After leaving the Red Lotus building, Zhang Yong casually said,
"Alright then, I'll go buy some cauldrons."
Qing Feng patted his chest with confidence,
"No need for that, I can make them for you."
Zhang Yong looked at Qing Feng meaninglessly. From what he had heard, Qing Feng was a debauchee, and he hadn't planned to mingle with him. But according to the rumors, this young man was somewhat honorable. True, he went to such places, but all he ever did there was complain and drink.
Drinking was something normal in this world, so it wasn't really a big problem.
Zhang Yong nodded quietly,
"Then, I thank Brother Feng."
The group returned to the sect. Strangely, Wu Ruxian hadn't spoken at all since they left the building, and her eyes secretly glimmered with a trace of sadness as she sighed inwardly:
'It's good that Sister Man Qing is safe. In my previous life, I was sold to such places, but thanks to Sister Man Qing, I managed to survive. I owe her so much.'
The Heavenly Demon slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Wu Ruxian suddenly stopped in her tracks. Upon noticing that, both Zhang Yong and Qing Feng halted as well.
She said"We'll part ways here. As far as I know, you can't gather spiritual energy, right? That's why you've trained your body through external means."
She grabbed Zhang Yong's hand, pulling out a scroll and a small wooden piece, placing them in his palm.
"This scroll contains a technique that will help you, and this is my communication talisman. I'll help you find the ginseng, just use it."
Before Zhang Yong could utter a single word, Wu Ruxian turned around and left.
Zhang Yong frowned, clearly uneasy about the situation.
"What's wrong with her?"
Qing Feng chuckled lightly,"Hehe, it seems younger brother can steal hearts easily."
Zhang Yong turned his gaze to Qing Feng with a disgusted expression,"Brother, this isn't what you think. There's nothing between us."
Qing feng shrugged with a knowing smile"they all say the same in the beginning"
The two continued walking calmly and climbed to the peak. Zhang Yong followed behind Qing Feng, and together they entered the workshop.
It was the atmosphere of an ordinary blacksmith's workshop: an anvil and a furnace were present.
Qing Feng stepped forward, picked up a piece of metal lying near the furnace, and placed it in the fire.
"Zhang Yong, do you know about the path of forging?"
Zhang Yong shook his head,
"Isn't weapon-making something blacksmiths do? Heating metal, hammering it, and such?"
Qing Feng smiled faintly as he began removing his upper garments.
"Well, you're not wrong. But do you know the laws that shape it?"
Zhang Yong was stunned when he saw Qing Feng's body—muscular and powerful, no less than his own. Qing Feng always seemed carefree, and no one would think he was strong at first glance, but that sight was terrifying.
Qing Feng answered his own question,
"It's the Laws of Fire, Metal, and Transformation."
Suddenly, he grabbed tongs, pulled the glowing metal from the furnace, held a hammer, and placed the piece upon the anvil.
"Yet, I'd say what truly shapes the art of forging—"
He raised his hammer high and smashed it down with great force, bending the metal.
"—is the flame of will and the blacksmith's passion itself."
He then continued hammering powerfully, the metal changing shape little by little. He reheated it in the fire once again.
The flames he controlled wrapped the metal, forming the image of a soaring phoenix, exuding pride and strength.
Zhang Yong was shaken by this sight—it was clearly a glimpse of the Manifestation stage of the Fire Law.
Qing Feng pulled the piece out again and hammered it repeatedly. After several cycles of heating and shaping, he finally cooled it, producing a cauldron in the end
Zhang Yong watched the process closely as Qing Feng turned and raised the hammer toward him.
"Want to try?"
Zhang Yong grasped the hammer and was shocked—it was incredibly heavy, around a hundred kilograms. The sheer strength required to wield it left him in awe of Qing Feng's power.
He steadied his grip, stepped toward the anvil, and prepared.
Qing Feng tossed another piece of metal into the flames.
"Since you can't use fire due to your condition, I'll lend you my support."
He controlled the flames, heating and shaping the metal within, then walked over to Zhang Yong.
"Alright, now, keep your supporting foot firm, your back straight. When you lift the hammer, don't swing it too far back. Conserve your strength as much as possible."
Qing Feng gave the basic instructions, which Zhang Yong followed without complaint.
With tongs, Qing Feng placed the heated metal onto the anvil.
Zhang Yong swung the hammer, striking the red-hot piece. Unlike Qing Feng's attempt, once cooled, the metal crumbled immediately.
Qing Feng patted his shoulder,
"Don't worry, it's your first try. Honestly, I'd be a little depressed if you managed it right away."
Zhang Yong touched his chin in thought.
'Could this be because I haven't grasped the Law of Transformation?'
He threw another piece of iron into the fire.
"Brother, I want to try again."
Qing Feng smiled and nodded in satisfaction,
"Of course. This reminds me—how many cauldrons do you need?"
Zhang Yong scratched his face awkwardly,
"Uh… twenty-seven, plus twenty-seven swords."
"Twenty-sev—…!" Qing Feng was stunned.
"Well, even though that's a huge amount, we should be able to manage."
He pulled the glowing metal out of the furnace and placed it onto the anvil.
----
Zhang Yong's Perspective:
I gripped the hammer tightly, planted my foot, raised my hands high, and brought the hammer crashing down onto the blazing hot iron.
I struck it again and again.
But once cooled, it shattered once more.
"Do I really have no talent for forging?"
Qing Feng moved beside me, advising,
"It has nothing to do with talent. It's about your ability to control yourself."
I looked down at my hands, clenched them, then raised my head.
"Brother, I need to sit for a bit. Can you continue the work?"
Qing Feng smiled faintly,
"As you wish. What do you plan to do?"
I walked to the side, sat against the wall,
"I'll try to comprehend the Law of Transformation. Maybe then I'll find the solution."
Closing my eyes, I focused, casting aside all distractions.
The Law of Transformation… everything predetermined eventually transforms.
But as I pondered, I began distinguishing—wasn't transformation and change the same?
No. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. Change was derived from transformation.
Yet both were governed by a higher law—time itself.
Over time, everything changes. Nothing remains the same forever.
I began to grasp it: transformation is radical, faster than change. Time is the deciding factor.
In nature, consider the caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Egg, larva, cocoon, butterfly—from crawling to flying. That is transformation.
But change? Like the growth of a tree—slowly growing taller, roots deepening, branches and leaves spreading. Gradual, inevitable, not radical.
Change was always present, but it wasn't a higher law—it was subordinate.
What I lacked was will.
I opened my eyes, placed my hand on Qing Feng's shoulder,
"I can do it now."
Qing Feng's eyes widened,
"What? After just two hours, maybe less?"
I nodded calmly. His reaction didn't surprise me—I was anything but ordinary, fortunately for me.
I grabbed the hammer again, this time holding the tongs with my other hand. I struck the glowing iron.
Then an idea flashed—fracture points.
I timed my breathing carefully, unleashed my five senses, and locked onto the metal.
Breathing heavily, clenching my teeth, I struck with precision at the fracture point.
The force pushed me back slightly, but I steadied myself.
The result wasn't as refined as Qing Feng's work, but the piece bent into shape. It was decent enough.
"Good, looks like you can do it now," Qing Feng praised with a pleased smile.
---
Third-Person Perspective
For the following week, the two continued working diligently in the workshop. By the week's end, everything needed had been completed.
Qing Feng smiled happily, took a bottle, drank deeply, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ahhh! That's what I call refreshment. Nothing beats wine after finishing work."
He handed another bottle to Zhang Yong,
"Here, drink with me. Don't tell Liu Yan about this."
Zhang Yong chuckled mockingly,
"Haha, seems you're really afraid of senior sister."
Qing Feng's lips pursed in slight nervousness,
"Well, she's not hard to deal with as long as you don't anger her. But man, it hurts every time I get beaten."
His words made Zhang Yong reflect for a moment,
"Truly, we can't underestimate Serenity Peak . Senior Brother Wang has the Acquired Poison Body, Senior Sister Liu Yin has the Eyes of Fate, Senior Sister Liu Yan is an expert in talismans, and you have skill in forging"
Qing Feng looked at the ceiling, pondering,
"When you put it like that, maybe you're right. By the way, what's your plan now? Will you go with that girl to the Decayed Devil Valley?"
Zhang Yong took a sip of the wine, which nearly knocked him out instantly—it was that strong. He stopped right away.
"Well, maybe. I'll deliver the cauldrons and the swords first, but I don't plan on going with her. I'll go alone."
Qing Feng immediately interjected"It'd be best if you went with her. That's my advice. I could tell she knew something. Her gaze wasn't one of arrogance or recklessness. She seemed… much older than she looked."
Zhang Yong was impressed by Qing Feng's keen observation. From the system, he knew Wu Ruxian was a crafty old fox, but just from a single meeting, Qing Feng had guessed so much.
This senior brother was no simple man.
Zhang Yong nodded, accepting his advice.
Qing Feng flipped his palm, revealing a pendant with a small wooden sword attached. He placed it around Zhang Yong's neck"Take this. It's a protective treasure, usable once. It can even block the attack of someone at the Guru Realm. I've already reached the Guru Realm, so it's useless to me now. Stay safe."
Zhang Yong clasped his hands, bowing"Thank you, senior brother."
He stored the cauldrons and swords away, then quietly left.
Before leaving, however, he wanted to test something behind the mountain.
Standing there,
(800 points have been spent on a Training Card)
He held the card and threw it.
"Opponent: Wu Ruxian."
At once, the card glowed bright white, forming a figure. Soon, the figure solidified into Wu Ruxian.
(Begin.)
Immediately, Wu Ruxian rushed forward without hesitation. She raised her sword and swung down fiercely.
Zhang Yong exhaled coldly, summoned his blade, and clashed with her. The force drove him several steps backward.
Before he could counter, Wu Ruxian reappeared behind him, piercing his shoulder with her sword.
He leapt away quickly, pulling the blade from his wound, and spun around—only for her sword to be at his throat.
At that point, the clone shattered into white dust and vanished.
Zhang Yong's heart sank. He asked,
"Yuni, how much of her power did she use?"
(Her physical abilities were the same. She only used one movement technique)
Zhang Yong clenched his fist,
"Damn it. Even if I wanted to get rid of her directly, I can't. I really need secret cards in my sleeve… I truly need them."
He realized deeply—he couldn't trick her nor defeat her in direct combat. She was far too troublesome as an opponent
If he asked her to go with him, she might seize the chance to devour him, leaving him no room to react.
For now, he left the peak and went to the shopkeeper where he had pawned his axe. After reclaiming it, this time he also bought seeds, roots, Brushes, and talisman papers. With these repeated dealings, the shopkeeper started building a connection with Zhang Yong.
After leaving, he immediately headed to the Hunting Forest and began a prolonged hunt for beasts. Every beast that appeared, he slew, filling bottle after bottle.
Afterward, he returned directly to the shop and placed everything within the transport array, which all appeared on the other side.
At this point, Zhang Yong had finished almost all his pending tasks, with only one mission left