Chapter 67

Yuan Ming touched his nose, a bitter smile playing on his face.

Just the day before, he had been struggling to survive in the perilous environment of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, striving to escape his status as a fur-covered beast slave and join the Bi Luo Cave. He had even fallen into a desperate situation, never imagining that just one day later, he would enter the sect in such a manner.

After sitting cross-legged, he took out the "Qingxin Pill" given by the Third Master, opened the bottle, and poured out a bright red pill that emitted a faint fragrance.

After a brief glance, he tilted his head back and swallowed the pill.

Instantly, a warm current began to rise from his abdomen, gradually moving toward his heart.

Yuan Ming felt his heart rate suddenly increase, as if it were about to leap out of his chest, and his breathing became short.

Before he could react, a surge of uncontrollable belching rose, and he hurriedly opened the door, rushed to the stone wall outside, and bent over to vomit.

After expelling a mass of foul-smelling black mucus, the surging sensation gradually subsided, and his heartbeat returned to normal.

After a brief respite, Yuan Ming felt a clarity of mind, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and he felt refreshed and invigorated.

"According to what the Third Master said, the pill needs to be taken for three consecutive days to completely remove the toxicity of the Fuxin Pill. This feeling of mental clarity and invigoration is probably not a sign that the toxicity has been fully resolved, but rather the inherent effect of the Qingxin Pill," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

When he returned, he felt a slight sense of relief as he sensed the changes in his body.

Yuan Ming suddenly relaxed, but he had no desire to sleep.

He knew that the Bi Luo Cave was not his true home; the Central Plains, deeply buried in his memory, was where he belonged. No matter what, he had to find a way back and discover who he truly was.

However, after entering the world of cultivation and experiencing a series of events, he realized how insignificant and weak he was. The person who had caused him such harm was of unknown identity, and if he returned rashly, he might not even be able to protect himself.

Moreover, he had just officially entered the Bi Luo Cave, and there were still many things he needed to explore.

"At least I need to wait until my cultivation improves and I have some means of self-protection before I can leave. Otherwise, the long journey would be difficult to cross," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

Although he said this, he already had a rough plan for returning to the Central Plains.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Ming calmed his mind, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to continue his cultivation of the "Nine Yuan Technique."

...

"Knock, knock"

The next morning, Yuan Ming, who was immersed in cultivation, was awakened by a dull knocking on the door.

He opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them.

Such a state of deep meditation, where he was completely absorbed and oblivious to the outside world, was rare in the perilous Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Yuan Ming got up and opened the door, seeing a young boy in a brown robe standing outside. The boy had ordinary features and slightly thick lips, giving the impression of being honest and loyal.

"Good morning, Sir. I am the servant responsible for this area, and I am in charge of the cleaning and maintenance here," the boy said, bowing his head and holding a stack of clothes in his hands.

On top of the clothes was a palm-sized white waist tag, inscribed with "Bi Luo Cave" in the script of the Southern Frontier.

After taking it, Yuan Ming found that the other side had a vertical inscription reading "Registered Disciple."

"What is your name?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Bo Tu," the boy replied.

"Just give me the clothes. I only need the room cleaned every three days, not every day. Do not touch any of the furnishings inside," Yuan Ming nodded and instructed.

"Yes, Sir," Bo Tu replied.

Yuan Ming took the clothes from him and turned to go back inside, but noticed that the boy was still standing at the door. He frowned and said, "You can go now."

"Sir, after you change, I will take you to the Fire Workshop," Bo Tu said.

Yuan Ming remembered that Chen Wan had also mentioned that he needed to go to the Fire Workshop in the morning, so he nodded and said, "I understand."

He closed the door, unfolded the clothes, and found two sets of blue short-sleeved robes for changing, with "Fire Refining Hall" embroidered on the chest.

After changing, he hesitated for a moment, then, as before, wrapped the white ape hide around his waist, hung the registered disciple waist tag on his left side, and the green fish sword on his right side, before leaving the room.

Guided by Bo Tu, Yuan Ming left the courtyard where the registered disciples lived and headed toward the back mountain. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he saw a building surrounded by a red wall.

At the main entrance, Yuan Ming saw a stone tablet inscribed with "Fire Workshop, No Trespassing."

After dismissing Bo Tu, he walked alone into the Fire Workshop.

As soon as he stepped onto the three-tiered steps, even before entering, he felt a wave of heat, and the air was filled with a complex smell of sulfur and nitrate.

He wrinkled his nose and walked in.

As he passed through the gate, various clanging sounds came from the courtyard.

Yuan Ming had already imagined the scene inside the Fire Workshop, but because of the front hall, he could not see anything yet.

The front hall was empty, so Yuan Ming walked through it.

The moment he stepped out of the front hall, Yuan Ming was stunned.

He saw a vast courtyard with numerous independent open-fronted small houses, resembling workshops, arranged in a staggered manner, numbering about fifty to sixty.

Most of the small houses had a furnace burning inside, with flames roaring.

Busy figures moved around in the small houses, some melting metal, some adding materials, and some, bare-chested, swinging hammers on the anvil, making a loud clanging sound, with sparks flying.

Most of the figures were burly men, with few women like Chen Wan. When he saw a few, they were also busy, holding smaller hammers, striking the raw materials on the stone platform.

They crushed palm-sized raw materials into pieces, ground them with a stone mill, and then sifted them through sieves of different sizes.

On one side, there was rough hammering, and on the other, meticulous sifting, accompanied by the clanging sounds and flying sparks, forming a unique scene.

Everyone in the scene was absorbed in their work, and no one noticed Yuan Ming's arrival.

At this moment, a man with a square face, wearing a short-sleeved robe and a red headband, finally saw Yuan Ming. He walked through the rows of casting houses toward Yuan Ming.

His body was robust, his muscles taut, and his square face, with a short beard, exuded a serious and meticulous demeanor as he approached Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming glanced at the green waist tag hanging from his waist, which had the same style as Chen Wan's, indicating that he was an inner disciple.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Fang Ge," Yuan Ming said, bowing.

The previous night, Chen Wan had told him that the Fire Refining Hall, responsible for managing the Fire Workshop and teaching the basics of forging to registered disciples, was led by Senior Brother Fang Ge.

Senior Brother Fang Ge was not surnamed Fang; he was from the Southern Frontier, and his name was Fang Ge.

"Are you the new registered disciple, Yuan Ming?" Fang Ge asked, looking Yuan Ming up and down.

His voice was deep, matching his imposing appearance.

"I am grateful for your guidance, Senior Brother," Yuan Ming nodded and bowed.

Fang Ge nodded inwardly, noting that although Yuan Ming was not particularly robust, his build was solid, and he was polite, which earned him some favor.

However, his face remained stern as he said, "You are late. Our Fire Workshop starts the fire at the third watch of the morning and continues until the third watch of the afternoon. After that, you are free to continue forging or cultivate on your own. Since it's your first time, I won't hold it against you, but don't let it happen again."

"I understand, Senior Brother. I will remember this," Yuan Ming replied.

"Our Fire Refining Hall, although not the largest or the most numerous, holds a position second only to the Beast Taming Hall. Many of their spirit beasts need saddles, bridles, or chains, all of which require our help to forge," Fang Ge continued, his voice full of pride.

Yuan Ming knew that the Bi Luo Cave was established on the basis of taming beasts, and disciples from all halls took pride in having spirit beasts. However, not everyone had the ability to raise and train them.

The disciples of the Beast Taming Hall were mainly responsible for large-scale breeding, reproduction, capture, and taming of spirit beasts.

"Besides these, we also forge weapons, hidden weapons, and even magical artifacts. The first two can be completed by ordinary registered disciples with standard patterns. As for magical artifacts... they are far beyond your reach for now, so you don't need to know about them yet," Fang Ge continued.

Yuan Ming had already learned from Zhao Tong that magical artifacts were forged by at least Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Come, let's go to the furnace and try your hand," Fang Ge said, leading Yuan Ming to an empty casting house.

Inside, Yuan Ming saw the complete structure. On the left side, against the wall, was a furnace, enclosed on all sides except for the front and back, which had fire channels and flues to ensure the heat did not escape.

Next to the furnace was a forging anvil, and on the shelves beside it were layers of ore and metal powder, with wood and charcoal stacked below.

"The wood is used to start the fire, and then you light the charcoal. Once the temperature rises, you can begin melting the ore. These metal powders are already sifted and ready for use. There are many types, and you will learn them gradually," Fang Ge explained.

Yuan Ming scanned the items and recognized many of them, as he had sold them to Zhao Tong before.

"Today, you don't need to worry about anything else. Just practice the most basic task: forging," Fang Ge said, picking up a large hammer from the anvil and tossing it to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming caught it immediately, but despite being prepared, his arm still sank under the weight.

The hammer was much heavier than he had imagined.