The essence of the Viper's blood, in an instant, was entirely drawn into the black hole in Duanfeng Buer's palm. In that same moment, Duanfeng Buer seemed to have consumed something profoundly nourishing, a flicker of comfortable crimson appearing in his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, the head of the Blazing Mantis was seized in Fen Tu Kuang Ge's grasp, and a Demon Core flew out from within the gargantuan beast’s body. Qian Jin showed no hesitation, securing the three Mid-grade Demon Cores, then, with a turn of his wrist, tossed the corpses of these beast leaders directly into his own Battle Realm.

The sudden assault immediately threw the multitude of beasts warring in the sands into disarray. Seeing their leaders dead, their eyes flashed with furious malice; they ceased paying attention to the enemies they had just been fighting and charged toward Qian Jin and his companions.

Qian Jin gripped the Sacred Artifact, the Blacksmith's Hammer, in his hand. The Hammer Soul of his Second Battle Heart immediately surged into the warhammer.

Instantly, the hammer's body swelled, and swelled, and swelled... In the span of a breath, the colliding hammer reached the size of a city gate.

Qian Jin looked like an insignificant ant lifting a colossal maul. The beasts instinctively tilted their heads upward toward the suddenly darkening sky, spotting the colossal hammer descending at high speed, like the harbinger of doomsday.

Boom! The moment the Blacksmith's Hammer slammed into the ground, countless beasts were instantly reduced to paste.

The golden sand roared upward into the sky in a massive eruption. The Vipers hidden underground were violently hurled skyward at that very instant, their bodies shattered by the sheer, brute force of the impact.

Qian Jin surveyed the effect of his strike with satisfaction. This was the result of combining his Battle Soul with a Sacred Artifact.

Although he hadn't truly achieved Sainthood and couldn't wield the full strength of a Saint expert, he could certainly manifest the might of the Sacred Artifact! While a Battle Soul expert wielding a Sacred Artifact could become immensely powerful, they could never truly unleash the artifact's complete potential; only those who had truly entered Sainthood could draw forth its full might.

The instant Qian Jin attacked, he sensed that if he had wished to increase the power further, he could have continued to amplify the artifact's inherent energy, as if he truly needed no Sainthood to wield its power. "This...

perhaps this is the bonus gift resulting from my failed attempt at Sainthood?" Qian Jin offered a faint smile. He had failed to ascend, yet he could wield the true power of a Sacred Artifact reserved for Saints.

In a way, this counted as an elevation of rank. However, this particular advancement in rank was something outsiders could never truly perceive unless they engaged him in combat.

"This is the true power of a Sacred Artifact," Duanfeng Buer whistled in awe, staring at Qian Jin. "Tell me, comrade-in-arms, what would happen if you held that shield Sacred Artifact in your other hand?" Qian Jin opened his Battle Realm and retrieved the metal shield, about half a man's height, that he had acquired earlier.

Although this shield was also of Sacred Artifact rank, its power paled in comparison to the complete form of the two broken shield fragments he possessed. It was a pity that the original shield had split, weakening its might so drastically.

The Battle Soul of the Wind and Cloud Dou Qi flowed into the shield. Qian Jin felt a sensation—the shield that was already nearing fusion with his Wind and Cloud Golden Body now gave him the familiar feeling of wanting to merge with it once more.

"What is this...?" Qian Jin felt his Wind and Cloud Golden Body instantly reorganize itself, achieving a new phase of advancement: the Golden Body Realm of the Wind and Cloud Golden Body! The Great Accomplishment of the Golden Body Realm!

Qian Jin looked down at his physique. He had always assumed that without achieving Sainthood, the Golden Body Realm would remain forever beyond his grasp.

Unexpectedly, with the assistance of the two shields, he had broken through to the Golden Body Realm ahead of schedule. How potent was the defense of the Golden Body Realm?

Qian Jin himself couldn't precisely articulate it. He only knew that even Uncle Mu Gui Wuxin, who had achieved Sainthood, could not shatter his Wind and Cloud Golden Body within three thousand strikes if he attacked with all his might using only his bare hands!

The punches and kicks of a Saint expert could not quickly injure a warrior at the Wind and Cloud Golden Body Realm! Qian Jin smiled and looked up.

Even without being a Saint, he now possessed the sufficient capital to contend against a true Saint expert. The offensive power and destructive capability of a Saint expert were immense, but that did not necessarily mean their physical defense rivaled the legendary durability attributed to Dragons.

At least, against a Saint like Mu Gui Wuxin, Qian Jin was confident that with one full-power strike—maximizing his Violent Soul Domain—he could inflict injury upon him. And if he employed a suitable Sacred Artifact?

Qian Jin believed that holding the hammer, if Mu Gui Wuxin remained stationary and allowed the bombardment, a single strike would be enough to turn him into a patty. "Fascinating, truly fascinating!" Duanfeng Buer leaped back into the Concealment Soul Domain.

"Let's go, let's go! We need to keep moving and clear out more beasts." Qian Jin gathered the scattered Demon Cores on the ground, while his eyes simultaneously scanned the surrounding terrain, searching for potential mineral veins.

The Ancient Desolate Sand Sea was never home only to endless, terrifying beasts; it also harbored abundant mineral wealth. However, these resources had been buried beneath the sands for countless eons, making it impossible for even experts in mineralogy to pinpoint their locations.

Aside from various rare metallic ores, there were also Dou Crystal veins! Every major family controlled at least one Dou Crystal and Dou Stone mine within their territories to supply their descendants with the resources needed to advance their strength.

To warriors, these Dou Crystals and Stones were resources for increasing power, but they also possessed significant intrinsic value in forging truly high-end equipment. Qian Jin felt an intense desire to flip the entire Ancient Desolate Sand Sea over to see just how many treasures lay buried beneath.

Twenty days might be but a blink of an eye to many, but in the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea, it barely amounted to a fleeting moment. Qian Jin panted heavily, sweat plastering his hair to his brow, a look of weary triumph on his face as he regarded Duanfeng Buer and the others beside him.

Five days ago, they had been struggling in the Sand Sea for a full fifteen days. When they encountered Mid-grade beasts, they would play rock-paper-scissors to decide who went out to slay the opponent and claim the core.

When facing High-grade beasts, they simply relied on Chekefulite’s Concealment Soul Domain and ganged up on the targets, launching a surprise attack to eliminate the beasts that would otherwise prove troublesome and difficult to handle. During this time, they even adventured to slay a Super-grade Demon Beast!

Just as they were about to celebrate their good fortune, a second Super-grade beast appeared, and it seemed their luck had run out at that precise moment. The Eyeless Beast!

A creature without eyes, round like a meatball, appearing soft and easy to bully. But anyone who dared consider it easy prey would only end up as its meal, for this Eyeless Beast was a Super-grade entity.

Though lacking sight, its perception was terrifyingly acute; even the Concealment Soul Domain of an expert like Chekefulite, whose strength hovered between Void Saint and True Saint, could not guarantee complete stealth from it. For five continuous days, the group lived by hiding and fleeing, barely surviving and eventually escaping the deeper regions of the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea.

These five days of relentless pursuit served to re-temper the group’s vigorous spirits, washing them anew. Duanfeng Buer sprawled out like a starfish at the very edge of the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea, letting out a chain of roaring laughter toward the heavens.

The feeling of escaping death was always so exhilarating. "Let's return to Yongliu to stabilize ourselves; we should head to the Divine Capital next," Qian Jin said, rotating his neck.

"The Newcomer King Tournament is starting soon. I’ll forge some equipment, and you all can consolidate your gains.

Then we will launch our final push toward Sainthood and compete in the tournament." Fen Tu Kuang Ge nodded silently. The harsh trials they had endured recently had accumulated their strength to heights they had never imagined.

Such a situation truly called for a day or two of quiet reflection before making their strongest attempt at Sainthood. As for Qian Jin, the act of forging Soul Weapons was, for him, a form of consolidation in itself.

During this period, Qian Jin had moved through the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea. When there was combat, he participated; when there was none, he retreated into the Concealment Soul Domain, closely observing and comprehending the methods behind crafting each Sacred Artifact.

In those brief fifteen days, Qian Jin absorbed more knowledge than he had gathered from forging over the past several years combined! However, without his prior foundational learning, even holding the Sacred Artifacts for those fifteen days would have left him incapable of understanding the forging process, let alone making progress in the craft.

Many veiled secrets were being illuminated as he interacted with the Sacred Artifacts, allowing Qian Jin to rapidly integrate his existing knowledge. While he couldn't guarantee success in forging Soul Weapons, the probability of success was now incomparable to before.

Moreover, with the Sacred Artifact Blacksmith's Hammer in his grasp, combined with the might of his Hammer Battle Soul, forging Soul Weapons was no longer such an intensely arduous task. Leaving the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea meant entering the territory of Qian Prefecture, the area of the True Policy Dynasty connected to the outer regions of the Sand Sea, which was almost entirely garrisoned and governed by the Qian family.

It was similar to how the eastern ocean was guarded by the three Golden Dragon families—the endless sea hid countless fierce amphibious beasts, and without powerful bloodline families standing guard, the citizens of the True Policy Dynasty would surely feel uneasy. The group entered a small town in Qian Prefecture, seeking out a tavern to replenish their food and fresh water.

Duanfeng Buer went out to find the horse market to purchase conveyances. A few warriors, dressed in tattered burlap suggesting they were mercenaries, entered the tavern.

They cast curious glances at Qian Jin's group before settling down, ceasing their observation of others, and adopting an expectant air, as if waiting for someone. After days of survival in the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea, the group hadn't eaten a proper meal in a long time.

At this moment, even the simple fare in the small tavern tasted exquisitely delicious. A while later, the tavern door opened again, and two more mercenaries wrapped in yellowed burlap entered.

Beneath the cloth, the glint of sharp blades could be vaguely discerned. The two mercenaries saw their companions’ greeting gestures and joined the table.

The slightly subdued tavern quickly grew lively. "Did you guys hear?

Master Blaidas, the master blacksmith of the Dwarf Clan, has arrived in the Divine Capital..." "Arrived? He’s clearly here to stir up trouble!

Our Dynasty is holding the Divine Craftsman Forging Competition soon. He couldn't come earlier, couldn't come later, yet he chooses this exact moment to visit the Divine Capital.

Do you think that's just a coincidence?"