The Great Forge of the Jade Quill Sect was a cavernous, smoke-belching structure built into the side of the mountain. It was the heart of the sect's alchemy and smithing operations, a place of blistering heat, ringing hammers, and the overwhelming egos of the men who worked there.
At its center was the 'Dragon's Breath Forge,' a massive furnace fueled by geothermal vents and precious Fire-attribute Spirit Stones. It was here that the sect's finest weapons and pills were crafted.
And I was about to commit an act of sacrilege within its hallowed, soot-stained walls.
This is a bad idea. A spectacularly, monumentally bad idea. The Azure Wave sword isn't just Chen Wei's personal weapon. It was a gift from his father, the First Elder. It's a high-grade Spirit Tool. It's worth more than the entire outer sect combined. Using it as a fire poker is like using a royal scepter to unblock a toilet.
My legs carried me onward, uncaring of my frantic internal protests. The stolen sword was cool and heavy in my hand, humming with latent power. It felt like holding a live viper.
News traveled faster than a Spirit-grade carrier pigeon in the sect. By the time I reached the entrance to the Great Forge, a crowd was already gathering behind me, keeping a respectful distance. They had seen the "duel." They were here for the sequel.
Feng Qing was among them, her expression one of rapt fascination. It was like she was a scholar witnessing a newly discovered law of physics in action. She wasn't just a believer anymore; she was a studious observer of my "profound path."
I stepped into the forge. The heat washed over me, a welcome change from the cold dread icing my veins. Several burly disciples, their upper bodies bare and glistening with sweat, stopped their hammering to stare at me.
In the center of the room, overseeing the refinement of a glowing ingot, was Elder Han. He was the head of the Forging Hall, a man with a fiery temper, a beard to match, and arms as thick as tree trunks. His word was law here.
He looked up, his brow furrowed in annoyance at the interruption. His gaze fell on me, then on the sword in my hand. His eyes widened in recognition, then narrowed in suspicion.
"That's… the First Elder's Azure Wave," he grunted, his voice a low rumble. "What is a whelp like you doing with it?"
The crowd held its breath. Elder Han was not like the young disciples. He was a powerful man, his cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment. He wouldn't be swayed by whispers of "philosophy."
Okay, here we go. A new source of rage. High-level target. This could be good. Just gotta get through the part where he tries to turn my bones into a fine powder.
I offered no explanation. My external persona was a fortress of silence. I walked past him, directly toward the roaring Dragon's Breath Forge.
"Did you not hear me, boy?" Elder Han's voice sharpened, gaining a dangerous edge. "I asked you a question."
I ignored him. My deadpan expression was fixed on the inferno ahead.
This, the System seemed to whisper in my mind, was true Grandstanding. The utter dismissal of a powerful figure.
Elder Han's face began to turn a dangerous shade of red, reminiscent of Chen Wei's earlier transformation. "Insolence!" he roared, slamming a massive hammer onto a nearby anvil. The resulting BOOM shook the entire hall. "You will show respect in my forge!"
The rage was building. I could almost taste the potential reward.
I reached the furnace. A large bin of black, fist-sized lumps of coal sat beside it. They were Spirit Coal, infused with energy to reach the temperatures needed for refining spirit metals.
The mandate demanded action.
Without a word, I plunged the tip of the beautiful, master-crafted Azure Wave sword into the coal bin. I used it like a common shovel, scooping up a few lumps of Spirit Coal. The delicate, razor-sharp edge made a grating sound as it scraped against the rock.
A collective, horrified gasp echoed through the forge. It was a sound of physical pain. Several of the blacksmith disciples looked like they were about to be sick.
Elder Han's jaw dropped. The veins on his forehead stood out like angry worms. "What… what are you DOING?!" he bellowed, his voice cracking with disbelief.
I calmly walked to the open maw of the Dragon's Breath Forge. Using the sword as a very long, very expensive poker, I pushed the coals deep into the inferno. The blue steel of the blade glowed orange, then yellow, in the searing heat. The intricate runes carved into its surface flickered and died, their enchantments overloaded.
[Target's Emotional State: Volcanic Fury. Chaos conversion initiated.]
Yes! The motherlode! Keep it coming, old man! Just don't kill me before the reward materializes!
Having finished my task, I pulled the now-glowing, ruined sword from the fire. I held it for a moment, examining it with what appeared to be clinical detachment.
Then, with a casual flick of the wrist, I tossed it into the furnace.
It landed with a soft tthunk amidst the white-hot coals and was immediately consumed by the flames.
The sound of a thousand imaginary pearls shattering on the floor filled the silence.
Elder Han stood completely motionless, his face a perfect picture of apoplectic shock. He looked at the furnace, then back at me. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He had witnessed a crime so obscene, so fundamentally offensive to his craft, that it had short-circuited his brain.
It was Feng Qing, standing at the back, who broke the spell. Her voice was a hushed, trembling whisper of pure revelation.
"He's teaching us again," she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "He's teaching us all."
Oh, for the love of… not again!
"Don't you understand?" she said, her voice growing stronger as the insane, adoring logic took hold. "The sword… it's just a tool! We venerate these Spirit Tools, we covet them, but we forget their purpose! The Azure Wave sword, a great weapon, was defeated today. Why? Because the wielder's heart was flawed! The tool is meaningless without a perfected user."
A murmur of heretical agreement started to spread.
"By using a legendary sword for a menial task," she continued, her voice ringing with passion, "he's telling us not to be attached to external objects! True power lies within! He destroyed it to free us from our material attachments! This is a lesson for the entire sect!"
It was a System mandate! I had no choice! I am very attached to not being on fire!
[Widespread Acclaim detected. Level of Heretical Insight: Profound.]
[The Chains of Acclaim have been reinforced and polished.]
[Inherent Cultivation Speed: -20%]
The shackles on my soul grew colder, heavier. This fame was a cancer, and Feng Qing was its most devoted apostle.
But Elder Han was not convinced. His shock was finally wearing off, replaced by a rage so profound it seemed to draw heat from the forge itself.
"LE-SSON?" he roared, his voice shaking the very foundations of the mountain. He pointed a trembling, sausage-like finger at me. "He destroyed a priceless Spirit Tool! He has insulted generations of master craftsmen! He has disgraced this hall!"
Thank you! Thank you, Elder Han! A voice of reason in a sea of madness! Be angry! Be furious! Avenge your fallen sword-brother!
[Volcanic Fury has been fully processed. High-tier reward condensing.]
"I don't care what kind of 'master' you are!" Elder Han bellowed, grabbing the massive forging hammer from his anvil. "In my forge, you answer to ME! I'll teach you the meaning of respect with this hammer!"
He charged, a one-man stampede of muscle and righteous fury. The hammer he wielded probably weighed more than I did. A direct hit wouldn't just kill me; it would turn me into a thin, vaguely human-shaped paste on the floor.
My life depended on the System's reward. The notification was glowing, but the item hadn't materialized yet.
Hurry up hurry up hurry up! Faster! He's closing the distance! He's going to swing!
The hammer rose, blotting out the light from the forge. This was it. A much more brutal end than Chen Wei's sword.
Just as the hammer began its descent, a small, unassuming object materialized in my waiting hand. It was a perfectly spherical, jet-black pill, emanating a faint, cool aura.
[Reward: Pill of Immovable Mountain (Single Use)]
[Effect: For ten seconds, your body cannot be moved by any physical force below the Core Formation Realm.]
The hammer fell.
And I, a terrified librarian in a teenager's body, stood my ground and let it hit me.