Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 3: Extreme Night World

In the dead of night, even the howling gales of the borderlands seemed to tire of their own fury, the wind finally ceasing its rampage and settling into a quiet hush.

Under a sky dominated by a single bright moon, Li Qing returned to his tent after washing his food bowl.

He had a thick tome tucked under his arm. Only once inside did he carefully take a cloth and wipe the dust from its surface. At last, the four characters etched into the cover became clear.

*Gu Xuan Hammer Technique*!

*Gu Xuan?*

Li Qing’s brow furrowed slightly. Wasn’t Master Gu’s name Gu Tianxing? Why was this technique named after a Gu Xuan?

“Whatever. Time to head to the Extreme Night World to practice. After this afternoon’s mess, no one should be looking for me tonight.”

Muttering to himself, Li Qing clutched the *Gu Xuan Hammer Technique* in both hands and closed his eyes.

After a long moment, his figure inside the tent began to shimmer, turning translucent before vanishing completely.

A sudden chill brought him back to his senses. Li Qing opened his eyes, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

It wasn’t just the temperature that had changed; the entire world was different. The endless yellow sand of the borderlands was gone, replaced by the strange, perpetually dark streets of a small city.

“Whew…”

“That’s more draining than forging a dozen broadswords,” Li Qing sighed, the breath pluming in the cold air of an elegantly furnished, classical-style room.

He called this place the Extreme Night World—a name he’d come up with himself. Ever since he turned ten and first became aware of his own lifespan, he had accidentally discovered this ability. In the dead of night, he could project his consciousness, his very body, into this world of eternal darkness.

The physical toll of the crossing was immense, however, consuming a tremendous amount of stamina with each trip. The first time he’d arrived as a ten-year-old, he had nearly collapsed from the strain. Only in recent years had the process become more manageable. Now seventeen and far stronger, he could endure it, but bringing physical objects with him still placed a heavy burden on his body.

Through his many visits, Li Qing had uncovered some of the Extreme Night World’s peculiarities.

For one, time flowed differently here. Three days in the Extreme Night World equated to a single day back home. This temporal distortion was the secret to his rapid progress in blacksmithing; he had triple the time to hone his craft.

“That gives me almost a full day. I need to start deciphering the *Gu Xuan Hammer Technique* immediately.”

Li Qing valued every second. Before even catching his breath, he opened the manual Master Gu had given him and began to read.

The very first sentence answered the question nagging at his mind.

“This hammer technique is a legacy from my ancestor, Gu Xuan. It is a martial art that tempers the body while teaching the forms of the hammer. In my time, I, Gu Tianxing, became a blacksmith and adapted it, adding techniques for forging iron. It allows one to strengthen the body while plying a trade—a worthy pursuit.”

Reading this, Li Qing’s face lit up with excitement.

So it was true!

His master, and those soldiers in the army with their impossible strength, were all martial arts practitioners! Otherwise, their power—so far beyond that of ordinary men—simply couldn’t be explained by common sense.

Li Qing vividly recalled seeing a Thousand-Man Commander give a demonstration once. The man had hoisted a massive bronze cauldron a foot off the ground! The sight had left Li Qing utterly stunned, even as the other soldiers roared their approval.

And now, he finally held a true martial arts manual in his hands.

Thank you, nature… no, thank you, Master Gu, for this gift!

With a thrum of excitement, Li Qing dove into the hammer technique that had been passed down through generations.

Contrary to what he expected, the Novice stage began not with flashy moves, but with something far more fundamental: stance training.

*“…A man disconnected from the earth is like rootless duckweed. The moment you exert force, your feet must be planted on solid ground…”*

The manual’s explanation of generating and borrowing force was incredibly detailed, perfect for a complete beginner like him.

Li Qing spent the next two hours committing the basics to memory.

Afterward, he left the room, casually throwing a cotton coat over his shoulders. He stepped out into the private courtyard, bathed in the eerie glow of the crimson moon hanging in the sky, and began to practice his stance.

The air was frigid. It wasn’t winter; in the Extreme Night World, it was always this cold.

His first attempt at holding the stance lasted a mere fifteen minutes before his legs began to tremble uncontrollably, burning as if he’d just sprinted for miles.

*Thud!*

He collapsed.

“Hiss… So this is the toll of combining the breathing technique with the stance,” Li Qing gasped, wiping sweat from his brow. The difficulty of the Novice level was staggering.

“It makes sense, though. Arts like this are best learned from childhood. At my age, all I can do is grind it out with time.”

Fortunately, time was the one thing he had in abundance.

After a short rest, Li Qing pushed himself back to his feet and began again.

The second time, he lasted nearly twenty minutes.

The third, almost thirty.

The fourth, he couldn’t even manage five.

He was utterly spent.

Drenched in sweat, Li Qing stripped off his coat and shirt, slumping down shirtless in the courtyard to recover. Every muscle on his torso was etched in sharp relief, sweat dripping onto the cold stone. Though the air was frigid, a profound warmth radiated from within him, and faint wisps of steam rose from his skin.

He had been resting for a while and was about to start again when a clattering noise erupted from outside the courtyard walls.

“Damn it, Old An! Don’t push your luck!”

“You dog, cowering behind your masters! Get out! Tell the Yan family my granddaughter will never marry into their house!” an old, furious voice roared back.

“Then you and your girl can starve! Let’s see how you survive in Obsidian City after offending the Yan family. You won’t see a single Black Wheat Mushroom again!” a sharp, cruel voice shrieked.

Li Qing had no intention of getting involved. He kept his eyes half-closed, focusing on regulating his breathing according to the *Gu Xuan Hammer Technique*.

The Extreme Night World was no peaceful haven. In fact, it was far more chaotic than Feng Country. The perpetual night and scarce food kept the population low; it was normal for nine out of ten houses on any given street to be empty.

Laws were a joke. Survival was everything. No one wasted an ounce of energy on someone else’s problems.

Even the courtyard he was in wasn’t technically his. The street was simply deserted, so he had moved in. No one had said a word. This anonymity was useful; it meant no one ever noticed or cared when he vanished for long stretches of time.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

The sound of rapping on his gate broke the silence. Li Qing, who had planned to ignore the world outside, felt his brow twitch in annoyance.

Ultimately, he decided to answer.

He swung the gate open to find a thin, small man with shifty, rat-like eyes standing outside.

“Ah! Master Li, you’re home! I’ve been knocking for days. Finally caught you.”

The man was Yan San, one of the Yan family’s lackeys. He hadn’t been born a Yan, but after earning their favor, he had changed his own surname to prove his loyalty.

“Yan San. State your business. No need to waste my time,” Li Qing said flatly.

Only then did Yan San get a clear look at Li Qing’s state. He was shirtless, his body still steaming in the cold, his muscles coiled and powerful. A flicker of fear crossed the lackey’s eyes before he plastered on an obsequious smile.

“Master Li, the Yan family needs a new batch of farming tools forged, for harvesting Black Wheat Mushrooms. I was wondering if you were available? The pay is the same as always—half a pound of Black Wheat Mushrooms for three cutting sickles!”

Black Wheat Mushrooms were the staple food of the Extreme Night World. The common folk lived on them. To Li Qing, the fungus, which tasted like moldy wheat flour, was completely unappetizing.

He let the silence hang for a moment before speaking. “I heard the Yan family picked up some old scrolls when the martial arts schools in Obsidian City closed down. I’m not interested in the mushrooms. Ask your masters if I could… borrow those manuals for a look instead.”

Yan San froze, stunned by the request. Then, his eyes lit up with greedy delight.

In this day and age, who still practiced martial arts? You couldn’t eat them. Those dusty old scrolls were worthless. Martial artists had voracious appetites, and even a great family like the Yan couldn’t afford to feed a stable of fighters. The techniques were useless; no one practiced them anymore.

“So Master Li is interested in those old fighting styles! Of course! Leave it to me, I guarantee I’ll make the trade for you!” Yan San said, beaming.

There were few blacksmiths left in the city, and with the Black Wheat Mushroom yields so low, getting skilled labor in exchange for some useless trash was the deal of a lifetime.

Without another word, Yan San scurried away, his heart soaring.

Li Qing stood at the gate, watching him go. He couldn’t help but sigh to himself.

*That was sloppy. I should have found a more subtle way to get them.*

*But with war on the horizon, I don’t have the luxury of time. Desperate times call for desperate measures…*

Returning to his courtyard, Li Qing began a deep self-critique, analyzing his interaction with Yan San and noting every point he could have handled better. As a simple blacksmith, it was unlikely anyone would investigate his background. Still, in an age like this, for someone to refuse food in favor of useless martial arts manuals… it was bound to raise questions.

It was unlikely they’d ever guess his secret—the ability to cross worlds—but the request was still a risk. It was rash.

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