Chapter 86

Buzz!

On the gray stone platform, Li Yuan pressed close to the incense burner. He glanced around, feeling the darkness like water, surging ceaselessly, boiling, and slowly receding under the starlight.

The stone platform beneath his feet expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, until it reached twice its previous size.

Originally, with the incense burner on the platform, half a leg still hung in the air; now it was much wider, estimated to be able to hold another slightly smaller incense burner.

"My silver..."

Feeling the changes in the Weapon Command Talisman, Li Yuan felt both excited and heart-aching.

Over a thousand jin of wrought iron, Bai Huahua silver, bright yellow gold, the newly acquired red gold...

Boom!

The deafening roar, delayed by half a beat but still arriving, seemed to explode directly from the depths of his soul.

Even though he had prepared himself, Li Yuan nearly fell to the ground, only managing to struggle back into the Weapon Command Space after a while.

"This roar explodes every time; what exactly is the cause? Is it some kind of information I cannot understand at this moment?"

The silent darkness had already returned to calm, but he still dared not gaze at it too much, as if looking a few more times would cause him to be swallowed by the darkness.

【Tier 3 Weapon Command Master: Li Yuan】

【Number of Weapons Commandable: 3】

On the Weapon Command Talisman surrounding the stone platform like a starry curtain, the third 'Star' lit up.

"The time for changing command is halved, that means... twelve hours..."

Li Yuan focused his mind, perceiving the information in the unknown.

After the Weapon Command Talisman advanced to Tier 3, Li Yuan felt his perception of the talisman became clearer and more intuitive; mobilizing and triggering the various effects of command also became faster.

"Finally done!"

Joy surged in Li Yuan's heart.

With the number of commandable weapons increased by one, the range of command effects he could combine expanded greatly, allowing him to verify many of his previous ideas and command weapons he previously could not.

Such as the Green Snake Fundamental Diagram he had acquired long ago.

"Commanding the Green Snake Fundamental Diagram requires two long spears: one commanded and enhanced to 'Entry-Level Spear Technique,' and one commanded and enhanced to 'Great Perfection Spear Technique'..."

Li Yuan's thoughts became active.

The advancement of the Weapon Command Talisman provided a huge boost for him.

Halving the command interval time allows him to switch commandable weapons twice a day to meet different needs, enabling more leisurely changes.

"Now, let's try the Wind-Breaking Hammer first!"

Li Yuan had been looking forward to the combination of the Three Heavy Mouths for a long time.

"Command, Hundred-Refined Wind-Breaking Hammer!"

Puff!

As if struck by a heavy punch to the face, Li Yuan felt intense pain in his brow, but compared to before, it was much better, hurting only for that one moment.

The command effects of this Wind-Breaking Hammer had unfolded before him one after another:

【Heavy as a Hundred Jun: One skilled with heavy hammers possesses overwhelming power; wielding a Hundred Jin heavy hammer with this overwhelming power can unleash a force of a Hundred Jun】

【Hammer Talent: Among all hammers, the long-handled heavy hammer is the hardest to wield; one skilled in this hammer possesses extraordinary talent】

【Armor-Breaking Horizontal Cultivation:...】

Click-click-click~

Inside the small room, Li Yuan opened his eyes, feeling as if he were carrying a heavy load; every joint in his bones was stretching and rubbing, emitting a series of sounds.

Armor-Breaking Horizontal Cultivation (2), Thousand Jin Strength, Heavy and Powerful, Lifting Heavy as Light, Tiger's Might, Long Weapon Mastery, Heavy as a Hundred Jun, Hammer Talent.

At this moment, the command effects existing simultaneously on his body had reached nine.

This was the command combination he had carefully selected as most suitable for combat; once commanded, he felt his strength had skyrocketed!

"Thirty jin equals one Jun; a force of a Hundred Jun is three thousand jin?"

Li Yuan flexed his five fingers; he did not feel a huge increase in his own strength, yet he had a very strong feeling that as long as he was given a heavy hammer,

he could unleash a force far exceeding his previous limits.

"I already possess Thousand Jin Strength; adding the Thousand Jin Strength of the Jade Green Copper Hammer, my single hammer strike could reach five thousand jin? Adding blood qi, internal force explosion, and Heavy and Powerful?"

"Ten Thousand Jin Hammer?"

Feeling the blessing of the Weapon Command Talisman, Li Yuan had a strong urge to pick up the hammer, go out, and find someone to test his skills on.

"If I truly have a ten-thousand-jin hammer, can I hammer Cao Yan to death?"

The Weapon Command Talisman had just advanced; Li Yuan was already eager to try, but he dared not be certain whether his bones and tendons could withstand such a rapid explosion of power.

Having just advanced in the Military Command Talisman, Li Yuan felt a surge of eagerness to try it out, yet dared not be certain whether his sinews and bones could withstand such a sudden, explosive release.

With a casual flick, the long-handled practice hammer landed in his palm. Gripping the hammer handle, Li Yuan felt the weight and length of this hammer fully reflected in his mind.

With a casual flick, the long-handled training hammer landed in his palm; gripping the handle, Li Yuan felt the hammer's weight and length perfectly reflected within his mind.

Li Yuan was somewhat surprised; he flicked his hand to switch to another, yet the strengths and weaknesses of this hammer still floated up in his mind.

This feeling was very strange; it seemed that as long as he got hold of any hammer, he could master it instantly!

"Perhaps this is the feeling of a true hammer technique genius?"

Gently waving the hammer, Li Yuan marveled inwardly.

With a hammer in hand, he could naturally find better angles to swing the hammer; this was not due to familiarity with hammer techniques, but rather seemed like an instinct, natural and spontaneous.

With such talent, no matter what kind of hammer technique he cultivated, he would surely be able to handle it with ease and make rapid progress, right?

With such talent at his disposal, wouldn't he master any hammer technique with ease and progress at a flying pace?

Li Yuan pushed the door open and stepped out; the hammer head moved through the wind, floating lightly when released, but exploding with a boom when it struck the air, like a thunderclap.

Li Yuan pushed the door open and stepped out, the hammer head cutting through the wind; when it launched, it drifted lightly, yet when it struck the air, it exploded with a thunderous boom, like a sudden clap of thunder.

Crack~

The hardwood hammer handle snapped with a sound, the hammerhead flew off, and with a 'bang' it smashed through the earthen wall.

"That fierce?! Even my practiced horizontal training can barely withstand it…"

Li Yuan shook his aching arm, his heart filled with pleasant surprise.

He hadn't even unleashed his blood qi or internal force, yet the force of this casual swing already exceeded what he used to get from stacking seven or eight swings.

The combination of Heavy as a Thousand Jun and Lifting Heavy as Light worked so well even he found it unbelievable.

Lifting Heavy as Light didn't just confuse the enemy—it also made his hammer swings explosively faster.

The heavy hammer swung like a wooden stick, yet when it fell it carried the weight of several thousand jin!

"An unranked hammer can't withstand this kind of explosive force. I still need to find a suitable hammer weapon before I can try going all out!"

Li Yuan strode out the door and saw the alley floor bore a conspicuous mark—the hammerhead had sunk nearly halfway into the ground.

Huff, puff~

Putting the hammerhead away, Li Yuan switched to another hammer and carefully practiced the Cloak-Sweeping Hammer in the courtyard. He felt the hammer art flow even more smoothly, easily stacking the hammer art beyond thirty-six swings.

This was a sign that the hammer art was approaching Grand Completion!

The boost from his hammer-art talent was even more immediate than he'd imagined.

"Now this is a true hammer-art genius!"

After running through several sets of Bai Yuan Hammer, Li Yuan suppressed his urge and went back inside to take up the Soldier Body Posture.

Apart from rainy nights, he never practiced the Soldier Path Combat-Killing Hammer outside an enclosed space.

Whooo~

Lifting the hammer and gently shifting into Soldier Body Posture, Li Yuan slowly swung the hammer. Each strike was light as nothing; the practice methods he'd already mastered flowed out one after another, turning as smoothly as he wished.

The first Yi Shi Da Fa he'd completed, whose progress had stalled and which he'd set aside, was pushed forward once again.

First-form Soldier Strike, second-form Combat Soldier, third-form Soldier Kill…

Under the boost of his hammer-art talent, Li Yuan seemed to forget his fatigue and pushed all seventy-two forms of the Soldier Path Combat-Killing Hammer to the nineteenth form in one go!

"Hah!"

When the sky paled with the first light of dawn, Li Yuan slowly concluded his form. He exhaled a breath of turbid air, every pore on his body opened wide, and waves of sweat filled the entire room.

A sense of total ease and a great wave of exhaustion washed over him at the same time.

"In at most ten days to half a month, the Soldier Path Combat-Killing Hammer will reach Practiced!"

The Soldier Path Combat-Killing Hammer was countless times more complex than the White Ape Cloak-Sweeping Hammer, but it too was divided into four tiers.

Mastering one Yi Shi Da Fa meant Entry; mastering nearly half the techniques meant Practiced; only when all seventy-two techniques were mastered did it count as Minor Completion.

"No wonder the manual says ordinary people shouldn't learn this hammer art. Without talent, the progress is maddeningly slow—grinding away a whole lifetime might not even reach Major Completion…"

He ate one Zeng Xue Dan and waited for his stamina to recover a little. Li Yuan put away the hammer, drew a basin of water, washed up, changed clothes, his heart stirred with excitement and emotion alike.

He had once thought his slow progress in practicing the Soldier Path Combat-Killing Hammer was because he lacked the core 'Soldier Section.' Only now did he realize it was purely a lack of talent.

Superior Root Bone was only the foundation for learning this hammer art.

"Although I wasn't born a genius, if my Root Bone can really be altered again and again—I'll grind it out. I can grind out the strongest Root Bone in the world!"

A fierce confidence rose in Li Yuan's heart; the frustration of having failed to find Red Gold earlier was swept clean away.

But the moment he turned his head, he grew a little worried again.

"A thousand jin of hundred-refined steel, a thousand taels of silver, ten taels of gold, five taels of red gold—the advancement requirements for a fourth-rank Soldier Register? As expected, they've gone up a lot again…"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Ten refinings of pig iron makes wrought iron; from several dozen up to a hundred refinings, it's uniformly called hundred-refined steel—one of the relatively cheap materials for crafting superior-grade blades.

The Hundred-Refined Wind-Breaking Hammer was forged from this material, but its core was still packed with wrought iron. The actual hundred-refined steel used didn't exceed fifteen jin, and even so, the internal price had already reached forty taels of silver.

A thousand jin of hundred-refined steel would cost at least five hundred-plus taels of silver. Add the silver, gold, and red gold, and it would take at least two thousand taels!

"A windfall on the level of Qin Xiong's—I'd need to strike it five, six, seven, or eight times to scrape together enough…"

Li Yuan was a little stunned at first, but then Yu Yu Xuanji felt it didn't actually seem like much?

With his current strength, five Qin Xiongs would only take five swings; ten would only take ten swings…

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

His bottom line wasn't high, and it was flexible, but he couldn't go robbing and killing for silver either. He was a Daoist Priest, a wandering one—still counts as a Daoist Priest, right?

"Ancestral Master above."

Li Yuan silently recited several passages of Daoist scripture. By now the sky was fully bright, but he didn't rush out. Instead, he turned and went to the kitchen and took out the five sacrificial beasts' blood he'd prepared long ago.

"The Soldier Register is already third rank—can I receive a new register?"

Li Yuan rubbed his hands together.

Regarding Heaven's Bestowal of Registers, he was now even more fervent than the old man from his previous life.

But…

"Still not working. Do I have to fully master the Soldier Register before I can receive a new one?"

He bowed again and again, but received no response. Li Yuan sighed inwardly, though he wasn't really disappointed—it had only been a try in the first place.

If third rank didn't work, he'd try again after fourth rank.

……

"Once I've mastered the Wind-Breaking Hammer, I still need to prepare a long-handled Handle-heavy hammer to use… sigh, I still don't have enough weapons. Even now, I don't have a single third-rank weapon."

"I heard Master say Cao Yan has a secret vault that holds the finest weapons the forging shop has produced in over two hundred years…"

"Gao Liu County is still too small. Top-grade blades are far, far too few."

Eating his breakfast, Li Yuan's mood remained excellent.

But when he arrived at the forging room, he suddenly recalled the mysterious person who'd delivered the red gold yesterday—and those three taels of red gold.

"A normal superior-grade blade wouldn't cost more than one or two taels of red gold. I asked for three taels—that was already an outrageous price—so how did that person happen to send exactly three taels?"

After the surprise in his heart settled, Li Yuan only then noticed something was off.

Besides Zhang Ben, the only person who knew he wanted three taels of red gold was Cao Yan…

"That person didn't have a local accent, but I felt a certain familiarity…"

Through the gate, Li Yuan cast a deep glance toward the back courtyard, recalling the few people he had seen earlier at the mass grave.

'Could they have already arrived?

Skillfully starting the fire and picking up the forging hammer, Li Yuan was calculating in his heart, yet already preparing to forge his first superior-grade blade.