Essence of the Path, Part Ten: The deepest crises are often wrapped in the sweetest opportunity—you don't dodge the poison; you find the candy that neutralizes it.
The morning after sending out his letters, the quiet of the humble courtyard was shattered.
Not softly opened—kicked open. The old wooden door slammed against the ground with a thunderous crash, sending dust into the cold dawn air. Standing in the doorway was a man in blazing red robes, a beard like smoldering fire, eyebrows like twin inverted daggers, eyes wide as bronze gongs.
Master Huoyun.
In one hand, he carried two bulging cloth sacks; in the other, he maintained the pose of having just kicked down the door. His voice cracked like rolling thunder across the outer disciple quarters:
"Jiang Muchen! You brat, get out here now!"
Wang Duobao, mid-wash, sputtered foam all over the floor. Lu Hanshan drew his blade in a flash, only to force it back into its sheath once he saw who it was. Zhou Xiaohuan's water basin clattered to the ground.
Jiang Muchen stepped out of his room, expression calm, brushing dust and wood splinters off his robe.
"Good morning, Senior," he said, bowing slightly. "Fifty copper coins for the door—consider it on your tab."
Huoyun's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he laughed, booming enough to shake the eaves: "Ha! You've got guts, kid!"
He slammed the sacks onto the stone table; a loud creak ran through the legs, splitting a crack along the edge.
"You said the 'Ice-Fire Tempering Method' in your letter… is it true?" he demanded, eyes glowing with molten intensity. "You dare lie to me, and I'll throw you into a forge as kindling!"
The mouth of one bag loosened. A fist-sized ingot of silvery-gray metal rolled out, its surface etched with star-like patterns that shimmered mysteriously in the morning light—Stellar Steel. Beside it, a crimson crystal radiated heat so intense it evaporated the dew from the stone table—the Crimson Flame Crystal.
Jiang Muchen reached out, brushing his fingers over the Stellar Steel. A faint frown flickered across his face.
Cold. Not superficial cold, but a near-dead chill emanating from deep inside the metal. Subtle, yet unmistakable—the All-Living Resonance in his mind detected countless micro-fractures inside, like a glass panel that had been pounded with a hammer but somehow held together.
"Look, Senior," he said, placing an Ice Soul Stone and a carefully preserved stalk of Crimson Flame Herb on the table. "The Stellar Steel's fragility comes from the meteorite cooling too quickly when it struck the ground. Normal tempering would only worsen the fractures—like pouring water on a spiderweb."
He picked up the Ice Soul Stone, its surface radiating an icy blue glow. "Extreme cold freezes the cracks—but the steel becomes as brittle as thin ice."
Then he lifted the Crimson Flame Herb, its fire-patterned leaves flickering as if burning. "Extreme heat melts the fractures—but the steel softens like clay."
The old master's breath grew heavy.
"So your method is…"
"Ice and fire, alternating—hardness and flexibility in balance," Jiang Muchen said, gently bringing the two items together. A subtle sizzle rose as cold and heat collided, curling around the metal. "First, lock the fractures with extreme cold, then gradually heat with gentle fire. The two forces form a delicate equilibrium—the cracks remain, but each is wrapped in a thin membrane of ice-fire fusion. No longer expanding, they become conduits for storing energy."
He set a fragment of Stellar Steel into a small furnace borrowed long ago from Huoyun, placing the Ice Soul Stone and Crimson Flame Herb on either side of the fire.
"Senior, lend me a strand of your 'Earth-Core Flame,'" he requested.
Huoyun's pupils constricted. The kid even knew the depth of his secret fire?
With a snap of his fingers, a dark red flame entered the furnace, molten veins shifting within its core. The fire ignited with a roar, splitting into two colors: icy blue on one side, searing crimson on the other. The steel spun slowly in the middle, its surface shimmering like a rainbow over metal.
An incense stick's worth of time felt eternal in the silent courtyard.
When the flames died down, Jiang Muchen removed the steel fragment. It glowed faintly, now at a normal temperature. He handed it to Huoyun.
The old man's gnarled fingers traced the steel's surface. Wrinkles quivered as he probed with his spirit sense. Eyes widening, he exclaimed:
"The fractures… they're truly sealed! And the steel's toughness has improved by at least thirty percent! Without losing hardness! What… what kind of sorcery is this?!"
Jiang Muchen smiled faintly. "A technique from my master's notes. Said to have been inspired by an ancient forging master observing the 'Twin Dragons of Ice and Fire Intertwined.'"
Huoyun muttered the phrase, then slapped the fractured table in excitement. "Fine! Take both! The Crimson Flame Crystal is yours, the Stellar Steel is prepayment! Temper the larger piece too, and from now on, the materials vault is open to you—take whatever you like!"
Half the table collapsed under the weight.
Jiang Muchen bowed. "Thank you, Senior."
Huoyun held the tempered fragment like a newborn, muttering about "ice-fire equilibrium" and "fracture energy storage," then leapt onto his sword, flying off with a parting warning:
"Three days until the minor contest—if that brat Xiao Chen plays dirty, run to the forge! Let's see who dares touch my people on my turf!"
The courtyard lay in wreckage: half a table gone, door smashed, dust everywhere.
The disciples stood frozen. After a long moment, Zheng Xiaoqi spoke, voice trembling:
"Brother Chen… what exactly did you write in that letter? Master Huoyun doesn't even bother respecting inner elders…"
Jiang Muchen shrugged, picking up the cloth bags. "I catered to his obsession. A master craftsman's life is driven by pushing materials to their limits. I gave him a chance to bet—and he did."
Before anyone could respond, soft footsteps approached the courtyard. This time, not a fiery old man, but a young woman in cyan robes.
Early twenties, aura of a hidden orchid. She held a silk-wrapped ancient scroll.
"Brother Jiang," she said with a graceful bow, "Master ordered me to deliver this."
Inside was a weathered beast-hide manuscript, its cover engraved with four ancient characters: Nine Heavens Ringing. Turning to page seven, the previously missing three bars had been filled in, the ink still fresh, elegant annotations densely scrawled alongside.
"She completed it at dawn, after drinking three jars of 'Calm Spirit Dew,'" the girl whispered. "Master said the missing bars correspond to the harmonics of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Only someone attuned could complete it. You leaving it slightly incomplete… shows someone was paying attention."
She handed over a Black Iron Token marked with "Administrator Hall" on one side and a sharp "Sun" character on the back.
"Master also applied to serve as a judge for the minor contest in three days. This token grants access to some resources from the Administrator Hall," she explained softly.
Jiang Muchen accepted the token, feeling its weight like a small mountain.
"Please thank Elder Sun for me," he said.
She smiled faintly and departed, stepping lightly as though walking on clouds.
Two letters, two heavy responses. The courtyard fell silent.
"Brother Chen," Zhou Xiaohuan whispered, "Elder Sun said you 'happened to leave it incomplete'… you did that on purpose?"
Jiang Muchen nodded, pocketing the manuscript and token. "I knew how to complete it—but if I had, it would be a mere gift. Leaving one section incomplete, something only an expert at his level could fix, creates resonance between kindred spirits. That's the most valuable kind of debt."
The third response arrived at dusk. A white-clad girl, fifteen or sixteen, barely in the Foundation Establishment stage, descended silently on her sword. Ice-blue aura, dimpled smile softening the cold features.
"I'm Murong Qingxue, Snowy Sister's cousin. She asked me to deliver these," she said. Three jade boxes revealed Earth-Core Stones, five perfect Ice Soul Stones, and ten Crimson Flame Herbs.
"She also said," Qingxue added, leaning closer, "the heart-protecting artifact is ready, but needs half a month to forge. This will help you for now. And if anyone tries to play dirty… the Ice Soul Order of the Cold Ice Clan is not a toy."
Jiang Muchen's chest warmed, like drinking hot wine on a bitter winter morning.
"Tell Elder Murong I thank her," he said.
She smiled and rose, ice-blue sword slashing the dusk. "Brother Jiang, I'll be watching the minor contest! Win it!"
Three letters. Three responses. Three layers of protection.
Huoyun's fiery shield, Elder Sun's subtle support, Murong Xueli's icy guardianship.
Jiang Muchen exhaled, eyes on the pile of treasures. But still… it wasn't enough. Never enough.
"Wang Duobao," he said suddenly, voice sharp in the twilight, "how's the secret realm list?"
Duobao slapped his forehead and pulled out a jade slip, activating it. Two holographic screens unfurled:
"Molten Heart Inferno Expedition List" led by Chen Xuanfeng. Out of ten outer disciples, Jiang Muchen was seventh.
"Frozen Illusion Realm Expedition List" led by Leng Yue. Duobao, Lu Hanshan, Zhou Xiaohuan, and Zheng Xiaoqi were listed.
"All five spots taken!" Duobao cheered—then paled.
Scanning the names, Jiang Muchen realized the outer disciple slots were deliberately filled with opponents.
"They're setting a trap," Lu Hanshan said coldly.
"Not just a trap," Jiang Muchen said, fingers resting on Chen Xuanfeng's name, "it's a chessboard. Both leaders need what we need: Crimson Flame Herb for Chen, Ice Soul Stone for Leng. If we help them secure their treasures… they'll owe us."
He laid out precise instructions: each person, each task, each rendezvous.
Twilight swallowed the courtyard.
Three days to the minor contest, seven days to the secret realms. Every step a razor, every step a ladder.
His Ice Lotus Ring on his left index finger glowed faintly blue.
Enough. The pieces were finally in place.
"By the way," Duobao remembered, "the thirty-seven new recruits for the 'Muchen Guild' gather tomorrow. What will you say?"
Jiang Muchen's face half-lit by twilight, half in shadow:
"Tell them," he said softly, each word striking like a hammer, "follow me, and you may die. But die standing—and someone will remember your name. Don't follow me… survive, yes—but live like a dog, and die like dust."
Lanterns flickered on across the courtyard, stars finally connecting across the wilderness.
Essence of the Path: When you dismantle an opponent's trap brick by brick, then rebuild it as your ladder to the heavens—the real game begins.