After leaving Black Mountain City, Li Yuan did not follow the main road. Though flat, it was crowded and exposed. Instead, he chose a smaller, quieter path that wound along the mountainside and offered a shorter route. Withered grass and jagged rocks lined the way, while in the distance stretched the deep, dark-green foothills of Black Mountain Forest.
The winter sun in the afternoon gave off little warmth. It shone lazily on him but could not dispel the chill brought by the mountain wind. Li Yuan's pace was steady and unhurried, each step sure. His figure never wavered on the rugged mountain path. The Dark Crimson Gold Crimson Sun within him revolved slowly, his qi and blood dense and heavy. He felt no cold as he walked; instead, a pleasant warmth suffused him, as if he carried a little furnace inside.
As he walked, he sorted through the profound principles of the Crimson Sun True Scripture in his mind. This ancient cultivation art, obtained from the ruins, was profound and vast, far beyond what he could fully comprehend at present. Its discussion of "smelting" was especially in line with his own unorthodox methods, yet far more systematic and infinitely more sophisticated. It was not limited to smelting energy; one could smelt all techniques, smelt oneself, treating the body as a rough billet and repeatedly hammering it into shape with qi and blood as the fire and every kind of energy as the hammer, removing impurities and preserving the essence until an peerless battle body was forged.
"Smelting all techniques to forge one's own path..." he murmured, the crimson-gold light in his eyes flickering faintly. This path would undoubtedly be arduous, filled with unknowns and dangers, but if he could see it through, its prospects would surely far surpass those of