Chapter 226 – Watching the Flames, Melting the Metal, Listening to Iron, The Quickening, Communion, and Hearing the Heavens - Part 1

From the moment Li Yuan first began forging, he made up his mind to rely on both cultivation and allocating stat points to craft a perfect path of advancement—one that would create the image of a

genius weaponsmith

.

This plan was carefully thought out.

Being a weaponsmith was an excellent choice. It was highly valued and indispensable, yet also quite rare. It didn’t require going out to complete tasks and could earn you a seat among powerful factions. Even if you only reached sixth rank, you could still forge fifth rank spirit weapons. Most importantly, a weaponsmith would never be short on blood gold.

This identity was exactly what Li Yuan needed.

After his stint as the Blood Blade Patriarch, he now wanted to don the role of a weaponsmith, quietly making his way to fifth rank and forging a spirit weapon for himself.

At the same time, Li Yuan could openly become a bigshot in the eyes of the world, rather than just some random newcomer from a backwater region.

So, the additional benefits of his marriage to Cui Huayin go far beyond a simple political alliance.

As for the bride herself, Li Yuan didn’t mind one way or another. As long as she was a normal-looking woman, he was fine with it. They could take their time getting to know each other day by day. Maybe she’d become real family to him one day.

The fact that Cui Huayin happened to be quite beautiful, and also carried the title of Yin Consort, actually served as a bit of a headache.

That said, none of this mattered for the time being. He needed to establish himself as a weaponsmith first.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

On the very first day, Li Yuan went to work at the smithy owned by Cui Santong.

Two days in, a new entry appeared in his skill list.

NEW! Basic Weaponsmithing - Rank 9 (1/10)

Four days in.

NEW! Intermediate Weaponsmithing - Rank 9 (1/20)

Eight days in.

NEW! Advanced Weaponsmithing - Rank 9 (1/40)

From an outsider’s perspective, Li Yuan looked like he would spend most of his time in a daze, then magically gain enlightenment overnight.

Half a month later, a new entry appeared in Li Yuan’s skill window.

NEW! Expert Weaponsmithing - Rank 9 (1/80)

Klang! Klang!

The young man focused on hammering metal. Muscles, flying sparks, steel, blistering heat, and sweat all wove together in a vivid scene of forging.

Initially, Cui Santong and the other smiths were nervous. After all, it wasn’t every day you saw a powerful sixth rank martial artist.

A sixth rank powerhouse starting off as a novice blacksmith? If they’d heard such a rumor elsewhere, they’d be intrigued and gossip about what might happen next. But with him working right at their side, it was just unsettling.

Surprisingly, though, this sixth rank martial artist never put on airs. He even asked them to address him casually.

Whenever he was forging, he seemed completely immersed in his own world. Everyone and everything else ceased to matter.

After half a month, the smithy’s workers had adjusted to his presence. Even so, none of them dared to address him casually as Li Yuan. They went for the cautious middle ground and simply called him

Mister Li.

Of course, the idea of a sixth rank martial artist starting out as a blacksmith’s apprentice was far too tantalizing for people to ignore.

For the past few days, the area outside the smithy was constantly packed with curious onlookers. It didn’t matter if they were wanderers, merchants, noble scions, or high ranking martial artists—they all wanted a glimpse of this unusual sight.

They watched him, while Li Yuan focused on forging. He didn’t mind at all. In fact, he let people see him as he naturally was.

From dawn until dusk, he finally set down his hammer, wiping sweat from his forehead beneath a heavy cloth awning.

When he looked up, he noticed the crowd still gathered outside.

One of them—a rough-looking man with a full beard and an eighth rank aura—stepped forward and said respectfully, “Lord Li, are the weapons you forge for sale?”

Li Yuan glanced at him and shook his head politely. “No need to address me so politely. I’m just a humble smith-in-training. Truly, I’ve only just begun learning how to forge. Even calling me a blacksmith is probably too generous right now.”

“But you’re sixth rank,” the bearded man insisted. “You—”

Li Yuan cut him off. “I’ve barely started down the path of forging. Since I’m still an apprentice, I can’t yet produce a finished weapon. If you want to buy one of my works...well, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. I’m not quite there yet!”

The onlookers burst into laughter, not in mockery, but rather in good humor. Many of them were surprised by the friendliness of a sixth rank martial artist like Li Yuan.

Li Yuan gave the man a good-natured look. “Tell you what. Let me know what kind of weapon you need. Once I’m good enough, I’ll forge one for you. Or you can come back later when I’m ready.”

“Uh...I’d like a blade,” the bearded man stammered in excitement. As he spoke, he removed a thick-bladed executioner’s blade from his back and said, “Something like this.”

Li Yuan accepted the blade and studied it for a moment before nodding. “Got it.”

Being sixth rank gave him an excellent memory.

At that point, Cui Santong came out and had the bearded man pay a deposit while also agreeing that after the weapon was finished, it would be tested and priced according to its rank on the market.

The bearded man’s request set off a surge of new orders. Many of these people probably didn’t actually need a weapon; they just wanted something forged by a sixth rank martial artist as a status symbol.

Cui Santong was suddenly overwhelmed by the crush of prospective buyers, all clamoring to place their orders.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Not far away, in the waning spring, a few fading blossoms drifted on the evening breeze, landing momentarily on the roof of a carriage before fluttering off again.

Inside the carriage, the long-legged maid Yao Jue was quietly peeking outside through the curtain. Cui Huayin, the Yin Consort, herself hadn’t come. She simply allowed Yao Jue to investigate and even provided the carriage.

Truth be told, Cui Huayin held little hope that Li Yuan would master her father’s skills. No one understood better than she did how difficult weaponsmithing could be. If her father hadn’t possessed countless hidden opportunities—ancient legacies, near-supernatural twists of fate—he could never have reached his current heights.

Still, Cui Huayin had promised Li Yuan that she would entrust her future to him if he could learn her father’s skills. So she supported Yao Jue’s discreet surveillance.

Yao Jue had observed for quite some time before returning to report her findings in detail.

Cui Huayin fell silent. After a long pause, she said coldly, in a voice devoid of any telltale emotion, “So, he’s a decent man.”

“That’s exactly it!” Yao Jue said, hands on her hips. “He’s a sixth rank martial artist, yet he’s gone off to learn blacksmithing without any pretension. He’s so approachable with ordinary folks, and he’s happy to forge weapons for anyone who asks. I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind; he doesn’t even care about maintaining his dignity as a sixth rank powerhouse! No

mighty presence

whatsoever.”

“...” Cui Huayin didn’t respond.

Yao Jue rolled her eyes, then added, “But if he’s this friendly to strangers, he’ll surely be at least as kind to you and me, right?”

Cui Huayin merely shook her head, walked to the window, and cast her gaze upon the piece of paper inscribed with the poem Li Yuan had recited on his first visit—

Last Night

. “How can a man produce such delicate lines?” she muttered.

“Well, it’s definitely not something he bought,” Yao Jue chirped. “I even went around the literary market to look for something comparable, spent money getting poems from some of the best talents there. And oh my goodness!”

She broke off, clutching her stomach and pretending to retch.

To a casual observer, her clowning would have been amusing.

Yet Cui Huayin did not laugh, remaining expressionless as if she were a jade sculpture. “I don’t care for good men,” she said quietly. “But I do like his talent, assuming it’s actually his.”

“It...should be, right?” Yao Jue asked.

“Yao Jue, these past few days, I’ve revisited a collection of poems I brought from the palace. There are 30 compositions in total, yet not one that surpasses his. For someone like him to possess such gifts...it’s unexpected.” Cui Huayin then added in a detached voice, “In a few days, the lotuses on the lake will bloom. Invite him over for some sour plum tea.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A month later, Li Yuan glanced at his skill list.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Expert Weaponsmithing - Rank 9 (79/80)

He was never in a hurry; every time he earned a single point through hard work, he made sure to boost it by 10 more, firmly believing in the proverb

Heaven rewards diligence

—that consistent effort would always bear fruit.

The only reason he hadn’t spent another single point to break through to the Master level of ninth rank Weaponsmithing was that he had timed everything perfectly.

That evening, as dusk fell, Cui Santong approached him respectfully. “Mister Li, do you want to use this month’s recommendation?”

Previously, Master Zhu had mentioned that the Cui Clan sent monthly recommendations of promising smiths to him, and Li Yuan was supposed to start from the bottom.

But of course, the Cui Clan would never treat Li Yuan like an average applicant. That

spot

was always his for the taking. In other words, he could go to meet Master Zhu whenever he wanted.

“Yes,” Li Yuan replied with a nod.

Cui Santong hesitated, then asked quietly, “Are you sure you don’t want to wait a little longer?”

“Why?”

“Well, any other smith—even a talented one—would spend at least a year or more diligently honing their craft before visiting Master Zhu for the first time. I mean no offense. I’m just...concerned.”

“Thank you, Old Cui. But I’m going.”

“S-Sure, yes...as you wish.”