The air in the depths of the city's underground vault was thick with the smell of cold ozone and ancient iron. Every step Han Sen took echoed against the damp stone walls, a rhythmic tapping that felt like a countdown.
Lord Zhao walked ahead, his heavy boots making a sound like falling boulders. Behind them, Commander Yan kept her hand on the hilt of her sword. Her gaze remained fixed on the back of Han Sen's head: a heavy, predatory weight that spoke of her deep distrust.
They stopped before a massive door reinforced with dragon-bone. Lord Zhao placed his hand on a scanning crystal. The air hissed as the seals disengaged, revealing a small, glowing pedestal in the center of a dark room.
On the pedestal sat a jagged shard of deep, midnight-blue metal. It pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light, vibrating with a frequency that made Han Sen's teeth ache.
"Star-Fall Iron," Lord Zhao said, his voice a low rumble. "It fell from the heavens three centuries ago. No blacksmith in the empire has been able to even scratch it. It ignores heat and mocks the hammer."
Han Sen stepped closer. The "Gaze" of the metal was cold and indifferent, as if it were looking through him. He reached out his hand.
"Don't touch it, boy," Commander Yan warned, her voice sharp. "The energy in that shard will shatter your Level 1 meridians before you can even blink."
Han Sen didn't stop. He placed his fingers on the freezing surface of the iron.
[Detected: Star-Fall Core (Divine Rank Material)]
[Warning: Material contains chaotic cosmic energy. Impact on 10 HP body: Lethal.]
Han Sen felt the first jolt of energy. It was like a needle made of ice trying to pierce his heart. He didn't pull back. He opened his system, his mind focusing on a skill he had never touched: [Basic Blacksmithing].
[Allocating Skill Points: 10,000,000]
[Basic Blacksmithing has evolved into: Celestial Forge Master (Max Level).]
The world inside the vault shifted. The darkness didn't change, but Han Sen's perception of it did. He no longer saw a jagged piece of metal. He saw a complex web of atomic bonds and humming vibrations.
He didn't use a hammer. He didn't use a furnace. He closed his eyes, and the air around the pedestal began to distort.
There was no sound. There was only an unnatural, heavy silence. The blue light of the Star-Fall Iron began to bleed into the air, swirling around Han Sen's hands like a liquid ribbon.
Commander Yan stepped forward, her Level 48 aura flaring in alarm. "Lord Zhao, he's going to—"
"Stay back," Lord Zhao commanded. He was staring at Han Sen, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and dawning realization.
Han Sen's skin began to glow with a faint, white light as his [Diamond Body Protocol] fought against the cosmic radiation. Even with 99.9% damage reduction, the heat was so intense it began to singe his hair.
[HP: 9/10]
[HP: 8/10]
He didn't care about the pain. He reached into the center of the swirling blue light. The Star-Fall Iron didn't resist him. Under the law of the [Celestial Forge Master], the metal began to soften, turning from a jagged shard into a liquid stream of starlight.
"I don't need a sword to kill a beast," Han Sen whispered, his voice a dry rasp.
He began to pull the liquid metal into ten thin, razor-sharp needles. They weren't just weapons: they were conduits for his [Soul-Stitching Thread].
By the time the blue light faded, the pedestal was empty. Floating in the air before Han Sen were ten needles of midnight-blue, each one no thicker than a hair but heavier than a mountain.
Han Sen slumped against the pedestal, his chest heaving as he coughed a spray of red into the dust.
[HP: 4/10]
[Status: Material Refinement Complete.]
He grabbed the needles, feeling their weight pulse against his palm. He looked at Lord Zhao, then at the stunned Commander Yan.
"The metal is ready," Han Sen said, his eyes cold and steady. "Now, give me my laboratory. I have six days to learn how to kill a God with a single thread."