As dawn broke over the peaks of the Blackstone Mountain Range, the footsteps of the Youth Guardian Camp shattered the morning mist at the foot of the mountains. A Mu gripped his newly acquired small Watch Hammer, the ice and fire warning crystal at his waist swaying gently with each step—today's patrol route was newly set by Loran: starting from the Qilin Holy Land, bypassing the upper reaches of the Clear Creek River, heading to the dwarven forge on the edge of the Blackstone Mountain Range to check for the remaining Evil Energy in the Holy Iron veins.
"I heard that the dwarf uncle's forge can create glowing Holy Iron!" Young A Ya clutched the copy of the " Illustrated Catalog of Plants " given to her by Liya, its pages already filled with drawings of the Clear Creek River from her previous patrol. "I'm going to draw the veins, and I also want to ask the Chief Tongchui how Holy Iron is forged!"
Loran rode his Cloudhorn Beast alongside the group, while the golden silhouette of Icefield Wolf scouted ahead, pausing occasionally to sniff the ground— Blackstone Mountain Range had once been an area littered with fragments of Evil Bone, and the dwarves had left behind many Holy Iron to suppress Evil Energy when they cleared the mines. "The blacksmith's workshop is just ahead," Loran pointed in the direction of the pale golden smoke rising in the distance. "The mine is in the valley behind the blacksmith's workshop; Chief Tongchui is already waiting for us there."
As they approached the forge, they heard the clanging of metal. The Chief Tongchui, shirtless, was hammering a red-hot piece of Holy Iron. Seeing the youths, he immediately put down his hammer and came to greet them, his face still covered in soot. "You've come at the right time! Lately, the ore in the mine has been developing black streaks, which has reduced the purity of the Holy Iron we forge. You've come at the perfect moment; let's find out why together!"
Following the Copper Hammer into the mountain valley, the outline of the Holy Iron Mine gradually became clear—the exposed ore gleamed with a pale silver luster, and when the sunlight shone on it, subtle light patterns could be seen. However, several mine caves at the edge of the vein faintly exuded a faint black aura, and sure enough, the surface of the ore at the entrance of the caves had the Evil Energy black patterns that A Mu had seen before.
" The Evil Energy is hidden in the crevices of the ore vein!" A Mu immediately raised the New Sprout Sword, about to inject Purification Power into it, but was stopped by Copper Hammer: "Don't rush, the ore vein is very brittle; using Purification Power directly will shatter the ore. Here, try this!" He took out several palm-sized " Holy Iron pieces" from his pocket and distributed them to the boys. "Inject Purification Power into the iron pieces, then stick the iron pieces to the black veins. The iron pieces will absorb the Evil Energy like a sponge, without damaging the ore vein."
A Mu, mimicking the Copper Hammer, slowly infused the Purification Power into the Holy Iron plate—instantly, the iron plate glowed with a pale golden light. When it touched the black veins of the ore, the veins seemed to melt away like snow under the warm sun, slowly fading along the edges of the iron plate, and the silvery luster of the ore became even brighter. "It really works!" A Shi excitedly swung the small Watch Hammer, gently knocking away the loose rocks at the edge of the mine. "Now the ore can be mined normally!"
Liya squatted beside the ore vein, her fingertips brushing against a plant growing close to the rock—its leaves were dark green with fine red streaks along the edges, and felt as hard as sheet metal. "This is an ' Ironleaf Flower '!" she exclaimed, flipping through Illustrated Catalog of Plants and pointing to a page. "The catalog says it can absorb the faint Evil Energy in the ore vein and nourish the ore, making the Holy Iron even purer. We can plant more around the mine, then we won't have to keep coming to clear the Evil Energy."
A Ya immediately pulled out her paintbrush and knelt down beside the ore vein to sketch. "I'm going to draw the Ironleaf Flower and label it 'Vein Guardian'! I also need to remember that when planting it, it should be three feet away from the mine shaft so as not to block the mining path." She drew carefully, even meticulously depicting the light patterns on the ore. The Icefield Wolf came over and gently touched the drawing paper with its nose, as if praising her for her good drawing.
Watching the boys busily working, Copper Hammer brought over a basket of "ore vein identification stones" from the forge. "Come on, let me teach you how to identify ores! Those with a silvery sheen are pure Holy Iron, those with a pale gold sheen are ' Icefire Crystal Ore,' which can power the weapons of the Qilin Clan; if you see anything with a black sheen, no matter how small, mark it, because that's ore with lingering Evil Energy, and you can't use it."
A Mu picked up a piece of Icefire Crystal Ore. The moment his fingertips touched the ore, he felt a warm power—similar to Lei Lin's fire power. "Can this charge my New Sprout Sword?" he asked Copper Hammer. After receiving an affirmative answer, he carefully placed the ore into his backpack. "When I encounter Evil Energy during patrols, the sword's Purification Power will be stronger!"