Chapter Fifty-Nine: A New World

Once we get out, we can sell it directly to the trading guilds outside. This is considered a minor stroke of luck within the trial realm. Better than nothing.

Li Chengfu regarded the earth-vein spiritual liquid with a calm expression, a far cry from the infatuated look he wore when he saw the tricolored foxes earlier.

“You know the going rates. Once we’re out, help me sell it,” Xu Chen said casually. After spending some time together, he’d found that, aside from a certain lecherous streak, this young immortal scion was agreeable in all other respects.

“No problem. I only need twelve more foreign beings to complete my task. I’ll try to finish it in the next few days.”

“Good.”

After inspecting the earth-vein spiritual liquid, the two each returned to their rooms to cultivate.

Within the Sanctified White Space, Xu Chen gripped an iron hammer, striking blow after blow upon the already-shaped Thousand-Forged Blade.

“Yesterday’s quality was eighty-eight. If I push myself today, maybe I’ll break through,” he muttered, carefully attuned to the subtle changes in the blade under his hand. Each strike was meticulously measured, the force perfectly judged.

Clang!

The final blow landed. The forging was complete.

A glowing “90” appeared upon the blade.

“At last, I did it—”

He had barely processed the triumph when his soul was pulled into an unknown realm.

Once again, he found himself by the subterranean river of magma—the same phantasmal place as during the forging of the Hundred-Forged Blade. The ox-headed laborer who had once been limited to forging those lesser blades was now an overseer, commanding a retinue of twenty blacksmiths.

At this moment, he was leading them in the arduous crafting of weapons.

“This month, our quota is a thousand Hundred-Forged Blades and fifty Thousand-Forged Blades. Stay sharp—if there’s a problem with the blades, our whole team is finished.”

Xu Chen, now inhabiting the body of a burly man, swept a severe gaze over his subordinates.

“Don’t worry, boss. Everything goes through your inspection first—there won’t be any mistakes,” said a robust middle-aged man, hammering away as he spoke.

Xu Chen recognized this man—he’d been a fellow laborer during the forging of the Hundred-Forged Blades last time.

“No idle talk. Within the month, each of you is to produce no fewer than fifty-two Hundred-Forged Blades. Whoever performs best, I’ll personally teach him the art of forging Thousand-Forged Blades.”

And so, during this period, Xu Chen’s host both supervised his men and crafted Thousand-Forged Blades himself.

Each day, he would bring the finished blades to his master for appraisal—a master he’d taken on in Xu Chen’s absence.

“Rubbish. To think you wasted Fire-Scale Iron like this—the face of the blade shows at least a hundred hammer marks, your force either too much or too little. Barely passable, but to my eyes, it’s still trash. Get back and keep forging—at least a million strikes a day. Only when the iron feels as familiar as your own flesh will you have barely entered the gate.”

The Thousand-Forged Blade was tossed aside like refuse. The burly man whom Xu Chen possessed thanked his master, then carefully retrieved the blade and hurried back.

In the days that followed, the man forged blades from all sorts of materials, each time receiving precise guidance from his master. From Xu Chen’s perspective, his host improved daily. The master’s verdict evolved from “trash” to “barely usable,” and now to “not bad.”

Just as Xu Chen thought success was near, his host crafted a Thousand-Forged Blade of unparalleled perfection.

“Not bad. You have a spark of talent for forging. Would you like to become my formal apprentice? I can show you an entirely new world.”

Hardly had the master spoken these words when the space shattered, and Xu Chen’s soul snapped back to his own body.

Seated in the Sanctified White Space, Xu Chen absorbed the perfect insights gained from forging the Thousand-Forged Blade. In that instant, he felt as though every mundane material in the world could be transformed into a weapon in his hands.

At that moment, however, the wooden door of forging arts was enveloped by a swirling mist.

“What’s going on?” Xu Chen reached out to touch the mist, finding it shielded by a barrier.

“Have I reached the limits of forging, and now it’s about to ascend to a new level? Never mind, I’ll leave it for now.”

On a plain, Xu Chen practiced the Tiger-Walking Technique, while in the distance Li Chengfu battled two Heartwild Tribe warriors at the Vital Energy level. Not far away, the corpses of other Heartwild tribesmen lay scattered, their bodies and heads separated.

Xu Chen’s every movement was like a tiger stalking the mountains, each move accompanied by a resonant tiger’s roar.

Having finished a set of Tiger-Walking Technique, Xu Chen’s gaze suddenly shifted to a patch of grass not far away.

“Fellow cultivator, it must be stifling underground. Why not come up and have a chat?” Xu Chen said lightly.

A few moments passed with no response from the spot he watched.

“Some people only learn the hard way.”

Xu Chen lifted his foot and stomped down fiercely. A wave of force traveled through the earth to a certain point.

“Brother, don’t attack—it’s me!”

A disciple in the robes of the Great Creek Sect emerged from beneath the grass.

“And you are?” Xu Chen found the face familiar.

“Zong Changshou. We met in the sect’s trial world,” said the plump Zong Changshou, breaking into a sheepish grin.

At this time, Li Chengfu finished off the two foreign warriors and walked over.

“Zong Changshou—why do I see you everywhere?” Li Chengfu couldn’t help but sneer at the sight of him.

“What nonsense. You have your tasks, I have mine,” Zong Changshou replied, looking at Li Chengfu with disdain. “I only need to kill four more to complete mine. How many do you have left?”

“So slow. I’m already done,” Li Chengfu retorted.

Having said his piece, Zong Changshou turned to Xu Chen, his face brightening with a smile.

“Brother Xu, I’ve discovered a stroke of luck—are you interested? There’s a small Heartwild Tribe settlement a thousand miles from here, several hundred strong. The most powerful among them possesses the strength of a dragon and four tigers. Within that settlement, there’s a high-level foundational technique for vital energy, one that would be considered top-tier even among the great clans. Are you interested?”

Zong Changshou looked at Xu Chen with burning eyes. He had been tracking a group of Heartwild tribesmen, only to see Xu Chen dispatch all but two in a matter of moments.

“Of course I’m interested.” Xu Chen’s eyes lit up at the mention of a high-level vital energy foundation technique.

Currently, the finest such techniques among the human race were held tightly by the Imperial Path Tower and the top sects and clans. To purchase one from the Imperial Path Tower required military merit and contributions to the human cause. To obtain one from the great clans, you needed extraordinary talent and had to sign a binding contract—an ordinary talent like his could only dream of such things. As for top sects, the Great Creek Sect didn’t even make the list.

“You coming?” Zong Changshou glanced at Li Chengfu with a look of disdain. They had been rivals since childhood, neither willing to yield to the other.

“Of course. But let’s agree on the terms of division first,” Li Chengfu said bluntly.

“A top-tier vital energy foundation technique will definitely require a solemn oath to the human path, and there will likely be restrictions on its use. We’ll see how things develop when the time comes.”