After watching sword-forging for three days, Lan Xian'er returned to the surface at Ye Chen's instruction and continued stabbing the Star Iron stake.
Five days later, Lan Xian'er had stabbed two-thirds of the way through. She had already reached the Triple Force realm, but the third force could not merge with the first two. It was incomplete, so she could not pierce through the Star Iron stake.
"Just a little more."
Lan Xian'er returned underground once more to watch Ye Chen forge swords.
Ye Chen's Sword-Forging Art had long since reached perfection. The reason he had been able to forge twelve Top-Grade Treasure Swords in a month was that he saw through everything. He forged treasure swords without the slightest hesitation. Every hammer strike brought him one step closer to completion; there was no hesitation, no sluggishness. Rather than forging swords, it was more accurate to say he was practicing the sword. When one practiced to the point of complete abandon, where could hesitation or sluggishness come from? Every movement was naturally perfect. Sometimes, even he himself did not know why he brought down a particular hammer strike.
Clang!
Another hammer fell, and sparks sprayed in all directions, carrying incomparably peerless Sword Intent. Lan Xian'er wanted to dodge, yet for some reason she did not. With a puff, several sparks pierced through her body and scorched her flesh. More terrifyingly, though they were merely tiny sparks, they were like invincible Sword Qi, blasting one bloody hole after another into her body as countless fine Sword Qi shredded her flesh particles.
"Have you understood?"
Ye Chen asked.
"So that was it. Many thanks, Young Master Ye."
Her Undying Body circulated, and Lan Xian'er returned to the surface.
Standing before the Star Iron stake, she remained motionless for an entire day and