Chapter 5191 Item Forging Pavilion
“Heavens!”
When they arrived at the Item Forging Pavilion, Guo Ran’s eyes lit up with sheer greed. Stacks of immortal metals and divine materials stretched before him, causing his heart to race with excitement.
“I’m ashamed to say that we never touched these materials after being cast into this minor world. Frankly, we didn’t have anyone capable of using them,” said Lu Chengkong, his voice tinged with regret.
That dark period was a blemish in the first academy’s history. The first academy had fallen from grace, reduced to a shadow of its former self. Thinking about it filled Lu Chengkong with pity.
For years, the first academy had survived on the remnants left by their ancestors, practically spoonfed by the past. This dependency had almost crippled them.
Most disturbing of all, they hadn’t even realized it. It took Long Chen’s arrival—like a slap to the face—to wake them from their delusions. They could no longer remain lost in their self-made dreams.
“Hehe, there’s no shame in that. The only shame would have been wasting these treasures for nothing,” said Guo Ran, eagerly running his hands over the divine materials. He could barely contain his excitement.
These were divine materials, the kind used to forge Human Emperor weapons. The fact that no one in the academy could work with them meant that they were all Guo Ran’s to claim.
Long Chen had often struggled to gather divine materials of this caliber, so even a fist-sized piece of high-grade immortal metal was something Guo Ran cherished. Now, with mountains of these precious materials before him, Guo Ran could hardly believe his eyes.
After Guo Ran’s excitement calmed slightly, Lu Chengkong said, “The secret tomes of item forging are located on the second floor. The forging furnaces and tools are on the third. Let’s take a look. It’s been years since anyone touched them, so I am not sure if they’re still usable.”
The second floor, though smaller than the first, was filled with shelves packed with countless tomes—all dedicated to the art of item forging. It was a treasure trove of knowledge.
Guo Ran was happy to see them, but he was more impatient to look at the third floor. When he finally got there, he let out a shout of pure excitement.
The third floor was filled with item forging furnaces and ma.s.sive forging tables, some as large as small mountains. Guo Ran had never seen anything like them.
Guo Ran’s personal forging table was only a few dozen meters long. Compared to these forging tables, his was completely unpresentable. Guo Ran immediately started examining them and cried out in delight. “They’re all fine! The item-spirits are slumbering. As long as they’re awoken, they can be used. Haha, there are molds for furnaces, swords, spears... all specialized!”
These forging tables were top-tier and highly specialized, each designed for a specific type of weapon. In contrast, Guo Ran’s table was a jack-of-all-trades, unable to specialize. With these forging tables, he would be like a tiger with wings.
“Boss, you guys can go on. I’ll stay here and study. That’s right, Dean Chengkong, where are those blueprints?” asked Guo Ran.
Lu Chengkong led him to a storehouse. Inside, over a hundred sword designs were carved onto the walls. Guo Ran instantly recognized the blueprints for the Devil Slaying Swords, complete with detailed instructions on rune placement, formation sequences, and more. It was exactly what he needed.
Guo Ran immediately dove into his work, quickly losing track of everything else. Xia Chen offered to stay and help, but Guo Ran declined.
After all, the High Firmament Treasure Pavilion also housed a Rune Inscription Pavilion, where Xia Chen’s skills would be put to better use. Guo Ran didn’t want to hold him back, and he knew it would take time for him to study the blueprints. When he needed Xia Chen’s a.s.sistance, he’d find him.
As a result, Guo Ran stayed behind, and Xia Chen went to the Rune Inscription Pavilion. The gates were already open, and he entered alone, knowing that no one else could come here.
It was astonis.h.i.+ng to Long Chen and the others that such a magnificent place was devoid of disciples. Lu Chengkong explained that, apart from a few cultivation techniques and secret tomes, the High Firmament Treasure Pavilion wasn’t very interesting to the academy’s previous leaders.
The first academy had been plagued by factionalism, where loyalty was often tied to the cultivation techniques one practiced. If someone practiced a certain technique, they were part of a faction; if not, they were excluded. This led to infighting and the abandonment of many secret tomes.
“Is this any different than digging their own graves?” Gu Yang sighed, shaking his head. It was a miracle they had survived as long as they did.
Li Qi couldn’t hold back. “How could they be so stupid?”
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Li Qi quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Dean Chengkong, I wasn’t talking about you.”
Lu Chengkong smiled bitterly and waved him off. “Foolishness comes from being short-sighted. A frog at the bottom of a well sees a sky no bigger than a single palm. In their eyes, controlling that well means ruling the world. A single leaf can block their view, preventing them from seeing the mountain before them. It’s tragic. What’s worse is that our foolishness also harmed the academy’s children.”
Long Chen and the others were moved by Lu Chengkong’s humility. Despite the harm he had suffered at the hands of his masters, his heart remained pure, and he felt a deep sense of responsibility. His philosophy was admirable.
“That’s why, Dean Long Chen, I sincerely hope you will let me continue teaching the children. Let me use my life to atone for my sins,” said Lu Chengkong.
“Dean Chengkong, don’t worry. Even if you didn’t want to teach them, I’d make you teach them,” a.s.sured Long Chen.
Hearing that, Lu Chengkong fully relaxed. To him, this was the only way his life could have any meaning.
As they continued onward, Long Chen suddenly asked, “Why haven’t I seen an alchemy department?”
“The Alchemy Pavilion isn’t in this minor world. It exists within its own minor world. Just two days ago, that world pa.s.sed by the Sovereign Emperor Heaven. The Pill Inst.i.tute has just been rebuilt. If Dean Long Chen hadn’t arrived, we would have opened the Pill Inst.i.tute tomorrow,” Lu Chengkong explained.
Long Chen’s interest was piqued. This meant that the High Firmament Academy had a strong alchemy department as well.
Compared to other resources, medicinal pills were the resources consumed the fastest. If they only relied on their previous stock, there was no way they would have lasted until now.
“Dean Long Chen, we’ve arrived!” Lu Chengkong announced.
Long Chen and the others reached the largest building in the High Firmament Treasure Pavilion. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by a sight that left them all gasping in astonishment.