Longevity by Grinding Skills

"Hmm? Such heavy Evil Qi. Not bad. It’s a real shame it broke."

As the craftsman took it, his arm suddenly froze. He reversed his grip, grabbing Xu Yunfan’s wrist, his previously placid gaze turning sharp in an instant.

"Red Rope Copper Body? You studied under someone from Divine Weapon Ridge?"

Xu Yunfan was a little surprised. He shook his head and said, "Not from Divine Weapon Ridge directly, but there is a connection."

He practiced the Martial Arts of Divine Weapon Ridge, so there was naturally a connection. He wasn’t lying.

"I see, I see."

The craftsman’s sharp gaze softened. His fingers relaxed as he took the broken Heavy Hammer, his expression tinged with a sigh of melancholy.

"Thirty years ago, that person brought down half the mountain where Divine Weapon Ridge stood. The remaining disciples either died or scattered. It’s not surprising that someone is still cultivating this Hammer Technique."

Xu Yunfan’s expression flickered. "Sir, were you once a member of Divine Weapon Ridge?"

The craftsman nodded slightly. "My name is Fu Jin. I was a disciple of the twenty-seventh generation of Divine Weapon Ridge. I only escaped that calamity because I was down the mountain purchasing goods. It’s been almost twenty years since I came to Celestial Craft Cave."

Seeing someone who felt like an old acquaintance, Fu Jin found a tavern, and the two sat down across from each other.

The tavern overlooked the street. The moment Fu Jin broke the clay seal on a jar, the aroma of twenty-year-old wine mingled with the steam billowing from the Mechanical Beast Vehicles passing on the tracks outside, creating a dense fog.

He stared at the green plums bobbing in the wine jar, his Adam’s apple moving three times before he could swallow. After downing a jar of wine and letting out a boozy breath, he looked a bit timid and asked, "Divine Weapon Ridge... is it... doing okay?"

Xu Yunfan fell silent for a moment before replying, "Divine Weapon Ridge has become Divine Weapon Valley. When I went, there were only a couple of old men, twenty or thirty apprentices, and a dozen or so blacksmiths left. They were guarding a few blast furnaces, Forging Iron and making ordinary weapons."

"Divine Weapon Valley? That’s good. That’s good. That’s also good."

The alcohol rushed to Fu Jin’s cheeks, finally giving him a bit of courage.

"That year, I happened to be down the mountain purchasing Fire Flowing Sand from Red Flame Mountain. On my way back, from a hundred li away, I saw that half of the main peak had collapsed. Lava poured over the statue of the Ancestral Master carved into the cliff face, melting it on the spot..."

"Now, all that’s left in the valley is a single Quenching Pool, which has become an excellent natural pool for refining iron."

Hearing Xu Yunfan’s words, Fu Jin’s violently trembling pupils were reflected in his full wine cup. It was a long time before he finally composed himself.

"Back then, Divine Weapon Ridge held the secret to forging Divine Weapons. Over a thousand years, we forged seven of them. One was on the verge of breaking through its limits, but someone carrying a Tier Eight Divine Weapon destroyed it on the spot. We wanted to rebuild Divine Weapon Ridge, but we were helpless. We were so afraid of being targeted again that we didn’t even dare go back for a look."

He waved his hand, dismissing the topic. He changed the subject, saying, "Your Heavy Hammer is full of Evil Qi. It can be reforged to store that Evil Qi... If you add enough materials, I might be able to forge it into a Sharp Blade Level heavy weapon."

Xu Yunfan’s expression lit up, and he thanked him profusely. He continued drinking with Fu Jin until evening, when Fu Jin, carrying the broken Heavy Hammer, staggered into the Celestial Craft Cave.

Housing prices in Celestial Craft City weren’t cheap, a bit more expensive than in Cui Bo City. He found a random place to stay.

The next morning, as Xu Yunfan pushed open his window, the last drop of morning dew dripped from the bronze bell on the corner of the eaves.

His ears twitched. He quickly shouldered his Iron Box and looked up just in time to see Fu Jin burst through the door with such force that sparks flew from the hinges. Behind him, an old man strode forward, his steps cracking the bluestone tiles underfoot.

"You’re Xu Yunfan?"

"I am. And you are, Sir...?"

Xu Yunfan glanced at Fu Jin.

Fu Jin made the introduction. "This is Hall Master Zhan Yan of the Celestial Craft Cave’s Weapon Casting Hall..."

He lowered his voice slightly. "He’s an Elder who came from Divine Weapon Ridge back in the day, Zhan Yan."

Xu Yunfan’s expression became serious. He cupped his fists and said, "Hall Master Zhan!"

He couldn’t gauge his strength, but he was at least a master in the Flesh Refining Realm. His hands were especially noticeable, as wide and thick as cattail fans, and the muscular curve of his forearms was astonishing.

Zhan Yan waved his hand dismissively and immediately stepped forward, his palm, covered in burn scars, clamping down on Xu Yunfan’s shoulder in an instant.

A glint flashed in Xu Yunfan’s eyes. His muscles tensed subconsciously. As his qi and blood surged, fine golden threads lit up within the muscle fibers beneath his skin, causing a strange golden luster to flow across its surface.

"CRACK!"

The bronze mirror in the guest room shattered in response. Its fragments reflected the excited glint dancing in the old man’s eyes.

Zhan Yan’s expression went from slightly urgent to wide-eyed shock.

"Red Flood Dragon Coiling Mountain Pattern!?"

"The Golden Skin State?! Your Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer... you’ve reached Great Perfection?!"

"What?!"

Fu Jin was speechless, his face a mask of disbelief. Yesterday, he had thought Xu Yunfan was merely a Third Level Martial Artist practicing the Martial Arts of Divine Weapon Ridge. Out of nostalgia, he wanted to help him. That was why he had deliberately exaggerated Xu Yunfan’s talent when reporting back, hoping to persuade Zhan Yan to come and see for himself.

He never expected that he had actually been too conservative.

When he learned that Xu Yunfan had a connection with Lv Yi and saw him produce the Token Lv Yi had given him, all of Zhan Yan’s doubts vanished. He relaxed and remarked with a sigh, "So it’s that kid. He used to work the Bellows for me in my courtyard. I gave him quite a few lectures back then."

He suddenly fell silent. The pad of his finger scraped across Lv Yi’s Profound Iron Order, making a harsh, piercing sound.

The ice-crack pattern on the Token’s edge was the anti-counterfeit mark he had hammered into it himself all those years ago.

"That kid... he’s still alive..."

A sound like rolling thunder rumbled in Zhan Yan’s throat. His slightly bloodshot eyes were fixed intently on Xu Yunfan.

"Since you have no master, are you willing to become my disciple here at Celestial Craft Cave?"

Xu Yunfan’s expression flickered. Seeing this, Zhan Yan got straight to the point. "Though Divine Weapon Ridge was destroyed and its legacy fractured, my own lineage survived. I have the advanced Martial Arts that follows the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer: the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique! It contains the Profound Steel Hundred Forgings Horizontal Training Body and the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength, which can take your cultivation straight to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm!"

"Even across all Sixteen States of Yanbei Dao, when it comes to Hammer Techniques, if my Divine Weapon Ridge claims to be second, no one would dare claim to be first!"

Xu Yunfan immediately dropped to his knees. The bluestone tiles beneath him exploded, sending shards of rock flying like arrows. He smashed his forehead against the ground, the three loud kowtows sending stone fragments scattering everywhere.

"Master, please accept this disciple’s bow!"

Seeing Xu Yunfan kowtow without a moment’s hesitation, Zhan Yan couldn’t help but break into a smile. He joyfully helped Xu Yunfan to his feet.

"Good, good, good!" Zhan Yan’s fan-like hand clamped onto Xu Yunfan’s shoulder, and a thunderous laugh erupted from behind his bushy beard. "A Red Rope Copper Body at Perfection, manifesting the Golden Skin State! Not even the Armor-Piercing Awls of Yanbei Dao could penetrate it! It is time for my Weapon Casting Hall to rise!"

To cultivate the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer to the Great Perfection Realm and manifest the Golden Skin State... across all of Yanbei Dao, you could count the number of young people who had cultivated any one of their sinews, bones, or skin to the Perfection Realm on two hands.

Fu Jin, watching from the side, was moved to tears. He grabbed Zhan Yan’s arm and began to bawl his eyes out.

"Master, our Divine Weapon Ridge finally has a successor!"

"Get lost." Zhan Yan shoved Fu Jin away, huffing and glaring. "Can’t you even remember the banner of the Celestial Craft Cave’s Weapon Casting Hall? If anyone heard you, I’d rip your tongue out."

Fu Jin stood to the side, wiping his eyes in silence, his mouth shut tight.