Chapter 33: Refining

On the second day, Mo Hua did not practice the Molten Fire Array; instead, he took his spirit stones to Master Chen at the Chen Family Smithy.

Master Chen was somewhat surprised to see Mo Hua, and even more so when he heard that Mo Hua truly intended to forge a stove.

"You really intend to forge a stove?"

"Of course. But I only want a small one, about four feet high. The materials don't need to be too expensive; as long as it's sturdy and durable, that will suffice."

Master Chen nodded. "That works out perfectly. If you were forging a large stove, I might not have enough hands on deck. Since this seems to be for personal use and you're a neighbor, I'll pick out some cheap and good materials for you. I'll guarantee they are practical and durable."

Mo Hua said happily, "Thank you, Master Chen!"

"However," Master Chen looked at Mo Hua, then glanced behind him, asking doubtfully, "Where are your parents? Forging a stove is no small matter; an adult should be here to discuss it, after all."

Mo Hua patted his chest. "My father said he's left it to me. Master Chen, if there's anything, you can just tell me."

Master Chen looked at the little fellow and nodded. "Truly, a child of the poor learns to manage the household early."

After speaking, he frowned and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Do you have the deposit? The material cost for the stove is one hundred and fifty spirit stones, and the forging will take twenty days at a rate of five spirit stones per day. The forging fee is one hundred spirit stones. The deposit is the material cost, so you must pay the one hundred and fifty spirit stones upfront. The forging fee can be settled once the work is completed."

"Yes, I brought it."

Mo Hua pulled a heavy storage bag from his robes and opened the mouth of the bag, revealing it was filled with crystal-clear spirit stones.

For an ordinary rogue cultivator family, this amount of spirit stones would be a massive sum, yet this child carried it tucked in his robes...

With a complex expression, Master Chen took the storage bag and counted exactly one hundred and fifty spirit stones. He then took out a spirit contract and wrote down the materials, costs, and delivery date for the stove.

A spirit contract is a universally recognized proof of agreement in the cultivation world. Each contract is unique, making it difficult to destroy or forge, serving as a record for transactions of spirit stones and goods among cultivators. Should a dispute arise, one can seek an authoritative cultivator or request a ruling from the Dao Court.

The contract was made in duplicate. Master Chen signed it himself and then handed it to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua also signed his name, and each kept a copy as proof of the forging transaction.

Master Chen had originally intended to have Mo Hua sign his father's name, but after thinking it over, he decided not to say anything, reasoning that if his parents had entrusted him with the responsibility, his signature would be just as valid.

Under the Heavenly Dao, all living beings are equal; regardless of cultivation level or age, once a spirit contract is signed, it holds weight.

"Mo Hua..."

Seeing the elegant and handsome handwriting on the contract, Master Chen realized the child's name was indeed "Mo Hua." Looking at his appearance, he truly had red lips, white teeth, and features as beautiful as a painting—it suited his name perfectly.

Coupled with the fact that he had just closed a decent deal that would secure his livelihood for over half a month, Master Chen found Mo Hua more and more pleasing to the eye.

"Little brother, the contract is signed. Work will begin tomorrow, and I will make sure to finish it for you as quickly as possible. If you have time, you can come by to check on the progress or even learn some smithing. Usually, I don't let anyone watch unless they are apprentices in the shop."

"Great, great! Thank you, Master Chen!"

Mo Hua was quite interested in smithing. Although he might never forge a spiritual tool in his entire life, he could certainly learn the related knowledge—the more, the better. This kind of practical smithing craft was not something a sect would teach.

In the following days, Mo Hua continued to practice his Molten Fire Array as usual. Whenever he had free time, he would run to the smithy to check on the progress of the stove and ask questions about smithing.

Master Chen did not hold back his knowledge and answered every question. After a few days of contact, he was both surprised by Mo Hua's high level of comprehension and saddened by his poor physical constitution for cultivation.

He had seen children born weak, but he had rarely seen one this frail; the boy couldn't even swing a smithing hammer.

Otherwise, Master Chen really would have wanted to take Mo Hua on as a disciple.

Mo Hua watched the smithing for two reasons: first, to learn common smithing knowledge, and second, to calibrate the brushstrokes and dimensions of the Molten Fire Array.

Normally, arrays were drawn on paper, allowing for plenty of practice; if he made a mistake, it didn't matter—he could just switch to a new sheet.

But now, he was drawing on a stove. If he made a mistake, he couldn't exactly ask Master Chen to forge another one...

Therefore, Mo Hua needed to be very familiar with the structure of the stove, which was why he visited the smithy frequently to monitor the progress.

One morning, after Mo Hua finished the porridge his mother had personally brewed and practiced his arrays, he made his way leisurely to the Chen Family Smithy before the sun grew too fierce.

Upon arriving, he found that the shop, which was usually bustling with activity, was unusually quiet today. There were no loud shouts and no "clang-clang" of hammering iron.

Mo Hua walked to the backyard and saw Master Chen and several apprentices tidying up. The forging furnace was unlit, the lid was open, and there were piles of cleaned ashes on the ground.

"Master Chen, what happened?"

Seeing Mo Hua, Master Chen said apologetically, "Little brother, I'm sorry. The forging furnace is broken. I'm afraid the stove you ordered will be delayed."

"The furnace is broken?"

Master Chen looked frustrated. "This furnace is quite old. It had some minor issues before, but I could manage with some repairs. But when I came in today, I couldn't get it to light. Sigh..."

"Can it not be repaired?" Mo Hua asked.

Master Chen shook his head. "Before, it was an issue with the external components, which I could fix myself. Now, it seems to be a problem with the internal array. There's nothing I can do; I'll have to invite a master from another smithing pavilion to take a look. If an array master is needed to repair the array, it will cost quite a lot of spirit stones..."

"An array?" Mo Hua's spirit brightened. "Can I take a look?"

Master Chen was slightly stunned. "Look at what?"

"I want to look at the array."

"What would you do looking at an array?" Master Chen asked doubtfully. "Do you understand arrays?"

Mo Hua said, "I learned some arrays from my teacher in the sect. I want to see if I can help you, or at least help you determine if the array is indeed the problem."

Master Chen was skeptical, but thinking that the furnace was broken anyway and there was nothing to lose by looking, he said, "Alright then. I'll have them dismantle the furnace completely so you can see the internal array."

With that, he and the apprentices set to work, dismantling the furnace piece by piece.

The furnace was two men tall and forged from various types of fine iron, making it extremely heavy. However, the apprentices had decent physical cultivation and were large and sturdy, so they could manage the task through coordination without too much difficulty.

Mo Hua was self-aware enough not to try and help with the heavy lifting.

Once the furnace was dismantled, the dense array patterns etched inside became visible. The patterns were a dark red, partially obscured by black ash, but they could still be identified. It was clearly a complete fire-element array drawn inside the furnace.

It was exactly the Molten Fire Array that Mo Hua had been drawing every day, but had not yet finished...