Chapter 63: Blood Forging (2)

Maybe I really shouldn’t have come...

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but think as he watched the scene in front of him.

Mo Chen would point at someone, and Peak Master Tie Shan would pull them over and extract all the blood from their body.

Through his Threads of Providence, Gu Yuan could confirm that every person selected was indeed a spy. Those who weren’t spies were traitors who had already been working with them.

Even so, watching such a display did not sit well with him.

Uncomfortable as he was, he couldn’t leave now. Doing so would only draw suspicion toward himself, so he could only remain where he was and watch.

It was a forging technique he would never use.

Even so, watching a technique of this level could provide him with immense insight into forging. There were many things he could learn simply by observing how Tie Shan handled the material, controlled the flames, and gradually transformed it.

Actually... he might never forge with the blood of humans, but what about Demonic Beasts?

Gu Yuan suddenly wondered.

The blood-forging technique he was watching was clearly valuable. He could already imagine that a saber forged through this method would be a perfect match for his Blood Moon Severing Saber technique.

The Dark Vein Essence, tempered by the blood of the spies, slowly began taking the shape of a sword. The Forging Masters watching were visibly excited, seemingly unconcerned that several people among them had just been killed.

Those who were confident that they had done nothing wrong showed only anticipation in their eyes. On the other hand, a few who clearly had something to hide watched nervously, silently hoping that they had not been discovered.

To make a move in front of a Peak Master and attempt to escape was practically synonymous with death.

Thus, no one tried it.

That was until the eighth man died.

Before Mo Chen could point toward the next target, one of the remaining men finally lost his nerve and ran.

"Peak Master! Spare me! I-"

Before he could finish, Tie Shan silently pulled him back with a wave of his hand.

The man was brought before him, and his blood was extracted just like the others.

After that, no one else was selected.

The remaining forging process was no longer about tempering the Dark Vein Essence with fresh blood. Instead, Tie Shan focused on harmonizing the intense bloodlust that had accumulated within the material.

Two days later, the sword forged from the blood of nine spies was finally completed.

The finished sword emitted a faint bloody aura.

"Earth Grade."

Someone quietly exclaimed.

The Forging Masters, who had remained silent out of fear that they would interrupt Peak Master Tie Shan’s forging, finally began speaking.

"As expected of Peak Master Tie Shan..."

"To raise the grade of the material to this level through blood forging alone... truly terrifying."

"The most impressive part was the final tempering. The bloodlust was far too intense, yet Peak Master Tie Shan managed to harmonize it completely."

"I’ve seen blood-forging methods before, but none as stable as this."

Their voices were filled with praise and admiration.

Gu Yuan couldn’t blame them.

Peak Master Tie Shan’s forging skills were indeed worthy of praise, even if the method itself was cruel.

Tie Shan waited until the discussion had settled down before finally speaking.

"Blood forging is not simply about using blood to temper an artifact."

The hall gradually became quiet again.

"The most important part is compatibility."

He raised the newly forged sword slightly, allowing everyone to see it clearly.

"Blood contains residual will from the one it was extracted from, and different blood carries different properties. If the blood and the material are incompatible, forcing them together will only damage the material. Even if the artifact is successfully forged, the bloodlust left behind will eventually become a flaw."

Several Forging Masters nodded.

Tie Shan continued.

"The reason I chose Dark Vein Essence today is because of its ability to absorb blood without immediately rejecting it. However, absorption is only the first step. The true difficulty lies in controlling what happens afterward."

One of the older Forging Masters cupped his hands and stepped forward.

"Peak Master, may this disciple ask a question?"

"Speak."

"Does the strength of the blood determine the final grade of the artifact?"

"Partially."

Tie Shan answered without hesitation.

"The quality of the material remains the foundation. The blood can strengthen the artifact, alter its properties, and increase its compatibility with certain techniques, but the strength of the blood also determines how difficult the forging becomes. Today, most of the blood used came from Foundation Establishment cultivators, with only two Golden Core cultivators among them."

"If I had used the blood of Spiritual Core cultivators, the difficulty would have increased several times over. Even then, blood cannot turn inferior material into superior material."

Another Forging Master asked, "Then what is the greatest advantage of blood forging?"

"The ability to give an artifact characteristics that ordinary tempering cannot provide."

Tie Shan glanced at the sword.

"For example, this sword has absorbed the blood essence of cultivators who practiced different techniques. Their blood was naturally different, yet by harmonizing it during the forging process, I was able to preserve its useful properties while eliminating the conflicting ones."

Gu Yuan’s expression turned serious as he contemplated Tie Shan’s words.

He had initially thought the blood was simply being used as a way to raise the grade of the material.

But that wasn’t the case.

The blood was acting more like an additional source of properties that could be incorporated into the artifact.

Another Forging Master asked, "Peak Master, can the same method be used with Demonic Beast blood?"

Tie Shan nodded.

"Of course. In fact, the blood of certain Demonic Beasts is even more suitable than that of human cultivators."

Gu Yuan felt like praising the person who had asked the question. That was exactly what he had wanted to ask.

However, he stayed silent and listened as Tie Shan continued.

"However, the difficulty lies in selecting the correct blood. The blood of a powerful Demonic Beast will most likely contain an extremely strong characteristic, but if that characteristic conflicts with the artifact or the other materials, it can ruin the entire forging process."

Several Forging Masters immediately began discussing among themselves.

"What about blood from different races?"

"Can the blood of a fire-attributed beast be used with a metal-based artifact?"

"How long can the blood remain effective after being extracted?"

"Can blood forging be used when repairing an existing artifact?"

Question after question followed.

Tie Shan answered each one patiently, sometimes giving a direct answer and sometimes explaining the reason behind it.

Gu Yuan listened quietly.

He didn’t ask anything.

He simply committed everything he heard to memory.

The gathering had turned out to be far more useful than he had expected.