Chapter 245: Immortal Weapon Takes Shape

Dong. Dong. Dong.

A melodious clang of hammering rose.

It was called melodious because the frequency was low, each strike lingering a long time.

Li Rui's face showed exhaustion.

He stepped back automatically behind Tie Kuang.

He had done all he could; now it was Tie Kuang's turn.

This was Tie Kuang's tenth attempt.

Immortal Mystery Qi was only one part of forging a weapon; though important, it was not the whole, and other tasks still fell to Tie Kuang.

This was no small challenge for Tie Kuang, a master forger.

"Yes, yes, just like that."

Tie Kuang plunged into a sick frenzy, muttering incessantly.

Li Rui's expression turned strange.

Now Tie Kuang looked exactly like a mad scientist from his past life, eyes fixed solely on hammering.

With each strike of the Flame-Scorching Heaven Hammer, the spiritual nature of the Crimson Dragon Divine Iron increased slightly.

This process lasted three full days and nights.

Tie Kuang did not sleep or rest.

Liu Tiezhu's eyelids drooped, feeling as if a mountain pressed upon them, ready to shut at any moment.

This wasn't him wearing down the old man.

It was the old man wearing him down.

Look.

Whether Tie Kuang or Li Rui, both old men, each more spirited than the other.

He truly couldn't hold on.

Another wave of drowsiness came.

Tie Kuang suddenly spoke: "Done!"

Instantly, Liu Tiezhu's bulging eyes widened, fixing on the Crimson Dragon Divine Iron in Tie Kuang's hands.

The Crimson Dragon Divine Iron had cooled.

A dark, misshapen lump, barely recognizable as a blade blank.

Anyone else would have tossed it off as scrap iron.

But Liu Tiezhu saw at once that it was extraordinary.

On the black surface of the blade blank, something seemed to glide—look closer, and it was a koi fish.

"Spiritual Core!"

Liu Tiezhu's breathing quickened.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes.

"It's the true dragon!"

He saw at once that the weapon's spiritual core was not the koi it appeared to be, but the true dragon.

As the saying goes: the koi leaps the Dragon Gate.

A koi that crosses the Dragon Gate becomes a dragon.

Tie Kuang held the blade blank and burst into loud laughter, releasing his true qi, making the forge's tools jingle and clatter.

"Done!"

Only then did Li Rui step forward with a smile: "Congratulations, Elder. My heartfelt felicitations."

Tie Kuang was in high spirits; he grinned: "Li kid, this time I owe it all to you. Your dragon-shaped true qi matched the Crimson Dragon Divine Iron perfectly—it saved me a world of trouble."

He gazed at the koi drifting like in a small pond atop the blade blank.

"I'm a genius!"

Tie Kuang was certain: this koi was pure divine inspiration.

In truth, the koi owed its existence to a casual remark Li Rui had made during one of their chats—about koi transforming into dragons.

"With my current skill, directly using a dragon as the spiritual core would be too grand, beyond my control. But if it's too small, it won't sustain the Immortal Weapon's aura. I began with the koi, nurturing it daily—eventually, it will transform into a dragon and become a true Immortal Weapon."

Tie Kuang believed himself a genius.

Such a brilliant idea—no one in history had ever attempted it.

A groundbreaking act!

Tie Kuang grew fonder with every glance.

Forging an Immortal Weapon, shaping the blank was merely the most basic step; afterward, immense time was needed to nurture the weapon.

Nurturing the weapon was, in some ways, even more important than forging it.

The current blank was only fourth-rank upper; it still fell short of being an Immortal Weapon. Only when the koi fully transformed into a dragon would it become a true Immortal Weapon.

Though the koi's transformation into a dragon would take long, the probability was far higher.

"You're my lucky star, kid!"

Tie Kuang's laughter shook the heavens.

He was truly delighted.

Which forger didn't dream of forging an Immortal Weapon?

Without Li Rui, he would have had no hope in this lifetime.

Li Rui chuckled: "It's your skill, Elder. I'm merely the catalyst."

But Tie Kuang shook his head solemnly:

"No. Without you, I would have had zero chance—not even ten percent."

Only after walking the path did one understand the difficulty of forging an Immortal Weapon.

He was certain: without Li Rui's Immortal Mystery Qi and the suggestion of koi-to-dragon transformation, relying solely on beast blood to condense the spiritual core, he could never have succeeded.

"I owe you a debt."

Li Rui: "Elder, we're family. No need for such formalities."

Tie Kuang glanced at him, said nothing—his silence was acceptance.

His heart leapt.

That's how you grip a powerful thigh.

Ga. Ga. Ga.

The caw of a crow echoed from bare branches.

Outside Qinghe County.

A sturdy old man stood with his hands behind his back beneath a withered locust tree.

Soon after.

A middle-aged man in black robes emerged from the darkness, removed his hood, revealing Zhu Renhe's face.

"Speak."

Yuan Gao stared coldly at Zhu Renhe.

Zhu Renhe chuckled: "Fu Huai died near the Anning Guard Battalion. Most likely Jiang Lin or Cao Wei did it."

"Jiang Lin? Cao Wei?"

Yuan Gao narrowed his eyes slightly.

Zhu Renhe had searched for Fu Huai for over half a year and found nothing—almost certainly, Fu Huai was dead.

"Jiang Lin and Li Rui may be the ones the Immortal Sovereign seeks."

Yuan Gao recalled the last words Fu Huai had spoken before vanishing.

After that day,

Fu Huai disappeared completely.

He had long suspected Fu Huai was killed by Jiang Lin.

What of Li Rui?

He might be involved too, but compared to Jiang Lin, the likelihood was far lower.

After all, Fu Huai wasn't just a Qi-Seer—he was a sixth-rank expert. Li Rui could never have killed a sixth-rank martial expert silently.

At least a fifth-rank would be needed.

Zhu Renhe narrowed his eyes: "Brother Yuan, what will the Sect prepare to do?"

Yuan Gao fell into thought.

If Jiang Lin truly killed Fu Huai, then Jiang Lin was almost certainly the one the Immortal Sovereign sought.

But capturing Jiang Lin alive and taking him to the capital was extremely difficult.

At least, he had no confidence in doing so.

Yuan Gao snorted: "I'll report this to the Ancestor. He will decide."

The advantage of leaning on a great tree is this:

He couldn't win—but others might.

The Ghost Ming Sect was full of experts. Jiang Lin thought himself an Immortal?

The Immortal Sovereign's decree must be fulfilled—Jiang Lin will be delivered before the Immortal Sovereign.

"Good."

Zhuang Renhe nodded, a faint smile curling at his lips.

The goal was achieved.

He had come to Yuan Gao today, of course, not truly to avenge Fu Huai.

He merely intended to set the wolf against the tiger.

Jiang Linxian was famed for his combat prowess—a single man with a single sword, forcing all fifth-rank martial artists in Yunzhou to bow their heads. He knew he was no match.

He wanted to obtain immortal qi.

It was impossible alone—he must leverage others.

The Ghost Ming Sect was an ideal choice.

When the Ghost Ming Sect and Jiang Linxian clashed like a heron and a clam, he would wade into the chaos, lay his plans early, and use his geographic advantage to seize the immortal qi for himself.

Loyalty?

A true man cannot languish beneath others!

I, Zhuang, have never intended to remain a dog of a cult forever.

"Fight already."

In the Weiheshimao Office, Li Rui closed his eyes to rest.

He turned his gaze inward to his dantian.

His qi sea, once a small puddle, had expanded considerably; with daily nourishment, he would naturally break through to the Ocean Viewing realm, with no further obstacles.

It merely required time.

Since Tie Kuang had once warned him his breakthrough was too rapid, Li Rui had deliberately slowed his pace.

Of course.

Even his slowness was still lightning-fast compared to other martial artists.

"Nourish qi internally, refine the body externally."

Even after opening the qi sea, external cultivation must not be neglected.

The famed masters of the world, even if they favored one path, never neglected either internal or external cultivation.

!

He silently lamented.

Now that he had opened his qi sea, there was no reason to keep holding onto the sacred treasure of Shenbing Mountain Villa.

Otherwise, the Flame-Scorching Heaven Hammer could not only forge true qi but also serve as an excellent tool for body refinement.

As Li Rui pondered,

Tang Hai's voice came from outside: "Chief Li, the Blade Lord from Wu Country requests an audience."

"Diao Mo?"

Li Rui rose, his eyes brightening.

Since Diao Mo had teamed up with him to sabotage the Qi clan's plan in the Southern Frontier, he had returned to Wu Country—and vanished for over half a year.

He stepped out quickly.

There he saw Diao Mo and Diao Meng already being led into the office by the Benhu Cavalry.

"Little Brother Diao, long time no see."

His voice arrived before he did.

Li Rui clasped his fists warmly.

"Big Brother Li."

Diao Mo clasped his fists just as warmly.

Though they had not met in a long time, their correspondence had been frequent: the Tian Di Alliance's caravans visited Wu Country's border post once a month, and his subordinates always received letters from Li Rui, along with various curious Yu Kingdom trinkets.

Li Rui pulled Diao Mo into the main hall.

After they sat down, he asked:

"Little Brother Diao, what brings you back this time?"

Diao Mo laughed heartily: "What, can't I visit my big brother without a reason?"

He said that,

but Li Rui didn't believe it for a second.

Seeing Li Rui's expression, Diao Mo realized flattery was useless; he cleared his throat: "This is a long story. Recently, a bandit gang has been harassing caravans. I led men to hunt them down, but spent seven or eight days in the mountains without seeing a single soul."

"Since we were already near the checkpoint, I figured I'd stop by for a cup of tea."

Li Rui rolled his eyes.

The checkpoint was still five hundred li from Qinghe.

"Conveniently on the way?"

Is that how you define "on the way"?

Diao Mo cleared his throat again, realizing his excuse was weak: "Big Brother Li, I know you're resourceful—I came to ask for your advice."

He cut straight to the point.

He didn't try to pressure Li Rui with official business.

After all, if Li Rui treated this as official business, every incident occurred within Wu Country's borders—he had no obligation to interfere.

This was when sincerity mattered.

Li Rui smiled slightly: "Little Brother Diao, your matter is my matter. Tomorrow, we'll go together."

Hearing Li Rui agree outright, Diao Mo finally exhaled in relief.

The heavy stone in his chest lifted.

He relaxed completely and began chatting casually with Li Rui.

As they talked,

Li Rui steered the topic to Xia Xiaotang: "Little Brother Diao, it's been a long time since we last saw Miss Xia—has the envoy leader been replaced?"

At the mention of Xia Xiaotang,

Diao Mo's expression turned strange: "No, Big Brother Li, you don't know—Miss Xia has been placed under house arrest by the Grand Witch."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow:

"House arrest?"

House arrest wasn't unusual—but for the Grand Witch of Wu Country to impose it? That carried weight.

Diao Mo chuckled: "Given your wisdom, you've probably guessed—Miss Xia is no ordinary person. She is the Grand Witch's disciple."

He added quickly: "Big Brother Li, you must never tell anyone this."

Li Rui's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Grand Witch's disciple!

He had never imagined Xia Xiaotang's status was so high.

He didn't know how many disciples the Grand Witch had, but consider this: the Grand Witch was equivalent to the Yu Kingdom's State Preceptor, and even the State Preceptor's pageboys were nobler than the true disciples of most major sects.

Xia Xiaotang's status was clear.

'So the Grand Witch of Wu Country noticed me because of Xia Xiaotang.'

Li Rui thought.

Memories of the mission that had shaken Wu Country surfaced in his mind.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

He grew even more curious: "Why was Miss Xia placed under house arrest?"

Diao Mo shook his head with a smile: "I don't know the details. Miss Xia is naturally mischievous—no one knows why she angered the Grand Witch. Soon after returning from the border market, she was confined."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes.

Counting the days—it was barely two days after Xia Xiaotang gave him the Soul-Returning Pill.

'Could it be…'

Li Rui already had a suspicion.

The Soul-Returning Pill in Xia Xiaotang's possession was almost certainly given to her by the Grand Witch.

Such a divine artifact couldn't be given out casually.

It must have been discovered—and punishment followed.

Thinking of this, Li Rui felt a wave of relief.

It meant Xia Xiaotang had not told the Grand Witch about the Beast God's reincarnation.

The Beast God held supreme status in Wu Country.

If the Grand Witch learned he was the so-called Beast God reincarnated—whether true or false—he would be seized and subjected to intense study.

'This little girl is quite devoted.'

Li Rui smiled.

He was already planning how to coax—no, reward—her properly the next time he saw her.

My most faithful believer?

He fell silent for a moment.

The next morning,

The group rode out of the city—some on steeds, others on demonic beasts.

The residents of Qinghe were now accustomed to such scenes and no longer found them surprising; they went about their business as usual.

There were eight people altogether, and their mounts were exceptionally swift.

Just three hours later.

The group appeared before the border checkpoint between the Yu and Wu kingdoms.

Li Rui pulled tight on the reins.

He walked slowly into the fortress with Dao Mo and the others.

The city guards, seeing they were from the Anning Guard, grinned broadly.

Why?

Wasn't it because every time Li Rui came to patrol the checkpoint, he brought food and supplies for the locals?

As soon as they entered the city.

They saw Wang Fu, the garrison commander, greeting them with a smile.

"Captain Li, Lord Dao."

He was far too familiar with these two.

Li Rui gestured for Tan Hu and the others to step forward: "Commander Wang, the soldiers guarding the border work hard. I've brought a few small items from the city—please help distribute them among the men."

Wang Fu's face lit up with joy:

"Brother Li, you keep coming, why bring so much every time?"

He said that.

But his hands didn't pause a single moment as he took the goods.

Though the fortress wasn't short on supplies, the items sent from Annan Town were always the same, and everyone was tired of them.

They longed for something unusual.

Having accepted the goods,

Wang Fu warmly invited Li Rui and Dao Mo inside for tea.

Over tea, Li Rui briefly explained the purpose of this border crossing.

Understanding Li Rui's intent,

Wang Fu raised an eyebrow slightly:

"Are you leaving the border, Lord Li?"

(End of chapter)