Chapter 184: Eternal Heavenforge Genesis
The black token bearing the Ironveil Forge insignia was not a business courtesy. It was something far more personal—a symbol of gratitude that Shen Bao had extended to only three people across his entire lifetime. Three benefactors. Three tokens. Each one a silent promise that if they ever came to him, he would repay what he owed.
Only after seeing the emotions flickering in Shen Bao's eyes did Su Tianhao understand the true weight of what Wei Chang had placed in his hand.
"This was given to me by Senior Wei Chang," Su Tianhao said in a measured tone, reading the old man's expression carefully. "The pavilion master of Cloudrise City's Thousand Beast Pavilion branch."
Master Shen Bao's eyes softened—a warmth settling in them as his gaze drifted somewhere distant, somewhere neither Su Tianhao nor Huo Yan could follow.
"He gave it to me so you could fulfill my... usual request," Su Tianhao added with a wry smile.
"I see." Master Shen Bao's voice was quieter now. "So he's a pavilion master now. Did he say anything else?"
"No," Su Tianhao said, shaking his head.
Master Shen Bao let out a tired sigh. His broad shoulders sagged slightly under an invisible weight. "So much time has passed, Immortal Wei... yet you didn't even bother to give this old man a visit."
Huo Yan's brows furrowed at his master's words. He remained still, but the curiosity in his eyes was unmistakable.
Su Tianhao was curious too—but unlike Huo Yan, he wasn't bound by formalities.
"If I may ask, Master Shen—what is your relationship with Senior Wei Chang?"
Shen Bao rubbed a rough palm across his half-bald head and turned his gaze toward the heavens, his voice carrying the quiet weight of decades.
"In all my years of walking this earth, I have only been blessed by three benefactors. But I am a stubborn spirit—I don't like owing favors. The black token is the goodwill I extend to those benefactors, so that when they return, I can repay what I owe. Of the three, I have already repaid two." He paused. "Do you know which one I haven't?"
"Senior Wei Chang must be the third," Su Tianhao said.
"No." Master Shen Bao's voice was firm. "He's not the third. He's the first—and the one I owe the most."
Su Tianhao said nothing, listening quietly.
"Over fifty years ago, I was just a young man—like that brat over there." He jabbed a thick finger toward Huo Yan. "I had just started my weapon craftsman's journey and was leaving my hometown to start fresh in a new city."
His expression hardened, carved from stone. "On the road, bandits ambushed me. Wounded me. Took everything—my belongings, my capital, my means to start a new life—and left me for dead."
A faint smile touched the corner of his lips. "But the heavens smiled on me that day. A savior came soaring through the sky—Immortal Wei."
He was quiet for a moment, as if replaying the memory. "He didn't just save my life. He gave me more coin and resources than I had ever dreamed of, told me to start afresh, and believed in me when no one else did. Without him, I would not be who I am today."
"Master..." Huo Yan breathed—the word escaping before he could stop it. In four years as an apprentice, he had never once seen his master speak with such open feelings.
Master Shen Bao caught Huo Yan's uncertain look and coughed deliberately, his already reddish complexion deepening a shade further. He straightened, folding his arms.
"Ahem. Long story short—after that day we only crossed paths again decades later, by which time I was already a certified Spirit Rank Craftsman. No matter how I tried, he refused to let me repay him. Hence the black token." He exhaled through his nose. "So I am glad you've come today. Fulfilling your request is nothing compared to what I owe him—but it is something."
He turned to Su Tianhao, voice settling into something more measured. "So. What can this old man do for you?"
Su Tianhao smiled inwardly. 'Finally!'
"I want to upgrade my Quasi-Peak Mortal Rank weapon to Peak Spirit Rank."
"What?!"
Huo Yan spun toward him with both hands on his head, eyes wide. "Did you just say—Peak Spirit Rank?!"
Master Shen Bao gave Su Tianhao a flat, deadpan look. "Young man. What you're asking is impossible. Even for this old man."
"I understand your doubts," Su Tianhao said calmly. "But my sword isn't an ordinary blade. It was forged from Nightiron ore."
Silence.
Then—
"NIGHTIRON ORE?!"
Both Master Shen Bao and Huo Yan erupted simultaneously, voices colliding in unified disbelief.
"Who in the heavens, earth, and every hell between them uses Nightiron ore to forge a Mortal Rank weapon?!" Master Shen Bao bellowed, his face flushing a dangerous shade of crimson.
"A friend of mine," Su Tianhao replied, perfectly composed. "He used it to advance his mastery of the weapon dao in ways that would have otherwise taken years. I don't see how that's a waste. What good is a treasure if you can't even use it?"
Huo Yan repeated the words under his breath like a man trying to convince himself they made sense. "...What good is a treasure if you can't even use it." He smiled bitterly. "But it's Nightiron ore..."
Master Shen Bao drew a long, slow breath. He looked outwardly composed—but Su Tianhao could see the vein still twitching at his temple, the silent fury of a craftsman who had spent decades respecting rare materials. He had already mentally marked whoever forged that sword for a thorough scolding should their paths ever cross.
Su Tianhao decided to move things along. "I understand the reaction. But it was a necessary decision. So—can you help me with the upgrade?"
Master Shen Bao exhaled heavily. "With the Nightiron ore as the base, I can bring it to High-grade Spirit Rank." He paused. "If the ore were still raw and unworked, Peak Spirit Rank wouldn't be out of reach for this old man. But as it stands—High-grade is the ceiling."
"What if I told you I have a way to make it work?"
Master Shen Bao leaned forward, eyes sharp and piercing. "No offense, young man—but you don't look anything like a weapon craftsman. I don't think you'd even qualify as an apprentice."
Su Tianhao's lips twitched. 'Who wants to be your apprentice, old man.'
He cleared his throat. "Words carry little weight. Let me show you with my actions instead."
Master Shen Bao considered for a moment, then gave a slow, reluctant nod. "You're a person acknowledged by Immortal Wei—so I won't turn you away. But don't blame this old man if things go sideways."
He paused, then added with a casual shrug: "You'll be covering the materials and paying for my time as well. Since you're acknowledged by him doesn't mean you're him."
Su Tianhao's expression turned serious. "Understood. But I have one condition. The method I'll be using is sensitive—I'd prefer it stays between us."
Master Shen Bao's brows drew together. He studied Su Tianhao's face for a long moment. 'Could it be he really does have a way around it?'
The thought stirred something in the old craftsman—interest, quiet anticipation, and something that might even have been excitement.
He turned to Huo Yan. "You heard the man. Leave us."
"But Master—" Huo Yan's face fell immediately. "I want to see!"
"Go."
One word. Cold, flat, absolute. The kind of voice that had ended arguments for fifty years.
"...Yes, Master." Huo Yan bowed. He cast one last desperate glance at Su Tianhao—eyes wide, silently pleading for even the smallest sliver of hope.
Su Tianhao didn't budge.
With a quiet, defeated sigh, Huo Yan turned and walked away.
Master Shen Bao watched until the young man disappeared from sight, then turned back to Su Tianhao.
"Now that the brat is gone—let's get to business."
Su Tianhao's brow twitched. "Out here?"
Slap!
Master Shen Bao smacked his own forehead. "This old man's manners are rustier than his old forge." He swung the heavy door open and stepped aside. "Come in."
---
The interior was exactly what Su Tianhao had expected.
A short passage of wooden floorboards opened into a wide room with reinforced walls, a blackened ceiling, and a solid granite floor—Master Shen Bao's personal forge. Through an open door on the far side lay his living quarters: a modest sitting room, a simple dining space, two bedrooms, and an attached bathhouse. Practical. Undecorated. Every inch built for function.
Against the near wall sat a long steel bench, positioned at an angle that gave a clear view of everything happening inside the forge.
'It must have been arranged for his apprentices to watch and learn,' Su Tianhao noted inwardly as he settled onto it. The bench offered no comfort—only a clear sightline and a flat surface to sit on.
Master Shen Bao dropped into the steel chair across from him. "So. Tell me your plans for the upgrade—and how you intend to pull it off."
Su Tianhao cleared his throat and began—slow, deliberate, precise.
As he spoke, Master Shen Bao listened without interrupting. His expression shifted with every new detail.
When he heard Shadowfang had already been destroyed, his jaw tightened with mild annoyance. 'Difficult—but still manageable.'
When he heard Su Tianhao planned to infuse nine beast cores into the blade—including a Demon Beast core, a light-attributed core, and a lightning-attributed core—his expression twisted into open contempt. 'Nine cores? Hmph. Madness!'
But when he heard Su Tianhao intended to use low-quality Spirit Rank materials for a Peak Spirit Rank upgrade—
That was where Master Shen Bao drew his line.
"Now hold on!" He rose halfway from his chair, one thick finger leveled at Su Tianhao. "I won't stand here and watch someone insult the weapon dao to my face! Low-quality Spirit Rank materials for a Peak Spirit Rank weapon? That goes against every rule of the craft—every single one!"
Su Tianhao didn't move. "Calm down, Master Shen. If everything goes wrong, it's my loss—not yours. You're being paid for your time regardless. There's no part of this where you lose."
"Tsk." Master Shen Bao clicked his tongue sharply and dropped back into his chair, arms folded. "I'm warning you—if it weren't for Immortal Wei, I'd have thrown you out already."
"My mind is made up," Su Tianhao said quietly.
There was something in his eyes as he said it—not arrogance, not recklessness—just absolute, settled certainty. The kind that came not from wishful thinking but from knowing something others didn't.
Even Master Shen Bao felt it. That unshakeable confidence was infectious in a way that was difficult to dismiss entirely.
"Hmph." He rubbed his nose and looked away, arms still crossed. "Fine. I'll follow your insane method. Whatever result you get is your business. Just don't come crying to this old man when it all falls apart."
Su Tianhao smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
His thoughts drifted back to the technique he had discovered in the Verdant Mist Forest two days after Shadowfang shattered. It lived in the third layer of his inherited memories, something his father had once practiced before setting aside to focus on the Art of Formation instead.
But Su Tianhao had made himself a promise the moment he first laid eyes on it.
He was going to master all five stages!
---
"Eternal Heavenforge Genesis"
An ancient weapon craftsmanship technique bestowed by the God of Creation himself. The Eternal Heavenforge Genesis is far more than a mere method—it is a supreme Dao that embodies the very essence of creation through craftsmanship.
It harmonizes spiritual energy with rare materials to forge weapons of unparalleled durability, balance, and resonance. Unlike ordinary forging that relies on heat and hammer alone, this art integrates precise rune etching, timed spiritual infusions, and temperature modulation at otherworldly levels. The result is weapons that grow alongside their wielders.
Weapons created through this method carry a faint echo of the craftsman's spirit, granting them semi-sentience under the right conditions.
When fully perfected, the practitioner transcends simple craftsmanship and unlocks the true power of creation—the ability to manifest complex structures, otherworldly artifacts, entire dimensions, and even sentient life forms.
---
First Stage — Heavenly Creation Art
The foundation stage. To attempt this method, the practitioner must master thousands of weapon craftsmanship principles—methods, materials, and hard-won experience. To complete this stage, one must comprehend the First Truth of Creation.
With this technique, the practitioner can craft any weapon within the Mortal realm, from Mortal Rank to Saint Rank. They can create weapons using lesser quality resources, and at peak mastery—they can create something from nothing.
Only by perfecting this stage can one be said to have reached Initial Mastery of the Eternal Heavenforge Genesis.
---
Su Tianhao's smile widened as the technique settled back into the forefront of his mind, clear and complete.
"With this—I can make the impossible possible."