Weird Erosion

The glaring zero after the Shelter's level left Tang Zhixue feeling awful. "A hundred energy points only bought one hour at a six-to-one time ratio?!"

"Wait, that's not right." Tang Zhixue suddenly eyed the wooden door to the Martial Arts Space suspiciously. "Why did the energy run out right when I came out? Was the timing really that perfect?"

Tang Zhixue had only come out after feeling hungry, and this was the situation he found himself in as soon as he emerged.

But it was all far too coincidental-so coincidental that Tang Zhixue refused to believe it was a coincidence.

"Don't tell me you deliberately swallowed my remaining energy?" Tang Zhixue jabbed the wooden door with a finger in annoyance.

In truth, he knew the Martial Arts Space probably wouldn't swallow his energy. Most likely, the energy running out was what had pulled him out of that wondrous state.

But that didn't stop him from expressing his displeasure. That had been a full hundred energy points!

Completely used up in just one hour!

Fortunately, his gains had been substantial enough to soothe his wounded heart a little.

[Name: Tang Zhixue]

[Rank: First Tier]

[Talents: Vitality Absorption, Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent]

[Crafts: Bow and Arrow Crafting · Uninitiated (0/1), Prey Processing · Proficient (40/200)]

[Skills: Blazing Tiger Fist · Expert (1/500), Linked Pearl Archery · Master (11/1000), Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra · Expert (33/500), Big Dipper Ghost-Slaying Incantation · Beginner (8/100)]

Blazing Tiger Fist had successfully reached the expert level!

And that meant he had successfully met the threshold for practicing the Blazing Fire Sect Forging Basics.

Only by using Blazing Tiger Fist's force-generating techniques in forging could he better grasp how to apply force in the fist art while tempering his body.

Although he could reach higher levels in Blazing Tiger Fist without smithing, and could likewise train his body through the fist art alone, the problem was that it took far too much time.

If a year of smithing with Blazing Tiger Fist could temper his body to its limit, practicing Blazing Tiger Fist alone would take at least ten years!

The difference really was that outrageous!

After filling his stomach, Tang Zhixue went outside to absorb plant vitality from the surrounding Thorned Strange Black Trees, using it to accelerate the growth of the mutated plants inside the Planting Cottage.

After a flurry of work, the cottage held twenty White Melon Vines, ten Water-Gathering Grasses, ten Jade Flowers, and that one second-tier Frost-Ash Grass.

Once the White Melon Vines and Water-Gathering Grasses had successfully taken root and sprouted with the help of plant vitality, Tang Zhixue stopped using it on them and focused instead on the Jade Flowers.

He only stopped after successfully obtaining ten Plant Vitality Crystals.

As for the Frost-Ash Grass, Tang Zhixue had left it alone after it took root.

After finishing his work in the Planting Cottage, Tang Zhixue eagerly headed to the forge room-the room at the end of the corridor.

Rather than putting the rusty swords and sabers into the Forging Furnace, Tang Zhixue took a stone with golden patterns out of the storage room.

[Item: Golden-Pattern Iron Ore]

[Rank: First Tier]

[Description: Formed when iron ore was infused with Gengjin power. Its exterior bears golden patterns.]

This piece of golden-pattern iron ore was about the size of a basketball, its surface covered in golden patterns.

Next, he brought in the cloudfire stone, the fuel for this forging session.

Once everything was ready, Tang Zhixue lit the cloudfire stone and placed the golden-pattern iron ore inside the Forging Furnace to heat it at a high temperature.

After the iron ore had heated until red, he used the tongs supplied with the Forging Furnace to pull it out and place it on the anvil.

Holding the ore steady with the tongs in his left hand, Tang Zhixue swung the heavy forging hammer with his right, doing his best to maintain Blazing Tiger Fist's method of generating force throughout the process.

Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere in an instant.

Tang Zhixue instinctively stepped back, trying his best to dodge the sparks.

But the moment he dodged, he realized his mistake. He hurriedly corrected his stance and swung the forging hammer again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

For a time, the sound of metal striking metal rang throughout the Shelter.

"Roar!"

Just as Tang Zhixue was engrossed in forging, a low roar suddenly sounded in the woods outside the Shelter.

A strange monster resembling a grotesquely bloated corpse stood among the trees, staring fixedly at the Wooden House a short distance ahead.

Water kept dripping from its body, soon soaking the ground around it.

Even stranger, any surrounding plants that touched the water dripping from the weird creature developed patterns resembling fish scales. After prolonged contact, they even began to give off a fishy smell.

Over time, the fishy stench completely engulfed the area.

Time ticked by.

Absorbed in forging, Tang Zhixue naturally knew nothing of the changes outside.

Yet his absorption had made him forget something.

"Roar!"

Under the waterlogged weird creature's gaze, the silent white fog surrounding Tang Zhixue's Shelter suddenly began to move, engulfing the entire Shelter at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the sight, joy appeared in the waterlogged weird creature's eyes, though it was soon replaced by venomous resentment.

It strode quickly toward the Shelter, leaving a wet trail behind it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Under Tang Zhixue's hammering, an iron ingot gradually took shape.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Tang Zhixue's movements paused.

There seemed to be a fishy smell spreading around him.

"What's going on?"

Yesterday, Tang Zhixue looked toward the source of the smell: the forge room's door. In other words, the smell was coming in from outside.

"I don't remember there being any fish in the Shelter."

Puzzled, Tang Zhixue stopped what he was doing and headed outside.

But just as he took a step, he stopped. "No! There aren't any fish in the Shelter! There's something wrong with this smell!"

Realizing this, Tang Zhixue hurriedly opened the Shelter's information panel.

[Shelter: Blazing Sun (Undergoing weird erosion)]

[Level: 2 (0/1000)]

[Function: Regional Trading]

[Buildings: Martial Arts Space, Planting Cottage]

[Effects: Door God Protection · First Tier, Clear Spirit Evil-Repelling]

"Just as I thought!"

Tang Zhixue's face darkened terribly. The worst had happened after all.

[Door God Protection · First Tier: Portraits of Door Gods have been pasted onto the Shelter's main door. At night, you will receive Their protection. Weird creatures of the first tier and below cannot enter your home.]

[Clear Spirit Evil-Repelling: Within the Shelter, you can resist mental erosion from first-tier weird creatures and gain a small increase in comprehension.]

The purification effect had expired, and some of the weird creatures outside had seized the opportunity to cause trouble.

"I got too absorbed." Tang Zhixue stared gravely at the forge room's wooden door. "I completely forgot to extend the purification effect."

"I hope there's still time."

"Heaven and earth in their natural order, let foul qi disperse. Within the cavern, mysterious emptiness; radiant and clear, the primordial origin... swiftly, in accordance with the decree!"