I've already become an immortal lord, and only now is the spiritual energy reviving?

The back mountain of Danxia Peak.

The dimly lit fire chamber was filled with hot, dry air, almost sparking with heat.

Only one figure was repeating the same monotonous movements.

"when!"

The hammer fell, sparks flying.

Ou Yeheng stood shirtless, his sweat evaporated by the high temperature, leaving layers of white salt stains on his dark back.

He stared at a red-hot iron ingot on the chopping board, silently counting in his mind.

"Nine hundred and ninety-seven..."

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight..."

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine..."

"one thousand!"

"Bang!"

The iron on the anvil could not withstand the immense force, and with a loud bang, it shattered and scattered, turning into a pile of waste.

Ou Yeheng remained standing there, hammer in hand, stunned.

It failed again.

He put down the sledgehammer, took out a yellowed, tattered booklet from his coal-dust-covered pocket, and pulled out a charcoal pencil about the length of a fingernail.

Using the red glow of the firelight, he focused intently on taking notes between the densely packed pages:

[The 103rd attempt, with the combined force of a thousand hammer blows, caused the internal texture to crumble and the force to become uneven. It should be the 600th blow, where the temper was off by three breaths.]

After finishing writing, he blew away the charcoal dust from the page, frowned, and fell into deep thought.

Insights about the "Basic Golden Fire Body Forging Technique" surfaced in his mind.

"Metal is hard, fire is fierce. If one can use spiritual energy as a guide during the nine hundredth hammer strike to mimic the frequency of earth fire..."

He muttered to himself, and the cramped and sweltering surroundings seemed to vanish completely.

What a foolish child obsessed with iron.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The stone gate of the cave suddenly made a loud noise.

The sound was crisp and rhythmic.

Ou Yeheng's thoughts were interrupted. He sluggishly looked up, clutching his charcoal pencil, muttering to himself, "The heat...yes, the heat..."

Like a wandering ghost, I arrived at the door and pressed the button.

With a creaking sound, the stone door slid open.

A mountain breeze blew in, carrying the pleasant scent of herbs, washing away the burnt smell that filled the room.

A graceful figure stood at the doorway.

"Brother Ouye!"

Her crisp, clear voice radiated undisguised joy.

The visitor was his childhood friend, Zhang Lingyuan, a young girl in her prime, wearing a light blue inner disciple's robe, without the slightest hint of aloofness or superiority of a celestial being.

A small medicine pouch was tucked into the hem of her skirt, swaying gently with her movements, giving her a quirky and playful look.

Ou Yeheng was slightly taken aback; the girl's smiling face was reflected in his eyes, which were now only made of iron.

"...Spirit Kite?"

Zhang Lingyuan put her hands behind her back, peeked into the room briefly, and wrinkled her delicate nose:

"Brother Ouye, your place is still so drab and dusty."

Ou Yeheng scratched his head awkwardly, then casually smeared the charcoal ash from his hands onto his forehead.

"What brings you here? Aren't you busy with your inner sect cultivation?"

"So busy! I've come looking for you three times already!"

Zhang Lingyuan feigned anger and raised three fingers:

"The first time you said you were controlling the fire, the second time you were selecting ore, this time I came specifically at the right time!"

"You wouldn't believe it, but the stewards of Danxia Peak all say in private that there's a silly inner disciple who runs off to the fire pit every day, practically begging that blacksmith's cold wall for warmth!"

Ou Yeheng, who was usually reserved, finally managed to utter a sentence:

"I'm sorry... I was so engrossed in striking the iron just now."

The two of them came from Jiping Town at the foot of the mountain.

The Ou family were blacksmiths by trade, and the Zhang family ran a pharmacy; they lived next door to each other.

When they were seven years old, Guanhuamen opened its gates and the two were selected.

Zhang Lingyuan's spiritual root was only six inches long, which allowed her to successfully enter the inner sect and practice orthodox Taoist methods.

With his four-inch talent, he should have become an ordinary outer disciple, but due to his natural sensitivity to metal, stone, and fire, he was assigned to Danxia Peak.

The childhood sweethearts have drifted apart; one has become a beloved fairy, while the other has become a disheveled blacksmith.

Zhang Lingyuan, however, never noticed anything amiss.

"Alright, who needs your apology?"

The girl waved her hand, her joke fading, and a hint of expectation appeared in her eyes:

"Brother Ouye, let's go home."

"go home?"

Ou Yeheng loosened his grip for a moment, and the charcoal pencil fell to the ground with a crisp "snap".

"yes."

Zhang Lingyuan's voice was low and melancholy:

"Counting the days, it's been almost ten years since I came up the mountain."

"Last night I dreamt that my father was pounding medicine, complaining of back pain, and saying that he wanted to ask your father to make a new copper pestle."

"Let's...go back and visit, even for just two days. I miss my parents."

ten years.

The two words struck my heart like a heavy hammer.

Day and night he tended the furnace; for him, the years were nothing more than the changing colors of iron ingots, red and black.

For ordinary parents, ten years is half a lifetime.

"it is good."

Ou Yeheng bent down to pick up the pen and carefully put it into his pocket.

"go back."

......

Danxia Peak General Affairs Hall.

Wang Tao, the person in charge, held a teacup and looked at the awkward young man in front of him with a curious expression.

"Ou Yeheng, you're asking for leave?"

"The sun is rising in the north today? Didn't you wish you could melt into a furnace?"

Ou Yeheng lowered his head and answered honestly:

"I am reporting to you, sir, that I have been away from home for too long and wish to return to visit my parents."

Wang Tao put down his cup, his gaze sweeping over the calloused and scalded hands of the man, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Such a mindset, an almost obsessive dedication to skill, is extremely rare among those who are restless and superficial.

"Indeed, returning home in wealth and honor is like wearing fine clothes at night. Although one may not be extremely wealthy, one can still be considered a member of the immortal sect."

He casually tossed out a token:

"Approved! Go and come back quickly, lest you miss next month's quota of refined iron."

"Thank you, Steward!"

......

A short while later, at the foot of the stone steps of the mountain gate.

The pairing is quite eye-catching.

Zhang Lingyuan has a graceful figure, wearing a light blue flowing fairy dress that is not extravagant but exudes an ethereal and fairy-like aura.

Her sweet appearance drew frequent glances and envy from the outer disciples passing by.

In contrast, Ou Yeheng.

Wearing a fire-resistant linen jacket with drawstring trousers, he looked no different from an ordinary porter, except for a flame symbol on his chest representing the weapon-refining hall.

The two are walking together, but they are completely mismatched.

Given the strict laws and pragmatic approach taken by Guanhuamen in recent years, even if people secretly thought it was a toad trying to eat swan meat, they dared not say a word.

"Brother Ouye, hurry up!"

Zhang Lingyuan was like a lark released from its cage, her steps light and graceful.

Ou Yeheng, carrying a huge bundle, followed silently, his expression embarrassed as he overheard the murmurs around him.

"Ling Yuan, stay a little further away from me... it won't have a good effect."

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Zhang Lingyuan turned around, her expression righteous and assertive:

"The rules of the sect don't forbid childhood sweethearts from going together."

The two of them walked down the winding mountain road.

Zhang Lingyuan gazed at the distant, cloud-shrouded main peak, her eyes sparkling:

"Brother Ouye, do you know? I long for the day when I can be like Elder Qingyan!"

"Some time ago, I witnessed an elder at the Transmission Platform, riding the wind and clouds with such majesty and ease... truly a role model for us all!"

"From that moment on, I vowed to claim a spot under the moon!"

Master of Foundation Establishment.

To them right now, they are nothing less than unattainable immortals.

Ou Yeheng looked up at the sky and replied in a muffled voice:

"Elder Qingyan is quite good."

"But I still think Elder Zhenyue is better."

Why?

Zhang Lingyuan was unconvinced.

Ou Yeheng's expression was serious, and his words were forceful:

"Imagine, a body made of glass can withstand the scorching heat of intense fire. If used as a weapon prototype, it would not require engraving, making it the best humanoid weapon."

"Only with a strong body can one be truly powerful."

Zhang Lingyuan remained silent.

It's really not right to argue with this blockhead whose mind is only focused on blacksmithing.

After a long silence, Zhang Lingyuan stole a glance at the blank face beside her, her voice gradually softening:

"Brother Ouye... I have reached the fourth level of Qi Refining."

Ou Yeheng paused for a moment.

He focused on refining weapons, and although his Qi cultivation had not declined, his spiritual root and energy were limited, so he remained at the first level of Qi cultivation.

Did I say something inappropriate?

Zhang Lingyuan apologized.

No.

Ou Yeheng shook his head and said seriously:

"It's good that you have talent and move quickly. It's an honor for my father that a great cultivator has emerged from Jiping Town."

"I'm clumsy and slow, so I just move step by step."

"Keep hammering, and you'll always have food to eat."

In conversation.

Jiping Town is visible in the distance at the foot of the mountain.

......

Jiping Town today is completely different from what it used to be.

To prevent a repeat of the "Shanglin Village informant incident" from happening again, the sect maintains extremely strict control over its core mortal strongholds.

Surrounded by towering walls, at the entrance, several soldiers and warriors, dressed in blood-red uniforms, stood solemnly with knives in hand.

The guards were slightly surprised to see the two of them.

It is quite rare to see a beautiful female cultivator from the inner sect working as a laborer in the weapon-refining hall.

After checking their waist tags and confirming that they were indeed returning home to visit relatives, the men's expressions softened, and they clasped their hands in greeting as they were allowed to pass.

The town was bustling with noise.

The wide stone-paved road is lined with shops, and the prosperity is many times greater than I remember.

"That used to be Uncle Wang's shop, right? How did it become such a grand restaurant?"

"Wow! That's sugar painting! I used to crave it the most when I was little!"

Zhang Lingyuan looked around, her joy barely concealed.

"Please, sir, have mercy and give me some food..."

As they reached the street corner, they suddenly heard a mournful begging voice.

A woman in tattered clothes was huddled against a wall by the roadside, holding a broken bowl in her hands, and kept bowing to passersby.

Zhang Lingyuan looked over, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Strange...this person looks somewhat familiar?"

Before I could think about it further...

A soldier from the Slaughter Camp who was patrolling the streets happened to pass by.

Given the nature of these malevolent spirits, they would have driven the beggars away long ago.

now.

The disciple stopped, took out two copper coins from his pocket, and gently placed them in the broken bowl.

"That's enough for today's meal. Don't wander around the streets, go home."

There was a subtle, almost imperceptible complexity in his tone.

The beggar woman thanked him repeatedly but did not move; she simply shrank closer to the wall.

Zhang Lingyuan and Ou Yeheng were stunned.

"You two are immortals descended from a sect, aren't you?"

The candied hawthorn vendor next to them, with keen eyes, noticed the two men's distinguished attire, and with a broad smile, approached them.

He lowered his voice and pointed at the beggar:

"Does the immortal find this strange? Her name is Shu Hui."

"Shu Hui?"

Zhang Lingyuan murmured two words, her expression changed, and she covered her mouth in surprise:

"Surname Shu?! Could it be from the same family as Master Qingyan?!"

No wonder he looked familiar!

His eyebrows do indeed bear some resemblance to that lord!

"Sh-!"

The vendor's face turned pale, and he instinctively reached out to cover Zhang Lingyuan's mouth, but after Ou Yeheng looked over, he slowly lowered his hand.

"Grandma! Keep your voice down!"

"It's that person's older sister!"

"How could this be? If they are close relatives, how could they have fallen to this state?"

When one person attains the Tao, the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven.

As a relative of one of the twin pillars of Guanhua, he should be able to run rampant in Jiping Town.

The vendor looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, whispered:

"I dare not gossip too much, but I have heard from the elders that... when you were young, you were not well received at home."

"They were almost sold off... In short, after the adults went up the mountain, these people tried to climb the social ladder."

"In the end, they didn't even get close to the mountain gate."

"The lord has decreed that all worldly ties have been severed. Anyone who dares to use his name will bear the consequences."

"The Shu Hui family brought this upon themselves. They relied on their connections to buy things on credit and put on airs, and this is how they ended up."

"But they are blood relatives after all, and the sect couldn't bear to see them starve to death, so they occasionally took care of them."

The two looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.

The radiant Master Qingyan had such a shameful past.

"The Great Dao... is ruthless."

Zhang Lingyuan sighed softly.

Ou Yeheng remained silent for a moment, then reached into his robes and pulled out two rather heavy pieces of silver, which he handed to the vendor.

"Give her one, and you can have the rest."

"Consider this a small token of our appreciation as fellow villagers, and don't say it's a gift from the two of us."

"Oh, how kind you two are! You'll surely be rewarded!"

The vendor thanked him profusely, accepted the money, and ran off to deliver it.

The two lost all interest in strolling around.

Crossroads.

Zhang Lingyuan pointed east: "My home."

Ou Yeheng pointed to the blacksmith shop to the west: "I'm going back to the shop."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yes, we'll meet tomorrow."

Autumn winds sweep up yellow leaves.

The two turned and walked towards their respective homes, which they had not visited for ten years.