Chapter 8: The Birth of Silver
Age: 12 Years
The air in the underground cavern was thick enough to chew. It tasted of sulfur, burning ozone, and the metallic tang of ancient stardust.
Located three miles beneath the Ye Clan estate, this was the Earth Fire Chamber—the personal forge of Grand Elder Xuan. Usually, this place was reserved for repairing the clan's most precious Spirit Artifacts.
For the past seven days, however, it had been occupied by a twelve-year-old boy.
"Seventy-two hammers," I whispered, my voice raspy from dehydration. "Seventy-three."
CLANG.
My hammer, wrapped in violet Qi, struck the floating sphere of molten metal.
It wasn't normal iron. It was the Stellar Meteorite I had scavenged at my first birthday, combined with Deep Sea Frost Silver I had extorted—borrowed—from Elder Xuan's treasury.
"Kid, you've been at it for a week," Elder Xuan grumbled from the corner. He was sitting on a crate, nursing a jug of wine, his face illuminated by the eerie blue glow of the Earth Fire. "Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have collapsed by now. Take a break."
I ignored him. I couldn't stop. The metal was at the critical "Liquid Spirit" state. If I stopped hammering now, the structure would crystallize imperfectly.
'Ria, structure analysis,' I projected mentally.
"The skeletal density is at 98%," Ria's voice echoed in my soul, sounding eager. "You need to compress the spine area more. I don't want back problems in my new body."
'You are a sword spirit. You don't get back pain.'
"I will if you forge me a crooked spine. Hammer it again. Harder."
I gritted my teeth. I channeled the Supreme Yang Energy from my bloodline into the hammer.
BOOM!
The strike was so heavy the entire cavern shook. Dust fell from the ceiling, landing in Elder Xuan's wine.
"Crazy," Xuan muttered, watching me with a mix of annoyance and awe. "Twelve years old. Peak Qi Condensation. And forging technique that surpasses the Imperial Blacksmiths. Who exactly did I bring into my cave?"
I didn't answer. I dropped the hammer. The metal skeleton was complete. A gleaming, silver skeletal frame floated in the fire, radiating a terrifying sharpness.
"Phase Two," I announced. "Flesh."
I reached into my storage pouch and pulled out a treasure that made Elder Xuan choke on his drink.
It was a Nine-Segment Spirit Lotus Root. It looked like white jade, pulsing with a soft, milky light. It was a treasure worth a city, meant to heal fatal injuries.
"You… you're using the Nine-Segment Lotus for casting?" Xuan shouted, standing up. "That's waste! That's heresy!"
"It's necessary," I said coldly.
I threw the Lotus into the fire. But instead of burning, I used the Heaven-Devouring Sutra to instantly break down its physical form into pure "Life Essence."
A cloud of white mist swirled around the silver skeleton.
"Merge," I commanded.
The mist latched onto the metal. It wove itself into muscles, tendons, and organs. It was a miraculous sight—the creation of a biological system from pure energy.
"Phase Three," I said, pulling out a small vial. "Life."
I uncorked the vial. Inside was a single drop of red liquid that glowed like a miniature sun. It was my own Essence Blood, extracted after months of refining. It contained the trace of the Dragon Sovereign.
I flicked the drop into the chest of the floating figure.
THUMP.
A heartbeat.
The sound echoed through the cave like a war drum.
Elder Xuan stumbled back, his eyes wide. "A heartbeat? You… you are creating an Artificial Human? That is a taboo art, Rudra! The Heavens will strike you down!"
"Let them try," I snarled.
The figure in the fire began to form skin. Pale, flawless, porcelain skin. The features sharpened—high cheekbones, a delicate nose, and lips the color of pale roses.
Hair grew from the scalp, cascading down like a waterfall of liquid mercury, shimmering with a metallic silver hue.
The fire died down. The floating figure slowly descended, her feet touching the stone floor.
She stood there, naked, her silver hair covering the important parts, glowing with a faint, otherworldly light. Her eyes were closed.
"It's done," I whispered, collapsing onto my knees. My Qi was drained. My mental energy was near zero.
"Is it… alive?" Xuan whispered, stepping closer, terrified but curious.
The figure's eyelids fluttered.
They snapped open.
Elder Xuan gasped. Those weren't human eyes. They were vertical slits of molten gold—the eyes of a predator. The eyes of a Dragon.
The girl took a deep breath. She looked at her hands. She flexed her fingers. She rolled her neck, hearing a satisfying crack.
Then, she looked at me.
A slow, terrifyingly beautiful smile spread across her face.
"Master," she said.
Her voice wasn't telepathic anymore. It was acoustic. It was cool, crisp, and carried a metallic resonance that made the swords on the wall rattle in sympathy.
She walked over to me, ignoring her nakedness, and knelt. She placed her hand on my forehead.
"Transfer complete," she said softly. "The body is… acceptable. Though the mana conductivity in the left shoulder is 0.5% lower than calculated."
"I'll fix it later," I wheezed, swatting her hand away. "Put some clothes on. You're traumatizing the Elder."
I tossed her a bundle of clothes I had prepared—a black and white maid uniform made of Spirit Silk. It was durable, practical, and armored.
Ria stood up and dressed with efficient, blurring speed. In three seconds, she transformed from a naked goddess into a prim, proper, silver-haired maid.
She turned to Elder Xuan.
The Grand Elder was pressing himself against the cave wall, clutching his wine gourd like a shield.
"What… what is she?" Xuan stammered. "I sense no Dantian. But her physical pressure… it feels like a Rank 4 Spirit Beast."
Ria tilted her head. She looked at Xuan like a queen looking at a peasant.
"I am Ria," she said. "The Young Master's Sword."
"Sword?" Xuan blinked. "You mean Sword Servant?"
"I mean Sword," she corrected. She raised her right hand.
SHING.
Her arm didn't just move; it blurred. Her hand turned into a silver blur, slicing through the air.
Five feet away, a solid iron anvil was split cleanly in half. The cut was so smooth the top half didn't even slide off immediately.
Xuan's jaw dropped. "She… her body is a weapon."
"Stellar Meteorite bones," I explained, struggling to stand up. "She is indestructible to anything below the King Realm. And she doesn't need to eat, sleep, or breathe."
I walked over to Ria. She immediately reached out to support me, her grip firm and cool.
"She will be my shadow," I told Xuan. "To the outside world, she is a servant I bought from a foreign land. To the clan, she is my bodyguard. To you… she is the result of your 'teachings'."
Xuan laughed nervously. "My teachings? Brat, if I knew how to make a Foundation Establishment-level battle puppet that looks like a goddess, I would have conquered the Empire by now."
He l'oked at Ria, then at me. His expression softened.
"You really are a monster, Rudra. A twelve-year-old creating life… If the Order of Providence finds out about this…"
"They won't," Ria said. Her voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "Because anyone who finds out will be dismantled."
Xuan gulped. "Right. Secret. Understood."
I patted Ria's arm. "Stand down, Ria. Elder Xuan is a friend. He provides the wine."
Ria's eyes returned to a neutral state. She bowed slightly to Xuan. "Apologies, Elder. My combat protocols are still calibrating."
I looked at my creation—my wife, my partner, my weapon—finally standing in the real world.
"Let's go home, Ria," I said. "I have a little sister who needs to learn how to dodge a punch."
"As you wish, Master," Ria replied.
We walked out of the cave, leaving a stunned Grand Elder staring at the sliced anvil, wondering if he had just witnessed the birth of a calamity or a savior.