Blacksmith Li set aside his work and laughed. "You brat never visits a temple without a purpose. You even brought a jar of wine today. Go on, what strange contraption do you want forged this time?"
Wei Fan twitched at the corner of his mouth, his face darkening. He had once asked Blacksmith Li to forge the Hidden Weapons he had imagined, but the finished products had often fallen short of expectations.
It was not that Blacksmith Li's craftsmanship was lacking. Rather, Wei Fan's understanding of "Hidden Weapons" existed only in his imagination; he knew nothing of their internal mechanisms. The final products therefore had no power at all and could only serve as decorations.
It seemed Blacksmith Li thought Wei Fan had come to make Hidden Weapons again today!
"Uncle Li, to be honest, I came this time because I want to learn your Body Tempering Art!" Wei Fan said directly.
"Learn a Body Tempering Art?" Blacksmith Li's expression turned grave. Then he shook his head and sighed.
"Wei lad, it isn't that I'm keeping it to myself. A Body Tempering Art must be cultivated alongside a Medicinal Bath. I have the manual, but the herbs required for the bath are gone. Even the apothecaries in the village's Inner Circle can no longer gather all the necessary ingredients. Without the Medicinal Bath, cultivation will cause damage to the body that cannot be healed. In short, this art can no longer be cultivated!"
Hearing that, Wei Fan thought, I have the system's points. I don't need any Medicinal Bath at all. Yet his expression remained calm. "Uncle Li, I've recently become interested in Body Tempering Arts. Could you let me study it? I won't cultivate it!"
"Just study it? That's no problem!" Blacksmith Li relaxed. He went into the back room to search, and after a while emerged carrying two rough kiln-fired bowls and a tattered manual.
"This Body Tempering Art was passed down from my ancestors. There's only half of it left. If you're interested, take it and study it. Just don't lose it!"
Blacksmith Li casually tossed over the manual, then hugged the wine jar and smashed apart the red clay seal on top. With one broad hand, he brushed away the dust and poured the clear liquor into the bowls. A rich scent of wheat wafted up and filled the air.
"Fragrant! Hahaha!" Blacksmith Li let out a hearty laugh, tipped back his head, and drained a large bowl. He sighed. "Born in such troubled times, what use is martial arts? They can't fight the monsters, and they can't protect your loved ones. Sigh, lad, stop reading. Come drink with me!"
"Uncle, you drink first!" Wei Fan's attention was completely fixed on the manual. Three words were written on its cover: "Iron Ridge Art."
After flipping through its contents once, the system had finished recording the art.
Wei Fan checked his panel.
Name: Wei Fan Art: "Tiger's Breath Art" True Intent Level True Intent State: Effects, Infinite Strength, Tiger's Might. "Iron Ridge Art" (Not Initiated) Energy: 4
"It really works!" Delight appeared on Wei Fan's face.
Closing the tattered manual, he saw Blacksmith Li clutching the wine jar, drunk as a lord.
"Aman, it was Father who ruined you. Father knew long ago that he was a beast. I should have fought him to the death. Father is useless!" Tears streamed down Blacksmith Li's face as indistinct remorseful curses spilled from his mouth.
Wei Fan stood silently at the side. Aman was Blacksmith Li's daughter. She had been forced to marry into the Zhu family in the village's Inner Circle, becoming the wife of Zhu Linyi, the Zhu family's third son.
There had been nothing unusual at first, but half a month later, terrible news suddenly arrived: Aman had vanished.
The Zhu family claimed Aman had been taken away by a monster, but with the Monster Suppressing Stone in the Inner Circle, how could ordinary monsters possibly appear there?
Wei Fan did not believe a single word of the Zhu family's bullshit. But the Zhu family was powerful and ruled the entire village. Blacksmith Li was alone and powerless; though fury burned in his heart, he dared not speak, and could only swallow this grievance whole!
"The Zhu family!" Wei Fan looked toward the Monster Suppressing Stone at the center of the village, his expression darkening. He raised the bowl of wine and drained it in one gulp.
After returning home, Wei Fan summoned the system.
"System, add points!"
The "Iron Ridge Art" was a Body Tempering Art. Once cultivated to great mastery, one's muscles would stack layer upon layer as though forged from iron; with bronze skin and iron bones, blades would struggle to wound them.
"Max out the 'Iron Ridge Art.'"
"Ding! Four Energy points consumed. Iron Ridge Art has been raised to the third level!"
Boom!
A powerful energy surged from within Wei Fan's body, continuously tempering his tendons, bones, skin, and flesh. His original height of 1.8 meters abruptly shot up to two meters, while his muscles bulged, every block seemingly cast from refined steel.
"I wonder how strong my defense is!" Wei Fan took out a kitchen knife and chopped it toward his right arm.
Clang!
Wei Fan's right arm was completely unharmed, while the kitchen knife had curled at the edge instead.
"Ordinary blades cannot break my defense," Wei Fan murmured.
After the Iron Ridge Art reached the third level, Wei Fan felt his strength increase once more. As for how much it had increased, that still required testing!
With that thought, Wei Fan summoned his panel again.
Name: Wei Fan Art: "Tiger's Breath Art" True Intent Level True Intent State: Effects, Infinite Strength, Tiger's Might. "Iron Ridge Art" Third Level (Can Be Upgraded) Energy: 0
Wei Fan stared at the words "Can Be Upgraded," thought for a moment, and asked, "Can the Iron Ridge Art still be upgraded further?"
"Ding! Insufficient Energy. Unable to continue upgrading!"
"Unable to continue upgrading? In other words, the Iron Ridge Art has more than three levels?" Wei Fan was overjoyed.
Compared to the Tiger's Breath Art, the Iron Ridge Art required more Energy to strengthen, which meant this art was even more powerful.
Time shed away like a molting shell, and in the blink of an eye, night had fallen.
Wei Yingying had long since drifted into sleep, but Wei Fan suddenly opened his eyes!
A white shadow flashed past the window!
"You filthy thing, you really dared to come?" Wei Fan sneered.
Before you continue