Castle of Black Iron

Because it was forbidden to reveal what had happened in the mining cave to the public, no trouble arose. After reaching an agreement, they just told the others outside the cave that Zhang Tie was sharing his mining experience with them in the cave.

Unexpectedly, on the same day, the group of more than 64 zealots who were as close as blood brothers kept their oaths and the mysterious agreement in mind, aiming to join the Ancient God Church.

This was the result of Zhang Tie’s trick. With the exception of Zhang Tie, all the others were deeply moved by the inheritance ceremony of the mysterious and sacred Big Blessing Skill. For Zhang Tie, although this Big Blessing Skill was purely fictitious, it was not completely meaningless, as what Zhang Tie had recited was the Chinese Sutra “no cross, no crown”. Additionally, the reason that Zhang Tie dared to fabricate the illusory “Big Blessing Skill” was because of his experiences as a flesh-bag in the Iron Thorns Fighting Club. Zhang Tie knew that it was very painful when one was ferociously beaten yet not allowed to fight back. Similarly, when you learn to accept and understand it with a new point of view for a new perspective, after receiving benefits from the most unlikely of places, Zhang Tie felt it was very cool, as he could feel a happiness within his heart.

What happened was not truly the most important, but rather, what was most important was how you view and understand what was happening. Everything had two sides; the good side and the bad side. It completely determined how you viewed it. If you felt it was good, then it would be good and could make you feel happy. If you felt it was bad, it would be bad and could cause your mood to be bad. When he opened his soul, abandoned the constraints from traditional perspectives, and focused on those good aspects, Zhang Tie found that he would feel refreshed. Just like a water faucet being opened, the moment you opened it, water would flow across your body. This was what Zhang Tie’s experiences had summed up to and was what the ultimate meaning of the Big blessing Skill was—whenever and whatever you were facing, if one pays attention to the positives, then you would feel joy and that would be your biggest blessing!

Zhang Tie had completely made up the Ancient Gods Church. He felt that nobody would keep such an illusory thing in their minds after the survival training, as they would have their own things to deal with then. To turn the fabricated Big Blessing Skill’s effects into reality, to help them form devoted beliefs, and to allow them to reach the lowest requirement of the Ancient Gods Church… all of these things were just small tricks that Zhang Tie had made up in order to get himself out of his situation. Zhang Tie didn’t believe that the trick could be exposed by others, and since it was something that was fabricated, besides allowing the followers to positively face the difficulties in their lives, the Big Blessing Skill was not considered, even by Zhang Tie, to be able to awe people and make them devoted.

‘What happened in the cave could be considered a white lie and a blessing to those guys,’ Zhang Tie told to himself.

Before, there were only a bit more than ten people in the cave; however, after that day, 50 to 60 new miners joined, causing the cave to be noisier than before. Even the tunnel where Zhang Tie worked was crowded with several more people.

Completely different than those who had submitted to their fate and were just dejectedly working hard here, those guys who had been successfully brainwashed by Zhang Tie declared to the public that they had learned the mining experience from Zhang Tie, and the way they acted caused them to be seen as a group of lunatics in the eyes of others.

Different than those who would immediately begin to mine the moment they arrived with their mining basket, these guys would always first kneel down on the hard and cold mining bed and ores with hands folded to recite a prayer filled with devotion and gratitude.

“I thank the Gods for bringing you to me. I know you are not just cold ores, but rather, the biggest blessing from the Gods. Every time I devoutly wave my mining hoe and carry you through that long tunnel as I am full of gratitude, I was receiving your great blessing and gift. You have made my veins and bones exhausted and ache, but you have also given me excellent strength and decisiveness. You have created ores that were hard to break in order to temper my decisiveness and braveness when breaking through difficulties. Because of you, I am able to obtain food. Because of you, I am able to obtain strength. Because of you, I am able to be resolute. Because of you, I have the decisiveness to break through all difficulties. I know that top quality wine always tastes bitter at first taste. I also know that the outward forms of the biggest blessings are always difficulties and troubles. From today onward, all the complaints will leave me, and I will see through all the troubles and difficulties and never be puzzled by their outward forms. Like enjoying wine, I will open my heart to accept this blessing. The troubles and difficulties are the blessings the Gods have given to me. I receive this blessing out of my devotion and gratitude. I will definitely constantly absorb the powerful strength from this blessing! May the Ancient Gods be with me!”

After praying, those guys even touched and kissed those cold stones in a very kind way before waving their mining hoe to mine. As if they were digging for gold, they mined with a very satisfied and pious expression.

Potter was the first one who did this. Gradually, his actions were followed by several “fire-bearers”, and then before they would begin to mine, everybody would start to silently pray for the blessing of the Big Blessing Skill. Even the four “sacrifices” led by Wood, who had not experienced the “sacred” ceremony, began to pray and said these words. Through praying, Wood and the other three “sacrifices” also faintly felt the essence of the Big Blessing Skill and became gradually resolute and pious.

Throughout the whole night, Potter was thinking about how to pray. After he thought it through, on the second day, he even devoutly asked Zhang Tie, the Enlightener, for suggestions. After reading the words of the prayer, Zhang Tie was immediately shocked and felt perturbed.

“Did you think it out by yourself?” Zhang Tie curiously stared at Potter, confused as to how such an unlucky fellow who submitted to his fate of digging in the mines yesterday had suddenly become so talented. Zhang Tie was truly shocked by the prayer, especially the part that talked about the wine. That was truly f*cking meaningful.

“Yes!” As he said the words of the prayer, Potter became slightly excited and his face started to turn red. “I don’t know either. I was so excited last night that I couldn’t sleep well, and these words just came to mind one by one!”

“It seems that the Big Blessing Skill has already started to take effect on you...” Zhang Tie solemnly said to Potter. “Your words of prayer are very good, as it completely combines the Big Blessing Skill with your inner feelings; however, there is one flaw. If you add one more sentence to the end, then the prayer would be perfect!”

“Where do I need to improve?” Potter nervously asked.

“If you add ‘May the Ancient God be with me’ at the end of the prayer, then it would be more powerful and effective!” Zhang Tie “suggested” like an expert.

Thus, in the next afternoon when someone found Potter, the “fire-bearer”, kneeling down on the ground as he prayed after his “exchange” with Zhang Tie, in merely one morning, the prayer had already silently spread among the 64 people. Every one of them treasured the prayer a lot, especially the last sentence that was added by Zhang Tie, “May the Ancient God be with me”, making them more firmly convinced that the mysterious deities of the Ancient Gods Church were the Ancient Gods.

In Age of Black Iron, human beliefs exploded greatly. In this world, although nobody has seen a true god, people who worshiped various deities could be seen everywhere. Regardless of other places, Zhang Tie knew that merely in Andaman Alliance, even if under the covetous eyes of the Sun Dynasty, there were more than seven sects and groups using the sun as the totem and the source of their belief. There were also numerous other sects and groups, each of which claimed that they were the followers of the true deity. However, in the end, more of these groups and sects turned out to be controlled by liars in order to make money and sleep with women, and they became bankrupt and failed more frequently than registered business groups and companies. The deities also came and went with the sects and groups, making people dazed and easily forget them. In this case, Zhang Tie felt that it was also reasonable and acceptable for him to fabricate Ancient Gods.

In Andaman Alliance, people who fabricated a deity would be less guilty than fabricating a corporate legal person. The latter might be given trouble by the officials of the tax bureau, while the former would not even arouse the attention of others.

After trying his best to mine together with the guys who had received the blessing of the “Big Blessing Skill” in the mining cave for three days, Zhang Tie had almost collapsed. Although the Leakless Fruit had already been ripe for three days, during the past three days, Zhang Tie couldn’t even find one chance to enter the Castle of Black Iron and complete the promotion to LV 2 warrior. The moment he entered the mining cave, he would always be the most eye-catching guy. Compared to before, the amount of miners in the mining cave now was four or five times more. The mining cave could no longer act as a hidden location for Zhang Tie to enter the Castle of Black Iron, and neither could he add any more basic energy storage to the Castle of Black Iron.

Almost half of this survival training had already elapsed, and Zhang Tie knew that if he remained in the mining cave like this, then he truly might stay with these guys and mine for another month. This was definitely not what Zhang Tie longed for.

Thus, after he finished mining on the third day since these guys joined him, Zhang Tie declared his righteous decision towards those guys who were mining in the cave—he wanted to leave the mining cave and complete the remainder of the survival training alone in the harshest of environments. He wanted to obtain greater strength from more adventurous and harsher environments...