Inside the Ashen Crucible, the heat of the fire spiritual vein hummed with unbroken power.
Standing in the center of the basalt sparring grounds, Fang Lin lowered **Ashen Glaze**. The dark, crystalline spearhead radiated a faint, cooling mist of star-silver vapor, fully stabilized after the violent combat drills.
Now came the final test of the weapon's bond.
Fang Lin did not reach for his leather spatial pouch. Instead, he simply relaxed his fingers and released a faint pulse of thought from his spiritual sea.
*Weng——*
The seven-foot-two spear shuddered with a soft, resonant chime.
Before his eyes, the physical spear began to dissolve. The smoky crystalline shaft and the sharp diamond leaf blade broke apart into streams of glowing starlight and crimson embers, flowing effortlessly through the air. The light converged at Fang Lin's brow, slipping straight through his glabella without the slightest trace of pain.
Inside his Spiritual Sea, the starlight stream solidified.
Above the vast, spiritual soul lake, resting peacefully alongside the colossal silhouette of the Ancient Spatial Furnace, hovered Ashen Glaze. It drifted gently in the spiritual void, absorbing the nourishing mist of his Infinite Mind Weave threads and the subtle warmth of his Core Qi.
"Great. Fantastic," a disgruntled voice echoed from across the soul lake.
The Dark Flame Spirit sat cross-legged atop a floating ember, crossing her tiny arms and glaring at the newly arrived spear.
"Now you've parked a seven-foot iron toothpick right in the middle of the lake," the spirit grumbled, blowing a small puff of black soot into the air. "As if this place wasn't crowded enough with the giant furnace!"
Fang Lin smiled inwardly.
With a subtle twitch of his will, he called the spear.
*Flash!*
There was zero delay. There was no spatial distortion, no reaching into a pouch, and no physical retrieval time.
In less than the time it took to blink, a burst of starlight ignited in Fang Lin's right palm, and the Ashen Glaze Spear was firmly in his grip once more.
A true **Soul-Bound Weapon**.
It could never be dropped, stolen, or stripped away. Even if knocked miles away across a battlefield, a single thought would dissolve it into spirit light and reform it directly in his hand. Furthermore, by resting inside his Spiritual Sea, the weapon was perpetually tempered by his soul and cosmic force, slowly growing sharper alongside his own cultivation.
With another thought, Fang Lin sent the spear back into his Spiritual Sea.
The weapon test was finished. Now, it was time for deep cultivation.
***
Fang Lin walked to the central stone platform of the Ashen Crucible, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
For the remaining five months of his seclusion, he shut out all distractions.
The four-element internal engine hummed within his lower abdomen. His four flawless cores rotated in their three-dimensional pyramid formation, grinding continuously under the Four-Pillared Cosmic Cycle to draw power from the deep geothermal heat of Caldera Peak 9.
Day after day, the dense silver-grey stream of *Four-Pillared Cosmic Force* flowed through his meridians, continuously polishing his foundation and tempering his *Asura Flesh*.
At the same time, the ancient darkness scripture within his soul continued its silent, eternal work.
With each passing day, the Death Core's gravitational pull drew ten drops of pure abyssal dew from the void. Over the course of the six-month seclusion—one hundred and eighty days in total—the reservoir absorbed an additional one thousand and eight hundred Shadow Dewdrops.
His reserve of the *Dew of Ten Thousand Shadows* quietly climbed to **81,345 drops**, forming eight complete Midnight Lotuses, thirteen Dark Buds, and forty-five raw dewdrops hovering silently within his sea of consciousness.
Everything progressed with absolute, crystalline harmony.
***
At the end of the sixth month, Fang Lin's eyes slowly opened.
A profound, ancient light flickered in his dark pupils before sinking beneath his calm, unbothered exterior.
The six months of secluded cultivation had come to an end.
Fang Lin rose to his feet, dusting off his simple grey robe. It was time to return to the outside world.
However, before unsealing the mountain, he paused to consider his public persona.
Nearly five and a half years had passed since "Mu Tie" had publicly revealed his breakthrough to Early Core Formation. Following that, he had spent five years in secluded research advancing his forging skills and cultivating the Fire scripture, then he emerged to win the Annihilation Analysis Gathering, and was granted full ownership of Caldera Peak 9 with an unrestricted magma vein.
In the eyes of Black Tortoise Mountain, an elite Master Smith blessed with premier geothermal resources and endless spiritual ores could not remain stagnant. If he stepped out after six months looking completely unchanged, it would invite needless questions about his cultivation progress.
On the other hand, advancing from Early Core Formation to Mid-Stage Core Formation over a total span of nearly six years was perfectly calibrated. It was fast enough to cement his status as a peerless crafting genius, yet completely reasonable given the immense resources of Caldera Peak 9.
Fang Lin circulated the *Phantom Transformation* and *Shadow Breath Technique*.
His true, terrifying Tetra-Core foundation sank into imperceptible obscurity. In its place, his public aura swelled slightly, allowing the warm, steady pressure of a single refined fire core to radiate outward.
The disguise locked into place: **Mid-Stage Core Formation**.
Satisfied, Fang Lin retrieved the glass marble of the Ashen Crucible, tucked it safely into his inner pocket, and stepped through the spatial fold.
***
A ripple of grey light washed over the central platform of Caldera Peak 9.
Fang Lin materialized in the physical world. The roaring lake of white-hot magma bubbled beneath the central platform, exactly as he had left it.
He walked down the basalt terrace toward the colossal stone archway that sealed the caldera.
Reaching the rectangular control altar, Fang Lin placed his dark-iron Master Smith token into the central recess.
*HUMMMMM——!*
The nine towering basalt pillars surrounding the rim of the caldera dimmed their amber wards.
*CREEEAAAK——!*
With a heavy, grinding rumble that shook the mountain path, the colossal granite blast-doors slowly slid open.
A massive wall of compressed geothermal heat, pent up for six continuous months, rolled out through the archway like a roaring dragon of hot wind.
Outside the gates, four patrolling division deacons were walking along the outer perimeter.
The sudden blast of heat hit them like a physical hammer, snapping their robes back and forcing them to shield their faces.
"What is that?!" one deacon shouted, steadying his footing. "The wards of Peak 9 are lowering!"
The four deacons hurried to the front of the archway, bowing respectfully in anticipation of the mountain's master. "Greetings, Master Mu—"
The greeting froze halfway in their throats.
As the smoke and sulfur mist parted, a plain, grey-robed youth walked through the archway, his hands resting loosely within his sleeves.
Yet, rolling off his body was not the modest aura of an Early Core Formation apprentice.
Instead, a thick, vibrant wave of fiery spiritual Qi rippled through the air, carrying the unmistakable, heavy density of a **Mid-Stage Core Formation** master!
The four deacons stood completely paralyzed, their eyes bulging in utter disbelief.
"M-Mid-Stage Core Formation?!"
"Heavens above! Didn't Master Mu break through to Core Formation only five years ago?!"
"Five and a half years from the initial breakthrough to the mid-stage, while mastering grandmaster forging techniques?! What kind of monstrous talent is this?!"
The deacons scrambled to bow all the way to the ground, their voices trembling with profound reverence. "C-Congratulations to Master Mu on your breakthrough!"
Fang Lin stopped, offering a humble, polite nod. "The caldera's magma vein was exceptionally pure. I was fortunate to find a minor moment of insight."
One of the deacons had already pulled out a golden messaging talisman with shaking fingers. "I... I must immediately inform the division elders!"
Within few breaths, a golden light streaked into the sky, rocketing toward the lower administrative peaks.
***
Less than three minutes later, a loud, thunderous roar tore through the upper atmosphere.
*BOOM!*
A fiery streak descended from the sky like a falling meteor, slamming onto the basalt pathway outside the archway with such force that cracks spiderwebbed through the stone.
The red flames parted, revealing the massive, barrel-chested figure of Elder Huo.
"Brat!" Elder Huo roared, his eyes wide and bloodshot, his beard bristling with wild energy. "The deacons said you broke through to Mid-Core Formation Realm! Are the reports true?!"
Elder Huo lunged forward, grabbing Fang Lin by the shoulders with iron-like hands. His divine sense swept over Fang Lin's body, probing the spiritual pressure radiating from his dantian.
The moment Elder Huo confirmed the thick, steady fire Qi of the mid-stage, the old man froze.
"By the ancestors..." Elder Huo whispered, his breath catching in his throat.
He looked at Fang Lin as if staring at an ancient divine beast in human skin.
"It has been barely five and a half years since your core first condensed in the outer forge," Elder Huo stammered, his gravelly voice trembling with raw shock. "And after just six months locked in this caldera, you actually pushed through the bottleneck to Mid-Stage Core Formation?!"
Elder Huo threw his head back, preparing to unleash a laugh that would shake the entire mountain range.
However, before the old master could laugh, Fang Lin took a half-step forward.
Fang Lin cupped his hands with quiet, respectful solemnity, his voice pitched so that only Elder Huo could hear:
"Master Huo."
Elder Huo blinked, pausing mid-breath. "What is it, lad?"
Fang Lin looked directly into Elder Huo's eyes, speaking with calm, unhurried clarity:
"The six months in this caldera were not spent merely absorbing magma Qi. With the stability of the earth-core conduit and this cultivation breakthrough, my flame control and hammer cadence have fully harmonized."
Fang Lin lowered his hands slightly, delivering the quiet truth:
"I can now forge **Spirit Manifestation Realm weapons** as well."
***
*Silence.*
Elder Huo's expression froze solid.
The boisterous, proud grin on the old elder's face vanished, replaced by an absolute, mind-numbing stillness.
His eyes slowly widened until they looked ready to burst from their sockets.
*Spirit Manifestation Realm weapons.*
During the Annihilation Analysis Gathering, Mu Tie had been granted the title of Rank 3 Master Smith by Sect Master Xuan Yuan and Grand Domain Smith Elder Duan based entirely on his revolutionary theoretical analysis of the mace. While the sect had honored the covenant, every elder across Black Tortoise Mountain knew the unspoken truth: an Early Core Formation disciple could not physically provide the spiritual firepower required to craft Spirit Manifestation grade artifacts.
His title had been an honorary marvel—a recognition of peerless intellect rather than physical crafting capacity.
*Until now.*
With Mid-Stage Core Formation Qi and the continuous fire of Caldera Peak 9, Mu Tie was no longer just an apprentice with brilliant theories.
He could physically hammer, quench, and forge Spirit Manifestation spiritual weapons!
He was a **True Master Smith** in full, undisputed reality!
For five long breaths, Elder Huo stood completely motionless, his chest heaving, his massive hands trembling violently at his sides.
Then, a sudden wave of hot moisture welled up in the old blacksmith's eyes.
*ROAAARRRR——!*
A laugh so earth-shattering that it dispersed the clouds over Sacred Flame Peak erupted from Elder Huo's throat!
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Elder Huo scooped Fang Lin up into a bone-crushing bear hug, spinning in a circle and slamming his massive fist against the stone archway hard enough to send dust cascading down the walls!
"A True Master Smith! Another genuine, weapon-forging Master Smith in our Ironblood Faction!" Elder Huo bellowed, tears of overwhelming, uncontainable pride streaming down his soot-stained face.
"Let those arrogant bastards from the Mountain-Core Division hear this! Let the whole damned continent hear this! My apprentice can forge Spirit Manifestation weapons before he even reaches late core formation! Hahahahaha!"
Standing in the tight embrace of the roaring old elder, Fang Lin let out a soft, helpless breath, a genuine smile touching the corner of his lips beneath the afternoon sun.
The mask was set, his standing was untouchable, and Caldera Peak 9 was his domain.
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