4: The Heavenly Craftsmanship Forging Diagram Appears

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the private message, his fingertips lightly stroking the copper gear pendant.

He clicked on the other party's profile. The ID was "Mechanism Artisan Zhang," a deity from the Huaxia Region with a reputation score of 87—not top-tier, but credible enough.

He replied, "Where's the blueprint? Let me see it first."

In less than two seconds, a blueprint popped up from the system and floated in the air. The lines were dense but the structure was clear, with the title: "Tiangong Forging Blueprint: Excellent Grade."

Below it was a line of small text: Capable of mass-producing standard-issue war sabers, enhancing the combat power of mortals.

Shen Xiaochuan examined it carefully. After confirming the blueprint was complete and not a forgery, he spoke. "Three hundred catties of wind wolf meat plus ten units of crystal ore for this blueprint. How about it?"

The other party replied immediately: "Deal."

The moment the transaction success notification popped up, Shen Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief. The system then refreshed—[Obtained: Excellent Grade Tiangong Forging Blueprint].

He stood up and walked toward the Blacksmith Shop. Five blacksmiths were busy in front of the furnace. When Old Li saw him coming, he hurried forward to greet him.

"Lord God, is something the matter?"

"There's work to be done."

As Shen Xiaochuan spoke, he unfurled the blueprint. "Old Li, forge sabers according to this."

Old Li leaned in for a closer look, his eyes gradually widening. After finishing, he asked in surprise, "This... Lord God, is this the forging method from ancient mechanism arts? Can we really forge weapons like this? This requires extremely high craftsmanship!"

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Exactly. Old Li, can you do it?"

Old Li patted his chest. "Don't worry, Lord God, I'm confident! But are there enough materials?"

Shen Xiaochuan thought for a moment. "Use twenty units of crystal ore first; we'll talk if that's not enough. I need them urgently. Fifty sabers, the first batch out within three days. Can you manage?"

Old Li gritted his teeth. "Yes! We'll give our lives to complete whatever the Lord God commands!"

That night, the fires in the Blacksmith Shop never went out. Shen Xiaochuan sat on a small stool nearby, watching them adjust the furnace temperature while flipping through the blueprint.

He discovered that tempering needed to be done seven times, whereas ordinary war sabers only required three.

"Do it seven times,"

he said. "Not a single time less."

Old Li nodded solemnly and took note.

At noon the next day, the first batch of trial sabers failed. As soon as the three sabers came out of the furnace, they cracked the moment they were picked up.

"The temperature was too high,"

Shen Xiaochuan said. "Next time, lower it by five degrees. Slow down the forging rhythm—pause once every ten strikes."

On the morning of the third day, the second batch of sabers came out of the furnace. No one dared to touch them easily; they all looked at Shen Xiaochuan.

He walked over, picked up a saber, and lightly stroked the blade before swinging it forcefully. With a *swish*, a flash of blade-light appeared.

A look of satisfaction appeared on his face as he said, "Not bad, these sabers are a success. Keep forging!"

Fifty new sabers were neatly displayed on the drill grounds, the sunlight reflecting off them in cold flashes. Every saber was engraved with the words 'Cangqiong'.

A system notification immediately popped up: [Elite troops have completed their equipment upgrade. Overall combat power +15%]

Shen Xiaochuan gathered all his warriors and ranked them by combat power. He selected the top 2,800 and added 200 from the new Believers to make a total of 3,000.

He stood on the high platform, holding one of the new sabers.

"Set out."

He said, "Target—Lin Ku's Divine Domain."

No one spoke; everyone gripped their weapons tightly.

Five hundred men remained to guard the city, while the rest marched east in formation. The column stretched long, the light from their blades merging into a single expanse.

Before they had even traveled ten miles, Shen Xiaochuan opened the Divine Domain Channel. The front page was filled with pinned messages:

"Double A-Grade Deities of the Eastern Archipelago Awaken!"

"Two A-Grades Join Forces; No One in Huaxia Can Match Them!"

"Official Emergency Meeting Called for S-Grade Deities!"

The comments section exploded instantly.

"It's over, we can't hold out."

"If I'd known, I would have joined the Western Faction."

"Small deities like us are probably going to be purged."

Shen Xiaochuan read through them one by one, his expression growing more solemn.

Just then, the channel suddenly vibrated, and a voice broadcast forced its way open.

"Shen Xiaochuan."

As the voice rang out, the entire server fell into a sudden silence.

"You only won a single Wind Wolf battle by bullying the weak with numbers. I, Lin Ku, hereby announce that within three days, I will take your head and hang it upon my city gates."

The avatar flashed, and a bust of a man clad in black robes appeared, his gaze filled with utter contempt.

The channel boiled over instantly.

"Lin Ku has spoken!"

"An A-Grade Deity personally called him out!"

"Shen Xiaochuan is finished; he's dead meat this time."

After listening, Shen Xiaochuan gave a cold laugh. He directly opened the public voice channel so the entire server could hear.

"Waiting for you."

After saying those three words, he closed the channel.

He turned and gave orders to the army: "Increase speed. We must reach thirty miles out and set up camp before dark."

The troop immediately picked up the pace, the sounds of hooves and footsteps intertwining as dust flew into the air.

When they set up camp late at night, a Scout rushed back to report: "Lord God, three traps have been discovered ahead. They look like they were dug recently."

"Mark the locations and bypass them,"

Shen Xiaochuan said. "Notify all units to double the night watch rotations. No fires allowed."

The man took his orders and left.

Shen Xiaochuan sat in his tent, opening the forging blueprint once more to examine it closely. He recalled the clear ring of the saber being drawn earlier that day, and his heart felt slightly more at ease.

They continued forward the next morning. Around noon, another message popped up on the channel.

It was still Lin Ku.

"You think you can attack my Divine Domain with three thousand rabble? Not only will I kill you, but I will also turn all your Believers into puppets."

A wave of agreement followed below.

"Lin Ku is mighty!"

"Shen Xiaochuan, hurry up and kneel!"

"I heard his parents are still manual laborers? Let them see with their own eyes how their son dies."

After reading, Shen Xiaochuan casually put down his phone. He stepped out of the tent and climbed onto the roof of the command vehicle.

Three thousand men were gnawing on dry rations; no one spoke.

He said, "Lin Ku spoke again just now."

Everyone looked up at him.

"He said he's going to turn us all into puppets."

The crowd began to stir.

"He also said he'd let my parents watch me die with their own eyes."

The warriors one by one tightened their grips on their saber hilts.

"I have one question now."

Shen Xiaochuan's gaze swept over every single person. "Are you afraid?"

No one answered.

A few seconds later, a scarred warrior in the front row suddenly stood up and roared, "No!"

Then a second person stood up.

A third.

A fourth.

Finally, three thousand people shouted in unison: "No!"

The sound waves surged toward the sky.

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Good. Then we continue forward."

The troop set off once again. By four in the afternoon, they were less than fifty miles from Lin Ku's Divine Domain.

The Scout returned for the third time to report: "An enemy watchtower was discovered ten miles ahead. Two sentries have been eliminated."

"Maintain vigilance,"

Shen Xiaochuan ordered. "Pass the word down: the entire force is to be combat-ready tonight. Prepare for battle at any moment."

Before dark, the army was stationed on a piece of high ground. Shen Xiaochuan personally ordered the encampment and checked the sentry posts one by one.

He stood on the mountain peak, gazing into the distant darkness—Lin Ku's Divine Domain was right there.

His phone suddenly vibrated.

It was another channel notification.

Lin Ku's image appeared once more.

"Shen Xiaochuan, you have entered my territory. Turn back now and sever one of your own arms, and I might let you die with some dignity."

The entire server was dead silent.

Shen Xiaochuan opened the voice channel and said only three words:

"Come at me."