"I don't know," Kara replied.
"You don't know? Didn't you guys meet him?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously. Kara laughed, "No, we only pray here, right on this platform. The Grand Elder said if you pass through this platform, you'll find the Crafting God. The rest depends on you."
After hearing Kara's explanation, Evan Yang gave a wry smile. "Got it."
"Good luck," Kara said to Evan Yang. He nodded. After Kara left, Evan Yang looked at the platform in front of him. At the very center, surrounded by statues, was a teleportation array. Evan Yang pondered for a moment, then walked inside.
Once inside, endless stairs appeared before Evan Yang, with no end in sight.
"Whoa, that's wild," Evan Yang was stunned. The scene before him was shocking, and he wondered if he had to climb the stairs on foot. As he suspected, walking was the only way; any other method would get him thrown out by some kind of power.
"Who exactly is this Crafting God?" Evan Yang wondered.
Curious, Evan Yang began climbing the long staircase. Time passed slowly. About five days later, he finally reached the top, where he saw a platform large enough for hundreds of people. In front of the platform stood a palace, looking ancient and worn.
There were two statues before the palace: one held a spear, the other a shield, as if the two were competing. Between them was the entrance, giving off an oppressive, ancient atmosphere.
Evan Yang walked over step by step. Before reaching the door, he could already hear gusts of wind coming from inside. He frowned, curious about the source of the wind.
Suspicious, Evan Yang walked inside. The interior was a ruin, like the aftermath of a great battle. He frowned—this was supposed to be the Crafting God's domain; logically, no one should have come here, or at least it shouldn't have been completely looted.
He saw many doors and searched them one by one, hoping to find the owner or the Crafting God's location.
After checking dozens of doors, he found nothing but empty rooms. Yet the wind persisted. Evan Yang closed his eyes and tried to feel where the wind was coming from.
Following the image in his mind, Yang Han walked step by step and finally found the source in a corner: a crack in the palace wall, just wide enough for a person to pass through.
Curious, Yang Han entered. Inside was pitch black. He activated Night-Eye and kept walking, finally sensing a presence.
He even heard crackling sounds. Cautiously, Yang Han moved forward and saw a man, bare-chested, wielding a giant hammer and striking something. It looked about the size of a token, but the man kept hammering away.
Yang Han thought the man hadn't noticed him, but then the man said, "What are you here for?"
"Uh, senior, are you the Crafting God?" Yang Han asked suspiciously.
"Crafting God? Heh, that's what the elves call me, right?" The man looked up, revealing a weathered face. Yang Han was briefly stunned, then replied, "Yeah, that's right."
"I'm not the Crafting God. I'm just the disciple of the Ancestor of Artifact-Crafting," the man said with a bitter smile.
"Disciple?" Yang Han asked suspiciously.
"That's right, disciple," the man replied with a smile.
Yang Han asked, confused, "So those Heavenly Dao artifacts—did you forge them?"
"Heavenly Dao artifacts? I'm not that skilled. I only made the base models, but the real finishing touches were done by my master. Only he has that ability," the man laughed.
"Where's your master then?" Yang Han was eager to know who could turn artifacts into Heavenly Dao treasures.
"My master? He's disappeared," the man sighed, his smile fading.
"Disappeared?" Yang Han asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, disappeared. Went off to make artifacts for someone else, leaving me to clean up this mess," the man said awkwardly.
"Mess? Did someone come and wreck the place?" Yang Han wondered, recalling the looted scene outside.
"That's right, just as you said," the man put down his work and stood up.
Yang Han found it hard to imagine anyone daring to do such a thing.
"My master was taken away—actually, kidnapped. He left nothing behind, so I'm stuck here forging things, waiting for his return," the man sighed.
"Then how did those Heavenly Dao artifacts outside come about?" Yang Han asked curiously.
"They were left by my master before he was taken away. Now, almost all are gone. Who knows when he'll return," the man said helplessly.
Not seeing the owner here, Yang Han said helplessly, "Guess I'll have to figure something out next time."
"Don't rush. Since fate brought us together, I'll lend you my master's Three-Hundred-Sixty-Volume Weapon Canon. How much you understand is up to you," the man said after thinking for a moment.
Yang Han hadn't met the master, but getting the Crafting God's forging book was still worthwhile. So he stayed and followed the man through winding tunnels, finding a secret cave. Inside were several thick books—ten in total, each with thirty-six scrolls. You had to finish one book before moving on to the next; otherwise, the next remained invisible.
Seeing a book as tall as himself, Yang Han smiled wryly, "It's truly a divine tome."
"Heh, I went through the same thing back then. Take your time reading. I'll get back to forging my artifacts," the man said with a laugh.
Yang Han felt grateful to this unfamiliar yet kind man. After all, they were strangers, but he was treated well. After some thought, Yang Han started reading the first volume of the Weapon Canon.
Once he opened the book, Yang Han quickly became engrossed. Meanwhile, the man who had left, back at his forging spot, muttered, "Master, why did you leave such a message before departing?"
The man's name was Ray Ding. Before leaving, his master had asked the Divine Tree to predict the future. Upon returning, he told Ray that one day a human would come, and Ray must guide him to read the Weapon Canon. Ray never understood why, but the tone of his master's words stuck with him.
So when Ray saw Yang Han today, he wasn't surprised; he simply brought him to see the Weapon Canon. Anyone unaware would think Ray was just a nice guy.
At that moment, Yang Han was still absorbed in reading, oblivious to what was happening outside. In the Exquisite Realm, Young Master Yue's group had obtained a Heavenly Dao artifact but found nothing else. They kept searching for Yang Han, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Where the heck did that guy die off to?" Young Master Yue muttered.
"What are you looking for?" asked the woman who had followed Young Master Yue for days.
"Someone who needs a beating," Young Master Yue replied.
"Are you looking for that guy from Tianfu?" The woman quickly guessed. Young Master Yue laughed, "That's right, you really get me. How about we get married when this is over?"
"Young Master Yue, I've told you many times—I won't agree. Just coming with you is already giving you enough face," the woman replied with a smile.
Young Master Yue laughed, "Is that so?"
The woman ignored him, pretending not to hear. Seeing her cold expression again, Young Master Yue could only say helplessly to the group, "Keep searching."
So, after several days, there was still no news of Yang Han. Meanwhile, Yang Han had finished reading from the first to the eighth volume, with only two left. But he frowned at the last two, as they dealt with Heavenly Dao Intent—a concept he hadn't grasped, so he found it hard to simulate. He could only keep reading. After five days, he finished the last two volumes.
Yang Han left the cave. He had only memorized the basics of the Three-Hundred-Sixty-Volume Canon; to truly study it would take much longer. Since his time here was limited, he didn't stay any longer.
When Ray Ding saw Yang Han emerge, he asked suspiciously, "Why are you out so soon?"
"Finished reading," Yang Han replied.
"Finished? Are you kidding me?" Ray Ding couldn't believe it.
Yang Han smiled, "Really."
Ray Ding was incredulous. He himself had spent several thousand years learning it, yet Yang Han finished in a few days. Ray asked, "I spent thousands of years on it."
"I only skimmed it, without actually forging anything. So it didn't take much time. If I really wanted to forge, it would take much longer," Yang Han explained.
Hearing this, Ray finally calmed down and said, "Alright, here, take this token."
Yang Han saw it was the same token the man had been forging when he first arrived. Perplexed, he wondered if the man had known he would come. So Yang Han asked, "Isn't this the one you were making earlier?"
"Yep, I made it right before you came. Now you can use it," the man said with a smile.
"What's it for?" Yang Han asked curiously.
"Of course it has a use. This token represents our sect. Since you've studied here, you can use it. No matter where you are, if you meet someone with the same token, you'll know they're from our sect too," the man explained.
"Our sect? Did the Crafting God take a lot of disciples?" Yang Han asked curiously.
"Probably. My master traveled a lot, taking disciples here and there. But very few have read this book. As far as I know, it's just the two of us," Ray Ding said with a laugh.
Yang Han laughed, "Thanks then. I really wonder when I'll meet the Crafting God."
"You'll get your chance. Who knows? Maybe you'll see him one day and not even realize it's him," Ray Ding laughed.
Yang Han laughed, "Is that even possible?"
"One day you'll understand. That's all I'll say. Until we meet again," Ray Ding said with a smile. Yang Han nodded gratefully, "Thank you."
After saying goodbye to Ray Ding, Yang Han left the grand hall and retraced his steps back to the Exquisite Realm.
Once back in the Exquisite Realm, Yang Han released White Moon. She asked curiously, "So what happened exactly?"