The tempered iron longsword was something both elders had seen many times before—hardly a rarity. Yet what astonished them about this blade was neither its form nor material.

It was the forging technique.

"The texture is so remarkably even and dense."

"And these layered forging patterns—so elegant, like rippling water converging in one direction..."

Ding—

Elder Zeng extended a finger and lightly flicked the blade, eliciting a clear, resonant ring.

"Excellent, truly excellent. This is undoubtedly a fine weapon—one of the highest grade."

"For a first attempt at weapon-smithing to yield such results... I’ve never seen the like in all my years!"

Elder Zeng was no stranger to famed swords, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away from this superior-grade iron longsword, his admiration plain.

"Hand it over."

Elder Hanhe took the sword and examined it meticulously, clicking his tongue in approval.

Mmm, yes. This blade carries a soul.

Every inch bore the marks of painstaking effort. That kid, hammering ten strikes in a single breath—he’d truly done it. And surpassed even their expectations.

"It seems you took my words to heart."

"Hmph, without my Five Elements smelting technique, how could this iron endure five temperings and quenchings?"

Elder Zeng lifted his chin proudly.

The strengths of both masters’ crafts had merged flawlessly in this young man.

The two elders exchanged a glance, as if reading each other’s thoughts.

He’s still young. Full marks might breed arrogance.

Besides, the sword wasn’t perfect.

At the very least, it still fell short of what the two of them could forge.

"Theoretically, iron can be refined into a masterwork. But this blade of yours, though superior-grade, remains a fine weapon."

"There are still areas where you fall short."

"I’m all ears."

Li Mo set down his hammer and listened intently.

This was the accumulated wisdom of seasoned artisans—earned through years of toil, not something martial insights or epiphanies could replicate.

"First, your understanding of ‘swordcraft’ is lacking. Different blade types demand distinct techniques and emphases during forging..."

Elder Hanhe and Elder Zeng took turns critiquing, their comments flowing back and forth.

Finally, Elder Zeng summarized:

"One more thing—this isn’t your fault. The issue lies in the quenching material."

"The quenching oil was reused too quickly, causing its temperature to rise. The final quenching didn’t achieve the intended effect. Otherwise, this iron sword’s quality could’ve reached even greater heights."

"Li Mo... Li Mo?"

Elder Zeng noticed the young blacksmith spacing out and waved a hand in front of his eyes.

Li Mo’s vision swam, his body burning as if swollen.

"Seems like it’s not just the sword that won’t cool down."

"Hm?"

"It’s me too."

"Wha—?! Hiss..."

Elder Hanhe poked Li Mo’s shoulder and recoiled—his skin was scalding, like red-hot metal. The heat of the fire veins had masked it until now...

"Damn, this kid’s like a freshly forged ingot."

"Is he tempering weapons or himself?"

In a way, tempering himself wasn’t far off.

The Divine Refinement technique involved honing one’s own body alongside the metal...

"This can’t go on..."

After a long, grave silence, the master smith and the forging grandmaster reached a consensus.

They had to ‘quench’ young Li.

So...

The two elders lifted the novice blacksmith between them.

Splash—

He was tossed into the frigid pool at the fire vein’s extreme yang point, where the energy shifted to extreme yin.

"Shit, Li Mo’s sinking!" Elder Zeng leaned back slightly.

Leave him in too long, and not even a hair would remain.

Elder Hanhe panicked: "Fish him out! You’re great at slacking—get him up now!"

Elder Zeng bristled: "Bullshit! I call it ‘productive breaks.’ You’re the slacker here!"

"Always coming back empty-handed from fishing, then diving in to grab them and pretending you caught them. Shameless!"

Clearly, neither elder had much experience with this... unconventional quenching method.

......

Evening arrived, the early spring chill biting deep. Withered leaves rustled on the courtyard’s banyan tree as the cold shifted from physical to magical, seeping into the bones.

At this hour, Autumn Water Pavilion was unusually devoid of cooking smoke, amplifying its desolate air.

Because, well... Chef Li was down with an illness.

Carried back by Elder Hanhe, he’d been stiff as a board. Now wrapped in a blanket, he sat shivering, eyes vacant, even his eyebrows frosted over.

Meanwhile, Sect Leader Qin Yuzhi and Shang Wu circled him, baffled.

"Yesterday he was burning up, now he’s an icicle?"

"No idea."

Li Mo was equally confused.

He only remembered using Divine Refinement to temper his body, forging a fine longsword, then blacking out.

Probably... from overheating?

So why was he now covered in ice?

And it wasn’t just the frost—inside, he felt like a furnace was blazing.

Calling himself a ‘cool exterior, fiery heart’ youth wouldn’t be wrong...

"Wait here."

Shang Wu scratched her head, disappeared into a room, and returned with a cup.

The sharp scent of alcohol wafted from it.

"Take it."

"Huh? Some kind of medicinal wine...?"

Li Mo accepted it, puzzled.

"Nope. Alcohol tastes better chilled."

"?"

Of course. Never expect reliability from Master.

"Let me see."

Qin Yuzhi, ever the solemn sect leader, pressed a hand to his wrist like a seasoned physician.

Her brow furrowed slowly.

Given Qin Yuzhi’s vast knowledge, Li Mo tensed at her expression:

"What’s wrong with me?"

"Hiss... Your condition—it’s extreme yang birthing yin!" Her eyes widened.

"!"

Li Mo shuddered, though whether from cold or fear was unclear.

Yesterday you said I was just a bit overheated, nowhere near this! How’d it escalate overnight?

"Just kidding! Scared you, didn’t I?"

"So I’m not at that stage?"

"Couldn’t tell. I don’t know medicine."

"...Are you kidding me?!"

Li Mo’s face darkened.

No wonder no one tried waking Qin Yuzhi during her long slumber in Cloud Dream Palace. Hard to believe the disciples weren’t ‘accidentally’ negligent.

If you two were any less reliable, you’d be outright hazardous.

Staying in Autumn Water Pavilion felt like visiting a hospital in his past life for a cold—likely to leave with actual problems.

He took a deep breath, forced his stiff body upright, and resolved to visit Dan Ding Peak for Elder Xue’s diagnosis. Though it didn’t seem severe, unchecked issues could fester.

But just then, crisp footsteps echoed from the staircase.

Li Mo paused mid-step and turned to see the ethereal, ice-cold beauty of Ying Bing.

Ying Bing's gaze immediately landed on young Li Mo. Sensing something amiss with his condition, her usual detached and otherworldly expression suddenly grew solemn, her delicate brows knitting deeply.

"Li Mo, come here and sit properly."