough. But this one furnace is extremely costly; buying more would waste too many Spirit Stones."

"Can we forge it ourselves?"

Elder Yu looked weary. "I asked Master Chen. It's difficult to forge it ourselves—mainly because we don't have the forging scripture for the furnace. Without the method, we can't even begin."

"Are such forging scriptures rare?" Mo Hua asked.

"Forging scriptures for Grade-One forging furnaces are rare—few can produce them."

Elder Yu said, then frowned and thought again: "I'll try to find a way. One furnace might indeed be too few."

A few days later, Elder Yu acquired a forging scripture through an old acquaintance, spending some Spirit Stones to obtain it.

The forging scripture was worn and old, its paper yellowed; though the characters were still legible, they were faint. Fortunately, the method for forging the furnace was recorded clearly enough.

Elder Yu said this forging scripture had been passed down through his acquaintance's ancestors.

His acquaintance's ancestors had begun their fortune in forging and had once been wealthy, but their descendants grew lazy, neglected the craft, and let their skills grow rusty.

Without the skill, they lived off their savings—and soon their household declined.

By the time it reached his acquaintance's generation, not a single disciple in the family could forge anymore; they survived through other trades.

The forging scripture was kept as a family heirloom, a memento—but useless.

No one would buy it, because those cultivators or factions capable of forging Grade-One furnaces already possessed the methods, while others, even if they bought it, lacked the ability to forge.

Now, this forging scripture had come into Elder Yu's hands.