Embersteel: Legend of the Warrior BlackSmith

Chapter 32: Refinement

Jiang Feng was in a hurry, his heart pounding as he struggled to calm his breathing. The rattle of the wagon wheels and the jostling path worked against his focus, chipping away at the calm he desperately tried to maintain. He didn't fully understand why this sense of urgency had taken hold, why he was pushing himself so relentlessly, knowing his own strength was still a faint whisper against the vast forces looming over him. But the urgency was there, a quiet fire in his chest that he couldn't ignore.

The wagon jolted forward again, and he forced himself to continue his breathing technique, refusing to break his focus for even a second.

"There are herbs here that can aid in cultivating the blood," the voice of the Eternal Flame Codex echoed, low and ancient, in his mind. "You're sitting on one such crate that holds a hundred-year-old blood ginseng root. Once refined, it could increase your blood purity by ten percent. To your left, there's a crate containing fifty-year-old Lion Tongue Grass, good for muscle growth. Beneath that, a two-hundred-year-old Purple Heart Fruit, also enhancing physical strength."

Jiang Feng glanced around, suddenly feeling the weight of the Codex's knowledge settle over him. He was speaking with the Eternal Flame Codex, an ancient artifact revered as the greatest legacy of the Eternal Clan, the Jiang clan of the Warrior Blacksmiths thus is was a given it was knowledgeable in a lot of things. Even his father had spoken of the Codex with deep respect, bowing to its wisdom and guidance. It possessed insight beyond anything mortal, its understanding of the world a bottomless well. Even its ability to sense and identify the nature of objects around them was unmatched.

"Senior, I... I don't know how to use these things," Jiang Feng admitted, scanning the crates. "Besides, they belong to the villagers. I can't just use them without permission."

The Codex's voice turned harder, an edge of impatience creeping in. "If your body is strong enough to hold that dagger in your spatial ring for even five minutes, you might be able to turn things around. But be warned child, doing so may draw even stronger enemies to your doorstep. That dagger has an artifact spirit within it, it's very intelligent. It only reacted when it sensed the Draconic Resilience awakening. This is no ordinary weapon; it would only accept someone with extraordinary strength or talent."

Jiang Feng's pulse quickened as he remembered the three items his father had left him: a ring, the dragon vein blood bone fruit, and a dagger whose origins were a mystery. They were kept together in a box, with the ring housing a small, private world inside. Within that space was a forging table, built to withstand the weight of the dagger—a gift from his father, and a vital tool in Jiang Feng's path as a blacksmith. Inside the ring were materials of every kind, waiting to be shaped. In his clan, cultivation was intertwined with forging, each step of mastery gained through creation and the shaping of steel.

He tightened his grip, hesitating. "The dagger's weight... it's far beyond my control, not to mention that I might not even be able to use a dagger."

"There's no time for hesitation," the Codex snapped coldly. "You can either help these villagers or watch them fall one by one. It makes no difference to me if they all died. Their lives are irrelevant in my eyes; only yours matters and I can still watch you die if you prove to be a failure to your people." The unfeeling tone sent a chill down Jiang Feng's spine, reminding him of the Codex's nature. It was an ancient artifact, without empathy, an unwavering presence that had watched his struggles without lifting a single finger until he was on the brink of death.

But Jiang Feng shook his head, determination tightening his jaw. "I'll do what I can to protect them. Senior, tell me how to use these herbs."

He opened a crate and drew out the blood-red ginseng root. The herb seemed alive, so richly crimson it looked as if blood might drip from it at any moment. A potent aura radiated from it, filling the wagon with an earthy, herbal scent. Just being close to it made his blood rush faster. Next, he lifted the Lion Tongue Grass, its sharp, yellowed edges glinting like blades. Finally, he took out the Purple Heart Fruit, a striking, heart-shaped fruit that glowed faintly with age and power.

Lin Rou, who was rushing at the front of the wagon, turned slightly, catching the powerful scent filling the air. But he kept his focus on steering them through the narrow, winding paths of Poor Man's Corner.

"To gain anything from these, you must refine them before consuming them," the Codex advised. "There's no time to do it properly. We'll use a crude method, though this will waste about sixty percent of their essence. For a Function stage practitioner, that should be enough. Any more, and you risk shattering your body from within."

Jiang Feng's throat tightened. His voice was barely more than a whisper. "Alright. Understood."

"I'll hold the herbs in place. Now, summon the Skyforge Flame and begin the refining process. Remember, too much heat will destroy the herbs, too little will leave them weak and useless. This is where control comes in; this is creation itself," the Codex intoned.

The herbs lifted from Jiang Feng's hands, floating in midair as he raised his hands toward them, letting the Skyforge Flame flicker to life. Blue sparks ignited, and the wagon filled with a soft azure glow as the heat surged upward.

"Steady now," the Codex's voice warned. "Under no circumstances should you use infernal breathing while the flame is active, or you'll risk an explosive surge that will incinerate everything here."

Sweat beaded on Jiang Feng's forehead, his mind sharp and focused as he guided the flame around the herbs, inch by inch. He felt the heat deep in his bones, the blue fire licking at the herbs as they began to melt, the rich fragrance filling the entire wagon. Outside, villagers glanced over as the scent drifted into the air, but none had the luxury to pause; they all knew their safety lay in making it through Poor Man's Corner unscathed.

The herbs glistened as they began to break down, and Jiang Feng poured all his concentration into controlling the flame, coaxing out the essence locked within each leaf and root. The Codex's steady, unyielding voice guided him forward, an invisible hand pushing him toward strength, even as he felt the burden of the task weighing on his heart. This was his path, forged in sweat and flame, and he would see it through to the end.