Night was as dark as ink, swallowing the secluded corner of the Armament Department whole. Inside Warehouse No. Jia-3, it was so pitch-black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Only a few bleak rays of starlight slipped through the narrow vent high above, barely outlining the twisted, grotesque shapes of the mountains of discarded weapons and armor.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged in a small patch of cleared floor at the center of the warehouse. His aura was still, blending into the surrounding darkness. He hadn't lit a lamp; in a place like this, any unnecessary light might attract unwanted attention.
His awareness, however, had already spread silently like the most sensitive of feelers, entering into a wordless exchange with this "Armament Fiend Repository," which had lain dormant for who knew how many years.
The delight of his first attempt at smelting Soldier Fiend Energy during the day had settled, replaced by a calm, focused curiosity. He was no longer satisfied with merely dipping his toes in. He intended to delve deep into this "treasure trove" and systematically draw upon its power.
Following the method for tempering sinew and bone in the Crimson Sun True Scripture, he first set his sights on the relatively intact pieces of armor with less rust. These plates had once protected warriors at close range, enduring more nourishment from their qi and blood, as well as more shocks and impacts. The Soldier Fiend Energy that had settled into them was often weightier and more concentrated, making them suitable for an initial tempering.
He reached out and lightly touched a dark, dull breastplate fragment half buried beneath the debris. As his fingertip met its cold, rough surface, a thread of Dark Crimson Gold-colored qi and blood—like a living line of fire—silently seeped inside.