The Steel-Forge Constitution

The largest peak among them was the main summit of the Six Marvelous Peaks, a full three to four thousand zhang in height. It stood amidst the other mountains like a cluster of stars encircling the moon, looking down upon even Tianquan Peak and its brethren. From its midsection upward, this colossal mountain was shrouded in a faint purple mist, hazy and indistinct, exuding an aura of profound mystery.

At the mountain’s base, however, the scene was one of bustling activity.

Dense clusters of buildings of all sizes spread across the foothills—some were crude stone huts of only a few rooms, while others were grand halls towering dozens of zhang high. There were also streets paved with bluestone, laid out in a haphazard, organic fashion, resembling a makeshift marketplace.

Stalls of various kinds lined these streets, with people hawking their wares. Quite a few disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect could be seen strolling among them, haggling with the stall owners.

This sight left Han Li and the other six cultivators, who were passing through on their way, utterly astonished.

The young man surnamed Yu, however, was long accustomed to the scene. He paid it no mind, urging his flying tool forward and heading straight for a lone stone hall that stood several hundred zhang up the mountainside.

The hall was built entirely from massive blocks of bluestone, twenty to thirty zhang high, with two smaller side halls, each six or seven zhang tall, flanking it. On the stone platform before the main entrance, a handful of cultivators could be seen flying in and out.

Yu brought his copper bowl down, allowing Han Li and the others to disembark one by one.

He then made a hand sign, causing the bowl to rapidly shrink before storing it in his storage pouch.

“Wait here. I will first report to the Sect Leader, then summon you inside.”

Having said this, the young man strode forward without further ado, paying them no more attention.

The few Qi Condensation disciples guarding the entrance clearly recognized Yu, offering no challenge, only a respectful bow as they watched him enter.

Only then did the guards turn their curious gazes toward Han Li and the others, seemingly guessing at their identities.

After a while longer, with no summons yet from within the hall, a streak of white light flew in from the distance.

The light converged above Han Li and the others, revealing a magnificent brocade handkerchief upon which stood the pale-faced young man surnamed Liu, along with the four young cultivators who had been taken away ahead of them.

Liu glanced down at the seven below, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. But then, ignoring them, he landed nearby, allowing the four young men to stay put while he himself strode arrogantly into the hall.

Now, the seven of them naturally formed one group, while the four youngsters with better spiritual roots formed another, eyeing each other across the distance.

For some reason, though they were all newly accepted disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect, the atmosphere had grown tense, a faint, unspoken hostility hanging between them.

But as new disciples, neither side spoke. They simply waited in sullen silence.

After about the time it took to finish a meal, Yu finally emerged from the hall. As soon as he appeared in the doorway, he beckoned to Han Li and the others, then glanced at the four young men and said without hesitation:

“You four come in as well. The Sect Leader will receive all of you together.” With that, he turned and walked back inside.

Neither group dared to hesitate, quickly following him in.

Behind the young man, they passed through a short corridor and were led into a hall some twenty to thirty zhang in size.

Inside, seven or eight cultivators of varying demeanors sat on wooden chairs, conversing in low tones.

When they saw Yu enter with the new disciples, they stopped talking immediately, their gazes sweeping over Han Li and the others.

Han Li kept his eyes forward, appearing obedient, but he subtly released his spiritual sense. The appearances and cultivation levels of the cultivators instantly appeared in his mind.

There was one late Foundation Establishment cultivator, two in the mid-stage, and the rest were early-stage.

Senior Brother Qiu and the pale-faced young man Liu were also seated among them.

“Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother Yu. Please, sit and rest.” The blue-robed cultivator in the main seat, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, smiled and gestured for the young man to sit.

He was Wei Yiming, the Sect Leader of the Falling Cloud Sect.

He had an ordinary appearance and small eyes, seemingly unremarkable. Yet between his gestures and speech, there was a compelling air of authority, suggesting he was not to be underestimated.

“Thank you, Sect Leader.”

Yu clasped his fist in a salute, then unceremoniously took a nearby empty seat.

Now, the other cultivators’ gazes swept over Han Li and the others before finally settling on one of the four young disciples—a tall, burly youth. There was a faint, eager glint in their eyes.

Sensing this, Han Li was puzzled. Just then, the Sect Leader’s voice rang out in the hall.

“Hmm. It’s good that we’ve managed to recruit these disciples this time. After all, the sect only held its last recruitment a few years ago. Now then, let’s see how we should divide them.” The blue-robed cultivator finished appraising the new disciples and spoke slowly to the others present.

“Naturally, this will be decided by you, Sect Leader. I’m sure you will give us a fair arrangement.” An old man with graying hair tugged at his short beard, his tone overly polite. But then, his voice shifted, turning slick:

“However, let’s set aside the outer affairs disciples for now. As for inner disciples, our Hidden Sword Peak only took in two last time, fewer than any other peak. Shouldn’t we be given an extra disciple this time? I’m not asking for much. Just give us this disciple with the Metal Forging Constitution, and leave his training to our Hidden Sword Peak.”

As he said this, the old man pointed at the burly youth.

The youth was momentarily stunned, a look of surprise crossing his face.

“Hmph! It’s true that Hidden Sword Peak took the fewest disciples last time, but one of them was a double-spiritual-root disciple. Why don’t you mention that? Now that we finally have another disciple with a special spirit constitution, it’s our turn, over at Blazing Cloud Peak.” A pale-faced middle-aged man shot to his feet, unable to contain himself, and retorted without ceremony.

“Your Blazing Cloud Peak focuses mainly on fire-attribute techniques. A cultivator with a Metal Forging Constitution is a natural-born metal-attribute cultivator. Fellow Apprentice Yang, what is there for you to argue about?” The gray-haired old man shook his head with a dry chuckle.

“So your Hidden Sword Peak is the only one with metal-attribute techniques? Our Master Li of Blazing Cloud Peak has the ‘Golden Refining Art,’ which is renowned throughout the entire Xi Kingdom. What’s to stop this disciple from cultivating that?” The middle-aged man showed no sign of backing down.

“You…”

“Alright. I understand both your positions. There’s no need to continue.” Wei Yiming frowned slightly, cutting off their dispute.

“Quite right. Arguing further will achieve nothing. Let the Sect Leader decide. No matter which peak he is assigned to, this disciple remains a member of the Falling Cloud Sect. What’s there to fight over?” It was Senior Brother Qiu who interjected with a light laugh.

Hearing this, the old man and the pale-faced middle-aged man exchanged a glance. But the old man immediately seized the initiative:

“Brother Qiu speaks sensibly. We’ll leave it to the Sect Leader’s judgment. Hidden Sword Peak will have no complaints.”

The middle-aged man’s face showed a moment of hesitation before he reluctantly echoed the same sentiment.

The Sect Leader’s expression eased. After a moment’s thought, he glanced at Han Li and the other six, then said calmly:

“This disciple is a special case. We will deal with him last. For now, let’s begin by assigning the other disciples. After all, none of our six main peaks would ever complain about having too many disciples. Let’s start with these seven outer affairs disciples.”

...

An hour later, Han Li and the bearded man stood on the giant copper bowl, following Yu as they flew back toward Tianquan Peak.

They had already changed into the azure-blue robes of low-level disciples. After the division in the hall, the two of them had been assigned to Tianquan Peak.

Yu seemed to have no objection to this arrangement. As soon as the meeting ended, he led them away from the stone hall.

As for the sought-after burly youth, he was unexpectedly assigned to Phantom Stone Peak. Though the gray-haired old man and the middle-aged cultivator from Hidden Sword Peak were visibly displeased, they could only grit their teeth and accept it. At the very least, they were also given the other two “inner disciples,” so they didn’t leave empty-handed.

“Though the two of you have entered as mere outer affairs disciples, being assigned to Tianquan Peak is your good fortune. My master—who is also your grandmaster—has always been fair and benevolent. We won’t treat you outer affairs disciples too harshly. Of course, you will still need to complete your assigned tasks on time. The rest of your time is your own. If you manage to render great service, you may even be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill by the grandmaster. After all, in name, outer affairs and inner disciples enjoy the same treatment. The main difference is that inner disciples focus on cultivation, while you, due to your aptitudes, will naturally need to put more effort into miscellaneous studies like talisman-making and alchemy. Several of our peak’s uncle-masters have deep expertise in these areas. You can learn a great deal from them.” It seemed that, now that Han Li and the bearded man were Tianquan Peak disciples, the young man’s tone had become noticeably warmer, and he began explaining some important points to them.