Night Wanderer's absentmindedness was forgivable, given his advanced age. If the dragon skeleton buried beneath Prison Dragon Mountain truly belonged to the white dragon that fell during the Scarlet Firmament upheaval 100,000 years ago, then Night Wanderer himself must be at least that old—a venerable elder among dragons.
A lifespan of 100,000 years? That was equivalent to the entire recorded history of the Scarlet Firmament Realm.
Jian Xiaolou, having composed herself, was about to ask Night Wanderer about the dragon skeleton and the letter. But just as she prepared to speak, the starlight on the bone fragment dimmed, and the voices of the master and servant duo faded.
The bone fragment became inert once more.
It seemed this White Dragon Clan communication charm required the energy of Fire Soul Crystals to activate. However, Jian Xiaolou was reluctant to waste another crystal, especially since she gained nothing from aiding them.
Had she not seen the desolate figure of the white dragon in the illusion and felt a trace of pity, she wouldn't have meddled in such affairs.
Since she now understood how the charm worked, there was no urgency to use it again. She hesitated before hanging the bone fragment on a red string around her neck, deciding to keep it close in case it activated unexpectedly.
Then she began cleaning the forge and preparing the stone rod for smelting.
Although it seemed like a long shot, Jian Xiaolou silently prayed for Yue Ze to triumph in the upcoming artifact duel. Despite his aloofness, Yue Ze had always been kind to her and Jin He, often offering guidance in their cultivation.
In terms of artifact forging, Yue Ze was practically her mentor.
Motivated, she consumed two fasting pills and locked herself away for over half a month, dedicating herself to the task he had entrusted to her.
After expending three Fire Soul Crystals, she finally succeeded on the 19th day. The entire stone rod had been refined into 27 flawless nails, each identical to the others.
Jian Xiaolou carefully arranged the nails in a jade box. Noticing some residual flames in the forge, she decided to test the bone fragment again. She tossed it into the flames for a moment before retrieving it. As expected, faint starlight reappeared on its surface, though no voices came through.
She tried calling out, "Senior Ye, are you there?"
A hoarse, confused voice responded, "Who?"
Relieved, Jian Xiaolou said, "It's me. We spoke the other night, though you probably don't remember..."
The bone fragment remained silent for a while. Jian Xiaolou guessed the old dragon was trying to recall who she was. Without his chatty servant, it might take him a while to piece things together.
She was about to recount their prior conversation when the wind chime outside her window jingled, signaling someone triggering her cave's protective barrier.
"Senior Ye, I'll explain everything later," Jian Xiaolou said, reattaching the bone fragment around her neck. She dispelled the barrier and called out, "Who is it?"
A respectful voice replied, "Senior Sister Jian, it's me. Senior Brother Yue sent me to check if the task he assigned you is complete."
Startled, she asked, "Senior Brother Yue has emerged from seclusion?"
The disciple answered, "Yes, Senior Brother Yue successfully advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage yesterday."
Hurriedly grabbing the jade box, Jian Xiaolou rushed out. "Thank you, Junior Brother. I'll head over now."
The drowsy Xiao Hei, realizing she was leaving, flapped its wings and followed, fearful of being abandoned and left hungry again. "Caw..."
Jian Xiaolou stuffed it into the unnamed beast pouch before heading to Yue Ze.
Yue Ze stood by the window, opening the jade box slowly and inspecting each luminous nail with care.
"Excellent," he said, his tone tinged with satisfaction. "Xiaolou, your skill in smelting has surpassed that of a Two-Star Artifact Refiner. All you lack is a deeper understanding of Two-Star formation diagrams."
Jian Xiaolou felt a weight lift from her shoulders upon seeing his approval.
Yue Ze suddenly reached out, brushing her forehead lightly. "What a pity..." he murmured.
Startled by his uncharacteristic action, Jian Xiaolou instinctively stepped back. "Senior Brother Yue, what do you plan to forge with these nails?" she asked, attempting to shift the conversation.
She wasn't expecting a direct answer, and Yue Ze didn't disappoint. He simply pursed his lips, placing the jade box into his sleeve. "Come with me," he said.
The place Yue Ze led her to was an underground chamber, one she knew existed but had never entered. Only Yue Ze and his assistant, Jin He, were allowed access, as it served as Yue Ze's private workshop for crafting special artifacts and a retreat for cultivation breakthroughs.
Despite being mentally prepared, Jian Xiaolou couldn't help but marvel upon entering.
The chamber was vast, a naturally formed cavern within the mountain. Stalactites hung in bizarre shapes, and peculiar rock formations dotted the ground. The faint sound of flowing water echoed from above, and the air was rich with spiritual energy, marking the presence of a leyline.
Rumor had it that cultivating within a leyline for a day was equivalent to ten days outside. No wonder Yue Ze's progress was so rapid.
But what truly caught her attention were the rare and precious artifact materials scattered throughout the chamber: Star Iron, Fine Sea Sand, Soul Crystals, Heavenly Silk—items she had only seen in diagrams before.
When they reached the bottom of the chamber, Yue Ze paused before asking, "Xiaolou, do you think I can defeat Nameless?"
Thrown off by the question, Jian Xiaolou hesitated. After some thought, she replied, "Nameless seems... quite poor."
Yue Ze raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "You mean he lacks resources compared to me?"
She nodded, then cautiously added, "He even mentioned modifying my Softfluff artifact for the duel. Last I heard, he was chasing a porcupine on Prison Dragon Mountain at night. Who knows what he's up to..."
Yue Ze halted, his expression growing serious. "He wants to modify your Softfluff?"
"That's what he said," she replied. "He claimed real skill lies in achieving the impossible. He told me to wait and see."
Yue Ze scoffed, his disdain evident. "I thought him an equal, someone who shared my pride. Turns out I overestimated him—a so-called genius who resorts to stealing ideas from juniors."
Stealing? Jian Xiaolou didn't understand. Nameless had taken Softfluff openly, and if he truly used it in the duel, it would be a heavily modified Four-Star artifact by then, bearing little relation to her original creation.
Yue Ze sneered. "Whatever he does is irrelevant to me. I only need to focus on myself."
Jian Xiaolou nodded silently, admiring his dedication to artifact crafting.
But her admiration soon turned to dread as Yue Ze revealed the true reason he brought her here...