Chapter 123: Supreme Talent (Requesting Base Monthly Votes)

Clang clang clang~

In the vast forge hall, the clashing of weapons never ceased, the trembling of countless iron tools merging into a single roar, the forging platforms shaking uncontrollably.

Flames erupted from the furnace, shooting up several feet high.

Even the six chimneys, driven deep into the earth and piercing a hundred meters below, shook violently.

"The ground's shaking! The ground's shaking!"

"Run, run quickly!"

"Elder, Elder, run! The ground's shaking—the fire vein is trembling, the fire vein…"

…

The vast cavern was in chaos; all the blacksmiths turned pale with terror, many already grabbing their hammers and fleeing.

Buried a hundred meters underground and near the fire vein, if the ground collapsed, not even iron men would survive.

"Everyone, stay where you are!"

Lei Jingchuan strode forward, his voice booming like a tiger's roar: "Evacuate in order!"

As he barked, he swept his sleeves, unleashing internal qi that sent the blacksmiths scrambling for the tunnel crashing to the ground.

Jing Shuhu arrived even earlier but now stood frozen, staring in stunned awe at the trembling tools.

"A hundred weapons tremble, the earthfire stirs, a hundred weapons tremble, the earthfire stirs…"

As Lei Jingchuan stepped forward, he heard Jing Shuhu's murmurs and felt his own heart jolt:

"No wonder… no wonder…"

Jing Shuhu's muttering reminded him of an ancient legend recorded in the Ancestor's Daily Records.

Fourteen hundred years ago, the Ancestor Feng Yun, who had aided Grand Emperor Pang Wenlong of Da Yun to secure the realm, wandered the Four Seas after the world was pacified.

One day, passing through the Divine Weapon Mountains, he witnessed the earth shaking and fire erupting, and chose to settle his domain at Zhe Long instead of the originally designated Zi Yun Province.

Abandoning a province for a prefecture had once shaken the realm, drawing countless watchers—until, over time, the tale faded into obscurity.

This scene, though far smaller in scale, bore an uncanny resemblance to the Ancestor's records…

"Brother?"

Jing Shuhu's eyes glowed unnervingly bright; he seized Lei Jingchuan's arm, gripping it until it ached:

"This earthquake has disturbed the fire vein!"

"Huh?"

Lei Jingchuan froze, then nodded firmly:

"Yes—the earth's veins trembled and stirred the earthfire!"

The two exchanged only a few words, yet the blacksmiths in the forge had already fled wildly toward the tunnel.

Shi Hong and Qiu Changying were a step too slow; now, staring at the trembling, humming forge hall, they too were stunned.

"Go, the earthfire's—!"

Lei Jingchuan strode forward, giving them no time to react, sprinting straight for the surface.

"Earthfire—?"

Shi Hong smashed falling rocks above his head and followed Lei Jingchuan; if the hundred-meter layer collapsed, he'd die.

"No… not right…"

Qiu Changying frowned slightly; though she felt the ground shake, it seemed caused by the six steel chimneys trembling.

But she didn't dwell on it, turning and sprinting for the surface.

…

In the Chi Rong Cave, over a hundred forging hammers trembled, humming in unison.

Li Yuan remained oblivious, his gaze locked on the dark radiance that had emerged from the cavern wall, shooting straight into the sky.

【Crack-Sea Black Whale Hammer (Tier 11)】

【???】

The light flashed once and vanished, yet he was nearly certain.

"The Crack-Sea Black Whale Hammer lies beneath the cold pool, within the fire vein!"

Li Yuan instinctively took a few steps forward, then recoiled as the heat grew unbearable.

The Chi Rong Cave was only three hundred meters from the fire vein's entrance, yet even Lei Jingchuan and Jing Shuhu could not cross that distance.

Flesh and blood simply could not withstand such heat.

"Within the fire vein,

within the fire vein…"

Li Yuan's heart pounded; the agony of seeing a treasure before him yet being unable to reach it made him feel like vomiting blood.

He wanted to swallow every Protecting Organ Elixir at once and charge in…

"Calm down, calm down. Even if I reached the entrance, if the Black Whale Hammer lies deep in the magma, I still can't retrieve it."

Li Yuan gritted his teeth, unwilling to shift his gaze for a long while.

Only when faint wind-whistling sounds came from behind did he snap back to awareness.

Whoosh!

Jing Shuhu's peripheral vision swept the cave—chaotic, a hundred forging hammers scattered haphazardly, the forge platform, forged from blazing essence iron, glowing crimson.

"Grand Elder?"

Li Yuan's heart tightened.

Jing Shuhu, no longer lazy as before, had transformed entirely—his stride like an eagle diving, a tiger descending the mountain.

His movements were swift as lightning, revealing superb lightness skill.

"Li Yuan!"

Jing Shuhu paused briefly, his tiger-like eyes scanning: "You were here—did you notice any unusual changes?"

Li Yuan blinked, then shook his head:

"The forging platform suddenly began shaking…"

"Why didn't you run?"

Li Yuan smiled bitterly: "Grand Elder, before the shaking, I was forging—my strength was utterly spent, I couldn't run…"

The underground tremors had long ceased.

"Hmm!"

Jing Shuhu, lost in thought, asked only one question before striding toward the fire vein.

Hum!

His feet sank slightly, and a faint buzzing sound emerged from within him.

The next instant, Li Yuan heard the grinding of bones and tendons straightening, witnessing an unbelievable sight.

The Grand Elder of Casting Valley, older even than Han Chuijun, suddenly appeared decades younger!

Though his hair remained white, his previously withered frame filled out, his hands—once bark-like—now became pale, soft, and smooth as a maiden's.

"Can you even do that?!"

Li Yuan stared in shock: "What kind of martial art is this?"

"Cang Sheng Art!"

Jing Shuhu's voice roared like a tiger's growl; internal qi surged outward, shielding him against the intensifying heat as he walked toward the fire vein.

"Pulse Penetration Complete!"

Dozens of meters away, Li Yuan felt a breeze—qi extended one foot, reaching three zhang.

Jing Shuhu now seemed wrapped in an invisible barrier, mitigating the heat's damage.

Sssss~

Li Yuan heard the hiss of qi slicing through air; Jing Shuhu's body glowed crimson, struggling forward, yet he walked right in.

"I wish I could go in and see…"

Li Yuan's eyes burned with longing, yet he dared not approach—the heat was too intense; even a few steps had made him feel like he was melting.

"To approach the fire vein, you need at least Pulse Penetration—even Complete Pulse Penetration. Old Han probably can't do it… probably not."

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Even if Han Chuijun possessed the strength to fight above his level, he could not achieve what Jing Shuhu had—qi flowing through the entire body like a protective shield.

This was a gap in realm.

"Internal Strengthening, Body Transformation, Pulse Penetration… Bone quality matters, but so does realm advancement!"

A fierce urgency rose in Li Yuan's heart.

Jing Shuhu's transformation clearly meant he knew the Crack-Sea Black Whale Hammer lay within the fire vein—perhaps even elders like Gongyang Yu knew too.

And perhaps…

"Huh!"

Quietly swallowing a Protecting Organ Elixir, Li Yuan forced himself to lift his hammer and forge again; listening to the clang of metal calmed his racing heart.

"Puff!"

Long after, Li Yuan heard someone coughing up blood; he set down his hammer.

Jing Shuhu, pale-faced and aged beyond years, spat a clot of dark blood—before it hit the ground, it vaporized into mist.

Clearly, his internal organs were damaged.

"Grand Elder, you're injured?"

Li Yuan put down the hammer, startled—despite the protection of true qi, Jing Shuhu's clothing had been completely burned away.

His entire body glowed crimson, and he could faintly smell roasted meat, making him feel nauseous.

"Mm."

Taking the clothes Li Yuan offered and wrapping them around his waist, Jing Shuhu's voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been scorched.

As he approached, Li Yuan felt an astonishing wave of heat.

"Go!"

Jing Shuhu growled.

"Huh?"

Li Yuan's heart tightened slightly.

"The fire vein is stirring—this Red Melt Cave can no longer be stayed in. You—"

Jing Shuhu's face was expressionless as he glanced at the blazing fire-iron refined beneath the forge platform:

"Come back in ten days. Seek Old Lei to teach you the Art of Forging!"

"... Thank you, Grand Elder!"

Li Yuan bowed deeply, then left the cave with Jing Shuhu.

The forge yard was also hot, but after leaving the Red Melt Cave, Li Yuan felt refreshingly cool, his spirit lifting.

Jing Shuhu was weighed down by thoughts, silent after emerging.

Li Yuan had wanted to ask about purchasing those forging hammers, but seeing Jing Shuhu's silence, he held his tongue and prepared to leave.

"Stop!"

Jing Shuhu called him back: "What happened today must not be spoken of!"

"Disciple understands!"

Li Yuan nodded, about to leave, when he was called again.

"Also, do not tell anyone I lent you clothes!"

"... Disciple understands."

Remembering the withered body, Li Yuan shuddered and quickly agreed, turning to leave.

An hour later, inside the Red Melt Cave.

"Phew!"

Gong Yangyu exhaled heavily, his internal organs aching; after calming his breath for a long while, he looked at Jing Shuhu, whose face was filled with concern:

"I walked over eighty zhang—the temperature at the bend in the tunnel is too high for any human to endure..."

Jing Shuhu sighed faintly:

"I wonder how our Ancestor managed to carve this tunnel—his successors are incompetent, none of us can even reach its end."

"Our Ancestor..."

Gong Yangyu fell silent briefly, then said: "Though this disturbance resembles the records in our Ancestor's daily logs, it may not be connected to the Split-Sea Whale Hammer."

"What if it is?"

Jing Shuhu frowned tightly.

"There is no 'what if.'"

Gong Yangyu's face was as cold as water, brooking no argument:

"Seal this cave. No one is to enter or leave. Today's disturbance is merely a fire vein anomaly—unrelated to any Whale Hammer!"

After a brief pause, his gaze sharpened further:

"And do not inform Han Chuijun!"

"Yes!"

Jing Shuhu sighed inwardly, offering no rebuttal.

He understood Gong Yangyu's concerns.

The Heaven-Orb Divine Weapons are legendary—any trace of them inevitably draws endless rivals.

Divine Weapon Valley is no longer what it was fourteen hundred years ago—it may not withstand another scramble.

Seeing him comply, Gong Yangyu's expression softened; he well understood the Forge Valley and Hammer Hall's obsession with the Split-Sea Whale Hammer.

In truth, even he was deeply intrigued.

But he knew well: if generations of Ancestors had searched for a thousand years and found nothing, he certainly would not.

Even if he did find it, he could not say whether it would bring fortune or disaster...

"Also, the Five-Colored Void-Cutting Blade—I rely on you, younger brother. Shi Hong has extraordinary talent; within ten years at most, he can inherit my position."

"Mm."

Jing Shuhu seemed drained of all energy, replying weakly before turning back toward the Cold Pond Cave.

Lei Jingchuan, uneasy, hurried after him.

"Every word in our Ancestor's daily logs is meaningful—he left those records deliberately, not by accident!"

Inside the Cold Pond Cave, Jing Shuhu sat cross-legged, his gaze fixed on the deep pit's icy waters:

"The Split-Sea Whale Hammer must exist!"

You just said it couldn't exist...

Lei Jingchuan thought to himself but echoed: "Even if the Whale Hammer truly lies within the earthfire, we cannot even approach it..."

Lei Jingchuan grumbled inwardly but nonetheless agreed: "Even if the Xuan Whale Hammer truly lies within the earth fire, we cannot even approach it..."

Jing Shuhu closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling: "In a few days, when Li Yuan comes, teach him the Art of Forging!"

"He still needs to repair the Eighty-Thousand-Li Hammer—perhaps he'll come tomorrow."

Lei Jingchuan wasn't surprised by his changed attitude.

For over a thousand years, every Forge Valley Master had failed to find it—yet if there was even a sliver of hope, they would never give up.

"Should we send a pigeon message to Han Chuijun?"

"Shall we send a pigeon message to Han Chuijun?"

Jing Shuhu opened his eyes, frowning: "No—word is that Pinggou County has many heretical cult masters. Without him holding the line, the others won't hold out."

Jing Shuhu opened his eyes, frowning deeply: "Forget it. I heard Pinggou County has many experts from heretical sects; without him to hold the line, the others won't be able to handle it."

Few in Divine Weapon Valley liked Han Chuijun, yet they had to admit: many tasks simply couldn't be done without him.

"According to our Ancestors' guesses, the Split-Sea Whale Hammer may have gained sentience..."

Jing Shuhu murmured to himself, then suddenly remembered Li Yuan—this boy had exceptional hammer talent:

"Hmm... when he comes, I'll teach him the Art of Forging myself!"

"Hmm... when he arrives, I'll personally teach him the Art of Forging Weapons!"

"It's gone again!"

Outside the Forge Valley, Li Yuan turned to look at the six great chimneys, a suspicion forming in his mind.

The Whale Hammer was likely sentient—he'd seen that divine light twice, and it probably related to his own hammer talent's transformation.

"When I first arrived, I wielded four heavy weapons, aided by hammer talent; now, my talent has undergone a qualitative change..."

The night breeze blew gently; Li Yuan felt refreshingly cool, and the shift between heat and cold made him sense further progress in his Seven-Star Hardened Body.

If he stayed long in the Red Melt Cave, he might soon reach peak Hardening—or even perfection.

"Hammer talent is the only way to find the Whale Hammer!"

At that moment, Li Yuan understood.

"No wonder Old Han scours the world for disciples with hammer talent—it's not to pass on his legacy, but to find the Split-Sea Whale Hammer!"

"No wonder Old Han scours the land for disciples with talent for hammer arts—it's not to pass on his legacy, but to find the Xuan Whale Shatter Sea Hammer!"

To find this hammer required extraordinary hammer talent—but how extraordinary, he still did not know.

"Perhaps the Divine Weapon Valley has long known the Whale Hammer exists, but ordinary disciples are unaware?"

His thoughts scattered, yet he couldn't help thinking of the hammer.

The heaviest weapon he'd ever wielded was a third-rank supreme blade—eleventh rank was beyond his imagination.

The sharpest blade he had ever wielded was merely a third-rank supreme-grade weapon; an eleventh-rank one was beyond his imagination.

In the night wind, Li Yuan gritted his teeth.

He resolved to add gathering divine fire to his agenda.

Forge Valley was full of first- and second-rank forging hammers; with enough divine fire, he might forge himself a fifth-rank hammer.

He wanted to test whether fifth-rank hammer talent would trigger even greater changes.

"On the bright side... maybe if my talent is high enough, the Whale Hammer will come to me on its own?"

Thinking this, Li Yuan's steps grew lighter.

With this thought, Li Yuan's steps grew lighter.

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P. S.: New month begins—please give me your base monthly votes!