Chapter 76: Return to the Bright Moon Sub-Hall, Spirit Alloy and Spirit Forging
A month passed, and after a long journey, they finally returned to the Bright Moon Sub-Hall.
At this moment, Ye Ling felt his entire body brimming with energy.
Over the past month, countless ideas had surfaced in his mind, each waiting eagerly to be tested.
These three months had been immensely rewarding.
Whether it was his spiritual cultivation, his terrifying abilities, or his comprehension of strength itself, Ye Ling had made tremendous progress—inside and out.
Before long, they dismounted.
Rose, the magical beast, had intended to show some affection toward Ye Ling—after all, who could resist his charm?
But under the jealous glare of her shameless master, Li Xin, Rose was instantly recalled into the magical beast space.
Ye Ling could only smile helplessly, saying nothing more, and instead took Cai'er's hand as they followed Li Xin through the grand doors of the Bright Moon Sub-Hall.
After briefly reporting a few matters to Na Lan Shu, Ye Ling was free to act as he pleased.
With his current level of strength, the Bright Moon Sub-Hall had no reason to restrict him.
It was better to simply let him do whatever he wished.
"Brother Ye, Cai'er, you're back!" a familiar voice called out as they stepped into another section of the hall. It was Long Haochen.
"Haochen, it seems you've improved quite a bit over the past three months," Ye Ling said with a faint smile.
At present, Long Haochen looked sturdier—though not overly muscular, his frame was clearly more refined, and his facial features had grown sharper.
Still, there was a hint of softness left—White Yue's genes were too dominant.
"Of course! I may not compare to you, Brother Ye, but my talent is still decent. My combined inner and outer spiritual power has surpassed four hundred. I'll soon be ready to break through to Fourth-Rank Grand Knight." Long Haochen replied earnestly.
Though still far behind Ye Ling, this was already remarkable. In the original timeline, his total spiritual power at this stage was only a bit over three hundred.
Ye Ling's appearance had clearly accelerated his growth.
However, after saying this, Long Haochen's tone turned a bit awkward as he looked at Ye Ling and said, "Brother Ye, my forging seems to have hit a bottleneck. With your previous guidance and the notes you left behind, I've reached the level of Second-Grade Thousand Refinement, but I can't seem to grasp the essence of First-Grade Thousand Refinement—let alone advance to Spirit Forging."
"It seems you haven't been slacking off in your forging during these months. No wonder you're looking much stronger," Ye Ling said with a laugh.
Long Haochen was indeed a true hard worker.
For the past three months, aside from learning under Ye Hua, he had spent nearly all his remaining time cultivating or training in Ye Ling's forge.
Three months of relentless effort.
From barely managing Thousand Refinement, he had reached the Second-Grade level—half a step away from First-Grade.
As expected of Long Haochen.
His talent was truly outstanding.
From Long Xingyu, he inherited terrifying light affinity and elemental talent, while from White Yue came the divine bloodline of the Dragon King Clan.
Though this bloodline was never fully revealed in the original story, its existence was undeniable.
Its greatest effect likely lay in strengthening his physical body.
While not as overwhelming as the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, it was still immensely powerful.
On the path of forging, it allowed him to advance steadily and solidly.
"Let's go," Ye Ling said as he looked at Long Haochen.
Hearing this, Long Haochen nodded, already guessing Ye Ling's intention.
Not long after, they arrived at Ye Ling's personal forging workshop.
After entering the workshop, Ye Ling instructed Long Haochen to perform a forging demonstration.
Long Haochen obeyed immediately.
His foundation in Hundred Refinement was extremely solid, and soon he transitioned into Thousand Refinement.
The earlier stages went smoothly, but as he approached the final phase—Second-Grade Thousand Refinement—he began to falter.
In the end, the forging failed.
Watching the scene, Ye Ling pondered for a moment before picking up a block of raw iron.
Sometimes, forging did not require rare metals. Ordinary materials could serve just as well when used properly.
"Haochen, I'll demonstrate First-Grade Thousand Refinement for you. Focus and don't get distracted," Ye Ling said calmly.
"Thank you, Brother Ye," Long Haochen replied earnestly.
Ye Ling didn't waste another word. He gripped his Spirit-Forged Silver Hammer tightly and used the True Sun Fire to temper the raw iron before him.
Then, he raised the hammer and brought it down with a heavy strike.
One blow—perfect Hundred Refinement. Not a trace of impurity remained.
"As expected of Brother Ye, achieving Hundred Refinement in a single strike!" Long Haochen exclaimed with admiration from the side.
He could see it clearly—it was flawless.
He himself still required more than ten strikes to achieve a basic refinement, and even then, it was far from perfect.
Compared to Ye Ling, he still had a long road ahead.
As Ye Ling raised his hammer for the next strike, Long Haochen focused intently, not daring to blink. He knew that watching Ye Ling forge was a rare opportunity—something precious.
Although Ye Ling would always agree to teach when asked, Long Haochen felt he shouldn't interrupt his brother's own cultivation lightly.
Each strike of Ye Ling's hammer echoed through the room, the rhythm smooth and resonant—almost melodic.
When the final strike landed, Ye Ling slowly lowered his hammer and gazed at the metal before him.
The block of steel now emitted a dazzling radiance, vast and majestic, stirring the soul of anyone who looked upon it.
"Thousand Refinement with spirit—First Grade Thousand Refinement! As expected of Brother Ye. What felt impossible for me, you accomplished effortlessly," Long Haochen said with excitement.
"Tell me," Ye Ling asked, "what difference do you see between your forging and mine?"
"Thousand Refinement with spirit means giving life to the metal," Long Haochen replied after a moment of thought. "Brother Ye, every one of your strikes feels alive, as if you are calling out to something deep within the metal itself.
"But my forging is just mechanical hammering. There's no intent to awaken the spirit within—it's just the act of striking."
"Good," Ye Ling nodded in approval. He then lifted the newly forged First-Grade Thousand Refinement steel and handed it to Long Haochen. "Take this. When you're able to forge metal of this level yourself, use it to craft your first piece of equipment."
"Thank you, Brother Ye." Long Haochen nodded, accepting the steel with both hands. He now understood his mistake, though he didn't immediately test his insight. Such comprehension required time—built through practice and refined habits, not a single lesson.
"Don't rush to leave just yet," Ye Ling said. He then retrieved from his storage space a piece of jade-silver metal infused with dense light energy. "I've had some new insights lately. I plan to attempt Spirit Alloy Spirit Forging. Stay and observe—you may gain something valuable from this creation."
"Understood, Brother Ye." Long Haochen found a place to sit, his eyes filled with focus.
Ye Ling took a deep breath, steadying his spirit, then once again began the forging process.
(End of Chapter)
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 8 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 64 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/anish_44
{Please join patreon. I am posting 4 chapters per day there, for any tier you join, you can read 4 chapters for all series i work on. and i currently badly need financial support to keep myself afloat. I will continue to do my best to provide you with good chapters daily. So i hope you can help me escape these troubled times.}