Chapter 78: Forging Insights and Returning Hearts (2)

When Pei Qingluo came back into the main room of the cave abode, she looked perfectly clean and composed. Earlier, while she was forging, she had been drenched in sweat, but now not a trace of it remained, and not a hair was out of place.

She gave Lin Hao a wink before turning her gaze toward Gu Yuan.

"You saw my skill as a forging master earlier. Can you show me yours? Ah, I mean an artifact you made... I’ll take out the inheritance after that."

Show me yours?

Was suggestive talk contagious? Gu Yuan wondered, shooting Lin Hao a glance before taking a choker from his storage ring.

It wasn’t the Scarlet Seal he had made for Ji Yan. This was a Mortal Grade choker he had made for practice. The pair gave him strange looks, which he ignored, and he simply set it on the table.

Pei Qingluo picked it up and examined it carefully. Her expression gradually became more serious as she inspected every part of it.

"The structure is simple, but your control over the material is quite good. Especially here."

She pointed toward the inner side of the choker.

"You deliberately left this part slightly weaker."

Gu Yuan nodded. "The material was too ordinary. If I forced it any further, the artifact would have become more brittle."

Pei Qingluo’s eyes brightened.

"So you noticed it too."

"It’s difficult not to notice after repairing enough artifacts."

The discussion continued in this manner for a while, with the two of them going over the choices Gu Yuan had made during the forging process and the reasons behind them. Pei Qingluo occasionally pointed out details he had overlooked, while Gu Yuan explained the practical considerations behind several of his decisions.

Eventually, Pei Qingluo suddenly said, "You’re better than me."

Gu Yuan hadn’t expected such a straightforward admission.

"You don’t have to say it like that."

"Why not? It’s true."

She handed the choker back to him.

"My foundation in forging is solid, but I haven’t spent as much time gaining practical experience as you have. You seem to have developed your own way of doing things."

Gu Yuan didn’t really think he had developed some unique method through deliberate experimentation. Most of his experience had come from the time he spent working under Deacon Zhao, repairing weapons and artifacts. Having to deal with damaged artifacts of all kinds had naturally taught him how different materials behaved under pressure, heat, and spiritual power.

Regardless, it was time to move on to the real inheritance.

Pei Qingluo took a small, ancient-looking hammer from her storage ring and placed it on the table.

"The inheritance contains a forging method that focuses on rhythm and resonance. Instead of relying purely on strength and fire control, it emphasizes matching the natural frequency of the materials."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Every material has its own voice," she continued. "If you can strike in harmony with that voice, the refinement goes more smoothly and the finished product is more complete. But if your rhythm is even slightly off, the material cracks."

Gu Yuan’s eyes flickered with interest. He reached out and touched the hammer, sending a strand of spiritual power into it.

Information immediately flowed into his mind.

Once he had gone through it, he spoke.

"The requirement for perception is high. Higher than most mainstream forging methods in the sect."

"Yes." Pei Qingluo nodded. "That’s probably why it never became widespread. It’s powerful, but difficult."

The two of them began discussing the inheritance in earnest.

Gu Yuan pointed out several places where the resonance method could become unstable, finding problems that Pei Qingluo had not noticed before. However, although she was slightly inferior to him in overall practical skill, she had clearly studied the inheritance deeply and was able to explain the underlying rhythm theory in considerable detail.

Their exchange was not one between master and disciple, but between two Forging Masters comparing different paths. One had stronger practical control, while the other possessed a rare and difficult theoretical method.

Lin Hao had listened from the side for a while before finally muttering, "I really don’t understand a single word the two of you are saying."

Neither of them paid him any attention.

After half a day of discussion, Pei Qingluo finally stored the hammer away.

"This was useful," she said. "Your practical experience helped me notice several problems I had overlooked in the inheritance."

Gu Yuan cupped his hands lightly. "I also gained quite a bit. The resonance method is worth studying further."

Lin Hao stood up and stretched. "Alright, since you two are done talking about metal and fire, we should take our leave. We’ve already disturbed Brother Gu long enough."

Gu Yuan walked them to the entrance of the cave abode.

"Take care, Senior Brother. Senior Sister."

Lin Hao waved casually. "Don’t die before we meet again."

Pei Qingluo gave a small nod, and the two of them turned and left.

Watching their figures disappear, Gu Yuan stood in silence for a moment before returning inside.

His mind was still turning over the resonance forging method.

If he can combine this with blood forging... the next saber he create may reach the Earth Grade.

Despite the thought, Gu Yuan didn’t head to the forging room. Instead, he meditated for a while, consolidating his insights from the discussion before returning to his cultivation.

The Spiritual Core Realm was everything he was thinking about now.

-----

One year after Lin Hao’s visit, life in the Inner Sect of the Black Desolation Sect continued as usual. Ji Yue was inscribing an array formation around the sect with the help of several elders when she suddenly stopped and turned her gaze toward the horizon.

Before long, the crimson silhouette of her twin sister appeared in the distance.

Ji Yue dismissed the elders who were working with her, and shortly afterward, Ji Yan arrived in front of her.

The two sisters looked at each other in silence for a moment before Ji Yue smiled.

"So, did you have fun?"

"It was nice... far better than sitting in some palace cultivating."

Ji Yue chuckled. "That’s good, then. I was worried you would go to the Qin Dynasty. It’s good that you held yourself back."

"I thought about it, actually," Ji Yan said with a grin. "But the Heavenly Sword Sect would probably have interfered, so I held back."

Ji Yue shook her head with a helpless smile, and the two sisters finally made their way home, to their Dao Companion.

Along the way, Ji Yan glanced at the array formation Ji Yue had been working on.

"I see, you were working on that array formation. Did you not go to that secret realm?"

"No, I didn’t. There are more important matters to take care of first, after all."

Ji Yan seemed to understand what that important matter was, and a smile appeared on her face. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

When they reached Gu Yuan’s cave abode, the sisters entered without knocking or waiting for permission.

But that was only natural. After all, who asks permission before entering their own home?

Inside, as if he had been expecting them, Gu Yuan said, "Welcome back, Senior Sisters."

"I’m home." Ji Yan immediately threw herself at Gu Yuan and gave him a long kiss, seemingly making up for the three years she had been away. Only after a while did she finally pull away.

When the three of them sat down together at the table, Ji Yan turned to her twin sister, who clearly had something to say.

Ji Yue didn’t drag it out. "It’s time we hold our official wedding ceremony."