The following morning, after finishing breakfast, Li Yan made his way toward the Shadow Knowledge Pavilion.
The familiar halls welcomed him with the same tranquil silence as before. Soft light drifted between towering bookshelves while disciples quietly browsed ancient manuals, each immersed in their own pursuit of knowledge. Without lingering, Li Yan walked deeper into the pavilion until he reached the section dedicated to the auxiliary professions.
His gaze swept across the carved stone signs.
Alchemy. Craftsmanship. Array Mastery.
Having already chosen alchemy as his first profession, he now had only two paths that truly interested him.
Craftsmanship.
And Array Mastery.
Both would play important roles in the future.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Yan stepped toward the Craftsmanship section first.
Rows of jade slips, ancient scrolls, and thick books filled the shelves before him. Titles ranged from the fundamentals of forging to advanced discussions on artifact refinement, spiritual metals, forging flames, inscription methods, and the structure of cultivation weapons.
He selected several introductory volumes before finding a quiet corner and beginning to read.
Hours passed unnoticed.
The more he learned, the more he realized that craftsmanship extended far beyond a blacksmith forging ordinary weapons. True craftsmen refined every kind of artifact—armor, defensive treasures, flying artifacts, storage rings, and countless specialized tools used throughout the cultivation world.
Each artifact required different materials.
Each demanded absolute precision.
Even a slight deviation during creation could ruin all materials and resources.
Li Yan absorbed every page with steady concentration, comparing each concept against the knowledge accumulated throughout his cultivation journey.
When night arrived, he remained inside the pavilion.
The following day passed much the same.
Then another.
For three days and two nights, Li Yan devoted himself entirely to studying the foundations of both Craftsmanship and Array Mastery, rarely leaving the pavilion except to briefly replenish himself before returning to the endless shelves of knowledge.
Array Mastery proved equally profound.
Formations could gather Heaven and Earth Energy, accelerate plant growth, conceal territories, defend, imprison enemies, and even transport cultivators across vast distances.
The deeper he studied, the more he appreciated the elegance behind every formation. Each array resembled an intricate network in which countless runes complemented one another to produce effects far beyond what a cultivator could achieve alone.
His thoughts gradually became clearer. "Array Mastery shapes the environment."
He closed another book before turning his attention toward a volume on artifact refinement. "Craftsmanship creates the tools."
Neither profession surpassed the other.
Each possessed limitless potential.
The difference lay in how well they aligned with his future.
As he silently organized everything he had learned over the past three days, countless possibilities surfaced within his mind.
Weapons would eventually become damaged.
Armor would require replacement.
Storage artifacts could improve.
Body cultivation would demand stronger equipment.
One day, if he truly intended to refine Heavenly Flames, ordinary artifacts would no longer suffice.
More importantly…
His future companions, Yan Tian's family, and perhaps even this Sect would eventually require equipment worthy of standing beside them.
Craftsmanship could support every one of those ambitions.
Array Mastery remained invaluable, but its greatest strengths lay in territory management, defensive formations, and large-scale applications.
Those needs belonged to a much later stage of his journey.
Li Yan slowly closed the final book. "I've decided." His voice was soft yet carried a quiet certainty. "Craftsmanship."
The decision settled naturally within his heart.
There was no excitement.
No hesitation.
Only the calm satisfaction of reaching the most reasonable conclusion.
After returning the borrowed books to their proper shelves, Li Yan left the Shadow Knowledge Pavilion.
The afternoon sun hung low above the Sect, casting long golden rays across the stone pathways. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowering trees as disciples continued to move between the Sect's halls and training grounds.
Li Yan walked quietly back to his residence.
Once inside, his thoughts naturally drifted toward Yao Fuhuo.
She had promised to personally arrange the materials related to whichever second profession he ultimately chose. "There is no need to rush."
His gaze remained calm. "I'll wait until Senior Yao returns."
Although he possessed enough theoretical knowledge to begin his craftsmanship now, Li Yan understood the value of proper preparation.
After nearly three days of study without adequate rest, fatigue gradually set in.
Li Yan finished a simple meal before lying down.
His breathing soon became steady as sleep overtook him.
*****
The following morning, Li Yan awakened before sunrise.
After washing and eating breakfast, he left the Sect and headed directly toward the restricted teleportation portal.
The crimson barrier shimmered softly before him.
He retrieved the crimson jade token and placed it against the stone pillar beside the portal.
The formation immediately responded.
Crimson runes illuminated one after another before the protective barrier dissolved into countless drifting sparks.
Without hesitation, Li Yan stepped into the teleportation portal. The surrounding space twisted briefly before stabilizing once again.
Moments later, he arrived inside the Fire Mine.
The familiar heat greeted him immediately.
Dense Fire Qi flowed through the tunnels while crimson veins pulsed faintly beneath the surrounding rock walls. Li Yan moved calmly through the passages he had already explored until the massive stone door gradually came into view ahead.
He stopped before it.
The enormous slab remained exactly as he had left it several days earlier.
Beyond it…
Lay the unknown.
Li Yan gently extended his Spiritual Sense toward the opposite side.
Nothing.
Either the distance was too great…
Or whatever existed beyond lay far outside his Spiritual Sense.
His expression remained unchanged.
Without another thought, black Qi flowed from his lower dantian as Darkness Qi spread through his arms, then sank into the ancient stone.
A deep rumble echoed throughout the tunnel.
The enormous door trembled before slowly sliding inward once again, revealing the darkness hidden behind it.
Unlike before, Li Yan stepped forward immediately.
The moment he crossed the threshold, his surroundings changed.
The Fire Qi became noticeably denser.
Each breath carried rich elemental energy that naturally flowed toward his body. Even without active cultivation, the Fire Qi seemed eager to enter his meridians.
Li Yan closed the door behind him and continued walking.
The passage gradually widened.
Ancient pickaxe marks covered the surrounding walls, while abandoned rails and broken carts rested silently beneath thick layers of dust.
Several hundred meters later…
The tunnel suddenly ended.
Li Yan stepped out onto a natural stone platform overlooking the space beyond.
For the first time since entering the Fire Mine…
Even he paused.
An enormous underground world stretched beyond the limits of his vision.
Towering crimson cliffs surrounded a cavern so vast that its ceiling disappeared into darkness high above. Rivers of pure Fire Qi drifted through the air like flowing scarlet mist, weaving between colossal mineral veins embedded throughout the mountainsides.
Countless Fire Qi Stones illuminated the cavern with a deep crimson glow. Their radiance transformed the immense underground world into a sea of crimson light.
Far below, abandoned mining platforms connected to suspended bridges that stretched across enormous chasms. Stone roads wound through the cavern toward distant structures whose outlines were barely visible beneath the shimmering Fire Qi.
Everything before him spoke of a civilization that had once flourished deep beneath the earth.
Yet now…
Only silence remained.
Li Yan slowly swept his gaze across the breathtaking scene. The scale far exceeded every expectation he had held before opening the stone door.
"This…" His calm voice echoed softly through the vast cavern. "So this is the true Fire Mine."
Li Yan remained standing upon the stone platform for several moments, quietly observing the vast underground world before him.
After memorizing the general layout, he leaped from the platform.
His figure landed lightly upon one of the ancient stone roads before he began moving deeper into the Fire Mine.
The further he traveled, the denser the Fire Qi became. To ordinary cultivators, such an environment would have felt unbearably oppressive. For Li Yan, however, it was the exact opposite.
Every breath subtly refined his Fire Qi.
Every step brought him closer to the heart of the Fire Mine.
Not long afterward, a low growl echoed from the surrounding rocks.
A crimson wolf slowly emerged from behind a boulder with a cluster of Fire Qi Stones. Flames danced across its scarlet fur, while its eyes glowed like burning embers.
A Tier-1 Flame Fur Wolf.
The Magical Beast immediately charged toward Li Yan. Li Yan remained calm.
His sword appeared in his hand. The wolf had barely crossed half the distance before a streak of cold light flashed through the air.
The beast's body continued forward for several more steps before collapsing onto the stone road.
Its head rolled several meters away.
Li Yan waved his hand, collected the coreless beast's body, and continued forward without slowing his pace.
From that moment onward, the hunt truly began.
The Fire Mine had remained abandoned by humans for hundreds of years, allowing countless Fire-type Magical Beasts to establish their own territories. Wherever Li Yan traveled, beasts eventually emerged to attack him.
Flame Fur Wolves.
Blazing Lizards.
Crimson Flame Boars.
Molten Serpents.
Flame Breath Lions.
Fire Eagles.
Every species possessed an affinity for the Fire element, drawn to the dense Fire Qi permeating the underground world.
None survived longer than a few exchanges. Sometimes Li Yan ended the battle with a single sword strike.
Occasionally, he switched to his spear, bow, gauntlets, or scythe, using the opportunity to improve his mastery over different fighting styles.
The Fire Mine gradually became his training ground.
Hours quietly passed.
The deeper Li Yan ventured into the mine, the stronger the Magical Beasts became. Tier-1 Magical Beasts appeared almost everywhere. Tier-2 Magical Beasts occupied the deeper regions, often commanding small territories of their own.
Tier-3 Magical Beasts became considerably rarer. Each one ruled a section of the Fire Mine, forcing lower-tier beasts to remain far from their domains.
Whenever Li Yan encountered one, he fought without hesitation. Compared to the Pagoda Trials, these opponents possessed genuine intent to kill. Yet none possessed the same combat experience as the Magical Beasts in the Hunting Grounds.
Li Yan understood the reason after hours of fighting: here in the Fire Mine, there is no life-or-death struggle among Magical Beasts over food like in the Hunting Grounds, nor is there interference from humans.
Four days passed in this manner.
By then, over a thousand Magical Beast corpses had fallen beneath his weapons.
His Storage Ring gradually filled with Fire Beast cores, bodies, and other resources harvested from the Fire Mine, including alchemy herbs and ingredients, as well as metals for artifacts such as Fire Copper and Crimson Thread Iron.
Yet despite exploring a vast portion of the Fire Mine, Li Yan noticed one unusual pattern.
Although the number of Magical Beasts steadily decreased as their tier increased, he had not encountered a single Tier-4 Magical Beast.
He analyzed the situation as he walked along another abandoned mining road. "Tier-1 beasts occupy the outer regions. Tier-2 beasts control the intermediate territories. Tier-3 beasts dominate the deeper sections."
"If the same pattern continues…" His gaze shifted toward the distant end of the cavern. "The strongest beast should be waiting at the center."
With that thought, Li Yan continued deeper into the Fire Mine. Several hours later, the surrounding landscape gradually changed.
The abandoned mining roads ended.
The towering cliffs closed inward, forming a massive circular valley hidden beneath the earth. Compared to the rest of the Fire Mine, the Fire Qi here had become astonishingly dense. Even the surrounding rocks glowed faintly from centuries of exposure.
At the very center of the valley lay an enormous pool of molten lava.
Above it rose a solitary stone platform.
Upon that platform rested a colossal beast.
It resembled a giant lion nearly five meters tall, its crimson mane burning with living flames. Every breath it exhaled released waves of scorching heat, distorting the surrounding air.
The beast slept soundly.
Its powerful aura spread throughout the valley, naturally suppressing every other Magical Beast within the surrounding region.
Li Yan immediately recognized it.
Tier-4.
A faint smile appeared on his face. "I've finally found the king of the Fire Mine."
Perhaps sensing Li Yan's presence, the enormous lion slowly opened its eyes. Golden pupils immediately locked onto the intruder.
For several breaths, neither side moved.
Then the lion stood.
Its massive body radiated overwhelming pressure as flames erupted across its mane. A deafening roar echoed throughout the entire valley.
The surrounding lava surged violently in response.
Li Yan calmly drew his sword.
This was his first battle against a Tier-4 Magical Beast.