Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

by <unknown>

  The Cultivators nearby all shook their heads in astonishment, too.

  The reason was simple. Purple Martial Copper and Cold Mountain Steel, despite being Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, contained a lot of impurities that were difficult to remove. They were lousy ingredients for refining.

  The swords made of such materials were often regular flying swords for low-level Cultivators.

  How could the strongest sword of Yan Liren's, a supreme swordsman, be made of Purple Martial Copper and Cold Mountain Steel?

  Chapter 1401: Steal the Thunder! |

  "How can he tell?"

  "It's impossible. I don't even know whether or not Yan Liren attacked. Besides, according to Yan Liren, he did not wield the sword at all but merely attacked with his will. Could the guy have perceived the constituents of the sword through the will of the sword?"

  "Are you kidding me? This is too unbelievable!"

  The Cultivators nearby had already been shocked by Yan Liren time and time again. Hardly had they caught their breath when they were crushed again by Li Yao's mind-boggling theory. They found it barely possible to stand on their feet!

  Yan Liren's outstretched foot moved back, and he turned around. Staring at Li Yao, he asked, "How did you know?"

  "You just 'killed' me with the will of the sword." Touching his neck, Li Yao said, "My throat can still taste the wind and frost on your sword. If I could not distinguish what it was that 'killed' me, wouldn't I be too hilarious?

  "It is a surprise to me that, while the Purple Pole Sword Sect boasts all kinds of marvelous weapons made of the best Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and even the ancient swords inherited from the primeval era, many of which are the tantalizing treasures for any Cultivator in the world, you disregard all those incredible blades and prefer such a short sword that is no different from a plain sword made of regular metal."

  "This is my very first sword." Yan Liren pondered for a moment. He seemed to feel that Li Yao was a person worth explaining it to. "I received the sword when I was nine, and I have never been separated from it, not for one day. After so many years, I can't tell how many times I've touched it and waved it. Not only am I familiar with the weight, form, and hardness of the sword in any part, I also know every detail about the sword, including the speed and strength of the sword when it cuts into the wind at a certain angle and the different feedback when it pierces into a shield, armor, spiritual shield, or bone!

  "As you said, it has really become an extension of my limbs and part of my life!

  "The three primeval swords, on the other hand, are too powerful and consume too much spiritual energy and telepathic thoughts because they were not built for me but for the primeval deities and devils. Although I have polished them for decades, it is still troublesome for me to wield them!

  "I often feel that I am not manipulating the three primeval swords. Instead, they are searching and attacking on their own after absorbing my spirit and vitality!

  "Wielding such swords is like a three-year-old wielding a giant saber. Damaging as they may be, how can they be called the 'strongest sword'?"

  Li Yao was greatly moved!

  Yan Liren's statement showed traces that he was beginning to break the ancient Cultivators' fanaticism about primeval treasures and shifting to the modern principles of Cultivation!

  It was quite right that, however excellent the primeval items of the Pangu Clan were, they were created specifically for the Pangu Clan instead of human beings. Worshipping them blindly and taking them over directly for one's own use might be easier and quicker, but it was certainly a dead end in the long run!

  The best magical equipment was the magical equipment that suited the user most!

  The logic was very simple, and it might be very easy to understand. However, when a powerful primeval treasure was placed right in front of their eyes, how many Cultivators could refuse the temptation to be their slaves?

  "You have Cultivated to such a level," Li Yao mumbled to himself.

  "I only perceived it recently." Yan Liren smiled. "Over the past few decades, I was as awed by the power of the three primeval swords as everybody else was. I tried my best to conquer them, to polish them, and to manipulate them, almost at the cost of my life!

  "In recent years, I had a match with Wang Xi every year. The last time we met, seeing that I was more anxious and delirious with every year, he couldn't help but offer me a few words of advice. Finally, I woke up from the bottomless abyss and grew a profound understanding!

  "So, the strongest sword had been next to me the whole time. Why did I look afar and neglect what lay close at hand, abandoning the sharp blade that was special to me for some garbage that someone else threw away?"

  Garbage… Li Yao was deeply shocked.

  Calling the super weapons of the Pangu Clan or the Colossi in the primeval era 'garbage' was surely something that only the 'Sword Maniac' was capable of!

  "My Cultivation is in fact slightly lower than Qi Zhongdao's," Yan Liren said. "However, I have forfeited the garbage of the primeval era and found my strongest sword, while Qi Zhongdao is still clinging onto the so-called Heaven Flipping Seal without letting it go. He is so fascinated by the power of the primeval treasure that he is actually too restricted to use all of his ability!

  "Perhaps, if the Heaven Flipping Seal did not exist, there would be a stronger 'Iron Saint' Qi Zhongdao.

  "But it is a pity that, burdened by vanity, he won't, daren't, and can't make such an attempt!"

  Li Yao was silent.

  He did not know whether or not Yan Liren was right.

  However, it was true that the Heaven Flipping Seal was essentially a gravity generator and not a weapon. The operation patterns and the spiritual energy supply mode of the device were not suitable for individuals, either.

  To unleash the unbelievable power of the Heaven Flipping Seal all by himself, Qi Zhongdao must have paid unimaginable prices, too.

  Were the prices worthwhile, though?

  Their dialogue cast all the Cultivators into deep thought, especially Qi Zhongdao, who was standing below the Grand Mystery Sect's banner. His slender face, which was like black coal, was turning purple. The breath of the Cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage was suddenly unsteady.

  "I get it now." Taking a long breath, Li Yao said, convinced, "It's indeed a nice sword!"

  Yan Liren did not deny it. Touching the grip of the sword gently, he replied, "In my hand, it is a nice sword."

  "But it is a pity that the nice sword has been 'heavily wounded'." Li Yao suddenly changed the topic. "Although it is a marvelous weapon that has melded with you over the years, it is made of lousy materials such as the Purple Martial Copper and the Cold Mountain Steel after all. The foundation of the sword is not good.

  "As you advance, your speed and power become higher and higher, and the damage to the sword accumulates, too. After such a long time, tiny cracks are everywhere inside the sword!

  "What is more critical is that the sword once suffered a heavy blow at 14.43 centimeters below the tip of the sword. It is a dent the size of a grain on the left side.

  "Although it seems to be an insignificant dent, in fact, a serious crack has already spread through the entire body of the sword. One moment of carelessness, and the tip of the sword will be broken with the dent as the start point!

  "Based on my perception, I can tell that you have tried to maintain or even re-forge the sword. But your attempts did not work out, and you merely imposed a few spiritual stripes on the surface of the sword to keep it as it is. Am I right?"

  Through their interaction, there had never been any noteworthy expression on Yan Liren's bread-like face. He seemed to be interested in nothing except for his sword.

  But after hearing Li Yao's words, the supreme swordsman finally put on a dumbfounded expression that was the same as an ordinary person's!

  Even a few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and experienced sword forgers who were spectating far a
way stood up from their seats, looking at each other in bewilderment and disbelief!

  "How—how did you know?" Yan Liren was stammering!

  With a smile, Li Yao said casually, "I also know why you are unwilling to reforge the sword.

  "It's because you have lived together with the sword your entire life. You know the shape, weight, barycenter, and feeling of the sword at your fingertips. All your skills, arts, spells, and techniques have been practiced based on the shape and weight of the sword right now. You have reached the perfect state!

  "If the sword is re-forged, and the gaps and dents are mended with Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that are more precious, it is inevitable that there will be a slight difference in the length, thickness, and weight of the sword.

  "For a great swordsman like yourself, even if the renewed sword is only one hair longer or heavier than before, it will still be something that is absolutely intolerable because it will break the 'perfection' that you have achieved after training for your whole life!

  "Oh, I was wrong about something.

  "This sword of yours is not only made of common materials but also crudely made. The weight on the two sides of the ridge of the sword is not equal. The left side is a tad heavier than the right side!

  "This isn't a perfect sword.

  "But you have adapted to the imperfection. You have adjusted your body into an equally imperfect distribution in order to better cooperate with the sword!

  "If the sword is re-forged, and the imbalance is 'rectified', the result will be the opposite of what you want. There will be an 'error' in the flawless relationship between you and your sword!

  "That's why you are unwilling to repair or renew your sword when you know clearly that it has a lot of internal damage. Am I right?"

  The situation had been entirely reversed!

  Just now, Yan Liren had been suppressing Li Yao and leading the pace of their conversation. However hard Li Yao struggled, he had still been like a fish in a water tank!

  However, when the topic in question was the flaws of the sword, their roles had reversed. Li Yao had counterattacked and made Yan Liren completely fall into his control!

  Of course, for the spectators who were not clear what was going on, the two of them were almost telling a story. The sword was not even drawn, yet he could tell so much about the sword after merely tasting the 'will of the sword' with his neck?

  Who would buy that?

  Besides, was this Master Spiritual Vulture not a barbarian Cultivator, the likes of which were best known for their pests and their poisons? Where did he learn so many things about flying swords?

  Yan Liren, however, did not deny it. He stepped forward and exclaimed. "Exactly. So what?"

  "So, nothing," Li Yao replied hurriedly. "If I say that I can help you re-forge the sword and build it up with the finest, hardiest materials in the world while perfectly keeping the length, weight, shape, barycenter of the sword, and even the unique rough feeling caused by the flaws during the original forgery, Fellow Cultivator Yan, would you believe me?"

  Chapter 1402: Heir of Great Zhou! |

  After Li Yao said that, even the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Purple Pole Sword Sect looked at each other in bewilderment, grasped by shock and suspicion.

  The Purple Pole Sword Sect was the largest sword sect in the world. The Ancient Sages Sector did not have a sect that specialized in the business of refining. Therefore, the forgery of the Purple Pole Sword Sect was definitely state-of-the-art. There were too many great sword forgers in the sect!

  As the strongest sword Cultivator of the Purple Pole Sword Sect, Yan Liren, with his reputation as the 'Sword Saint' and the 'Sword Maniac', had more resources at his disposal than even the leader of the sect did.

  Whatever his needs were, the entire Purple Pole Sword Sect would certainly try their best to fulfil them, no matter the cost!

  After his sword was damaged, naturally, he did once intend to look for the famous, experienced sword forgers for maintenance.

  The general swords built out of Purple Martial Copper and Cold Mountain Steel were not difficult to maintain at all. With the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures under the Purple Pole Sword Sect's control and the marvelous skills of the sword forgers, there would not be trouble at all even if Yan Liren wanted the hardness of the sword to be increased ten times over or attach a powerful technique to the sword.

  However, Yan Liren's requirement was that the renewed sword should be exactly the same as before in every detail, including the length, the thickness, the shape, the outline, the barycenter, and everything else. Nothing was to be added or reduced. Even the tiny holes lingering inside the body of the sword during the original forgery had to be identical!

  Such a weird requirement was indeed a bit too much. Many of the masters of forgery had never heard of such an absurd request before even though they had spent their entire lives building magical equipment. After much discussion, they found the task impossible. Therefore, it had been postponed.

  They had thought that the sword was Yan Liren's beloved item as a souvenir or a reminder of the past. Also, Yan Liren could prove to be a dummy who did crazy and weird things sometimes. Nobody knew exactly why he proposed such a requirement.

  Yan Liren had mentioned the issue twice and dropped it after seeing that nobody could repair the sword. Soon, everybody forgot it.

  Today, after hearing Li Yao's detailed interpretation, they finally realized that there were so many more mysteries to the whole matter. They had dedicated their entire lives to the forgery of swords, yet they did not know that an invisible hole inside a sword could cause fatal influences on the attacks performed in the end!

  "How is it possible?"

  "Is he able to do it when so many sword forgers here together can't?"

  "That's very implausible. Master Spiritual Vulture is a barbarian Cultivator. It is understandable why he is very strong. However, why does he have such a profound understanding of the arts of sword forgery?"

  "But—but Elder Yan brought the blueprints last time to tell us the specifications of the sword to be renewed. They were exactly like what the guy just said!"

  "This—this—"

  The famous sword forgers of the Purple Pole Sword Sect were all lost, not to mention the Cultivators of other sects who did not have the first clue what was going on. Intense doubt was written all over their faces!

  Yan Liren, however, was the only one who stared at Li Yao without blinking.

  He had never shown his sword to anyone alive.

  Even when he asked the great sword forgers in his sect for maintenance, he had merely drawn the blueprints and written the data and his requirements.

  Because none of the sword forgers had dared accept the contract, he had never revealed the sword to any of them.

  However, this 'Master Spiritual Vulture' not only specifically described the parameters of the sword but also pointed out the hidden injuries inside the sword. He even understood Yan Liren's reluctance to reforge the sword!

  The basis of his deduction, however, was just an invisible, illusionary will of the sword!

  There were actually such terrifying arts of sword scrutiny in this world!

  Yan Liren's eyes immediately became bloodshot.

  He was devoted to his sword. His sword was his life. To achieve the most perfect sword, he was willing to pay anything!

  He had thought that the sword would be in his company in such a ragged appearance for the rest of his life. Although he could make up for it with his marvelous sword arts, it was still his major regret!

  Yet, out of his expectations, an opportunity had presented itself. How could he not feel thrilled?

  "Are—are you really capable of renewing the sword?" The eminent Sword Saint was bellowing like an anxious young man.

  "Of course! In terms of the sword arts or other techniques, I may be no match for you or Qi Zhongdao. However, when it comes to forging and refining, I am absolutely invincib
le in the entire Ancient Sages Sector!"

  His declaration rumbled across the field like thunder!

  Before he joined the Dragon Spring Meeting, Li Yao had run a detailed analysis on the positioning of the identity of 'Master Spiritual Vulture'.

  It was not enough to position the identity as a mean and brutal warrior.

  He was born and raised in a modern Cultivation civilization, and he was used to battles in crystal suits, which was definitely not to be exposed right now.

  Without crystal suits or Colossi, and with just his own combat ability, not just the terrifying 'Sword Saint' Yan Liren, even Qi Zhongdao could force him to run away like a stray dog when the Heaven Flipping Seal was triggered to the maximum.

  Even if he could earn his fame as one of the 'top ten experts' on par with the 'Three Saints and Four Rapscallions', his rank would still be low.

  Besides, with his combat ability alone, he was certainly able to build the image of an unparalleled brutal man who was good at fighting. Chances were that other people would be scared of him, admire him, recruit him, and get him involved in certain core secrets.

  However, the role that he played would only be a 'muscle', who would have to carry out the most dirty and exhausting tasks without corresponding benefits.

  But a refiner would be different.

  The profession of refiner could be traced back to ancient times when it was called 'sword forger'. It had been quite popular at the time. Making friends with other experts and establishing a complicated social network were very easy things for a refiner who helped others forge swords and other magical equipment!

  For Li Yao who intended to build an 'overseas mercenary camp of Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators for the Star Glory Federation', it was certainly a very advantageous role.

  The perfect example would be right now. If he could indeed successfully help Yan Liren renew his sword, he would certainly win the guy's affection. With a few nice words, it was possible for him to convince the guy to stand on the federation's side!

  Furthermore, while exploring relics, refiners were highly protected assets and would not be leading the charge fighting with their lives. After all, if the team ran into any alien traps or magical equipment, they would have to count on the refiners to crack them.