Chapter 234: Seventh-Rank Military Talisman and Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform (Combined)

Dechang Prefecture has two docks, east and west; one serves merchant ships from all routes, while the other is where the shipyard is located.

Though the departure was set for after the New Year, a slight delay meant it was already the sixteenth day after the New Year.

Early this morning, Lord Master Gongyang Yu, along with a host of elders and true disciples, arrived at the west dock, where a brand-new great ship, long prepared, was moored by the shore.

This great ship is named 'Break the Waves'; larger than ordinary Five-Leaf Great Ships, it stretches nearly one hundred meters in length, has six decks from top to bottom, can accommodate over a thousand people simultaneously, and ranks among the largest river vessels.

"The Dao Sect is not like the Fu Sect; experts are as numerous as clouds, and the mighty fall like rain. Proceed with utmost caution. The martial path is long; do not fight over a moment. Retreat when you must retreat..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu gently admonished: "Wealth is but an external possession. If you can make many friends, do not worry about expenses."

"This disciple shall remember Elder Uncle's teachings!"

Li Yuan bowed with great respect, committing the words to heart.

Han Han Chuijun added in time: "Retreat when you must retreat, and fight when you must fight."

"This disciple shall remember."

Li Yuan bowed deeply, listening to the elders' admonitions, and a reluctance inevitably sprang up in his heart; he truly did not wish to leave.

"Go."

After bidding farewell to everyone one by one, Li Yuan glanced back toward Fucheng; from afar, he seemed to see the figures of Lei Lei Jingchuan and Jing Jing Shuhu.

"Long Hu Longhu Dadan."

Li Yuan let out a long sigh, bowed slightly to the crowd, turned, and boarded the ship.

On the Break the Waves ship, dozens to over a hundred sailors were busy, moving various supplies; quite a few disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley were also on board.

Besides Fang Fang Yunxiu, Gao Gang, and others, there were many veteran soldiers; these were the accompanying personnel.

Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao were still on the shore, instructing Yue Yue Yunjin and Wu Ming; although Li Yuan had joined the Dragon Tiger Temple, he was still a true disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley, and the assets under his name still needed someone to manage them.

"Screech!"

The grey eagle let out a long cry.

Everyone on the ship looked up and saw a grey eagle diving down, magnificent and handsome, its plumage shimmering with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

On the eagle's back was Qiu Qiu Changying, carrying a long bow on her back and holding a long spear in her hand.

The grey eagle landed on the deck; Qiu Qiu Changying's eyes were slightly red, and she turned to return to the cabin.

Li Yuan glanced at the shore and saw Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong, the elder of the highest seniority in the Divine Weapon Valley, raising his hands in salute from afar.

"Planning for the long term for one's descendants."

Li Yuan returned the salute and sighed softly in his heart.

Before departing, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong found him; this time, he did not mention marriage again, but left behind half of the Soul-Chasing Arrow technique and a renowned-art longbow he had used for many years.

"Set sail!"

At the shout carried by the wind, the Break the Waves ship slowly moved, drifting with the current.

On the shore, the crowd watched the ship depart, then slowly dispersed.

"Senior Brother, I heard you went to the Dragon Tiger Temple back then; what is that place like?"

Han Han Chuijun withdrew his gaze and suddenly asked.

"It is like Wang Wang Yangdahai; the surface is calm, but it harbors endless waves within, a mix of fish and dragons..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu pondered for a moment and replied:

"It is indeed a good place, but it is not suitable for an old man like me; hmm, nor is it suitable for you."

"Is that so?"

Han Han Chuijun raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm?"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu seemed to sense something and frowned: "What? At your age, do you still wish to enter the Dragon Tiger Temple? Even if you wanted to, they would not accept you!"

"That is not necessarily true."

Han Han Chuijun shook his head, and seeing the change in his expression, finally said:

"To speak of it, it is all thanks to the light of that Grandmaster..."

"Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon?"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu came to his senses.

He knew the rules of the Dragon Tiger Temple: wandering martial artists without the potential of a Grandmaster would not be specially accepted, but those who created supreme arts were not subject to this restriction.

The title 'Grandmaster' originally came from creators of supreme arts.

"Pity, my ambition lies not there."

Han Han Chuijun sighed; if it had been fifty years earlier, he would still have had the heart to enter the Dragon Tiger Temple, but now, naturally, he had no such thought.

"You still wish to 'Pluck the Character'?"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu frowned; he naturally knew Han Han Chuijun's thoughts over these years.

Besides the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer, it was entering the true Plucking Stars Tower.

Heaven Character Thirty-Six, Earth Character Seventy-Two; those are the Plucking Stars Tower in the truest sense.

"You took over seventy years to complete Hundred Forms; are you still not giving up, wishing to pursue Ten Thousand Forms?"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu shook his head repeatedly.

Back then, when he was forced by the elders of his sect to join the Plucking Stars Tower, he also learned the cause and effect.

When Han Han Chuijun and Jing Jing Shuhu traveled down the mountain, they obtained fragments of a supreme divine technique; that divine technique was the highest inheritance of the Plucking Stars Tower, the Dragon Demon Heart Sutra.

But this world-shocking divine technique was too difficult to enter; even those who were not Hundred Forms did not have the qualification to cultivate it. Jing Jing Shuhu decisively gave up, while Han Han Chuijun cultivated bitterly for seventy years and finally achieved Hundred Forms.

"What else could I do?"

Han Han Chuijun retorted: "With our talents, if we do not forge a new path, let alone penetrating Yin and Yang to enter the Dao, even achieving Great Completion of Blood Replacement, what chance is there?"

"Blood exchange..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu sighed.

He had concealed much, but the severe injury suffered during his breakthrough was true, and that his life was nearing its end was also true; it was simply not as short as three or five years.

In the cultivation of Wu Gong, reaching the stages of Organ Refining and Marrow Refining, every step risks qi deviation; lightly it causes severe injury, heavily it brings death.

He had exhausted all his mental and physical efforts; reaching Marrow Refining was already his limit, making blood exchange almost impossible.

"Once this matter is settled, I shall attempt to breach the Star-Picking Tower again."

Han Han Chuijun's will was unshakable.

Lord Master Gongyang Yu fell silent, offering no further persuasion, and instead transmitted his voice:

"The Star-Picking Tower's base is empty; hardly anyone has gone there these past few days, and the stone steles are covered in dust..."

"It has been so long; the news should have spread by now."

Han Han Chuijun was neither surprised nor particularly concerned:

"There are no assassin records from the Juan Sect inside the Star-Picking Tower; once the mask is removed and the badge discarded, who knows who the Star-Picking Tower's assassins are?"

"Let us hope so."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu sighed: "Do not forget the Xieshen Sect... perhaps those demonic cultivators possess some other means?"

"Even if the imperial court has some method to track us, so what? Of the twenty-eight provinces of the world, excluding the nine provinces under the Henglong Dao, where cannot one hide?"

Han Han Chuijun pressed the mask he had never removed from his face, his tone wavering:

"Once the mask is removed, who knows who Han Han Chuijun is?"

"..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu was instantly speechless; he looked at the mask on Han Han Chuijun's face and suddenly realized.

Even he had forgotten what this old fellow looked like...

"You..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu reached out, but Han Han Chuijun had already seized his wrist; through the iron mask, the two exchanged a glance.

"Let's go!"

Han Han Chuijun smiled:

"I didn't kill them all cleanly last time; I must see if there are any more 'big fish'..."

With a few leaps, he landed on a lone boat, drifting downstream, pursuing the Breaker Wave Great Ship.

"This old thing."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu stood still for a long while, then turned and departed.

The Breaker Wave Ship, sixth floor.

The cabin was not small, furnished with various items; aside from the occasional swaying, it differed little from his house in the city.

Li Yuan pushed open the window; he could see the surging river water, with the scenery on the banks fully in view.

The Breaker Wave Ship serves as a warship during wartime, but in peacetime, it is mostly sold as a high-class sightseeing vessel...

"Huff!"

The ship's tossing had no effect on Li Yuan; he released the little rat.

Once on the ship, the little rat was very well-behaved; Li Yuan thought for a moment and still tied it up, fearing the little creature might dig holes and leak the ship.

"Squeak squeak..."

The little rat struggled.

"Endure it; there are plenty of pills."

Li Yuan comforted it; the pills on his person were enough to last two or three years, so he was naturally generous, casually handing over two Zeng Xue Dan.

After soothing the little rat, he sat on the ground and took out the item Lord Master Gongyang Yu had given him at their parting.

Lord Master Gongyang Yu handled matters thoroughly; besides recording intelligence on the Dragon-Tiger Temple, he also left behind a very detailed map.

Unfolding the map, it was two or three meters in both length and width.

On the map, mountains, rivers, cities, and fortresses were all marked; the most prominent feature was the Pingjiang Grand Canal, which traversed two circuits, six provinces, and twenty-one prefectures, with even more branches.

"From Dechang Prefecture to Hengshan Circuit City, the straight-line distance..."

Li Yuan measured it, calculated according to the standard, and said: "Twenty-three thousand four hundred li... hmm, counting only the straight-line distance, it is indeed not far; if I could maintain top speed running continuously, I could make a round trip in a day, right?"

With the blessing of the Army Command Talisman and the completion of the Divine Foot Art, under full explosive power, Li Yuan had tested it; he could run forty li in one minute, leaving the high-speed trains and airplanes of his past life eating his dust.

But...

"But I can maintain it for at most one or two minutes."

Li Yuan sighed.

His top speed could not be maintained for long; besides insufficient internal Qi, his physique could not endure it; for one or two minutes, his tendons and bones suffered varying degrees of injury, let alone a whole day.

"If I could maintain top speed continuously, I would need neither ships nor horses for travel..."

Although he could not achieve this for now, it did not stop Li Yuan from musing in his heart; he felt that if his Ten-Thousand-Blade Spirit Dragon Body reached Great Perfection and he acquired six pairs of sixth-tier boots, he might truly manage it.

"Pity that good boots are too rare, and incense offerings are also hard to obtain."

Li Yuan sensed the Army Command Space.

Over these few months, he had purchased a large quantity of items; second and third-tier items totaled three hundred, mostly weapons, with bone ornaments slightly fewer, and boots being the least.

"Eighteen pairs of second-tier boots, only one pair of third-tier; many unranked and first-tier ones; if incense offerings are sufficient, forging a single fifth-tier boot would be no problem..."

Many weapons could be forged, but incense offerings were insufficient; Li Yuan pondered in his heart, rose, closed the doors and windows tightly, closed his eyes to enter meditation, and began the frenzied weapon forging.

First, was selection.

The more similar the weapons, the higher the He Bing Cheng Gong rate; Li Yuan's incense offerings were insufficient, so naturally he had to use them sparingly.

"Six-Union Boots, Nine-Union Boots, Spirit-Skin Boots…"

Li Yuan picked and chose, and very soon, he lit the Divine Fire He Bing Furnace and began fusing boots.

Thanks to the commercial atmosphere of Dechang Prefecture, the first-, second-, and third-tier incense offerings were enough to light the furnace eight hundred times; what he lacked was high-tier incense offerings.

"Fourth-tier incense offerings can fire up the furnace thirteen times, fifth-tier only four times—every single one must succeed!"

Li Yuan rubbed his hands together, moved the incense burner that boosted good fortune next to him, tossed the bad-luck one into the ship's cabin for now, and then began the He Bing.

Boots, boots, still boots.

The Divine Fire burned, silver ingots vaporized one after another, pairs of boots went in, and pairs of boots came out.

Before long, Li Yuan had already fused all the low-tier boots up to third-tier.

"Twenty-one failures, hmm, still passable…"

Looking at the thirty-four pairs of third-tier boots before him, Li Yuan was quite satisfied.

Fusing low-tier boots—even if he failed, he didn't feel the pinch; at worst it was just some low-tier incense offerings and silver. But from here on out, he grew a little nervous.

"Best to succeed every time."

Li Yuan picked through them, sorting out those with similar and uniform enhancement effects first. Six attempts in a row all succeeded; afterward, as the differences in enhancement effects grew larger, the first failure came, then the second.

In the end, he fired up the furnace thirteen times, failed four times, and fused out nine pairs of fourth-tier boots. Counting the two pairs he had previously fused, he already had eleven pairs in total.

"In theory, I can fuse out four pairs of fifth-tier boots! Fifth-tier!"

Li Yuan was genuinely a little nervous. He opened his eyes, calmed his mood a bit, kicked the bad-luck incense burner farther away, and only then solemnly lit the furnace.

"A lucky start!"

Very soon, with a hum, Li Yuan saw the first pair of fifth-tier boots 'spit out' by the He Bing Furnace.

【Divine Fire Spirit-Skin Boots (Fifth-tier)】

【Forged from eighty-one pairs of similar Spirit-Skin Boots through Divine Fire smelting by the He Bing Furnace—a superior spirit boot. The Weapon Master poured in heart and soul, faintly imbued with spiritual wonder…】

【Wielding Requirement: Any one of the following at Perfection—Control Art, Qing Gong】

【Wielding Effects: Sixth-tier (Yellow): Striding Like Meteors, Dust-Lifting Speed

Fifth-tier (Pale Yellow): Swift as Thunder, Body Like a Swimming Snake, Fleet-Footed as Flight】

"Not bad, Fine quality among them!"

Li Yuan nodded inwardly.

As the number of He Bing attempts grew, he had some grasp of the outcomes. This pair was fused from the three most similar boots, so its success was no surprise.

"Second pair!"

Li Yuan struck while the iron was hot. Very soon, accompanied by a hum, the second pair of Divine Fire Spirit-Skin Boots was also successfully forged.

"Bless me, Patriarch!"

Li Yuan muttered inwardly, swept up a pile of silver, and tossed it in.

Before long, he heard the third hum—the third pair of fifth-tier boots was also successfully fused!

"All succeeded!"

Inside the ship's cabin, Li Yuan opened his eyes, his face full of joy, his heart quite stirred.

After the Divine Foot Scripture was mastered, with two pairs of fourth-tier boots enhancing him, his speed was a notch faster than Old Han or Huang Fu Kun at their full burst.

If he added these three pairs of fifth-tier boots on top of that…

"Even a Marrow-Refining expert who has mastered Liu Liu Jingshan wouldn't be faster than me, right? Zhun Sect… hmm, I've never seen a Blood-Replacing Zhun Sect master, maybe they're not faster than me either?"

Taking out those three pairs of fifth-tier boots to toy with, Li Yuan suddenly felt much more grounded. With this Qing Gong to his name, even in the Dao City, he had some measure of self-preservation.

Marrow-Refining experts—even in Dao City, they were figures of great importance, rarely glimpsed. Zhun Sect masters went without saying; according to Lord Master Gongyang Yu's intelligence, they were at least Zhun Sect hall-master level figures.

The only problem was, his physique might not be able to withstand such a violent burst of speed.

"The cultivation of the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body is very troublesome…"

Putting away the boots, Li Yuan sat cross-legged and began visualization.

In the Land of Spiritual Light, the visualized Spirit Self was still being hacked by blades and swords, but ever since the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body had entered the introductory stage, progress had plummeted.

"Is it because my visualization tier isn't high enough?"

Li Yuan thought it over. He hadn't obtained the martial scripture for the Thirteen Forms of the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon, but based on the form diagrams, he could still vaguely work out some things.

This horizontal-training absolute art was divided into seven tiers.

The first tier was hacking by sharp blades; the second tier required De Shi Shang Pin sharp blades; the third tier required supreme-grade sharp blades… and so on. At Great Completion, one had to endure divine weapons piercing the body—absolute Ku Gong.

"Is it that the tier of the blades and swords I visualize can't keep up?"

The thought crossed Li Yuan's mind; the blades and swords in the Land of Spiritual Light all dispersed, and what surfaced in their place was a heavy hammer.

This was the product of the Martial Dao Kill Hammer Visualization Method at Great Completion.

"The Kill Hammer is enough, but with one hammer-blow like that, I won't actually get internal injuries, will I?"

Li Yuan frowned.

The Bai Shen Visualization Method was extraordinarily wondrous—changes occurring to the visualized Spirit Self could be reflected in the body, and that was how the Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body had entered the introductory stage.

But where there is benefit, naturally there is harm.

If one failed to grasp the right measure, real injury was very possible—this was the sinister aspect of the Bai Shen Fa.

"Hmm… the Martial Dao Kill Hammer won't work, but what if I visualize Qi Ta Wu Gong?"

Li Yuan deliberated.

The only visualization methods he had learned were the Kill Hammer and the Bai Shen Visualization Method, but the Qi Ta Wu Gong he had learned were many. Although he had no visualization method for them, it didn't necessarily mean he couldn't try.

"The journey is long either way; I'll treat it as a closed-door retreat."

Dechang Prefecture was more than twenty thousand li in a straight line from Mount Hengshan's Dao City, but neither ships nor roads could be entirely straight. Normally, the journey would take at least two or three months.

After the water route, we must switch to land, then back to water again…

He rose and practiced several sets of martial postures, then calmed his mind and planned the tasks he needed to accomplish on the journey.

Accumulating internal Qi, tempering his physique, reshaping his roots and bones, Ancient Elephant Six Forms Hammer, visualization techniques, Divine Foot Sutra, Tiger-Bolt Thunder Sound, Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon… the many Wu Gong, lightness techniques he brought from Divine Arms Valley…

And the "Rippling Sea Dark Whale Diagram," which he still had no grasp of.

…

…

Traveling was dull, but Li Yuan was fulfilled.

Since setting out, except for occasional meetings and meals with Fang Fang Yunxiu, Gao Gang, and others, Li Yuan spent almost all his time locked in his cabin, training in seclusion.

Li Yuan trained diligently, primarily because he found joy in it.

He spent some time upgrading all his weapons to third-rank or higher, then arranged multiple combinations: when practicing hammer techniques, he wielded Chen Shan Zhong's Hammer; when practicing swordplay, he wielded the Fire Dragon Sword.

When practicing Yang Jian Fa, he could only do so within the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing, wielding the "Piercing Willow Bow" and the "Century-Old Wild Ox Bow" gifted by Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong.

When practicing hardening arts, he wielded several inner armors.

When practicing visualization techniques, he used the Five-Step Spirit Snake Waistband and other bone ornaments…

With these flexible combinations of wielded items, Li Yuan resembled a "genius" with no weaknesses; under heavy nourishment from pills, his progress was visibly rapid—and naturally, he found joy in it.

Seeing how fiercely he trained, the Divine Arms Valley disciples descending the mountain were stunned—and could not help but be infected by his zeal, beginning to train themselves.

But the ship's rocking, combined with the heavy emphasis on dynamic and static stances before the Transformation was complete, meant that aside from Fang Fang Yunxiu, who gritted her teeth and persisted, Gao Gang and others soon gave up.

Their glances at Li Yuan when he occasionally left his cabin were as if seeing a monster.

"Senior Brother Li…"

"Is Senior Brother Li going into the city too?"

"Good day, Senior Brother Li."

One day, the ship docked to resupply, and Li Yuan, rarely leaving his cabin, stepped out; the fellow disciples were eager, and many sighed in relief.

Such diligence was truly frightening.

"Mm, just going to wander the city."

Li Yuan responded to each greeting, inviting Feng Feng Zhongyi, Fang Fang Yunxiu, Gao Gang, and others to enter the city together; the ship lacked nothing, but the food was monotonous—every time they docked, he invited everyone to dine at a tavern.

He also exchanged some gold and silver.

Regarding his advancement to seventh-rank in the Weapon Master Scroll, he naturally kept it in mind, for a seventh-rank Weapon Master Scroll might unlock the "Divine Flame Forging Platform."

…

Changlin Prefecture, bordering Huizhou's provincial capital, was less prosperous than other prefectures, but as a Fucheng, its bustle far surpassed that of the counties and towns along the way.

Feng Feng Zhongyi decided to dock for two days: to procure supplies, and because most people, after long voyages, grew uncomfortable on the ship.

Fang Fang Yunxiu trained just as diligently, but at such times, she always disembarked to walk—none but professional sailors could endure ten or more days without setting foot on land.

"Changlin Prefecture is quite lively too."

As they entered the city with the crowd, Li Yuan's peripheral vision caught blade glimmers again and again; though he saw no famed weapons, most were superior-grade blades—many martial artists were present.

"After all, it's a prefecture."

Fang Fang Yunxiu relaxed her brow, entering the city first to scan the "Wanted Blade List" posted at every city gate—this was her habit.

If time permitted, she would even take on one or two of the posted tasks.

"Star Picking Tower."

Li Yuan's gaze sharpened—he saw a line of bold red characters near the top of the list.

"Anyone who kills a Star Picking Tower assassin may claim a reward at the Town Martial Hall: all manner of pills, Wu Gong, gold, and silver, available!"

This was a high bounty targeting the Star Picking Tower.

"Star Picking Tower assassins move unpredictably and include many experts—this task cannot be taken."

Seeing his surprise, Fang Fang Yunxiu frowned slightly.

"No, I was just looking."

Li Yuan had no interest—he had joined the Star Picking Tower and still hadn't accepted a single mission.

He was a rare "kind-hearted assassin."

"We're only docking two days—don't stir up trouble."

Feng Feng Zhongyi glanced at the two.

"Of course."

Both nodded, then asked someone for directions and headed to the city's largest tavern.

Li Yuan did not request a private room—only found a corner seat in the main hall, ordered wine and dishes, and listened for news.

"The Star Picking Tower must have assassinated some high-ranking figure—otherwise, they wouldn't be wanted nationwide…"

"I heard every Town Martial Hall has issued bounties—apparently, any Star Picking Tower assassin is worth at least hundreds of taels of silver, even pills!"

"Five Sword Gate once hosted a thousand-table banquet—alas, Master Lin joined Dragon Tiger Temple, Dragon Tiger Temple…"

…

The tavern was full of rumors—many, mixed, true and false.

Most concerned Five Sword Gate; most mentioned Lin Lin Dongping, filled with envy and jealousy.

"Five Sword Gate…"

Li Yuan listened idly, paid little attention, finished eating, and went to Yunshu Tower.

As a renowned information peddler, its intelligence was expensive but otherwise flawless.

He bought a pile of various lists, then went to exchange gold and silver.

Banknotes and money orders between prefectural and county banks were universally accepted, though with some fees.

Li Yuan visited several more shops, exchanging a full 78,000 taels of silver and 8,000 taels of gold.

"A bit extravagant, but acceptable."

Li Yuan did not mind the trouble; he exchanged a little at each shop. By evening, as he walked out of the last one, the materials needed to promote the Army Command Talisman to the seventh tier were finally complete.

"Thanks to the Valley Master; otherwise, how long would I have had to save for this sum?"

Silently thanking Lord Master Gongyang Yu in his heart, Li Yuan also felt a twinge of pain; with so much gold and silver spent, his fortune would shrink by over ninety percent.

"Divine Fire Weapon Casting Platform... I hope it serves some purpose."

Li Yuan murmured to himself, suppressing the thrill in his heart.

While the sky was not yet dark, he visited leather shops, bone ornament shops, and other places; whenever he encountered boots or bone ornaments, regardless of quality, he bought them all.

By the time he returned to the inn, Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao had also returned with items.

"The spirit beast meat was fine, but this spirit beast blood was truly hard to buy; I waited quite a while there before I could purchase it."

Wang Wang Peiyao pinched her nose and handed several clay jars to Li Yuan.

These were the spirit five-animal bloods she had bought.

"Precisely because it is scarce, we must stock up; spirit beast blood is indispensable for quenching famous weapons."

Li Yuan smiled and took them.

"The Five Swords Sect previously collected spirit beast hides on a large scale; currently, there is truly no good leather in the city. Scattered and fragmented, this is all I managed to buy."

After putting the items down, the two returned to their rooms. Among the disciples sent to Dragon Tiger Temple this time, their Wu Gong was the weakest, and they faced pressure on the journey, so they practiced martial arts very diligently.

"If this attempt fails again, next time, we will use better spirit beast blood..."

Regarding the Bestowal of the Heavenly Talisman, Li Yuan never forgot it. After tidying up slightly, he did not even eat dinner; he found an excuse and returned to the boat.

"Cold iron, white silver, gold, red gold, refined gold..."

The cabin was not small, but when Li Yuan brought out the various materials, it appeared cramped; the boat planks even emitted a 'creak, creak' sound.

Without delay, after counting the materials, Li Yuan immediately extended his hand:

"Promote, seventh-tier Army Command Talisman!"

Buzz!

Li Yuan saw clearly: a streak of red light burst forth from his right palm; in less than an instant, it covered all the materials, then sank into his palm.

"A gold-devouring beast!"

Li Yuan felt his teeth ache; he turned his body and lay down on the bed.

Boom!

Almost simultaneously, that deafening roar, whose origin was unknown, arrived as expected; equally ear-splitting, it penetrated straight into the soul.

"Much more intense than before?"

Even though he was well prepared, Li Yuan was still shaken until his vision went black; he felt like a straw swept up by a violent wind and massive waves, drifting and unable to touch the ground.

After a while of dazed confusion, he struggled to regain his senses; he wiped his face, and his mouth and nose were full of foul blood.

"So intense?!"

Li Yuan immediately swallowed a handful of pills, circulated his blood and internal force; only after a long while did he open his mouth and spit out a stream of foul blood, his face regaining some color.

He closed his eyes.

【Seventh-Tier Army Commander: Li Yuan】

【Number of Weapons Commandable: Seven】

【Unlocked: Divine Fire Weapon Fusion Furnace (Seventh-Tier), Divine Fire Weapon Forging Platform (Seventh-Tier)】

In the dim realm, the Army Command Talisman shone brilliantly, like a star chart, with seven large stars gleaming within it.

Beneath it, the gray stone platform doubled in expansion again, instantly making the space much more spacious.

The darkness outside the gray stone platform receded like a tide; Li Yuan gazed at it for a while, feeling a bit of heart palpitation.

"Where exactly did that roar come from?"

After resting for a while, Li Yuan looked across from the Weapon Fusion Furnace; the 'Divine Fire Weapon Forging Platform', which had only a faint outline, now revealed its true form.

On the surface, it looked no different from a normal forging platform, except it had no bellows, the furnace was extinguished, and there were no forging tools like hammers.

"What use is this thing?"

Li Yuan moved closer; as he touched it by intuition, a bit of information floated up in his mind:

"Divine Fire as the guide, earthly treasures and heavenly materials as supplements, turning the rotten into the miraculous... repairing weapons, and, strengthening?"