I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 129 - 127: Casting a Long Line for a Big Fish

"You kid!" Zhou Feng could only shake his head. To be honest, his first reaction to the news had been a bit strange, too. He’d always thought Wang Meng was completely dedicated to cultivation and didn’t pay much mind to matters of the heart.

"Old Zhou, I’ve been looking at Talismans for the past few days. I’m out of Pill Furnaces. Do you have any more?"

Wang Meng said, rubbing his nose.

"Out? Didn’t I leave you with five? Don’t tell me you..."

Wang Meng shrugged helplessly. "They all blew up."

Zhou Feng was so exasperated his eyes rolled back in his head. "You... you really... I..."

Even though they were low-grade Pill Furnaces, they were all of excellent quality. He knew this kid Wang Meng liked to experiment recklessly, but blowing up five in such a short time was too much. He wasn’t in the business of selling Pill Furnaces! At the same time, he didn’t want to discourage Wang Meng’s initiative, a conflict that left Elder Zhou practically speechless with frustration.

"Old Zhou, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. I did make some progress," Wang Meng said, knowing he had gone a bit too far. This wasn’t just him being reckless; he was using Alchemy to gain a deeper understanding of the Five Elements Flame.

The Five Elements Skill one learns in cultivation only grants power. The true essence of certain things, however, must be experienced through practices like Alchemy and Forging. Alchemy, for instance, is the best way to understand the Five Elements Flame, while Forging offers the most direct contact with the Metal of the Five Elements.

So Wang Meng wasn’t just performing Alchemy; he was trying to comprehend the very essence of fire. When he inadvertently pushed it a little too far, the Pill Furnaces blew up.

"Go on, then. I’d like to see what you’ve learned. Just don’t tell me your great insight is how to blow up good Pill Furnaces in a matter of days."

Wang Meng chuckled. "Of course not. Take a look at this."

Wang Meng tossed over a Pill Bottle. Zhou Feng caught it, opened it, and immediately froze. He took a sniff. "This is..."

After a moment of confusion, he stood up and began to pace around the room. He would periodically lift the Pill Bottle for another sniff before he couldn’t help but resume his pacing. As the foremost Pill Cultivation Elder, Zhou Feng naturally wanted to find the answer himself. This was, after all, what he loved to do most as a Pill Zealot. In the past, Zhou Luodan used to enjoy testing him like this, but he’d never encountered anything so strange before.

"...This is a Fire Spirit Pill... No, that’s not right. This is just a First-Grade Pill."

The more Zhou Feng spoke, the more agitated he became. "Wrong! This is just the most common Life-Saving Pill!"

Life-Saving Pills, also called Emergency Pills, went by many names in the various sects, but they were an essential item for any cultivator and the most widely used conventional medicine. Their main function was to stimulate the user’s Life Mark, forcibly generating Elemental Power. Pills of this type were numerous and common, a whole category of medicine for last-ditch efforts or life-or-death situations. However, these pills always came with side effects—in short, they caused an overdraft of one’s vitality. The First-Grade version had the least potent overdraft effect and was thus the most common. After all, the more severe the overdraft, the greater the damage to the body, sometimes to the point of being irreversible. Demon Cultivators typically preferred the more extreme versions, but Saint Cultivators would never gamble with their lives so recklessly. Thus, the Life-Saving Pill remained the most standard of these medicines.

What confused Zhou Feng was how a First-Grade Pill could possess a Five Elements Attribute. That was like a common pheasant carrying the aura of a Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh.

Just as Wang Meng started to speak, Zhou Feng held up a hand to stop him. "Don’t tell me! Here, take this. Give me one day... no, three days!"

Zhou Feng took his own Pill Furnace out of his Qiankun Bag. Cradling the Pill, he began muttering to himself, his head bobbing in thought. In his eyes, Wang Meng had completely ceased to exist.

With that, he started walking toward the door. "Op—"

"Don’t say it! Don’t say a word!"

THUMP...

Wang Meng shrugged helplessly. "I was just trying to tell you to open the door first."

Only after walking into the door did Zhou Feng remember to open it. He then continued on his way, still cradling the Pill, completely unfazed. "How can a First-Grade Pill bear it? How is this possible? It completely defies logic! You need to be at least Fourth Grade to command the Five Elements Power! It’s unreasonable, completely unreasonable!"

Zhou Feng tossed out his Spirit Beast Talisman, summoning a Golden Lock Peak-Clashing Cyan Ox. He continued to mutter to himself as he rode away on it.

Wang Meng was actually a little worried. Old Zhou was far more of a zealot than he was. An illogical puzzle like this was probably going to drive him crazy for a while.

"What happened to Elder Zhou?" Yang Ying wasn’t normally one to pry, but some of the things that happened around Wang Meng made it impossible not to be curious. What could he have said to make the foremost Pill Cultivation Elder lose his composure so completely?

Wang Meng smiled. "Old Zhou just likes to get worked up over things. Don’t mind him. How’s your Sword Technique coming along?"

"I’m still refining it. Don’t worry, I won’t let you get complacent," said Yang Ying.

"Haha, feel free to come test your blade against me anytime. If I’m not around, just have Xiaoben come find me at the Forging Pavilion."

Wang Meng said.

Yang Ying nodded, not asking any more questions. Wang Meng gathered his things, intending to make a trip to the Forging Pavilion.

The Saint Cultivation Dao and the Five Elements Technique were all about balance. His recent insights with Pills had opened a gateway to the Five Elements Technique. The essence of the Five Elements was their cycle of creation and destruction. Following a path from simple to complex, the natural step after the Five Elements Flame was the Metal of the Five Elements.

Watching Wang Meng’s retreating figure, Yang Ying shook her head slightly. ’He’s good at everything, but he’s just too casual. The path of cultivation requires focus to achieve true greatness.’

But their friendship wasn’t deep enough for her to voice her thoughts.

Wang Meng arrived at the Forging Pavilion as if he hadn’t a care in the world. A group of shirtless, muscular men immediately stared at him, breaking into a flurry of discussion that only stopped when Suo Ming emerged.

Suo Ming was steadily gaining prestige among the Body Cultivators. His cold demeanor, diligence, and strength, combined with Wang Bodang’s endorsement, had allowed him to quickly establish his status.

"Boss." Suo Ming was also curious why Wang Meng had found the time to come here.

"Help me find some forging-related Talismans. The grade doesn’t matter, just gather a variety of them."

"Understood."

Suo Ming left immediately. That was what Wang Meng liked most about him—Suo Ming never asked why.

Seeing a hammer on the ground, Wang Meng picked it up and began casually striking an iron plate, his mind elsewhere. The act of creation could reflect one’s state of mind. The sword he had forged because of Silence was a perfect example, though it had been the product of a very casual mindset.

He was trying to experience the essence of the Metal of the Five Elements through the Forging Skill. And so Wang Meng just hammered away, doing nothing more.

Outside, the crowd of men stopped their own forging, craning their necks to get a better look.

"What’s Wang Meng doing?"

"I don’t know. Maybe he’s making a love token for someone."

"Man, I’m so jealous!"

"Yeah, you have no idea. I just took a trip to Fire Cloud Hall, and a bunch of high-ranking senior brothers were asking me for information about him."

"Ever since Senior Sister Hu and her group arrived, things have really been different for us in Thunderlight Hall."

"Wang Meng is a total badass. I don’t know him that well, but since Brother Suo respects him so much, I’m sure he’s the real deal!"

"You’re new here, kid. What do you know? There’s a lot more going on than you think."

Before long, Suo Ming returned with a pile of forging-related Magical Bamboo Slips. Wang Meng scanned them one by one, occasionally asking Suo Ming questions.

Forging and Alchemy were two completely different manifestations of power. Both were acts of creation, yet they were so distinct. Alchemy was about transmutation, while Forging was more akin to Transformation.

Wang Meng continued to read and ask questions, and soon night fell. He stretched languidly. "How’s the special training going?"

"The usual. I’m more used to it now."

"Has Zhang Xiaopang been slacking off?"

"Junior Brother Zhang has lost weight," Suo Ming said, making a rare attempt at humor.

Wang Meng blinked, then burst out laughing. "Good. Excellent."

"Junior Sister Ma isn’t doing well," Suo Ming said.

Wang Meng stood up and patted Suo Ming’s shoulder, saying nothing.

’Time will help Tian’Er move on,’ he thought. ’And when the grand competition starts, all the young elites of the Holy Hall will be there. She’ll find someone meant for her.’

For three straight days, Wang Meng immersed himself in the Forging Pavilion, reading, chatting, and occasionally trying his hand at the craft. Suo Ming, with his solid foundation, could keep up at first. But it wasn’t long before Wang Meng’s strange questions had his head spinning. Fortunately, Wang Meng often didn’t need an answer; he just needed to voice the question before pondering it and experimenting on his own.

This method of exploration was certainly slow. His progress in Alchemy had only been so smooth because he had Zhou Feng to guide him.

Yang Ying was focused on her own cultivation. They didn’t normally interact much, which was fine—they didn’t disturb each other. After waiting all morning for Zhou Feng to no avail, Wang Meng headed back to the Forging Pavilion that afternoon. He was easygoing and approachable, so he was usually greeted by a crowd whenever he visited. Today, however, was strange. Everyone was "diligently" at work, but it was obvious their minds were elsewhere.

Wang Meng walked inside, where Suo Ming was standing respectfully to one side.

"Greetings, Ancestral Master."

A brilliant smile spread across Thunderbolt’s face. "Enough of that. I’m tired of the pleasantries. Little Mingzi, you’re dismissed."

"Yes, Ancestral Master."

"I hear you’ve taken an interest in forging?" Thunderbolt’s old face was wreathed in a smile as wide as a blooming chrysanthemum.

’Back when I made that agreement with the other Ancestral Masters, I was certain of one thing,’ Thunderbolt thought. ’Wang Meng ending up in Thunderlight Hall, and not one of the others, had to be fate. It proved that Senior trusted me. The boy is finally on the right track! Just looking at that sword he made, you can tell he has an innate talent for forging. How could that sissy work like Alchemy ever be right for him?’

"Yes, Ancestral Master. I’ve been wanting to learn a little about it recently."

"Excellent. A young man should try many things to find the path that suits him best. You just go about your business. I’m only here to look around today. If you have any questions, just ask."

"Thank you, Ancestral Master."

"Haha, don’t thank me. This isn’t just for you. It’s the same for all my disciples. Whichever one of you has cultivation questions can ask me when I’m around."

The disciples outside were instantly filled with joy upon hearing this. Forget about getting their cultivation questions answered—if they could just display a bit of talent and catch the Ancestral Master’s eye, their futures would be set!

Everyone strained to give it their all, showing off their signature skills. Wang Meng, however, paid them no mind and simply continued with what he’d been doing the day before.

A smile touched Thunderbolt’s lips as he walked out. ’It’s not just Zhou Luodan who knows how to use a long line to catch a big fish. I can do it, too,’ he thought. ’Truthfully, I don’t care what path Wang Meng cultivates—I’d actually prefer him to be a Sword Cultivator. But I feel I have to do something for him, or I won’t be able to live with myself. That Senior trusted me, placing Wang Meng here. The Senior may not say anything, but I, who received such a great favor, cannot fail to act. If I did nothing, could I, Thunderbolt, even call myself human?’