A giant rusty portable forge appeared out of nowhere, shocking Violet Flame Noble. He had never seen such a thing before.

What was Long Di going to do with this?

****

He inspected it closely and was shocked to see that this was a high-ranked spiritual artefact. He wasn’t even sure of its grade.

One must know that Violet Flame Noble was the most gifted genius of Dao Flame Mansion. They were even in possession of a medium-rank mortal-grade spiritual artefact.

For the grade of this artefact to be something that not even he could identify meant that this thing escaped the mortal grade!

‘Impossible! Those can only exist when…’

He looked at Long Di in boundless curiosity.

Who was this person? Just who did he choose to follow?

Violet Flame Noble was one of those rare geniuses who did not allow his status to keep him from interacting with others. This was why he could throw away his pride to beg Long Di to help him to begin with.

Nevertheless, it didn’t mean that he would follow just anyone. Scratch that, just following anyone would be an affront to him in any way, shape, or form.

BUT… he could tell that when Long Di struck him with lightning before, there was something about it. Long Di allowed him to see what level of power he had, but even then, it felt like a drop in the bucket.

“Here.”

While Violet Flame Noble was still lost in rumination, Long Di shoved a couple of spirit stones in his arms.

“Put these spirit stones in those grooves when I say when.”

Violet Flame Noble nodded to indicate he understood.

This time, Long Di was using a larger number of spirit stones since he realised he was lagging behind in his secondary cultivation technique.

He also took out his forging hammer, which induced a feeling of heaviness in Violet Flame Noble’s heart.

He flicked his storage ring to Lord Whiskers. “Take care of that for me.”

He then stepped inside the forge and advised Violet Flame Noble to start.

Whoosh!

As soon as Violet Flame Noble inserted the spirit stones in the forge’s grooves, a furious flame arose within the forge encasing Long Di within.

“What powerful fire energy!” Violet Flame Noble was shocked. He cultivated a special type of cultivation technique that manifested itself as a cloak of flames that covered his body.

“Just being able to cultivate near here would loosen my bottleneck, I’m sure of it!”

Meanwhile, inside the forge.

Foundation Forge Body Tempering Art on!

D-Dum!

His cauldrons exploded into being behind him, seemingly unbothered by the heat of the forge.

Furious somatic essence ran through Long Di’s body in a frenzy as a heavy aura radiated from him.

“First Forging, Nine Tempers!”

The hammer swung in a flurry, causing numerous clangings to reverberate from within the forge.

The hammer landed on several key spots on Long Di’s body. As of now, Long Di was in an odd place with his cultivation.

His body, or more specifically his bones were in the quasi-sapphire realm. He needed to start the Second Forging to formally enter it and then reach ninety-nine tempers to complete it.

Going by the Foundation Forge Body Tempering Art, this would have allowed him to reach the peak of the cauldron-forging realm as a somatic essence cultivator. However, because of the tribulation lightning he used to accommodate his cultivation, he was already at the peak of the cauldron-forging realm.

This meant that he was already far stronger than how he should have actually been. Based on his current achievements in the Foundation Forge Body Tempering Art, he should only be as strong as someone who had half a step in the cauldron forging realm.

From this, one can see just how far stronger Long Di was than where he is currently.

I don’t mind having more strength than what my chapter normally allows for, but I can’t have my Breaking Mundane Forging Heaven Technique suffer for it. That’s my B.

Making up his mind, Long Di got to work on bringing his cultivation to new heights.

“First Forging Nine Tempers!”

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Bam!!!!!

Nine Tempers echoed out in quick succession. The shockwaves passed through Long Di’s body and battered his sapphire bones!

The sapphire gleam that covered his body brightened a little, but not by much.

“Second Forging, First Temper!”

Whoosh!

The First Temper of the Second Forging missed entirely, but Long Di started over again from the First Forging to attempt the Second Forging once more.

The Tempers weren’t all about numbers, each temper carried with it a profound path and trajectory that needed to be thought about deeply. As a result, each successful temper was stronger than the last.

The First Temper of the Second Forging would allow Long Di’s bones to formally enter the Sapphire realm. It would allow for his strength to increase drastically.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Misses, they were all misses! The Second Forging’s Temper just wouldn’t connect!

‘Wait… Crap doughnuts I forgot.’

Long Di just remembered that he had sealed his thoughts and feelings during his state of comprehension from the Phoenix Amber Bauble Wine during dinner for just such an occasion.

‘Time to use it,’ he thought.

Unsealing those feelings, releasing that moment, a bout of comprehension overwhelmed him.

Shu! Shu! Shu! Shu!

He saw countless hammer images flickering through his mind.

“I see,” he mumbled to himself.

The Nine Tempers made up the First Forging Variation. However, the Ninety-Nine Tempers that made up the Second Forging also embodied the Nine Tempers.

“I thought of the Nine Tempers as a set by itself and the Second Forging Tempers as another when they were all the same. I shouldn’t have been trying for the Second Forging’s First Temper. I should have been trying for the Tenth Temper!”

As soon as this knowledge filled him, the trajectory of the hammer shifted ever so slightly and the hammer landed on Long Di’s body.

Bam!

A satisfying collision echoed out within the world of flames.

The Tenth Temper.

Vrrrm!

His body trembled as his bones completely took on a sapphire colour. A wave of somatic essence surged into his body, increasing his strength even further!

However, when Long Di felt it, if he could smile, he would smile wryly as he was still at the peak of the cauldron-forging realm. It seemed that the increase in strength brought about by entering the sapphire verse which was the same as entering the cauldron forging realm, was not enough to traverse the chasm that separated the cauldron forging realm from the core formation realm. However, that was to be expected.

The chasm separating the major realm above another realm was countless times stronger and vaster in scale. The two couldn’t be compared.

Nevertheless, Long Di stepped into the Second Forging variation and, knowing that he was on a roll, he continued from there.

“Second Forging Ninety-Nine Tempers!”

A ceaseless clangour resounded that played the music of Long Di’s growing strength.

Long Di’s unholy talent in forging and cultivation superimposed on each other allowing him to blaze through the levels!-

All he needed was that stroke of enlightenment to jump-start it.

Eleventh Temper!

Twelfth Temper!

Thirteenth Temper!

Fourteenth Temper!

Fifteenth Temper!

Sixteenth Temper!

Violet Flame Noble who was now cultivating beside the forge ensconced in a plume of violet flames heard the hammering from within the forge increase in tempo and nearing a crescendo that would deafen the heavens.

Lord Whiskers was also keeping an eye on everything, but he got bored and quickly went to sleep.

The flames of the forge broke down Long Di’s body mercilessly, and it was soon followed by the hammer which built it back up!

His skin was a charred mess, but his bones shone ever brighter. They were now glowing instead of just assuming the colour of sapphire.

Their shine only grew stronger as time went on and as each Temper was achieved. Uncle Tian Lu would accuse Long Di of being a true demon if he ever saw what his disciple was doing.

Ninety-Sixth Temper!

Ninety-Seventh Temper!

Ninety-Eighth Temper!

Long Di was running through the Second Forging like it was nothing!

This was all due to his talent AND his strength already being at the peak of the cauldron-forging realm. Long Di’s strength should have grown slowly along with each temper he learned.

Time and patience, along with comprehension and strength, was the key to unlocking any subsequent temper.

Once one’s strength was grown through the attempt of trying for a temper, comprehension would soon follow allowing for that temper to be attained.

Fortunately, Long Di was a freak who murdered the common sense of cultivation. Since his strength was already at the peak of the cauldron-forging realm due to his lightning tribulation, this got rid of one of the most time-consuming aspects of this cultivation technique.

As a result, it gave birth to…

Ninety-Ninth Temper!

Boom!

A muffled explosion came from inside the forge, shaking Violet Flame Noble from his cultivation session.

He stood up in a hurry to greet Long Di before he exited the forge. Long Di hadn’t told him what he wanted him for or what role he would be playing as yet, so he would fulfil both the roles of a servant and a fighter if need be.

Therefore, a good servant must greet his young noble once their cultivation session was over.

Creeeaakk…

The forge door groaned open and a potent heatwave rushed out.

The ground all around for a decent distance became a glowing red.

Lord Whiskers was spared a charred-skin fate since he learned that being near this forge while it was in use or after it was in use was a fool’s act.

Violet Flame Noble was shocked when he saw Long Di this time around.

The latter didn’t look any different, but there was something different about him. His aura felt heavy and suffocating.

There was an imposingness about him that made it look as if one stomp was all it would take to crush the firmaments and throw purgatory into chaos!

Despite all this, Violet Flame Noble couldn’t tell what his cultivation base was.

Long Di, on the other hand, was still reeling from his state of epiphany. Something very disturbing occurred to him while he was cultivating a while ago.

Something regarding the origin of his cultivation technique and just who may have it. If this was the case, a great war would soon ensue.

One he himself would be the one to start.

He then mumbled to himself. “Karma is a hell of a thing. I need to get to a Ren’duan dwelling.”

Violet Flame Noble piped up. “I-I know where to find one.”