The ancient Sovereign Hall sat on the highest ridge of Black Tortoise Peak, carved straight out of the mountain's solid granite. Twelve massive stone pillars held up the vaulted ceiling, glowing under the steady light of geothermal braziers.
At dawn, the great bronze bell had rung twelve times across the ten counties ruled by the sect.
Inside the hall, the feast was in full swing. Heavy ironwood tables groaned under silver platters piled high with roasted spirit beast meat, sweet glowing fruits, and jars of five-hundred-year-old amber wine.
Every single seat was taken. For the first time in nearly a hundred years, all thirty-eight elders of Black Tortoise Mountain were sitting in the same room.
At the center of the highest platform sat Sect Master Xuan Yuan in deep grey robes. To his right, leaning on an old wooden staff with his eyes half-closed in meditation, sat Grand Domain Smith Elder Duan. The old master rarely came to public events. His quiet presence alone gave the entire room the heavy, unshakeable weight of a mountain.
Beside Elder Huo sat the guest of honor.
Fang Lin wore dark grey Crafting Elder robes made of fireproof silk, lined with bright gold trim. Over his chest hung the heavy green jade medallion of the Heavenly Forge Division, marked with a burning anvil.
He sat calmly, hands resting on his knees. Using his secret techniques, he let his body leak the warm, steady energy of a Mid-Stage Core Formation fire cultivator.
Beside him, Elder Huo was grinning from ear to ear. Every few minutes, the old blacksmith slapped the table with his giant hand, making the cups jump as his booming laughter echoed across the rafters.
"Eat! Drink!" Elder Huo roared, waving a greasy roasted beast leg at the crowd. "Today, my Ironblood Faction pays for all the wine! Hahaha!"
Below the platform, the hall was split into neat sections.
On the left sat the visiting guests. The leaders of the Star River Merchant Alliance sat in the front row, wearing rich silver robes. They had already dropped off a carved wooden chest packed with three thousand top-grade spirit stones as a gift. Beside them sat friendly guests from the Pill Dawn Sect, the Hundred Formation Tower, and the Ancient Beast Hall, chatting happily with sect deacons.
Further down the guest tables sat the envoys from Scarlet Sun Palace and Heavenly Sword Lake.
Grand Elder Yan Lie had not come himself. Instead, his sour-faced emissary, Elder Zhao, sat frozen behind his wine cup next to swordsmen from Heavenly Sword Lake. Neither group dared to say a word. After their total defeat during the mace analysis gathering months ago, they had prayed this promotion was just an internal joke.
Instead, they arrived to see the cold truth: Mu Tie was barely in his thirties, had broken through to Mid-Stage Core Formation, and had hammered out an authentic Spirit Manifestation blade verified by Elder Duan himself.
The rival envoys did not dare make a move. Trying to poach an Eighth Master Smith in front of the sect elders would start an instant war. They could only sit there like wooden statues, swallowing their anger behind fake smiles.
On the right side of the hall sat the sect's true muscle: the Earth Guardian Division.
Nearly thirty combat elders, peak masters, and hall leaders sat together. These were scarred fighters who spent decades clearing monster waves, guarding borders, and digging through underground caves.
Usually, these combat brutes ignored the quiet blacksmiths. But today, their eyes were glued to Fang Lin like starving wolves staring at a roasted meat
"Look at him," muttered Peak Master Meng of Iron Rock Peak, rubbing his thick beard. "Barely thirty years old. Mid-Stage Core Formation. And he can already forge Spirit Manifestation weapons."
"The other seven Master Smiths were already old men when they got their mantle," whispered the head of the Discipline Hall. "Their waiting lists takes years together, and every one of them is cranky. But Elder Mu is young. His energy is pure. If he can make Spirit Manifestation weapons now, what will he make when he reaches Domain Forging?"
"A future Grand Domain Smith," Meng agreed, his eyes flashing. "A master who will forge the great weapons of our mountain for hundreds of years. We need to become his friends right now."
Meng stood up, pushing his heavy stone chair back with a loud scrape.
He picked up a massive bronze flagon holding several pounds of scorching wine, his scarred face breaking into a wide, honest grin.
"Elder Mu!" Meng roared, his voice cutting right through the noisy hall. "I am Meng Tie of Iron Rock Peak! Our vanguard guards the northern border, where earth demons rip through ordinary shields like wet paper! Hearing that our mountain has an Eighth Master Smith who can swing the hammer like this fills my chest with fire!"
He raised his flagon high above his head.
"To your great future, Elder Mu! May your forge burn forever!"
The entire Earth Guardian Division cheered, banging their flagons against the tables.
The Master of External Patrols jumped to his feet next, his heavy armor clanking loudly. "Well said, Meng! Elder Mu, to forge a Spirit Manifestation blade at your age is a miracle! This cup is to you!"
One by one, the combat elders raised their cups. Battle commanders and tough peak lords competed to shower the young smith with praise.
Beside Fang Lin, Elder Huo puffed out his chest, laughing so hard his face turned red: "Look at you old dogs! When my boy was sweeping forge dust, you walked right past him! Now you swarm like flies on honey! Drink up, Mu Tie! Show these muscle-heads how the Ironblood Faction drinks!"
Fang Lin smiled faintly, amused by the scene.
He stood up with calm grace. He did not use his Core Force to burn away the alcohol. He simply let the hot wine slide down his throat with natural composure.
He raised his jade cup toward the thirty combat elders.
"Elders, Peak Masters, Hall Masters," Fang Lin spoke clearly. His voice was smooth and calm, carrying to every corner of the hall without any shouting. "This junior is honored by your kind words. The peace of our mountain is bought with the blood of the Earth Guardian Division. If my hammer can forge a shield that saves a brother's life on the battlefield, it will be my greatest honor."
The fighters cheered loudly. There was no arrogance in his tone, only steady respect.
Fang Lin paused, setting his cup down with a slight, polite smile.
"However, because I only recently reached Mid-Stage Core Formation, my forge flame needs rest so I do not hurt my foundation. Therefore, I can only take a few custom orders each year."
He glanced at Elder Huo, who nodded in firm agreement.
"Also, normal sect merit points and common spirit stones are of no use to me. Disciple Mu will only accept jobs paid in extinct or endangered plants, raw void-spatial ores, rare minerals, or high-grade spirit stones."
Far from being upset, the battle elders nodded eagerly.
"Of course!" Peak Master Meng barked, slapping his chest with a loud thud. "A master smith should never waste his flame on scrap metal! Don't worry, Elder Mu! The scouts of Iron Rock Peak will flip over every ancient canyon in the north to find the rare roots you need!"
"Our border patrols will search every auction house across the continent for void-ores!" another elder shouted.
Across the room, the rival envoys from Scarlet Sun Palace sank lower into their seats. With just a few simple sentences, Fang Lin had turned the entire fighting division of Black Tortoise Mountain into his personal team of resource gatherers. If he keeps growing further and further, the Black Tortoise Mountain will have one more Grand Domain Smith.
The celebration grew louder. Flutes played, drums rumbled, and wine flowed like water.
Then, the mountain shook.
It was not a normal tremor. It was a deep, ancient rumble that came from miles below the earth.
The twelve giant pillars in the hall hummed together. The braziers flared with bright orange fire, and the stone floor beneath their boots pulsed like a beating heart.
Sect Master Xuan Yuan set his cup down, his eyes wide. Beside him, Grand Domain Smith Elder Duan opened his silver eyes, a faint smile touching his wrinkled lips.
"The Earth-Core Seclusion Vaults..." Elder Duan murmured softly.
High above the northern cliffs of Black Tortoise Mountain, a pillar of golden light shot straight into the clouds. The energy was not wild or chaotic. It was vast, heavy, and completely solid, carrying the crushing weight of an entire continent.
A heavy spiritual pressure settled over the hall, making every cup on every table freeze in place.
Before anyone could speak, an ancient mind woke up and touched the mountain.
It rose from the absolute bottom of the earth—the forbidden grounds where the sacred ancestors slept.
A voice, weathered by thousands of years and packed with absolute command, rang directly inside the head of every person on the mountain:
"The mountain stands because its roots run deep. The stone yields not to the wind, but gathers the weight of the heavens."
The voice made no physical sound, yet the air in the hall squeezed so tight that even the older Spirit Manifestation experts could barely breathe.
"Disciple Lin Wan of the Earth Guardian Division has refined the ancient mountain core and reached Half-Step Spirit Manifestation. Her heart is tough; her earth foundation is clean. By our ancestral will, she is now a Legacy Disciple of Black Tortoise Mountain. Unseal the Xuanwu Heaven-Bearing Scripture; let her inherit the Sovereign Earth Mantle beside Xuan Beihai."
The presence vanished as quickly as it came, sinking back into the deep rock.
The silence left behind was so heavy that the crackle of the fire sounded like thunder.
A Law Comprehension Grand Ancestor!
One of the sleeping old monsters who built the sect thousands of years ago had personally woken up to name a new successor!
Sect Master Xuan Yuan stood up first. He bowed deeply toward the floor, facing the earth-core below: "We obey the Ancestor's decree!"
"We obey the Ancestor's decree!" All thirty-eight elders, including Elder Huo, stood up and bowed in unison.
At the foreign tables, Elder Zhao of Scarlet Sun Palace had turned pale, his hands shaking against his robes. Hearing a living Grand Ancestor speak with his own ears was a terrifying reminder of Black Tortoise Mountain's raw power.
A moment later, the heavy copper doors of the hall swung wide open.
A pair of heavy boots clicked across the stone flags.
Framed against the dark night stood a tall, broad-shouldered woman wearing the fresh robes of a Legacy Disciple. The deep grey fabric was bordered with glowing gold earth-runes that gave off steady gravity. Tied across her back was her familiar, thick staff of thousand-year violet-iron.
Her short hair framed a sharp, handsome face with zero fear in her eyes. Her clear gaze carried the crushing weight of a genuine Half-Step Spirit Manifestation expert.
Lin Wan was out of seclusion.
The lower benches erupted into wild cheers.
"Congratulations to Senior Sister Lin!" the younger disciples shouted.
"The Earth Guardian Division has another pillar!" Peak Master Meng laughed, his chest swelling with pride.
Lin Wan walked down the central aisle with steady, confident steps. She had just crawled out of the deep earth vault after years of brutal cultivation, barely throwing on her new robes before being dragged straight to the feast.
She looked around the bright room with casual curiosity. She knew a party was happening, but she was looking specifically for the blacksmith tables.
Where did that kid Mu Tie end up? she thought, a small smile tugging at her mouth. He's probably hiding in the back corner, quietly chewing on meat and pretending he doesn't know anyone.
She looked over at the Ironblood benches. Ma Teng was there, red-faced and yelling with his friends, but the seat next to him was empty.
Frowning, Lin Wan raised her gaze toward the high elder platform.
Then, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Her boots froze. Her cool, tough expression completely broke, her jaw dropping.
Sitting right in the middle of the high platform, flanked by Elder Huo and the legendary Grand Domain Smith Elder Duan, was a face she knew better than anyone.
He wore dark-gold elder robes. A heavy Crafting Elder badge hung over his chest. In his hand was a carved jade cup, and around him, the toughest fighters of her own division were smiling and raising their drinks to him.
Mu Tie?!
Lin Wan blinked hard, her mind grinding to a halt.
Wait... Mu Tie?
Why is he wearing elder robes?! Why is Elder Duan smiling at him?! Did he rob an elder while I was trapped in that cave?!
Seeing her standing frozen in the middle of the aisle, Fang Lin let out a quiet chuckle.
By sect rules, even a talented Legacy Disciple was expected to give a formal greeting to a seated elder.
Before Lin Wan could snap out of her shock or start an awkward bow, Fang Lin picked up two fresh cups of wine and stood up.
He walked smoothly down the stone steps of the platform, his elder robes flowing gently.
While the whole room watched in silence, Fang Lin walked straight up to Lin Wan. He stopped two steps away, holding out a cup of warm wine, his smile relaxed and familiar.
"Senior Sister Lin," Fang Lin said quietly, his tone as easygoing as their days sharing meat on Ember Peak. "Congratulations on breaking through the bottleneck and getting the Ancestor's decree. Black Tortoise Mountain has one more new pillar."
Lin Wan stared at the wine cup, then looked up into his calm dark eyes.
There was no fake elder pride. No cold attitude. He was looking at her the exact same way he had when they broke through Ou Yezi's ancient tomb.
The shock in Lin Wan's chest melted into a wave of relief and amusement.
She took the cup and stepped half a step closer. Lowering her voice so only he could hear, she muttered through her teeth:
"Junior Brother... I went into a hole in the ground for a few years, and you turned yourself into a Sect Elder? What kind of magic pill did you feed Elder Duan?"
Fang Lin grinned, tapping his jade cup against hers with a crisp chime. "I only hammered a piece of iron, Senior Sister. Elder Huo did the rest of the talking."
Lin Wan snorted, drowning the wine in one big gulp. The hot liquid spread through her chest, washing away the lingering stiffness in her bones.
Standing together in the center of the hall, the two made a striking pair.
Fang Lin, wrapped in dark-gold elder robes, gave off the quiet, steady warmth of a sleeping volcano. Lin Wan, in gold-edged grey robes with her heavy staff, stood like an unyielding mountain peak. One forged the metal; the other swung the sword.
Hushed whispers quickly spread through the tables.
"Look at them," an elder whispered, leaning over to his neighbor. "Both under forty. One commands fire to forge master weapons as the Eighth Master Smith; the other has the direct blessing of a Grand Ancestor. Aren't they a match made in heaven?"
"The forge and the shield!" Peak Master Meng agreed loudly, slamming his cup. "If the two of them become Dao companions, who in the entire northern continent could ever threaten our mountain?"
"A perfect match!" other elders chimed in, grinning from ear to ear.
The matchmaking chatter grew louder and louder until it reached the top platform.
Elder Huo heard every single word. The old blacksmith threw his head back and roared with laughter, slapping his knee so hard the table shook. He looked down at Fang Lin and Lin Wan with pure, shameless matchmaking glee.
"Hahaha! Well said, Meng! Today our Black Tortoise Mountain has double good luck!"
Lin Wan had the razor-sharp hearing of a Half-Step Spirit Manifestation warrior. Every single word of the elders' gossip landed right in her ears.
A bright pink blush rushed up her neck, coloring the tips of her ears red.
She quickly cleared her throat, grabbing her heavy violet-iron staff and shifting it across her shoulder with extra force while glaring sideways at the laughing old men.
"These old guys have had way too much wine," she grumbled under her breath, trying to look tough. "Their brains are fried like slag."
Fang Lin only smiled, completely unbothered, sipping his tea with steady eyes.
High on the platform, Sect Master Xuan Yuan rose from his seat, sending out a calm wave of power that quieted the laughing room.
"The night grows late, and the wine is done," Xuan Yuan announced, his voice carrying sovereign weight. "The ascension of Crafting Elder Mu Tie and the awakening of Legacy Disciple Lin Wan are carved into our records. The banquet is finished. May our Black Tortoise Mountain stand forever."
"Stand forever!" the elders roared in return, raising their fists.
The heavy bronze doors swung open, and the crowd slowly filed out into the cool night air.
Before Lin Wan turned to leave, her sharp eyes locked onto Fang Lin. A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth as her voice buzzed directly into his ear through private energy transmission:
"Tomorrow morning, Junior Brother. At your place. You owe me an explanation for this whole circus."
She swung her staff over her shoulder and marched out into the fog.
Fang Lin smiled, drained his cup, and turned toward Caldera Peak 9.
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