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--- Chapter 514 ---
Han Yuan and Mu Xi spent minutes exploring the beginner village before stopping at the local blacksmith shop. They quickly accepted a quest to gather iron ores from a nearby dark cave located west of the settlement.
Their reason for choosing this specific quest was simple. They were both Blacksmiths. When it came to identifying, assessing, and collecting ores, they possessed far more expertise than any average player.
Using the system map and navigating the complicated spiral forest path, they arrived at the cave's entrance within minutes.
The moment they stepped in, a pack of spirit beasts immediately crawled out from the shadows, growling defensively.
Mu Xi didn't wait for Han Yuan to act.
With a flicker of brilliant white lightning, she surged forward. Channeling her Martial Soul's power, she coated her whole body in white electricity, instantly boosting her movement speed, defense, and attack power by a significant margin.
She bulldozed through the weak spirit beasts like a miniature thunderbolt, sweeping them aside and collecting the dropped experience points with ease.
'That's right...' Han Yuan watched her fight, unconcerned with the minimal XP dropped by starter mobs. Instead, he noticed a basic flaw in Mu Xi's current fighting style.
"Sister... have you given any serious thought to your long-term combat style?"
"Hmm?" Mu Xi paused, turning back with a slight tilt of her head. "I know you've always had your own high-level training methods, but don't my current moves work fine? Is fighting with my own fists and feet not enough?"
"I used to throw my Shining Sun at enemies in the past."
Han Yuan chuckled softly, shaking his head. "There's nothing wrong with hand-to-hand combat and fire bombs, but it's far better to build a complete, flexible combat foundation."
"Weaponry, footwork, martial arts, elemental control..."
"You need to consider how these elements could mix before committing to your one and true path."
"Then... what kind of weapon should I pick?" Mu Xi mumbled, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Is there something straightforward that doesn't require years of training?"
She looked over at him. "What about you, Xiao Yuan, I mean, True Whale?"
Han Yuan pondered for a moment before answering. "My Martial Soul is somewhat unusual, and I've already planned to master several weapons to broaden my combat techniques."
"Right now, my primary focus is on mastering the Greatsword, or rather, the Heavy Sword."
"It suits me well, given my physical strength and precise body control."
"Can I use a Greatsword too, then?" Mu Xi chimed in on the spot, her eyes lighting up. "I definitely don't have the patience for a complex weapon like a spear or a whip."
"And a Greatsword sounds great, doesn't it? I can... swing it around really hard?!"
"..."
Han Yuan stood speechless for a second. Yet, technically speaking, she wasn't wrong. At its core, a Greatsword was a heavy, momentum-based weapon. It relied far more on leverage, body weight, and raw force than delicate, super-precise technique.
"Uh... you can try," Han Yuan replied with a helpless smile. "Just be careful. A Greatsword carries heavy weight, so you have to learn how to flow with its momentum rather than fight against it."
Hearing his approval, Mu Xi eagerly swiped her right hand to bring up her inventory interface.
Among her items was a Newbie Weapon Voucher, DND Online's system mechanic designed to support players whose Martial Souls were non-combatant or temporarily restricted, allowing them to claim a neutral, physical weapon.
Navigating the selection menu, Mu Xi tapped the heavy blade option and chose the one she thought fit her best.
SHING—!
A massive, raw chunk of dark grey metal materialized in mid-air, falling into her grip with a heavy thud that cracked the cave floor beneath it.
"Damn... this thing is heavy," She mumbled in surprise, adjusting her grip on the hilt. "It has to be at least seventy kilograms... nearly as heavy as my heavy forging hammer."
"Can you handle it?" Han Yuan asked playfully, raising an eyebrow.
Mu Xi grinned, a confident spark in her silver eyes. "Of course I can!"
"I swing my heavy forging hammer hundreds, sometimes thousands, of times a day. Managing a single chunk of metal isn't going to stop me."
"Besides... after my Martial Soul evolved, my physical strength improved greatly. Seventy kilograms actually doesn't feel all that heavy anymore."
Han Yuan nodded approvingly. "Alright then. I'll teach you the basics of wielding a Greatsword."
He puffed out his chest slightly. "Call me Whale Teacher!"
"Pfft! Sure, Whale Teacher!" Mu Xi giggled, thoroughly amused by his childish demeanor.
As they ventured deeper into the damp cave, Mu Xi began engaging the cave beasts with her new weapon.
Han Yuan guided her through the basics, starting from proper stance and weight distribution to channeling momentum, parrying strikes, and fluidly dodging whenever an enemy tried to read her trajectory.
As the battle progressed, however, Mu Xi actually began developing her own peculiar fighting habits.
To offset the blade's immense inertia during recovery pulls, she started using the bend behind her knee to catch and pivot the hilt of the heavy blade mid-air, using her body like a spring to snap it back around into a devastating downward crash.
This single adjustment opened a creative Pandora's box. Mu Xi's combat style evolved rapidly, becoming something wild, unpredictable, yet shockingly agile.
She wasn't merely wielding the Greatsword like a heavy chunk of metal anymore. Rather, she moved around the massive weapon like a partner, dancing around its center of gravity in a chaotic, dangerous ballet.
Even Han Yuan didn't know what to say about Mu Xi's new combat style. She certainly possessed talent, but her technique was completely unlike any traditional martial form he had ever seen.
After clearing out most of the spirit beasts in the cave, Han Yuan and Mu Xi finally reached the target iron veins embedded in the cavern floor and walls.
At first, they intended to use the ordinary pickaxes issued by the village blacksmith. However, Mu Xi had the brilliant idea of using her Greatsword as a sledgehammer, smashing the weapon down to shatter the stone and carve out the iron ore.
Han Yuan could only laugh at her directness and follow suit, summoning his own disguised Martial Soul to mine the veins. While using a God-Level Martial Soul as a mining tool felt absurd, the efficiency was undeniable. Besides, it was really a coincidence that the anchor shape looked like it functioned almost identically to a heavy pickaxe anyway.
BOOM! BANG!
However, as they pulverized the iron veins into oblivion, fine cracks began spreading rapidly across the back cave wall.
Han Yuan and Mu Xi stopped their swings, but the cracks kept expanding. With a deep, echoing rumble, the rocky wall collapsed entirely, revealing an unmapped, pitch-black passageway descending into the unknown depths below.
A chilling, damp air rushed out from the darkness, brushing against their faces. Han Yuan frowned slightly while Mu Xi shivered, instinctively creeping closer.
"T-This... Xiao Yuan... T-There won't be ghosts down there, right?" Mu Xi asked nervously, wrapping her arms around Han Yuan's shoulders from behind.
Han Yuan analyzed the dense, dark spiritual energy flowing from the gap and shook his head. "There's a high chance of dark or spirit-type spirit beasts appearing... but ghosts?"
"Sister Bride, you've definitely been watching too many horror movies recently."
He paused, examining the structure of the drop. "If I had to guess, this passage likely leads to a Secret Dungeon."
"There will probably be a powerful boss monster guarding the area... but also a massive heap of high-tier loot."
"Loot?!" Mu Xi's eyes instantly ignited with bright, sparkling excitement.
She let go of his shoulders and flexed her hands. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's check it out!"
Han Yuan blinked at her in utter disbelief. "You really just ignored the first half of my sentence, didn't you?"
"Ignore the small details, Xiao Yuan! Fortune always favors the bold! Let's go!" Mu Xi grabbed Han Yuan's arm, practically dragging him headfirst into the dark passageway.
'Whatever... I hope there's actually something worth fighting down there,' Han Yuan thought, his lips twitching into a wry smile as he allowed the girl to pull him into the depths.