The cold didn’t bother him, but the idleness did.

After polishing off a bowl of silky, golden steamed egg custard for breakfast, Jiang Chen headed down to the second level of the basement.

This time, however, he wasn’t there for alchemy. He had only finished his last session a few hours ago, and even a cultivator needed to switch gears.

He stopped in the designated Artifact Refining Area. Staring at the array of brand-new equipment arranged before him, a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

He mentally reviewed the stats of his new toys:

[Crimson Iron Forging Hammer]

Function 1: Material Shaping

Function 2: Spiritual Power Guidance

[Spirit Carving Knife]

Function 1: Rune Engraving

Function 2: Spirit Pattern Refinement

[Yellow Copper Crucible]

Function 1: Material Melting

Function 2: Attribute Harmonization

[Basic Mold Set]

Function 1: Common Tool Molding

Function 2: Standardized Production

[Common Spirit Artifact Mold Set]

Function 1: Spirit Artifact Shaping

Function 2: Formation and Rune Pre-installation

In addition to these, there was the furnace, bellows, and stove—complimentary gifts from Tie Zhu when he built the basement extension.

For now, this setup was more than enough to forge common tools and low-tier Spirit Artifacts.

“Today is the day,” Jiang Chen mused. “Let’s see if I have any talent for hitting metal with a hammer.”

Trying without knowledge would be a waste of time and materials, guaranteeing failure. But Jiang Chen had come prepared. The contents of the Artifact Refining Novice’s Guide, Detailed Explanation of Basic Spirit Patterns, and Simple Spirit Artifact Refining Diagrams were already burned into his memory.

He knew the theory. But knowing the theory and swinging the hammer were two very different things.

He placed his empty custard bowl aside and approached the cold furnace.

He extended his right hand into the combustion chamber. He snapped his thumb and index finger together, channeling a tiny spark of Fire Qi.

Fwoosh.

A faint orange flame blossomed, instantly igniting the kindling inside.

Forging Step One: Ignition.

Next, Jiang Chen grabbed the handle of the bellows.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

As he pumped air into the chamber, the lazy orange flames roared to life, transforming into a fierce, concentrated blue-green inferno. The temperature spiked, doubling in intensity.

It was hot enough for basic forging.

Forging Step Two: Melting.

He placed the [Yellow Copper Crucible] onto the furnace. The moment the vessel glowed red, he dropped a prepared iron ingot inside.

Heat attacked the metal. Starting from the bottom, the solid ingot surrendered, turning into a pool of glowing orange liquid.

Impurities bubbled to the surface, forming a layer of black slag.

Jiang Chen moved efficiently. He grabbed a ladle, skimmed the dross off the top, and discarded it into a nearby earthenware jar.

The iron was now pure liquid fire.

He poured it carefully into the [Sickle Mold] from the Basic Mold Set. This set was comprehensive, containing templates for over twenty daily necessities—shovels, hoes, hammers, rakes, and of course, sickles.

He watched the metal closely. When the surface turned a dull, dark red—indicating a semi-solid state—he acted.

He popped the rough cast out of the mold and slammed it onto the iron anvil.

Left hand: Iron tongs, gripping the metal firm. Right hand: [Crimson Iron Forging Hammer], raised high.

Clang!

The hammer fell.

Clang! Clang! Ding!

The rhythmic sound of metal striking metal echoed through the underground chamber. It was a crisp, satisfying melody—ding-ding-dang-dang—the song of creation.

With every strike, the blade of the sickle thinned out, the metal compressing and aligning. The edge grew sharper, the curve more defined.

When the shape was perfect, Jiang Chen plunged the glowing blade into the bucket of Cold Pool Water.

Hiss!

A violent cloud of steam erupted, filling the air with the smell of sulfur and wet iron.

As the steam cleared, the red glow faded, replaced by the cold, dark grey of tempered steel.

Jiang Chen lifted the crescent-shaped blade from the water. He held it up to the light, inspecting the edge.

“Not bad,” he muttered, a small smile playing on his lips. “Now I just need a hammer to go with it.”

He hadn’t expected his first attempt to go so smoothly.

Sure, it was just a mortal tool, and the quality wasn’t ‘Top-grade’, but for a first try with zero experience? The luster, hardness, and sharpness were all solid. It was a functional, decent tool.

Suddenly, a familiar tremor ran through his mind. The System Panel flashed open.

Jiang Chen paused. Unlike alchemy, where recipes determined the outcome, it seemed forging operated on a different logic.

Success unlocked the skill tree.

And once a skill was unlocked… he could cheat.

[Consume 5 years of lifespan to raise the Forging skill to Masterful Hand?]

“So that’s how it works.” Jiang Chen grinned. “I can fail a thousand times, but I only need to succeed once to become a god.”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Instantly, his mind was flooded. He felt like an apprentice blacksmith living through decades of hard labor in a split second. He felt the heat of a thousand fires, the weight of a million hammer strikes. Muscle memory that wasn’t his wove itself into his nervous system.

When he opened his eyes, the profound sensation of enlightenment faded, leaving behind cold hard data.

[Forging Skill: Masterful Hand]

Effect 1: Material Wastage reduced to 10%.

Effect 2: High-Quality Rate increased to 90%.

Effect 3: Top-Quality Rate increased to 80%.

Special Effect 1 – [Utilize Everything to the Fullest]: Even the smallest scraps and waste materials can be successfully incorporated into the forging process.

Special Effect 2 – [Innovate and Improve]: Each successful forging has a chance to imbue the item with a special trait or effect.

Jiang Chen absorbed the information, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Forging is Forging. Artifact Refining is Artifact Refining.”

The system made a clear distinction.

Forging was a mortal skill—hitting metal with a hammer. Any village blacksmith could learn it. Artifact Refining was a Cultivator’s art—weaving Qi and Spirit Patterns into materials.

Success in forging granted the [Forging] skill. Logically, succeeding in creating a Spirit Artifact should grant the [Artifact Refining] skill.

This meant he didn’t need to spend decades as an apprentice at Fire Peak like everyone else. He just needed to make one working Spirit Artifact, and he could boost the skill to the heavens.

“But…” Jiang Chen frowned, tapping the anvil. “If that’s the logic, why haven’t I unlocked the [Alchemy] skill?”

Was his posture wrong? Was he missing a catalyst?

He had refined Top-quality Vitality Pills. He had refined Top-quality Foundation Spirit Pills. He had succeeded dozens, if not hundreds, of times. The Jade Green Gourd was practically overflowing with his successes.

Yet, the [Alchemy] skill had never appeared in the system.

“There must be a specific trigger I’m missing,” he muttered. “Or perhaps Alchemy works differently.”

He thought about it for a moment but found no answers.

Shaking his head, Jiang Chen pushed the confusion aside. He wasn’t one to waste time on dead ends.

He turned his gaze to the [Common Spirit Artifact Mold].

If his theory held water, he was on the verge of acquiring a skill that apprentices with Metal and Fire Spirit Roots would kill for.

If he succeeded, he wouldn’t need to beg Hong Chui or any other smith at Fire Peak to make his gear. He could forge his own Spirit Artifacts, perhaps even Magic Tools.

As the old saying went: Relying on oneself is better than relying on others.