Before the sword forge, flames surged upward.
The faces of Du the Divine Artisan, Tian the Divine Artisan, and the other craftsmen of the forge were bathed in a crimson glow, their expressions grave and solemn.
"The heat should be about right," Tian the Divine Artisan nodded slightly.
"Never expected this kid to have such skills," Du the Divine Artisan quietly swallowed his saliva.
From the master artisans down to the apprentices, the sword forge represented the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths' forging techniques. Yet here they stood, rigid and attentive—some astonished, some eager, others serious and focused.
And at the center of their gaze was just a young man, bare-chested, dancing with the flames before a massive cauldron.
The young man seemed to be performing a feat that gripped their hearts.
Suddenly, he began tossing the wok, flames rolling within, rising and falling.
Gasps erupted intermittently from the crowd, but the young man remained utterly confident. Faced with so many esteemed artisans, he showed no trace of nervousness—only the self-assurance of one who had everything under control.
Nan Gongmin, passing by, was drawn in by the commotion.
"What's going on here? Could this be preparations for the Heavenly City Realm?"
After asking, he turned to Xie Yiding, only to find the manor lord inexplicably pulling out a large bowl from his sleeve.
"Uh... Sect Leader, why are you holding a bowl?"
"To eat, of course."
Xie Yiding gave him a strange look.
Nan Gongmin: "?"
The little question marks above the head of the Nan Clan's First Seat multiplied.
Xie Yiding cleared his throat. "A couple of days ago, Tian the Divine Artisan asked Li Mo how he had honed his mastery over fire control to such perfection. So Li Mo used the forge's flames to stir-fry a dish on the spot, demonstrating his technique."
"It was delicious."
"Forging weapons and... stir-frying?"
Nan Gongmin leaned back slightly.
What in the world was this?
"There’s some logic to it. After tasting Li Mo’s cooking yesterday, I felt he was ready to forge a Profound Weapon. He’ll probably attempt it today."
Xie Yiding’s words were all familiar to Nan Gongmin, but strung together, they made no sense.
Was he truly so ignorant of the art of weapon forging?
In truth, Li Mo hadn’t intended for the forge’s craftsmen to undergo culinary training.
But over the past few days, having learned much from them, he sought to repay their kindness in his own way—using this method as an excuse to take charge of their meals.
And, of course, to reap some investment returns.
[Investment Return: Yo-Yo Forging Blueprint]
[Investment Return: Profound Iron Essence]
[Investment Return: White Peak Bamboo Charcoal Powder]
...
"Ah, I shouldn’t have taught you everything all at once. It would’ve been better to keep you here longer."
Du Wufeng patted his belly, his expression tinged with regret.
"Elder Du, you can always come to me if you want to eat," Li Mo replied.
"The old man’s just joking. He just never expected you’d attempt forging a Profound Weapon so soon," Tian the Divine Artisan said, slurping noodles at the table.
"Go on. Once you forge a Profound Weapon today, no one can teach you the path forward—you’ll have to walk it yourself!"
Du Wufeng slammed his palm onto the sword forge.
The furnace roared to life, blazing with the ferocious Fallen Star Flame.
Li Mo stepped toward the familiar anvil, gripping the Star Mallet PLUS in his hand, his mind flashing through every hammer strike he’d made in recent days.
He wasn’t just planning to forge a divine weapon.
He also intended to elevate his Eight-Nine Divine Art to new heights.
He began repeating the motions he had performed countless times before—refining the metal, hammering relentlessly, quenching.
"Is he still planning to forge a sword this time?"
Tian the Divine Artisan observed the gradually taking shape of the weapon blank.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this kid’s ambition is even greater than I thought."
Du Wufeng suddenly laughed.
"He does intend to forge a sword—a replica of the Heavenly Sword!"
"A replica of the Heavenly Sword?"
"If he succeeds, it’ll at least be a high-grade Profound Weapon. But how will he replicate the sword’s essence?"
"Choosing such a difficult task for his first Profound Weapon... I wonder if he can pull it off..."
Craftsmen who spent their days with fire and metal were straightforward and unpretentious.
Li Mo, the top-ranked genius of the Hidden Dragon List who cooked for them daily, had undoubtedly won their favor. They all wished for his success.
But they also understood why Li Mo had chosen the Heavenly Sword as his starting point.
This sword couldn’t remain in his hands for long—once the Heavenly City emerged in a few days, it would have to be returned. Miss this chance, and there might never be another.
Clang—
The Eight-Nine Divine Art surged, the Divine Refinement Technique maintaining a rhythm of a hundred strikes per breath.
"Not enough yet..."
Li Mo listened with his heart to the spirits of a hundred weapons.
As it stood, this replica of the Heavenly Sword couldn’t bear the sword’s essence, nor would it have the potential for reforging in the future.
But right now, he had reached his limits in every aspect.
"Elder Du, lend me your Fallen Star Flame!"
Without a sound, Li Mo switched hammers, now wielding the Hammer Treasure.
A fierce, weapon-like sharpness and an aura of divine craftsmanship spread outward.
"You..."
Du Wufeng fell silent for a long moment.
The Fallen Star Flame shared an elusive connection with the Indestructible Star Hammer. Together, their effects surpassed mere addition.
But this was a technique of the Heavenly Craftsman, not something a Third Realm cultivator should attempt.
If it were him, he wouldn’t take such a risk.
Yet, looking at Li Mo—his youthful vigor, his dragon-like vitality, and the blazing determination in his eyes—Du Wufeng gave a firm nod.
"Fine. But be careful. When I tamed this flame years ago, I suffered greatly and spent years refining it!"
With a flick of his finger, a pure spark of flame entered Li Mo’s body.
His skin quickly turned red, like a boiled lobster.
Pain—
Agony seared through Li Mo’s limbs, bones, and meridians, growing ever more intense.
Even an Internal Scenery expert, even one with a perfected indestructible body, wouldn’t dare let the Fallen Star Flame enter their dantian so recklessly.
But thanks to his immunity to fire and water, Li Mo wouldn’t be reduced to ashes.
Yet this flame wasn’t just about heat—it carried a violent energy. If not vented in time, it would tear him apart from within.
"Could this be considered... undergoing a fire tribulation?"
Feeling the Eight-Nine Divine Art progressing at a remarkable pace, Li Mo raised the Hammer Treasure.
Empowered by the star flame, the hammer truly ignited, and he brought it down upon the metal blank with tremendous force.
The dormant sword seemed to come alive.
Clear sword cries rose in waves, unceasing.
After an unknowable amount of time—
Suddenly, an exceptionally resonant sword cry pierced the heavens.
"He’s about to succeed!"
Du Wufeng and Tian the Divine Artisan’s eyes blazed with intense light.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
