Li Wei felt that these children had finally grown up, catching up to the footsteps of their elders.
Just as he was thinking this.
The three children on the screen were currently at the entrance of Li Yaotie's cave. After experiencing his harshness and even his angry roar last time, this was the first time they dared to linger outside his cave for an extended period.
Before, it seemed like their great-grandfather would get annoyed whenever he saw them and would casually throw in an insult...
On this day, the clang clang clang of hammering finally ceased within the Thunderfire Cave. The demon cultivators outside, who had been tormented by the noise for who knows how many years, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Great-grandfather."
Even Li Kuangren, who had been scolded before, felt no resentment towards his great-grandfather, who was forging inside the cave. Instead, he felt boundless admiration.
The other two children felt the same. They stood behind Li Kuangren, their heads lowered, peeking at their great-grandfather.
The reason they didn't have any complaints, and the reason they were able to persevere throughout this year, was because Li Yaotie had also become their role model!
This bald, muscular man spent almost every day hammering and forging, never resting. He put all his strength into every strike!
They seemed to understand their great-grandfather's intense training now. It was because Great-grandfather himself was this kind of person, someone who never gave up.
But today...
"Your great-grandfather is about to have a breakthrough."
Li Yunbing stared excitedly at Li Yaotie, who was forging inside the cave. He could sense that his Third Uncle had already started to manifest rudimentary spiritual power!
They saw, Li Yaotie still wielding his massive hammer, larger than himself. Through Li Yaotie's forging, this hammer had long since reached the level of a mid-grade spirit artifact, even becoming his Natal Artifact, growing stronger alongside him.
But this time, Li Yaotie didn't bring the heavy hammer down.
The heavy hammer remained raised behind him, frozen in the motion of striking the forging platform. His eyes were tightly closed, his muscles bulging with prominent tendons. He seemed to have fallen into a state of sudden enlightenment!
...
"Third Uncle is too busy to care about you," Li Yunbing said. "Or you could take a break; I won't tell on you."
Li Yunbing glanced at the three children, who dared to slack off, with a teasing look in his eyes. His tone was gentle, as if he would actually let them get away with it.
Li Kuangren shook his head, gritting his teeth. "No, Grandpa Yunbing," he said. "Mi'er is waiting for me, my child is waiting for me, and so are all the elders in the family..."
His words seemed to be a way to encourage himself. After speaking, he trudged forward with difficulty, as if the end of his path held his most precious treasure.
"Ah! Elder Brother, I'm not a coward! I want to prove it to the Divine Tree!"
Li Kuangtu was clearly still brooding over this matter. He had lost count of how many times he had used these words to motivate himself. It was like his own personal stimulant.
Then... after just a few steps, he collapsed.
Watching her elder brother walk ahead, Li Kuanghua helped her useless younger brother to his feet. She then gave Li Yunbing a sweet smile. "Grandpa Yunbing," she said, "you must be lying. If we dared to slack off, you would immediately sell us off."
Li Yunbing maintained his benevolent smile. "Kuanghua," he asked, "your elder brother perseveres because he wants to bring back his beloved and see his child. Your younger brother perseveres because he doesn't want to be a coward who runs away from battle. What about you? What is your reason?"
Li Kuanghua wrinkled her nose.
She helped Li Kuangtu continue walking forward, leaving behind only her slightly stubborn voice.
"Grandpa Yunbing," she said, "I never want to be bullied again. I want to fight back. Only when I grow up and become stronger will I have the right to resist."
The three children continued forward.
Li Yunbing watched their retreating figures, a smile finally spreading across his face. Then, looking at his Third Uncle, who was undergoing his breakthrough inside, he sighed. "Ah, Third Uncle," he said, "you're so old now, there's no need to be angry."
"Second Aunt sacrificed her lifespan, not for them, but for..."
"...the family."
...
Li Wei was also staring at Li Yaotie inside the cave.
He also witnessed Li Yaotie's relentless dedication throughout this year, even more intense than when he was obsessed with forging back in Green Valley Village.
[Your descendant, Li Yaotie, after years of forging and continuous practice with the hammer, through relentless hammering this past year, has gradually comprehended a new hammer technique — the Thirty-Six Instantaneous Hammers!]
[Thirty-Six Instantaneous Hammers]
[Grade: Yellow Rank]
[Description: This hammer technique has two levels. First level: Thirty-six consecutive hammer strikes, with power accumulating with each strike. When all strikes are unleashed, the power multiplies. After use, the body becomes exhausted, and strength is depleted! Second level: Instantly unleash all of the body's power concentrated in a single hammer strike. After use, exhaustion and strength depletion occur!]
During this year of cultivation, not only were the three children growing, but Li Yaotie was also on the verge of a breakthrough!
[Your descendant is currently inscribing the Thirty-Six Instantaneous Hammers into his fake Core!]
Once the inscription was complete, he would break through to the Golden Core stage. Although a Yellow Rank technique seemed weak, Li Yaotie's strength wasn't in combat, but in forging. He had long understood how to forge Mid-Grade Spirit Weapons, but lacked the power to do so. He even had blueprints for forging Golden Core level spirit puppets!
Li Wei's basic War Puppets had all been modified by Li Yaotie, equipped with various Spirit Weapons, and now possessed the strength of early-stage Golden Core cultivators.
In the scene on the screen, Li Yaotie, in the midst of his breakthrough, was still murmuring.
"Second Sister..."
No one knew how guilty Li Yaotie felt. In truth, he wasn't really angry at the three children.
It was because he knew that his elder sister was doing this for the sake of the family.
Second Sister was giving her all, trying to help the family seize this opportunity to form an alliance with the Jun Prince's Mansion, so they could have a powerful ally.
That way, the family would have a better chance of facing the countless enemies lurking in the shadows!
Therefore...
"BOOM!"
Li Yaotie opened his eyes, and with a mighty swing, his heavy hammer struck the uneven ironstone!
"It's my fault," he declared. "If I could forge more spirit puppets for the family, puppets even stronger than Golden Core cultivators, then we wouldn't need the Jun Prince's Mansion!"
"Our Li family would have enough strength on our own!"
---
Loving the story? Fuel the adventure! 🔥
Unlock chapters: Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ /darktea] ⬅️ Progress: [Progress: [0/15]]
Get Early Access to 30 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!