Chapter 260: Divine Hammer, Heaven's Balance (Part 2)

Buzz!

Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Furnace blazed with light; the gray stone platform was completely covered with long-handled hexagonal hammers.

As usual, Li Yuan placed several incense burners enhanced with good fortune beside him, took out the pre-exchanged silver and gold, and began the largest-scale weapon forging since he activated the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Furnace.

Divine Fire Weapon-Forging advances three into one; over two thousand unranked hammers required nearly seven hundred and forty attempts to forge seven hundred and ten first-tier hammers.

"Seven hundred and forty attempts, less than thirty failures. Hmm, acceptable. The success rate with compatible affinity is indeed very high. This is even with differences in the blacksmiths' craftsmanship; if I forged the hammers myself, the success rate would be even higher."

As Li Yuan's thoughts shifted, the Weapon-Forging Furnace hummed and spat out the final first-tier hexagonal hammer.

At this moment, the silver placed before him had also decreased by a small fraction.

Gold and silver as fuel; although merging unranked hammers consumed little, the sheer number of attempts made it significant.

"Spending money like water."

Li Yuan did not pause; he channeled incense to ignite the Weapon-Forging Furnace and continued forging.

First tier, second tier, third tier.

Buzz

The flames of the Weapon-Forging Furnace flickered incessantly; Li Yuan's movements were swift. Before long, of the two thousand-plus hammers, only a little over one hundred remained, but all were third-tier hammers.

At this point, Li Yuan finally became cautious.

He opened his eyes, tossed the incense burners enhanced with misfortune even farther away, and moved the several incense burners placed in the courtyard onto the gray stone platform.

Incense above the third tier was already quite rare; Li Yuan also grew cautious, first selecting a batch with the most similar enhancement effects to maintain a higher success rate.

Within the dim Weapon-Commanding Space, light flickered uncertainly; the Weapon-Forging Furnace ignited and extinguished repeatedly.

After a long while, when Li Yuan temporarily stopped, the originally full gray stone platform had emptied; before Li Yuan remained only four hammers.

At this moment, he also became tense.

Even with unified blueprints and unified forging, the blacksmiths' skills differed, their habits differed; every weapon forging had slight variations.

Although these differences were small, by the time forging reached the sixth tier, the differences had gradually widened.

"Hmm..."

His gaze circled the four hammers; Li Yuan pondered for quite a while before selecting the one with the greatest variation.

Divine Fire Ten Thousand Forgings Hammer, Sixth Tier】

... Gold and silver as fuel, conviction as fire, a supreme named hammer formed from the blood essence of the Weapon-Commanding Master, possessing slight spiritual qualities】

Command Conditions: Weapon-Commanding Master's bloodline】

Command Effects: Sixth Tier Yellow: Hammer Technique Talent, Unyielding Perseverance

Fifth Tier Pale Yellow: Hammer Technique Talent, Physical Body Talent

Fourth Tier Green: Thousand-Catties Strength】

"It was forged step by step; although the quality is not bad, it is still inferior to the Fire Dragon Sword and lacks the potential to become a Divine Weapon."

Although he thought this, Li Yuan was quite satisfied.

This was forged from unranked hammers all the way up; it seemed tedious and consumed vast amounts of gold and silver, but it was itself an extremely profitable deal.

Never mind seven hundred unranked hammers; even seven thousand could not buy a single supreme named hammer.

"Huff!"

Placing this heavy hammer aside, Li Yuan did not hesitate much; he tossed the remaining three hammers with higher compatibility into the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Furnace.

"Only three chances... best to succeed on the first try!"

Li Yuan was very cautious; for seventh-tier incense, he possessed only three strands even now; failing once would make his heart ache.

Although the Longhu Temple did not lack incense, others were not as easily fooled as Old Dragon Head...

Buzz!

Li Yuan focused intensely; under his renewed gaze, wisps of pale golden incense drifted in, igniting the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Furnace.

Without hesitation, Li Yuan threw in handfuls of gold and silver; the faint flames instantly surged tenfold, illuminating the entire Weapon-Commanding Space.

Buzz buzz buzz

The Weapon-Forging Furnace trembled violently; after several times, the flames extinguished.

"Suc

cessed!"

Success on the first try!

The instant the flames extinguished, Li Yuan had already glimpsed that faint Long Mo Dan golden light; his heart immediately surged with excitement.

This was the first Divine Weapon-class heavy hammer he had acquired, and moreover, one for which he could fully satisfy the command conditions!

Unnamed Seventh Tier】

"The Daoist's fortune is at its peak!"

Li Yuan was delighted in his heart; succeeding on the first try meant he could forge two more Divine Weapons; if both succeeded, that would be three Divine Weapon-class heavy hammers.

And what he had expended was merely some unranked hammers.

However...

"Why hasn't it spat it out?"

After the excitement, Li Yuan noticed something unusual; he leaned closer and saw that within the extinguished Weapon-Forging Furnace, pale golden light flowed like water, and faintly visible lay a heavy hammer at the furnace bottom.

"Are there other steps?"

Li Yuan frowned slightly; extending his spiritual power to touch the Weapon-Forging Furnace, he finally understood:

"It requires my blood to irrigate it, and moreover, requires internal energy to take form? Hmm, it has a bit of the flavor of the Blood-Nourishing Spirit-Enlightenment Technique."

In the room, Li Yuan opened his eyes, cautiously sensed around, confirmed no one was present, then drew a long sword and forcefully cut his wrist.

Regarding the Commanding Talisman, he had always been cautious, never letting anyone see or detect it, not even a little mouse.

"I cannot enter the Commanding Space, yet my blood can?"

Li Yuan clenched his fist, feeling a certain novelty in his heart; had he not forged a Divine Weapon, he would not have realized it.

Buzz!

As Li Yuan clenched his fist, drops of crystal-clear blood suddenly appeared on the gray stone platform, and under his guidance, sank into the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Furnace.

This Divine Weapon required a great deal of fresh blood; Li Yuan had to cut his palm several times, as it healed too quickly, taking quite a while to gather enough.

Afterward came the formation of shape from internal Qi.

"Pouring blood is for establishing mastery; internal Qi, is it to make this hammer align better with me?"

The information obtained from the Commanding Talisman was very limited; often Li Yuan had to guess, but fortunately, though he had never forged a Divine Weapon, he understood some of their characteristics.

"For Qi-shapes, the Battle-Hammer is the most fitting, yet, my strongest Qi-shape currently is the Hundred-Beast Thunder Dragon..."

Without hesitation, Li Yuan clenched his fist again, surging internal Qi pouring into his palm.

"Roar!"

On the gray stone platform, a dragon's cry seemed to echo; a vague dragon shadow formed from internal Qi, guided by Li Yuan, poured into the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Furnace.

Buzz!

The Weapon-Forging Furnace erupted with a tremendous boom; the next instant, pale golden light surged forth and flowed out.

Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammer, Seventh Tier】

... Divine Fire as the guide, heart-blood poured to transform the mundane into the miraculous, a mortal weapon evolving into a Divine Weapon, spiritual consciousness born】

Mastery Conditions: Hammer Technique Mastery, Commanding Master Bloodline】

Mastery Effects: Seventh Tier Pale Gold: Hammer Technique Heaven

Endowment, Ten Thousand Jun of Force

Sixth Tier Yellow: Momentum like Wind and Thunder, Unbreakable

Fifth Tier Pale Yellow: Hundred-Beast Thunder Dragon Remnant】

It is done!

Inside the room, Li Yuan opened his eyes, joy arising spontaneously.

He spread his five fingers, and a long-handled heavy hammer appeared in his palm; its color was dark green-black, uniform throughout, the six-sided hammerhead covered in various patterns,

At first glance, resembling a dragon's head, fierce and fearsome.

Buzz, buzz

As if sensing Li Yuan's joy, this Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammer also emitted a hum, seemingly responding to him.

"From Sixth Tier to Seventh Tier is an evolution!"

Merely gripping this heavy hammer, Li Yuan already felt the change; it was not merely a bloodline connection, as simple as wielding an arm.

The hammer itself contained immense power; in his perception, it was like a newborn Thunder Dragon, trembling slightly, as if breathing.

"No wonder Old Han, clad in Divine Armor, could contend with Marrow-Refining experts; the power contained within this hammer even surpasses my current self!"

Li Yuan's heart trembled greatly, feeling a strong urge to find someone

to test his skills on.

"Chu Shan Xuan Kong... never mind, a Zhun Sect Master with Blood Transformation fully accomplished; even Old Han in armor is no match."

Suppressing his impulse, Li Yuan withdrew this Jun Tian Heavy Hammer, then proceeded to command it.

Boom!

The familiar impact surged again; Li Yuan felt his vision darken, his mind buzzing with noise.

This sensation was not unfamiliar to him; it occurred every time he commanded high-tier weapons before, yet times have changed; with his current physique and spirit, even the shock of commanding a Divine Weapon lasted only an instant.

Then, a faintly bright aura, from within outward, tightly wrapped him.

"Crack!"

Li Yuan's body shuddered; the stone bed beneath him had already cracked, then collapsed entirely, splashing up a large cloud of gray dust.

Ten Thousand Jun of Force is not the greatest enhancement of this Jun Tian Divine Hammer, yet undoubtedly the most obvious.

In an instant, Li Yuan's figure swelled several sizes; veins bulged beneath his skin, bones and tendons making 'crack, crack' sounds, as if unable to bear the burden.

"So fierce?!"

Li Yuan carefully stood up; his feet had already sunk deep into the ground; the stone bed and floor before him were as fragile as paper.

The enhancement of Ten Thousand Jun of Force was immediate and striking, so intense that he momentarily ignored the other enhancements.

"Ten times a thousand jun; this is three hundred thousand jin of immense force!"

Li Yuan 'laboriously' moved to San Yuan Wai; the room had been trampled into ruins by him; in the night wind 'whoosh, whoosh', he slowly stretched his bones and tendons.

Every slight movement contained unparalleled immense force.

Li Yuan closed his eyes, feeling it.

The Divine Weapon's enhancement far exceeded his own strength; his physique could not withstand it; within moments, he had to suppress the enhancement.

If he unleashed his full power, his body might be torn apart by the immense force.

The Commanding Talisman's enhancement does not alter one's physique or bone structure; a tenfold surge in power naturally left him somewhat at a loss.

"Even with Marrow-Refining fully accomplished, one might not possess Ten Thousand Jun of Force!"

Exhaling a long breath, Li Yuan felt much more grounded in his heart, only then beginning to sense the other enhancements.

Compared to the immediate effect of Ten Thousand Jun of Force, the Hammer Technique Endowment was more gradual, yet that was only in comparison to Ten Thousand Jun of Force; in reality, the change was equally dramatic.

A Seventh Tier Hammer Technique Endowment equals nine Fifth Tier Hammer Technique Endowments; in other words, the endowment enhancement of this single Jun Tian Heavy Hammer alone,

already surpassed his previous self commanding seven famous-artifact-class heavy hammers!

"It must be an Peerless-tier Endowment, right?!"

The thought flashed through his mind, but Li Yuan felt no change in the Vitality Furnace's aura, and the Dragon Stele that had appeared when he broke through to Unblocked Meridians earlier did not show up.

"Good, good."

Li Yuan relaxed; if he had suddenly surged into the top ten or even the top twenty, he truly would have had no way to explain it.

In fact, he preferred to approach the top twenty, then the top ten step by step; with the talent he had revealed, everyone could accept that.

But leaping forward several times in less than a year of entering the sect would be far too conspicuous.

"The top ten seems not far away."

With the divine weapon's enhancement, Li Yuan was in high spirits; after feeling it for a while, he calmed his restless heart:

"Don't get cocky, don't get cocky, stay steady, stay steady..."

Swallowing a handful of various pills, he casually took out a third-tier heavy hammer; in the night, Li Yuan began standing in a posture, practicing martial arts.

From the White Ape Stance to the Ancient Elephant Stance, the Soldier Body Posture, and then the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer's accompanying 'Dragon-Tiger Stance Cultivation'.

"This feeling..."

With a hammer in hand, practicing the Xu Tui Stance, Li Yuan's eyes shone terrifyingly bright; the explosive growth of his talent was unmistakably evident while practicing martial arts.

The White Ape Hammer, the Ancient Elephant Six Forms Hammer, the Soldier Dao Battle-Killing Hammer, and others—hammer techniques he had already cultivated to the Great Perfection level—had even undergone some indescribable, unnameable change.

Amidst the shifting techniques, the slight obscurity that had existed before vanished completely; it became seamless and natural, without the slightest trace of worldly smoke and fire.

But when he reached the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer, there was something different.

He had taken to this hammer technique very quickly and had already entered its door, but having practiced it for such a short time, there was still some obscurity; yet now, when he wielded it again, the previously obscure parts no longer felt obscure.

The doubts he had harbored before also suddenly became clear.

Compared to before, the improvement was equally immediate and striking.

Whoosh, whoosh

In the night wind, Li Yuan, completely self-forgetful, immersed himself in hammer practice, wielding the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer again and again.

From slightly obscure to familiar...

"Hah!"

As Li Yuan slowly settled his stance, the horizon was already faintly bright; gazing at the fire-colored clouds on the horizon, he was in high spirits.

In just one night, the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer had already been mastered!

"If before it would have taken three to five years to cultivate this hammer technique to Great Perfection, now, it probably won't even take two years!"

"This is just one hammer; if there were three divine weapons, plus that sixth-tier heavy hammer, perhaps it could be cultivated to Great Perfection in half a year?"

Li Yuan's thoughts scattered; even though he was only thinking it, his heart still pounded with excitement.

The enhancement of the Jun Tian Heavy Hammer seemed to have pushed his talent past a certain threshold; his hammer technique cultivation speed exploded, though it was limited only to hammer techniques.

But how many hammer techniques were there within the Dragon-Tiger Temple?

Whether the hammer technique progress would explode further under the enhancement of three divine weapons aside, even at this current speed, his rate of learning other hammer techniques would surely explode!

For hammer techniques like the Ancient Elephant Six Forms Hammer that incorporate multiple forms, without a fundamental diagram to command and control, it would take two or three years, but now, perhaps not even half a year would be needed.

The time he needed for Yi Duo Xing could be greatly reduced.

"A great harvest!"

Immersed all night, Li Yuan broke out in a full sweat; his spirit was quite exalted.

He tore off his outer robe, washed himself with cold water, and decided to go find Xin Xin Wenhua a little later.

Borrowing twenty thousand is borrowing; borrowing forty thousand is

also borrowing.

"Mount Hengshan City lacks no blacksmiths; as long as there is enough silver, four thousand unranked hammers can be gathered in at most ten days or half a month!"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Since returning from the Surging Waves Hall, he had felt a sense of urgency; only with the divine weapon enhancing him did his heart feel more at ease.

"Go borrow money later... now, I must go meet the Rending Sea Black Whale Hammer."

Letting out a long breath, Li Yuan went to a nearby room; after sitting cross-legged in meditation, he sensed the Rending Sea Black Whale Hammer; not long after, he opened his eyes.

"Such a temper?"

Li Yuan's expression was subtle.

Under the enhancement of the Jun Tian Hammer, the Rending Sea Black Whale Hammer, though not yet recognized him as its master, already showed fluctuations.

"One is not enough, then three!"

Li Yuan smiled, seeing the dawn of being able to command and control the Rending Sea Black Whale Hammer.