Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3657: Hook, Line And Sinker

The object seemed to be an insect beast’s husk, yet it radiated something far beyond ordinary energy.

They stood without needing to be told.

They approached.

One by one, the dwarven elders circled the husk.

Their eyes scanned it.

Their senses probed it.

And then...

The Rune Dwarf elder froze.

His eyes widened.

”This...” he muttered.

He took a step back.

”Such dense Spatial energy...” he said, his voice trembling slightly with disbelief.

The others turned to him.

Now their curiosity intensified.

One of the Mountain Dwarves reached out and touched the surface of the husk. The moment his fingers made contact, his expression changed. A sharp reaction flickered across his face and he withdrew his hand instantly.

”What is this?” he said, staring at his fingers.

A faint tingling pain lingered.

Another elder tried.

Then another.

Each one experienced the same result.

The material resisted them.

Not through raw force but through something deeper and far more dangerous. Their bodies were among the strongest in existence. Forged through years of labor and cultivation. Even compared to elite body cultivators, dwarves held their own.

And yet... This husk affected them.

They exchanged glances.

Now, their curiosity had turned into excitement.

”Test it,” one of them said.

Without hesitation, several elders summoned their hammers.

Massive tools, each one imbued with power.

They raised them.

And struck.

CLANG!

The sound rang through the hall like thunder.

Shockwaves spread outward.

But the husk... Did not move. Not even a fraction.

Instead... The recoil surged back.

The dwarves staggered and their arms vibrated violently. Some took a step back to steady themselves and their eyes widened.

They struck again not feeling satisfied but they got the same result.

No damage.

Only recoil.

The Fireforge elder stepped forward.

His expression shifted into something else.

Excitement.

Challenge.

He rolled his shoulders.

”Stand back,” he said.

The others moved aside.

The air around him began to heat.

Flames gathered and condensed as his aura surged.

”Fireforge Legacy Art,” he declared.

The chamber trembled slightly.

”Hammer of Nidavellir!”

A massive hammer manifested in the air above him. It was twenty meters in size and formed of blazing energy and condensed Dao Traces.

It hovered for a brief moment.

Then...

It fell.

The impact was immense.

KABOOOM!

A deafening sound exploded through the chamber and the ground shook. A powerful shockwave burst outward, sweeping across the hall.

Meng Bai was thrown back several meters, barely managing to stabilize himself. Cattaleya planted her feet, resisting the force. Elyon sank into the shadows. Daoist Chu raised a barrier instinctively. But Lin Mu remained still, observing.

The hammer struck the husk directly.

And then...

The impossible happened.

KACHA!

The hammer shattered.

The energy collapsed.

The recoil surged back into the Fireforge elder.

He grunted, his body forced backward several steps as the technique dissipated completely.

Silence fell and no one spoke.

The husk remained exactly as it was.

Untouched.

Unmarked.

Unchanged.

The dwarven elders stood frozen.

Their breathing slowed.

Their eyes remained fixed on the material.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

They were still processing.

Understanding.

Finally their expressions changed completely and their eyes lit up. Like craftsmen who had just discovered something beyond imagination.

”This material...” one of them whispered.

Another stepped closer, his voice rising.

”This beast husk...”

A third clenched his fists.

”It can endure everything...”

Then, as if unable to contain themselves any longer...

All twelve elders shouted together.

”IT IS PERFECT!”

Their voices echoed through the hall.

Filled with excitement.

Filled with awe.

Filled with hunger.

For creation.

For challenge.

For something worthy of their craft.

Lin Mu watched them calmly as a faint smile formed on his lips. He had seen this reaction before and he understood it.

And in that moment... He knew.

They were already his.

Hook.

Line.

And sinker.

The excitement among the dwarven elders lingered even after their outburst. Their eyes remained fixed on the husk, their minds already racing through possibilities, techniques, and challenges. For craftsmen of their caliber, such a material was more than rare. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, something that could redefine the limits of their craft.

One of the Rune Dwarf elders finally broke the silence.

”Where did you obtain this?” he asked, his voice lower now, yet filled with intensity. ”A material like this does not simply appear in one’s possession.”

The others turned toward Lin Mu again, their curiosity renewed. The earlier hostility was completely gone, replaced by something far more focused.

Lin Mu did not hesitate.

”My master gave it to me,” he said simply.

That answer caused a ripple among the elders.

They exchanged glances.

A material of this level... given so casually?

One of the Mountain Dwarves leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping as if speaking something that carried weight.

”Who is your master?” he asked.

Lin Mu shook his head.

”I am not permitted to speak his name,” he replied. ”But I can tell you one thing.”

He paused just long enough for their attention to sharpen.

”My master exists beyond the Immortal realm.”

The chamber fell silent again.

This time, the silence was different.

Heavier.

The dwarven elders did not speak immediately.

They did not question further.

They understood.

Each of them had lived long enough, seen enough, and experienced enough to grasp the implication behind those words.

Above the Immortal realm.

That meant only one thing.

Inwardly, their thoughts aligned.

’Celestial.’

The husk before them... It was not of the Immortal realm, it originated from something far greater.

That alone explained everything. The impossibility of damaging it. The overwhelming spatial energy. The resistance to their techniques.

One of the Fireforge elders exhaled slowly, his earlier excitement tempered by a deeper realization.

”No wonder,” he muttered.

The Mountain Dwarf Transcendent stepped forward again, his gaze still fixed on the husk.

”I have worked with celestial metals before,” he said. ”Fragments that fell from higher realms. Rare, difficult, but manageable with enough preparation.”

He paused.

”This...” he added, gesturing toward the husk, ”is beyond that.”