Chương 68: The Final Five Breaths—This Su Will Grind Them Out!

[Name: Tiger-Soul Fiend Saber] [Grade: Peak Third-Rank Mortal Weapon] [Equip Requirement: Fiend-Tiger God-Slaying Saber at Great Perfection] [Equipped Talents: Stacking Bone Aptitude, Stacking Saber Comprehension. Traits: Baleful Presence — Third Rank; Strength of One Tiger — Third Rank, additionally stacks the strength of one tiger.] [Special Gains: Key memories from Wang Shan's life; Wang Shan's martial insights.] Su Zhe removed the Blackwater Steel Fork from the Immortal Cauldron of Creation and equipped the Tiger-Soul Fiend Saber in its place. The next instant, Wang Shan's memories surged into him like a raging tide. From those memories, Su Zhe learned that Wang Shan and Wang Hai had been clansmen, cousins from the same family line. In their youth, they had suffered endless contempt and cold treatment. That all changed when Wang Shan, through a stroke of fortune, became an apprentice in the Blacksmith Gang.

Three years later, his bone aptitude was tested and revealed to be upper-grade Class B, earning him entry into the inner ranks. From that day on, Wang Shan had been full of pride and ambition, like a poor scholar who had suddenly passed the imperial examinations after a lifetime of failure. Later, he helped Wang Hai secure a position as a constable in the county office. As Wang Shan's cultivation rose, so did his status within the Army-Breaking Hall. Wang Hai's official career also became increasingly smooth.

The reason Su Zhe had been targeted by Wang Hai in the first place was precisely because Wang Shan had instructed him to do so. At the time, Sun Tiexin had been provoked by Su Zhe's progress and decided to enter seclusion, staking everything on one final attempt at Kindle Fire and Sever Gold. Although Su Zhe was Sun Tiexin's disciple, Sun Tiexin still regarded himself as the Hall Master of Artisan Heart Hall.

The person spoken of in the founding ancestor's legend had not been him, and that fact had left him quietly wounded. So Sun Tiexin had decided to make one last attempt. But not everyone was like Su Zhe, who possessed an endless supply of precious blood. After Sun Tiexin failed, he remained in the sealed chamber to recover his inner force. At Wang Shan's instruction, Wang Hai took advantage of that opening and came to arrest Su Zhe. Wang Hai also suspected that the Quartermaster's death was connected to Su Zhe.

After all, everything had been far too coincidental. The Quartermaster had ties to the old farmer outside the city, and Su Zhe had happened to buy farming tools from that same old man. The two brothers' interests aligned. As long as Sun Tiexin did not step forward, no one would be able to stop Wang Hai from taking Su Zhe away. Wang Hai was the County Lieutenant, commander of the county constables.

Once Su Zhe fell into County Lieutenant Wang's hands, saying he would have a nine-in-ten chance of death was putting it lightly. Even if he survived, he would be crippled. Unfortunately for them, Sun Tiexin emerged from seclusion and broke the trap. …

"They miscalculated there," Su Zhe murmured after seeing this part of Wang Shan's memories.

"Even if Master hadn't come out, with the strength I had back then, if I played every hidden card, Wang Hai still would have died."

"Of course, exposing that much would have been unwise."

"Luckily, Master acted as my shield that time." The only thing that surprised Su Zhe was County Lieutenant Wang's method. It seemed somewhat similar to the God-Invocation Art the Quartermaster had used, yet fundamentally different. When Su Zhe first faced that art, the Quartermaster had invited the Blood-Refining Divine Sovereign to descend. Su Zhe had felt as though he were facing a mortal threat, his body nearly unable to move.

But against County Lieutenant Wang, aside from a stabbing pain in his sea of consciousness, Su Zhe had not felt truly overwhelmed. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Strange. Could it be related to the Immortal Cauldron of Creation?"

"Unfortunately, ever since the Quartermaster used the invocation, that thing hasn't activated on its own again. This Su can't figure it out for now. I'll have to slowly peel back the layers in the future." The thought flashed through Su Zhe's mind. Some of the memories confirmed things Su Zhe already knew. For example, matters concerning Yu Yi, and the fact that Wang Shan had been trapped at the peak of Third Rank for many years. Over time, his mind had twisted and fallen into madness.

The reason he wanted to kill Su Zhe was simple. Although Li Shanyun had never explicitly stated whom Sword-Forging Manor would choose from the Blacksmith Gang, anyone with eyes could tell that Su Zhe's talent completely crushed Yu Yi's. If Wang Shan killed Su Zhe during this temporary gap, Sword-Forging Manor would have no other choice. They could only take Yu Yi in. … The memories continued to unfold. Wang Shan began plotting Su Zhe's murder. At just that time, the Blood-Refining Cult stirred up chaos.

Wang Shan secretly contacted the cult leader, and the two reached an agreement. Once the three great powers sent troops into the Wild Goose Mountains, the Blood-Refining Cult's disciples would repeatedly retreat, luring their enemies deeper into the trap. Wang Shan's role was to push for reckless pursuit, stirring up the others and urging them deeper into the Wild Goose Mountains. Once Lu County's experts were trapped, Wang Shan would immediately slip away.

In Wang Shan's final memories, the Blood-Refining Cult successfully lured Lu County's experts into an ambush. Deep within the Wild Goose Mountains stood a massive blood-red altar.

"What a vicious scheme," Su Zhe said coldly.

"Return to the gang alone to assassinate this Su, while in the Wild Goose Mountains, borrow the Blood-Refining Cult's hand to get rid of Old Sun."

"If the plan succeeded, I would die, Old Sun would die, and everything would be settled. Wang Shan could use Yu Yi to gain entry into Sword-Forging Manor."

"If I died but Old Sun survived, then Old Sun's lifelong wish—the Blacksmith Ancestor's inheritance—would force him and Wang Shan into a deadly confrontation sooner or later."

"His calculations were quick enough. Unfortunately for him, some people and some variables are always two feet beyond the eight he can measure." Su Zhe withdrew from Wang Shan's memories. The heart that had been hanging in his chest finally settled. The blood-red altar in the Wild Goose Mountains was the Blood-Refining Cult's headquarters. Although Lu County's experts had fallen into the trap, even a wrecked ship still had iron nails holding it together.

They were fighting with everything they had, so they would not be wiped out so easily. For now, the Blood-Refining Cult and Lu County's experts were locked in a stalemate. And that stalemate would not break anytime soon.

"Old Sun really is hard to kill." Su Zhe felt much more relieved. This time, the memories he had obtained from Wang Shan were extremely detailed. Previously, when Su Zhe obtained memories from Mad Shark and the others, he had only received scattered fragments of important moments. It seemed that as Su Zhe grew stronger, his ability to extract memories from weapons was also becoming more complete. Now that he knew Sun Tiexin's situation, he naturally had to find a way to save him.

Besides, Sun Tiexin still had the three drops of precious blood Su Zhe had given him. He should be safe for the time being.

"With my current strength, I'm already enough to sweep through Lu County."

"But the Blood-Refining Cult is far too mysterious. Even though I can influence the battle, it still doesn't feel stable."

"Since Old Sun won't be in danger for a short while, then I should…"

"Seize the time and complete Kindle Fire and Sever Gold!" Su Zhe's thoughts shifted, and his mind became firm. He had made his decision. Once he melted through the refined-gold shackle, there would be many benefits. First, the inner force in Su Zhe's body was already incomparably pure and growing stronger by the day. If he could endure for three hundred breaths and melt through the golden shackle, Su Zhe felt he could use that breakthrough to step straight into the high stage of Third Rank.

Second, the Blacksmith Ancestor had laid this scheme across a thousand years. The inheritance he left behind would naturally be heaven-defying. And finally, even if the Blacksmith Ancestor's inheritance proved useless for breaking the current deadlock, melting the golden shackle was still the requirement for equipping the Fire-Refining Furnace. The Fire-Refining Furnace was extraordinarily mysterious. Like the Forge-Casting Hammer, it was a sealed artifact.

Once Su Zhe could equip it, his own bone aptitude and talent would certainly improve by leaps and bounds. After stepping into the high stage of Third Rank, he might even be able to cultivate the Flood-Dragon Method to Great Accomplishment. … One day passed. Su Zhe slowly withdrew his palms. He could now endure for two hundred and ninety-five breaths. Going from two hundred and ninety breaths to two hundred and ninety-five in a single day was remarkable progress.

But from two hundred and ninety-five onward, even with an endless supply of precious blood, Su Zhe felt his progress almost come to a halt. The remaining effort would likely be a slow grind that took months. But… Sun Tiexin was trapped in the Wild Goose Mountains. He could not wait that long.

"I'm still short by five breaths. These last five breaths are like five separate heavens. Each one will be extremely difficult to gain."

"However, after being nourished by precious blood all this time, the Forge-Casting Hammer seems to have reacted."

"This was also something once used by the ancestor, just like the Fire-Refining Furnace. Perhaps if this hammer advances into Fourth Rank, it will help." Su Zhe took out the Forge-Casting Hammer. The Forge-Casting Hammer was a peak Third-Rank Mortal Weapon, but it remained in a sealed state. By using precious blood, he could gradually restore its power and undo the seal. Ever since Su Zhe obtained it, he had dripped precious blood onto it every day for it to absorb.

On the hammer's black surface, countless profound golden patterns shimmered and coiled. Upon closer inspection, however, those patterns were visibly broken in several places. As drops of precious blood fell onto them, the broken lines gradually began to reconnect. Now, they were almost complete. Su Zhe had remained in the sealed chamber for roughly half a month. Using the Fire-Refining Furnace to train every day, he had grown increasingly familiar with it.

From Su Zhe's perspective as a weaponsmith, the Forge-Casting Hammer and the Fire-Refining Furnace shared many similar artifact runes. The two were clearly connected in some way. There might truly be hope of breaking the deadlock here. Drip. As Su Zhe dropped three more drops of precious blood onto the hammer, one of its golden patterns finally connected from end to end. A burst of treasure-light erupted, dazzling and brilliant. The hammer trembled softly, as though the Way of the Forge itself had begun to sing.