Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3669: Uniqueness Of The Dao Forge

"So we can begin," Lin Mu said, his voice calm yet carrying a hint of anticipation.

"Yes," one of the elders replied. "The acceptance is the first gate. Without it, there would be nothing more to discuss."

Lin Mu nodded before asking the question that had been forming in his mind since the forge appeared.

"How does the process work?" he asked.

The elders exchanged brief glances, and then one of them stepped forward.

"The process itself resembles normal forging in its structure," he said. "Heating, shaping, refining, and stabilizing."

He paused, letting the simplicity of those words settle.

"But the method of using the Dao Forge is different," he added.

Lin Mu frowned slightly.

"Different how?" he asked.

Rather than answering directly, the Fireforge elder moved forward.

"Watch," he said.

The elder raised his hand.

For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then his body began to glow faintly, as if a hidden fire had been ignited within him. The air around him shifted, growing heavier, charged with an energy that Lin Mu immediately recognized.

Dao Traces.

They gathered around the elder in strands, flowing like molten threads of light. Their color deepened into a rich crimson, carrying the essence of fire itself.

Then something formed.

Above the elder’s hand, a shell of Immortal qi appeared, enclosing something within it.

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed.

It was a Dao Embryo.

He could tell that much instantly. Yet what surprised him was its nature.

Within the shell, the embryo took the shape of a furnace.

A simple form at first glance, yet the more Lin Mu observed, the more he realized its depth. The Dao Traces within it were incredibly dense, layered upon one another in a way that suggested profound comprehension.

And beyond that...

He could sense Dao Insights embedded within it.

This was not a basic Dao Embryo.

This was something cultivated to an extraordinary level.

The elder extended his hand and placed the Dao Embryo beside the Dao Forge.

What happened next caught Lin Mu completely off guard.

The Dao Embryo began to resonate.

Hong

A low hum filled the air, subtle at first but quickly intensifying. The forge responded in kind, its structure vibrating with a matching frequency.

The two did not remain separate.

They moved toward each other.

And then...

They merged.

The Dao Embryo sank into the Dao Forge, disappearing within its form as if it had always belonged there.

Lin Mu’s breath hitched slightly.

The forge changed.

It became more solid, more defined, its presence expanding as if it had gained substance. The patterns along its surface brightened, the runes glowing with renewed intensity.

Its aura surged.

The heat that followed was immediate and overwhelming.

Lin Mu felt it press against his skin, not as simple warmth, but as a force that carried the essence of fire itself. Even standing at a distance, he could feel the temperature rising to a level that would have incinerated most cultivators.

He endured it, his body adapting, but the intensity was undeniable.

"What was that?" Lin Mu asked.

The Fireforge elder turned to him.

"That is my Dao Embryo," he said. "The All Melt Furnace."

Lin Mu nodded slowly.

"And it merged with the Dao Forge," he said.

"Yes," the elder replied.

"Why?" Lin Mu asked.

The elder’s eyes gleamed slightly.

"The Dao Forge possesses a unique property," he explained. "It can resonate with compatible Dao Embryos and merge with them."

Lin Mu’s expression grew serious.

"And that enhances it," he said.

"More than that," another elder added. "It amplifies the forge’s power and grants it additional properties based on the nature of the Dao Embryo."

Lin Mu absorbed the information carefully.

This was far beyond what he had expected.

He had never considered that Dao Embryos could interact with external constructs in such a way, much less merge with them to produce a combined effect.

"It is not as simple as wielding a hammer," the Rune Dwarf elder continued. "Using the Dao Forge requires alignment and compatibility."

"If the Dao Embryo resonates well," another elder said, "the forge reaches its full potential."

"And if it does not?" Lin Mu asked.

"Then it can still be used," the elder replied. "But its effectiveness will be limited."

Lin Mu glanced at the husk.

"And for this material," he said, "we need the highest level of affinity."

The elders nodded.

"Exactly," the Fireforge elder said.

With that, he turned back to the forge.

Through his connection with the All Melt Furnace Dao Embryo, he extended his control over the Dao Forge. The forge responded instantly, its inner core igniting with a deep, resonant glow.

The heat began to rise.

WHOOSH

This was not ordinary heat.

Lin Mu could feel it clearly.

There was no Qi involved.

No conventional energy.

This was heat generated from pure Dao Traces, reinforced by Dao Insights. It carried a depth that surpassed ordinary flame, a conceptual intensity that sought to alter the very nature of the material it touched.

The husk was placed within the forge.

The temperature climbed steadily.

Lin Mu’s expression tightened slightly as he endured the increasing pressure. Even with his cultivation, the environment became uncomfortable, forcing him to circulate his energy more actively to maintain balance.

The air shimmered.

The space itself seemed to distort slightly under the influence of the heat.

At first, the husk showed no reaction.

Then slowly...

It began to change.

The surface of the husk warmed, faint ripples appearing across it as the heat penetrated deeper. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the process was working.

But that moment did not last.

A reaction occurred.

HUALA

The dense spatial energy within the husk awakened.

It surged outward, forming a protective layer that wrapped around the entire structure. The energy stabilized itself instantly, creating a barrier that resisted further intrusion.

The heat pressed against it, but could not pass. Lin Mu watched closely, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the phenomenon. The spatial energy was not simply resisting the heat, it was adapting to it.

It was reinforcing itself in response to the external pressure.