Deep within the sunless fire veins.

"Treating ore like stir-frying vegetables?"

"Exactly."

"And stir-frying it at high heat?"

"Right."

The two old men stared at the dead-serious Li Mo, simultaneously inhaling a breath of scorching air, wondering if the heat of the fire veins had fried his brain.

This was the fire veins, not a kitchen!

They were craftsmen, not chefs!

What nonsense was this?!

Suddenly, they began to doubt whether Li Mo could ever become a Divine Artisan. After all, no matter how talented he was, if his thinking was this messed up... it was hopeless.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

The two elders' gazes were far from polite. Li Mo cleared his throat and said,

"Controlling the heat for stir-frying and smelting is equally important, right?"

"Well... yes."

"And when Elder Zeng sprinkled those auxiliary materials earlier, wasn’t it just like adding seasoning?"

"That... does make some sense." Elder Zeng fell into deep thought.

Li Mo then turned to Elder Hanhe. "And when you kept flipping and hammering the iron block, wasn’t it similar to stir-frying at high heat?"

"I suppose there’s a bit of logic to that..." Elder Hanhe also sank into contemplation.

But then, both shook their heads in unison.

What kind of nonsense was this?! How could metal and stone be the same as ingredients?!

They had almost been led astray by this kid!

No wonder the Demon-summoning Sect had been utterly bamboozled by Li Mo...

"This is just an idea. I still need to test it out."

Li Mo was brimming with enthusiasm. After all, he was counting on the auxiliary martial art "Divine Treasure Refinement" to further enhance his physique.

If the two could be combined, his efficiency would skyrocket!

"If it’s convenient for you two elders, could you teach me your smelting techniques? I’ll spend half an hour learning them..."

"What?!"

"Half an hour? Oh no, Li Mo has truly lost his mind..."

Elder Hanhe and Elder Zeng muttered to themselves.

They had both started as apprentices, and it had taken them nearly sixty years to master the art of forging.

Yet here was Li Mo, casually asking to learn both of their weapon-forging techniques in half an hour.

Even if it was just the simplest smelting...

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

But seeing Li Mo’s eager expression, an inexplicable thought arose in their minds.

What if?

At his age, creating a divine technique and mastering divine weapons was already beyond belief. Ranked fourth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, wasn’t he already extraordinary, defying all common sense?

"Fine. Here’s my forging technique."

"Go ahead and give it a try."

Two thick manuals were handed to Li Mo: "Divine Weapon Smelting Method" and "Five Elements Smelting Method."

Not minding the scorching ground, Li Mo sat right down and began studying.

Half an hour was barely enough to read both books thoroughly, let alone comprehend and master them.

But Li Mo only needed to finish reading.

[Ten years of martial insights successfully infused...]

[First year: You studied the "Divine Weapon Smelting Method," learning the properties of various ores and forging techniques, and began practicing...]

[Second year: Your "Divine Weapon Smelting Method" reached mastery.]

[Tenth year: You reached perfection, mastering the method to smelt materials for divine weapons. However, due to insufficient physique and conditions, you couldn’t yet apply it fully.]

[...]

[Ten years of martial insights successfully infused...]

[First year: You studied the "Five Elements Smelting Method"...]

[...]

"Done?"

Exactly half an hour later, as Li Mo stood up, Elder Hanhe and Elder Zeng looked at him—one stifling a laugh, the other with a probing gaze.

Li Mo nodded solemnly. "Yes, I can give it a try now."

Truthfully, he had only needed half an hour, not a full one.

He had just sat longer to spare the old men’s feelings.

"Then let’s see how you plan to 'stir-fry,' shall we?" Elder Hanhe still couldn’t believe it.

"Alright!"

Action followed words.

"First, heat the wok."

Li Mo strode over to Elder Zeng’s massive cauldron, channeling scorching Karmic Flame True Energy into it. The runes instantly lit up, and the underground fire veins surged, licking at the cauldron.

The temperature inside the cauldron soared.

"Next, add oil to grease the wok." With a solemn expression, Li Mo poured in Black Shade Wood Oil.

He even narrated as he worked.

"?"

Elder Hanhe and Elder Zeng were dumbfounded.

Mostly because the kid was acting like this was a real cooking show.

And wait—weren’t they supposed to be the teachers here? Just moments ago, they’d been arguing over who would instruct him!

"Heat the oil, then add the ingredients!"

"Slowly raise the temperature to soften the iron ore~ There, that’s about right. Now, add the supplementary materials."

"Now, stir-fry at high heat!"

Mimicking Elder Zeng’s method, Li Mo purified a large batch of iron ore.

Then, like flipping a wok, he tilted the cauldron, making the iron blocks flip and fold mid-air.

Finally, after a moment’s thought, he pulled out a hammer and, following Elder Hanhe’s technique, began clanging away at the "ingredients"—no, the iron blocks—inside the cauldron.

The entire process flowed seamlessly, repeating in cycles!

Impurities were removed, and the texture grew denser.

At the same time, as he hammered, the "Divine Treasure Refinement" technique activated!

He wasn’t just smelting ore—he was also refining himself!

He was the forger, and also the divine iron being forged!

The long-stagnant "Extreme Weapon Tempering Body" technique also showed signs of progress—a rare feat, given that the better the weapon or ore refined through "Divine Treasure Refinement," the greater the enhancement to his physique.

And here he was, working with mere ordinary iron ore.

"Huff..."

Li Mo’s chest heaved like a bellows, breathing in fire and iron as he hammered the metal block a thousand times over.

The scene was nothing short of electrifying!

"High heat to reduce the sauce, then plate and serve!" Chef Li Mo had finally completed his first masterpiece!

With one last tilt of the cauldron, the remaining molten iron was flung onto the lid by the force of his hammering.

As it cooled, its true form was revealed.

What had once been a massive pile of ore was now no larger than a palm.

Silvery-white, its surface rippled like water, yet its texture was unyieldingly hard.

"Iron... essence?!"

Elder Hanhe and Elder Zeng were utterly speechless, their expressions more horrified than if they’d seen a ghost.

[...]

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully refined the "Stir-Fry Steel Method," elevating the forging techniques of the Divine Weapon Peak to new heights.]

[Investment reward: Cloudmother Heavy Cauldron.]

That day, the disciples of the Divine Weapon Peak received shocking news.

The Forging Hall was undergoing a new reform, establishing a collaborative exchange with the Qingyuan Sect’s canteen to research new techniques.

Which meant...

From now on, part of the entry test would involve practicing wok-flipping and stir-frying in the canteen.

The disciples’ minds were trampled by ten thousand mythical creatures.

As for the mastermind behind it all...

He was already on his way back to Autumn Water Pavilion, carrying a vegetable basket.

"Gotta say, hammering metal all day is exhausting."

"Fortunately, I’ve also made some progress in mastering the 'Divine Refinement Art'..."

Li Mo dragged his slightly sore limbs back to the Autumn Water Pavilion.

Wherever he walked, the snow on the path melted into water.

The Pure Yang robe he wore today hadn’t burned away—despite the overwhelming yang energy—but the problem was that in such an environment, the accumulation of yang energy had accelerated at an alarming rate. Now, his inner fire was raging uncontrollably.

To put it simply, he was currently "burning up."

"What’s that ice block up to?"

Li Mo pushed open the courtyard gate of the Autumn Water Pavilion, and a weary thought drifted through his mind.

If only someone could help him cool down...

Her delicate, jade-white hands would surely feel refreshingly cool to hold right now.

As everyone knew, that "ice block" was cold through and through. If he could just press against her for a moment... it would undoubtedly be pure bliss.

......