"At the end of every dead end, there was most likely an explosion waiting for me. Sometimes, I didn't know that it was a dead end because of the explosion. I thought that all I needed to do was overcome the explosion in order to make progress. But all I got was more explosions to my face."
"One explosion burned all my hair and made me bald. I was hairless for weeks, which was when I finally decided to start using safety precautions. But even then, the explosions didn't stop."
"The explosions were mostly because I was tinkering with the energy core. I couldn't communicate well with the energy core because of the interference of so much energy, so the explosions caught me off guard many times."
"Each time an explosion occurred, it was as if a cultivator at the peak of the third mortal coil was attacking me with their full strength. The explosions got so bad that my house collapsed."
"I fell through the ground, and the house collapsed on top of me. I couldn't escape and had to be rescued. It caused quite the scene."
"There was also the time I lost an arm to the explosion and had to be treated for weeks. It was honestly the most painful experience of my life. I swore there and then that I wouldn't tinker with the energy core again."
Arthur chuckled and said, "Let me guess. You broke your promise."
Thor coughed awkwardly and laughed as he said, "Haha. You know me. I couldn't keep that promise for long. I encountered another explosion a few days after I was discharged from the clinic. It was so bad that I had to be returned to the clinic. The nurse there made fun of me."
Thor droned on for a long time about his golem children and the calamities he encountered and endured in his attempt to build a better one. Arthur struggled to listen with a straight face because of all the mentions of explosions.
He had been too busy with his research, so he hadn't seen Thor for the past 5 years. They still communicated with each other through messages, but they hadn't seen each other once since the last inter-sect competition. So all of this talk of explosions was news to him.
He listened with relish as Thor regaled him with all the trouble he had gotten into these past few years. Eventually he sighed with regret and said, "I think this will be the last time I'll be participating in the inter-sect competition."
Arthur frowned and asked, "Why? Are the other disciples pressuring you again?"
Then he said, "Don't listen to them. They are just jealous of us. We haven't broken any rule. There is no rule stating that there is a maximum number of times that we can harvest secret realms."
Thor shook his head and said, "It is not that. I just feel like I've spent too much time at the second mortal coil."
He thought about it and shook his head again. "No, it is not that. It is more like the second mortal coil is holding me back. I can't do some of the things I want to do because I am too weak."
"Even if I reach the peak of the second mortal coil, my third son will be my limit. Another attempt to improve my design might kill me. Even if it doesn't kill me, I won't be able to improve on my third son."
"I need a more powerful mind for better control. I need a more powerful body to withstand more explosions. I also need a more powerful energy to create more powerful flames. So I need more."
"In order to get more power, I've decided to focus on cultivation. In five years, I will reach the peak of the second mortal coil. Even if I don't, I won't leave my house."
"I will set everything aside. to reach the peak of the second mortal coil. Then I will break through to the third mortal coil. I have already solved the matter of my foundation establishment, so it should be easy for me."
Arthur said with a little envy, "You lucky duck."
He was slightly envious of Thor because Thor didn't have to innovate anything about his foundation. He already had seniors that had threaded the same path as him. All he has to do is follow in their footsteps.
What's more, following in their footsteps will be very easy for him due to his talent for manipulating and communicating with metals. In fact, Thor had already mastered how to establish his foundation when he built his first son.
He had used the core technology for forging his foundation in building the rank 3 golem. So at most, he would need to confirm his skill by testing it on human corpses before he can go ahead to using it on him.
But Arthur doubts that Thor would need to test it on others since he has mastered it. Thor was able to build the rank 3 golem when he just reached the second mortal coil, so Arthur doubts that he will have any problems with it now that he has built two more golems, improved his design, improved his power, and experienced many explosions.
After being envious for a second, he sighed and said jokingly, "I guess in the next five years I might have to call you senior brother or even address you as an elder."
"Imagine that. 20 years ago you were so scrawny that Roar could fetch you like a stick. But in a few more years, you will be Elder Thor. Time does fly by."
Thor chuckled and said, "You might have to address me as an elder if you haven't reached the third mortal coil yourself. If you haven't, I prefer it if you call me Elder Thor."
Then his voice became pretentious and stern as he said, "It is best that you know the difference between us early on, so you should address me as an elder right from the start without the need for painful motivation."