Jing Wei leaned back after finishing his previous tale, his expression turning thoughtful as he swirled the remaining liquor in his mug. The firelight from the forge braziers reflected in his eyes, giving him a distant look as if he were peering through years of memory rather than the lively hall around them.

"You have heard the beginning," he said slowly, his tone settling into something steadier. "But there is more. Much more."

Lin Mu nodded, resting his arm on the heavy wooden table as he listened.

"After I met my master," Jing Wei continued, "my life changed completely. The world opened up in a way I had never imagined."

He gestured lightly with his mug.

"He did not stay in one place. A dwarf like him would never be content with a single world. We traveled. Constantly."

"To gather materials?" Lin Mu asked.

"Yes," Jing Wei replied. "Materials, ores, rare metals, ancient remnants, even broken weapons that carried unique properties. Nothing was beneath his interest if it held potential."

He chuckled softly.

"At first, I struggled to keep up. The environments alone were enough to kill an unprepared cultivator. Some worlds were filled with corrosive mists. Others had crushing pressure. Some were barren voids with drifting fragments like this one."

Lin Mu listened intently.

"And you survived all that?" he asked.

Jing Wei nodded.

"I had no choice," he said. "Survival became part of my learning. My master did not shield me from danger. He guided me, but he expected me to endure."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"And I learned quickly," he added. "Faster than I ever had before."

Lin Mu smiled faintly.

"That sounds like you," he said.

Jing Wei laughed.

"I suppose it does," he admitted. "But the difference was the scale. Everything in the immortal realm demanded more. More precision. More endurance. More understanding."

He set his mug down.

"My forging improved alongside my cultivation," he said. "The two could not be separated anymore. If my understanding of energy was lacking, my work would fail. If my control was weak, the materials would reject me."

Lin Mu nodded in agreement.

"That is true," he said. "At higher levels, everything is connected."

Jing Wei leaned forward slightly.

"We visited dozens of worlds," he continued. "Each one taught me something new. Some had metals that could only be shaped under extreme pressure. Some required specific elemental conditions. Others demanded precise timing during refinement."

His voice carried a quiet sense of admiration.

"My master knew them all," he said. "Not perfectly, but enough to guide me through each challenge."

Lin Mu could see the respect clearly.

"You must have gained a lot from him," he said.

"I did," Jing Wei replied. "More than I can fully describe."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Time passed quickly," he said. "Years blended together. Then decades."

Lin Mu raised a brow slightly.

"How long?" he asked.

"Nearly forty years since I ascended," Jing Wei answered.

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"That is not long for an immortal," he said.

"No," Jing Wei agreed. "But it felt long enough given everything that happened."

He leaned back again.

"At a certain point, my master said we had gathered enough," he said. "Enough materials, enough knowledge, enough experience."

"And then?" Lin Mu asked.

"He said it was time to return home," Jing Wei replied.

Lin Mu’s gaze sharpened.

"You did not know where that was?" he asked.

Jing Wei shook his head.

"No," he said. "He never told me."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"He simply said we would go back," he added.

Lin Mu let out a soft breath.

"How long did it take?" he asked.

"Nearly a decade," Jing Wei replied.

Lin Mu blinked.

"That long?" he said. "And I’m guessing you were already close to the Eastern Immortal Court’s territory if not within it."

"We were still far from it so we used teleportation arrays," Jing Wei explained. "World after world. Each jump took us closer. Each location more hidden than the last."

His tone grew quieter.

"I only understood where we were when we arrived here," he said.

Lin Mu’s eyes flickered.

"The Runweld Barren World," he said.

Jing Wei nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "This shattered place... this hidden realm... this is their home."

He gestured vaguely around them.

"Mantleheim," he added.

Lin Mu glanced around briefly before returning his attention to Jing Wei.

"What happened when you arrived?" he asked.

Jing Wei let out a slow breath.

"That was the hardest part," he said.

Lin Mu raised a brow.

"Harder than everything before?" he asked.

"In a different way," Jing Wei replied.

He straightened slightly.

"The dwarves do not trust easily," he said. "Especially not humans."

Lin Mu nodded, already aware of that.

"There is history," Jing Wei continued. "Events that created deep resentment. Betrayals. Exploitation. Things that are still remembered."

Lin Mu remained silent.

"I had to prove myself," Jing Wei said. "Over and over again."

"How?" Lin Mu asked.

"Through my craft," Jing Wei replied. "Through my conduct. Through my patience."

His tone carried a quiet firmness.

"I was tested," he said. "Given tasks that pushed me beyond my limits. Materials that were difficult to handle. Techniques that required absolute precision."

Lin Mu listened closely.

"And you passed," he said.

Jing Wei gave a small nod.

"Eventually," he said. "It was not quick. It was not easy."

He smiled faintly.

"But I earned their recognition."

Lin Mu felt a sense of respect grow within him.

"That is not something many can achieve," he said.

"It is rare," Jing Wei admitted. "Human apprentices among dwarves... it happens once in a thousand years. Sometimes even more."

Lin Mu nodded.

"I can see why," he said.

Jing Wei leaned back again.

"I have been here since then," he said. "Learning. Forging. Improving."

His expression grew thoughtful.

"I am still considered an apprentice," he added.

Lin Mu tilted his head.

"Because of your cultivation?" he asked.

"Yes," Jing Wei replied. "Skill alone is not enough. Strength matters too. Without it I cannot learn high tier skills."