Boom—
The hammer goes up and comes down again.
The Ancestor’s anvil doesn’t budge an inch, but lets out a joyful rumble.
A breath, eight strikes… a breath, nine strikes…
Li Mo this time doesn’t start forging from the fifth strike; after using the “Law of Heaven and Earth” multiple times, his body has already hit the limits of what it can take.
After an exhausting fourteen strikes.
He feels like every pore on his body has opened wide, his mighty hands channeling strength akin to mountain roars and ocean waves, while bl**d-red sweat pours out like a waterfall.
As an arcane weapon, the power of the Star Hammer is now fully activated, bursting forth with both strength and searing heat.
Boom!
Flames sh**t up to the sky, dazzling like a celestial firework display; every inch of the weapon mold is tempered to the extreme, resembling the rising sun just kissed by the anvil.
Not just the weapon he just forged.
He himself is feeling the heat too.
“Whew… breathe…”
Li Mo stands there, listening to the booming of the Star Hammer and the Ancestor’s anvil. It seems he can hear more than before.
Not just the hammer and anvil.
But all the myriad weapons that come to life, their blades sharp and ready to sing a tune just for him!
He thought he’d need at least five more days.
With the enhancement from the Divine Talisman, his power has surpassed all expectations!
Ultimate weapon body, perfected!
“This is what it feels like to embody your name….”
Before Li Mo can fully savor the changes in his body, he suddenly realizes he can no longer feel the surrounding temperature.
In fact, he feels a bit cool.
Emmmmmm…
He’s standing right next to a fire vein! If he’s feeling cool now, how hot must he be?!
Elder Han He and Elder Zeng were just about to come over for a look when they see Li Mo bolt away.
“Hey, where are you off to?!”
“Going to the Cold Pool to temper the weapon!”
Elder Han He sees the weapon on the anvil and pauses for a second, then shouts, “You’re not even taking the weapon! What are you going to temper?!”
“Oh, oh, I forgot.”
Thus, Li Mo quickly dashes back, snatches the freshly forged hot weapon, and with a splash, dives straight into the bottomless Cold Pool, causing a massive cloud of steam to rise.
“…”
“…”
Elder Han He and Elder Zeng exchange a glance, falling deep into contemplation.
So, if they’re not mistaken, this kid just grabbed a blazing hot weapon with his bare hands, right?
Perfect, so you’re saying the tempering involves yourself too!
The two old men sit in silence, unable to come up with a response for a long time.
“Gurgle gurgle…..”
“Ah, that feels nice.”
Li Mo, submerged in the Cold Pool, finally feels his temperature drop.
The meridians all seem to have developed a mind of their own, every muscle and bone finely tempered.
“Crack….”
He casually picks up a piece of frost silver ore embedded in the pool wall, its frosty patterns faintly visible.
With a firm grip, he crushes it to pieces!
“It seems like if I just stand there and let someone hit me now, not even a golden realm expert could break my defense.”
Li Mo takes a moment to sense a bit more, realizing his body is not just strong; it’s reactive.
In other words, situations like this will no longer occur:
Eyes: “I got it.”
Brain: “I learned!”
Hands: “MMP…..”
“Now if I use the Law of Heaven and Earth, it shouldn’t just be one body part anymore….”
“Too bad I can’t try it out today.”
Li Mo clutches the freshly forged long sword and begins swimming back up to the surface of the Cold Pool.
Meanwhile, Elder Han He and Elder Zeng are still standing on the shore, wide-eyed, each nursing a belly full of things left unsaid, especially since that kid has yet to resurface.
You know, when does a blacksmith’s forging process include both themselves and their weapon in the mix?
At this point, they finally understood what Li Mo meant the other day—he really did treat himself like a precious material!
Gurgle gurgle——
The Cold Pool swells, and Li Mo shoots up from the water, surrounded by rolling mist, somehow not a single drop of water clinging to him.
As soon as he surfaces, he spots the two old men staring at him in a daze.
“Elders, the sword.”
Elder Zeng takes it, examines it briefly, and nods in approval.
Elder Han He doesn’t even need to touch it; just the shine tells him:
“Not bad, you’ve maximized these materials. This is indeed a high-quality weapon; with your age, you’re more than qualified to visit the Sword Furnace!”
“Now you can try forging famous weapons.”
“Alright, enough about the sword, let’s see what you’ve got!”
“???”
Seeing the two old men looking utterly fascinated, with fiery eyes, Little Li leans back slightly.
He understood that these two old blacksmiths had poured their hearts into the crafting process, just like biologists seeing a long-extinct rare animal.
Of all types of martial arts, cross-training is both the simplest and the hardest.
Unless you see it with your own eyes, who would believe someone at his age has a physique comparable to a famed weapon?
“Little Mo, is this… natural?”
Elder Han He, astonished, can hardly believe it: “You didn’t pull a fast one by learning from Elder Zeng’s tricks, did you?”
Elder Zeng chuckles coldly: “You old fart, stop spouting nonsense! I call that a combination of effort and wisdom. You can’t just pound iron without thinking and expect to reach master level in your lifetime.”
“Watch it!”
“What are you going to do?!”
Just as the two hot-headed old men were about to bicker again, Li Mo timely asks:
“Is there any shortcut to tempering the body using those ‘shortcut’ methods?”
“There are always those who want to be sneaky and find ways to cut corners.”
Elder Han He coughs lightly, not really sure who he’s referring to.
But before Elder Zeng can say anything, he continues, “You know about the Sword Furnace Weapon Forging Competition, right?”
“I’ve heard a bit.”
Li Mo recalls others from the forging academy mentioning it.
The Sword Furnace has existed since the Da Shang era, and many weapons on the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths divine weapon ranking originated from there, especially known for sword forging.
After the Sword Furnace merged with the Heavenly Mountain Sword Workshop, it grew even stronger, and every weapon forging competition attracts countless master smiths like moths to a flame.
It’s like a grand stage for craftsmen—a place where if you have a dream, come on down!
“For instance, I participated when I was young, and so did that old dog Han He.”
“Some blacksmiths, just to win a prize at the Weapon Forging Competition, would even trade with the Huanmo Sect’s bl**d Refinement Hall for their forbidden drugs.”
“And then right before the competition, they’d take a shot of it, boosting their physical strength by at least a notch.”
Li Mo: “?”
So, they’re talking about performance enhancers, huh?
Wait, hold on, what’s with the bl**d Refinement Hall?
Doesn’t the Huanmo Sect only have the Martial Refinement Hall? What kind of weird business are they running now?
Elder Han He sighs: “The stuff from the bl**d Refinement Hall is safe for humans? They’re just competing to see who can withstand more drugs!”
