My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 230 – Setting the Date For The Grand Wedding - Part 2

10 days later.

Master Zhu watched Li Yuan with growing concern in his eyes.

20 days later.

He began to show signs of irritation.

By day 25, Li Yuan still hadn’t gotten the basics down. Master Zhu’s face darkened more with each passing day, his patience wearing thin.

Finally, at the 30-day mark, Li Yuan spotted a new entry in his skill list.

NEW! Basic Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (1/10)

Wiping away his sweat, Li Yuan exhaled in relief, a determined look in his eyes. Hard work always pays off. Even if his talent was below par, he would still climb to the top step by step—and rake in the rewards that blood crystals could bring.

Glancing at his 12,636 stat points, Li Yuan thought, Time to allocate some stat points.

Basic Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (1/10) ➔ NEW! Intermediate Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (1/20) freeweɓnovel-cøm

Master Zhu, seeing Li Yuan’s latest hammer strike, could tell that his son-in-law had finally stepped through the doorway of forging blood crystals. Still, he grumbled, clearly annoyed, “Keep going. You’ve only just started.”

He all but spat the words. After all, Master Zhu himself had taken only seven days to reach this stage—seven days without anyone guiding him. Yet his son-in-law, even with his help, had needed 30. He couldn’t help but feel tormented by how quickly Li Yuan used to progress in other areas versus how painfully slow he was at forging.

In truth, weaponsmithing demanded a great deal of inborn talent. If a person didn’t have it, they’d hit a wall fast. And Master Zhu was starting to suspect he might’ve misjudged Li Yuan’s aptitude.

Maybe he had prior blacksmithing experience, which made him breeze through the early steps...? Either way, Master Zhu’s mood soured further by the day.

Sensing his father-in-law’s agitation, Li Yuan took a deep breath. “No need to worry, Father-in-law. I’ve found my rhythm now.” He tilted his head back slightly, sunlight glinting in his eyes as though he’d just grasped some new realization, a trace of confidence lifting the corners of his mouth.

Master Zhu responded gruffly, “In that case, show me.”

“Yes.” Li Yuan answered politely, then added, “Watch closely.”

He grabbed another piece of blood crystal, lit the furnace, worked the bellows, added more metals, and began forging again.

Klang! The hammer fell once.

Quietly, Li Yuan allocated a stat point.

Intermediate Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (2/20)

Master Zhu didn’t react.

Klang! The hammer fell a second time.

Li Yuan added another stat point.

Intermediate Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (3/20)

Master Zhu suddenly let out a puzzled “Hmm?” as if he couldn’t believe his own ears.

Li Yuan hammered away a total of 20 times in succession.

Then, as though struck by sudden enlightenment, he set down the hammer and made a breakthrough.

NEW! Advanced Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (1/40)

Moments later, he resumed hammering, though he slowed the pace of adding skill points.

Off to the side, Master Zhu went through a drastic mood shift. His earlier impatience and disbelief faded with every crisp ring of metal. By the time Li Yuan delivered the final blow, even the underlying worry on Master Zhu’s face had vanished.

It was as if he’d fallen from the clouds into the dirt, only to shoot back into the sky.

All in a single forging session, Li Yuan’s skills were improving at a visible rate.

... (9/40)

... (19/40)

... (29/40)

➔ Advanced Weaponsmithing - Rank 6 (39/40)

Master Zhu stood there, dumbfounded. After turning it over in his mind repeatedly, he figured it out—his son-in-law must be the enlightenment type. Once he grasped the key concept, he broke through all barriers at once.

Li Yuan set down the hammer. “So, how was that?”

Behind him, Master Zhu’s face was practically glowing with delight.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Four months later.

Li Yuan had quietly and methodically maxed out sixth rank Weaponsmithing at the Master level. But this wasn’t the end; an additional secret art lay beyond, known as Spirit-Metal Resonance—the crucial skill for dealing with source blood.

Without saying more, Master Zhu wrote a letter, handing it to Li Yuan and instructing him to deliver it to Cui Huayin. By now, everyone in the Cui Clan knew about Li Yuan’s agreement with the Yin Consort. She wanted him to inherit Master Zhu’s craft. If he succeeded, she would marry him. Master Zhu’s letter served as proof of Li Yuan’s achievement.

“My good son-in-law, once you’ve set a date for the wedding, come back to the mountain. I’ll teach you Metal-Spirit Resonance and what I know about hearing the heavens after that,” Master Zhu said.

Li Yuan bowed deeply. “Yes, Father-in-law.”

He truly respected this man, not just because he was Cui Huayin’s father but because he was a genuine mentor as well.

“On the wedding day,” Li Yuan added, “I hope you’ll come and taste my homemade liquor.”

“What sort of mystery brew is this?”

“Just ordinary grain liquor, but this time, I’m planning to produce something as fiery as flames. I promise, not a soul at the banquet will leave sober.” Li Yuan raised a hand in a mock toast, smiling at the middle-aged man before him.

He couldn’t help noticing how different Master Zhu seemed now compared to when they first met. At the beginning, Master Zhu had been solemn, weighed down by worries. But these days, he seemed...unshackled.

Master Zhu looked at Li Yuan’s gesture and smiled faintly. He said nothing, only closed his eyes as though lost in recollections—perhaps memories of his own youth, or simply the time they’d spent together in the forge these past months. Anger, joy, worry, excitement...he’d experienced it all, culminating in relief and satisfaction.

A glimmer of moisture seemed to gather in his eyes, but he forced them open before it could fall. Patting Li Yuan’s shoulder, he said, “Off you go, then. Don’t think this letter alone is enough to make Huayin obediently take your hand. There are plenty more trials awaiting you.”

As Li Yuan was about to leave, Master Zhu called out, “Hold up!”

Li Yuan turned around.

Master Zhu said, “If you fail the first time, don’t give up. Women...sometimes you just have to chase them harder. I remember when I courted Huayin’s mother...” He broke off, chuckling, and then put an arm around Li Yuan’s shoulder. “Never mind. I might as well tell you the whole embarrassing story.”

The two men—one older, one younger—took a seat on a boulder at the edge of a cliff. In the distance, pale clouds rolled like tidewater. They chatted freely, bursting into hearty laughter now and then.

Listening to Master Zhu recount his shameless, lovestruck youth, Li Yuan could tell he was placing great hopes in his son-in-law to carry on his legacy. Of course, he had no intention of repeating that puppy-dog devotion, but it was clear Master Zhu wasn’t exactly expecting him to, either.

At one point, Master Zhu said, “Everyone calls me Master Zhu all the time. I bet you don’t even know my real name.”

“I don’t,” Li Yuan admitted, still riding the good humor of their conversation.

“My full name is Zhu Ban.”

Zhu Ban’s face turned solemn for a moment. “Once you’ve fully taken over this craft, people will probably start calling you Master Li. Let them do it long enough, and they’ll practically forget your real name is Li Yuan.” He gave a booming laugh, then let out a quiet sigh, though what he was lamenting was unclear.

Soon after, Zhu Ban escorted Li Yuan down to the foot of the mountain. There, at the edge of dusk, his smile faded, his face gradually dissolving into the night’s gloom.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

“My lady, my lady! Li Yuan has returned!” Yao Jue came rushing to deliver the news to Cui Huayin.

Cui Huayin’s expression shifted slightly. As far as she knew, Li Yuan had started learning weaponsmithing last June. Now, over a year and three months had passed.

She’d done some research. In that span of time, a blacksmith with decent talent could barely reach a level worthy of recommendation to see Master Zhu for the first time—and even that was no guarantee.

So, how far had Li Yuan actually gotten?

Elsewhere in the Cui residence, the same meeting was taking place between two men.

“What do you think?” Cui Heng asked. As the head of the clan, he was also well aware of Li Yuan’s return.

This time, Cui Heng could tell Li Yuan’s return was different.

Li Yuan had spent nearly 11 months straight in the mountains, only coming down a few times to visit his residence on Peach Blossom Lane.

“I think Master Zhu has finally acknowledged him,” Cui Heng remarked.

Seated across from him was the Cui Clan’s grand elder, Cui Yang, a calm, steady presence.

“Only 11 months...” Cui Yang murmured. “Truly remarkable...”

Cui Heng shook his head lightly. “I once heard Deputy Gu mention Li Yuan. She said he’s a real talent and would likely have matched her own achievements if only he hadn’t been a lone wanderer.”

Because of Li Yuan, the Cui Clan—though the betrothal wasn’t yet settled—had effectively tied itself to Gu Xuejian. The Cui Clan’s style already resembled Gu Xuejian’s in many ways, and with the temple in chaos and the clan going through upheaval, they had leaned on Li Yuan’s connection to Gu Xuejian for support. Naturally, her name and Li Yuan’s often came up in conversation.

“It seems he’s not just a martial prodigy but a genius at smithing as well,” the grand elder sighed. “You know, Master Zhu once swore an oath. He’d never leave this place unless he trained a weaponsmith for our Cui Clan. Looks like he’s about to fulfill that promise.”

Cui Heng responded with a touch of somberness, “A man with deep feelings is often hurt by them. But, Grand Elder, do you really think it was pure coincidence when Cui Rou was humiliated by Jing Yunhe back then?”

Cui Yang snorted. “Once Master Zhu heard, he lost all focus. He botched the forging of a spirit weapon—destroyed the source blood and everything.”

Cui Heng’s gaze grew distant. “The timing of that spirit weapon project lined up perfectly with the incident—seamless, in fact.” He repeated, his tone somewhere between resentment and cold sarcasm, “Who exactly was the client that time?”

Cui Yang said nothing, steering the conversation elsewhere. “Huayin’s in quite a mood. Perhaps you should go speak with her.”

“So you won’t say his name, either?” Cui Heng asked.

“It’s not that I’m afraid,” Cui Yang replied. “I just don’t believe he’d conspire with the Jing Clan purely to sabotage our weaponsmith. He’s the temple master; he has no motive to harm Master Zhu. And now isn’t the time to dwell on that. We can’t let this wedding fall through.”

Cui Heng lowered his eyes. “Right. He’s the temple master...what reason would he have? He helped our clan so many times. Our patriarch also once served him as a close aide and admired him deeply. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

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