The Fourth Calamity: My Sect Has Countless Prodigies

Chapter 93 The Gold-Eating Rat Appears, Weapon Forging Begins

Deep within the mine, the lights were dim.

A dozen or so new players were swinging their pickaxes, clanging and banging against the rock wall.

The spirit stones shimmered in the darkness like twinkling fireflies. This was their third day in the mine, and they had already unearthed a considerable amount of ore, with their contribution points steadily increasing.

"Brothers, let's work harder! If we dig up ten spirit stones today, I'll treat you to spirit rice porridge tonight!" a player named "Brick-Moving Expert" shouted.

The crowd laughed, but their hands didn't stop moving.

However, no one noticed that a fist-sized hole had appeared in the rock wall deep inside the mine.

The edges of the hole were jagged, as if it had been gnawed out by something.

A gray-black rat poked its head out of its hole, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air. Its eyes were blood red, its fur was rough as iron, and its two front teeth gleamed with a metallic sheen.

Gold-swallowing rat.

One, two, three... More and more gold-devouring rats poured out of the cave, silently crawling along the rock wall and approaching the players.

"Hey, did you guys hear anything?" One player stopped his pickaxe and listened intently.

"A voice? No, are you hallucinating?"

"No, I heard that too, it sounded like... a mouse squeaking?"

Before the words were finished, a sharp squeak came from the depths of the mine, followed by a swarm of black rats emerging from the darkness and rushing towards the players like a tide.

"Holy crap! Rats! So many rats!"

"Run! Run!"

The players dropped their pickaxes and ran towards the mine entrance. But the Gold-Eating Rat was incredibly fast, catching up with the lagging players in just a few breaths.

"Ouch—I've been bitten!"

"Help! They're gnawing on my armor!"

Screams echoed through the mine tunnels. One player's armor was pierced by a gold-devouring rat, and blood flowed freely. Another player was surrounded by a swarm of rats, desperately swinging his sword, but unable to cut down the endless stream of rats.

"Stop fighting, run!" the bricklayer roared, cleaving the rat in front of him with a single sword stroke and dragging his injured teammate out.

Although the Gold-Eating Rats are only early-stage Qi Refining monsters, their numbers are enormous, and they have sharp teeth and mouths, capable of gnawing on even spirit stones, let alone players' armor.

Within a short span of fifteen minutes, more than a dozen players were killed or injured, and in the end, only nine people managed to escape from the mine.

"Quick, quick, go find the sect leader!" The bricklayer, covered in blood, slumped at the mine entrance, panting heavily.

Zhou Yi was checking on the growth of the spiritual herbs by the spiritual field when he suddenly received a system notification: multiple players have died, and luck points have been deducted. He frowned and immediately rushed to the mine.

At the mine entrance, several surviving players were in a sorry state, some still bleeding, others pale-faced, clearly terrified.

"What's going on?" Zhou Yi asked in a deep voice.

The skilled bricklayer struggled to his feet and recounted the situation inside the mine in detail. Zhou Yi listened, his expression turning grave.

"Gold-devouring rats... There are actually such things in the mine." He muttered to himself.

The Gold-Eating Rats feed on spirit stones and ores, and once they appear, they often swarm in large numbers. If not dealt with promptly, they can devour an entire mine vein. Moreover, the rat population reproduces extremely quickly, and it won't be long before they become a plague.

"You all go back and heal your wounds first. I'll handle this." Zhou Yi waved for the players to leave, then stood at the mine entrance, gazing into the deep mine tunnel, lost in thought.

A moment later, he returned to the sect and found Liu Yue Qingcheng, who was guarding the players cultivating the spirit fields outside the sect.

"Sect Master, you wanted to see me?" Liu Yueqingcheng put down her longsword and asked respectfully.

Zhou Yi nodded: "Something happened in the mine. The gold-devouring rats attacked the mining disciples, resulting in significant casualties. I need you to lead your squad to guard the mine, responsible for daily patrols and security."

Liu Yueqing was taken aback, then a hint of excitement flashed in her eyes: "Protect the mine? That's a big mission!"

Zhou Yi explained the situation inside the mine in detail, and then instructed, "There are many gold-devouring rats, but they are not strong individually. You do not need to go deep into the mine tunnels. Just guard the entrance and ensure the safety of the mining disciples. If you find any unusual activity from the rats, send a signal immediately, and I will take action personally."

"Understood!" Liu Yueqingcheng clasped her hands in acceptance and turned to gather the other players.

Zhou Yi then went to the contribution shop to exchange for a batch of beast-repelling talismans and fire talismans, which he gave to Liu Yue Qingcheng in case of emergency.

The matter of the mine has been temporarily resolved, but Zhou Yi knows in his heart that this is only a temporary measure.

If the gold-devouring rats aren't eliminated, the mine will eventually be devoured. But the rats are hiding deep underground, and the mine tunnels are narrow; venturing in recklessly will only increase casualties. He needs to come up with a foolproof plan.

"Once Qianlong and Wuhu return, let them lead the team to wipe them out," Zhou Yi thought to himself.

The Jiang family's weapon-refining workshop.

The furnace roared, and the hammer clanged.

Qianlong and Wohu stood in front of a huge furnace, the flames inside making their faces glow red.

Jiang Yunhe stood to the side, holding the bamboo slip from before, which was densely covered with the basic methods of weapon crafting.

"In the art of weapon forging, the most important thing is controlling the heat. If the heat is not right, the materials will not melt; if the heat is too high, all the spirit will be lost," Jiang Yunhe said slowly. "Since you two are beginners, you should start by practicing with the most basic Green Bamboo Sword. The Green Bamboo Sword uses simple materials and has a simple process, making it most suitable for beginners."

He pointed to a bundle of green bamboo piled in the corner: "These are one-year-old spirit bamboo, tough in texture and containing a trace of spiritual energy. Each of you take three bamboos, and following the steps on the bamboo slips, first peel off the outer skin, then shape them into sword blanks, and finally quench them in the furnace."

Qianlong and Wohu exchanged a glance, each took three green bamboo stalks, and sat down at the worktable to the side.

Qianlong picked up the plane and, following the diagram on the bamboo slip, carefully peeled away the outer skin of the green bamboo. Bamboo shavings flew everywhere, but his hand was steady, and with one stroke, the bamboo surface was smooth and even.

Wohu was even more meticulous, pausing after each cut to check the bamboo slips, afraid of making a mistake. Both were experiencing weapon crafting for the first time, feeling both excited and nervous.

"Oh, another new person?"

A sarcastic voice came from behind.

Qianlong turned around and saw several young members of the Jiang family standing not far away, arms crossed, with a mocking look on their faces.

"Them? Refining weapons? Don't blow up the furnace."

"I heard he's a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect. What kind of future can that small sect have?"

"Tsk tsk, what a waste of spirit bamboo."

The group chatted amongst themselves, their words dripping with sarcasm.

Qianlong frowned, ignored him, and continued with his work. Wohu, however, raised his head, glanced indifferently at the group, and then lowered his head again.

"What are you looking at? You're not convinced?" A young man with a pointed face and monkey-like features stepped forward and kicked the worktable of the Crouching Tiger. "You self-taught people want to learn weapon forging? I advise you to go back to chopping bamboo and stop making a fool of yourselves here."

Wo Hu stopped using his plane and slowly stood up. He was a head taller than the young man, and his gaze was calm, yet he exuded an invisible sense of pressure.

"Are you finished?" Crouching Tiger asked calmly.

The young man was intimidated by his imposing manner and took a half step back, then straightened his chest again: "So what if you've finished talking? Do you dare to lay a hand on me?"

"Enough." Jiang Yunhe walked over and coldly glanced at the group of clansmen. "If you have nothing better to do, go chop firewood in the back mountain. Don't bother the new recruits here."

Several tribesmen left dejectedly, not forgetting to throw down the last words: "Just wait and see them make a fool of themselves."

Jiang Yunhe turned to Qianlong and Wohu and said apologetically, "Please forgive me, my clansmen have been neglected in their upbringing and their words have been offensive. I apologize on their behalf."

Qianlong waved his hand: "It's alright, Fellow Daoist Yunhe, there's no need to worry about it."

Wo Hu didn't say anything more, sat down again, and continued whittling bamboo.

Half an hour later, the two of them had finished carving the bamboo.

Qianlong was faster, having already shaped the bamboo blank into a sword blank with a long, slender blade and smooth lines. Wohu, on the other hand, paid more attention to detail, polishing every edge of the sword blank to a smooth, rounded finish.

"Next is quenching." Jiang Yunhe led the two to the furnace. "Place the sword blank into the furnace and heat it slowly over a low flame. Once the bamboo has softened, take it out and quickly immerse it in cold water. This step tests experience the most; if the heat is not controlled properly, the sword blank will crack."

Qianlong was the first to put the sword blank into the furnace, his eyes fixed on the furnace chamber, observing the changes in the bamboo.

After a short while, he felt that the time was right, so he used tongs to take out the sword blank and immersed it in the water tank.

"Hiss—" A plume of white smoke rose as the sword blank cooled in the water, making a faint sound.

Qianlong took out the sword blank and examined it carefully. There was a small crack on the surface of the sword, which extended from the tip to the middle of the blade.

"Unfortunately, it's overcooked." Jiang Yunhe shook his head. "It's already quite good for your first attempt. Let's try again."

Undeterred, Qianlong took a second green bamboo and started again.

Wohu also put the sword blank into the furnace. He had a better grasp of the heat, and after quenching, the sword was intact without cracks, but the surface was not smooth enough.

"Excellent!" Jiang Yunhe praised, "To succeed on the first quenching attempt, Fellow Daoist Hu is indeed talented."

Crouching Tiger smiled slightly, said nothing, and continued to polish the sword.

The Jiang family members watched from afar. Seeing that Crouching Tiger had succeeded on his first try, the mockery on their faces lessened a bit, but some were still unconvinced: "He's just lucky. Let's see what good stuff he can refine."

The second quenching of Qianlong was also successful; the sword body remained intact without any cracks. He breathed a sigh of relief, glanced up at Wohu, and the two exchanged a smile.

"Next is sharpening," Jiang Yunhe continued. "We'll use a whetstone to sharpen the blade, and finally wipe it with a spring of spiritual water to imbue the sword with spiritual energy."

The two worked diligently, and after an hour, the two green bamboo swords were finally completed.

Qianlong's sword was three feet long, with a straight blade and a sharp edge, gleaming with a bluish luster in the firelight. Wohu's sword was slightly shorter, but thicker, and felt heavy and substantial in the hand.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Jiang Yunhe picked up the two swords and examined them carefully. "Although they are just the most basic Green Bamboo Swords, they have exceeded my expectations as a beginner's work."

The Jiang family members gathered around, their expressions complex upon seeing the two green bamboo swords. One exclaimed in surprise, "This...is this really their first time forging swords? They're much better than the ones I forged back then!" Another said sourly, "They're just lucky. If they're so capable, they should forge a first-tier magic weapon."

Qianlong ignored them, took his sword from Jiang Yunhe, and with a light swing, the sword wind whistled.

"A fine sword," he praised.

Crouching Tiger also tested his sword and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's all for today, you two. Tomorrow we'll learn the next skill—inscription of formations," Jiang Yunhe said with a smile. "With your comprehension, it won't be long before you can independently forge first-tier magic weapons."

Qianlong and Wohu bowed in thanks, then, carrying the two green bamboo swords, followed Jiang Yunhe and left the weapon-refining workshop.

Behind them, the Jiang family members were still gossiping.

"That guy named Hu Canglin has a really steady technique, he doesn't seem like a novice."

"Long Zaiyuan is not bad either. Although he failed the first time, he did much better the second time."

"It seems that the Qingxuan Sect is not entirely useless; at least these two disciples have some skill."

"Tch, no matter how skilled they are, they're still outsiders. How could they compare to the direct descendants of our Jiang family?"

The chatter gradually faded away, but the furnace fire still roared, illuminating every corner of the weapon-refining workshop.