Chapter 103: Forging the Artifact!

“Hey, Elder Yang, I’ve prepared everything. Now, it’s time to teach me how to forge, right?”

As soon as he entered the room, Yang Yan closed the door tightly and asked with eager anticipation.

He had long yearned to become a master forger.

“You’re quite impatient, kid. But since I promised, I won’t go back on my word. Bring everything out!”

Hearing this, Yang Yan was overjoyed. He hurriedly laid out all the materials he had gathered during the day, then brought out the massive azure forging cauldron he had procured from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. The sheer weight of the cauldron was daunting; relying solely on his physical strength, Yang Yan couldn’t lift it. Only by channeling his internal spiritual energy did he manage to set it gently on the floor.

“Tch, your physical strength is really weak…”

There was a faint tone of undisguised disdain in Elder Yang’s voice.

Yang Yan felt a bit speechless. He believed his physique was quite strong compared to peers. During the two years when his progress stalled due to his constitution, he had been diligently training his body. Yet, no matter how outstanding he was, it seemed impossible to impress this haughty elder.

“If I’m not mistaken, that fragmented jade piece in your Spatial Bag contains a record of a formidable ‘Body Refining Martial Art.’ If you have the chance, you might try to restore it and extract the techniques within.”

Elder Yang’s sudden shift in tone echoed in Yang Yan’s mind.

“Body Refining Martial Art? Is that what you mentioned earlier as a reward for me?”

Yang Yan paused, realizing the old man was cunningly giving him back his own possession.

After some reflection, Yang Yan focused on the ‘Body Refining Martial Art.’

His understanding of body refinement had been limited to the foundational training stage. After reaching the Spiritual Perception Realm, he had neglected it, since the power of attacks fueled by spiritual energy far surpassed mere physical strength.

“Heh heh…” Elder Yang chuckled slyly, then continued, “You don’t know much. Back in ancient times, there were special tribes who trained only their bodies, ignoring spiritual energy. When their physical strength reached its peak, they could shatter a Spiritual Soul Realm expert with a single punch!”

“Shatter a Spiritual Soul Realm expert?!” Yang Yan’s heart surged with shock.

An expert of that caliber was a rare existence in this world, standing atop the pyramid of the Heavenly Origin Continent. Their power could be likened to commanding the clouds and rain at will. Yet, such a powerful being could be destroyed by someone who trained only physical strength — it was simply unfathomable.

Although Elder Yang often seemed carefree and irreverent, he wouldn’t speak recklessly on such matters. Deeply impressed, Yang Yan believed about seventy to eighty percent of what he said.

“That’s nothing. If you successfully cultivate the techniques from that jade piece, I guarantee your physical power will surpass even the strongest armor you wear now!”

Elder Yang’s voice carried a hint of frustration at wasted potential.

Physical strength surpassing high-grade spiritual artifacts?!

This ignited a fierce passion within Yang Yan. He hadn’t expected that within Xu Shaoguang’s Spatial Bag would lie such an extraordinary martial art. He understood that the Xu family’s true strength must be far deeper, or else Xu Tianlong would not be content to stay confined in the small Jinhuan City.

“It really wasn’t just luck that kid had to stumble upon that mysterious jade piece…” Yang Yan murmured to himself. Fortunately, everything he gained after dealing with Xu Shaoguang belonged to him now.

“But restoring that jade piece will require great fortune and time. You’re not capable of it yet. For now, focus your mind on learning forging.”

Yang Yan nodded. If such a technique were easily obtained, it would feel strange. He reined in his thoughts and concentrated on forging.

“Look closely, kid. Since you just awakened, I’ll only demonstrate the forging process once. How much you grasp depends on you.”

Elder Yang’s words lost all their previous levity, becoming solemn.

Yang Yan nodded firmly and fixed his gaze on the cauldron, waiting for the elder’s next move.

“Kid, lend me your body for a moment!”

Before Yang Yan could respond, he suddenly felt a gradual loss of control over his body.

After a brief panic, he calmed down. Though he couldn’t control his body for now, he didn’t feel his soul leaving as before. He relaxed, knowing Elder Yang wouldn’t seize control unless absolutely necessary.

At that moment, Yang Yan sensed the Taiyin energy in his dantian being drawn out, slender streams of pale blue spiritual power flowing towards his right hand’s index and middle fingers.

“The first step in forging is to condense the spiritual fire. When your Taiyin energy reaches a certain threshold, spiritual fire will appear. Watch closely for that critical point—I’m starting now.”

Yang Yan nodded solemnly, eyes fixed on his fingertips.

A blue halo grew denser at the tips, until suddenly, with a soft pop, a cluster of pale blue flames ignited and danced atop his finger.

Though the flames seemed frail, as if a breath could snuff them out, their terrifying heat instantly raised the room’s temperature.

Even more astonishing was the subtle chilling aura mingling with the heat—a strange intertwining of scorching and icy cold filled the air.

“So it truly is Taiyin energy!” Elder Yang’s voice betrayed a hint of awe.

He flicked his fingers gently, and the pale blue flames, like candlelight flickering in the wind, lifted from Yang Yan’s fingertips, drifting into the forging cauldron. Their flickering glow made Yang Yan’s heart race, as if afraid they would be extinguished.

“The second step is to maintain the fire’s burn by infusing your spiritual energy into the cauldron. Be careful with the amount—too much or too little won’t do. Since your Taiyin energy is too thin, I’ll use the water-elemental spiritual energy from your dantian as fuel!”

At his words, Yang Yan’s palm suddenly tapped the cauldron. A surging flow of water-elemental spiritual energy rapidly gathered in his hand, then poured continuously into the cauldron.

As the water energy infused, the pale blue flames, once as weak as a candle in the wind, grew visibly stronger. In moments, they filled the entire cauldron. The fire was now many times fiercer, yet the strange mingling of heat and cold inside the room was much less pronounced—apparently, the azure cauldron blocked some of the terrifying energy, containing it within.

“Forging begins with maintaining an even temperature throughout the cauldron. Only then can all materials be melted uniformly.”

Yang Yan studied the flames carefully and saw their distribution was indeed very even.

Elder Yang said no more as Yang Yan reached out and grabbed three required medicinal components floating in the air. With a flick of his fingers, three jade-green serpent scales were tossed first into the cauldron.

A sizzling sound arose as the scales burned under the spiritual fire, slowly melting into pitch-black liquid, with some residue dropping to the bottom.

Without hesitation, Yang Yan threw in a tusk from a red-feathered bristle boar.

He had already witnessed the boar’s incredible defense, and knew its tusks were the toughest parts. Under Elder Yang’s exquisite control, the spiritual fire swirled around the tusk, peeling away the tough outer layer like shedding skin, leaving a smooth, jade-like core. The flames consumed it, turning it into a pool of silvery liquid.

“Amazing!” Yang Yan thought, impressed.

Though he did not yet understand forging fully, Elder Yang’s smooth, effortless technique paired with the cauldron’s ever-churning pale blue flames was a visual delight.

“Focus now. This next part is crucial!”

The voice whispered in his ear. Yang Yan tightened his concentration as Elder Yang, controlling his body, tossed a fire-elemental spirit beast’s inner core into the cauldron.

The core quickly turned to gray ash, leaving behind a thin red thread of energy.

“This is the smelting phase. If the scales and tusk form the body of the artifact, then the inner core’s energy is its soul…”

Elder Yang closed his eyes slowly. Yang Yan felt an invisible force surge from his brow into the cauldron—his soul’s power.

The vast spiritual power poured in as if an unseen hand was blending the black and white liquids. The red energy thread wove through them like a silk thread, gradually coalescing into the shape of a dagger.

As the dagger took form, the flames inside the cauldron softened under Elder Yang’s control.

With a final puff, the last flicker of spiritual fire died out, signaling the end of the forging process. Despite the lingering heat of the cauldron, Yang Yan activated his spiritual energy and grasped the dagger.

The blade was grayish-brown, dull and unremarkable at first glance. Yet, upon closer inspection, delicate red threads wrapped around it in an intricate pattern.

“Let me try it.”

Seeing Yang Yan’s impatience, Elder Yang smiled proudly.

Yang Yan nodded and swiftly plunged the dagger into the nearby hard stone floor.

“Thud!”

Instead of a crisp clash, the dagger silently sank deep into the stone, all but its handle disappearing beneath the surface.

“I didn’t use any spiritual energy or much force, yet this stone was as fragile as tofu before this dagger!”

Delight shone across Yang Yan’s face.

“That’s nothing. At my prime, I could forge ‘Sacred Artifacts’ with ease, let alone this scrap metal!”

Elder Yang’s voice brimmed with pride.

Yang Yan rolled his eyes. Sacred Artifact-level treasures possessed intelligence and self-cultivation abilities, rivaling Spiritual Soul Realm experts in power. Forging such a weapon casually? Elder Yang was clearly exaggerating.

“Heh heh… Due to material limitations, this dagger is only a low-grade spiritual weapon. But for your first trial, it’s the perfect fit.”

Realizing he’d been caught boasting, Elder Yang chuckled nervously and quickly changed the subject.

“A low-grade spiritual weapon?”

Yang Yan’s face brightened with excitement.

In such a short time, Elder Yang had forged a low-grade spiritual weapon. Once he became a master forger himself, he could craft and sell spiritual weapons…

At that moment, Yang Yan felt he had found a prosperous path to wealth.

He hurriedly stored the newly forged dagger in his Spatial Bag, fully aware of the elder’s unsavory habit of devouring artifacts.

“Hmph! Such trivial things are beneath Elder Yang’s notice. Forging isn’t as simple as you think!”

“It’s not simple? I want to see just how difficult it is!”

Yang Yan’s expression never faltered at Elder Yang’s words. Instead, a burning eagerness filled him. He sat cross-legged and began circulating his spiritual energy.

Thus, Yang Yan’s journey into forging officially began!