Chapter 38: Blades, Swords, and the Green Mountain Pavilion

The night sky was dense with stars, shining even more brilliantly than the radiant lanterns within the Su Nan Prefecture. Chen Zhi’an bade farewell to Xu Xiyue and Shen Haohao, returning alone to Qihuang Street. Accompanying him to this Pear Blossom Courtyard were a saber, a sword, and a treasure from the Profound Gate.

The pear blossoms in the courtyard were whiter than snow. The blossoms surpassed the snow, signaling that half of spring had passed; with the season waning, the month of Huai Xu was not far off.

After a day entangled in trivial matters, Chen Zhi’an returned to his courtyard. He first brewed himself a cup of red ginger tea and then meticulously tended to the pear trees. Only then did he sit at the stone table in the yard.

The saber, the sword, and the Profound Gate treasure lay quietly upon the stone table, bathed in the starlight.

Chen Zhi’an picked up the sword. It was about four feet long, with intricate patterns engraved on its scabbard. As he drew it, the blade shimmered with a cold light that made the night air in the courtyard feel even sharper.

"A fine sword, though it is a pity that while Zhou Xiujing’s cultivation was not weak, he failed to unleash the true power this blade possesses."

He could not help but recall the day at Chu Muye’s residence on Dongfeng Street, where he had seen Wang Xijia of the Jingcang Sword Pavilion and his exceptionally rare and extraordinary blade.

"Although this sword is far inferior to Wang Xijia’s, such treasures at his waist are not meant for ordinary people. Cultivators at the True Essence, Divine Essence, or even the Raw Jade stage would likely be unable to harness the power of such a weapon."

Chen Zhi’an thought to himself, "The gap between a ten-thousand-fold forged treasure and a hundred-fold forged blade is as vast as clouds and mud, yet for me, a hundred-fold forged weapon is exactly what I need right now."

Having spent time with Xu Xiyue and Shen Haohao today, he remembered how Shen Haohao had enthusiastically explained the grading of weapons in the world.

For instance, the long saber Chen Zhi’an had brought to his appointment today was one he had acquired from a pawnshop; it had even been sharpened by Butcher Wang from deep within Qihuang Street. Such weapons were made of common iron and worth little; they offered minimal assistance to a serious cultivator and often could not withstand more than a few exchanges against a matched opponent.

Above common iron were weapons forged from refined iron, which surpassed the former in both hardness and sharpness by several degrees. And above refined iron weapons were those forged by master craftsmen!

All weapons in the world that carried a killing aura came from the hands of these masters. They collected the world’s toughest, heaviest materials capable of channeling True Essence, and by supplementing them with their own fire-control techniques, they forged them a hundred times over to produce true True-Essence weapons. These weapons could circulate True Essence and provide significant amplification to the wielder.

"The forging of a weapon relies on the materials and the craftsman. Rare materials bestow equally rare abilities upon the weapon, while the craftsman is the one who presses these abilities into the steel."

Recalling Shen Haohao's words, Chen Zhi’an set down the sword and picked up the long saber he had tricked out of Si Hougui. The blade felt heavy in his hand, weighing perhaps twelve or thirteen jin. It was about four and a half feet long—not a broad weapon, but rather slender.

"It resembles a goose-quill saber."

Chen Zhi’an gripped the black handle, which was about a foot long, and drew the blade. As the starlight fell upon it, the brilliance of the hundred-fold forged steel was finally revealed. Half of the blade was pitch black, adorned with fine, intricate patterns resembling a Qiongqi, while the other half was dazzlingly white and pristine, as if crafted by heaven itself.

"A magnificent saber!"

A smile tugged at the corner of Chen Zhi’an’s mouth. Si Hougui had kept his word; he had promised a hundred-fold forged saber, and it was indeed genuine.

"I wonder what wonders this hundred-fold forged saber holds."

Chen Zhi’an swung the blade, and the Eight Directions North-Going Saber Technique was immediately set in motion. The leaves on the True Essence Wonderful Tree within his body fell in succession, and True Essence flowed through more than ten branches, instantly passing through his arm and into the saber.

In an instant, an intangible energy appeared along the white edge of the blade. Though formless, it was searingly hot.

"Fire?"

Just as doubt stirred in his heart, the Map of the Heavenly Jade Capital in his mind began to slowly unfold. The similarly scorching light of the Southern Flowing Scene in the east passed through the Map of the Heavenly Jade Capital, through Chen Zhi’s eyes, and landed directly upon the hundred-fold forged saber!

"This True Essence weapon has triggered the Map of the Heavenly Jade Capital?"

Stunned, Chen Zhi’an ignored the saber for a moment and sank his consciousness into the Map.

In an instant, the light radiated by the Southern Flowing Scene converged to form his figure within the Map. His avatar sat upon the throne in the Kaiyang Palace, looking up at the vast White Jade Capital.

He saw that the White Jade Capital, previously shrouded in clouds, had undergone a brand-new transformation. In the distance, several pavilions were half-hidden, and the mountains and marshes appeared vast and desolate. As the clouds gradually dispersed from the desolate landscape and the faintly visible pavilions, a towering structure was revealed.

The tall building sat deep within the clouds, and the swirling mist seemed to be ablaze, resembling clouds of fire, as if the building itself were catching fire.

"The White Jade Capital in the heavens, with twelve towers and five cities!"

Chen Zhi’an murmured the verse, yet felt that this newly emerged tower still appeared somewhat unreal, hazy and dreamlike.

"A hundred-fold forged saber is not enough."

He realized that his focus needed to return to his own body. He picked up the hundred-fold forged sword and injected his True Essence into it.

In an instant, the newly revealed tower in the Map of the Heavenly Jade Capital finally became clear. The pavilion was about a hundred feet tall, with flying eaves and blue tiles. The roof featured golden carved dragons and glazed phoenixes, and at the four corners, four burning flames were carved in a most peculiar fashion.

"Saber and sword sown in green mountains, four flames nourish the spirit’s essence."

"Green Mountain Tower."

Chen Zhi’an sat at the stone table, silently reciting the name of this new pavilion in his heart. When his gaze returned to the sword in his hand, his True Essence was still flowing steadily into it. The next moment, he sensed a strange power surging from the Map of the Heavenly Jade Capital, merging with the light from the Southern Flowing Scene, and passing through his eyes to settle upon the sword.

A miraculous thing happened. As he looked at the sword, strange information flowed through his True Essence and into his mind.

[Cold wind enters the mysterious iron, and a sharp sword light is born; the sword is named "Liren." Forged two hundred and forty-two times, it draws the clear wind into the blade. When swung, the wind transforms into blades, blowing from all directions to slay the enemy!]

Chen Zhi’an was increasingly astonished. He quickly set the sword down and picked up the saber that Si Hougui had given him as a wager. As he injected his True Essence, a similar message arrived.

[The Yangsui fire technique is perfected, allowing the blade to be formed; upon its first emergence, it is as scorching as a blazing flame, and with subsequent strikes, it becomes as fierce as a raging fire! The saber is named "Yangsui." Forged three hundred and thirty-one times, the wielder’s True Essence ignites, and every strike burns the enemy.]

The two pieces of information clearly explained the names and unique effects of the saber and the sword.

"The Liren sword can conjure sword qi like a clear wind, blowing from all directions to kill the enemy."

"The Yangsui saber allows my True Essence to burn, and the scorching energy on the blade can incinerate my foes."

"Moreover, because the Yangsui saber has been forged over three hundred times, its True Essence circulation speed and amplification are even stronger than those of the sword."

Lost in thought, Chen Zhi’an swung the saber, and the fallen leaves on the ground instantly ignited into flame!

"This Green Mountain Tower can actually help me perceive the functions of weapons. This is truly... marvelous!"