When he arrived at the Celestial Craft Department’s schoolhouse, Xu Yunfan stood at the entrance, listening to the voices coming from inside.

"Remember, for construction within our Celestial Craft Cave, our Celestial Craft Department must follow the four-part standard of ’Eat, Take, Block, and Demand.’"

"Teacher Zhang, what do ’Eat, Take, Block, and Demand’ stand for?"

Another, somewhat youthful voice spoke up, filled with genuine curiosity.

Steward Zhang Yue of the Celestial Craft Cave’s voice rang out, carrying an undeniable authority.

"Of course. ’Eat’ is for eating up every detail in the blueprints. ’Take’ is for taking out the evidence for every action. ’Block’ is for blocking anything that violates our standards. And ’Demand’ is for demanding results.

Our Celestial Craft Department has worked with the Mechanical Hall for many years, shouldering the majority of the work on the entire Celestial Craft Fortress. Now, with the Cyan Dragon Winch activated, it is utterly impregnable. Even a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster would be helpless against it, which just goes to show you how effective our work is."

"And what about for outsiders?"

Zhang Yue’s tone changed.

"You all must remember, for the Celestial Craft Cave to build a Celestial Craft Fortress over so many years, the cost has been astronomical. And that’s with the free labor from the Melt Gold Hall, who mine for resources day in and day out. Otherwise, the cost would be several times higher.

With outsiders, it’s different. If they offer, we eat. If they give, we take. If they don’t give, we obstruct. If they have nothing, we demand something. You must eat without worry, take without fear, obstruct at your whim, and demand to your heart’s content..."

Xu Yunfan was speechless.

As he walked out of the Celestial Craft Department’s schoolhouse, Xu Yunfan watched the bustling crowd of youths leaving, talking and laughing, his expression tinged with emotion.

"Time is the best medicine."

Steward Zhang Yue of the Celestial Craft Department walked up beside Xu Yunfan, his eyes fixed on the backs of the departing students.

"The Celestial Craft Cave was founded one thousand and twenty-three years ago. It has experienced six crises that nearly wiped out the sect, and over a dozen times when more than half of its members were annihilated. Yet, the Ancestral Masters of every generation found a way to endure. Whether it was bowing and scraping to survive, or standing tall and defending the sect to the death, our ancestors have done it all.

As for their rights and wrongs, their merits and demerits, history will be the judge.

These kids are the future of the Celestial Craft Department. There are many promising young talents among them. Perhaps a few figures like Hall Master Wan will emerge."

At this, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but sigh.

"In the end, we still can’t be like the Six Great Sects, swallowing up an entire region and gathering all the world’s finest talents."

Xu Yunfan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "That day will come."

Although he had spent a long time in the Scripture Pavilion and read all sorts of specialized books from the four great halls, he had never noticed the historical records of the Celestial Craft Cave.

Shaking off his nostalgic mood, Zhang Yue turned and led the way into the courtyard, saying, "Junior Brother Xu, come inside. Master has already instructed me to teach you the complete Profound Turtle Carrying Mountain Strength."

"Thank you!"

Xu Yunfan nodded in thanks.

「5:00 AM」

Inside Xu Yunfan’s True Inheritance Courtyard in the Weapon Casting Hall, his nostrils flared as he periodically inhaled the sulfur-tinged air.

The principles of the Pure Yang Qi Skill’s "Outer Three Harmonies" surged through his flesh and blood: shoulders aligned with hips, elbows with knees, hands with feet. His body, which had reached Great Perfection in the training of tendons, bones, and skin, was as taut as a bowstring, yet he was always off by a hair’s breadth.

CRACK!

On his fifth attempt at the "Unity of Three," his right shoulder blade suddenly dislocated.

CLICK!

With a soft sound, he rippled his muscles, pulling the shoulder blade back into place as if with a steel winch. Xu Yunfan stared at the blood seeping from the web of his hand, his brow deeply furrowed. He felt he was missing some crucial knack, but the Pure Yang Qi Skill’s instructions offered no clues, leaving him utterly baffled.

’There must be some secret technique, passed down orally in the Taoist Sect, not written in the cultivation technique manuals.’

「Midday」

Deep in an underground mine, the Magnetic Compass spun wildly.

Xu Yunfan pressed both palms against the rock wall. The Blood Qi, activated by his Melting Gold and Forging Iron skill, resonated with the Profound Iron Ore Vein.

A strange pulse emanated from deep within the rock formation, as if a Primordial Giant Beast was breathing Metal Qi in and out.

"Southwest, seven zhang. Dig three cun deep! It must be a piece of Blazing Fire Iron!"

Xu Yunfan’s Profound Iron Mechanical Mining Pickaxe smashed into the marked spot on the rock wall.

The instant the pickaxe tip pierced the rock, the entire ore vein twisted like a living python. A three-hundred-jin chunk of Profound Iron Ore burst from the wall, and as if dissected, it revealed a fist-sized piece of iron glowing with a crimson light!

Holding it in his hand, he felt an intense, scalding heat in his palm.

This fist-sized piece of Blazing Fire Iron contained a heat of hundreds of degrees.

Xu Yunfan said joyfully, "I remember in the Celestial Craftsmanship Forging Record, the main material for a Divine Weapon, the Fire Qilin Sword, was forged from this Blazing Fire Iron. The book described that with a single thrust of the Fire Qilin Sword, Earth Fire would surge forth, possessing an incredible burning power. The Qilin Blood infused within it would further fuel the flames, allowing it to easily melt gold and turn iron to liquid."

Seeing this, Yan Yuwei, who was standing nearby, had an incredibly complex expression on her face. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"Your Melting Gold and Forging Iron skill can now unleash the Zhen, Kan, and Li Three Forces Combined, and you are proficient at finding ore and identifying veins. You’ve officially completed your apprenticeship."

Hearing this, Xu Yunfan turned his head in surprise. At that very moment, a message was popping up in his field of vision.

’Your Melting Gold and Forging Iron skill has reached Minor Achievement.’

-----------------

「Late Afternoon」

The floor tiles of the Celestial Craft Department’s Martial Arts Arena were covered in cracks.

Wan Chen’s Red Copper Giant Axe struck Xu Yunfan’s back, producing the sound of metal striking metal.

Xu Yunfan’s expression remained unchanged. He pushed the Mount-Carrying Form of his Profound Turtle Carrying Mountain Strength to its limit. The muscles under his skin layered like an old turtle’s shell, allowing him to withstand the downward chop of the Giant Axe.

"Hm?"

Wan Chen’s previously casual gaze suddenly changed, taking on a hint of seriousness.

"Not hard enough!"

Wan Chen’s axe blade suddenly changed its attack. A triple wave of Hidden Force surged forth like a tide. "The Profound Turtle Force isn’t about tanking the hit; it’s about redirecting it!"

The blue bricks beneath Xu Yunfan’s feet shattered. The muscles across his back rippled like waves, channeling seventy percent of the Hidden Force into the ground.

The remaining thirty percent circulated nine times within his body. His muscles trembled, his bones hummed like cicadas, and then the force suddenly rebounded from his palm, striking the Giant Axe. This was the ultimate principle of the Camel Mountain Force: moving mountains and filling seas!

It could be called borrowing strength to strike back, but it was transmitted through his own muscles. After withstanding the blow, only thirty percent of the force remained, which he combined with his own strength to return the attack.

Although it had hints of Tai Chi Boxing, it was in fact worlds apart. If one’s body was not strong enough, without a Horizontal Training Body as a foundation, just taking the initial force would be enough to get you split in two.

Wan Chen was thrown back three steps, the axe handle spinning into a blur in his palm. When he stopped it and looked, he saw a palm print pressed three cun deep into the face of the axe head, every line of the palm perfectly distinct.

His face went pale and then flushed red, and he finally spat out a curse.

"Damn it! It took me thirty years just to get my foot in the door..."

-----------------

「7:45 PM」

In a secret chamber of the Mechanical Hall, three hundred and sixty puppets opened their eyes simultaneously.

Mo Shisan’s fingers moved with subtle dexterity, flicking out a hundred Thousand Mechanism Threads, weaving a Heaven and Earth Net around Xu Yunfan.

"The essence of the Hundred Refinements Silk Binding Strength is in the word ’Silk.’ Whether you’re moving a Mechanical Beast or a Mechanical Puppet, you need to exert the Silk Binding Force to manipulate the Thousand Mechanism Threads and control all sorts of mechanisms. If you want to create even more intricate mechanisms, your control over the Silk Binding Force needs to be even more precise. Some components are so small that even the Celestial Craft Department can’t make them; they can only be hand-formed, bit by bit, using the Mechanical Hall’s Silk Binding Force."