Monster Beast Assaults

His first artifact-forging failure did not dampen Zhou Yang's enthusiasm, because he had never imagined that he would succeed on his first attempt.

If artifact forging were so easy to master, Artifact Forgers would not have become the most sought-after profession in the Cultivation World.

No Artifact Forger, not even the most gifted kind, could possibly succeed the first time they forged an artifact.

Most Artifact Forgers had a bit of talent for artifact forging, then forcibly piled up their Artifact Forging Art through countless materials.

Thus, among those Rogue Cultivators in the Cultivation World who had neither sect nor Lineage, Artifact Forgers and alchemists were rarely seen, because they simply could not afford the materials wasted in learning these two crafts.

Even a Foundation Establishment Family like the Zhou family, which had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, found it very difficult to raise a truly profitable Second-Rank Artifact Forger. They had to select talented descendants and invest heavily in them.

Before Zhou Yang, quite a few Zhou family cultivators of the "Xuan" generation had studied artifact forging, but only his Seventh Uncle, Zhou Xuanlin, had barely advanced to become a Second-Rank Artifact Forger. Even that had required Zhou Minghan, a Third-Rank Artifact Forger, to teach him hand in hand, along with materials worth several thousand spirit stones being poured into him.

However, the limit for a Qi Refining Cultivator was a Second-Rank Artifact Forger. To become a Third-Rank Artifact Forger, one first had to become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Therefore, when Zhou Minghan said that he hoped Zhou Yang could inherit his Artifact Forging Art, what he truly meant was that he hoped Zhou Yang could Achieve Foundation Establishment.

As long as he could Achieve Foundation Establishment and show even a trace of artifact-forging talent, Zhou Minghan was confident that he could smash spirit stones into him until he became a Third-Rank Artifact Forger!

Naturally, Zhou Yang knew nothing of this. He merely felt that artifact-forging materials were hard to come by and that wasting them would be a pity. Therefore, after failing, he did not rush into another attempt. Instead, he cleaned up the waste inside the cauldron and carefully reviewed the lessons of his failure.

Only after he felt somewhat confident did he begin another attempt.

Failure, reflection, then failure again, then reflection again...

After seventeen failures, Zhou Yang finally succeeded in forging a finished Azure Edge Sword, officially becoming a First-Rank Artifact Forger.

With the experience of his first success, Zhou Yang's success rate in later artifact forging improved considerably. Basically, he could succeed once every ten attempts.

After more than a hundred attempts, when he had brought his success rate up to two in ten, he stopped forging First-Rank Artifacts like the Azure Edge Sword and switched to forging another First-Rank Artifact, the Flame Blade.

The main material for the First-Rank Artifact Flame Blade was likewise fine iron, but it also required two-tenths Fire Attribute Spirit Metal Vermilion Copper. Once the artifact was completed, an Innate Realm Cultivator could hold it and inject Xiantian True Qi to ignite flames along the blade, inflicting burning damage upon enemies. It could also deal with certain ghostly creatures that could not be harmed by purely physical attacks.

The forging process for the Flame Blade was broadly the same as that of the Azure Edge Sword. The difference was that the restriction arranged inside the blade was not one of sharpness, but a blazing-flame restriction.

Although Zhou Yang had successfully forged Azure Edge Swords before, his first attempt at forging a Flame Blade still ended in failure.

However, after reviewing the reasons for his failure, he luckily succeeded on his second try. Then, after several dozen more attempts, he successfully raised the Flame Blade's forging success rate above twenty percent as well.

At this point, plenty of the basic artifact-forging materials the Old Clan Leader had given him remained. Yet he did not continue forging. Instead, he handed the finished artifacts he had forged, the artifact-forging insights he had compiled, and letters written to his parents to Zhou Qi, a Family Cultivator of his generation who had come to collect the fine iron ore output. He asked him to bring them back to the Lineage for the Old Clan Leader and forward the letters to his parents far away.

Zhou Qi ranked third among the Zhou family's "Yuan" generation. Both his parents were ordinary mortals, and he was already thirty-two this year. However, because his spiritual root aptitude was merely low-grade, his cultivation had only barely reached the Third Level of Qi Refining. He had no hope of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime.

Upon hearing that Zhou Yang had become a First-Rank Artifact Forger, he was first stunned, then gladly accepted the items and nodded vigorously. "Rest assured, Ninth Brother. I'll definitely deliver these things and letters to the Old Clan Leader, Uncle, and Aunt."

After speaking, he paused, then earnestly advised him with great concern, "But you must cultivate diligently as well. Don't put all your energy into artifact forging. You are the hope of our entire Zhou family. The elders of the clan, along with all us brothers and sisters, are counting on you to Achieve Foundation Establishment and lead the Zhou family onward!"

"Third Brother is right. I will cultivate diligently and never disappoint the elders!" Zhou Yang nodded, answering with a solemn expression.

"As long as you understand, I'll be going now."

After seeing his cousin Zhou Qi off, Zhou Yang manipulated the formation to restore it to its original state, then closed his door and began reading the long letter his parents had entrusted his cousin to bring him.

In his early years, Zhou Yang's father, Zhou Xuanhao, had devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation. Only after passing sixty and realizing that Foundation Establishment was beyond his reach did he heed the family elders' advice and marry and have children.

As it happened, Zhou Yang's mother, Lin Yuting, was being hunted by enemies at the time. She fled to the vicinity of Jade Spring Lake Oasis, where Zhou Xuanhao saved her. The two thus formed a bond and became husband and wife, and a few years later, they had Zhou Yang.

Since both of them were cultivators, their first child had luckily been found to possess a medium-grade spiritual root. From then on, Zhou Yang became the apple of their eyes. They held him in their palms for fear he would break and kept him in their mouths for fear he would melt, treasuring him beyond measure.

It was precisely because of his parents' meticulous and all-encompassing love from childhood that Zhou Yang, a transmigrator with twenty or thirty years of memories from his past life, gradually let go of everything from that life. From the bottom of his heart, he accepted and acknowledged his parents in this life, as well as the entire Zhou family.

And in order to let their son travel farther on the path of cultivation than they had, Zhou Xuanhao and Lin Yuting had no more children thereafter. They devoted all their energy to earning spirit stones and caring for Zhou Yang.

Later, after discovering that Zhou Yang possessed the gift of precocious wisdom and could take care of himself, the couple entrusted him to the family elders' care. They then spent all year stationed at a shop the Lineage operated in a cultivator market, using their mastery of alchemy and brewing to earn spirit stones for the Lineage and their son.

As someone who had been through it all, Zhou Yang understood Zhou Xuanhao and Lin Yuting's thoughts very well.

It was like how his parents in his past life had left their hometown at a young age to work in the city so they could support his schooling. Everything Zhou Xuanhao and Lin Yuting did now was likewise for his future Foundation Establishment, so that he could travel farther along the road of cultivation.

Thus, he had never resented being unable to see his parents for years at a time. Instead, every year, he wrote many letters and asked family elders to deliver them to his parents, telling them about the ordinary events of his life. He knew that these seemingly mundane and boring matters were precisely what his parents most wished to see.

"Yang'er, Qingping Mountain lies far from the Lineage. Whenever you encounter a matter, you must think thrice before acting. Above all else, protect yourself..."

"Son, business at Mother's tavern has been getting better and better lately. It was all driven by the idea you gave me last time. My son truly is a genius! In the future, you will definitely become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—no, you will definitely become a Golden Core ancestor!"

Zhou Yang read the letters his parents had written to him word by word, his face filled with a heartfelt smile. A simple letter from his parents encouraged him far more than a thousand words from anyone else.

Only after finishing the entire letter did he carefully put the paper away and mutter softly, "Two more years. Once I finish these remaining two years of garrison duty, I'll return to the Lineage and prepare to break through to Qi Refining Layer Seven. As long as I break through to Qi Refining Layer Seven and enter Late Qi Cultivation, I'll apply to the Old Clan Leader to be stationed at the market. Then our family can finally reunite!"

Meanwhile, once Zhou Qi returned to the Lineage with the artifacts and insights Zhou Yang had forged and submitted them to the Old Clan Leader, they immediately drew Zhou Minghan's close attention.

He personally inspected each artifact Zhou Yang had forged, pointed out their shortcomings and offered suggestions for improvement. He also answered every question Zhou Yang had recorded in his artifact-forging notes. Then he had a family elder of the "Guang" generation personally make the trip, delivering higher-grade artifact-forging materials and artifact-forging insights to Zhou Yang.

"Hahaha, Little Nine, you've truly done us proud! In all my hundred-odd years, this is the first time I've seen the Old Clan Leader so delighted and place such importance on a junior. Your title as the Zhou Family Prodigy has now spread throughout the clan. Even the family members in the mortal world are discussing your deeds!"

The elder of the Zhou family's "Guang" generation responsible for delivering these things was named Zhou Quan. He ranked third among his peers and was the Second Elder among the Zhou family's eight elders.

The old man was already one hundred and twelve years old, very close to the lifespan limit of a Qi Refining Cultivator. If Zhou Minghan had not personally ordered him by name to make this trip, no one in the Lineage would have dared disturb this old man who was on the verge of passing away.

"Third Grandfather, having you make this trip has truly burdened you. This grandnephew is deeply ashamed, deeply ashamed!"

As Zhou Yang watched the old man smile so broadly that air leaked through his mouth, he felt moved, yet could not help sighing inwardly.

He knew that if the Late Qi Cultivation cultivators in the Lineage had not each been occupied with their own duties, the Old Clan Leader would never have sent Zhou Quan, an old man on the verge of passing away, on this trip.

Zhou Quan's arrival not only showed how highly the Old Clan Leader and the Lineage valued him, but also exposed the Lineage's shortage of available manpower.

"Hehehe, this old man is old. Even if I pass away tomorrow, it makes no difference. To see such an outstanding junior as you appear in the Lineage before I pass away, I could die without regrets!"

Old Zhou Quan chuckled merrily, gently patting Zhou Yang's shoulder to show his affection. He had long since come to see life and death lightly.

Yet despite saying so, the very next moment, he could not help showing a regretful expression and sighing. "What a pity, what a pity! This old man will not live to see the day you Achieve Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, when I descend to the Yellow Springs after death, I would have the face to meet Ancestor Yuquan!"

Zhou Yang fell silent, his mood growing heavy as well.

Over the past century or so, generation after generation of Zhou family cultivators had been stuck at the threshold of Foundation Establishment. As a result, old men like Zhou Quan had developed a deep obsession. Their only obsession was to see another Foundation Establishment Cultivator emerge in the Zhou family during their lifetimes, one who could succeed the Old Clan Leader in protecting the Lineage.

His father, Zhou Xuanhao, actually harbored the same obsession. Otherwise, he would not have exhausted every effort to earn spirit stones outside and prepare for Zhou Yang's future Foundation Establishment.

Just as Zhou Yang was considering how to break this heavy atmosphere, a streak of fire suddenly passed through the sea of clouds outside Qingping Mountain and landed before him. From within came the utterly panicked voice of the Zhou family steward at the fine iron mine outside. "Immortal Master, save us! A powerful monster beast is attacking the mine!"

Two updates today. Every chapter of this book is three thousand words long—Little Zi is utterly sincere! I hope readers who enjoy this book and this kind of novel will add it to their collections and help cast recommendation votes every day. It would be even better if you joined the new book investment group. A young seedling needs diligent watering to grow strong; every recommendation vote, every book review, and every reward from you readers is nourishment and motivation for this book's growth. Love Little Zi a little more, please! (shy)