It had come to this.
Zhou Changqing directed the Dou Qi within the cauldron, causing it to pull and compress the globes of molten metal. The several masses of liquid metal quickly fused into one.
Arcs of electricity flashed, and a golden aura permeated the air. Catalyzed by the gold Dou Qi and tempered by the crackling lightning, Zhou Changqing's Spiritual Perception could clearly sense the different molten metals fusing at an atomic level, connecting to become a single, complete whole. The sensation was akin to bonding plastic and fabric at a molecular level.
Next, under the combined force of Dou Qi and Spiritual Perception, the searing mass of molten metal began to change shape. It was gradually molded into a long, slender form.
At that point, Zhou Changqing commanded the arcs of lightning inside the cauldron to recede, causing the internal temperature to drop. During this process, he manipulated his gold Dou Qi in concert with his perception to meticulously inscribe various functional patterns within the molten metal strip.
There were inscriptions that would allow the weapon to channel a Monster Core's energy and unleash blades of pure energy. Others would enable the weapon to draw on a Monster Core's power to increase its own weight, durability, and sharpness. Still others were designed to merge the user's inputted Dou Qi with the Monster Core's energy, creating a synergistic effect that amplified the power of attacks.
These patterns were the culmination of Zhou Changqing's extensive research into formation arrays. Through a process of careful adaptation and experimentation, he had created these unique weapon inscriptions, a technique exclusive to his art of weapon refinement.
Engraving the inscriptions was an extremely delicate and complex step, demanding immense patience and a powerful Spiritual Perception. Every detail had to be perfect; a single mistake would render all previous efforts useless. This step was therefore incredibly time-consuming, unlike the simple, brute-force smelting of the metal ores.
As Zhou Changqing became more engrossed, time trickled by. Before he knew it, four hours had passed.
Throughout this period, neither Yue Mei nor Ling Sha showed the slightest hint of impatience. In their minds, such an extraordinary weapon would naturally require a great deal of time to forge. It was the same principle as an alchemist refining a pill. Besides, the young man's forging process was quite a spectacle, even utilizing a large cauldron. He was practically no different from an alchemist.
This was no longer mere blacksmithing; it was better described as refinement. This realization only heightened the two women's anticipation.
Finally, under their watchful eyes, Zhou Changqing, who had been staring intently at the cauldron, suddenly lit up. Inside the vessel, the once-liquid strip of molten metal had completely solidified, returning to its metallic state.
He lowered his left hand and waved his right.
"Voom!"
With a deep hum, the gold-and-silver cauldron disintegrated like mud dissolving in a stream. Once the golden and silver energies had completely vanished, a three-foot longsword appeared where the belly of the cauldron had been.
The sword had a dark green hilt and a purplish-black guard with a hollow groove running through its center. The body of the blade was a pale green, etched with a serpentine scale pattern, and a sharp, cold light shimmered along its edge. The entire weapon radiated an intense heat, a clear sign that the high temperatures from the electric arcs had not yet dissipated since it was freshly forged.
Fortunately, the sword's form had already solidified. All that remained was for it to cool down completely. Thanks to the gold Dou Qi that had fused with and enhanced the materials, the longsword didn't need to be quenched to increase its hardness, strength, and durability.
Wrapping the searing longsword in Dou Qi, Zhou Changqing guided it to hover before him. He then retrieved a purple Monster Core from his Storage Ring and pressed it into the hollow groove in the center of the guard. With that, a middle-grade Tier 3 Monster Core weapon was complete.
However, just as Zhou Changqing was admiring his masterpiece, the longsword suddenly broke free of his control and shot toward Yue Mei.
Without any protective measures or a barrier of Dou Qi, Yue Mei simply reached out and grasped the hilt. With the physical resilience of a Dou King, how could she possibly be bothered by such a trivial amount of heat? As expected, the scorching hilt was completely harmless in her palm.
"Excellent. This sword is even finer than the last one."
Yue Mei inspected the blade with her Dou Qi and Spiritual Perception, a faint smile gracing her lips as she nodded in approval. Although she still couldn't perceive how the sword achieved its combat amplification, she could feel the immense power contained within its energy the moment she infused her Dou Qi and connected it to the Monster Core.
This wasn't because Yue Mei's perception was too weak. Rather, it was because Zhou Changqing's strength and refining skills had improved significantly. His current methods were far more sophisticated than the crude techniques he'd used as a Dou Master. Back then, he had no choice but to craft a separate core for the weapon inscriptions and assemble it into the weapon to drive the Monster Core.
But now, Zhou Changqing could manifest his Dou Qi externally and even solidify it, solving the problem of needing a furnace for smelting. This also meant he could precisely control his metallic Dou Qi to carve inscriptions inside a weapon before it fully solidified. Furthermore, the inscriptions were no longer hollow channels but solid circuits formed from materialized metallic Dou Qi.
These inscriptions were perfectly integrated with the weapon's material, becoming an inseparable part of it. Therefore, without an exceptionally powerful Spiritual Perception, it was impossible to detect their existence. Let alone Yue Mei, even a Dou Emperor would be unable to perceive these inscriptions. A Dou Ancestor might stand a small chance.
After examining the longsword, Yue Mei stored it in her own Storage Ring. It wasn't that she coveted a mere Tier 3 weapon, which offered a negligible boost to her power. She simply liked its style and color, feeling it suited her well.
Zhou Changqing's eye twitched. He very much wanted to point out that he had funded the materials for the sword himself, so it should rightfully belong to him. But a thought of Yue Mei's strength made him hold his tongue.
Having witnessed the young man's refining process, Yue Mei was now one hundred percent convinced of his abilities, and her mood brightened considerably. With another flicker of movement, she appeared before Zhou Changqing, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was warm and bewitching. "Little one, you have earned my approval. From now on, you will live here in the tribe."
"As I promised, you will be granted status second only to my own. Furthermore, you shall have free and unrestricted access to all of our tribe's weapon-refining materials. All requests will be granted."
"As long as you focus on crafting weapons for my tribe, I will not be stingy with rewards. Be it cultivation resources, Qi Methods, or Dou Skills, nothing you ask for will be denied."
Too preoccupied to appreciate the intoxicating, drug-like fragrance emanating from her, Zhou Changqing simply smiled and nodded, clasping his hands in a gesture of respect. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best."
"Alright. After such a long journey and all this work, our little 'master' must be tired." Yue Mei nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Ling Sha. "Ling Sha, take him to rest. We must not exhaust our tribe's greatest treasure."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Ling Sha flashed a smile and made a gesture for Zhou Changqing to follow.
Not wanting to linger, Zhou Changqing followed Ling Sha out of the tent.
Watching their departing figures, Yue Mei's beautiful eyes glinted, the corners of her lips curling into an enchanting smile she couldn't suppress. To think that a simple trip to rescue her tribesmen would result in Ling Sha bringing back such a wonderful surprise.
This young man… she "liked" him very, very much.
If even a commander like Ling Sha could recognize the enormous benefits this boy could bring, how could she, the queen, who had personally witnessed a Tier 3 Monster Core weapon in action, not understand his importance? If it weren't for this, given her usual aversion to humans, the best fate for this boy, no matter how handsome, would have been to become her pet slave, to be toyed with until he died. He would never have received such pleasant and respectful treatment.
"Little one, I hope you don't harbor any other ideas. Just obediently provide weapons for my tribe. Otherwise… I might become very displeased, you know~ Hee hee hee…"
In the now-quiet tent, Yue Mei's clear, bewitching laughter echoed softly.