The sound of shattering mirrors echoed through Su Mu's mind as the Forging Skill broke and vanished.
Artifact Refining (Entry-level 1%)
The master leads the way, but cultivation depends on oneself. Su Mu's Forging Art had already reached Perfection nearly half a year ago. With the lting Gold Technique taught by Master Chen Yuntian, Su Mu broke through the shackles of Perfection in one stroke.
The skill panel's original Forging advanced to the higher realm of Artifact Refining skill.
"So, Perfection in Forging really isn't the end... but the beginning!"
The youth looked at the half-lted Iron Essence on the platform and softly murmured, "Master Chen Yuntian was in charge of teaching the lting Gold Technique and lting and Refining Art—so what will the other two masters teach next?"
"The path of Artifact Refining is boundless. Now, I've finally glimpsed its entrance... Truly, it makes one look forward to more."
The youth did not beco arrogant because of this—instead, a more modest and diligent light filled his eyes. He only felt that now, at last, he had just stepped into the way of Artifact Refining. A true master always cherishes a heart of apprenticeship.
Next, Su Mu quickly tidied up the tools in the forging room. By the ti he left, the setting sun was long gone; a half-moon hung high in the sky.
Braving the stars and moon, the youth returned to his ho, slicing three to five jin of pork for braised at, eating nine big bowls of rice with the at juices, and then, co wind or rain, practiced martial arts in the courtyard as usual.
As always, the warm-up for his training was Five Animals Qigong.
"Does Five Animals Qigong also have a realm above Perfection?"
Such a thought suddenly arose in the youth's mind, but he didn't dwell on it for long. He quickly executed a set of Five Animals Qigong, which not only relaxed his muscles, but also served as a warm-up.
Gulp—gulp—
Su Mu frowned slightly, tilting his head back to gulp down several bowls of Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup. With his current physique and robust Power, the prescription Uncle Zhou gave him had grown less effective by the day, so he could only increase the dosage.
Next up were several Perfection-level Martial Arts and Spear Techniques. After a bout, his body was warm and sweat beaded on his skin—the warmup was complete.
Ti and energy are limited. Now, every day after returning ho, Su Mu focused most of his energy on Vajra Body and Third Bone Forging.
"There are fifteen boxes of ointnt, with four left… It took seven boxes from Hundred Elixir Tower for the first Bone Forging, then thirteen boxes of Demon Slayer Bureau ointnt for the second."
From Su Mu's experience, three boxes of the Demon Slayer Bureau's Black Jade Tiger Bone Ointnt equaled the effect of five boxes of White Jade Barbarian Bone Ointnt. By conversion, the second Bone Forging consud about twenty-one or twenty-two boxes of White Jade Barbarian Bone Ointnt.
At eighty taels a box from Hundred Elixir Tower, the second Bone Forging cost about one thousand seven hundred taels—almost double the cost of the first.
"I need to spend one thousand seven hundred taels… For ordinary people, a second Bone Forging might cost over four thousand taels."
Su Mu did not forget that he had both Transforming Force and Vajra Body assisting his forging. Even after just a brief calculation, he could not help but be surprised.
Su Mu did not know whether scholars were poor in this world, but he had truly witnessed what it ant to be a wealthy Martial Artist.
"The Martial Dao is practically a bottomless money pit!"
Multiple Bone Forgings are more difficult than Multiple Refining Force, but though the Bone Forging process is slow, as long as there's enough ointnt, one can continue. Yet it's incredibly costly—no wonder so many martial artists choose to go for Seventh-Grade Yijin after the second Bone Forging.
By this logic, the cost of a third Bone Forging might not be any less than challenging Yijin. Without the support of a powerful force, ordinary Bone Forger Martial Artists would find it nearly impossible to maintain such huge expenses.
If Su Mu had not joined the Demon Slayer Bureau, he too would hardly be able to continue, and would likely have chosen to challenge Seventh Grade first.
"Four boxes of ointnt will last for a while longer—continue cultivating."
He trained until late at night, finally applying ointnt one more ti before sleeping soundly.
At dawn, the sparrows of Yanque Street chirped noisily. After breakfast, the youth set out for the Forging Workshop in high spirits. Life returned to tranquility, day by day—substantial and peaceful.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
"Master Chen, I have not disgraced the mission!"
"Hmm?" Chen Yuntian was startled, a glint of astonishnt in his eyes. He hurriedly handed over his forging hamr. "Boy, you've mastered the lting Gold Technique's entry-level... give it a few swings and try it."
Su Mu took the forging hamr, quietly suppressing his inner Power—he used less than a tenth of his full strength, then, activating the lting Gold Technique, brought the hamr down in a strike.
CLANG!
Amidst the pleasant sound of tal striking tal ca a sharp 'chi'—Chen Yuntian's eyes shone. Su Mu continued hamring—once, twice, ten tis...
Chen Yuntian's eyes grew more and more fervent; as he watched the hamr-wielding youth, it was like gazing at a priceless treasure.
"Alright… you can stop now."
Chen Yuntian was just about to praise him, but the words caught in his throat and, abruptly, were swallowed back down. "Wait... When did I ever teach you the technique of integrating lting Gold Technique with the forging hamr?"
At once, Chen Yuntian locked his eyes on Su Mu, staring fixedly.
"Master Chen… This junior ditated for a month and watched you forge for a month. Yesterday, I had a small insight."
Hearing this, Chen Yuntian's expression changed. His look shifted from regarding a priceless treasure, to one very similar to the Pharmacist's look before—an expression as if facing a monster.
Su Mu had simply watched him forge for a month, and on his own had comprehended the key technique that he and the Workshop Master had deliberately held back. The impact on Chen Yuntian was enormous.
Comparing his younger self to the youth before him—it was like heaven and earth, the gulf vast and utterly unreasonable.
Chen Yuntian's Qi Blood roiled—another blow to the heart.
"Indeed, a monster…" Chen Yuntian fixed his silently on Su Mu for a long while before speaking, "Boy, I've taught you about all I can. This afternoon, go find Zhao Ju at Cyan Blade—he'll be your next instructor."
Su Mu respectfully cupped his fists and bowed to Master Chen, preparing to take his leave.
"Wait… almost forgot. Those two old fellows aren't at the workshop these days. Go in a few more days." Chen Yuntian called Su Mu back. "Go rest for a few days, or go forging sowhere else—but don't co to Xuan Iron…"
With that, Chen Yuntian flicked his sleeve, sending iron scraps flying from the forging platform as the door to the 'Xuan Iron' forging room slamd shut.
Suddenly forced into days off by Chen Yuntian, Su Mu stood there in a daze, rather helpless. To be honest, he had anticipated this ever since seeing that 'monster' look in Chen Yuntian's eyes.
"Sigh, looks like a month… is still too short."
The two master craftsn had yet to return. Su Mu's thoughts stirred—he planned to visit the Demon Slayer Bureau; the assassin's rules required completing a reward bounty at least once every three months.
For the past two months, he'd only collected his salary on ti and taken no bounties. With this break, it was a perfect ti to finish the remaining four bounties and earn a few extra boxes of ointnt.
Earlier, Uncle Wu had already given him the right to take leave without reporting, so the youth left as soon as he thought it.
The apprentice Su Mu from the Forging Workshop exited a deserted alley and, in an instant, beca the assassin Li Feiyu.
Hmm?
This ti, Su Mu paused slightly after arriving at the Demon Slayer Bureau. Just now, he seed to catch a fleeting wisp of glimr on the dilapidated governnt office building.
"Did I see it wrong just now?"
He thought to himself, but as Su Mu didn't need to present his Assassin's Order, the Demon Slayer Bureau's constables recognized him and led him inside respectfully.
"Director is with the County Magistrate at the manor and will not be back until later."
"No problem."
After the constable left, he muttered, "That's the fad Li Feiyu—the one known for Unparalleled Boxing and Stick Skills. Truly extraordinary presence."
Su Mu's five senses were exceptional. With few constables around and the office so quiet, these words naturally reached his ears.
"They say 'Man fears fa, pig fears fat'… but so reputation is actually useful."
As the assassin Li Feiyu, he could be high-profile—as Su Mu of Yanque Street, he could keep a low profile.
About half an hour later, steady footsteps sounded outside the study. Li Zhihe, in green Great Yan Official Robes embroidered with beasts, welcod him warmly: "Li, thank you for your patience. Let's take a stroll by the lotus pond, the flowers are at their peak. I still rember our first eting—it, too, was beside that pond..."
Su Mu arose and left the study, half a step behind, yet his eyes flashed with surprise and suspicion.
"So, what I saw just now… was real!"
At this mont he confird it—the fleeting glimr on the Demon Slayer Bureau's governnt office was no illusion. He saw, at the mont Li Zhihe appeared, a faint white radiance flowed about him, shot through with mottled gray-black decay.
Thoughts raced.
Su Mu realized: this was the first ti seeing Li Zhihe since breaking through to Hidden-Dragon Level—and also the first ti seeing him in Great Yan Official Robes.
What was the glimr he saw?
Destiny?
Suddenly, this word surfaced—Su Mu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Recalling two months prior, when he'd broken through in Comprehension, he had beco a Flood Dragon soaring above the cyan clouds, and had seen two beams of light splitting Qingyun north and south—
One was ink-black, the other blood-red and demonic.
If what he was seeing now was Destiny, just whose Destiny were those two mighty streams of light?
Is Destiny tied to one's power?
Soon, Su Mu shook his head—at least, he didn't believe so. After his breakthrough to Hidden-Dragon at the Forging Workshop, he saw Uncle Wu—also a Seventh-Grade Yijin like Li Zhihe—almost daily, yet never saw any Destiny radiance on Wu.
So, another possibility ca to mind.
"Official Robes... Cyan Cloud Demon Slayer Bureau Director… Could it be the Destiny of the Great Yan Dynasty?"
Su Mu recalled first hearing, back in Qingshui Town's Juren Street, that entering officialdom brings the dynasty's Destiny upon you. He'd found it too fantastical then—but now, he was willing to believe it.
If that was right, did the gray-black he glimpsed from Li Zhihe an the decline of Qingyun County's Demon Slayer Bureau, or of the Great Yan Dynasty itself?
Thoughts spun—Su Mu could not know if the Great Yan Dynasty was declining, but what he could confirm was that Qingyun County's Demon Slayer Bureau surely was.
"Li, is sothing wrong with this official robe of mine?"
Noticing Su Mu had paused, eyes intent on him, Li Zhihe asked in confusion.
"You misunderstand, Director Li. I just rembered sothing."
The July sun blazed; even the wind was hot. It stirred the lotus leaves into jade waves, the blooming flowers flickering like dancing flas.
In the stone pavilion, Su Mu spoke bluntly: "Director Li, I wish to be promoted to Silver Blade Catcher as soon as possible."
"Li, your timing is perfect. I happen to have a few bounties here. You're like a dragon—elusive and hard to contact. Otherwise, I would've sent soone to invite you already."
"Oh? Please, Director—tell more."
...
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