Chapter 286: Purchasing Forging Material

It had been a long time since Liam opened the System Store.Not because he forgot about it, but because he never needed it. Ever since he got Lucy, the molecular assembler, and the molecular analyzer, the System Store had become unnecessary. Anything he needed made by human hands could be produced there, but today... he needed something different.

He still planned to use the metal available in Master Han’s forge, but Liam wanted to test something else. He wanted to see if he could forge with special materials—even without using mana, qi, or any other magical power.

The idea alone made him curious.

Also, the forge of a cultivation world required materials no human machine could replicate.

He sat on the inn bed with his legs crossed and called out calmly:

"System Store."

A blue screen opened instantly, the familiar interface appearing before him like a floating window.

It had been a while since he saw it.

"It feels like this thing has been collecting dust," Liam muttered, as he tapped the search bar and typed in:

[Forging Metals]

Immediately, dozens of metals appeared on the screen. He saw ores, crystals, beast parts, cores, refined ingots, elemental stones, and even strange materials he had never seen before.

He studied them quietly, as he thought about what he wanted to forge today. And what he has in mind is a spear and a katana.

He didn’t need another sword. The reforged one he made in Master Han’s shop was already good enough.

But a spear... and a katana... Those were weapons he had always wanted to try.

A spear for is a good weapon for reach, pressure, speed, and explosive attacks, while a katana for clean cuts and smooth movement.

Besides, he won’t deny the fact that wielding a katana would look very cool

Ahem, Liam coughed lightly, as he considered what attributes to add to them.

For the spear, he wants to use lightning. It will make the weapon sharp, fast and destructive. And for the katana, he would use ice. The weapon would be cold, precise and have freezing cuts.

The thought of what he could achieve with them alone, made him smile.

Lightning flowing through a spear’s shaft, bursting out during thrusts. Cold spreading across a katana’s blade, freezing whatever it touched.

"Yes," Liam muttered. "That’s exactly what I want."

He scrolled through the System Store again and filtered the results:

[Attribute: Lightning]

The list rearranged itself and a new set of materials appeared. All of them high-end. All of them dangerous. All of them expensive.

Liam scrolled down slowly, reading the descriptions one by one.

[White Horned Thunder Python Blood]

Description: Blood harvested from a mid-ranking Heavenly Thunder Python. Contains dense lightning qi. Excellent for forging lightning-aspect weapons. Cost: 10,000 System Points.

[Dao Bone Of A Five Headed Kirin]

Description: The Dao Bone of a thunder-aspect divine beast rib. Holds ancient lightning runes etched into the bone. Cost: 36,000 System Points.

[Stormheart Crystal Ore]

Description: A rare ore containing natural lightning essence. Often used to forge spears and arrows. Increases weapon piercing capability drastically. Cost: 18,000 System Points.

[Lightning Dao Tempering Shard]

Description: A fragment infused with a trace of the Lightning Dao. Contains a sliver of conceptual lightning. Can elevate weapons to Immortal Grade or higher. Cost: 59,000 System Points.

[Core of a Juvenile Thunder Roc]

Description: Contains volatile lightning energy. Extremely dangerous. A single mistake can cause self-detonation. Cost: 90,000 System Points.

"Expensive," Liam muttered, but the smile on his face didn’t fade.

He wasn’t surprised. He was aware that anything containing Dao fragments or divine beast essence would naturally come at a terrifying price. Even the cheapest item was equivalent to 100 million dollars if converted to Earth value.

He scrolled up again and rested his finger over the cheapest option: Heavenly Thunder Python Blood.

Eight liters for 100,000 gold coins.

It didn’t sound like much, but with lightning-forged weapons, using too much essence was not only pointless but dangerous. A drop or two per forging trial was enough.

"If I mess up, at least I won’t explode," Liam muttered.

The other items were tempting, especially the Thunder Roc core. But forging with that would require real cultivation strength. His Primordial Forge Authority could help, but it wouldn’t replace qi he didn’t have.

He needed something useful but manageable..His choice was already made.

Before clicking purchase, Liam paused and sighed.

"I should’ve looted the Devouring Petal Pavilion and the city lord’s office for gold coins and treasures..."

He let out a tired groan and ran a hand through his hair.

"Ugh. Whatever. Too late now."

He shook his head and clicked:

[Purchase]

A confirmation window flashed.

[100,000 Gold Coins Deducted]

[Item Delivered]

A small flash of light appeared beside him. A pitch-black container materialized on the bed. Its surface was sealed with multiple glyphs that shimmered faintly.

He picked it up and felt a tiny zap of electricity crawl along his wrist.

"Good," he said. "This will work."

He reached into the Dimensional Space and placed the container inside.

Then he stood, opened the door, and stepped out.

***

The inn was unusually quiet.

When Liam walked out into the street, he immediately noticed the atmosphere. People paused mid-step when they saw him. Some flinched. Some bowed slightly. Some froze completely.

He ignored the stares and whispers that traveled behind him like smoke.

"That’s him..."

"He killed the city lord..."

"The Mad Demon..."

"He walked into the manor alone... and walked out alive..."

Liam heard every word, but he didn’t react.

He walked through the streets calmly, stepping past trembling individuals until he turned down the familiar road toward Master Han’s forge.

By the time he reached the entrance, Master Han was already waiting outside.

"Liam!" the old man said, rushing toward him. "You’re safe."

Luo followed behind him, bowing repeatedly.

"We heard the whole city talking! We didn’t know if you—"

"I’m fine," Liam said with a smile.

The relief on both their faces was deep. They motioned him inside immediately, nervous excitement in their expressions.

Master Han now unbothered by what was going on outside, rubbed his hands together like someone about to witness a miracle. He didn’t care Liam killed the city lord or not. All that matters to him was that Liam was safe and he could continued to learn forging from him. That was all that mattered to him.

Luo scrambled around to prepare tools that Liam might need. He and his master both clearly expected another display like yesterday, from Liam.

Liam stepped into the forge room and without a word, he reached into the Dimensional Space and pulled out the container.

The moment it appeared, the air in the shop changed changed.

A thick wave of pressure washed through the room. It wasn’t killing intent but something wild. Something instinctive. Something born from nature itself.

It was the lightning essence in the blood. It crackled faintly inside the sealed container, invisible but overwhelming.

Master Han froze, as the color drained from his face, and goosebumps erupted on his arms. His body trembled, and his breathing hitched like he had been hit by a cold wind.

"What... what is that...?" he whispered.

Luo backed up six full steps and pressed against the wall. He couldn’t breathe right, his legs shook and his pupils shrank.

The container sat quietly on the table, but to Master Han and Luo, it felt like a dangerous beast was sitting inside the room.

They felt like taking one more step closer would get them killed.

Master Han swallowed hard.

"This—this isn’t normal metal," he whispered shakily. "What... what kind of treasure did you bring into my forge...?"


Liam looked at him calmly and replied, "White Horned Thunder Python blood."

The old blacksmith’s face went pale.

"T-that’s... that’s... a mid-tier divine beast material," he said with a stutter. "A single drop of that could kill even a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Are you—are you planning to forge with it?"

Liam nodded.

Master Han almost fainted when he saw his reply. Luo didn’t even dare breathe in its direction.

Liam placed a hand on the container and pushed it slightly toward the center of the table.

He took off his jacket and hung it neatly on a hook. Then he grabbed the metal ore he planned to use and set it near the furnace.

He rolled his shoulders once, loosening them, and looked at Master Han.

"I’ll start."

The old blacksmith held up his hands.

"L-Liam... are you sure? This isn’t something ordinary. That blood can destroy the metal completely if you misjudge even a little. You could get injured or—"

Liam smiled. He wasn’t feeling the same pressure they were. To him, it was just almost an ordinary blood.

"Master Han," he said calmly, "I’ll be fine."

Master Han’s voice broke a little.

"I... I believe you," he said quietly.

He stepped back to give Liam space but didn’t look away for a second.

Luo hovered behind him, gripping his apron with pale knuckles.

Liam walked to the furnace, feeling the heat wash over him.

Let’s get this started.