Time passed slowly, yet meaningfully, for Gu Yuan.
Two months had now passed, and the outer sect competition that had always worried him had been postponed. His lifestyle, however, had remained largely unchanged. Whether he was in the Qi Refinement Realm or the Foundation Establishment Realm, his days were still spent between his house and the forge.
When he was at home, he would cultivate for a while, then move on to practice the Heaven Rend Saber Technique.
He was still only practicing the first move, as the second was far beyond what he could currently handle with his cultivation. For the first move: Drawing the Horizon, complete mastery was still a long way off, but he had reached the point where he could use it normally in battle, and that was what mattered most.
After reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, Gu Yuan had felt his strength increase several times over. He had thought that he wouldn’t experience another dramatic increase until he broke through into a higher realm, but the Heaven-Grade technique had changed that.
With Drawing the Horizon alone, his combat strength had more than doubled, and Gu Yuan was naturally delighted by the improvement.
He had also continued trying to repair the saber, but no matter how much he nourished it with Metal Qi, it refused to improve any further. Whether the problem was his cultivation or his skill as a Forging Master, he couldn’t tell.
Either way, he was working on both, so he still hoped that one day he would be able to completely restore the saber and perhaps uncover the remaining parts of the Heaven Rend Saber Technique.
As for his time at the forge, things had become much busier. Instead of going once a week as he had before, Gu Yuan now went every few days. Fortunately, the increased workload also meant he was earning far more Spirit Stones.
The war he had once wished would never happen had unexpectedly become a rare opportunity for him.
Today, as usual, Gu Yuan was making his way toward the forge when he suddenly noticed a commotion ahead.
What is it this time? Did something happen in the war with the Crimson Flame Sect?
Curious, Gu Yuan stopped an outer sect disciple passing by.
"Junior Brother, do you know what’s going on?"
The young-looking disciple was initially displeased at being stopped, but the moment he sensed Gu Yuan’s cultivation at the peak of the Qi Refinement Realm, he quickly suppressed his irritation and answered.
"The Heavenly Twin Stars, who had been trapped inside the Crimson Flame Sect along with the groups sent to reinforce them, have finally made it out."
"The Moon Fairy, Ji Yue, broke through the sect’s protective array, while the Sun Fairy, Ji Yan, killed Crimson Fiend, Hong Sha."
Hong Sha, infamous for the high number of Black Desolation Sect disciples he had killed, yet Ji Yan had actually killed him?
How was that possible? Wasn’t he supposed to be at the peak of the Spiritual Core Realm?
No, more importantly...
Ji Yue broke the sect’s protective array?
That felt even more unbelievable.
An array formation capable of covering an entire sect was far too complex, vast, and sturdy to be broken simply by destroying a few nodes. Normally, they would need a high-grade formation-breaking treasure, or several skilled Array Masters working together to break it.
Yet Ji Yue had done it alone?
Just how monstrous are these two?
Gu Yuan slowly exhaled. Compared to these two geniuses, his recent breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm and the strength he had gained from the Heaven-Grade saber technique suddenly seemed insignificant.
One could fight across entire realms, while the other could accomplish something even more incomprehensible.
"Well, that’s good news. But, is that the only reason the outer sect so lively?" Gu Yuan asked, forcing himself to stop thinking about the Heavenly Twin Stars.
The outer sect disciple, who had initially seemed somewhat awkward, suddenly became much more animated and enthusiastically began explaining.
"The Heavenly Twin Stars apparently aren’t satisfied with merely killing two elders. Instead of returning to the sect, they’ve decided to remain there and continue fighting the Crimson Flame Sect."
Should I hope something happens to them?
Gu Yuan couldn’t help but wonder with complicated feelings.
The existence of those twins was like a stone resting on his heart. As long as they remained nearby, he couldn’t truly feel at ease.
It wasn’t hatred, nor did he hold any real grudge against them. They had done nothing to him, after all. It was simply the uneasiness he felt whenever they were involved, as if their presence alone was enough to bring trouble into his life.
"And so, the sect plans to give them its full support. Once the injured disciples return to the sect, two Peak Masters and a group of elders will lead another batch of disciples there to reinforce them."
Again? How many groups and elders have gone there by now? And there’s still more elders?
Shaking his head, Gu Yuan thanked the outer sect disciple, who seemed far too proud to be the one delivering news about the Heavenly Twin Stars, and continued toward the forge.
After greeting Deacon Zhao, he immediately began working. Less than two hours later, he had already finished everything.
It wasn’t because he was working particularly quickly. Gu Yuan had already learned to control his strength and deliberately slowed himself down. The reason he finished so early was simply that there wasn’t much work to begin with.
It seemed the peak period had passed, and things would probably remain like this for some time.
Deacon Zhao’s words soon confirmed that.
"I’ve finished the urgent commissions, so I’ll be away from the forge for a while."
He paused briefly before looking at Gu Yuan.
"...Do you want to look after the forge yourself while I’m gone?"
Gu Yuan immediately understood what he meant. His usually calm voice couldn’t completely conceal his excitement.
"Yes, please leave it to me."
After four years of working and training here, Gu Yuan could finally feel that becoming a Spirit Forging Master was no longer far away. Being given free access to the forge at a time like this couldn’t have come at a better moment.
Deacon Zhao chuckled at his enthusiasm, then gave him a few instructions about what he needed to be careful with before finally leaving.
Gu Yuan immediately headed into the forging room.
The room was spacious and somewhat worn from years of use. A large forge stood against one wall, its flames already burning beneath the metal furnace. Beside it stood a heavy black anvil, its surface scarred by countless strikes, while other forging tools were arranged nearby. The air carried the familiar scent of heated metal and ash.
Gu Yuan stood in the middle of the room, looking around with barely concealed excitement as he muttered, "This is my exclusive training ground for the next few days!"
With his spirits high, he moved to the anvil, took the hammer in his hand, checked the heat of the flames, and then took out a small piece of ore from his storage bag.
Before attempting to forge a Spirit Weapon, he decided to start with a few Mortal Weapons.
With his higher cultivation and the continuous supply of Qi from the Orb of Creation, Gu Yuan barely paid attention to the passage of time. Day and night blurred together as he repeatedly struck the metal with his hammer.
After several days of practice, he finally felt confident enough to take out a large chunk of ore and begin forging a complete weapon.
He melted the ore beneath the intense flames, removing its impurities through the heat while simultaneously nourishing the metal with his Metal Qi. He continued refining and tempering it like this for three days, and gradually, the rough shape of a saber began to emerge.
Everything had gone smoothly so far, but only by the standards of forging a Mortal Weapon.
For a Spirit Weapon, something was still lacking.
Is the flame not intense enough?
After pondering for a moment, Gu Yuan took out several Spirit Stones and threw them into the forge.
The flames immediately surged, their intensity more than doubling.
Controlling them became far more difficult.
Even while straining himself to the limit, Gu Yuan found it difficult to simultaneously control the flames and his hammering.
So, he made a reckless decision.
He stopped trying to control the flames.
If controlling both the hammer and the flames together was impossible, then he would simply adjust his hammering rhythm to match the fluctuations of the flames.
It was a risky approach that required immense concentration and extremely sharp senses, and under normal circumstances, its success rate was extremely low.
Yet perhaps it was luck, or perhaps Heaven truly did reward those who persevered.
After another full day of hammering, the first Spirit-Grade weapon forged under Gu Yuan’s hands was finally completed.
It was only a Low-Grade Spirit Weapon, far inferior to the saber he currently used.
Even so, Gu Yuan collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion with a satisfied smile on his face.
He closed his eyes, intending to rest and let himself calm down.
And that was when a voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm and becoming a Spirit-Grade Forging Master."