Chapter 248: Another World

"Yangshen Furnace!"

The mist dispersed, the dragon stele vanished, and Brother Brother Zhongli opened his eyes in the small courtyard, his heart settling.

Over these past few months, thanks to the Star-Plucking Tower in the city and the Xieshen Sect's covert scouts, quite a few Dragon Tiger disciples had come to him for weapon repairs, and he had picked up various bits of information, more or less.

For instance, that the top hundred of Dragon Tiger had additional opportunities and fortune; he had previously guessed it might be related to the Yangshen Furnace Mi Jing, and now it seemed that was indeed the case.

As for the evaluation of "a dragon among men, a phoenix among men," Li Yuan estimated this was calculated without factoring in the augmentation from his full set of Weapon Master Registers.

Otherwise, even if not "unparalleled under heaven," it should at least warrant the title "peerless talent," no?

"The Dao Sect's breadth of mind is truly great, and rightly so—even if one knows the Yangshen Furnace is at Dragon Tiger Temple, who in the world could seize it?"

Li Yuan let out a long breath, suppressing the churning thoughts in his heart, because he had already seen the familiar glow of weapons.

"Gong Gong Jiuchuan is back!"

Li Yuan rose, unhurriedly returning to his room, guessing it was probably the change in ranking on the Dragon Board that had drawn them.

But he wasn't surprised—after all, the Dragon Board ultimately originated from the Yangshen Furnace, and within Dragon Tiger's inner gate, wherever true Qi shrouded, breakthroughs couldn't be concealed.

Inside the room, Li Yuan changed into his outfit, examined himself in the mirror, and felt quite satisfied.

In these past four-plus months, the various Weapon Master items within hadn't changed much, but the outfit on his body was no longer comparable to before.

Heavy hammer, inner armor, outer garment, boots, belt, thumb ring, tiger claws—all were top-grade sharp-blade-level goods, and all had been forged on the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform, possessing various properties.

The breadth of resources in Dao City was beyond what Fucheng could compare to; although he hadn't conducted a large-scale search, what he'd obtained was already enough to pleasantly surprise him.

"I have as many as seven properties on my body, though they're all only third-tier, but this is augmentation beyond the Weapon Master quota!"

Li Yuan squinted slightly; looking in the mirror, he could see the treasure-glow all over his body.

From the Daoist robe to the inner armor, from the tiger claws to the boots and belt.

【Properties: Third-Tier (Deep Blue): Keen Ears and Sharp Eyes (Bone Ring), Calming the Spirit and Steadying the Mind (Tiger Claws), Lightness and Agility (Boots), Tenacity (Inner Armor), Water and Fire Avoidance (Daoist Robe), Sensitivity (Belt)】

With just the augmentation from these properties, Li Yuan asked himself whether he could already match a Yi Bai Xing martial artist skilled in lightness kung fu, horizontal training, and keen perception.

"If an ordinary person who knows no martial arts puts on this outfit of mine, could they… probably not, but could they beat Cao Yan to death… hmm, Cao Yan probably couldn't either?"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Although Li Yuan privately judged that the property augmentation from this outfit was no weaker than that of a Yi Bai Xing martial artist, that was for himself.

An ordinary person who knows no Wu Gong and lacks courage, even if wearing it, could only bully Internal Strength martial artists, and might even capsize.

"Mm, even if this set of third-tier properties only counts as Internal Strength, fourth-tier counts as Yi Bai Xing, what about fifth-tier, sixth-tier? The Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform is indeed a pleasant surprise!"

Pausing briefly, upon hearing the knock at the door, Li Yuan picked up the top-grade pure-steel eight-edged hammer beside him.

Nowadays, all his Weapon Master items were at least fourth-tier to start; the third-tier heavy hammer he couldn't use naturally served as his daily practice weapon.

This hammer's property was very simple: 【Heaviness】.

True to its name, this heavy hammer that originally weighed just over a hundred jin now felt like no less than a thousand jin in his hands.

"A bit light…"

Li Yuan hefted it.

A leap from thirty-eight forms straight to forty-five forms, and one of those forms was the Spirit Elephant form renowned for its strength—his physical power had grown extremely rapidly.

Stretching his sinews and bones now, he felt his vigor so abundant it seemed about to explode.

"Yi Bai Xing isn't far off."

Stepping out the door, Li Yuan felt a bit eager to try; martial combat flourished at Dragon Tiger Temple, especially among the top hundred of the Dragon and Tiger Boards, where challenges were frequent.

If someone challenged him again, perhaps he should go give it a try?

……

The moment he stepped out, Li Yuan got a fright.

He had imagined his ranking jump might attract some attention, but he hadn't expected over a hundred people gathered outside his courtyard, a dense black mass.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly; after ushering Gong Gong Jiuchuan and his disciple inside, he decisively shut the door, avoiding being drowned in the crowd.

"Your popularity isn't bad."

In the courtyard, Gong Gong Jiuchuan wore a strange expression; behind him, Yu Yu Xuanji was suppressing her shock, looking Li Yuan up and down, feeling a vague pressure in her heart.

"Not bad, I guess."

Li Yuan closed the courtyard gate. In these past few months, the weapons he'd repaired numbered no less than two or three hundred; with his craftsmanship, and free of charge, how could his popularity not be good?

Gong Gong Jiuchuan glanced at the dozens of various weapons piled in the corner of the wall, saying nothing.

"Senior Brother Gong, come inside and sit for a while."

Li Yuan invited the two inside, bringing out Hundred Grass Brew to entertain them.

"You—you're fifty-six on the Dragon Board now? How could it be so fast?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan was very composed, because he knew his disciple wouldn't be able to hold back from asking—and naturally, Yu Yu Xuanji couldn't hold back.

The difficulty of the Dragon and Tiger Boards, she knew intimately.

She was the most talented of the Yu family in generations, guided by elders hand-in-hand since childhood, with all manner of pills and Wu Gong at her disposal, yet to this day she had only just barely squeezed into the top one hundred fifty.

And the hundred-plus ahead of her were all prodigies and heroes among hundreds of millions, with exceptional innate talent and root bones, no shortage of pill resources, and even longer years of cultivation.

She truly couldn't fathom how Li Yuan had managed it.

"Mm, some breakthroughs in Wu Gong."

Li Yuan naturally had his explanation ready in his heart—nothing more than the Long Chan Diamond Sutra and the Ancient Elephant Six-Form Hammer; if pressed further, then he didn't know.

Although his performance was astonishing, with Long Long Xinglie's precedent as a jewel, he privately felt that though somewhat high-profile, there was no problem.

One who could receive the Patriarch's will and have martial techniques transmitted—if he remained low-key and silent, that would draw even more attention.

"Long Chan Diamond Sutra… mm, cultivated to mastery in four months, mm, not that fast, but that Ancient Elephant Six-Form Hammer, I do have some impression of it."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan seemed to accept it very easily.

"Six-Form Hammer?"

Yu Yu Xuanji gave a slight start; the difficulty of cultivating a martial art was tied to the number of forms one could alter after reaching Great Completion.

Normally speaking, a hammer technique encompassing six forms would at least have to be a top-tier secret transmission; mid-tier…

"This is an ancient hammer technique. They say its creator was a Sequence Assassin within the Star-Plucking Tower over six hundred years ago. It's hard to learn and hard to master, and compared to ordinary mid-tier martial arts, its power isn't outstanding, so very few people cultivate it."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan clearly had no intention of digging to the bottom of it; he tossed off a casual explanation and moved on from the topic.

Yu Yu Xuanji's eyes were full of suspicion, but she closed her mouth anyway.

"Since you've already entered the top hundred of the Dragon Ranking, then you should have also seen the true Dragon Stele, yes?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan picked up a cup of Hundred Grass Brew.

"Seems like I caught a glimpse of it?"

Li Yuan spoke very conservatively.

Mainly because he wasn't sure how to take the evaluation 'Dragon Among Men' — if it was high, fine; but if it was low, that would be troublesome.

"Shaped like an azure dragon, the stele text like scales and armor, inscribed upon it are many names, and, the Longhu Longhu Dandan's evaluation of you!"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan set down his wine cup, his gaze deep and distant.

"The Longhu Longhu Dandan!"

Yu Yu Xuanji's heart gave a jolt.

The news that the Longhu Longhu Dandan was at Dragon Tiger Temple had long since spread countless times, but the sect never explained whether it was true or false, so much so that even she had only heard it alluded to darkly from her elders.

"The Longhu Dandan is the treasure that anchors our Dragon Tiger Sect, but only those who have made the top hundred of the Dragon Tiger Ranking are qualified to know of it, and, to enter the 'Mi Jing'."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan transmitted his voice in secret:

"This is a sect secret. Although many sects in the jianghu know of it, don't bring it up on your own…"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan was very cautious, even subconsciously scanning the room, and pausing for a moment on the kitten lying across the windowsill; the latter's tail swayed as it lazily basked in the sun.

"Many thanks for the guidance, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan had no objection — he had always been tight-lipped.

"The Longhu Longhu Dandan is one of the twelve Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing. Over two thousand years ago, the two founding masters joined hands to completely refine it, and using it as their foundation, established Dragon Tiger Temple."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan spoke lightly of the Longhu Longhu Dandan.

Li Yuan and the other listened quietly to the transmitted voice.

What Gong Gong Jiuchuan said was largely the same as the jianghu rumors, differing only in some minor details — for instance, the jianghu rumor held that the Longhu Dandan was passed down through successive Dao Lords and never shown to anyone.

But in fact, the Longhu Dandan was Dragon Tiger Temple itself, right before everyone's eyes.

"That our Dragon Tiger Sect has endured for over two thousand years without decline is precisely because of this Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing. The other major sects are largely the same…"

The jianghu rumors were confirmed.

Li Yuan's gaze flickered. Each of the Wudadao Sect had one, he had one, the imperial court probably had one or two, so there weren't many unowned ones left…

"As for the Mi Jing…"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan shifted the topic, and what followed could only be heard by Li Yuan:

"Within the Mi Jing lies the true inner sect of Dragon Tiger. None but the top hundred of the Dragon Tiger Ranking may enter."

"Master…"

Yu Yu Xuanji pitifully tugged at her own master's sleeve, but Gong Gong Jiuchuan merely glanced at her:

"If you want to know, then be diligent and enter the top hundred of the Dragon Ranking sooner."

"This disciple understands."

Yu Yu Xuanji was a little sullen, but could only turn her head dejectedly: "Oh, what a pretty little cat."

"Don't touch it!"

Li Yuan moved swiftly, grabbing Yu Yu Xuanji's arm.

"Not even a touch?"

Seeing his reaction so strong, Yu Yu Xuanji smoothly lowered her hand.

"This cat's a bit wild."

Li Yuan flicked a finger, and the kitten on the windowsill had already darted out the window.

'So petty.'

Yu Yu Xuanji grumbled inwardly, but didn't take it too much to heart — she herself kept quite a few cats, she had just wanted to pet this one because it was pretty.

"Go out."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan shooed her out.

"Senior Brother Gong, what would be written on the Dragon Stele? At the time I was somewhat stunned and dazed, I truly didn't see it clearly."

Li Yuan closed the window and asked curiously.

"Spiritual weapons have spirits; Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing have even more. When one first enters the top hundred of the Dragon Ranking, the Longhu Longhu Dandan gives you an evaluation."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan still transmitted his voice in secret:

"This isn't much of a secret. As far as this old man knows, it's tied to the entrant's talent. From lowest to highest, they are: 'Outstanding Among Peers,' 'One in Ten Thousand,' 'Dragon Among Men,' 'Peerless Talent,' and 'Unparalleled Through the Ages.'"

"That many?"

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

His original bone-talent was naturally very poor, but now his bone structure had been altered many times, encompassing forty-five forms, and he asked himself whether he could surpass the vast majority of Dragon Tiger disciples.

And he was only in the third tier?

"Whether 'Unparalleled Through the Ages' is real or not is hard to say — at least there are no records within the sect, it's only mentioned in the Founding Master's daily records."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan paused briefly:

"Since you were able to draw the Founding Master's will to transmit his art, then your talent must be of the peerless tier. The Dao Child, Senior Long, Senior Nie, and my master's old self — they are all of this level."

"So-called 'peerless' — this is the pinnacle talent that holds hope of reaching Land Immortal."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan drank several cups of wine in a row; though his face showed no change, he was in truth somewhat moved within.

The Dragon Tiger Furnace's standards were evidently extremely high — the 'Outstanding' and 'One in Ten Thousand' it had assessed were measured against the Dragon Tiger Sect's inner disciples.

His talent, placed against the entire prefecture, was already at the absolute peak, yet its rating was only 'One in Ten Thousand.'

"A once-in-an-age aptitude?"

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly — with the augmentation of all those heavy hammers, shouldn't he count as once-in-an-age tier?

As for his own talent, Master Li had a very clear measure of it, and didn't care too much either; if talent falls short, weapons make up the difference — if he had seven seventh-tier heavy hammers augmenting him, he might just qualify as 'Unparalleled Through the Ages' tier.

"Talent is only talent; you needn't be overly proud of it. The great grandmasters through the ages are hardly lacking in those of ordinary bone-root."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan set down his wine cup, admonishing him.

"What Senior Brother says is right."

Li Yuan nodded repeatedly, deeply in agreement.

"As for the Mi Jing of the Furnace, hmm… it's still early; if you have nothing to do, shall this old man take you on a trip there?"

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan had no reason to refuse — he was very interested in the Furnace.

Legend had it that the Furnace had no power to slay or protect, yet it could solidify one's foundation and extend one's lifespan.

"Where's your identity token?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan took out his own identity token.

Entering the Furnace's Mi Jing required this?

Li Yuan was inwardly surprised, and hurriedly took out his own token as well.

"Entering and exiting the Furnace's Mi Jing, you must hold your own waist-token, otherwise you'll alert the Hall of Law Enforcement."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan rose to his feet.

The two men stepped out; the crowd at San Yuan Wai had long since dispersed by more than half, and those remaining had all been driven back by Gong Gong Jiuchuan's gaze.

"Your talent is at the absolute peak, but don't slack off either."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan glanced at Li Yuan; the latter lowered his head slightly, knowing he was referring to the matter of smithing, yet had no way to agree.

"Suit yourself."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan said no more, quickening his pace; before long, they arrived at a dragon stele.

"Here?"

There were many dragon steles in Dragon Mountain, and Li Yuan had seen them several times, but this time he sensed an unusual aura.

The Furnace's qi suddenly grew intense.

Hum!

When Li Yuan took out his token, he heard only a 'clang' — as if a furnace's lid had been flung open and then slammed shut again.

Whoosh!

In but an instant, the mist before his eyes scattered away.

Gaoshan, dense forest, streams, Dahe, dragon steles, palace complexes…

The scene before his eyes looked strikingly like Dragon Mountain, yet carried a sense of being somehow the same yet not; Li Yuan was briefly dazed.

"This is the Furnace's Mi Jing."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan lifted his chin slightly:

"Unlike the present world, this is another world."

"This…"

Li Yuan wasn't feigning surprise — he looked all around, inwardly quite shaken.

Compared to the Shan Xuan Whale Mi Jing, this Furnace Mi Jing was far vaster; the feeling it gave him was different too — if the former still felt somewhat lifeless and stagnant, this place had a sense of vibrant vitality.

It even gave him a feeling of being more alive than the outside world.

"How does it feel?"

Gong Gong Jiuchuan inquired.

Li Yuan shaded his eyes with a hand, gazing toward the distant mountains where a dark radiance shimmered brilliantly:

"A fine place…"