After practicing his Forged Iron skill several times each day, he knew that to craft a Mechanical Box himself, he would still need knowledge from the remaining three divisions: the Melt Gold Hall, the Mechanical Hall, and the Celestial Craft Department.

The fluorite lamps embedded in the rock wall cast long shadows of the two figures.

A faint red seeped through Yan Yuwei’s bandages in the high heat, yet she still swung the Profound Iron Ore Pickaxe with a powerful whoosh. "The first principle of the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique is finding the veins! The same applies to fighting—find your target’s vital channels, then strike. A great blade always leaves a mark!"

The instant the pickaxe’s tip pierced the rock wall, sparks flew onto Xu Yunfan’s clothes, scorching small black holes into the fabric. Expressionless, Xu Yunfan dusted himself off.

Yan Yuwei turned her head. "You’ve memorized all the key principles for cultivating the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique, haven’t you?"

Xu Yunfan nodded. "I studied them thoroughly last night."

Thanks to his cultivation of the Linn Character Technique, he had memorized it perfectly after reading it only a few times. For any points that were unclear, he had secretly activated his Linn Character State and swiftly sorted out the crucial details.

"The Earth Vein Geng Metal Qi is hidden three and seven-tenths inches deep within the rock’s core. When your pickaxe strikes, you must subtly channel the three forces of Zhen, Kan, and Li..."

Before she could finish, the mining pickaxe in Xu Yunfan’s hand seemed to fall gently.

The head of the pickaxe sliced into a fissure in the Red Flame Rock. The Nine-layered Wave Strength surged from his grip into the stone, blasting out a spiderweb of cracks seven feet long!

Yan Yuwei’s voice cut off abruptly. The mining pickaxe she’d been about to demonstrate with froze in midair.

"You..."

The Geng Metal Qi seeping from the fissure had a livid, iron-like color. This was an Anomaly in the ore vein that could only be triggered by the Shattered Jade Force, which one could only use after reaching the initial stage of the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique!

"Like this?"

Yan Yuwei took a deep breath, her voice cold. "You’ve already mastered the basics of the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique? Did you just come here to mess with me?"

"I only got the core cultivation method from your Melt Gold Hall yesterday."

Yan Yuwei’s breath caught in her throat. She stared blankly at the mining pickaxe in her hand, starting to question her very existence.

When she first set out to learn the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique, she had spent three full years just on preparatory work, let alone the actual cultivation. She had spent a fortune on daily medicinal baths, herbs, and Elixirs to condition her body. And even after all that, it had still taken her three months to master the basics.

Xu Yunfan had spent half the night reading the manual for the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique, and this morning, with his very first swing, he had completely mastered the basics.

If word of this got out, it would sound utterly preposterous.

After a long moment, Yan Yuwei ripped off her blood-soaked bandages, revealing forearm muscles as gnarled and dense as an iron net.

"Since you’ve already mastered the basics, the next step is to establish the proper breathing form."

"Your breathing Dharma Gate must be in sync with the vibrations of the pickaxe head!

Listen closely! When you inhale, let your qi sink to the soles of your feet. When you exhale, let your strength burst from the center of your palms!"

As she swung the pickaxe to demonstrate, the resonant clang of metal striking rock echoed through the mine. The tip of the pickaxe carved a spiral pattern into the rock face.

Xu Yunfan listened, carefully observing Yan Yuwei’s demonstration. Then he closed his eyes, Concentrating Spirit to carefully perceive his surroundings.

In the silence, he heard the muffled roar of magma churning deep within the Earth Vein. The acrid stench of sulfur and rust filled his nostrils. In his palm, the temperature of the mining pickaxe gradually began to sync with his heartbeat.

As his seventh breath resonated with the trembling of the rock strata, he snapped his eyes open!

CLANG!

The mining pickaxe struck down at an odd angle.

The Profound Iron Ore before him split into eight pieces on impact. The fractured surfaces were as smooth as a mirror—the hallmark of the third level of the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique: the Gold-Splitting Hand!

Yan Yuwei stared, momentarily stunned by the sight. She then watched as Xu Yunfan wielded his Mechanical Profound Iron Ore Pickaxe, carving out chunks of Profound Iron Ore as if it were tofu.

Her expression hardened. She flexed a corded arm, and at the sound of tearing fabric, Xu Yunfan turned around.

He was greeted by the sight of a bare-chested bruiser with a delicate, pretty face walking up to him.

Gah!! 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Xu Yunfan stumbled back three steps, instinctively raising the mining pickaxe to guard his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Hmph!"

Yan Yuwei shot him a disdainful glance before swinging her Iron Pickaxe, bringing it down hard on the Profound Iron Ore before her.

CLANG!

With the resounding clang of metal, the wounds on Yan Yuwei’s body, not yet fully healed, burst open, spattering fresh blood.

"I am the head disciple of the Melt Gold Hall, a renowned genius in Cangzhou! I reached Great Mastery in the Third Level before I was even twenty, earning a reputation across the province. My master considers me the future successor of the Melt Gold Hall. How could I ever be content to fall behind anyone!"

He watched her swing the Iron Pickaxe with frantic energy. With every powerful strike, her muscles coiled and uncoiled like steel cables, and the veins on her body bulged like pythons wrapped around her limbs.

Xu Yunfan took a deep breath and, without a word, began swinging his own Iron Pickaxe. He used the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique to stimulate his Blood Qi, drawing the Geng Metal Aura that seeped from the ore vein into his body.

’You have been digging continuously. You discovered that your breathing rhythm now matches the frequency of your pickaxe swings. Your Mining Skill Level has increased.’

’You are immersed in the rhythm of mining. Each swing of the pickaxe triggers a resonance with the Blood Qi in your body. The rate at which Geng Metal Aura integrates into your flesh has increased. Your Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique Skill Level has increased.’

’...’

’Through continuous cultivation of the Gold Melting and Iron Forging Technique and diligent physical practice, you have restored a portion of the Celestial Craft Forging Technique.’

After a full day of watching skill level notifications scroll endlessly across his vision, Xu Yunfan finally saw this last message pop up. He put down the mining pickaxe, now nearly half worn away.

"How about we take a break?"

Beside him, Yan Yuwei’s consciousness had nearly faded, her body continuing to mine on pure mechanical instinct. At Xu Yunfan’s words, her movements stuttered to a halt. The Iron Pickaxe clattered from her hand as she collapsed to the floor, panting in deep, ragged gasps.

Xu Yunfan glanced over but didn’t have the heart to look closely.

This Yan Yuwei had trained her body to the point that her muscles were all corded knots. Her feminine features had vanished from her chest, replaced by two pectoral muscles as solid as Armor, which flexed and compressed with her every move.

It was an unbearable sight.

There was nothing indecent about it in the slightest. It was simply the stuff of legends... the legends of hyper-masculine bodybuilders.

As she watched Xu Yunfan place his mining pickaxe on a rack and prepare to leave, Yan Yuwei asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Where are you going next?"

"I’m heading to the Celestial Craft Department. I’m very interested in their Profound Turtle Carrying Mountain Strength."

Yan Yuwei stared blankly at Xu Yunfan’s brisk, light-footed pace as he left, as if the entire day of mining had had no effect on him whatsoever.

She couldn’t help the waves of discouragement that washed over her.

She had clearly reached her absolute limit, yet he seemed to have been taking it easy the whole time.

The gap between them was as vast as the distance between a mayfly and the heavens.

But...

A fire ignited in Yan Yuwei’s heart.

’I have to find a way to catch up, to surpass him.’ She was determined to achieve Great Mastery of Skin Cultivation, and she was confident she could do it if she kept up this intensity for another year.

After returning to the Weapon Casting Hall’s quarters and eating a meal, Xu Yunfan glanced up at the large pendulum clock hanging from the dome of the Celestial Craft Fortress. Converting the time to what he was used to from his past life, it should be around eight o’clock in the evening.

That was right when the Steward from the Celestial Craft Department was scheduled to begin his lecture.

Without hesitating, Xu Yunfan walked quickly toward the Celestial Craft Department.

Now that Zhan Yan had told him the sect was planning to relocate, he naturally wanted to complete the fragmented Celestial Craft Forging Technique first. He didn’t want some sudden incident to rob him of the opportunity to learn it later.

With his Attribute Panel, as long as he could learn the complete Celestial Craft Forging Technique, all he would need to do afterward was continuously grind its Skill Level to advance.