Longevity by Grinding Skills

When Fu Jin took hold of it again, his face flushed red. The nearly four-hundred-pound heavy hammer trembled violently in his palm, buzzing and vibrating ceaselessly, forcing him to let go.

The flickering Thunder Patterns on the dark, lustrous body of the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer shimmered with a faint purple glow in the sunlight.

"If I were at the Blood Exchange Realm, I could wield it with ease. But alas... While a Treasure Artifact isn’t sentient like a Divine Weapon, it still possesses Evil Qi. And this Evil Qi, it seems, only recognizes you. It looks like it was forged using your Jar Gold Hammer as a base."

Fu Jin shook his wrist with a wry smile, glancing at the coiled, crimson-scaled pattern on the handle that was radiating waves of heat.

"This fierce thing only recognizes your Blood Qi. I suspect Master asked you for your Essence Blood to act as a catalyst when he smelted your Jar Gold Hammer."

Xu Yunfan said, "You have a keen eye, Senior Brother. Master came to draw my blood a few days ago, and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it at the time. So this was the reason. The old man is very thorough."

As he spoke, Xu Yunfan brandished the heavy hammer. The wind from its swing swept past, and the nearby wall, scorched black over the years, began to crack and splinter.

Fu Jin’s pupils constricted as he stared at the marks on the ground. He had seen many at First Level Perfection, but in the last hundred years, from Divine Weapon Ridge to the current Weapon Casting Hall, Xu Yunfan was the only one who could wield a Hammer Technique with such mastery.

"Want to give it another go, Senior Brother? It’s a Treasure Artifact, not a Divine Weapon. If you’re strong enough, you can definitely wield it."

Seeing Xu Yunfan’s sales pitch, Fu Jin waved him off. "Forget it. If Master found out, I’d probably be bedridden for three days. You focus on getting used to it. The True Inheritance Ceremony is in a month, and the Weapon Casting Hall is counting on you to make a splash. Train hard. Not many disciples in the history of Divine Weapon Ridge and Celestial Craft Cave have ever reached Skin Cultivation Perfection. But stay humble and patient. I’m off."

He glanced at the Fine Steel Box on Xu Yunfan’s back and muttered, "I have no idea what you keep in that box. You never put it down—not to eat, sleep, or even bathe."

Most old men were like that, always having something to prattle on about. He continued muttering to himself as he walked away.

After bidding him farewell, Xu Yunfan shouldered the heavy hammer and eagerly returned to his private courtyard.

With no thought of resting, he grabbed the Python Sinew Wrapped Handle of the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer. The muscles in his forearm tensed, coiling like steel cables on a winch.

The piercing shriek of the nearly four-hundred-pound heavy hammer cutting through the air sent the bronze bells on the eaves into a frantic jangle.

By the time he reached the twenty-first move of the Thirty-six Cloak Hammers, the Cloud-Breaking Form, the Spiral Qi Force swirling around the hammer’s head had plowed a trench half a foot deep into the ground. This was the pinnacle of a technique that relied purely on the unity of waist and horse stance, converting the weapon’s own weight into destructive power. It was the ultimate expression of how one’s surging Blood Qi could activate the innate Qi Force of a Treasure Artifact.

CLANG!

The instant the hammer head slammed into the cast-iron practice post, a series of sharp cracks, like popping soybeans, erupted from Xu Yunfan’s shoulder blades.

The thirty-inch-thick Refined Steel post caved in on impact, and a spiderweb of cracks spread down through the cast iron to its foundation.

’Fascia twisting into Black Gold threads and embedding in my bones, skin becoming like overlapping, hundred-forged scales... I wonder what will happen when I reach Bone Refinement Perfection.’

Xu Yunfan grinned.

"So satisfying!"

It was still a long way to Bone Refinement Perfection. At his current rate of cultivation, it would take him at least another half a year to reach it.

’Still too slow,’ he thought.

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He was no longer in the mood to practice.

’I’ve reached Muscle Refinement Perfection, and today’s a day of rest. I should definitely take the chance to relax.’

He got dressed, slung the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer onto his back parallel to the Fine Steel Box, and then strolled out the door.

’I haven’t left the Weapon Casting Hall’s grounds since I first entered Celestial Craft Cave. Today’s a perfect day to go have a look around.’

Following the path he’d taken on his way in, Xu Yunfan stepped into the Outer City Thousand Mechanisms Workshop.

Celestial Craft City had a population of nearly two hundred thousand, most of whom were the families and relatives of the Mountain Gate Disciples who had settled here over the years. The pedestrians on the street were primarily Mortal Martial Artists, most of them having come to Celestial Craft Cave in search of a fine weapon.

The Outer City Thousand Mechanisms Workshop was the most prosperous place in all of Celestial Craft City.

In the twilight glow, an eighty-foot-tall Bronze Water Wheel channeled water from the Luo River into an Underground Mechanism. The grinding of gears mingled with the sound of hammers from the blacksmith shops.

Xu Yunfan slid the meat off a skewer with his teeth in one bite, then casually tossed the stick onto the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! Littering! That’s a Ten Wen fine!"

A patrolling Celestial Craft Cave disciple with an armband strode over menacingly.

Xu Yunfan: "..."

After silently paying the fine, Xu Yunfan lowered his head and quickly vanished into the crowd. If anyone recognized him, it would be a disgrace to the Weapon Casting Hall.

"The Hidden Blade Pavilion is here!"

The shopkeeper of a street-side apothecary suddenly whispered.

Six black steeds with perfectly synchronized hoofbeats galloped down the long street. Each rider carried a seven-foot-long Mechanical Sword Box on their back.

The young man in the lead had a cold, stern face. A gilded, silver-inlaid Hidden Blade Order hung from his waist. It was Qi Huan, who, at only twenty-five, had mastered the Overlapping Waves Sword technique and reached Great Mastery in the Third Level, just one step shy of the Outer Three Harmonies. Rumor had it that he was deliberately delaying the stabilization of his bones and skin, all for the sake of achieving Perfection in one of the lower realms: muscle, bone, or skin.

Xu Yunfan’s eyes fell on the man’s right hand gripping the reins. His knuckles were thick, as if cast from iron, and the veins on the back of his hand stood out like the gnarled roots of an old tree. This was the sign of someone who had trained an External Hard Skill to the point where their muscles and bones resonated as one.

’An arm like that could hold a weapon as steady as a boulder, without the slightest tremor. That’s a rare level of skill.’

Riding close behind him was Yue Mountain, the man who had burst through his courtyard gate just a few days prior.

The group immediately spotted Xu Yunfan off to the side, a long-handled heavy hammer on his back and a few skewers of grilled meat in his hand. Yue Mountain, in particular, looked stunned for a moment before his expression visibly relaxed, as if in relief.

Xu Yunfan found this baffling.

Yue Mountain reined in his horse, staring intently at Xu Yunfan. "So, you take breaks after all," he said.

Xu Yunfan, still baffled, asked with a hint of annoyance, "What’s that supposed to mean?"

He then glanced at the Scale Horse beneath Yue Mountain and frowned. "A big guy like you on such a small horse... Isn’t that animal cruelty?"

At two and a half meters tall, Yue Mountain made even the large Scale Horse he was riding look somewhat comical.

A flash of anger crossed Yue Mountain’s eyes.

Before he could reply, Qi Huan, at the head of the group, fixed his gaze on Xu Yunfan and spoke.

"Xu Yunfan?"

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow. "I recognize you."

’The man I saw watching me from a distance on Guniu Mountain North Peak a few days ago... To think he’s a disciple from the Hidden Blade Pavilion.’

Qi Huan said coolly, "I will be attending the Weapon Casting Hall’s True Inheritance Ceremony in one month. You should be careful."

Xu Yunfan’s brow twitched. He watched them ride away, shaking his head to himself without a word.

’When the time comes, I’ll show them a world of pain.’

After he crossed the Vermilion Bird Bridge, up in the Mist Rain Tower, two pairs of eyes were watching everything unfold on the street below.

"He doesn’t look all that special... But that heavy hammer on his back is impressive."

Yan Yuwei of the Melt Gold Hall rested her chin in her hand, leaning against the windowsill. She watched Xu Yunfan below, who had just bought a large bag of meat buns and was slowly walking away.

"I just got word. That heavy hammer on his back is the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer. It was forged jointly by my master and Master Zhan Yan of the Weapon Casting Hall. It was made with the Celestial Craft Forging Technique and has numerous mechanisms built into it... It’s a Treasure Artifact, you know."

Mo Shisan fiddled with some miniature iron components on the table. While he spoke, he assembled them into a tiger-shaped Mechanical Beast.

THUMP!

Yan Yuwei shot to her feet. She was nearly two meters tall, her body a mass of dense, chiseled muscle. The veins on her skin pulsed, a truly astonishing sight.