Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 914
Compared with his combat ability, Li Yao had more faith in his expertise in refining.
The reason was simple.
He was now in the Nascent Soul Stage. Therefore, Ou Yezi's memory pieces had been opened to the phase of the Nascent Soul Stage, too.
Right now, after the mental devil helped Li Yao swallow and study Ou Yezi's memory pieces, the two parties would share the knowledge. The efficiency of digestion and absorption had been significantly increased!
The highest level in the Ancient Sages Sector was the Nascent Soul Stage. The two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators who had gone missing mysteriously a hundred years ago did not seem to have any shocking expertise in refining, either.
Therefore, Li Yao did not think that there would be a better 'sword forger' than himself in this Sector!
The only problem was that such an identity would raise suspicion or even connect him with Vulture Li Yao of the Star Glory Federation one day in the future.
However, after giving it a lot of thought, Li Yao believed that it was not very likely.
When he was in the Star Glory Federation, he had never told anyone that he had the memories of Ou Yezi, a master of refining in the age of ancient Cultivators!
It was true that he often performed certain methods that had been popular in ancient refining at that time. However, most of the methods were merely for ancillary purposes. They were only meant to 'knock the door' so that he could better understand the mysteries of modern refining.
At that time, the impression that he left on everyone should be a modern refiner who was adept at ancient refining arts and whose works were in a quaint style.
It was completely different from refining purely with ancient techniques!
As long as he slightly changed his style in refining, nobody would realize that a sword forger from the Ancient Sages Sector who adopted the most authentically traditional approaches was the same person as the modern refiner of the Star Glory Federation whose works were a vintage style!
Besides, he had foreseen the dangers of his journey before he left the federation and made arrangements accordingly. If he indeed returned to the federation with the 'Nascent Soul Stage mercenaries' one day, those arrangements might come in handy.
"You must know who I am, Fellow Cultivator Yan. I am just a barbarian Cultivator! It's only natural that you grow suspicious about my expertise in refining!"
Bronze Censer Peak was still utterly soundless following Li Yao's egotistical declaration.
Li Yao glanced around slowly before he continued proudly in a hoarse voice. "I didn't intend to reveal the secret earlier. However, your astounding attack has indeed benefited me a lot!
"I am a grateful man. Now that you have shown me respect by demonstrating your most secret sword to me, what is the big deal about my little secret?
"It's true that barely any knowledge in forging and refining has been passed on in the Southland of Sorcerers. There are few experts good at manipulating the swords among the barbarian Cultivators!
"My master was Elder Five Despairs. His lineage did not have any knowledge in the arts of sword forging.
"However, as many fellow Cultivators may have heard, seventy years ago, I was ambushed by my senior brother Master Black Moon and knocked into a venomous lake at the bottom of an abyss. I narrowly escaped from being killed, but I was seriously corroded and deformed!
"Thankfully, the dozens of lethal poisons neutralized each other, and I managed to survive. Later, by accident, I found an ancient residence that was passed on from the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
"The Great Zhou Dynasty!"
All the Cultivators exclaimed.
'Great Zhou' was the second unified dynasty after Cloud Qin more than eighty thousand years ago. In the eyes of the ancient Cultivators who believed in 'the older, the better', it was certainly a mysterious and incredible age!
"What I found was a residence left by a master of sword forging and examination named 'Yan Zhu'. To avoid the riots in the world of Cultivators in the Great Zhou Dynasty, he fled all the way to the Southland of Sorcerers. Since he passed away in his residence, the place hadn't been opened for tens of thousands of years. But I accidentally entered it!"
Naturally, the name Yan Zhu was make-believe.
He had learned on his way there that the 'Great Zhou Dynasty' was a short-lived dynasty where riots and conflicts were ubiquitous. Little information of that time had survived. No one would see any loophole in the nonexistent 'sword forger of Great Zhou' that he had fabricated!
Chapter 1403: Is This a Ruse? |
It was not rare for someone to grow into a famous expert after accidentally finding an ancient residence and receiving the heritage of a great pioneer. At least, it was much easier to accept than explaining to them, 'As a matter of fact, I'm an alien.'
Of all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators there, quite a few had experienced their own lucky encounters and boasted their own secret residences.
However, it was indeed an amazing experience to have found an ancient residence from the age of the Great Zhou Dynasty more than eighty thousand years ago, which was almost the beginning of the history of the Ancient Sages Sector.
The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, even though a bit suspicious earlier, calmed down and listened on.
"Yan Zhu left almost a hundred methods to manipulate the sword and thirty-six volumes on sword forging," Li Yao declared proudly. "I spent seventy years understanding and absorbing all of them. Now, I am more or less Yan Zhu's successor.
"The hundred methods in sword arts were all stolen from the experts of other sects in the Great Zhou Dynasty by Yan Zhu. Their quality is not very good.
"The thirty-six volumes of books on sword forging, on the other hand, were his life's work. They are all invaluable techniques!
"Therefore, when it comes to the sword arts, I may not be as excellent as many heroes in the world, but in terms of examining and forging swords, I have every faith in myself. If even I cannot renew your sword, it will truly be hopeless!"
The few sword forgers of the Purple Pole Sword Sect looked rather awful while they whispered to each other.
They had thought that the visiting elder from the Southland of Sorcerers was a pure warrior, but he claimed to be an unparalleled expert in sword forging. Was it true?
Yan Liren's eyes suddenly glittered. He stepped forward and said, "How exactly are you going to help me renew the sword? Tell me about it!"
"Alright!" Li Yao nodded and cleared his throat before he said unhurriedly, "First of all, I will have to stay close to you. We will train together and even sleep on the same bed so that I have a deep understanding about your character, your mind, your beliefs, and your Cultivation. I will be the one most intimidate to you who grasps every detail of your life!"
"Oh?" Yan Liren's eyes quickly shuddered.
He had seen a lot of top sword forgers in the Purple Pole Sword Sect over the past hundred years, but he had never heard of such a weird forging method before.
However, the approach seemed rather analogous to the way that he practiced his sword. On second thought, it did make some sense!
"The process will take three months to one year," Li Yao said solemnly, "because I will have to calculate every tiny movement when you are walking, breathing, and attacking, including the rhythm of your heartbeat and the constriction of your pores, all to build an impeccable sword!"
"It is also why I'm willing to work as a visiting elder in the Purple Pole Sword Sect for a year. Only such a long time will be enough for me to figure out everything about you!"
Of course, he did not entirely mean what he said.
How could Li Yao let go of such an unparalleled tough man?
If he could train with the guy and examine all his details from a close distance, it would be a great help for Li Yao to improve his own combat ability.
He would also be able to take the opportunity to rope the guy in before he knew it!
Besides, as long as he stayed close to Yan Liren, if the scouts from the Imperium of True Human Beings had arrived at the Sector, they would probably come to the 'great sword forger' when they visited Yan Liren because he was equally worthy of being recruited. That way, he would have access to the Imperium's scheme!
"Anything else?" Yan Liren asked, giving neither approval nor disapproval. He tilted his head, as if he were really considering the possibility.
"Also," Li Yao said, "I will warm myself up with the marvelous weapons in the best refining field in the Purple Pole Sword Sect so that my soul will gradually blend with the environment of the refining field before I reach my peak state!
"I estimate that a year and a half is enough for me to learn every detail of the refining field here and adjust myself to the most perfect state!"
Deep in thought, Yan Liren nodded slowly.
"Moreover, I want you to prepare a thousand of the most famous eccentric flames of the Ancient Sages Sector, as well as a thousand buckets of water collected from the best rivers and natural paradises. I will test them one by one until I figure out the best fire and water for the refining task!"
Yan Liren narrowed his eyes and said, "The most famous eccentric fire and water sources of the Ancient Sages Sector can all be found within the Purple Pole Sword Sect. Their features have long been studied. You can learn them by reading the documents."
"What I want to know is not the features of the eccentric fire and water sources but their indescribable nature hidden in their deepest parts!" Li Yao said casually, "The fire and water in the world are just like the people in the world. Their personalities and tempers are different.
"The brooks that flow from the top of mountains have an air of pride and loneliness around them, while the earth fire that has burnt for a thousand years without dying in the desert is mixed with an intimidating killing intent that feels like a sweeping sandstorm! What I'm looking for is the most 'harmonious' fire and water for your sword!"
Yan Liren's bald head suddenly glittered. "It explains a lot. Thank you for your enlightenment!"
"Lastly, and most importantly," Li Yao said, "what you have is a sword that kills people. So, I will have to see how you really kill people that deserve to be killed! Only after I have witnessed the momentary brilliance that will be as splendid as a shooting star will I be able to craft a sword that is enough to accommodate your whole life!"
Pondering for a moment, Yan Liren said, "Do the 'Four Rapscallions' count as people who deserve to be killed?"
Li Yao nodded. "Of course. As long as you find any one of them and have a fight with them, it will be enough for me to appreciate the splendor and finish the preparations for the sword forging!"
The Three Saints, Four Rapscallions, One Monk, and One Emperor were the group of true super experts of the Ancient Sages Sector according to Ling Lanyin. They were way above the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators behind them.
From Li Yao's friendship with Yan Liren and when he worked as the visiting elder of the Purple Pole Sword Sect, he would have opportunities to meet the Three Saints, One Monk, and One Emperor.
However, of the Four Rapscallions, except for Han Baling who had the connection of Han Yuantai, the other three would not go out and meet him easily, would they?
Now that Li Yao had announced the issue to the public, even if he went out to look for the Four Rapscallions with Yan Liren later, he would have a perfect excuse. Nobody would suspect him at all!
After he met the Three Saints, Four Rapscallions, One Monk, and One Emperor, he would easily be able to tell whether or not the scouts from the Imperium of True Human Beings were lurking around them conducting clandestine schemes.
Yan Liren was finally convinced after hearing that. Taking a long breath in relief, he bowed deeply to Li Yao and said, "I was so ignorant that I had never heard such incredible arts in sword forging before. I'm afraid that the deities and devils couldn't have done any better when they forged the primeval treasures!
"However—"
He raised his big head, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp. "Master, are you not scared that after you renew the sword for me, it will be even easier for me to kill you?"
The Sword Maniac was indeed the Sword Maniac. After ascertaining that Li Yao was a target who deserves to be killed, he would not let go of the idea easily. Li Yao had taken such a detour, but he apparently had not forgotten it.
Amused, Li Yao touched his neck and casually said, "It is a tradition for ancient sword forgers to offer themselves to their swords. If I have to be killed, won't it be the best ending for a sword forger if he can be killed by the sharp blade that he made?"
In reality, he was sneering to himself. Damn you, shorty. Don't be so arrogant. Your sword may be fast, but you haven't witnessed the formidability of the modern Cultivation civilization yet!
I was simply going easy on you today. Otherwise, if I had summoned the super Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit which has been strengthened by the string theory, hehehehe!
I would've triggered my power rune arrays to the maximum and run far away. Where can you catch me?
Li Yao had given it a lot of thought. Although Yan Liren's fourth sword was horrifying, it was certainly not invincible.
If the two of them really engaged in a life-and-death battle, Li Yao had a tactic in mind.
Step one, put on his crystal suit!
Step two, activate the super-compressed crystal reactor and the power rune arrays to the maximum and flee!
Step three, summon the ground-oriented warships that had been parked in the planet's orbit to launch a saturated bombardment on the zone that Yan Liren was in with all the main guns and ensure that the entire space was shattered!
After a one-hour bombardment was over, he would bring a hundred Grand Illusionary Soldiers and five hundred beast puppets to search the bombarded area. Hehe. Could the guy survive that?
Of course, if he did not have the fire support of an entire fleet, then…
Then he would rather not have a life-and-death battle with Yan Liren!
"Fine…"
Yan Liren, naturally, had no idea what Li Yao was thinking about. He was already deeply awed by the arts of sword forging that Li Yao had introduced!
The Sword Saint of the Great Qian Dynasty was shining more brilliantly than colored glaze as he solemnly said, "You are the second friend after Wang Xi that deserves me wasting my time in sword practicing to make. I will entrust my sword to you, Master!"
"Forging an invincible sword for an invincible swordsman is the most gratifying thing possible for a sword forger!" Li Yao burst into laughter. "On my very first trip to the central plateaus in my entire life, although I failed to make a name for myself, I have made friends with such an unparalleled man. The journey is definitely worthwhile. After you, Fellow Cultivator Yan!"
"After you, Master!"
The two of them smiled and bowed to each other before they walked to the Purple Pole Sword Sect's banner, leaving the high-level Cultivators dumbfounded as if statues behind them.
All the high-level Cultivators felt that they were freaking out.
This—this—this doesn't look right!
Qi Zhongdao clearly won the summit confrontation against Yan Liren. All three primeval swords were broken. It was not a victory with slim edge but a crushing one!
Shouldn't the five major sects be on fire and the Purple Pole Sword Sect be lethargic?
Why is the ambience entirely reversed after the mysterious 'heir of a sword forger from Great Zhou' and Yan Liren had a seemingly sophisticated conversation?
They seemed to have suppressed everyone on the spot and made the audience the background of their chitchat.
Many thoughtful Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, after looking at each other in wilderment for a while, came up with a possibility at the same time.
Did the two of them… prepare their lines in advance? Was that show a ruse?
Chapter 1404: Master Spiritual Vulture, Please Wait! |
After the idea popped up in the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator's heads, it was like a flood that instantly occupied their thoughts.
Those Cultivators with immense computational ability thought quickly and immediately discovered that it was quite a plausible possibility.
Because Yan Liren's attack was as rapid as lightning and as unpredictable as water, and it was aimed solely at Li Yao, nobody else sensed anything except Li Yao.
Therefore, in the eyes of the audience, who did not know the truth, this was what happened just now—
Yan Liren suffered a brutal failure in the competition; all of his three primeval swords shattered. One of them had even exploded into powder and was beyond repair.
Yan Liren was devastated and stained by blood himself, not to mention that he fell into a pit in the end. It was indeed a crushing defeat where he had no chance to fight back at all.
Right then, a guy who looked equally shabby and devastated went forward and had an uncanny conversation with Yan Liren!
They said that Yan Liren could have slain Qi Zhongdao easily, that Yan Liren had a fourth sword that surpassed the three primeval swords, that he was the strongest swordsman in the world…
Then, the guy even fell on one knee, covering his neck as if he had been cut in the throat by the will of the sword. Even his voice turned hoarse.
The incredible acting skills convinced everybody at that time, but once they reflected on it, they realized that it was just Li Yao's empty talk, and he could have said anything that he wanted!
The conversation that they had later was the same.
At first glance, Li Yao seemed indeed capable of telling the specific shape of Yan Liren's fourth sword just based on the previous illusionary attack. Also, the guy's marvelous arts in sword forging…
But was all that not their word alone?
They were not bragging about themselves; they were adulating each other. Li Yao adulated Yan Liren sword arts, and Yan Liren adulated Li Yao's expertise in sword forging. They flattered each other until everybody was confused!
