Diligent Study and Forging

Blazing Flame Mountain.

The Golden Void Palace of the Golden Void lineage was located within Blazing Flame Mountain, to the west of Mount Hua. This was Bai Yujun's first time visiting the Golden Void Palace.

While the palaces of other lineages were situated atop the mountain amidst ethereal immortal energy, the Golden Void lineage did the opposite. Their palace was located at the foot of the mountain, a striking crimson metal structure standing proudly. Behind it lay a volcano that had been dormant for many years. Bai Yujun could tell from the strong sulfurous scent in the air that the mountain's base was definitely filled with molten lava. In fact, it was true; a massive cave behind the palace led directly into the mountain's core, where a vast space housed a pool of churning lava.

Unlike Qingxu Palace, which only had three people and a snake, the Golden Void Palace had numerous disciples, with over a dozen guarding the entrance.

Upon seeing the jade pendant on Bai Yujun's waist, the disciples didn't stop her. They merely stole glances when no one was looking. They were all young men full of vigor, and the Golden Void lineage was almost entirely male. Naturally, they were excited to see a beautiful woman. It was understandable; the Golden Void lineage focused on forging, spending their days hammering away. What girl would come to forge? Moreover, Gu Cangyu, the peak master of the Golden Void lineage, would never recruit female disciples. Today, Bai Yujun certainly drew a lot of attention.

After entering the Golden Void Palace's main hall, she paid respects to the statue within and then found the steward to register and state her purpose.

"You want to... learn forging?"

The steward disciple was somewhat surprised. In all his years, he had never seen a girl learn forging, let alone a snake spirit.

Bai Yujun nodded.

"Alright, you'll start from the basics. Go to the warehouse first and help organize the metal supplies."

The Golden Void lineage had a particular fondness for metal; even their identification tokens were made of some kind of metal, whereas other lineages used jade tokens. Taking the identification token, she followed the steward disciple towards the back of the mountain.

She had deliberately worn a fitted outfit today. Skirts were unsuitable for work, and her waist-length hair was tied back to prevent it from getting in the way.

The reason she came to the Golden Void Palace was to get a good weapon. The sword Chu Zhe had given her was indeed excellent, made from top-tier materials with superb forging techniques. The problem was that Bai Yujun wasn't suited to using a sword and didn't dare to carry such a high-grade flying sword around every day. Possessing a treasure without the means to protect it was a crime; carrying such a fine flying sword was like a child walking down the street with gold in their arms – they might not even know how they died.

She wanted to learn forging to craft her own weapons. Actually, if she had asked directly, they might have given her one out of consideration for Yu Rong. However, Bai Yujun was thinking long-term. Instead of asking for help every time she needed a new weapon, it was better to learn forging herself. If, one day, she, this snake spirit, were driven down the mountain, she would at least have a way to make a living and not starve to death.

Before long, a working girl appeared in the Golden Void Palace, carrying a box that two people would normally need to lift.

For the first month, Bai Yujun spent her days tirelessly sorting and identifying metal ores, delivering them to the forging disciples according to the manifest.

Utilizing the heightened senses of snakes, Bai Yujun quickly learned to recognize most metals. She memorized the properties of each metal through rote learning, her rapid progress astonishing the steward.

In the second month, she began assisting the forging disciples within the mountain's core. When they got tired, she quickly handed them spring water; when they needed metal replaced, she delivered it immediately. She endured the suppression of the earth's fire on spirits, diligently working.

The scorching lava within the mountain illuminated the cave. Sunlight rarely penetrated the circular crater at the summit, so the interior relied entirely on the earth's fire for light.

Gu Cangyu, the peak master of the Golden Void Palace, stood at a high vantage point, looking at the busy white figure and nodding.

Gu Cangyu was built like a bear, his poetic name easily leading to misconceptions. Rumor had it that he was all muscle and no brain. He always carried a massive sword on his back, the size of a door panel and a fist thick. The sword was unsharpened, more like a rectangular block of metal, covered in ancient bronze patterns, its weight unimaginable.

"Very good. Tomorrow, I'll teach her forging," Gu Cangyu said calmly.

Without waiting for the surprised disciples, he picked up his hammer and began to forge. He rarely meditated or left his chambers, considering his daily hammering as a form of cultivation.

The next day, the White Snake arrived beside Gu Cangyu to learn forging.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the hammer fell. Gu Cangyu's solid, dark muscles rippled with boundless strength as he effortlessly lifted the hammer and began forging a semi-finished sword.

The entire mountain core was filled with bare-chested, muscular men. Bai Yujun, however, was completely covered, wearing a white fitted outfit.

Hiss~ The sword was plunged into water.

"There are countless ways to cultivate. The Three Thousand Great Daos all lead to the same destination in the end. Forging can also improve one's cultivation. Although the Golden Void lineage hammers iron every day, their combat power is not low. Remember, do everything with seriousness. Serious effort leads to success."

The Golden Void lineage's combat power was indeed formidable. Perhaps influenced by their peak master, most disciples used greatswords, and their tempers were like erupting lava, making others retreat.

Gu Cangyu was diligently teaching Bai Yujun forging.

He didn't care about identity or family background. As long as one had strong forging skills and a passion for hammering, they would receive his careful guidance.

He put down his hammer and looked at Bai Yujun.

"Your turn."

Bai Yujun nodded, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her slender jade arms, picked up a metal piece glowing red from the earth fire with tongs, placed it on the anvil, and swung a small hammer with all her might...

Clang... Clang... Clang!

Sparks flew with every strike. The hammer, made of an unknown metal, was incredibly heavy, requiring great effort with each blow.

People knew that mountain beasts feared fire the most, and the White Snake also feared fire. However, she feared death even more. This little snake spirit was diligently practicing so that she could forge her own weapons in the future, without having to rely on others, and live a better life. Forging was a human specialty; as a demon, she couldn't always ask for help.

Before long, she was covered in sweat. The only advantage of transforming into human form was the convenience of sweating to dissipate heat.

Sweat dripped down her cheeks and hair. She casually wiped it away with her sleeve and continued hammering. Her current skill wasn't enough to forge a sword; her task was to practice forging iron.

Gu Cangyu felt both pleased and annoyed. He was pleased that a demonic beast had come to learn from him, but annoyed that many disciples had accidentally cut their fingers while hammering recently. All those brats were absentmindedly staring at the snake spirit beauty, thinking their daily cultivation tasks were too easy.

Time passed day by day...

It was already snowing outside the cave.

Since transforming, Bai Yujun no longer needed to hibernate during the cold seasons, but she still felt sluggish and listless. Only by entering Blazing Flame Mountain and facing the high temperatures could Bai Yujun regain her vitality.

Her daily activities changed again. In the early morning, she would practice Swallowing Clouds and Exhaling Mist, then go to Lingxu Palace to consume failed pills and medicinal dregs, followed by coming to Blazing Flame Mountain to learn forging. Bai Yujun had no talent for forging; she could only study diligently and practice hard. During festivals, many disciples would take time off to go out and play, but Bai Yujun would be there, practicing hammering a small knife. On New Year's Eve, amidst the brilliant fireworks and excited crowds, Bai Yujun was still relentlessly swinging her hammer.

Months of diligent practice not only allowed her to master basic forging techniques but also significantly improved her cultivation. Gu Cangyu hadn't lied; circulating spiritual energy while forging had an effect as significant as meditation.

In the quiet of the night, that solitary white figure within the core of Blazing Flame Mountain stubbornly swung her hammer...

Winter turned to spring.

With a clap of thunder, all things awakened. Within the mountain's core, Bai Yujun, covered in sweat, was relentlessly forging a Hengdao.

The Hengdao was ninety centimeters long and two fingers wide. The blade was straight, with a standard beveled tip. As Bai Yujun forged it, she had a sudden inspiration and plucked a few snake scales from her arm, mixing them into the metal, making the entire blade white. She successfully forged a light weapon.

Since there were light weapons, there must be heavy weapons. She prepared a large amount of materials to continue forging. The materials were ordinary; she wouldn't be given good materials as a snake.