He left its central “devouring” core intact, ensuring not to destroy the spirit that gave Crimson Devourer its unique identity.
To push Crimson Devourer to Mid-Tier Heaven Grade, he needed superior materials to fuse into its devouring core:
-Netherblood Iron – Notoriously destructive, perfect for amplifying the weapon’s devouring aspect.
-Dawnsoul Silver – Enhances synergy with the user’s Qi, stabilizing the chaotic devouring energies.
He merged these metals into the partially molten Devourer, guiding them with Heavenly Tempering runes. The forging arrays glowed fiercely as they worked to harmonize the weapon’s innate devouring spirit with the new metals.
[Careful—Crimson Devourer’s spirit might resist if it feels threatened. Even if the spirit is in its nascent form.]
He nodded, focusing on the blade’s spirit. “I’m letting it adapt. Once it sees these additions make it stronger, it should comply.”
He hammered the blade anew, every strike accompanied by both Fire Intent and a subtle wave of Devouring Qi from the Devourer’s core. Tension crackled, but gradually, the weapon’s spirit accepted the transformations.
“Stay calm, my friend… I promise this will only benefit you.”
At last, he quenched it in a specialized Yin-Yang Blood Bath, a mixture of radiant essence and netherblood extracts. The blade trembled, arcs of red-black Qi swirling around it as if devouring the surrounding energies. Then it went still.
He pulled the newly reforged Crimson Devourer from the bath. Its once dull red hue now carried streaks of dark silver, interlaced with faint runic lines.
The devouring aura pulsed ominously, but in a stable, controlled state—almost as if it had accepted the new infusion.
A casual swing cut through a chunk of leftover Moon-Soaked Iron like butter, the metal devoured in a red flash. The sword’s spirit hummed, content with its stronger body.
[Mmm… that definitely feels like the aura of a Mid-Tier Heaven Grade Weapon. The Devourer’s appetite just grew, so watch out that you don’t accidentally feed it your entire workshop.]
He smirked. “It’s become a real monster now. Perfect. Between my new forging methods and the Devourer’s innate devouring spirit, I’d say we’re unstoppable.”
He gave the blade a gentle pat, storing it in a protective sheath. The forging arrays flickered off, signifying the end of his forging spree.
He flicked his hand and stored all the extra weapons lying around inside his storage ring.
“Good, with this, my closed-door cultivation session should come to an end.” He said contently.
[You really improved at an absurd rate this time. Breaking through to the Extreme Origin Core Realm from all of your Dantians. Learning a new technique. Improving all of your Intents. As well as improving your Alchemy and Blacksmithing.]
[…]
[Damn, others might take hundreds of years just to achieve half of what you have done.]
He shook his head. “Once again, my talent sets me apart from all the worldly geniuses, no need to compare me to them.”
He dusted his hands and stood up. “Anyways, how long has it been since I’ve come here?”
[It’s been around a month in the outside world.] Explore stories at empire
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? This session was indeed a long one, about time I head out. The competition is drawing close.”
[Yes, not only is the competition drawing close, but you need to teach Qingyu about Alchemy.]
“No need to be hasty about that, I will teach her if she is interested, otherwise no need to bother with that. Let’s go out and meet my family; they might be anxious after not seeing me in so long.” He gently smiled, remembering the people he hadn’t seen for so long.
A glowing portal materialized beside him, giving a faint radiance as he looked towards the Blacksmithing Room one last time before entering the portal.
…
The fresh breeze of the garden greeted him. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Haa… it’s been a long time.” He turned around as his gaze landed on the cherry tree; it was now in an even better condition than the last time he saw it.
Even though it was still desolate without a single leaf on it, the branches of the tree glowed with light. He walked towards it and placed a hand on it. “How have you been during this time?”
The tree softly glowed, as if responding to his touch. He gently smiled.
[Looks like the cherry tree is growing a consciousness safely. If it continues at this rate, it won’t be long before it can grow back to its majestic form.]
He took out a table and chair and placed them beside the tree before sitting on the chair. “Well, let’s just hope it can grow nicely.” He began making tea.
[Oh? Are you making tea for the arriving members?]
“Yes, I can feel the faint fluctuations in the spac—”
Before his words could finish, Shen Yuxin emerged in front of him with Yue Xian.
“Yuan’er!!” Shen Yuxin’s eyes lit up as she saw her son after so long. She quickly went towards him.
He stood up from his chair. “Long time no see, Mom.” His lips curled into a sweet smile as Shen Yuxin came and gave him a tight hug.
“You have been in seclusion for a MONTH! What were you even doing for so long?” She got back a little and asked again, looking at him up and down.
“Oh? Your cultivation base increased to Extreme Origin Core Realm? Good, good. The competition is drawing close; it’s about time you also began to seriously prepare.” She nodded her head with pride.
“Cough, Mom. I’m done preparing for that; all that’s left is to head there now.” He chuckled and shook his head.
“Now, do you mind introducing us formally, Yuxin?” Yue Xian came beside Shen Yuxin and softly said.
Yuxin smiled lightly and pointed towards Yue Xian. “Yuan’er, she is Yue Xian, my friend as well as a fellow sect member from my home. Xian’er, he is Shen Yuan, my adoptive son as well as my Dao Partner.”
Yue Xian took a step forward. “It’s nice to finally meet you in your free time, Shen Yuan. Your mother really talked a lot about you with me.”
He laughed softly. “Haha, I can imagine that. Anyways, come sit down. I was brewing tea for the two of you.”
He said, taking out two more chairs from his inventory. Shen Yuxin and Yue Xian took their seats.
“Oh yeah, I think I forgot to ask, but what happened about the Abyssal beings problem? Is your clan preparing for them, Mom?” He asked with a serious expression.
Yuxin nodded her head. “Yes, they have begun taking precautions against them. But we still don’t have an exact idea of what will happen, so everyone is busy going through old records or visiting the holy lands of different regions and continents. It will be a while before they can get all the data.”
He exhaled a sigh. “Well, nothing we can do about that.”
Yue Xian gently said, “You don’t need to worry about that calamity at your stage. Just keep improving steadily. If the sky falls, there will be giants to hold it up.”
He chuckled. “I don’t want to be sheltered; I want to become a giant big enough to overturn the skies.”