Forging Technique

In the training room on the villa's basement level.

Mo Xie sat cross-legged in the center and closed his eyes. His Divine Sense swiftly entered a dark expanse of space.

In his Spiritual World, only three clusters of stardust—purple, red, and blue—shone with dazzling light.

Seven stars circled each cluster without pause.

Of the three, the Lightning Element stardust held the most magic energy, followed by the Fire Element and Ice Element stardust.

As he meditated, a trace of magic energy flowed into the stardust every moment, becoming part of it and gradually making it grow.

Each trace was small, but little by little, it added up.

Cultivation was simple in one respect: it came down to talent. The better one's magical talent, the faster one cultivated and the better the results.

Another way was to use a magic tool that sped up cultivation, such as a Stardust Magic Tool or a Nebula Magic Tool.

But those options were available only to some. If you were an ordinary person with average talent and no cultivation resources...

Then, unfortunately, you could only climb upward through your own painstaking effort.

An ordinary Beginner Magic mage could meditate for two hours and spend one hour controlling stars.

At the Intermediate Level, a mage awakened a new element and had one more to cultivate. Meditation time rose from two hours to four, while time spent controlling stars rose from one hour to two. The pattern continued at higher levels.

Mo Xie, however, was an exception. He had awakened three elements while still at the Beginner Level.

That meant he could meditate for six hours and spend three hours controlling stars at the Beginner Level: nine hours in total.

Once he broke through to the Intermediate Level and awakened three more elements, meditation and star control would take a full eighteen hours.

At higher levels, Mo Xie even thought he might not need to sleep at all. If he cultivated around the clock, using cultivation in place of sleep, that alone would put him far ahead of his peers.

Mo Xie also had the Qilin Pendant. Even though it was only Mortal Level, its acceleration effect was real.

Mo Xie had both talent and a magic tool. As long as he made it safely through the Beginner and Intermediate Levels, he was confident he could keep all nine of his elements on track at higher levels and remain well ahead of his peers overall.

After an unknown length of time, Mo Xie slowly opened his eyes. A flash of lightning flickered through them and vanished.

"Zero, how long did I cultivate?"

Mo Xie asked the empty training room.

[Four hours and twenty minutes.]

Zero's distinctive, mature voice sounded beside his ear.

"Is that so? Then it's time to prepare dinner."

Mo Xie leaned back, folded his hands behind his head, and quietly gazed at the metal ceiling.

After several minutes of silence, he suddenly spoke.

"Zero, is there any other way to get stronger?"

Mo Xie practiced with his blade in the morning and spent the rest of his time meditating and controlling stars. But it wasn't enough. He was nowhere near meeting his own expectations.

Summer break lasted more than two months. He couldn't let all that time go to waste.

After a second of silence, Zero asked him a question.

[Yes. Have you heard of the Forging Technique?]

"The Forging Technique?!"

Of course Mo Xie had heard of it. Mages could pursue many professions, but forgers, formation masters, and pharmacists were the most prized.

An excellent forger, for example, could make high-quality magical equipment and tools, supplying everything they needed themselves.

Using the simplest materials to make the best equipment and tools—and taking the greatest profit—that was what a forger did.

A forger needed to meet two magical conditions: they had to have awakened either the Lightning Element or the Fire Element. Having both was ideal.

Mo Xie happened to have both, so he met the requirements.

"But can I really learn it?"

Uncertainty crept into his voice.

After all, he had no foundation in forging. Even if he tried to learn it, he might not succeed.

Zero's tone turned more earnest than ever, with an edge of seriousness.

[Of course. You can learn it. And it has to be you.]

Mo Xie felt helpless. Zero always grew intensely serious about certain things.

But after Zero put it that way, he couldn't let him down.

"Then where do I start learning the Forging Technique?"

[I'll pass a Legendary Forger's Beginner Level Forging Technique to you as memories. You'll need to remember the methods and techniques they contain.]

"A Legendary Forger? Who?"

Mo Xie caught that curious detail and asked about it.

Zero fell silent for another few seconds before answering.

[That isn't something you need to worry about now. When the time comes, I'll tell you.]

Mo Xie shrugged and didn't press him for the Legendary Forger's identity.

"Surely a Legendary Forger knew more than just Beginner Level forging."

[Once you reach the Intermediate Level and fully master the Beginner Level Forging Technique, I'll pass the next stage on to you.]

Mo Xie nodded. He agreed with Zero; rushing things wasn't his style.

[Prepare to receive the memories.]

"All right."

Mo Xie closed his eyes. With a ding, fragments of memory surged into his mind all at once.

At first, he was fine. Then he clutched his head with both hands. Cold sweat broke out across his body, his eyes flew open, and his face twisted as he let out a low growl.

Mo Xie writhed on the floor, his clothes soaked with sweat and clinging to the defined muscles beneath.

It went on for more than ten minutes. Only after he had absorbed the final fragment of memory did he finally settle down.

About a minute later, Mo Xie pushed himself up, panting hard, his face full of confusion.

Receiving the memories had felt strange—almost as if the forger in them had been Mo Xie himself.

From the movements and techniques used while forging to scattered memories of everyday life, it all felt as though he had experienced it firsthand.

No. It must be because of the memories. How could that be possible...

[Master, I suggest you get some sleep now. It'll help you remember the forging methods and techniques.]

Zero's words interrupted his thoughts and brought him back to himself.

[Rest first and finish absorbing the forging memories. You can begin training in the Forging Technique tomorrow.]

"O-okay."

Mo Xie stood, holding his head. Looking as though he had lost his soul, he stumbled out of the training room in a daze.

On his way back to his room, he happened upon Ye Xinxia, who was watching a drama on the living-room sofa.

"Brother Mo Xie, are you okay?"

Seeing how pale he was, Ye Xinxia asked in concern.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. I'm going upstairs to sleep, so you'll have to sort out dinner yourselves."

Mo Xie forced a smile and headed upstairs.