Chapter 15: Spirit Forge Valley

Chapter 15: Spirit Forge Valley

Dizhong Village, before the Primordial Containment Wall.

Qi Sheng stood motionless with closed eyes, his consciousness traversing the interconnected networks of reality, searching for suitable candidates to recruit.

Without exception, every player group he entered dismissed him as a scammer. Most deleted the links he shared and immediately kicked him out.

Unfazed, Qi Sheng abandoned any attempt to explain himself. He swiftly pivoted strategies, casting his net wider to target new groups.

Fifty recruitment slots vanished quickly, claimed by players from three different groups. Suddenly, the Guide Water Orb flickered to life:

"Boss, one of the new recruits is a tough one!"

"How tough?" Qi Sheng asked, turning toward the orb with a mix of irritation and curiosity.

"Remember how players complained about the pain feedback system last time? You adjusted it to 10% intensity for new players, right?"

Qi Sheng nodded. He’d personally fine-tuned the settings after Li Zheng and the first batch of recruits vented about the game’s painfully realistic feedback. Pain, he realized, needed recalibration. While immersion was critical, excessive realism clashed with the players’ fearless playstyle. After careful consideration, he’d dialed initial pain feedback down to 10%—not zero, since pain served as a vital bodily signal. It kept players alert to injuries, sharpened their reflexes during hunts, and prevented reckless brute-force tactics.

"This recruit", the orb continued, "after reviewing the game’s settings, manually maxed the pain feedback to 100%."

"That’s… commitment", Qi Sheng muttered.

Curious, his head erupted into a blaze of crimson flames. The fire engulfed his body as he shifted into his Imperial Omen form, teleporting his consciousness to the recruit’s assigned guide avatar.

——

The sky hung heavy with ink-dark clouds, its former brightness replaced by a grotesque crescent moon—its zone-tier glow casting jagged shadows. A howling black wind swept the land, carrying ash like eerie snowflakes.

Crack!

A sharp snap rang out as Li Tie shattered a Cursed Soldier’s arm. Without hesitation, he activated Petrification, his body hardening into a glossy black shield as two more Cursed Soldiers lunged from either side.

The game’s brutal realism thrilled him. Every battle refined his understanding of the Gargoyle’s Petrification ability. Unlike traditional skill cooldowns, the game relied on two energy bars: Vitality and Mental Energy. Petrification drained Vitality, while abilities like the Hawk-Headed Demon’s Vengeful Howl or Bonefire’s Inkfire consumed Mental Energy. Timing, not cooldowns, dictated skill effectiveness.

Li Tie mastered the rhythm—activate Petrification to tank attacks, deactivate to retaliate. The Cursed Soldiers’ bones crunched beneath his fists.

After absorbing their postmortem energy, he leveled up to 4, feeling his strength surge. He grabbed a Broken Warhammer and marched eastward.

Half an hour later, cresting a hill, he spotted a valley blanketed in black ash. The air reeked of scorched earth. Strange: hovering weapons floated near the entrance, drifting like sentient guardians.

As he descended, text materialized before him:

Challenger Notification: Domain Node Detected — “Spirit Forge Valley”

His map updated automatically, revealing the golden words "Spirit Forge Valley" where the fog of war receded.

Further ahead, a battle-axe radiating crimson energy caught his eye:

Raging Brute (Primordial Prototype)
Hunting Rank: 10
Guide Analysis: A Primordial Power-wielder born from the Imperial Omen’s killing essence. Possesses rudimentary intelligence—driven by bloodlust and combat.

Beside it hovered a jade-colored saber:

Shattered Spirit (Primordial Prototype)
Hunting Rank: 10
Guide Analysis: Same as above—craves battle and carnage.

Studying the floating weapons, Li Tie realized these were coveted Generation-1 Primordials. Though they carried level-10 hunting ranks, he pressed forward, entering the valley.

The weapons surged toward him, encircling him. He braced for an ambush—but instead, the lead crimson axe trembled, scattering the others to create space.

"What’s this mean?" he asked his guide.

"My analysis? It’s challenging you—to a one-on-one duel."

"Interesting."

Gripping his Shattered Iron Hammer, Li Tie lunged, bringing the hammer down on the axe. Sparks flew as metal met metal. His weapon shattered, but the axe remained unscathed.

A crimson shockwave blasted him back. The axe soared high, then cleaved downward toward his head.

Crunch!

Li Tie’s broken hammer disintegrated. He activated Petrification mid-step, the axe biting into his shoulder. Pain seared through him, yet his lips curled into a grin—his bloodlust ignited.

Discarding the hammer’s remains, he de-activated Petrification and punched the axe.

But four other weapons—ambushers—pierced his body simultaneously.

Challenger Notification: Player Death. 10 Sacrificial Power lost. Entering 1-hour Respawn Cooldown.

The world faded to grayscale.

——

An hour later, Li Tie respawned at Dizhong Village’s checkpoint.

"Wait—your guide said it was a one-on-one duel. Why did the others attack?"

A pause. "When you dropped your weapon, the duel likely ended. The others may only test those who hold arms. Discarded weapons equal disqualification."

"Got it."

Li Tie now craved a rematch—but the battlefield’s ancient weapons were too fragile. He needed a superior weapon to challenge the valley.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end