The black and white chess pieces turned into two black and white dragons, clashing in the center of the board.
Dragon roars shook the air, and in that instant, the chessboard seemed to evolve into a small world, dim and chaotic, with ceaseless fighting.
When the token was placed, the two battling dragons entwined and fused together.
The dragons coiled, and suddenly space fell silent.
A humming vibration sounded from the void, as though a portal had opened.
A crack appeared in the void before Xu Zimo.
He stepped through the crack, and his figure vanished from the pavilion.
………
His body felt weightless in the void, tumbling several times as he fell.
Then the space before him began to twist, and in the next moment the scene shifted, he had arrived in a tower-like structure.
The moment he entered, Xu Zimo felt countless gazes fall upon him.
Though he could not tell from where, he knew well enough that the Myriad Treasures Tower could not be guarded by only one person.
If he had failed earlier and intruders had entered, those within would have been the second line of defense.
Yet these people only watched him, not stopping him.
So Xu Zimo began to observe his surroundings.
It resembled more a storied building, or rather a warehouse.
But everything inside was arranged neatly and in order.
Xu Zimo walked down a wide aisle, glancing at the glowing labels on both sides.
“Beasts, secret arts, treasures, five elements, supreme items, sacred texts, mythic scrolls …”
The collection was vast, containing everything imaginable and unimaginable.
There were qilin phantoms walking on clouds, and even creatures like giant apes locked in cages.
When Xu Zimo passed, they snarled and roared at him.
This place was both paradise and hell, everything fused together perfectly.
Xu Zimo searched for the Nine-Curve God Flame.
Eventually he reached the section of flames.
The flames here were not ordinary sparks, but true fire seeds, the core essence from which fire propagated.
Even the rarest divine flames were collected here, numbering in the hundreds.
Each had different forms and colors.
Some shifted shape endlessly, some even seemed alive.
Finally, Xu Zimo stopped before an ancient oil lamp.
On the plaque before it were four characters clearly inscribed: Nine-Curve God Flame.
Nine-Curve God Flame. The supreme divine flame for forging, said to have the most powerful effect of all.
Any weapon forged with it would gain inherent attributes.
Because its potential was so immense, it was said to be capable of refining weapons that defy the heavens. Without absolute strength, one must never attempt it.
Reading the description and notes, Xu Zimo chuckled.
He placed his right hand upon the oil lamp.
The lamp was from an ancient age; judging from its weathered state, it must once have been a supreme treasure.
But now, covered in dust, its value was forgotten. Without the flame within, few would even glance at it.
………
The moment Xu Zimo tried to draw out the divine flame, the once-quiet fire suddenly erupted.
Its calm slumber of tens of thousands of years was shattered.
The Nine-Curve God Flame went berserk.
Its tendrils burst forth with a power that could destroy the heavens and earth, endless and unyielding.
It could hardly be extinguished.
But Xu Zimo was prepared. With a wave of his hand, the Power of Creation spread out, suppressing the divine flame.
Though fierce, the fire was ownerless, lashing out only by instinct.
Bit by bit, Xu Zimo pulled it from the lamp and stored it within the God World.
That world had now become his storage space.
Having taken the flame, Xu Zimo left Myriad Treasures Tower.
The gazes upon him gradually faded.
Stepping out, he once again returned to the pavilion outside.
Pure Water was already gone.
Xu Zimo looked into the distance and set out toward Vermilion Bird Island.
For forging weapons, he had the Supreme God Hammer and the Nine-Curve God Flame.
But he himself did not truly understand the art.
Forging and alchemy were ancient, complex crafts.
Rock Solid was the perfect person for this task.
His heritage as a Stone Race member and his mastery of forging placed him at the peak.
When Xu Zimo reached the island, Venerable Nu was already waiting.
“Teacher,” Xu Zimo greeted respectfully. “You’re unharmed?”
He glanced at the red-robed venerable. Though his complexion was ruddy and healthy, Xu Zimo still caught the faint scent of blood.
“It’s nothing. You’ve returned because you need something, haven’t you?” the venerable smiled.
“I seek Senior Brother Rock Solid. I want his help to forge a weapon,” Xu Zimo replied.
“I’ll take you,” the venerable nodded.
They returned to the forge, where Rock Solid, unusually, was not hammering but dismantling weapons to reforge them.
“In the battle, many weapons were lost,” Rock Solid said with a smile as they arrived. “They may not be priceless, but I couldn’t bear to see them discarded, so I’ve collected them.”
“Senior Brother, I’ll be direct,” Xu Zimo said. “I’d like your help to forge a weapon.”
“No problem. For the debt we Stone Race owe you, forget one weapon, even ten or a hundred, I would forge without hesitation,” Rock Solid said solemnly.
Without Xu Zimo, the Stone Race would not exist as they did today, nor would he.
That debt could not be repaid with a single weapon.
“But I must warn you, this weapon is no ordinary one. It may attract heavenly tribulation,” Xu Zimo added. “The smith’s life may even be at risk. I cannot guarantee safety.”
“I understand. If it were ordinary, you wouldn’t seek me,” Rock Solid laughed.
“If we are to forge such a weapon, I’ll take you to a place,” Venerable Nu said.
“What place?” Rock Solid teased. “Surely not the Weapon Mountain?”
“Yes, the Weapon Mountain,” the venerable nodded seriously.
Rock Solid froze for a moment, then said in surprise, “But as far as I know, the Weapon Mountain is forbidden. That is academy law.”
“Rules are dead, men are alive,” the venerable smiled.