Chapter 11

In the mountain cave, it was pitch black.

After a long while, Zhao Yun took out a fire starter and lit a bonfire.

He then sat down on one side of the bonfire.

After the clash with the black-clothed man, he had suffered internal injuries and needed to use his true essence to nourish his body.

Three hours later, he opened his eyes.

Then, he summoned lightning, enveloped the meteorite, and refined the impurities according to the secrets of alchemy.

Crack! Crack!

The meteorite kept cracking, and irregular pieces of the outer layer fell off one by one.

This process was extremely slow.

At dawn, he had finally refined all the impurities from the meteorite. What remained was meteoric iron, about the size of a watermelon, still black and shiny. Upon close inspection, one could see faint dragon-shaped patterns.

"I need to find a furnace to melt it," Zhao Yun muttered.

"Ordinary flames cannot melt dragon-patterned meteoric iron," the Moon Goddess said calmly. "At least a heavenly flame is required."

"Do flames have levels?" Zhao Yun asked curiously.

"Beast fire, earth fire, heavenly fire, true fire, karmic fire, immortal fire, divine fire."

"Then does lightning also have levels?"

"Equivalent to flames," the Moon Goddess said slowly. "Your lightning is barely at the heavenly level."

"That's impressive."

Zhao Yun chuckled. The alchemist from the Liu family only had a decent beast fire, while his lightning could rival a heavenly fire. There was a significant difference. As alchemists, he would definitely outshine that guy.

"Your cultivation is too low."

"Even with heavenly lightning, you cannot unleash its true power; this is a matter of realm suppression."

"However, it is enough to refine the dragon-patterned meteoric iron."

The Moon Goddess spoke slowly, her words, though calm, were as beautiful as celestial music.

"Alright."

Zhao Yun smiled and summoned lightning again, enveloping the meteoric iron and refining it.

Then, he used the lightning as a hammer, striking it repeatedly.

The meteoric iron, about the size of a watermelon, was only enough to forge a sword. He aimed to create a sword, first casting the blade, and then meticulously refining it, such as sharpening it and engraving patterns on it.

This process was still very slow.

There was no way around it; this was dragon-patterned meteoric iron from outer space. If it were ordinary iron, it would be much easier to forge.

At least, its shape could be changed in a short time.

As night fell, he hastily ate some wild fruit, put away the lightning hammer, and used his mind to control the lightning to envelop the meteoric iron. Occasionally, he would pick it up and examine it, then continue forging, assisted by the lightning refinement.

After three days, he finally stopped.

At this moment, the meteoric iron, about the size of a watermelon, had been forged into a sword blank, weighing about 300 pounds.

"Let it be for now; I'll refine it further in the future."

Zhao Yun wiped the sweat from his face. Three days of non-stop forging had left him pale, with bloodshot eyes.

He had reached his limit.

Still, this meteoric iron was too hard. To forge it into a true sword would take at least three to five months, and he didn't have that much time to spare. What was more important was to solidify his own foundation.

"Not bad."

Holding the sword in his hand, Zhao Yun smiled foolishly and swung it a few times.

Buzz! Buzz!

The air resonated with a deep, heavy sound. Indeed, a 300-pound sword was heavy enough. Using it to cut might not be very effective, but using it to smash would certainly be handy.

"I name you: Longyuan."

Zhao Yun smiled, examining the sword blank from all angles. The dragon patterns on it were much clearer now, and faintly, it seemed as if he could hear the dragon's roar, though he wasn't sure if it was an illusion or a hallucination.

"In the future, I'll carry it, and the weight will be a form of physical training."

"I understand."

Zhao Yun tore a piece of his clothing to wrap the Longyuan sword and then carried it on his back.

The 300-pound weight was indeed substantial.

However, the greater the pressure, the greater the explosive power when released. Over time, it would certainly strengthen his foundation.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, he darted out of the cave.

This time, he was full of enthusiasm. He already had lightning and had entered the realm of alchemy. He needed to return and make a big move, not only to protect his grandfather's legacy but also to get back at the Liu family.

This was just the beginning. Once his cultivation was complete, he would tear down the Liu family.

When he reappeared, it was at the foot of the mountain where he had summoned the lightning, but his expression was somewhat strange.

"Where's my horse?"

Zhao Yun scratched his head, looking around. He remembered clearly that he had tied it here. Now, under the big tree, there was only the rope, but the lively horse was nowhere to be seen.

Blood?

Zhao Yun squatted down and saw bloodstains that had not been completely washed away by the rain.

No doubt, his horse had been taken by a beast.

Roar! Roar!

Just as he was looking, he heard a low growl, and a bloody and savage aura came from behind.

Zhao Yun quickly turned around and saw a large figure.

The large figure was a completely red beast wolf, with huge eyes glowing green, coming straight at him, licking its bloody tongue, which dripped with saliva, emitting a foul smell.

"Fire Wolf."

Zhao Yun whispered. He had seen one during his training; it was a beast that could spew fire, extremely vicious.

It was likely this beast that had eaten his horse.

Roar!

As he watched, the Fire Wolf pounced, its large body casting a shadow over him.

Zhao Yun was not afraid and instantly used the earth escape technique.

The Fire Wolf pounced into thin air, its large eyes filled with confusion. Where did the person go?

"Eat, you ate my horse."

Zhao Yun emerged from the ground, already behind the Fire Wolf, grabbed its tail with both hands, and with a surge of true essence and strength, lifted the Fire Wolf and threw it at a large rock.

Boom!

The Fire Wolf crashed head-on, bones breaking, and blood splattering.

"Vicious Dragon."

Zhao Yun took a step forward and slapped the Fire Wolf's head.

Ah...!

The Fire Wolf let out a piercing cry, its skull shattered, and brain matter splattered.

However, Zhao Yun was not much better off, his hand aching, his arm numb, the Fire Wolf's head was too hard.

The Fire Wolf roared in anger and spewed flames.

Zhao Yun saw this and used the earth escape technique to avoid the flames. When he emerged, he held the Longyuan sword and struck from the sky.

Buzz!

The sword's sound was deep and heavy. The 300-pound heavy sword struck the Fire Wolf's head squarely.

Roar...!

The Fire Wolf's cry was extremely mournful, its head shattered, and it fell to the ground with a thud.

Zhao Yun, not satisfied, delivered two more strikes.

Only then did he sit down, drenched in sweat. If it weren't for the earth escape technique, he would have been torn to pieces by the Fire Wolf. This beast was not just vicious; even a True Spirit Realm cultivator would be reluctant to face it. Whether they could kill it or not was uncertain, but they would certainly be burned and humiliated by its flames.

After resting, he opened the Fire Wolf's head.

After a thorough search, he found no demon core.

A demon core is the essence of a beast, a crystallization of its power, but not every beast has one. Cultivators have different realms, and so do beasts. Powerful beasts generally have demon cores, and the higher their intelligence, the more powerful they are, and the more refined their demon cores, the more valuable they are.

"It's still worth it."

Zhao Yun smiled, put on a cloak and a raincoat, and carried the Fire Wolf's body. Losing a horse but gaining a beast was a good trade. Beasts are not just vicious; they are treasures all over, like the Fire Wolf, whose tendons can be used for bowstrings, and its gallbladder can be used as a medicinal ingredient. Carrying it back to the city would fetch a good price.

Without a horse, he had to walk.

Fortunately, he was a martial cultivator, supported by true essence, and could run at full speed.