Chapter 104: Forging the Abyssal Pagoda

The hammer struck the Deep-Sea Profound Steel, and the clear sound echoed through the underground forge.

The chamber had been carved directly into the bedrock of the Inner Sect’s floating mountains. At its center, a black meteorite anvil stood above a controlled vent of roaring Earth-Fire, its heat distorting the air around it.

Lin Tian stood before the anvil, his outer robe removed against the heat. His Foundation Establishment Qi pressed faintly against the room, but there was no spiritual fire around the forging hammer in his hand.

On the anvil lay the materials Aunt Lin had brought from the Outer Sect: a block of Deep-Sea Profound Steel and a black fragment of Void-Stone that seemed to swallow the light around it.

"The refiners of this world are fools," Lin Tian said, his voice carrying over the roar of the Earth-Fire.

Aunt Lin looked up from the jade-tipped carving knife in her hand.

"They think pouring more spiritual energy into the flames and striking harder is the only way to improve an artifact," Lin Tian continued. He lifted the hammer again. "They don’t understand how the metal itself responds to heat or how the force of each strike travels through it."

He pointed toward the Deep-Sea Profound Steel.

"Heat makes the metal expand before it settles. That movement creates weak points in its spiritual structure. Strike it the wrong way, and your Qi fights against the metal instead of shaping it."

The hammer came down again.

CLANG!

"The energy is wasted, and so is the effort. But keep the heat steady and strike along the metal’s natural grain instead of against it..."

He struck the same area again, controlling the force with nothing but his physical strength.

The heated steel trembled, and a thin layer of impurities broke away from its surface.

"...then the impurities are pushed out while the spiritual pathways inside remain intact."

Aunt Lin’s eyes narrowed as she watched the change.

As a 1-Star Peak-Level Array Engraver, she understood spiritual circuits better than most people in the sect. Yet what Lin Tian was showing her was something she had never considered from this angle.

Lin Tian looked at the steel.

"This is how you push a material beyond the limits of its original design. You don’t force it. You understand it first."

He raised the hammer once more.

"This is how a Peak-Grade artifact is made."

Aunt Lin’s breath caught slightly as the steel settled beneath the repeated strikes.

Lin Tian lowered the hammer and looked toward her."Ready your tools, Aunt Lin. We begin."

"Yes, Lin Tian," she said quietly, a hint of awe in her voice.

Lin Tian’s hammer moved in a steady rhythm, sparks scattering across the dark forge. With each strike, the Deep-Sea Profound Steel folded and compressed, slowly taking the shape of a seven-layered pagoda.

Once a layer was formed, he pulled the metal away from the direct heat and let it settle before moving on. "The third layer is set."

Aunt Lin stepped forward immediately. While Lin Tian shaped the pagoda, she carved the formation patterns that would give it its power.

She guided her Qi through the jade-tipped carving knife and began engraving the Abyssal Weight Array and the Spiritual Suppression Loop. Each line had to connect perfectly, or the entire formation could become unstable.

The Void-Stone fragments were placed into the base of the pagoda. Aunt Lin carefully connected their spatial energy to the surrounding formation patterns, keeping them stable as the forging continued.

The small dark-silver pagoda soon began to hum.

The air around the anvil grew heavier, and the space around the pagoda started to distort slightly as the formations took shape.

"Your hands are steady, Aunt Lin," Lin Tian said as he prepared the fourth layer. "Keep the spiritual pathways open."

"I won’t fail you."

A faint smile crossed her face as she returned her attention to the engraving. Their movements soon fell into a steady rhythm, each of them focusing on their own part of the forging.

After several more minutes, however, Aunt Lin’s expression tightened. The Earth-Fire was already difficult to endure, and the pressure from Lin Tian’s Qi was becoming harder for her to ignore.

With her Qi Stagnation, the strain affected her far more than it would an ordinary cultivator. A sharp pain suddenly ran through her chest, making her hand stop for a moment.

The carving knife trembled.

Aunt Lin tightened her grip and steadied it before the blade could slip from the formation lines. She forced herself to stay focused and continued engraving.

The fifth layer was almost complete. Even a small mistake could make the formation unstable and damage the Void-Stone.

She took a slow breath and continued working. The pain remained, but her hand soon became steady again.

She would rather let her own meridians suffer than let Lin Tian down.

Lin Tian glanced at her from the side. He had noticed the brief tremor, but he didn’t interrupt her.He turned his attention back to the pagoda as his hammer fell onto the fourth layer.

Lin Tian raised the hammer for the fifth layer, his eyes fixed on the glowing metal. The shape of the pagoda was already clear, and only the final two layers remained before the main structure would be complete.

But a Sovereign kept track of everything under his care, even those who never asked for help.

Insight Eye.

[Target 3 Warning]

[Condition: Qi Stagnation is approaching a critical threshold. Ambient Yang pressure is forcing the blocked meridians open faster than her body can adjust.]

[Status: Target is suppressing pain. Obsession Level: 100%.]

Lin Tian’s eyes narrowed.

He had noticed the slight changes in her movements for some time. Her breathing had become uneven, her grip had tightened around the carving knife, and the flow of Qi through her body was no longer as smooth as before.

He had been watching her closely while forging, but now the warning from the Insight Eye confirmed his suspicion.

The hammer stopped in midair.

Lin Tian lowered it and placed it on the anvil. The sudden silence left only the crackling Earth-Fire in the forge.

Aunt Lin blinked and looked at him. Her hand was still trembling as she tried to finish the final stroke on the fifth layer.

"Lin Tian? Why did you stop? The metal is cooling. If the formation lines seal now, the spiritual pathways will—"

She didn’t get to finish.

Lin Tian crossed the short distance between them and caught her before she could lose her balance. He steadied her with one hand while taking the carving knife from her other hand.

"Ah..." Aunt Lin looked at him in surprise.

"You’re a foolish woman," Lin Tian said firmly. "Did you really think you could hide this from me?"

Aunt Lin lowered her eyes. She had tried to keep her breathing steady and hide the pain, but she knew there was no point now.

"I didn’t want to ruin the artifact," she said quietly. "I can endure it. Just let me finish the formation."

"The pagoda is a weapon. You’re the one forging it," Lin Tian said. "I won’t sacrifice you just to finish it."

His voice left no room for argument.

He placed a hand against her back and carefully sent a thin thread of Yang Qi into the blocked meridian near her chest. The flow was slow and controlled, easing the pressure without disturbing the rest of her Qi.

Aunt Lin’s tense body gradually relaxed.

The pain in her chest eased, and her breathing became steady again. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing her Qi to settle before slowly opening them.

"Better?" Lin Tian asked.

"Better," she replied, her voice steadier than before.

Lin Tian studied her for another moment. "This isn’t a cure. It will only ease the pressure for a while."

"I understand."

"Once the pagoda is finished, I’ll deal with your Qi Stagnation properly."

Aunt Lin nodded. "Yes, Lin Tian."

He waited until the trembling in her hands had completely stopped before stepping back. He then returned the carving knife to her and picked up the forging hammer.

"The final two layers remain. Pick up your knife."

Aunt Lin looked at the pagoda.

The sixth layer was already taking shape beneath the heat of the Earth-Fire. The dark-silver metal carried faint traces of spiritual light, while the Void-Stone at its base remained stable inside the formation.

She took a slow breath and tightened her grip around the carving knife.

The pain was still there, but it was no longer strong enough to affect her hands.

"Let’s finish it."

Lin Tian gave a small nod.

The hammer rose again.

CLANG!

The sound echoed through the underground forge as the sixth layer slowly took shape. Aunt Lin followed every change in the metal, waiting for the right moment to carve the next formation pattern.

Neither of them spoke again.

One shaped the metal.

The other gave it purpose.

As the sixth layer was completed, Lin Tian moved toward the final layer, and Aunt Lin prepared the last set of formation patterns. The pressure inside the forge grew heavier, but this time she did not try to hide anything from him.

Together, they continued the forging.

The final layer was about to be formed, and the Abyssal Suppression Pagoda was finally nearing completion.