Chapter 1998: Noble Guest Visits the Blacksmith Shop, Array Patterns and Spell Techniques Display Mystical Wonders

"Who?"

"It's me."

What was the difference between that answer and no answer at all? Cao Er-zhu muttered to himself but quickly opened the door.

The blacksmith shop wasn't officially open yet, but someone was knocking, perhaps eager to pick up goods or for another reason. His father had taught him to open the door when he heard a knock and to be polite to visitors.

With a creak, the wooden door swung open, and a wave of heat immediately billowed out. Outside, dawn was just breaking, and snow still drifted in the streets, creating two starkly different climates inside and outside the blacksmith shop: one bitterly cold, the other sweltering hot.

"You are..."

Cao Er-zhu, bare-chested, leaned his arm against the doorframe, effectively blocking the entrance, only half of his body visible. He lowered his head, scrutinizing the unfamiliar middle-aged man before him, ultimately unable to recall who he was.

The visitor wore a white robe, his black hair tied with a jade hairpin, and a cloud-patterned belt at his waist. Apart from a wine gourd in his hand, he wore no other adornments. Even so, his face exuded an upright aura, his skin was incredibly fair and smooth, and his demeanor clearly suggested he was no ordinary person. He certainly wasn't someone who regularly hunted deer in the mountains or slaughtered pigs at a farm. He seemed more like the kind of important figure his father often spoke of, someone who simply didn't fit in with the rest of Changde Town. At the very least, he had to be a village elder!

Dao Qiongcang looked up, startled by the sheer height and breadth of the young giant before him. He raised a hand, measuring the difference between them, and smiled, "It's been over twenty years; you've grown so big."

Cao Er-zhu remained silent and sullen. The man hadn't answered his question or said who he was; speaking like that was very impolite.

"Just call me Uncle. I even held you when you were a baby," Dao Qiongcang said, gesturing under the young giant's armpit, indicating he wished to enter.

Cao Er-zhu's gaze fell upon the wine gourd in the man's hand. He shook his head and rumbled, "Are you looking for my dad? He's not awake yet, and even if he wakes up, he might not see you. Come back around evening; he's usually in a better mood then, so he might see you. And..." Cao Er-zhu paused, pointing at the wine gourd, "This little bit isn't enough to satisfy my dad."

Dao Qiongcang chuckled, shaking the wine gourd. A gurgling sound, like flowing water, came from within. "Have you heard of spatial rings?"

Cao Er-zhu's expression shifted to slight bewilderment. He quickly realized this man truly wasn't from the village; like himself, he was a great Spirit Refiner. Spirit Refiners were rarely seen in Changde Town. At most, there were half-baked ones who had practiced a few breaths, gaining only a little extra strength. Mount Qingyuan, however, was different. Those who often went up the mountain would encounter a few gaunt individuals, much like this village elder, using spiritual techniques like Fireball and Earth Wall to deal with wild boars they could otherwise easily dispatch with a single slap.

"What's your cultivation level, Houtian, Xiantian? Have you opened your Primal Core? The Primal Core is amazing; once opened, you gain something called Spirit Sense."

Cao Er-zhu became animated. He stepped aside, eager to invite the man in for a chat. He wanted to talk more about the fantastical world of spirit refining, especially before his father woke up from his drunken slumber.

"That's a secret for now. What about you?" Dao Qiongcang, who had been about to step inside, glanced at the threshold upon hearing this and paused, remaining outside for the moment.

"I asked first," the young giant grumbled sullenly.

"If you're going to put it that way, when I used to hold you, you bit my ear..." Dao Qiongcang tugged at his earlobe, showing the back part. "See, right here!"

Cao Er-zhu leaned closer and indeed saw a small scar, immediately feeling embarrassed.

"I'm at the Throne Dao Realm..."

"The Throne Realm is impressive!" the man exclaimed. "So, can you do that thing, the one with electricity all over your body, purple, very cool?"

Cao Er-zhu's eyes lit up. "You know about the Divine Punishment..."

A clap of thunder exploded in the backyard. The young giant startled, his words catching in his throat. Dao Qiongcang also flinched, his lips twitching as he looked towards the sound with a hint of fear. "He's awake?"

"Hmm," Cao Er-zhu mumbled in response, recognizing that his father didn't want him to discuss Spirit Refiner matters too much with others.

"We'll talk more later when I have time; your dad's looking for me." Dao Qiongcang subtly raised an eyebrow and stealthily slipped a communication bead to Cao Er-zhu.

Cao Er-zhu's previously dull expression vanished, replaced by a glint of excitement in his eyes as he hastily hid the bead.

A blue lightning bolt sliced through the darkness, striking with precise accuracy, splitting through the gaps in his fingers and hitting the communication bead. He opened his palm. The communication bead was shattered. The light in Cao Er-zhu's eyes, like the dim blacksmith shop, flickered and quickly vanished.

Undeterred, Dao Qiongcang raised his eyebrows at the young giant again, then stepped from the biting cold into the sweltering blacksmith shop. "Decades have passed, and your temper is still as fiery? I came bearing wine..."

"What are you doing here?" A voice like rolling thunder, not human speech, boomed from the backyard, making the rafters tremble.

"Why, to deliver wine, of course, and to chat and catch up. This is your least favorite Drunken Immortal Brew."

As Dao Qiongcang walked towards the backyard, he pulled out the cork, shook the wine gourd, and fanned the air with a sly grin, allowing the aroma to quickly dissipate.

"I told you to send the wine, not bring it yourself... What a terrible smell! Get out!"

"Hahahahaha..."

The blacksmith shop wasn't very large. The voices and laughter of the two men in the backyard gradually faded with time. Cao Er-zhu scratched the back of his head with his iron hammer, feeling a sense of wonder. His father rarely spoke so much to a stranger... no, it was more accurate to say he rarely spoke to strangers at all. But this time, they seemed to be having a lively conversation, and the man even dared to joke with his father. Cao Er-zhu couldn't help but feel even more curious about the identity of the middle-aged man in white. Perhaps he was more than just a village elder. His father's friend must be incredibly powerful, right?

"Friend..."

His thoughts kept jumping, and even so early in the morning, Cao Er-zhu felt a touch of sadness. But after hefting his large iron hammer, his spirits immediately lifted. Friends, he had them too; his big iron hammer was his good friend!

But what did that uncle's final raised eyebrow mean? Cao Er-zhu suddenly felt something strange in his palm. When he turned it over, he saw a few simple lines etched into the very hand that had just held the communication bead. They outlined and intertwined to form a friendly "handshake" symbol.

"Oh? Oh, oh, oh?"

Cao Er-zhu was overjoyed, almost dancing in place with his hammer. He realized this must be one of those magical spirit array patterns; as long as he infused it with spirit energy, it would react.

"Should I try it?"

He acted on the thought instantly. By the time he realized the uncle was still in the backyard, Cao Er-zhu had already infused the spirit energy. He clutched his head, feeling as though he had messed something up.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

From the direction of the backyard, silence was replaced by an incredibly piercing beeping sound. Immediately after, the entire blacksmith shop fell silent, and the beeping quickly disappeared.

"Ah, haha, let me explain first..." The uncle's voice was clearly panicked.

Then, his father's familiar furious roar erupted, crushing the uncle's embarrassment directly: "You flamboyant old Taoist, you're looking for death!"

A thunderclap exploded. A large hole was torn through the roof of the blacksmith shop. When Cao Er-zhu turned around, he just caught sight of a grayish figure being flung into the sky.

"Thump."

A broken jade hairpin and a bloodied tooth—a front tooth—fell in the backyard. Cao Er-zhu shuddered and rushed out the door to check on the uncle. The sky had inexplicably darkened. It had been clear just moments ago, but now thunder rumbled, as if a heavy downpour was imminent.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Blue lightning bolts crashed down from the sky, striking the uncle with incredible precision. His grayish-white figure quickly turned charred black. The uncle was sent flying again and again, utterly defenseless, by the lightning, driven beyond the reach of sight and spirit sense.

"This..."

Cao Er-zhu hesitated, looking at his palm, his mouth twitching. He felt some regret but dared not speak.

"Come here!"

A muffled voice came from the backyard. Cao Er-zhu walked over, resolute, and quickly saw his father sprawled on the ground, draped in a large cloak and covered in sweat. His mind working quickly, he immediately explained, "He wanted me to go out, but I have no interest in the spirit refining world. When I found this, I made sure you discovered it right away, Dad. I did the right thing, didn't I?"

Cao Er-zhu chuckled foolishly, scratching his head with his iron hammer, a simple, honest expression on his face.

Unexpectedly, he received no scolding or harsh words, but a calm instruction from his father: "Open your hand."

"Oh," Cao Er-zhu obediently displayed the handshake symbol.

"Try to erase it."

"Oh," Cao Er-zhu hastily tried to rub it off with his hand.

"Hahahahaha..." His father suddenly burst into laughter, purple lightning crackling in the air. Cao Er-zhu saw his father had just twitched his finger, likely intending to hit him.

"Use your spirit energy," his father said, a rare gentleness in his voice. His calmness was a precious form of tenderness.

"Oh," Cao Er-zhu activated the spirit energy in his Qi Sea. With a crack, the symbol on his hand was utterly destroyed and dispersed into spiritual energy.

"It's gone," he said, a hint of dejection but a cheerful expression.

"It's not gone; it's just hidden deeper," his father said, showing more patience than ever before, even offering an explanation. After explaining, he added, "Use your Thorough Spirit Sense."

"Oh," Cao Er-zhu quickly responded again. Soon, crackling sounds emanated from his body, and purple electric arcs surged out, forming a thin layer over his skin.

"Sizzle—"

Electric snakes burst forth, flashing into the void. The space in the backyard began to ripple and crack, black lines forming after a blinding flash, then rapidly repairing themselves.

"Intensity, intensity, intensity!" his father demanded impatiently. "Increase the intensity; this is nothing yet!"

"The shop won't hold up..." Cao Er-zhu muttered.

"I told you to increase the intensity, so do it! No more talking!"

"Oh."

Cao Er-zhu had no choice but to increase the intensity. One ten-thousandth of his Thorough Spirit Sense was his weakest limit. If his father wasn't afraid of the shop exploding, then he wouldn't go into the cultivation room; he'd just unleash it here.

"Boom—"

The backyard immediately erupted with the sound of raging thunder. The purple electric arcs around Cao Er-zhu surged and roared, almost transforming into a small sea of lightning that engulfed his entire figure.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Space rapidly shattered. Even the iron tools on the walls began to disintegrate, melting from the residual heat, while bits of molten iron were flung away by the thunderous sound.

"More! This isn't even ten percent!"

His father glared, and the scattered lightning surged towards him, pouring into his mouth and nostrils. All its power dissipated into nothingness afterwards, as if completely devoured. His father had acted!

Cao Er-zhu was astonished; his father was actually helping him train? This was a rare occurrence! He immediately cast aside all restraint and exerted his full power. In an instant, the small sea of lightning surrounding him violently expanded, almost filling the entire blacksmith shop. The Thorough Spirit Sense, Divine Punishment and Calamity, became thick as liquid, refining thousands of electrical currents.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Inside the humble shop, continuous roars echoed. Such thunder, under normal circumstances, would surely have startled and terrified the neighbors. But now, concealed by the rainy, thundery clouds outside, it was quite cleverly hidden.

Ten percent, thirty percent, fifty percent... Up to a hundred percent! Cao Er-zhu gave it his all. Yet, the solidified, surging Divine Punishment and Calamity, despite its overwhelming power, was still devoured by his father's mouth and nostrils, unable to inflict further damage on the blacksmith shop.

"So strong..."

Cao Er-zhu was profoundly shaken. It had been too long since he had witnessed his father in action; he had almost forgotten just how powerful his father was. All the unusual occurrences today seemed to stem from that uncle's arrival.

"Who told you to get distracted?!"

The large giant, half-reclining in the backyard, tugged at his cloak and, sensing something amiss, immediately began to scold.

"Oh."

When he saw Cao Er-zhu unleashing all his lifelong learning, he tossed Dao Qiongcang's wine gourd into the sea of lightning. A whole pondful of Drunken Immortal Brew exploded out, instantly refined. The entire shop was filled with the aroma of wine, but a moment later, the scent was completely refined away, vanishing into nothingness. The burly giant lying on the ground picked up his large wine barrel and, along with the Divine Punishment and Calamity that could even refine the Grand Dao, gulped down a large mouthful of wine.

"Release type," he said, setting down the barrel.

Cao Er-zhu understood immediately. His brows bristled amidst the lightning, and he suddenly roared: "Open!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The surging sea of lightning intensified by ten, even a hundred, terrifying times. The lightning, like floodwaters bursting a dam, rapidly shot out through the large hole in the blacksmith shop's roof and beyond the wooden door.

"Tap."

The burly giant merely tapped the lid of the wine barrel with his fingertip. Under the invisible grip of his spirit thought, the Divine Punishment and Calamity, which had threatened to tear through heaven and earth as it roared forth, was compressed within the backyard space. Even the thunderous sound could no longer escape.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

Nevertheless, the explosive roars in the backyard continued. Cao Er-zhu constantly unleashed power from his body, as if trying to completely expel something unclean. For years, he had never felt such exhilaration! Normally, when practicing cultivation, he had to be careful, unable to exert his full strength for fear of alarming the neighbors. But now it was different. With his father present, he only needed to focus on unleashing his power. Although everything was still suppressed, within the confines of the backyard, he unleashed it to his heart's content!

"Creeeak, grooan..."

The half-open wooden door of Cao's Blacksmith Shop emitted a grating sound. In the dimness, purple-blue light flashed repeatedly, a phenomenon that continued for over fifteen minutes until the young giant in the backyard was completely exhausted.

"Dad, I can't hold on much longer..." Cao Er-zhu's sweat was obliterated by the lightning.

"Search! Find that pattern, find it in your body, and expel it, or you'll keep releasing until you die!"

"Huh?" Cao Er-zhu was startled and quickly began to search. He might not be good at other things, but when it came to controlling the Divine Punishment and Calamity and his own body, if he said he was second, only his father would dare claim first. Soon, under the onslaught of the release-type Thorough Spirit Sense, he found the friendly handshake pattern in his Qi Sea. Just as his father had said, it hadn't disappeared; it had merely shifted—hiding itself!

"Dad, I found it."

"Release type, force it out, don't destroy it, or it will hide again."

"Oh," Cao Er-zhu took a horse stance, gathering all his strength, pushing blood and sweat from his pores, and finally managed to move the handshake pattern by an inch.

"What is this thing..."

He was astonished. The release-type Thorough Spirit Sense was already powerful enough! Yet, the item given by that uncle could only be moved a tiny bit... He looked at his father, but his father was preoccupied with his large wine barrel, showing no intention of helping.

"Drink!"

Asking others for help was not as good as helping himself. Cao Er-zhu's eyes widened, and as if to destroy his own Qi Sea, he dispersed the handshake pattern and all his spirit energy.

"Ahhhh—"

When he pushed himself to the absolute limit, his entire body cracked. At a certain moment, his mind buzzed, and Cao Er-zhu's vision plunged into darkness. It felt like a brief moment later that he came to, finding himself slumped on the ground. His father, meanwhile, was propped up on one elbow, looking as if he were about to stand. There was clear surprise in his eyes as he stared intently at the ground, his pupils reflecting a dazzling circle of light.

"Dad?"