Chapter 153: Peaceful Days

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Hammer rose and fell, sparks flying in all directions.

Inside the Chi Rong Cave, Li Yuan was bare to the waist, his frame sturdy and powerful, his skin the color of ancient bronze. A forging hammer in his hands struck out afterimages, its force tremendous, his endurance more than ample.

On the wall not far away hung a spirit-beast hide, upon which was sketched the outline of an inner armor.

The first step in forging a Named Weapon-grade blade is to choose the blueprint.

Any single Named Weapon is worth five or six thousand taels of silver, a treasure worthy of being passed down through the family — naturally beyond comparison with standard-issue blades.

Superior-grade Named Weapons are even rarer and more precious; most of the elders in both the inner and outer courts of Divine Weapon Valley use nothing better than this grade.

Li Yuan did not deliberate. The first superior-grade Named Weapon he forged was an inner armor.

Both to display his talent for weapon-forging and to prepare for practicing the 'Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon,' he intended to stack his Horizontal-Training talent.

More importantly, he planned to seize this chance to ask Old Lei for the 'Armor Tempering Art'…

"Huff!"

Piece after piece of fire-feeding spirit wood was tossed into the forging furnace; the orange-red flames grew ever more restless, and the fine iron stock quickly glowed a uniform red, then rapidly deformed beneath the rise and fall of the hammer.

Selecting various iron stocks, forging alloys, fusing numerous properties together — this was the second step.

"The hardest points in forging an inner armor lie in fitting close to the body and flexibility; I have no particular demands in that regard."

Commanding a blade requires no aesthetic appeal. If heavy armor forging didn't carry strict restrictions, he would have wanted to forge a suit of heavy armor outright.

"Tough, thick, heat-resistant and fire-blocking, hard to wear down…"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

As his weapon-forging art grew ever more profound, he had also gained a certain understanding of what properties were needed for different Commanding effects to appear.

A heavy hammer will not produce sharpness; an inner armor will absolutely never produce the effect of slicing through gold and jade. Different weapons and armors carry different Commanding effects.

What influences this is the 'alloy.'

Clang!

Clang!

Li Yuan was immersed in his smithing. He had chosen at least thirty kinds of rare iron stocks to fuse together.

This was the minimum requirement for a superior-grade Named Weapon, and also the limit his current weapon-forging art could reach — any more, and he could not fuse them perfectly.

"Huff!"

Smithing was grueling work. By the time this piece of iron stock was beaten into rough shape, with Li Yuan's current physique, more than half the day had already passed.

"Good!"

Before he had even set down the forging hammer, Li Yuan heard a cheer of approval. Turning his head, he saw Lei Lei Jingchuan grinning like a chrysanthemum in full bloom.

And, not far away, the ever-solemn Jing Jing Shuhu.

"Elder, Grand Elder."

Li Yuan cupped his fist in salute, somewhat surprised inwardly. He was smithing, not unconscious — of course he knew they had long since arrived.

Still, Old Lei was one thing — he had always kept a close eye on Li Yuan — but why was this old tiger so free as well?

"Good lad!"

Lei Lei Jingchuan gave Li Yuan's shoulder a heavy pat, then stretched out a large hand, grabbed that piece of iron stock, insulated it with inner Qi, and weighed it up and down:

"You've learned fast — good, very good!"

The properties of thirty different iron stocks — some even conflicting with one another — perfectly stacked into one. Of course he knew how solid a Ji Ben Gong this required.

Lei Lei Jingchuan nodded repeatedly, his delight plain on his face, thoroughly satisfied.

Especially Li Yuan's smithing technique and rhythm, which were almost identical to his own — this made him all the more pleased.

'This boy takes after me!'

Not only Lei Lei Jingchuan — the same thought rose in Jing Jing Shuhu's heart as well.

He had stood here watching for several hours, and in Li Yuan's forging technique he had seen his own shadow.

"I only gave a few symbolic hammer-strokes, and he's already learned to this degree?"

Jing Jing Shuhu twirled his beard, and his mood inexplicably brightened considerably.

This boy must have been secretly studying and emulating him all along. Hmm, true to the outside as to the inside — good, good, good…

Thinking this in his heart, he gave a light cough:

"Hmm, your hammer-work is loose, superficial — only your endurance is passable. Not a rotten piece of wood; still carvable!"

"…Grand Elder is too kind."

Li Yuan already knew this old tiger's temperament all too well — even if every bone in his body had gone soft, his mouth would still be iron-hard.

To be able to utter those four words 'still carvable,' his performance must have already been more than sufficient.

"Enough."

Lei Lei Jingchuan knew his own senior brother's temperament all too well; too lazy to even glance at him, he gave a light cough and said:

"Starting tomorrow, this old man — hmm — along with the Grand Elder, will guide you in the 'Armor Tempering Art,' as well as the 'Qi-Blood Spirit-Nurturing Method.'"

Huh?

Li Yuan started, not expecting it to be this easy, but he reacted quickly, hurriedly bowing to give thanks: "Many thanks, Elder, Grand Elder."

……

……

These two old men must have received some kind of shock!

The next day, Li Yuan keenly perceived this point.

Lei Lei Jingchuan taking more care than usual was one thing, but Jing Jing Shuhu actually starting to teach him the Art of Weapon Casting left him momentarily overwhelmed with gratitude.

In the days that followed, the two old men seemed nailed to the Red Fusion Cave, enduring the intense heat, painstakingly teaching him the Art of Weapon Casting from beginning to end.

Weapon Forging, Armor Forging, Weapon Spirit Communion, Armor Spirit Communion...

Blood-Infused Spirit Communion, Qi-Blood Spirit Communion, Breathing Spirit Communion...

Over fourteen hundred years, no matter what the Art of Weapon Casting originally looked like, it must now be vast and intricate.

Daoist Li went from ravenous eagerness to numb resistance in just thirteen days, finally stamping his feet and fleeing.

What decent person learns from the rooster's crow until the dog's bark?

"Hoo!"

Early in the morning, Li Yuan slipped into the depths of the bamboo forest; the light snow had just stopped, and the scenery was quite fine.

He fetched Fang Fang Bao Luo's set of barbecue cooking utensils, set them up simply in the depths of the bamboo forest, and skewered a roasted Spirit Lamb.

"Practicing Wu Gong and forging iron requires a balance of tension and relaxation; forcing it hard truly yields poor efficiency."

Li Yuan let out a long sigh; for these ten-plus days he had nearly suffered nightmares, nothing as absurd as this even during the college entrance exam sprint.

Returning exhausted every day only to undergo Root and Bone Transformation was something even an iron man couldn't withstand, and the efficiency was very low.

"Could it be related to Wan Chuan?"

Li Yuan lay on the recliner; the great sun had just peeked over the horizon, sunlight spilling across the bamboo forest. Calming his mind, he thought of many things.

After becoming familiar with Brother Qiao Tianhe, aside from sparring on the Art of Weapon Casting, he had also asked no end about the Purple Cloud Continent and the Seven Stars Palace.

Wan Chuan held a very special status in the Seven Stars Palace; even the Seven Stars Palace Master had to show him three parts of courtesy, and wherever he went, experts were not lacking in following him.

"A Divine Artisan, indeed."

Li Yuan figured something out; were these two old men trying to push him to become a Divine Artisan?

If so, that would be a good thing for him.

Setting aside the Divine Weapon Pavilion, the good things in the Weapon Casting Valley had been tempting his eyes for a long time...

"Never mind, stealing a moment of leisure from busyness, taking a day to relax."

Li Yuan emptied his mind, feeling only that the fatigue of past days suddenly surged forth, making him lie on the rocking chair, unwilling to get up for half a day.

"It's about to burn!"

In the bamboo forest, Yu Jin darted out as if his backside were on fire, shaking the barbecue rack:

"This is a Spirit Lamb; one costs over a hundred taels of silver, it cannot be wasted."

Yu Jin spoke while sprinkling seasonings, roasting it slowly over a small fire.

The Spirit Beasts of the Zhe Long Manor were not few; the most expensive were the Red Dragon Fish, often costing over a hundred taels of gold, while the cheapest were the Spirit Lambs.

The Divine Weapon Valley has pastures, grazing Dragon-Horses and Spirit Lambs; a disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley can buy one for a hundred taels, truly good quality at a low price.

"You old sir are back already?"

Li Yuan sat up.

The Spirit Lamb sizzled with dripping oil, its fragrance full yet not as flamboyant and spreading as Spirit Fish; rather, it was quite restrained, the scent detectable only at close range, carrying notes of wood and grass, yet not a trace of gamey smell.

"With over a thousand Divine Guards, and us old fellows here, naturally there are no disturbances in Fucheng; your shop's business is even better than before."

Yu Jin took out various pills purchased from the mountain from his bosom, speaking of his experiences while descending the mountain.

Over two months had passed; the turmoil in Fucheng had already settled. Around the onset of winter, merchant ships from various families came and went, quite lively.

Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao also took the opportunity to come out, earning a sum of silver.

"No wonder you cared so much about those few servant disciples; about half of these pills were bought by them for you."

"Trouble you old sir to make this trip."

Li Yuan thanked him and took the pills, counting them.

Blood-Enhancing, Bone-Strengthening, Sinew-Transforming, and Yuan-Supplementing pills, each common type, had three bottles; one bottle contained ten pills, enough for his needs for a month.

In addition, Blood-Infusing, Poison-Clearing, and similar pills also had three bottles each.

"They entrusted me to tell you that the shop is safe and sound; they want you not to descend the mountain, fearing someone might target you."

"As long as they are fine."

Li Yuan felt slightly relieved in his heart; in these two-plus months, he had entrusted Yu Jin to descend the mountain at least six or seven times, but only recently had he been able to contact Liu Zheng and the others.

Wang Wang Peiyao and the others had slightly inferior talent and roots, but in other aspects, naturally, there were no problems.

"Enough; this old man has eaten at a restaurant downstairs, so I won't mooch your Spirit Lamb."

After speaking for a while, Yu Jin politely declined Li Yuan's invitation, waved his hand, and went into the depths of the bamboo forest.

"The situation in Fucheng should be stable for now; no matter how greed blinds reason, with so many dead, the survivors should have calmed down."

Li Yuan put away the pills and opened the letter Wang Wang Peiyao gave him.

The letter listed the expenses and income of the Weapon Forging Shop over the past year and a half; additionally, it covered the big and small matters of Fucheng during this time.

For instance, the 'Hired Blade List' was half empty; someone took advantage of the chaos to rob and kidnap the courtesan 'Autumn Water' from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, making Liu Zheng pound his chest and stomp his feet in regret...

It also mentioned that both had cultivated Internal Force, with Wu Gong making small progress, and so on.

"Finally cultivated Internal Force, have they?"

From between the lines, Li Yuan could feel the Young Lady Wang's bitterness.

When they first met, his Qi-Blood was barely at the Small Success stage, while these Young Masters and Young Ladies in the Inner City were all at the Qi-Blood Great Success stage.

Two years passed; he had already reached Internal Fortification Small Success, while they had only barely cultivated Internal Force.

This comparison, putting himself in their shoes, made Li Yuan feel bitter too.

"Ji Ji Tian to change fate; without the protection of the Ancestor, that would truly be... a difficult future..."

Recalling the scene when he first arrived at the Weapon Forging Shop, Li Yuan felt moved.

He was diligent enough, but with so many diligent people, having neither roots nor talent in any aspect, what allowed him to reach today? He knew clearly in his heart.

"May the Ancestral Master protect us!"

Li Yuan sensed the Commanding Talisman and gave thanks in his heart.

He then put away the pill letter and began flipping through miscellaneous books borrowed from the Library Tower.

Reading books on weapon forging methods these past few days had numbed him; he was just about to change the flavor.

He had a habit of picking and choosing when reading: first looking at what interested him, then flipping through the table of contents to select the parts that interested him even more.

Soon, he truly found something that interested him.

"On Using Form to Supplement Form, to Please the Divine Spirits. Author — Feng Yun."

This was something left behind by the Ancestral Master of the Divine Weapon Valley.

Li Yuan pulled a few sticks from the bonfire, leaving only a faint flame to slowly roast the Spirit Lamb, and read before his meal.

"Many in the Jianghu advocate using form to supplement form, believing it can alter one's bone structure and enhance Wu Gong. Feng Yun deeply agrees."

This Ancestral Master of the Divine Weapon Valley highly advocated using form to supplement form.

Li Yuan glanced at the sheep kidneys he had skewered together and continued flipping through the book:

"Using form to supplement form requires at least a Spirit Beast to be effective, and one must consume it over many years; only then can one alter innate endowments and increase power."

"Eating Spirit Beast meat for years on end... how much silver would that cost?"

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly.

His appetite was only slightly larger than that of a normal Form-Transmigrating Martial Artist; this twenty-something jin Spirit Lamb would only be enough for one meal.

If it were Eighty Thousand Li, this lamb could be swapped for an ox, and he could still eat most of it.

He thought for a moment; a sect of the Divine Weapon Valley's level could afford it, but he guessed there might only be one or two people?

"No wonder famous Martial Artists all think of founding their own sects; the consumption is something ordinary people cannot bear."

Flipping through the book, Li Yuan couldn't help but feel some admiration for this Ancestral Master of the Divine Weapon Valley.

He had obviously eaten many kinds of Spirit Beasts, describing in detail the texture, efficacy, and taste of each.

Which Spirit Beast was most nourishing, which had the most bones—all were written in great detail.

"Among Mortal Beasts, Crocodile Meat is number one; among Spirit Beasts, Dragon Meat is the most nourishing. Crocodiles are rare, yet I have eaten over a dozen; alas, the Dragon has no trace, and I have yet to taste it even once. This is Feng's lifelong regret."

"The grudge of a glutton."

Through the text, Li Yuan could feel the regret and couldn't help but make a mental note of it.

Whether or not it supplements the form, he must find a chance to taste it and see if it is truly as mysterious as described.

Flipping further, Li Yuan saw a few scattered words about blood sacrifice, mainly Feng Yun's disdain and hatred for those who performed blood sacrifices.

"A group of fools, thinking they please the Divine Spirits, but in reality, heh heh..."

Feng Yun seemed somewhat tabooed and left behind very little, but he was quite hostile, warning future disciples that if anyone performed a blood sacrifice, regardless of the reason, kill the entire family.

"What is blood sacrifice? I have heard an interesting saying."

Feng Yun left a short story, the gist of which was that a group of ants wanted to attract a person's attention.

They crawled everywhere, using various methods to form all sorts of strange patterns.

That person was attracted, found it interesting, and dropped a shred of meat. The ants were overjoyed and became even more fond of this, using the same method to attract others to gain another shred of meat.

But they were stepped on and crushed into meat paste.

"This means blood sacrifice has great uncertainty?"

Li Yuan stroked his chin. Finally, there was Feng Yun's definition of blood sacrifice.

【Any act of sacrificing the flesh and blood of living beings to non-living things is called blood sacrifice.】

"Hmm, that is somewhat biased."

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly; according to this definition, wouldn't he also be a blood sacrificer?

Putting down the book, the Spirit Lamb was also roasted. Li Yuan took a small knife, cut off a few pieces, and sent them to Yu Jin and the others.

"The flavor is indeed good."

Li Yuan savored it slowly, a mouthful of mutton followed by a mouthful of Monkey Wine, accompanied by the snowy scenery, feeling all his worries and fatigue vanish.

Stealing a moment of leisure from his busy schedule, Li Yuan indulged for a day. The next morning, he went to the Weapon Casting Valley. Unexpectedly, Lei Lei Jingchuan and the other two did not reprimand him and even allowed him to rest one day every ten days.

Soon, Li Yuan had rested for three days.

Over the course of a month or so, the forging of the High-Grade Famous Artifact had reached its final stages.