The forge roared for two full days.Kai barely left the basin, his muscles screaming from the constant hammering, his mind locked in a trance. Every strike of the hammer against glowing metal echoed like thunder, filling the chamber with sparks that are like the burning stars before vanishing into smoke. Sweat soaked his body, dripping into the molten heat, hissing as it evaporated instantly.He had expected forging to be simple, hit the metal, shape it, repeat but he quickly realized how wrong he was. Every time he thought the halberd was ready, the metal cracked, bent, or revealed hidden flaws. And every time, he shattered it again, folding it back into the molten glow, reforging from the ground up.Break. Reforge. Break. Reforge.It wasn’t just a weapon. It was a battle of will.Zora’s mocking voice rang in his head from days before “Don’t rely on your brawn for everything, Kai. Forge with your head, not just your arms.”So he listened. With each blow, he didn’t just hammer metal,

The moment Kai stepped into the ring, the noise in the combat hall rose high. Whispers rippled through the crowd, some filled with awe, others thick with contempt. To them, this wasn’t just a spar, it was a spectacle. After all, this was the boy the Grand Elder himself had chosen.Standing across from him was his opponent, a tall young man with sharp features, his chin tilted proudly upward as though the entire sect revolved around him. His steps were light but deliberate, and the way he looked at Kai carried no respect at all, only disdain.The young man clasped his hands behind his back, his voice loud enough to cut through the murmurs. “My name is Lin,” he said arrogantly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Let’s not waste each other’s time. I’ve been waiting for this fight. I want to see if you are truly worthy of the favor you’ve been basking in or if all you have was handed to you by luck.”The declaration earned a few cheers from the crowd and some mocking chuckles dir

A week had crawled by again, and Kai finally emerged from the blazing depths of the Lavare Region. His black robe clung to his sweat-drenched skin, though his face looked calm, his eyes sharper than before. The heat that once felt like molten knives cutting into his flesh now sat on his skin like a heavy blanket. Still oppressive, still burning but not unbearable.This time, he had forced himself deeper into the endless rivers of lava, where the temperature was so intense that even spirit-severing disciples dared not linger. Down there, the pressure was crushing, and the heat drilled through every inch of his bones, threatening to turn them into ash again. Yet, Kai endured. His skeleton, reforged countless times, gleamed brighter than before.When he finally dragged himself out, his body reformed at lightning speed, muscle and flesh crawling back over his frame as if sculpted by invisible hands. His bones glowed faintly golden, the light pulsating under his skin but despite the progre

The moment they reached the outskirts of the Black Forest, a heavy wind howled through the trees, carrying the thick scent of damp moss and blood. The mist was so dense it curled around their legs. The disciples stopped at the edge of the tree line, where Senior Brother Yun Fei gave final instructions, his tone sharp and commanding.“Each team will take a separate route,” he said. “Don’t engage a group of beasts alone unless absolutely necessary. And remember, kill only what you can handle. Don’t get reckless.”He looked directly at Wei when he said that last part, and Wei just smirked, brushing invisible dust off his shoulder.The teams split off one after another, their movements barely disturbing the tall grass. The silence that followed was eerie.Kai’s group, Darius, Liang, Abigail, and himself took the left path leading into a narrower part of the forest. The deeper they went, the thicker the energy became. Every breath carried a faint metallic taste of spirit Qi. It prickled th

Seeing the beast’s body twist and swell with that black, violent aura, Darius’s instincts kicked in immediately. He took one step forward, sword half-drawn, his voice hard. “Kai, step back! It’s gone berserk, that thing’s power just doubled, this isn’t something you can tank head-on!”But Kai didn’t budge. His golden eyes narrowed, muscles tensing beneath his robe as the air around him shimmered faintly from his rising energy. “I can handle it,” he said calmly, voice cutting through the roaring wind.Before Darius could argue again, Kai raised his hand, and the air around him distorted.From the center of his chest, golden lines pulsed outward like veins of molten metal, crawling up his arm until a flash of light exploded in front of him. A massive halberd materialized out of nothing, its black shaft etched with faint golden runes, its curved blade glowing as if it were alive and breathing.The sheer presence of the weapon sent waves through the ground, and everyone, even the rampagin