The Ironmist Academy's first graduation dawned bright, banners fluttering under clear skies. Hundreds gathered—farmers in fresh tunics, smiths with calloused hands, and children waving paper flags. Twenty young talents stood on the stone platform, robes crisp, eyes burning with qi flames they'd kindled themselves.
I stood before them with Yue Zhilan at my side, her spear a silver warning. Mo Han loomed behind, the Hellfire Legion in formation. The air hummed with pride. These weren't nobles' sons. They were bakers' kids, miners' daughters—the first to grasp cultivation in a land that once knew only survival.
"You've forged more than qi," I said, my voice carrying. "You've forged hope. Swear to this domain and to each other, and I'll swear to you."
The lead graduate, a girl named Lian with fire-red hair, knelt first. "By heaven and earth, we pledge eternal loyalty to Sovereign Ling Chen and the Heavenly Domain. Our blades, our lives—yours."
The others echoed, qi surging in unison. Cheers exploded. Hands clasped. The north felt alive.
But shadows never rest.
Hidden among the crowd, three foreign spies waited—Freeport remnants, desperate after failed raids. Their leader, a scarred cultivator named Thorne, gripped a void dagger laced with soul-shattering poison. "The untouchable dies today," he whispered. "Strike when he crowns the girl."
They moved as one—illusions cloaking their steps, blades drawn under sleeves. Lian knelt for her qi crystal. My hand reached forward.
Yue Zhilan sensed it first. Her spear blurred. Moonlight flashed like lightning. Thorne's arm vanished mid-swing, the dagger clattering harmlessly. The other two froze, space warping around them.
Screams rose—not from blood, but shock. Guards swarmed. Thorne clutched his stump, white-faced. "Impossible!"
Yue Zhilan's voice cut cold. "Desperate dogs bite once. Never twice."
I didn't look at them. Finished crowning Lian. "Rise, guardian. Your first duty—clean this filth."
The crowd roared approval. Lian bowed, qi flaring brighter. Spies dragged away in chains. No blood spoilt the ceremony. Loyalty shone stronger.
That night, as lanterns dimmed, the system chimed.
"Ding! The monthly summon card is ready. Activate?"
I stood alone in the forge yard, embers glowing. "Yes."
Golden light swirled, heat rising like a sun. Hammers echoed from nowhere. A figure emerged—massive, muscled, skin scarred from eternal flame. His beard burned faintly at the tips, eyes like molten gold. In one hand, a hammer the size of a man.
"Summon complete. God of Eternal Forges—Titanforge Vulcan. Cultivation: Peak Divine Lord Realm. Loyalty: 88%. Innate: Infinite Forge Heart (crafts divine weapons endlessly). History: Once forged heaven's armoury until betrayed by jealous gods."
Vulcan knelt, voice rumbling like avalanches. "Lord Ling Chen. I owe you my spark."
"You know me?" I asked.
He nodded. "Millennia ago, when lesser gods sealed my forges in void ice, you—a wandering soul—shattered their chains. Gave me spirit ore to relight my flames. Said, 'Build what endures, not what destroys.' I swore if fate called, I'd arm your cause."
I smiled faintly. "Fate delivers. Rise, Vulcan. We need weapons that last."
He stood, grinning through beard-flame. "Your academies graduate children with sticks. No more. I'll teach them true craft—blades that sing, armor that laughs at gods."
The next morning, Vulcan's forge roared alive. Academy graduates crowded round, eyes wide as he pulled iron from earth with bare hands. "Feel the heart!" he bellowed, hammering a lump into a glowing sword. Sparks flew like stars.
Lian watched closest. "Master, teach me."
Vulcan laughed. "Girl with fire hair? You'll forge first." He tossed her a hammer. She swung—clang!—and qi flowed true. A blade took shape, humming with spirit.
Word spread. Smiths flocked. Vulcan built forges across cities—endless flame, no fuel needed. Weapons poured out: spears that pierced mountains and shields repelling saint strikes.
Lin Dao reported later. "Freeport's last spies are broken. Huang sends trade envoys begging for your steel. Loyalty hits 94%."
Mo Han tested a new halberd, grinning. "This cuts demons like butter."
Yue Zhilan polished her spear—now etched with Vulcan's runes. "Even gods improve."
I watched graduates train with fresh blades, Lian leading drills. The traitor scare faded. Foreign threats crumbled.
The system whispered.
"Ding! Dual Quest Complete—Graduation Glory + Forge Awakening. Rewards: Divine Armoury Blueprint, Population Loyalty Maxed. New Title: Armourer of Nations.
That evening, Vulcan clapped my shoulder—nearly breaking it. "You kept your word from ages past. Now I keep mine. Armies forged in loyalty outlast empires."
I nodded toward the training grounds, where young talents sparred under starlight. "They'll prove it."
From graduation blades to god-forged steel, the north stood unbreakable. Assassins failed. Loyalty bloomed. And in Vulcan's endless flames, a nation armed itself—not for war, but for the peace it would defend forever.