Giant Boulder Tunnels, Ninth Layer Iron Shirt

A breeze drifted through the window, setting the curtains swaying.

Aunt Lan sat meekly to one side of the hall, silent.

The squinting old woman sat in the seat of honor in the inner hall, looking kindly at them. The freckled girl and Zheng Hao appeared rather uneasy, while Chu He lowered his head, unwilling to meet the old woman's eyes lest she see through his thoughts.

"Don't be nervous. I only wanted to take a look at you three little ones. From now on, you may call me Granny Nie."

Zheng Hao's heart stirred. He cupped his hands and bowed, asking respectfully, "Granny Nie, about that portrait burning itself..."

"I'm not so old that my eyes have gone dim to that extent." Granny Nie smiled faintly and explained, "I can naturally tell right from wrong. You needn't worry about this matter. Put your minds at ease."

Upon hearing this, they all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Chu He, Zheng Hao, Liu Qingqing." Granny Nie leaned forward slightly and called each of them by name. "Since the incident arose so suddenly, the third trial naturally cannot count. As for whether you three completed the assessment..."

Her voice paused.

Their gazes could not help gathering on Granny Nie once more.

A smile spread across Granny Nie's kindly face, making her inexplicably approachable. "I have roughly conferred with several examiners. All three of you meet the Armor Forging Hall's admission standards, so I will make an exception and allow all three of you to join the Armor Forging Hall. Starting tomorrow, you will begin as apprentices."

Zheng Hao was overjoyed, and the weight hanging over his heart finally fell away.

"Thank you, Granny Nie."

Chu He also stepped forward and bowed, offering his sincere thanks.

Even Liu Qingqing, who rarely spoke, hurriedly followed suit.

"Next, let Little Lan take you around the area so you can familiarize yourselves with the surroundings. She'll also give you what you are due."

Aunt Lan rose to her feet and bowed with her head lowered.

"Yes, Hall Master!"

She then turned and smiled at the three of them.

"Let's go. I'll show you around first, then we'll head to the storeroom to collect your tokens and some other items."

The three naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

Only after everyone had disappeared did Granny Nie's smile fade.

She sat in her chair with narrowed eyes, deep in thought. Time seemed to freeze. Only after a long while did she let out a heavy breath, her expression unreadable.

"Is that rumor true after all?"

"Do these three truly possess the qualifications to inherit that thing?"

"Or... sigh..."

A long, lingering sigh wound through the inner hall.

It did not dissipate for a long time...

The Armor Forging Hall lay in the southwestern part of Black River Town, closest to that mysterious giant boulder. Several tunnels had been carved beneath the boulder, while the surrounding area was blessed with abundant mines. Moreover, nearly all the blacksmith shops in this region were secretly overseen and quietly managed by the Armor Forging Hall.

The Armor Forging Hall itself was not large. Apart from the main gate, plaza, and final reception hall that Chu He and the others had passed through during their test,

beyond that lay the inner hall for private discussions.

Yet this was merely the tip of the Armor Forging Hall's iceberg. Deeper within was the hall's crucial core area—the artifact-forging district. Rows of neatly planned courtyards lined both sides of the artifact-forging district, where everyone in the hall usually lived.

If one continued farther inward, one would arrive directly before the mysterious giant boulder, where a mining tunnel had been carved straight into its interior.

Aunt Lan led Chu He and the others on a rough tour of the Armor Forging Hall, focusing mainly on the artifact-forging district and the residential courtyards. As for places like the tunnels behind the mountain, those were not somewhere they could go for the time being.

Standing before the storeroom gates, Chu He rubbed the exquisite token in his hand and looked down at it.

Armor Forging Hall!

Three grand characters, written with dragons and serpents in flight, were engraved upon it.

"Once you drip blood onto this token, you absolutely must not lose it." Aunt Lan repeatedly warned them. "From now on, whether you wish to enter the artifact-forging district to forge artifacts or go into the mining tunnels behind the mountain to search for ore, you will need this token to enter."

"Why would we need to enter the tunnels behind the mountain? Are we supposed to mine too?"

Chu He was puzzled. He had come here only for martial arts manuals. If he had to waste time mining, that would absolutely not do.

"No. You must select the materials needed for artifact forging yourselves. The mining tunnels behind the mountain are merely a place for you to choose materials, not a place for you to mine." Hearing Chu He's question, Aunt Lan did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"If you want to forge a fine soul artifact, learning to select materials is a required course."

Aunt Lan walked out of the storeroom as she spoke. "However, if you wish to forge soul artifacts, you must reach the Furnace Realm first. For you, that is still far too early. You can make full use of this opportunity to properly learn forging, while also training your eye, in preparation for forging soul artifacts later."

Hearing this unfamiliar term, Chu He was suddenly dumbfounded.

Soul artifacts... what were those?

He turned to glance at the other two, who both looked entirely calm.

They had clearly heard of, or even understood, soul artifacts long ago.

Chu He silently noted this and followed behind the others.

Along the way, Aunt Lan acted like a teacher, introducing the Armor Forging Hall's history and explaining knowledge related to artifact forging.

The more Chu He listened from behind, the more confused he became. It was like listening to a heavenly scripture, while the other two nodded from time to time in deep agreement.

When they reached the boundary between the tunnels behind the mountain and the artifact-forging district, there stood an old pavilion. The plaque before it looked ready to fall, cobwebs filled the corners, and dust had piled up in a thick layer.

"This is our library. Inside are many books on our predecessors' artifact-forging experiences, as well as books on other subjects."

As Aunt Lan introduced it, a trace of embarrassment appeared on her gentle face. "However, artifact forging mainly relies on practice. Other people's theories may not be of much use to you, so consider it yourselves."

"Are there martial arts manuals here?"

At last, a topic Chu He was interested in.

"There are some, but most are incomplete volumes. There are basically no martial arts above the third layer, so there is no need to practice them."

As she spoke, Aunt Lan took three black manuals from the small pouch at her waist and handed them to the group. "This is our sect's foundational martial art, Iron Shirt. You may try cultivating it and see whether you can get started."

Liu Qingqing accepted Iron Shirt, delight flashing in her eyes. She carefully asked, "I heard that the fourth layer of Iron Shirt can alter one's muscles and bones. Aunt Lan, is... is that true?"

"Of course."

Aunt Lan seemed to like Liu Qingqing. She stroked her head and smiled. "I can guarantee that it can alter your muscles and bones, because that is how I became what I am."

Chu He glanced at Aunt Lan's full figure, then at Liu Qingqing's body, which was even sturdier than his own, before looking at Zheng Hao.

Zheng Hao seemed to sense something, and their eyes happened to meet.

Then they both casually looked away.

"I heard my father say that Iron Shirt has a ninth layer. Is that true?" Zheng Hao seemed to recall something and suddenly asked.

"Your father is rather well informed..."

Aunt Lan said meaningfully.

"Yes, Iron Shirt does have a ninth layer, which can lead directly to the Spirit Fusion Realm. There is even a tenth layer, but basically no one can reach it..."