Chapter 6: The Heaven-Forging Clan

Yu Qi stood up, his eyes flickering with a dim, uncanny luster. A faint, eerie arc curled at the corners of his mouth. "I suspect even our Ancestor could never have imagined that the 'Seven Demon Seeds' would undergo such a miraculous transformation upon encountering the 'Whispering Sword'."

An exotic aura radiated from his body. The grey mist swirling around him—or rather, the baleful energy—pulsed violently. The water waves that had been crashing against the shore were forced to reverse direction by the sheer pressure of his aura, colliding with the incoming second wave and shattering into a spray of droplets.

From the ground beneath his feet, an invisible shockwave rippled outward, centered on him. Pebbles, weeds, and river shrimp that had crawled onto the bank were sent flying in all directions, traveling a full ten yards through the air before hitting the ground.

Yu Qi stood silently, his robes fluttering in the wind. He clutched the hilt of the Demon Seed—a weapon now reduced to a mere handle—while a bizarre, ethereal energy ebbed and flowed around him.

"Heaven-Forging Clan," Yu Qi murmured, invoking the techniques of the Heaven-Forging Clan within his body.

The baleful energy drifting in the air reacted like a starving wolf spotting its prey, surging rapidly into his body and converging upon the grey seed floating within his Dantian.

Once the baleful energy infused him, the seed began to spin violently. The energy it had already gathered surged outward, pouring into his hundred meridians along the three pathways previously occupied by demonic energy.

At that moment, Yu Qi’s pupils shifted. His black irises were gradually swallowed by grey. His gaze turned cold, ruthless, and malevolent, as if he had transformed into a heartless beast.

He felt an explosive power erupt throughout his body. With a light step, he left a deep footprint in the earth and launched himself forward like a cannonball.

His speed was immense. In his Heaven-Forging state, he covered ten meters in just two strides—a feat that would have been impossible for him before.

He clenched his fist and slammed it into a massive boulder by the riverbank.

*Thud!*

A dull sound echoed as the boulder trembled, leaving a deep imprint of his fist upon its surface.

Yu Qi looked at his body with satisfaction, a smile playing on his lips. "The Heaven-Forging technique is actually a method of physical cultivation. I wonder what the other six clans hold in store. The Demon Sword that allowed our Ancestor to become the strongest in the world is truly formidable."

In truth, Yu Qi did not realize that the Heaven-Forging technique, while strengthening the body during the initial stages of cultivation, would normally never allow one to leave a fist print on a boulder. Everything he had achieved was due to the fortuitous fusion of the "Seven Demon Seeds" and the "Whispering Sword," which had severed his path from both the righteous and demonic ways, entering a "wicked" path unknown to the world, thereby causing a qualitative change and amplifying its power.

Still riding the wave of excitement, Yu Qi prepared to take another step forward when his face suddenly turned deathly pale. His grey pupils faded back to their original black, and he felt a sharp, violent pain in his Dantian, as if his heart had suddenly stopped.

His body began to tremble, for this agony was far more intense than the pain of ruptured meridians; it felt as though every meridian in his body were snapping at once.

"Ah..."

Yu Qi let out a roar, collapsing to the ground in agony. He dug his hands deep into the sand, sweat pouring down his forehead like rain.

Fortunately, the pain did not persist like the shattering of meridians; it subsided after only a brief moment.

Yu Qi lay on the ground, gasping for air, his hands trembling as he pushed himself up.

"Damn it, how did this happen?" He recalled the earlier pain, a lingering sense of terror still gripping his mind.

"Brother Yu, come back for dinner!" A young girl's voice drifted to his ears. Li Yuelian had appeared at the riverbank at some point.

Only then did Yu Qi notice the sky; he hadn't realized it was already evening. He had been practicing for half a day.

Brushing the dust off his clothes, he turned to face Li Yuelian.

However, when Li Yuelian saw him, a look of terror suddenly crossed her face. She pointed at his countenance and cried, "Brother Yu, your face..."

"My face?" Yu Qi instinctively touched his cheek. Upon closer inspection, he realized the blood from earlier hadn't been washed away. Combined with his current pale complexion, he looked like a ghost, and it was no wonder Li Yuelian was frightened.

An idea struck him. He lowered his voice, feigned a ghostly demeanor, and ran toward Li Yuelian with his hands outstretched. "Little Lian, I've turned into a ghost! I'm going to eat you!"

Li Yuelian’s face turned white with fear. She backed away, crying out in terror, "Brother Yu, don't come over! Don't come over! Go away!"

Seeing her reaction, Yu Qi burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Little Lian, I was just teasing you."

With that, Yu Qi went to the river to wash the blood from his face.

"Brother Yu, you're a bully!" Little Lian, who had been on the verge of tears, broke into a smile and scooped up a handful of sand, throwing it at him.

Yu Qi didn't mind. Perhaps because he had stepped away from the demonic path, his temperament was no longer as icy as before—a change even he had failed to notice.

Back home, the table was set with a chicken, a few side dishes, and a small jug of yellow wine—an incredibly lavish spread for such a poor family.

"I haven't had chicken in ages! Father, I want the chicken leg!" As soon as she entered the house, Little Lian sat down excitedly.

Yu Qi sat down as well and asked, "Uncle Li, what has you in such high spirits?"

"It's nothing, really. I'm just happy to have another man in the house. Finally, someone to drink with," Li Changchu said with a smile, pouring a cup for Yu Qi.

Yu Qi thanked him and downed the wine in one gulp.

The fiery liquid slid down his throat, sending a warmth through his limbs that felt incredibly comfortable.

Although it was only cheap, inferior wine—far from the smooth spirits he had enjoyed in the Yu household—Yu Qi continued to drink cup after cup with Li Changchu.

As night fell, Aunt Li and Little Lian went to bed. The wine was finished, and Uncle Li stood up, looking content. "I haven't had a drink this satisfying in a long time. It's late now, Brother Yu, you should get some rest."

Li Changchu stumbled off toward the bedroom. A predicament arose, however: the bed was only large enough for the family of three, and there was no room for Yu Qi.

Seeing their embarrassment, Yu Qi quickly said, "It's fine, Uncle Li. As a martial artist, it doesn't really matter to me whether I sleep or not."

Li Changchu nodded, and, feeling the effects of the drink, collapsed onto the bed.

After closing the door, Yu Qi leaped onto the roof, sat cross-legged, and began to practice the Heaven-Forging technique.