He watched as the Human-shaped Mechanism Armor, manipulated by the Black Gold Threads he’d shot out with his Hundred Refinements Silk Binding Strength, took a few steps. A series of grating, metallic shrieks echoed from within, and the entire construct crashed to the ground.

Xu Yunfan: "..."

Mo Shisan: "..."

"Ahem. It must be because I forcibly altered the material’s stress structure. That’s why it collapsed. If I re-forge it according to its proper mechanical design, it should work. I’ll... go think about it for a bit..."

He was going for a grand display, but it turned into a grand flop.

Mo Shisan paid no mind to Xu Yunfan, who was fleeing the scene. He crouched down, his expression fervent. His gaze trembled with emotion, as if he were looking upon a beloved treasure, his hands roaming all over the wreckage.

"So that’s it... So, it can be done this way..."

After leaving the Mechanical Hall and returning to the surface, Xu Yunfan glanced at the Fluorite Lamps on the cavern ceiling, which were slowly dimming. He ambled along the street, heading for the Weapon Casting Hall.

In theory, there was nothing wrong with the Human-shaped Mechanism Armor. He had lived through the modern world’s information explosion in his past life and knew plenty of theories about robotics.

Having just acquired the complete Celestial Craft Forging Technique, Xu Yunfan was like a hunter who’d just spotted his prey—he couldn’t resist the urge to get his hands dirty.

After all, the Celestial Craft Cave existed in a world akin to a feudal society, where information was extremely siloed. Even though this world had all sorts of Extraordinary Martial Arts, the major powers all hoarded their knowledge, refusing to share it for the greater good.

The fact that the Celestial Craft Cave was able to construct the Celestial Craft Fortress, a creation that could almost be called a wonder of the world, was astounding enough.

In the days that followed, having perfected his Celestial Craft Forging Technique, Xu Yunfan naturally stopped attending lessons. Instead, he spent all day by the edge of the Thunder Fire Pool, hammering away at a Profound Steel Mechanism Box with his Profound Steel Forging Hammer.

The Celestial Craft Cave might be short on many things, but Profound Steel wasn’t one of them.

Every time the blast furnaces built by the Celestial Craft Department near the Thunder Fire Pool were tapped, nearly ten thousand catties of Profound Steel Ore were refined, flowing out as molten Profound Steel.

And five such blast furnaces had been built beneath the Thunder Fire Pool, pushing the Thunderfire Cave to its structural limits before they finally stopped.

As the five Profound Steel blast furnaces at the bottom of the Thunder Fire Pool vibrated in unison, molten iron surged through the channels like a crimson dragon, driven by the turning of a Mechanical Beast carrying a bellows below.

CLANG!

Xu Yunfan’s deft hammer struck, branding the final Mo Family "Non-Attack" insignia onto the surface of the Mechanical Box. The instant its three hundred and sixty internal gears meshed, it sucked in every wisp of sulfurous steam within a ten-zhang radius, leaving none behind.

The lost art of the Qi Storage Mechanism from the Celestial Craft Forging Technique!

Following the methods of the Mechanical Hall here in the Celestial Craft Cave, one would have to cultivate the Hundred Refinements Silk Binding Strength deep into their bone marrow and then follow an incredibly complex process just to create a single Mechanical Box capable of housing a Qi Storage Mechanism.

To cultivate the Hundred Refinements Silk Binding Strength into one’s bone marrow, one would have to be a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. That would take an eternity.

Unlike Xu Yunfan, who could forge one with ease despite being just a step away from mastering the Outer Three Harmonies.

’You have forged a Profound Steel Mechanism Box capable of concealing its aura.’

’Your understanding of the Celestial Craft Forging Technique seems to have deepened...’

"..."

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but glance at his Attribute Panel and grimace. ’This Celestial Craft Forging Technique really is too advanced,’ he thought. ’Forging a Mechanical Box like this didn’t even raise my Skill Level by a single point.’

CLICK! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

While the area around the Thunder Fire Pool was empty, Xu Yunfan knocked his knuckles against the Fine Steel Box on his back, opening it.

"Lin!"

With a soft shout, the flickering emotions in his eyes instantly settled, becoming as still as stagnant water. He activated the mechanism of the Fine Steel Box—which he had commissioned from the Mechanical Hall—revealing the Gilded Mace’s Dragon Swallowing Mouth.

While in the Linn Character State, his arm was as steady as a boulder. The instant the Dragon Swallowing Mouth of the Gilded Mace sprang out, just as he reached to grab it, the entire Thunderfire Cave began to shake violently.

HUM!

The magma in the Thunder Fire Pool below suddenly reversed its flow, surging upward and erupting against the cavern ceiling like a fountain, forming the shape of a giant Fire Lotus.

Xu Yunfan glanced down and saw a dark silhouette wrapped in nine Blazing Fire Iron chains flash through the Thunder Fire Pool. As the Profound Steel Covering above was activated and began to descend, the ends of the chains sank back into the depths of the magma.

He looked up to see the magma that had splashed against the ceiling of the Thunderfire Cave now raining down like a waterfall. His expression was devoid of emotion. He seized the Gilded Mace, which was still humming ceaselessly, swiftly shoved it into the Profound Steel Mechanism Box, and sealed it shut.

The humming and trembling throughout the Thunder Fire Pool instantly ceased.

"Holy crap..."

After exiting the Linn Character State, Xu Yunfan leaped to his feet. He took a quick scan of the area, and drawing upon his knowledge of the Celestial Craft Forging Technique, he instantly knew what to do.

He planted his foot and leaped high into the air, the Profound Steel Mechanism Box and Thunderfire Qilin Hammer on his back. Hooking onto a few chain bridges suspended in mid-air, he quickly ascended to the top of the Thunderfire Cave.

Stepping onto the Profound Steel Covering, Xu Yunfan didn’t hesitate for a second. He closed the distance in a few quick strides and yanked down on a lever in front of him.

RUMBLE!!!

At that moment, all the chains within the Thunder Fire Pool sprang to life.

-----------------

The Celestial Craft Hall—control center of the Celestial Craft Fortress.

"The Earth Fire is running wild! Activate the Black Tortoise Mechanism Array, quickly!"

Mo Han rushed over in a panic, plugging his Fine Steel prosthetic arm into the Master Control Disc. The twelve Profound Steel lotus petals of the Celestial Craft Fortress began to spin rapidly.

Seven glowing red lines appeared on the floor of the Celestial Craft Hall, spreading toward the Celestial Sphere Instrument at the hall’s center.

Mo Han’s expression changed at the sight. The heat from seven subterranean Earth Veins was being drawn out, converging frantically on the Thunder Fire Pool!

Witnessing this, Hong Baichuan appeared silently in the Celestial Craft Hall.

"Force the Profound Steel Covering down! Reseal it!"

"I already know!"

As Mo Han applied force, his Fine Steel prosthetic limb began to turn slowly. But a moment later, the resistance in his hand vanished. He let out a soft sound of surprise.

"The Profound Steel Covering has already been activated?!"

Inside the Thunderfire Cave, countless chains whirred and locked into place as the Profound Steel Covering, weighing nearly ten thousand tons, slammed down.

BANG!

With a deafening clash of metal on metal, the Profound Steel Covering crashed into place, locking into its preset clasps. It sealed the churning Thunder Fire Pool completely, not a single wisp escaping.

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he beat a hasty retreat.

His mind was reeling, an irrepressible excitement surging through his chest.

’To think there’s a Divine Weapon hidden here! Inside the Celestial Craft Cave, within the Thunderfire Cave, beneath the Thunder Fire Pool!’

The Mo Family’s Non-Attack sigils engraved on the ceiling of the Celestial Craft Hall gradually dimmed, and a web of cracks spread across the surface of the Celestial Sphere Instrument.

Hong Baichuan placed his palm on the Master Control Disc, his brow deeply furrowed.

"The heat signature from the seven Earth Veins has surged to three times what it was in previous months. Elder Mo, what do the Earth Fire extraction records from before the clan relocated say?"

"The Melt Gold Hall has been drawing eighty thousand catties of fire daily for the last half-month," Mo Han replied after a moment’s thought.

"That’s ten times the usual amount!"

He pointed to the Geomancy Map hanging in the Celestial Craft Hall. "The Lingnan Dao project requires us to refine at least thirty thousand tons of Fire Stone. Of course the Earth Fire consumption is going to be higher than usual."

Mo Han speculated, "It’s likely because we’ve been drawing so much lately, leaving a large void below."