Chapter 6: Parting Again (Part 1)_1

Eventually, he pushed himself up and rose to his feet; the halo on his body had gradually disappeared, with the warm flow of energy having dispersed into the meridians, no longer noticeable. Other than feeling sticky, everything else seemed the same as before. He walked back to the wooden hut, soaking his dirty clothes in some spring water. After a quick rinse, he went back to sleep in his room.

The next morning, Ah Dai woke up and felt as refreshed as ever. The night before was the only time he didn't meditate after Goris had left. He had committed all the notes to memory and decided to spend his time meditating. Ah Dai was now very interested in meditation. Over these past few days, he had been able to release flames of a blue hue, and his Fireball Technique had also reached over a dozen centimeters in diameter. What he didn't realize was that, with his current Magic Power, his standard was comparable to a Junior Magician's.

After two months, Goris finally returned to the Illusive Forest. His journey had not been smooth, and he had spent a lot of time gathering enough Fragrant Wind Grass. When he saw the wooden hut, everything around was silent, just as it was when he left, with no apparent changes.

"Ah Dai, Ah Dai—" Goris called out a few times. He didn't know why, but during his time away, he often found himself thinking of this slow-witted simpleton.

"Ah, Master, I'm so glad you're finally back." Ah Dai rushed out of the room and threw himself into Goris's arms, his joy evidenced by his radiant expression.

Goris eyed Ah Dai closely; the boy seemed sturdy after the two-month absence, and his skin was healthy. Despite still looking somewhat silly, he appeared more pleasing to the eyes now. Goris tried to calm his stirring emotions, saying to Ah Dai, "I'm tired. Go pluck some fruits for me. I need to rest a bit."

"Alright." Ah Dai responded cheerfully, grabbing a bamboo basket, and sprinting towards the orchard. When he returned to the hut, he noticed a cloth bag on the chair while Goris was meditating nearby. "Master, here are the fruits. Is this the Fragrant Wind Grass you brought back? I'll put them in the drawer."

Goris opened his eyes and looked at Ah Dai with slight surprise, "When did you become so clever, boy? That's not Fragrant Wind Grass, it's for you."

Ah Dai seemed confused, pointed at his nose, and asked, "For me?"

Goris nodded, "Go ahead, open it."

"Thank you, Master." Ah Dai held the heavy parcel in his arms excitedly. It was the first time he received a gift, and the excitement made his body shiver. As he unwrapped the parcel, his eyes widened with surprise. The parcel did not contain any valuable or novel items, but for Ah Dai, there was nothing that could have made him happier. Because what he found inside was a pile of white steamed buns. Even though the buns had cooled down a bit, they were still soft. The fragrance of the buns made Ah Dai tear up, "Master, thank you, thank you," he sobbed.

Nonchalantly munching on a fruit, Goris replied, "What's there to thank? Just some cheap steamed buns. I thought of bringing some chicken legs too, but they spoil easily, so I didn't. So, Ah Dai, how's your study of the notes coming along?"

Ah Dai pulled out the well-preserved notebook from his chest and handed it to Goris, "Master, I have memorized it all."

Goris, astonished, replied, "All of it? Don't blame me for punishing you if you're lying."

Ah Dai asserted resolutely, "Master, I'm not lying, I've really memorized it all. You can test me."

Goris said, "Alright then, tell me, what kind of metal can refine the best weapons?"

Ah Dai answered without hesitation, "To refine the best weapons, you need to fulfill three conditions. First, you need high-quality raw materials. Depending on their attributes, raw materials are classified into six categories: Light, Darkness, Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind. Any material without attributes is deemed inferior. Raw materials containing Dark and Light energy are the hardest to find, and the weapons made from them are the most powerful. Light-class raw materials include Bright Gold, Bright Silver etc. On the other hand, Dark-class materials include tungsten steel... Secondly, the best weapons require a stable high temperature; the higher the temperature, the fewer the impurities in the weapon. The black flames you use represent one of the highest temperatures. However, since black flames are Magic-based and can't last for long, they can only be used to forge small weapons. Finally, if you want the weapon to possess a spirit, it must be forged according to the time and location. The same material and flame can produce weapons of different quality under different weather conditions and locations. For example, forging on a clear day at a high altitude..."

Goris looked at Ah Dai in amazement as the boy recited from his notes on weapon forging flawlessly. Goris was speechless, wondering how much time it must've taken for the boy to memorize the notes so thoroughly!

"Alright, stop. I believe you've completely memorized it. Starting tomorrow, as we did before, you can help me with my experiments. I need to rest now."