A figure, having just revived in a cave dwelling, immediately sprinted toward the Artifact Refining Pavilion. It was the player who had previously been refined as a "pill catalyst"—Sacrifice.
As he ran, he quickly typed a message in the guild channel.
[Sacrifice: @Shi Gandang, I'm coming, I'm coming! Just got done helping someone as a pill catalyst, it held me up! You guys still have that 'medicine catalyst' job open for me, right?]
[Shi Gandang: Hurry up! We're just waiting on you!]
...
Meanwhile, Su Ling'er's gaze was fixed on a corner of the Artifact Refining Pavilion.
Lin Qingfeng noticed her stare, and a trace of pride emerged on his face, which was usually fixed in an expression of feigned profundity.
'This is a self-created Cultivation Technique from our player base, one that even got system recognition!'
He cleared his throat and explained to Su Ling'er:
"This is a Supreme Body Forging Skill created by the disciples of our sect, a unique path forged outside the countless established methods—the Sword Refining Skill. This wasn't taught by Mr. Qian; our own disciples created it!"
His words made Su Ling'er mutter to herself internally.
'Self-created? Of all the myriad Cultivation Techniques under the heavens, which one didn't originate from the fragmented scrolls of the Primordial Dao Scripture? To call it self-created probably just means they extrapolated it from some scripture fragments.'
'Those prodigies of ages past weren't without their own attempts at creating new techniques, but such an act seems to defy the heavens themselves. It's not only fraught with restrictions, but some have even incurred divine retribution.'
'I refuse to believe that in this unreliable-looking demonic sect, someone could actually comprehend a heavenly dao from thin air!'
'Still, the Sword Refining Skill...'
A thought struck Su Ling'er. 'It's named after the "sword," so why is it a Body Refining method? What's the meaning behind that?'
As if sensing her confusion, the First Brother explained:
"The so-called art of Artifact Refining is to temper something a thousand times, allowing it to be reborn and transformed into a Divine Soldier. The fundamental principle of our Guixi Sect's Sword Refining Skill is exactly the same."
"It is to take heaven and earth as the furnace and the body as the vessel. One's own flesh, blood, and bones are seen as a flawed sword blank, and the meridians and blood vessels are the inscriptions yet to be carved."
"Endless suffering is the fire, and heavenly hammers provide the myriad strikes of tempering. In its ideal, highest form, one forges this mortal coil into a living, breathing, humanoid flying sword!"
Listening to her First Brother's articulate explanation, Su Ling'er felt there might truly be something profound to it.
After all, this was an ancient demonic sect with the lineage of ancient Evil Cultivators; it wouldn't be strange no matter what path they walked.
Though she wasn't optimistic about the idea of forging a person into a flying sword, she wanted to see with her own eyes what this so-called Sword Refining Skill was really like.
And just then, a sudden change occurred in that corner.
The disciple who had previously volunteered to lie on the forging platform was now firmly bound by his limbs and torso with iron chains, completely immobilized by several of his peers.
But his expression was one of resolute anticipation, like a pilgrim journeying to a holy land. "Shi Gandang, are you ready?"
The disciple named Shi Gandang checked his own willpower and body forging stats, saw they met the requirements, and then roared:
"Enough talk, let's do it! I can take it!"
"Alright!"
Two disciples worked together to carry over a giant copper cauldron.
Inside the cauldron was a viscous liquid, boiling violently and covered in bursting bubbles. A mosquito happened to fly through the rising steam and was instantly corroded by the searing heat, turning to ash.
'Just the boiling steam alone is enough to obliterate a small insect?'
'This liquid is that corrosive! And there's a pungent smell of medicinal herbs in the air.'
"Begin pouring!"
The lead disciple shouted.
He held a long-handled medicinal ladle inscribed with countless runes. The moment it touched the liquid, the runes lit up, making a SIZZLING sound.
Then, he scooped up a ladleful of the boiling concoction and poured it over Shi Gandang's head!
"SSSSSS—!"
The sound of flesh being burned and corroded was clearly audible.
Shi Gandang had already turned his pain sensitivity to the lowest setting, but to play the part, he still let out a scream. However, since he hadn't purchased the special "Pain Module," all he could manage was a dry roar: "AHHH—!"
His skin was corroded red by the concoction, his flesh melting away, only to be slowly regenerated by some medicinal effect before being corroded once more.
It was as if he was enduring unimaginable agony!
His somewhat forced performance, however, genuinely shocked Su Ling'er.
She watched, speechless with dismay, as ladle after ladle of the corrosive, boiling concoction was poured over Shi Gandang, his screams echoing endlessly.
But that wasn't all!
Several assisting disciples each took out a massive magic hammer from their storage bags. The hammerheads were a dark gold color, engraved with arcane spiritual patterns.
At that moment, the figure from before came sprinting over. "I'm here, I'm here!"
It was Sacrifice.
He ran to the edge of the platform, glanced at Shi Gandang's "pained" performance, and curled his lip.
'His acting isn't as professional as my pay-to-win version. The 'Pain Module' I bought with real money is just on another level.'
Sacrifice turned to the cauldron of boiling liquid and shouted, "Senior Brother, I've come to be your 'medicine catalyst'!"
"Let me show you what real pain looks like!"
With that, under Su Ling'er's uncomprehending gaze, he took a running leap and jumped into the boiling copper cauldron!
"SPLASH!"
"SSSSSS—!"
"AAAAAAAHHH—!"
Sacrifice's body began to convulse violently in the cauldron. His agonized, twisted expression was so vivid you could feel his pain, and his shrill screams were enough to make one's scalp tingle.
Then, his flesh began to corrode, dissolve, and break down at a visible rate, finally melting completely into the concoction.
The disciples beside the platform, however, seemed completely used to this.
They raised their ladles again and stirred continuously, then poured the concoction—now infused with the essence of Sacrifice's flesh and blood—onto Shi Gandang's body.
"SIZZLE... SIZZLE..."
"Begin the forging!"
The leader roared. They raised their magic hammers and brought them down hard on Shi Gandang on the platform!
"BANG!!"
"Ah!" Shi Gandang screamed obligingly.
Following some bizarre rhythm, the disciples took turns hammering Shi Gandang's body.
With every heavy blow that landed, Shi Gandang would let out a scream, and the concoction, tainted with the flesh and blood of his fellow disciple, seeped deeper into his body.
On one side was the brutal hammering; on the other, the sacrificial offering was rapidly dissolving in the boiling liquid.
The disciple in the cauldron had completely turned into a pool of blood, and the color of the concoction grew even more grotesque and horrifying.
Su Ling'er watched, her heart shattering with terror.
'Live human sacrifice! Using the body as a vessel!'
'No wonder the First Brother was so pleased when I mentioned "forging Divine Soldiers through martyrdom"! So this is what they actually do?!'
'They took a living, breathing sect mate, used him as a sacrifice, and melted him in a potion just to extract the essence of his flesh and blood!'
'Then they take another sect mate, treat him like an unfeeling iron ingot, and beat him with heavy hammers!'
'This is your self-created Cultivation Technique?!'
'They really are demonic Evil Cultivators, completely beyond the pale of reason!'
However, just as she was losing her composure, the situation on the field once again exceeded her expectations.
When the "BANG! BANG! BANG!" of the hammering finally ceased, the disciple named Shi Gandang was a bloody, mangled mess, his aura weakened to an extreme.
Just as Su Ling'er thought he was surely dead, a tyrannical and powerful aura suddenly erupted from within his body!
That aura was more than twice as strong as before!
His previously fading aura, after enduring this inhuman ordeal, had actually...
Been reborn from the ashes, his Cultivation soaring!
'He... he actually used this to break through!'
'This... is actually a real Body Forging Skill?'
'This demonic sect... they've really turned this kind of inhumane torture into a stable path for increasing one's strength... a path of cultivation?!'
'This place really is an ancient demonic sect!'
"Junior Sister, do you now understand what 'forging Divine Soldiers through martyrdom' means?"
Lin Qingfeng's voice rang out at the perfect moment.
"To refine an artifact is to refine the heart. This is the Sword Refining Skill our Guixi Sect disciples created. It relies on no external objects, only on oneself. Every breakthrough is a rebirth from the brink of death, every training session a nirvana achieved through endless pain."
"Junior Sister, although you have a Pseudo Spirit Root, your comprehension is natural and gifted. If your willpower is also far beyond that of an ordinary person, you would be quite suited to cultivating such a technique."
"Besides, you were the one who said 'forging Divine Soldiers through martyrdom.' I believe you, Junior Sister, possess that kind of enlightenment."
Hearing this, Su Ling'er stumbled back in fright. "First Brother, this disciple... this disciple feels her aptitude is dull and her willpower weak. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility!"
But Lin Qingfeng just smiled, shook his head, and stepped forward to pat her on the shoulder. "Why be so modest, Junior Sister? Your brother has always been a good judge of character. The fact that you could utter those words proves that the seed of the 'Dao' has already taken root in your heart."
"Don't be afraid. Your senior brothers will all help you."
"VMMMM—!"
Su Ling'er's mind went completely blank.
'Is this... me digging my own grave?'
'Help me? And what's this about me being suitable?'
'Suitable my ass! You're suitable, your whole sect is suitable! ...Okay, fine, looking at you all, maybe you really are suitable.'
'But is this a technique any normal person could practice? What is going on in your heads?'
'And why would those people willingly sacrifice themselves? Are they in a hurry to die and be reincarnated?'
'This demonic den is truly terrifying!!!!'
'Sect Leader... I think they want me dead right now!!!'
...
「Real World」
「News Archives」
Over a year after Ashen Heaven's launch, complaints about "functional NPCs" in the player community were on the rise.
A large number of players reported that key NPCs, such as Sect Elders and quest givers in various regions of the game, exhibited highly repetitive models and behavioral logic.
A popular post titled "Just How Many Clones Does Qian Buyu Have?" remained pinned on the official forums for weeks, where the veteran player "Lin Qingfeng, Former Guild Leader of the Nine-Rate Sect," stated vehemently: "This severely impacts the world's realism. Our guild's NPC elder often gets stuck in the corner of a wall. Is this a bug or a feature?"