Learning Forging wasn't at all what Pef had expected. No metallurgy or mechanical design, no Formation Arrays or even a lecture about Forging.

Just grueling and near-impossible attempts to open the way to the River of Creation. Apparently, the Elf Smith considered the river as the only important part, for his own reasons. Pef didn't agree, as he had crafted quite a number of Artifacts already, including over 300 auto-targeting Steel Thorns, organically grown from his own flesh and then Ascended at the same time as his of Tier 12 Ascension.

But the Elf dismissed his creations with a single question of his own. "Do you use these Thorns in battle? You just came back from the Chaos Sea. Did you use even one of them?"

Pef sighed inward, realizing the point. The Thorns would be good, even great for a Tier 11 user, but not for anyone of higher realm. A target like a Chaos Whale could be struck by all his Thorns, for nearly no effect. "You're right. I made them for the Legions Captains and such. I already have better tools."

"Not even Kalima can be called a proper Steelsmith, despite all the lessons and practice she had at my side. Without entering the Creation River at will, you're both like a Sword Master without a Sword Soul." the Elf said with an easier voice, then grabbed his Phoenix Burger and ate it in one bite. The Body of Steel didn't provoke any Tribulation, and the Elf just played for a minute with his upgraded flames.

"About that, Steelsmith. I did enter the Sword River before I obtained my own Sword Soul. And same for the Creation River. It is how I climbed up from the Lower Realm, actually." Pef answered with a tiny smile, then began to rapidly assemble a long-range teleport array in a far corner of the workshop.

The old Elf almost objected at the Divine Cook's impossible claims, but then he just ate an impossible creation just now. And he did meet the Dean in the Sword River, waiting in vain for the boy to appear, while he entered the High Heavens on a different path.

Pef winked at his wife, then vanished in a portal, and arrived in his own courtyard at the Academy. His other wives were comfortably settled in his house, although this time it was Lady Si ruling over the household, since she was the first to enter this house and thus the housekeeper.

"My lovely wives! Kalima just became a new Tier 12." he announced in a surprise tone.

Various hair lengths and colors shook, since nobody believed that Kalima managed to Ascend this high, on her own.

"You've been very...frugal, husband. Only two more wives in this entire new realm? I expected to find a hundred high-realm goddesses." Lady Lin spoke with a glance at Gia and Meili.

Pef smirked for a second, then went on to kiss every woman, then pat the Bee Queen on her head. "Master...half of your students quit the Formation class."

"Proctor Meng has transferred them into an easy-mode Formation class instead. For people who won't admit they aren't good enough, and blame the teacher." Vela added

with a careless voice.

"I'm pretty sure writing that easy array on black paper would have helped most students pass. It was in my lecture, right? And on the blackboard too." Pef answered with an easy-going voice, that made Vela slap her forehead. She had also missed the clue.

The Tao Seal inside Lia glinted for a second, most likely in approval. Pef could never tell what the sentient Formation Seal actually said, but as his own proficiency with Formations increased, he was getting closer. Just like with the Silent Monk, there were ways of communication that didn't involve words.

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The flutter of invisible wings announced the arrival of the glove goddess, who smiled kindly at the females present, then frowned as a box in her pocket began to shake and screech. She held the jade box out in her palm and turned slowly, until the insects inside focused on a certain person: Lady Si.

"This better not be what I think it is!" Pef spoke in a warning tone, as the glove opened the box to reveal 33 small green silkworms, wobbling and writhing while their tiny eyes glowed at the sight of Lady Si.

"I'm only in Tier 5, your Eminence." Lady Si whispered in a confused voice. While Tier 5 wasn't a shabby cultivation realm even in High Heaven, it was generally too low for notice. The Celestial Academy didn't even recruit students under Tier 7.

"Pef can remedy that with some food. We'll go and speak with a tree now. Poor worms are hungry too." the glove answered with a careless tone, then opened a Blue Portal and invited the woman inside.

Our hero starred for a second at his glove, then sighed and followed Lady Si inside the portal.

He should meet the tree anyway, maybe it would have a way to access the Creation River. The other option, involved the far more dangerous entry into the Skull Prison and meeting the Chaos Fiend. Pef got away with it once, but that ancient monster wasn't locked behind 81000 Formations because he was a such a great guy.

"These are silkworms?" he asked the glove as their group arrived in front of the Silent Monk.

"A special type of worms. They also Sing." the glove answered while passing the jade box to the Silent Monk.

Pef turned his eyes on the Mulberry Tree, who was a rather important component for the bees and the precious Royal Honey. But silk crafted from the Mulberry Tree would be special too. "...and they also Sing, you say. But I can't hear any Song, only insect chattering."

The Silent Monk nodded gently, and turned his grave eyes on Lady Si. The woman tilted her head and listened for a minute, then her face paled for no reason. "So hungry! And they can only eat mulberry leaves." she exclaimed in a pained voice.

The glove goddess sighed and scattered the silkworms over the tall tree, then pressed her forehead on the bark, and spoke directly with the tree, while Pef leaned on the Bamboo Tree and explained his own predicament.

As always, the fallen World Tree listened to the end, then replied with a flutter of leaves and a spark of insight. Back to the Chaos Fiend, or work hard for a million Chaos Cycles, until he attained 100% completion in Creation Dao. Pef didn't fear hard work, but he also didn't want to waste time. The dangerous way, then.

Another pair of Tree Seeds fell into his hand, both empty. But the Tree wanted its old Seeds back, both filled with the Devour and Preservation Dao which helped Pef Ascend so fast into the Steel Realm.

He needed to obtain Order and Chaos now, for the Tier 13, and the new Seeds would make the process much, much faster.

Then a low branch of the Immortal Peach tree bent down and dropped a juicy Immortality Peach in the hand of Lady Si, who stared at the gift with wonder.

"Just eat the fruit, love. I paid like 1000 times its worth just now." Pef assured her with a smile, while the Bamboo Tree absorbed the full Seeds and began to Ascend.

"Not here! You have a spot in the Jade Mountains!" the orange glove growled with an annoyed tone, and expelled the Bamboo Tree and its guardian Silent Monk far away,

in the newly conquered Jade lands.

Pef smiled as he felt his Karma debt towards the Tree vanish, a strange but powerful metaphysical chain that held cultivators back, especially stronger ones.

Lady Si ate the peach, and began to Ascend, while Pef watched new Karma strings tie his wife to the World Tree.

Then he jumped into a portal and stepped beside the Celestial Dean and his faithful Demonhunter, observing the Bamboo Tree and its Tribulation.

"This is a good thing, right? We'll get access to the Stairway to Heaven soon." Pef commented with a casual voice, and poked Demonhunter in the shoulder.

The Celestial Dean sighed, and looked up with a sad face. "The Three Pure Ones might not see it this way. And why that man still alive?" he asked with a nod towards the Silent Monk, who was standing under the tree and enduring the same amount of Tribulations like the tree.

"The monk will be fine. And that reminds me, I shouldn't waste the opportunity. Tribulations are a great ingredient for my wine." the Divine Cook claimed with an easy voice, then joined the monk under the tree to begin brewing more wine.