Mr. Mo gently touched the blueprint, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes as he murmured to himself, "It seems I once designed a very impressive palace."

For some reason, ever since the last time he heard about the blue short dagger, his headache problem seemed to have worsened a lot, so much so that even the elixirs given to him by the Jade Emperor were ineffective.

He quietly took out a pill from his bosom, pinching it between two fingers, then examined it under the faint light. A look of puzzlement appeared on the face of this exceptionally intelligent man.

These past few times, he had pretended to swallow the pills but had actually hidden them away to carefully study their ingredients.

Even though he had never understood medicine, he had an intelligence unmatched by all living beings in the Three Realms. To him, the abstruse and incomprehensible medical arts were mere simple knowledge.

Only, the former him had never focused on this area. Therefore, after cramming for a period of time, even though he still couldn’t be considered a Medical Immortal, he now had a profound understanding of pharmacology at least.

This elixir had none of the components that could treat headaches; on the contrary, it contained many elements that suppressed the brain. With this revelation, he grew suspicious of his own affliction.

From that day on, he decided not to take the medicine anymore. He wanted to see what kind of changes would occur after experiencing these repeated headaches.

The effect was immediate. Within just a few short days of stopping the medicine, fragments of past memories began to flash through his mind from time to time. Although they were extremely scarce, it was at least better than his previous complete ignorance, even if each recollection brought about the most intense headaches.

He looked at his hands and couldn’t help but murmur to himself, "Who exactly am I?"

Beiliang Mountain was not a very tall mountain, and its surface was strewn with rocks and sparsely covered with vegetation, but it concealed a wealth of mineral deposits.

And within thousands of miles around, it was a well-known place.

The mountain wasn’t famous for its ores or any scenic beauty; it was solely because of a monster known as the Iron Demon, who was the most renowned swordsmith in the vicinity.

For monsters who lived by the blade, a fine weapon was undeniably their second life. However, due to the loss of heritage and the chaos of the continent, swordsmiths were extremely scarce in these lands.

Those who could forge superior blades were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and the Iron Demon was such a Blade-Smithing Master.

It was because of his presence that Beiliang Mountain became well-known, attracting countless monsters hoping that the Master would forge weapons for them.

Today, however, Beiliang Mountain appeared unusually chaotic. A host of monsters had already surrounded the place, making it impenetrable.

A monster with a single horn on its head was currently glaring angrily at the busy monster working tirelessly over the forge.

"Iron Demon, I’ll give you one more chance. Agreed to be my blade-smith, and I shall spare your life," the One-Horned monster said hatefully.

At the foot of the mountain, countless monsters who had come seeking blades were blocked from proceeding.

"What right do you have to block our way? Seeking Master Iron Demon is our business; what does it have to do with you?" one monster shouted angrily.

The friend by his side quickly pulled him back, a flattering smile on his face as he spoke to the menacing-looking monsters, "Esteemed lords, my brother here is hot-tempered."

Without waiting for his friend’s objection, he hastily dragged him away from Beiliang Mountain.

"Don’t pull me, these people are just too bullying, why do they have the right to close off the mountain?" The monster continued to grumble indignantly.

"Did you recognize their identities?"

"Identities? What identities?"

"These monsters are all men of the One-Horned King, if you entangle with them, you might leave your life here today." His friend spoke in a low voice, glancing furtively into the distance and only heaving a sigh of relief when he saw that the monsters were not coming their way.

The One-Horned King had recently risen to prominence, immensely powerful, and because the Heavenly Court Navy was nowhere to be found, this Demon King had started on the path to expanding his territory.

One after another, he subdued all the renowned monsters of the neighboring peaks, and had clearly become the local overlord. Compared to them, these little demons, it was truly the difference between the clouds and the mud.

Upon hearing his friend’s words, the anger on the monster’s face disappeared without a trace. He was hot-headed but no fool; knowing the stature of the One-Horned King, if he really provoked them, he feared he might indeed end up dying here today.

"Who knows what the One-Horned King is doing here, could it be that he’s having Master Tie Yao craft a weapon for him?" Suppressing the rage in his heart, such a question surfaced in his mind.

If that was indeed the case, he would just have to wait a bit longer. Chances would always fall into his lap eventually.

However, his friend seemed more somber after hearing this and shook his head, "I think not. Look at the situation, they probably want to recruit Master Tie Yao, after all, he’s the most formidable cast master around here."

"Ah, that’s just too much, trying to keep it all to themselves!"

If Master Tie Yao really was recruited by the One-Horned King, it would be harder than ascending to heaven for the likes of these wild little demons to request a weapon.

But even if they knew this, what could they do? In this world where the strong prey on the weak, strength was fundamental. The One-Horned King had formidable power, and naturally, he could make his own rules.

At this thought, the two little demons began to lament.

Just then, they saw a group of monsters slowly approaching, all with restrained auras and varied expressions, but their clothes were neat and clean, evidently people of status.

"Who are these monsters?" The two little demons immediately became puzzled, especially since all of these monsters were unfamiliar faces.

"Is that the Ghost Spider from Beiliang Mountain?" One monster recognized the Ghost Spider’s identity.

It was well known that Ghost Spider was a local celebrity, powerful but solitary, matching the image many monsters had of a true master, hence he held a certain stature in their eyes.

"I’ve heard Ghost Spider and Master Tie Yao are good friends; maybe he has come to help Master Tie Yao out of a tight spot."

Everyone began to speculate.

And Ghost Spider, walking among the crowd, chuckled to Lin Fang, "Just up ahead is Tiemu Mountain, where my good friend set up his forge to craft weapons. But what people don’t know is that he is a Blade-Smithing Master who also makes other Magical Treasures; those two masks, for instance, were created by him personally."

Lin Fang looked up at Tiemu Mountain, and caught a whiff of smoke that stirred a familiar feeling deep within him, the scent of a forge fire. For Lin Fang, who often crafted weapons for Demon Kings, it was an all too familiar smell.

"As long as I recruit him, my future will be much easier," Lin Fang murmured to himself.