Chương 50: Forging Many into One, Turning Trash into Treasure

"So soon? It's already the end of the year?" Su Zhe blinked in surprise. What surprised him even more was that after the New Year, his nominal age would only be eighteen. By his actual birthday several months later, he would still only be seventeen. And at this age... People were already trying to arrange his marriage?

"Alright, I'll head out for a walk later." Instead of arguing, Su Zhe nodded obediently. The year-end temple fair was one of the biggest events in Lu County. Vendors from all over the region would set up stalls, selling everything from household goods to rare curiosities. Even martial artists often brought cultivation resources and weapon materials to trade. Taking a stroll there sounded pleasant enough.

"So this is your Su Zhe! Handsome, refined, and strong besides. My youngest daughter is only two years younger than him. Lin Xia, how about we become family?"

"Second Sister, your daughter still acts like a child. Didn't she beat up her teacher not long ago and get punished by her father? My eldest daughter would be a much better match. She's an excellent martial artist and specializes in the Barbaric Ox Hammer Technique. Since Lu County's greatest genius also uses a hammer, they'll have plenty in common!"

"Elder Sister, are you serious? Your daughter looks like a mountain up close and a giant water jar from a distance. She doesn't wield a hammer—she looks like a hammer that reincarnated into human form!" The courtyard instantly erupted into chatter and laughter. The ladies of the Sun Estate practically lit up when they saw Su Zhe. Each looked at him as though they wanted to snatch him away on the spot.

Their expressions all conveyed the same thought: A mother-in-law always likes her future son-in-law more the longer she looks at him. By now, Su Zhe's reputation had completely exploded throughout Lu County. And since Sun Tiexin was the head of the Sun Estate, these women naturally knew that a true dragon had emerged from his disciples. Who wouldn't want to strengthen that connection through marriage?

"Greetings, Aunties." Su Zhe smiled and bowed politely. Although he found their matchmaking somewhat irritating, proper etiquette could not be ignored.

"This boy doesn't understand anything. He's only interested in enjoying life right now."

"When he's older, he'll realize how important it is to start a family. Come on, let's go." Lin Xia quickly ushered the women away. Though reluctant, they eventually left under the escort of the Sun Estate guards. Su Zhe shook his head.

"It's only been a short time, yet Uncle and Aunt have become so close to these noble ladies." When his uncle and aunt had first arrived, things had been very different. Sun Tiexin had spent considerable estate resources protecting and supporting them. That decision had caused quite a bit of dissatisfaction among the estate's relatives. No one dared complain in front of Sun Tiexin, but many secretly looked down on the couple. After all, prejudice was a mountain difficult to move.

The Su family came from a small fishing village. In the eyes of these wealthy estate ladies, they were uncultured country folk.

"Snobs," Lin Xia often muttered angrily. But everything changed after Li Shanyun, the Sword-Casting Manor envoy, arrived. Since then, the noblewomen of the Sun Estate had visited so frequently that they practically wanted to move into the Su residence. If Sun Tiexin hadn't repeatedly ordered everyone to keep the Su family's background confidential, they probably would have introduced Lin Xia to every influential woman in Lu County.

"City people sure know how to change faces quickly," Lin Xia had once remarked in astonishment. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. As Su Zhe's status rose, the number of unpleasant people around him seemed to decrease. Shaking away these thoughts, Su Zhe turned his attention to a large collection of metal materials stacked inside the residence. These were the resources required to unlock the fifth aperture of the Creation Immortal Cauldron.

Sun Tiexin had spent half a month gathering them. Finally, everything was ready.

"Open the Fifth Immortal Aperture." Su Zhe opened the crates and connected his consciousness to the Creation Immortal Cauldron. Inside his Niwan Palace, immortal radiance surged. The cauldron transformed into a bottomless maw. Hundreds, even thousands of pounds of martial materials disappeared into it without the slightest sign of fullness. As the materials were consumed, the fifth aperture gradually manifested. Five mysterious runes now glowed across the surface of the cauldron.

[Fifth Immortal Aperture — Sacred Weapon Fusion] [Weapons of the same type with compatible attributes may be merged into one, improving quality and enhancing their effects.] Su Zhe's eyebrows shot upward.

"A fusion system?" That was exactly what it was. Like the crafting systems from games in his previous life, except with restrictions. Only weapons of similar type and nature could be combined. After extensive testing, Su Zhe quickly understood the rules. Among his possessions were twelve Baleful Sabers taken from the Twelve Protectors of the Prince's Estate. All were Second-Grade Mortal Weapons. Following the cauldron's guidance: Four Second-Grade Baleful Sabers could fuse into one Third-Grade Baleful Saber.

Three Third-Grade Baleful Sabers could create a Peak Third-Grade Baleful Saber. Four Third-Grade Baleful Sabers could fuse into a Fourth-Grade Treasure Weapon Baleful Saber. There was no question about it. This ability was absurdly powerful.

"The most important thing is that Sacred Weapon Fusion doesn't require money like opening apertures or body refinement."

"Blood Essence Refinement consumes time."

"But weapon fusion consumes..."

"Internal Energy."

"By channeling internal energy into the cauldron, I can greatly accelerate the fusion process. Otherwise, the cauldron must complete the fusion on its own, which takes far longer." The more Su Zhe understood the ability, the brighter his eyes became. Coincidentally, those twelve Baleful Sabers had been difficult to sell because they were linked to Huang Yuan's death. Now he finally had a perfect use for them. The Second Aperture: Mortal to Immortal Transformation.

The Third Aperture: Treasure Refinement and Body Forging. The Fourth Aperture: Blood Essence Purification. The Fifth Aperture: Sacred Weapon Fusion. Each aperture required enormous resources to unlock. Yet every new ability seemed heaven-defying. Any one of them would make the martial artists of the Great Qian Dynasty laugh in their dreams. Meanwhile, Su Zhe possessed all of them. He tossed four Second-Grade Baleful Sabers into the Creation Immortal Cauldron.

Then he guided a strand of Barbaric Ox Force from his dantian and infused it into the cauldron. Within his spiritual vision, the four sabers slowly melted into liquid metal under the influence of a mysterious force. Impurities were stripped away. The remaining elements broke apart and reorganized themselves. About fifteen minutes later, immortal light flashed. A single Third-Grade Baleful Saber emerged.

"I see." Su Zhe nodded thoughtfully.

"It resembles blacksmithing, but only in principle."

"A craftsman uses hammer and fire to temper a weapon. No matter how skilled he is, there are limits to what he can affect."

"But the Creation Immortal Cauldron reconstructs materials from their most fundamental level."

"It's practically rearranging matter itself." The process reminded him strongly of molecular restructuring theories from his previous life. A sudden thought crossed his mind.

"If I could truly master this technique one day... could I become an immortal capable of turning stone into gold or creating armies from scattered beans?" Theoretically, it seemed possible. Of course, such feats would require unimaginable mastery of the Dao of Craftsmanship and vast amounts of power. Far beyond anything Su Zhe currently possessed. Still, simply observing the cauldron's near-divine craftsmanship gave him new insights into his own forging skills.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..." Su Zhe emerged from the mental space drenched in sweat. His face had turned pale. The strand of Barbaric Ox Force within his body had nearly been exhausted.

"Everything has its price."

"This fusion ability is incredible, but the energy consumption is terrifying."

"Fortunately, I have Blood Essence to recover." He swallowed a drop of refined Blood Essence. Immediately, his qi and blood circulated through his body. His depleted strength recovered almost instantly. The nearly extinguished Barbaric Ox Force rapidly condensed once more. Not only had it recovered—it had grown slightly stronger. Boom! Su Zhe punched the air. The atmosphere exploded with a sharp crack. A phantom Barbaric Ox manifested around his fist as internal energy surged outward.

"My physical strength increased a little."

"My internal energy also grew."

"Sacred Weapon Fusion combined with Blood Essence creates an entirely new training method."

"Destroy and rebuild. Exhaust and restore."

"Repeatedly draining myself and recovering is worth several days of normal cultivation." A smile spread across his face. His mood had never been better. After reaching Third Grade through the Barbaric Ox Art, Su Zhe possessed a strand of Barbaric Ox Force and the strength of nine oxen. His total physical power had already reached the astonishing level of one flood dragon, two tigers, and twelve oxen. For Internal Energy Realm martial artists, cultivation revolved around nurturing internal force. How was that done?

By constantly practicing martial arts, exhausting one's qi, blood, and internal energy. Afterward, one would replenish oneself through food, medicine, or treasures. Each cycle of depletion and recovery strengthened both body and energy. For someone like Su Zhe, whose qi and blood were extraordinarily vast, noticeable growth normally required several days of hard training. But now, with Sacred Weapon Fusion and Blood Essence Purification working together, that process could be accelerated dramatically.

"Continue the fusion!" His eyes gleamed with excitement. Not only was he not tired, he was becoming addicted to the process. The twelve Second-Grade Baleful Sabers became three Third-Grade Baleful Sabers. Adding the Peak Third-Grade Howling Baleful Saber already in his possession, he now had three ordinary Third-Grade sabers and one Peak Third-Grade saber. All four were thrown into the cauldron. Whoosh! Brilliant saber-light flooded his sea of consciousness. A terrifying aura erupted.

Within the immortal radiance, a Treasure Weapon Baleful Saber was born. Like a ferocious beast awakening from a long slumber, it released a thunderous tiger's roar that shook Su Zhe's entire spiritual world...