Chapter 273 – Everyone Has Their Own Obsession, The Life-Devouring Weaponsmithing Skill - Part 1

After discussing things with Master Gong, Li Yuan returned home and sat in his courtyard, deep in thought.

It seemed to him that everything in this world followed the principles of Yin and Yang. The heaven was Yang; the earth, Yin.

Heavensense harnessed pure Yang, gathering its energy and channeling it into a forged spirit artifact. When merged with source blood, it brought forth a

living

formation.

Earth Appraisal was a method of finding areas of extreme Yin, but not necessarily ghost domains—perhaps places that were on the verge of becoming one.

And so, whether it was Heavensense or Earth Appraisal, neither alone could forge a fourth rank formation.

Earth Appraisal only explained how to locate areas of extreme Yin, without detailing how to use that Yin energy to forge; and Heavensense focused on harnessing Yang energy, without specifying where to find a place of pure Yang.

At least two additional lineages seemed necessary to complete the puzzle, at the very least.

That wasn’t to say one couldn’t create a formation solely with Yin or Yang, or perhaps there was another secret art for balancing Yin and Yang. But it was no wonder weaponsmiths kept searching fruitlessly.

The true path forward was likely far more complex than initially assumed.

“Still, chatting with Master Gong did give me a few new insights,” Li Yuan reflected.

“A calm state of mind. To forge a truly top-quality spirit artifact, I have to hone my mindset to be razor-sharp and free of distractions.

“And unlike with the visualization aids, that requires personal enlightenment.

“Oh, that reminds me. I think I saw some notes on this in the Vine Pavilion...”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Early the next day.

Li Yuan hurried back to the Vine Pavilion. This time, he carefully studied some of the notes left behind by various weaponsmiths—records from past Holy Tree Temple artisans and a number of rare texts collected from afar.

Such was the foundation of a great power—generations of predecessors exploring many fields, leaving knowledge for those who came after.

Spring’s chill lingered in the Holy Tree Temple’s headquarters, where a colossal vine unfurled its new shoots. Inside the Vine Pavilion, one felt removed from the dust of the world, a quiet retreat ideal for studying.

Row upon row of meticulously bound volumes—some wrapped in genuine hides of rare beasts, others encased in jade—rested on wooden shelves. Li Yuan took them down gently, then replaced them with equal care.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“Hear a pin drop in a bustling city. Sense thunder in silence. Listen for flowers opening in spring. Notice leaves falling in autumn.”

Such was the advice of one particular smith. Weaponsmiths, who had to maintain keen and specialized senses, commonly devised their own unique approaches to entering the right frame of mind.

Plenty of these methods looked rather ornate and varied, but Li Yuan decided to experiment with what he’d learned. After all, to craft his own fifth rank spirit artifact one day, he would need more than just business as usual.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later.

Outside the city stronghold, on top of an ancient mountain, a waterfall rushed down with a thunderous roar. Even shouting wouldn’t carry far over the noise.

A carriage sat parked nearby, its driver a cultured, carefree man—none other than Cui Wuji, patriarch of the Cui Clan.

“We’re here, Master Li,” Cui Wuji said.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Li Yuan stepped down. “Thank you, Patriarch.”

“I always come along whenever you head out,” Cui Wuji responded with a grin. “But you always address the other members of my clan so casually, calling them brother or

Old Cui

. Why not do the same with me too? It’s better than

Patriarch

this or

Patriarch

that; all that feels a bit too formal.”

Having grown rather friendly with him, Li Yuan joked, “You’re the patriarch to the Cui Clan, and to my wife, Huayin. If I start casually treating you like a brother, what’s Huayin supposed to call me?”

A roguish light danced on Cui Wuji’s refined features. “Doesn’t matter! Everyone can call each other whatever they want. Your son is a direct disciple of Deputy Gu, and by the same line of descent, I’m technically her junior. That practically puts me on the same generational rank as your son. So, what should I call you?”

Li Yuan chuckled. “Fine, you got me, Old Cui.”

Cui Wuji laughed as well. “That’s more like it. Go on and handle your business. The scenery here is pretty impressive. Even if it doesn’t have the

meaty aroma

I’m used to from the meat fields, it’s got a certain grandeur. Should be the perfect spot for me to train, too.”

Li Yuan nodded. From his reading in the Vine Pavilion, he knew that cultivating a fifth rank technique involved more than just boosting bloodline density by consuming fifth rank demonic beast meat. It also required tempering one’s mental state.

If breaking through to sixth rank was about discovering the

seed of intent

, and stepping into fifth rank was about collecting all the seeds to form a complete intent, then cultivating at fifth rank was about strengthening and perfecting that complete intent. As one note put it, this was when the seed

bloomed

, and in that blossoming, one would perceive their true self.

Oddly enough, that passage’s final pages were torn out, leaving the details of what came after the seed bloomed a mystery. Li Yuan had scoured multiple notes and found no further explanation. Even so, he understood why Cui Wuji found training beneath this towering waterfall to be so stirring.

Continuing under the waterfall, Li Yuan watched as Cui Wuji soared overhead, ready to drop various objects at set intervals.

Before they began, Li Yuan recalled that those in Gu Xuejian’s lineage typically practiced the Return-Willow Technique, which demanded a heroic, free-spirited mindset—a bit like the spirit of the Ruling Blade he had created.

Li Yuan took off his shirt and leapt beneath the cascade, instantly submerged by the surging water.

Great Zhou was known for its many rivers—the Eternal Rest River was but one. Countless waterways flowed from west to east, beginning in the far western snowfields and emptying into the Eastern Sea. As spring arrived and ice began to thaw, rushing currents formed waterfalls such as this one—a major tributary of some grand river.

Setting aside all distractions, Li Yuan began his training. He had asked Cui Wuji to fly up to the waterfall’s crest and drop objects—first small stones, then thicker needles, finer needles, and eventually feathers—each more challenging than the last. Li Yuan’s task was to rely on hearing alone to detect them plummeting toward him. He had to pluck them from the raging waterfall the moment they came near.

Time passed. Towering sheets of water filled the air with deafening thunder, overwhelming the senses. Li Yuan closed his eyes, trying to filter out the roar of the falls while remaining keenly alert for the slightest change in sound.

Whoosh!

He sensed something and snatched a small stone from midair. Then he tossed it aside, waiting. Moments later—

Ding!

A near-silent note slipped past him. Taking a quick glance, he saw three needles—two thick, one thin—tumbling by, and realized he’d missed one. Rather than frustration, he felt excited. It was working. If thin needles already gave him trouble, then feathers would be nearly impossible.

Indeed, for the next few days, he failed over and over again. Then, at last, he managed to catch every single needle. Gripping them in his palm, a sudden tremor ran through him, and a notification popped up before his eyes.

NEW! Basic Wind-Thunder Perceiving Blooms - Rank 6 (1/10)

Li Yuan paused, momentarily astonished. “So there really is a key to all this,” he thought. He had followed the training method outlined in an ancient weaponsmith’s notes and somehow awakened a skill.

It appeared that while ultimate skills in this world couldn’t simply be unlocked at will, there were many preliminary and supportive skills which complemented them.

Above the waterfall, Cui Wuji noticed the subtle shift in Li Yuan’s demeanor and called out, “Master Li, did you gain some insight?”

“Just a little,” Li Yuan replied, tipping his head back.

“Then let’s keep at it,” Cui Wuji encouraged.

Li Yuan exhaled, wiping away the sweat that mingled with the pounding water. “All that effort hasn’t gone to waste,” he told himself. “You reap what you sow. Diligence is rewarded by the heavens.”

Determined, he quietly added ten more points to his

effort

—a mental note to keep pushing forward.

NEW! Intermediate Wind-Thunder Perceiving Blooms - Rank 6 (1/20)

“No one becomes a genius overnight. I’ll take this step by step, steady and patient.”