I paced anxiously outside the door for a moment before finally deciding to wait and see. After a while, the door finally opened, and Wu Mengli walked out looking exhausted. Seeing me standing at the entrance, she was startled at first, then offered an apologetic smile. "Junior brother, did I disturb you?"
I hurriedly waved my hands. "No, no. I heard some commotion and was worried something might have happened to you."
Wu Mengli shook her head gently and gave a wry smile. "It's nothing. I just failed at artifact crafting and wasted a good piece of material."
Only then did I notice the tray in her hand holding a pile of charred metal fragments, clearly the leftover debris from a recent crafting failure. My heart stirred, and I asked, "What kind of magical artifact was senior sister trying to craft? To be so difficult to make..."
Wu Mengli sighed. "I found this material in the family treasury. It's said to have been left behind by an ancestor. I wanted to try using it to forge a defensive magical artifact, but unfortunately..." She didn't continue, but from her disappointed expression, I could tell that this failure was a heavy blow to her.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Senior sister, may I take a look?"
Wu Mengli was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "Of course."
I took the tray from her hands and carefully observed the metal fragments. Although the fragments had lost their spiritual energy, I could still sense the extraordinary nature of the material from their remaining patterns and aura.
I was secretly surprised. Wu Mengli was so young, yet she had the courage to attempt forging such a high-tier magical artifact; this boldness was truly admirable.
"Junior brother, do you also study artifact crafting?" Wu Mengli asked curiously, seeing how intently I was looking.
I shook my head. "I'm just quite interested in it and have read some related books, but I've never actually tried crafting anything myself."
Wu Mengli smiled slightly. "If junior brother is interested in artifact crafting, I can teach you in the future."
Hearing this, I was overjoyed and quickly thanked her.
Over the next few days, I began to gradually familiarize myself with the daily routines and rules of the Wu Family. As a cultivation family, the Wu Family had strict disciplines and extremely high demands for its disciples. Every day, aside from cultivation, disciples had to study various aspects of cultivation knowledge, as well as the family's inherited arts and skills, such as alchemy, artifact crafting, and array formations.
Although I was a disciple with a different surname, Wu Mengli took great care of me. Not only did she personally guide my cultivation, but she also frequently brought me along to internal Wu Family academic exchanges, giving me the opportunity to encounter more knowledge and insights from the cultivation world.
During an alchemy exchange meeting, relying on my memories from my past life and the knowledge I had acquired during my time in the Wu Family, I put forward unique insights regarding an alchemy puzzle raised by an elder. This greatly amazed everyone present and allowed me to gradually make a name for myself within the Wu Family.
After that alchemy exchange meeting, I clearly felt that everyone in the Wu Family looked at me differently—their gazes carried a hint of admiration, and perhaps even a trace of... fear? I couldn't help but wryly smile. Could it be that my insights were too earth-shattering and scared them all?
However, I quickly pushed this matter to the back of my mind because Wu Mengli gave me a new challenge: repairing a family heirloom artifact of the Wu Family.
This artifact was an antique bronze mirror, said to be a treasured object left behind by a Wu Family ancestor, possessing powerful defensive and early-warning functions. Unfortunately, it had been heavily damaged during a family conflict and had lain dormant for hundreds of years. The Wu Family had tried to repair it all these years, but every attempt had ended in failure.
I took the bronze mirror. It felt ice-cold in my hand, its surface dim and lusterless, with only some ancient runes faintly visible. I tried probing it with my spiritual sense, only to find a powerful force blocking me, preventing me from peering into its internal structure.
"The material of this bronze mirror is special, and it has extremely complex arrays carved into it. Wanting to repair it is as difficult as ascending to the heavens," Wu Mengli explained from the side. "Junior brother, you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself; just do your best."
I nodded without saying much and began to carefully study the bronze mirror. I browsed through all the artifact-crafting texts collected by the Wu Family, searching for methods to repair the mirror, while also constantly attempting to use different techniques to touch and activate the runes on it.
Days passed, and I still hadn't found any clue on how to repair the bronze mirror. Seeing that the deadline was approaching, anxiety began to rise within me.
"Is it really impossible for me to repair it?" A sense of defeat filled my heart.
Just as I was about to give up, a bold idea suddenly flashed through my mind. I remembered that on an accidental occasion, I had seen a special artifact-crafting technique in an ancient text, which might possibly be used to repair this bronze mirror.
This technique was called "Forging Artifacts with the Soul." It required integrating one's own spiritual sense into the magical artifact and using one's personal mental power to repair the damage to the artifact. The risk of this method was extremely high; the slightest carelessness would result in damage to one's spiritual sense or even deviation into a demonic state. But I had no other choice.
I took a deep breath and slowly poured my spiritual sense into the bronze mirror. In an instant, I felt as if I had entered a chaotic world surrounded by countless flickering runes, radiating an ancient and powerful force.
I cautiously controlled my spiritual sense, following the method recorded in the ancient text, and began trying to repair those damaged runes. Time seemed to stand still; I was completely immersed in the process of repairing the bronze mirror, forgetting the time, forgetting everything.
I don't know how much time passed, but I suddenly felt a powerful force surge out from the bronze mirror, instantly filling my entire body. I opened my eyes to see that the previously dim and lusterless bronze mirror was now emitting a dazzling light, and the ancient runes on its surface had regained their vitality, as if they had come alive.
I succeeded!
Overjoyed, I quickly handed the bronze mirror over to Wu Mengli. She took it, examined it closely for a moment, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.
"You... you actually repaired it!" she said excitedly. "Junior brother, you are simply amazing!"
When the news spread, the entire Wu Family was shaken. Everyone looked at me in a new light, and even Lin Yu, who had always been rather critical of me, had to acknowledge my strength.
However, I vaguely sensed that in the gaze Lin Yu cast upon me, besides astonishment, there was also a hint of an unperceivable... resentment?
Having repaired the ancestral artifact, I suddenly became a favorite in the Wu Family. Wherever I went, people greeted me with words full of admiration and even a touch of flattery.
I understood in my heart that what they admired was not me as a person, but the talent for artifact crafting that I had displayed. To be honest, this feeling of being put on a pedestal did not feel very good. At my core, I was still Kong Chen, who preferred hiding in a corner to study pill formulas and ponder over mechanisms.
Furthermore, I had detected a trace of abnormality.
Lin Yu, the talented Wu Family disciple of my age, looked at me with a distinctly strange gaze. Rather than jealousy, that look was more like... resentment?
I grew secretly vigilant and decided to keep a low profile to avoid courting unnecessary trouble.
"Junior brother, you are truly amazing!" Wu Mengli's voice carried joy, interrupting my thoughts. The eyes with which she looked at me were clear and bright, free of hypocritical flattery, holding only sincere appreciation.
I scratched my head and smiled sheepishly. "Senior sister flatters me too much. I just got lucky and stumbled into repairing that bronze mirror."
"Junior brother doesn't need to be modest; your talent is plain for all to see," Wu Mengli chuckled. "I believe that in the future, you will certainly become a generation's grandmaster of artifact crafting!"
Her encouragement warmed my heart. During this period, I had been immersed in artifact crafting and cultivation, and Wu Mengli had given me a lot of help. Not only did she unreservedly impart the Wu Family's insights on artifact crafting to me, but she also frequently guided my cultivation and helped me break through bottlenecks.
I found that Wu Mengli was not only gentle and kind, but also possessed vast knowledge, and her understanding of cultivation far surpassed ordinary people. Being with her, I could always feel a peaceful strength that allowed me to pursue my goals single-mindedly.
"Senior sister, thank you," I said sincerely.
"Between us, there is no need to be so formal," Wu Mengli smiled faintly. "If you really want to thank me, you might as well forge that kind of pill you mentioned sooner, so I can see if your alchemy skills are as formidable as your artifact crafting."
My heart stirred, recalling the idea I had proposed during the alchemy exchange meeting. That type of pill was a novel medicinal pill I had conceived based on records in an ancient text combined with my own understanding; it could substantially enhance a cultivator's cultivation speed.
"Senior sister, rest assured, I will forge it as soon as possible!" I said full of confidence.
That evening, I returned to my room and began secluded cultivation. The process of repairing the bronze mirror had given me a deeper understanding of artifact crafting and also inspired new thoughts regarding my cultivation path.
I circulated the cultivation technique taught by the Wu Family, guiding the spiritual qi to run through my body. Gradually, I entered a wondrous state. I could clearly perceive every single meridian, every acupoint, and even every cell within my body.
Right at that moment, I suddenly felt an extremely powerful force hidden deep within my Dantian. This force was unfamiliar and mysterious; I had never sensed it before.
I tried to touch this force, only to find that it seemed to be wrapped in an invisible barrier. No matter how hard I tried, I could not reach it in the slightest.
What on earth was this force? Why was it hidden inside my body?
A succession of questions welled up, leaving me completely baffled. I knew that this discovery might change my destiny and also uncover the secret of my birth...
This force rolled like a fog deep within my consciousness, yet it remained forever out of sight and out of reach.
I tried various methods to touch it: bombarding it with spiritual qi, probing it with my spiritual sense, and even attempting to communicate with it using that peculiar force I had comprehended while repairing the bronze mirror, but all to no avail. It was like a solid piece of ice, frozen tightly deep inside my Dantian, refusing to budge no matter how hard I tried.
Instead of becoming discouraged, I grew even more curious. Such a powerful yet unfamiliar force—what on earth was it? Why did it appear within my body? Could it be related to my yet-unknown origins?
A flurry of questions swirled in my mind, making me urgently want to unravel this mystery.
I decided to put the matter aside for the time being; after all, cultivation could not be rushed. I calmed my mind and continued practicing the techniques taught by the Wu Family. Perhaps, as my cultivation level increased, I would find the key to unlocking this mystery.
Over the next few days, aside from my daily cultivation, I also began setting about refining that new type of pill. I consulted a vast number of ancient texts, combined my own understanding of alchemy, and continuously modified and perfected the pill formula. Wu Mengli also gave me a great deal of assistance. Not only did she provide many precious medicinal herbs, but she also frequently discussed alchemy insights with me, helping me resolve numerous difficult problems.
Lin Yu seemed even more dissatisfied with me; every time he saw me, his gaze was filled with hostility. I knew he had always viewed me as a rival, and my appearance made him feel threatened. However, I didn't care about his views; I only wanted to concentrate on my cultivation and solve the mystery of my origins as soon as possible.
On this day, as I was refining pills in the Alchemy Room, I suddenly sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching.
Startled, I hurriedly stopped refining pills and walked out of the Alchemy Room.
"Junior Brother Kong, you better go take a look! Senior Brother Lin and someone are fighting!" a Wu Family disciple ran over and shouted in a panic."Lin Feather? Who is he fighting with?" Filled with doubt, I hurriedly followed the disciple.
By the time I rushed to the Martial Arts Arena, I saw Lin Yu engaged in an intense battle with a youth dressed in black. The youth in black possessed profound cultivation, and Lin Yu was clearly no match for him, driven into a perilous situation.
"Stop!" I shouted loudly, rushing forward to block in front of Lin Yu.