Chapter 314: Forging Workshop

"Are they alright?" Yi Yi asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Although she hadn't detected anything unusual about Amber, and Amber's strength had even increased rapidly these past few days, the source of her concern was precisely this unknown.

"They are absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, it's a beast's instinct."

A voice suddenly came from nearby.

Lu Ye and Yi Yi quickly turned around and bowed together, "Elder Bai."

Bai Qian had joined them unnoticed, apparently having sensed the anomaly here.

"Elder Bai, do you mean Juji is a demon cultivator?" Lu Ye recalled Juji's strange "inner core." He had once suspected Juji might be a demon cultivator, but it had proven that Juji was human and unrelated to demon cultivators. Moreover, demon cultivators actually didn't have inner cores; only demon beasts did. After demon cultivators transformed into human form, their cultivation methods were no different from those of the human race.

But now, it seemed his judgment might have been inaccurate.

"One of his ancestors was likely a demon cultivator, perhaps inheriting some demon cultivator bloodline from them. However, a demon cultivator's bloodline grows thinner with each generation, so there shouldn't be such signs of ancestral reversion." Elder Bai was clearly a bit puzzled as well.

"But little friend Lu Ye, these two companions of yours are worth cultivating vigorously. Although absorbing the essence of the sun and moon is a beast's instinct, not all demon beasts possess such ability. Those who can cultivate themselves in this manner are all exotic beasts with unique bloodlines. Their ancestors might have been quite extraordinary."

From Elder Bai's words, it was evident that he had high regard for Juji and Amber.

Amber, of course, went without saying. Besides Amber, Lu Ye hadn't heard of any other tiger-type demon beast that could convert into a phantom spirit. Moreover, it suffered no side effects from consuming spirit pills for cultivation. Not only that, Amber could even directly eat spirit stones, something Lu Ye himself couldn't do.

Juji himself was innately gifted, and Lu Ye had high hopes for his future. Now, with such a unique ability revealed, perhaps Elder Bai was right: Juji's ancestors were indeed extraordinary.

"But Elder Bai, Juji never displayed such talent before. Why recently..."

Bai Qian chuckled, raising a hand to tap his head. "Don't forget, he was poisoned by soul essence a few days ago and was unconscious for several days. Perhaps something awakened because of that."

Lu Ye nodded. That was a plausible explanation.

"I'm old now, and my energy is failing. I'm going to rest." Bai Qian turned, coughed a few times, and walked towards his dwelling.

Lu Ye chuckled inwardly. Although he understood the hidden meaning in Bai Qian's words, he had no intention of responding. He told Yi Yi, "Walk Elder Bai out."

"Okay." Yi Yi quickly responded.

A moment later, Yi Yi returned, stood beside Lu Ye, and watched for a while, muttering softly, "Lu Ye, do you think Elder Bai is right?"

"About what?"

"Elder Bai said Juji awakened something because he was poisoned."

"Elder Bai's judgment is naturally based on his own conclusions."

"No wonder I've felt Juji has been strange these past few days. He hardly spoke before, and now he speaks even less. He seems even more sluggish than before."

"Juji isn't sluggish." Lu Ye raised a hand and tapped her head. Juji was just earnest, but that didn't mean he was slow-witted.

Yi Yi hugged her head with both hands, pouting.

"Alright, don't worry about them." Lu Ye signaled, then returned to his dwelling to continue studying.

The Way of Formations is profound and extensive. Even someone like Elder Bai wouldn't claim to fully understand it, just as with the Way of Spirit Marks—both are fields of endless learning. It was impossible for Lu Ye to fully master formations in a short time.

Fortunately, Elder Bai knew what Lu Ye intended, so the knowledge he imparted during these days mostly consisted of array-breaking experience. These experiences were Elder Bai's personal insights, not easily shared.

Lu Ye's progress in formations undoubtedly pleased Elder Bai. Over the years, he had taught many disciples in the Heavenly Esoteric Sect, but none had grasped concepts as quickly as Lu Ye. Sometimes, Elder Bai felt a sense of regret. If Lu Ye had been born into the Heavenly Esoteric Sect, he would undoubtedly have brought great renown to the sect with his talent in formations. This was also one reason he held nothing back, teaching with full generosity, as he couldn't bear to see such an unpolished gem remain overlooked.

More than a month passed swiftly. At Elder Bai’s residence, his voice resonated: "I know your ambition isn't in formations. Your purpose in studying formations is to break through defensive arrays. With your current proficiency, you should be able to attempt the Hundred Array Pagoda. There isn't much more I can teach you, but the cultivation of formations is endless. If you have leisure in the future, you can still devote some attention to this path."

"Yes," Lu Ye respectfully replied.

"Tonight, go back and think about what kind of array flags you need to forge. Tomorrow, I'll take you to forge them. Once everything is prepared, you can attempt the Hundred Array Pagoda."

When Lu Ye first heard about the Hundred Array Pagoda from Zhao Li, he thought he could simply go and challenge it. However, after cultivating with Elder Bai for a month, he gradually realized that things weren't that simple. While he could indeed challenge it directly, it wouldn't be efficient. With the aid of suitable array flags, both breaking and setting up formations would be greatly enhanced.

"Thank you, Elder Bai." As Lu Ye spoke, he took a jade bottle from his storage bag and pushed it towards Elder Bai. "Elder Bai, thank you for not disdaining me and for teaching me for so many days. I have no way to repay your kindness, but please accept this small token of my appreciation."

The jade bottle naturally contained Soul Cleansing Water, not a full bottle, but eight drops. This wasn't a whim of Lu Ye's; it was something the Sect Master had instructed him to do via communication. After learning that Elder Bai was personally teaching Lu Ye, the Sect Master had told Lu Ye to prepare this thank-you gift. The quantity of eight drops was also decided by the Sect Master. This was because there were many skilled formation cultivators in the Heavenly Esoteric Sect; there was no need for Elder Bai to personally teach Lu Ye, any Cloud River Realm cultivator could have done it.

Elder Bai's involvement was partly due to the Bloodline Sect's historical ties with the Heavenly Esoteric Sect, and partly because Shui Yuan had rescued Zhao Li. However, these were not the main reasons. The biggest reason was that Lu Ye possessed Soul Cleansing Water.

He couldn't directly ask for it, nor could he make a trade with Lu Ye, so he simply decided to do his part first. Since Lu Ye could produce Soul Cleansing Water to save Zhao Li, he was clearly not an ungrateful person. If he diligently taught him formations, wouldn't Lu Ye naturally show his gratitude? For a Spirit Creek Realm cultivator to thank a Divine Travel Realm cultivator, Soul Cleansing Water was the only suitable gift. This was Bai Qian's subtle plan, a perfectly reasonable course of action. And when the Sect Master heard that Bai Qian was teaching Lu Ye, he immediately discerned Bai Qian's intention, which was why he instructed Lu Ye in advance.

That night, when Lu Ye, led by Yi Yi, went to see Juji and Amber absorb moon essence for cultivation, Bai Qian had muttered something about being old and lacking energy before leaving. If not for the Sect Master's prior instruction, Lu Ye might not have connected the dots, but with the Sect Master's warning, how could he not know that was Bai Qian's hint? Although he was old, his cultivation was high; taking a few steps at night would hardly make him lack energy.

Looking at the jade bottle before him, Bai Qian's heart skipped a beat. He chuckled, "Then I shall accept this without demur."

The next day, led by Bai Qian, Lu Ye accompanied him to the Heavenly Esoteric Sect's Forging Workshop, a vital area of the sect. The Forging Workshop was usually bustling with activity; disciples of the Heavenly Esoteric Sect, upon reaching a certain level in their formation cultivation, would typically come here to refine their own formation bases and flags. However, today, the place was eerily quiet, with not a single soul in sight. This was, of course, Bai Qian's doing, primarily to prevent the news of Lu Ye being alive from leaking out.

The Forging Workshop was located a hundred zhang below a spiritual peak, with a wooden elevator providing direct access to the underground. As Bai Qian stood in the downward-moving elevator, Lu Ye looked around and saw many interlocking gears. This must have been the work of an artificer. The further down they went, the hotter the environment became. At a depth of a hundred zhang, the surrounding heat was enough to make a mortal retreat.

The Heavenly Esoteric Sect had excavated numerous spaces of varying sizes underground. Hot waves continuously emanated from these spaces. Following closely behind Bai Qian, they proceeded to the innermost part of a cave, arriving at a forging platform. This massive platform was three zhang long and one zhang wide, featuring areas for hammering weapon blanks and numerous molds of different shapes. From the shapes of these molds, it was clear that this forging platform could be used for more than just refining array flags and bases. Many forging tools were also placed nearby. In front of the forging platform stood a smelting furnace, with rolling hot waves surging from beneath it.

"Does the Heavenly Esoteric Sect refine spiritual artifacts?" Lu Ye asked, observing the shapes of the molds on the forging platform.

Bai Qian chuckled, "Disciples have high cultivation expenses, so they need some income to sustain themselves. Our sect has some artifact refiners, but the spiritual artifacts they refine aren't particularly high-grade; they merely manage to make a living."

As he spoke, he removed his robe and casually tossed it aside, revealing his muscular upper body. Lu Ye's eyelid twitched. With such a robust and vigorous physique, he had actually claimed to be lacking energy that night...

"Since you want to break arrays, we'll refine array flags for that purpose. I'll refine one first, and you observe carefully." Bai Qian said, picking up a forging hammer from nearby. The hammer didn't look large, but it was clearly heavy, yet Elder Bai, this small old man, held it as if it weighed nothing.

"To refine artifacts or forge weapons, one must first have fire. For someone like you, whose five elements are primarily fire and who cultivates fire-attribute techniques, there's a natural advantage in this regard. But what about those who don't have your conditions and wish to refine artifacts or forge weapons? They can only rely on external fire. The reason our sect's Forging Workshop is located here is because there's earth fire here, which can be drawn in through a formation to be utilized."

As Elder Bai spoke, he activated the fire-drawing formation laid out here. Soon, the cave became even hotter, and visible earth fire surged up from below, heating the smelting furnace to a glowing red. Looking at the earth fire, Lu Ye's heart stirred. He could feel that his talent tree could absorb the power of this earth fire, and he had also bought many portions of Earth Core Fire from the Heavenly Secret Treasury before. The earth fire he was now sensing felt very similar to Earth Core Fire. The two should originate from the same source. However, in terms of quality, the earth fire Elder Bai summoned was far inferior to the Earth Core Fire Lu Ye had bought from the Heavenly Secret Treasury.