The battlefield seethed with fury. Sect masters clashed in the skies, disciples and wyverns screamed as they died in magma flows, all fighting over the single blooming treasure: the Lotus of Earthfire Rebirth.
At last, amid fire and chaos, one sect master broke through. His spear skewered a rival, his wyvern clawed another apart. With a triumphant roar, he seized the lotus, its burning petals flaring against his palm. With a twist of qi, he forced its light into submission and sealed it into his spatial ring.
His disciples cheered wildly.
"The lotus is ours!"
"No one can take it now!"
Around them, other sects surged like wolves at the scent of blood. The fight only grew more savage.
And from the shadow of the ridges, Haotian's golden eyes gleamed faintly.
So… it's bound. Then I'll simply take it from him.
He stood motionless, one hand slowly curling into a claw. His Eyes of the Universe focused, consciousness extending outward like a thread finer than silk. It pierced the veil of battle, slipped past flame and killing intent, and brushed against the fabric of the man's ring.
The sect master didn't flinch. Didn't even notice.
Haotian's will moved like water — gentle, unthreatening, folding itself into the natural flow of the ring's energy. No tearing, no brute force, nothing that would stir resistance.
A spark of light flickered inside the ring's hidden space. The lotus pulsed faintly. Haotian's hand shifted ever so slightly — and with the smoothness of breath leaving lungs, the treasure slipped free.
A moment later, it pulsed inside Haotian's own ring.
The sect master roared at another rival, throwing his spear, utterly unaware that his greatest prize was already gone. His disciples fought to protect him, believing victory was theirs.
The war raged on, sects killing each other in greed, none realizing the lotus was no longer even on the field.
Far away, Haotian lowered his hand. His face was calm, his aura undisturbed. Not even the faintest ripple of exhaustion showed.
To all the world, he was just another lone cultivator watching the fight from a safe distance — a man with no chance to seize fortune, now turning to leave.
He walked steadily, neither fast nor slow, blending into the smoke and ash. None spared him a second glance.
Hours later, back at his volcanic cave, he sat cross-legged. His breathing was smooth, his chi steady — the technique had been flawless.
And in the quiet pulse of his ring, the Lotus of Earthfire Rebirth shimmered softly, his and his alone.
Haotian opened his eyes, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"No one even noticed."
The battlefield raged on. Flames clashed with lightning, wyverns screamed as disciples tore each other apart. In the heart of the storm, the sect master who had taken the Lotus of Earthfire Rebirth fought with renewed ferocity.
"Protect the Sect Master!" his disciples cried.
"He has the treasure! Hold the line!"
The man's confidence swelled with every strike. He parried, countered, his laughter echoing across the chaos. "Fools! Even if you kill me, the lotus is bound. It rests safely within my ring!"
A rival sect master snarled and lunged, forcing him back. With a smirk, he summoned the lotus into his palm —
But nothing appeared.
His smile faltered. He tried again, forcing more qi into the ring. Still nothing. His brow furrowed, his spiritual sense diving inward to the storage space. His eyes widened.
The lotus was gone.
"No…" he whispered. "No, no, no…"
His hand shook as he clawed at his ring, searching every corner, every partition. His consciousness screamed against the empty void where the treasure should have been.
"Impossible! I bound it myself! The seals were perfect! Where—where is it?!"
His disciples froze, their faces paling.
"Sect Master?"
"The lotus… where is it?"
Rival cultivators caught the words. In an instant, the battlefield shifted.
"He lost it?!"
"The treasure's gone!"
"Liar! He must have passed it secretly to his own elders!"
Accusations flew like blades. Alliances broke apart in seconds as sects turned on each other. Screams filled the air as blades and fire struck allies-turned-enemies.
The sect master himself staggered backward, panic replacing triumph. "No! It was in my ring! Someone—someone stole it!"
His rivals laughed cruelly. "You expect us to believe that? A treasure pulled out of a living man's ring? Impossible!"
But as he shouted, their disbelief only sealed his fate. Dozens lunged at once, blades and fire crashing over him. His disciples tried to shield him, but were cut down in waves.
Within minutes, the proud sect master was buried beneath the fury of every side, his body ripped apart, his disciples screaming as they fell.
The battlefield devolved into madness, no one trusting anyone else. Blood painted the ash, the volcano itself trembling under the slaughter.
And far away, atop a lonely ridge, Haotian sat cross-legged, his golden eyes closed in meditation. In his ring, the lotus pulsed serenely, untouched by the carnage it had wrought.
He exhaled slowly.
"Let them bleed for nothing."
The volcanic cave was silent save for the low hum of molten veins pulsing beneath the stone. Haotian sat cross-legged, his breathing slow and steady, the faint golden glow of the Primordial Sun Scripture weaving around him like sunlight trapped in mist.
Before him, the Lotus of Earthfire Rebirth hovered in the air, its molten petals unfolding and folding with each pulse, as though it were alive. Its chi was overwhelming, ancient, yet within his ring it had bent to his will. Now, under his gaze, it shimmered obediently, waiting.
He reached out a hand. The lotus drifted gently into his palm, warmth radiating into his veins. His body resonated faintly, the power of rebirth tugging at his meridians, urging them to cleanse, to reform, to transcend.
But Haotian only smiled faintly. "Not yet. This isn't for me alone. The Moon Lotus Sect will wield this power."
With a flick of his hand, the lotus returned to his ring, sealed under his layered dao.
He closed his eyes again, guiding his chi through its natural cycles. The exhaustion from stealing the treasure faded slowly, his reserves returning in waves of calm. His Eyes of the Universe dimmed, settling into quiet slumber until called again.
By the third day, the strain had passed entirely. His strength was whole once more.
Haotian rose, dusting off ash from his robes. Around him lay the piles of resources he had gathered — Scarlet Dragonfire Ore, Molten Core Crystals, fire herbs glowing faintly in the dark. The Flaming Wyvern Sect's stolen vaults sat heavy in his ring, brimming with ores, cauldrons, manuals, and tools.
He exhaled softly. "Enough. With this, I can forge what they need."
He stepped from the cave mouth, the volcanic winds brushing against his face. Far to the west, smoke still curled faintly from the battlefield where sects had slaughtered one another for nothing.
His lips curved slightly. They'll never know who took it. And even if they did… it wouldn't matter.
With a wave of his hand, space folded. The world blurred.
Haotian vanished into the horizon, carrying with him the silent fortune of the East.
The forging awaited.
The courtyard fell quiet as Haotian raised his hand. Treasures poured from his spatial ring in waves: glowing Scarlet Dragonfire Ore, Molten Core Crystals, bundles of herbs that pulsed with fire qi, rows of refining tools, even entire forging arrays. They stacked into neat mountains, their heat and aura filling the square until the air vibrated red and gold.
Disciples gasped. Yinxue's brows furrowed. Ziyue and Shuyue exchanged a sharp glance.
"Haotian," Yinxue said slowly, "this is too much. Did you… take this from an entire sect?"
The words cut the air, sharp and heavy.
Haotian's cheerful expression faded. His golden eyes darkened, and for a long moment he simply looked at the treasures. Then he spoke, his voice low but steady.
"They tried to kill me."
The courtyard stiffened.
"I went only to gather resources. When I realized their sect claimed the territory, I offered to return what I had taken, even to compensate them with other treasures." His jaw tightened. "But their elder grew greedy. He mocked me, demanded my spatial ring… then struck at me. They chose blood."
His gaze swept across the stunned faces of the sect. "Tell me — should I have bowed my head, given them everything, and died quietly? Should I have allowed greed and arrogance to dictate our future?"
No one answered.
Haotian's tone was calm, but the weight behind it pressed against every heart. "Their sect rose on pride, not humility. For an accident, they chose murder. They forced my hand — and so, the Flaming Wyvern Sect no longer exists."
The disciples' eyes widened at the name. Whispers rippled. The Flaming Wyverns… erased?
Shuyue's eyes brimmed with tears. "So you bore it all alone again…"
Yinxue stepped closer, her expression firm. "You made the only choice. I would have done the same."
Ziyue clenched her fists, her gaze sharp but unwavering. "And now their greed has become our strength. Their loss will arm us against demons."
Around them, disciples straightened, their earlier shock turning into steel. One by one, they bowed deeply.
"Senior Brother Haotian, thank you."
"We will honor your burden."
"We will not let your efforts be wasted."
Haotian looked at them — the tears, the determination, the loyalty burning brighter than fear — and for the first time since leaving the East, his shoulders eased.
"Good," he murmured. "Then let's forge a future where no one can ever threaten you again."
The courtyard still thrummed with the fiery aura of treasures when Haotian lifted his hand again.
"Now," he said, his voice carrying across the gathered disciples and elders, "you'll see why I went to such lengths. What I bring back is not just ore and herbs — but a new way to forge. A path that will arm you beyond anything this continent has ever seen."
He waved once, and the forging arrays he had seized from the Flaming Wyvern Sect settled into place in neat rows. Cauldrons and anvils, refining channels and smelting arrays — tools of a plundered legacy.
The disciples whispered, wide-eyed.
"Senior Brother Haotian can forge too?"
"Didn't he already create the Crystal Vein Pills…?"
Yinxue folded her arms, her eyes narrowing, curious. Ziyue's sharp gaze followed every movement. Shuyue leaned forward, excitement flickering in her eyes.
Haotian summoned a piece of Scarlet Dragonfire Ore, holding it in his palm. Normally it would require layers of flame qi, repeated hammering, and days of refinement to temper a fragment.
Instead, Haotian extended his other hand. His qi spiraled inwards, weaving yin and yang into perfect rhythm. The ore glowed, shuddered — then melted into a molten sphere without fire, without hammer, without force.
Gasps rippled across the sect.
"This is…"
"He melted it instantly?"
"Without a furnace?!"
But Haotian wasn't done.
He summoned a stalk of flame herb, merging its essence into the molten ore. Normally the conflict of fire-element qi would cause violent rejection, an explosion. Instead, under Haotian's touch, the essences harmonized — flowing together as if they had always been one.
The molten sphere pulsed like a living heart.
"This," Haotian said, his golden eyes glowing, "is Primordial Harmony Forging. Alchemy tempers essence into form. Forging tempers form into essence. Two halves of one dao — united."
He flicked his wrist. Runes etched themselves into the molten core. The sphere lengthened, hardened, gleaming with radiant light.
In seconds, a flawless blade formed — crimson steel veined with molten gold, humming with stable chi.
Haotian held it aloft. "A dao-forged weapon. Not merely a sword, but an extension of one's cultivation."
The disciples erupted in cries of shock.
"A weapon… born like alchemy?!"
"It breathes qi like a cultivator!"
"This isn't forging — this is creation!"
Yinxue's lips parted, her composure breaking for a moment. "He… merged forging and alchemy…"
Ziyue's sharp gaze burned brighter. "A sword that resonates with its wielder's dao… unimaginable."
Shuyue's eyes brimmed with awe. "Senior Brother Haotian… you've created a miracle."
Haotian lowered the sword, his tone calm but firm.
"With this method, I will forge armor and weapons for each of you. Not tools that break, but dao companions that grow with you. This is the foundation of the Moon Lotus Sect's rise."
He planted the sword into the ground before them. The crimson steel pulsed once, like a heartbeat, as if the blade itself acknowledged its new family.
The courtyard erupted, disciples crying out, their faith and awe surging like flame.
"Senior Brother Haotian!"
"Lead us!"
"With dao-forged weapons, no one can stop us!"
Haotian stood tall among them, his golden eyes glowing faintly.
For the first time, the Moon Lotus Sect saw not just their Senior Brother — but the architect of a future beyond comprehension.
The courtyard had yet to quiet after the crimson sword pulsed in the ground. The disciples still shouted his name, their faces flushed with awe. Haotian raised his hand, and silence fell like a command.
"Steel and edge alone are not enough," he said evenly. "A sword is a weapon to strike, but armor is the difference between life and death."
He extended his palm. From his ring, a cluster of Molten Core Crystals floated into the air, glowing with contained heat. He added fragments of Scarlet Dragonfire Ore, and at the last moment, a lotus petal of refined flame herb.
The air shimmered as his qi swirled.
Without hammer or furnace, the ores liquefied. The herb's essence seeped in. Normally, conflicting chi would cause rejection — cracks, explosions, failure. But under Haotian's Primordial Harmony Forging, they pulsed together, steady and calm.
Golden runes spread from his fingertips, spiraling like rivers around the molten mass. Slowly, it folded and shaped itself, plates layering, lines flowing, curves forming.
Gasps filled the courtyard as the first form solidified — a breastplate of crimson steel veined with molten gold, glowing faintly as if alive.
"This," Haotian said, voice carrying across the still air, "is armor that breathes. It will not simply shield you. It will resonate with your dao, growing stronger as you grow."
He raised his hand, the breastplate lifted, and with a ripple, pieces extended — shoulder guards, arm plates, greaves, boots, and a helm, each piece forged seamlessly from the same molten core.
When it landed with a heavy clang, the armor pulsed with a heartbeat of qi.
The disciples flinched.
"It's alive…" one whispered.
"No… it's harmonized."
A young disciple trembled as Haotian gestured to her. "Step forward."
She obeyed, heart hammering in her chest. Haotian motioned, and the armor dissolved into motes of light that wrapped around her. The plates formed perfectly against her frame, not heavy, not stiff. It fit as though it had been born for her.
Her eyes widened. "It… it resonates with my frost dao. I can feel it flowing into me…"
Around her, the disciples gasped. Some cried openly.
Haotian nodded, his gaze sharp. "This is dao-forged armor. It will never reject you, never hinder you. Only grow stronger as your dao deepens. This is the shield of the Moon Lotus Sect."
The disciples fell to their knees, tears running down their faces.
"Senior Brother Haotian!"
"With this… we cannot fall!"
"We'll fight to the end!"
Yinxue pressed her hand to her chest, her face flushed with pride and awe. "Haotian… you've truly changed the path of forging itself."
Ziyue's eyes blazed. "Dao armor… dao weapons… you are reshaping our future."
Shuyue smiled through tears, whispering softly, "This is why we believe in you."
Haotian stood above them, the glow of the armor still pulsing like a heartbeat at his side.
"This is only the beginning," he said quietly. "From sword, to armor, to every tool you wield — I will forge the Moon Lotus Sect into the blade and shield that even demons will fear."
The courtyard trembled with awe after Haotian unveiled the first dao-armor. But he wasn't finished.
He turned to the disciples, his voice calm, steady."Today is not just a demonstration. Today, I forge for all of you."
A wave of his hand, and space rippled. From his ring, piles of ores, herbs, and crystals cascaded outward, neatly stacked into mountains of glowing treasure. Scarlet Dragonfire Ore, Molten Core Crystals, Flame Lotus petals, Wyvern bones, salamander scales — the wealth of the East now lay at the heart of the Moon Lotus Sect.
The disciples gasped, unable to breathe under the pressure of such abundance.
Haotian rose slowly into the air, his robes stirring in the flame-tinged wind. His golden eyes burned like suns as his hands moved, weaving runes faster than sight.
The mountain of ores and herbs shuddered. One by one, they melted, fusing into molten rivers that floated in the air like streams of firelight.
Gasps filled the square."He's forging… without a furnace!""Not one weapon… but everything at once?!"
Haotian's voice rang clear, resonant like a hammer striking the heavens."Primordial Harmony Forging!"
The molten rivers split, divided, harmonized. Streams of essence flowed into spirals of light. One condensed into the shape of a blade, another into armor plates, others into spears, glaives, and shields.
The courtyard lit like dawn as weapons and armor took shape in the air. Runes etched themselves seamlessly into steel, every piece glowing with dao resonance.
Within moments, dozens of swords pulsed with qi. Sets of crimson-gold armor shimmered, their plates resonating with the frost, water, lightning, or moonlight daos of their destined wielders.
The disciples dropped to their knees, trembling."This… this is impossible…""Each one is alive…""They're weapons of dao!"
Haotian's hands didn't slow. His movements grew sharper, faster. A hundred weapons, two hundred, three hundred — armor and blades floated like stars in the sky above the sect.
The heavens themselves trembled, as if bearing witness to creation.
Finally, Haotian lowered his hands. The air calmed. The sky blazed with the glow of weapons and armor, each one resonating faintly, pulsing like a living heart.
Haotian's voice was steady, carrying to every corner of the sect."Disciples of the Moon Lotus Sect. Step forward. Claim what resonates with your dao. These are not tools. They are companions, forged to grow with you. Treat them as such, and they will never fail you."
The silence broke into thunderous cries.
"Senior Brother Haotian!""We will not let you down!""With this… we will protect the sect!"
Yinxue's hand trembled at her side, eyes burning as she looked at him. "He has… become a forging sovereign."
Ziyue's lips curved faintly, her sharp eyes softening for once. "Even heaven bends to his hands."
Shuyue pressed a fist to her chest, tears brimming. "Senior Brother… thank you."
Above them all, weapons and armor descended slowly, chosen by resonance, flowing toward their destined owners.
And the Moon Lotus Sect, once dismissed, now stood clad in dao-forged steel — no longer merely a sect, but an army forged by heaven and fire.