Chapter 3683: Heading Back To The Dao Forge

Lin Mu felt energized in a way that went beyond physical strength.

There was a sense of completeness, a deep satisfaction that came from aligning multiple aspects of his cultivation into a cohesive whole. It filled him with a quiet excitement, one that he did not allow to disrupt his focus.

After stabilizing his condition, Lin Mu slowly opened his eyes.

The pillar of lava beneath him had already receded, returning to the surface of the sea. The environment had calmed, but the changes within him remained.

He turned and flew back toward the junkyard.

By the time he arrived, the elders had already gathered.

Word of his actions had spread quickly. The elder who had been observing him had informed the others, and their concern had drawn them here. However, the moment they saw Lin Mu, their expressions shifted.

Something about him had changed.

To ordinary eyes, he still appeared human.

But to the three Transcendent Dwarves, the difference was unmistakable.

They could sense the elements within him.

Earth, Fire, and Metal flowed through his body in perfect harmony, blending together into a presence that felt more like a force of nature than a person. It was as if they were standing before a living embodiment of magma, a fusion of the very elements they had devoted their lives to mastering.

The purity of his energy startled them.

It was refined, stable, and incredibly dense. Even compared to their own tens of thousands of years of comprehension, Lin Mu’s current state stood on equal footing, and in some aspects, it even surpassed them.

They exchanged brief glances.

There was no need for words to convey what they were thinking.

Lin Mu descended slowly and landed before them.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he retracted his aura, drawing it inward until it no longer radiated outward. The overwhelming presence faded, replaced by a calm and controlled demeanor.

The elders stepped forward.

"Is it done?" one of them asked.

Lin Mu gave a small nod.

"It is."

There was a brief silence.

Then he continued.

"Only the Dao Embryos remain."

The elders did not respond immediately.

They understood the weight of what he had just accomplished. Comprehending three elemental Daos to such a degree was already an extraordinary feat. However, they also knew that this was only part of the process. Without the corresponding Dao Embryos, the full potential of those elements could not be realized. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The task ahead was just as important.

The Transcendent elders stepped forward together.

"If you intend to form the Dao Embryos," one of them said, "there is no better place than the Dao Forge."

Another elder continued.

"That forge has witnessed countless Dao Embryos. Many of our greatest craftsmen formed theirs within it. When their lives came to an end, they returned those embryos to the forge so that their knowledge could continue to serve future generations."

The implication was clear.

The Dao Forge was not merely a tool.

It was a repository of accumulated understanding, a place where the essence of countless masters lingered.

Lin Mu nodded.

"I understand."

Without hesitation, he prepared to leave.

There was no reason to delay.

It had been nearly eleven months since he had begun this entire process. In that time, he had transformed himself significantly, reaching a level that few could achieve in such a short span.

Yet he was not finished.

He still needed to form two Dao Embryos.

And beyond that, the forging of the husk remained.

There was still work to be done.

Lin Mu stepped forward, his figure disappearing as he moved toward the Dao Forge once more.

Though he had all the time he needed, a quiet urgency had begun to grow within him. And he intended to see it through to the end.

When Lin Mu stepped back into the Dao Forge realm, he immediately sensed the difference.

It was not the place that had changed. It was him.

Before, when he had first entered this space, he had only been able to perceive the surface of its existence. He had recognized the density of energy, the presence of Dao traces, and the complexity of the arrays that formed the realm. That understanding had been impressive in its own right, but it had still been incomplete.

Now, everything felt clearer.

The moment he arrived, his senses spread outward almost instinctively. The entire realm seemed to unfold before him in layers, each one revealing a deeper aspect of its nature. He could feel the Dao traces that filled the space, not as vague currents of energy, but as distinct presences.

Fire.

Earth.

Metal.

They dominated the realm, woven into every part of its structure. The Fire Dao traces flickered with a controlled intensity, radiating heat and transformation. The Earth Dao traces carried a heavy stability, anchoring the entire space with unyielding strength. The Metal Dao traces were sharp and refined, their presence precise and cutting.

These three elements formed the foundation of the Dao Forge.

Lin Mu stood still for a moment, simply absorbing the sensation.

He realized then that this clarity was a direct result of his completed cores. By finishing the Earth, Fire, and Metal cores, he had aligned himself with the very essence of this place. The forge was no longer something external to him. It resonated with him on a fundamental level.

"It feels... different," Lin Mu said quietly.

The elders, who had entered with him, observed his expression with interest. They could already tell that he was perceiving things in a way that most cultivators could not.

"That is because you have changed," the Rune Dwarf elder replied. "The forge has always been like this. You can simply understand it better now."

Lin Mu nodded.

There was no need for further explanation.

After taking a moment to steady his thoughts, he turned toward the elders.

"How do I begin?" he asked. "How do I form the Dao Embryos here?"

The Mountain Dwarf elder stepped forward.