Chapter 343 - 161: Reforging Zhengxian

’The saber... it’s done!’

Liang Cheng’s heart leaped with joy. He quickened his pace and landed before the mountain gate.

Mo Yan grabbed him, his face flushed with excitement.

"Direct Disciple Liang, you should have seen it! Last night at Midnight, the moment the saber was finished, a thirty-foot flame shot up from the Earth Core Furnace! The entire Artifact Refining Hall was bathed in red light!"

"My master said right then and there that this saber... it might have a spirit!"

Liang Cheng was shaken.

’A spirit?’

Mo Yan pulled him inside, saying as they walked:

"You have to go see it. Master is waiting for you in the back mountains."

...

「In the back mountains of the Artifact Refining Hall.」

A colossal furnace stood in the heart of the mountain. Its opening faced the sky, churning with roaring flames that radiated an oppressive heat wave.

Tie Wushuang stood before the furnace, bare-chested, sweat tracing the lines of his muscles.

He held a long saber in both hands. Its body was pitch-black, yet under the sunlight, it shimmered with a faint starlight, like the Milky Way in the night sky.

The moment Liang Cheng saw it, he froze in place.

That was his Zhenxian Saber.

And yet, it was not the Zhenxian Saber he knew.

The blade was three inches longer, the spine thicker, the edge sharper.

Most astonishing of all, a faint starlight seemed to flow within the blade, as if it were a living, spiritual being.

Tie Wushuang looked up, saw Liang Cheng walk in, and grinned.

"Direct Disciple Liang, catch!"

With a toss of his hands, the long saber flew through the air, arcing directly toward Liang Cheng!

Liang Cheng raised a hand and grasped the hilt.

BOOM—!!!

In that instant, an indescribable feeling surged into his heart.

The blade was searing hot, yet it didn’t burn his palm.

The starlight within the saber resonated with the Pill Qi in his body.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Ling Frost Short Sword trembled lightly, as if cheering with joy.

Liang Cheng looked down at the long saber in his hand.

The blade was still pitch-black, but the starlight flowed faster now, as if responding to his heartbeat, sharing a telepathic connection.

"What a fine saber..."

He couldn’t help but murmur to himself.

Hearing this, Tie Wushuang roared with laughter.

"Of course it’s a fine saber! In all my life, I’ve forged countless sabers, but I’ve made fewer than ten that could be called Divine Soldiers!"

"And this one of yours is one of them!"

He walked over to Liang Cheng and pointed at the blade.

"Star Meteorite Iron is rare enough, but these two pieces of yours are Top Grade."

"I forged it with Earth Core Fire for seven days and seven nights to burn away all impurities. Then I added three drops of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron Marrow to give the blade a perfect balance of hardness and flexibility."

"But most importantly—"

He paused, lowering his voice.

"Last night, when the saber was complete, I followed the proper procedure and used your Essence Blood to awaken its spirit. But who would have thought? The moment the blood entered the furnace, the Earth Core Fire erupted thirty feet into the air, and a phantom of Blade Intent actually condensed within the blade on its own!"

"And that phantom was identical to the Blade Intent you left in the saber yesterday!"

Liang Cheng was stunned.

’A phantom of Blade Intent?’

Tie Wushuang looked at him, his gaze scorching.

"Direct Disciple Liang, this saber of yours is no longer just a simple Lifebound Treasure Saber."

"It is connected to your heart and mind, linked by your very blood."

"If you are strong, it will be strong."

"If you are weak, it will be weak."

"From this day forward, it is you, and you are it."

Liang Cheng looked down at the long saber in his hand.

The blade was still pitch-black, but the starlight was flowing slower now, as if waiting quietly.

He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the hilt.

From within him, his Blade Intent erupted!

VMMMM—!!!

The long saber trembled violently, letting out a clear, sonorous ring!

The ring shot straight into the heavens, startling birds for a hundred li around, which took to the air and circled without leaving!

Within the blade, the flowing starlight suddenly surged, transforming into a three-foot Sword Aura that pulsed unstably!

Tie Wushuang stumbled back three steps, his eyes wide as saucers.

"This is..."

Mo Yan was simply frozen to the spot, his mouth hanging wide open.

Liang Cheng didn’t stop.

He raised his hand and slashed out.

He didn’t use any Pill Qi, nor did he channel any Cultivation Technique.

It was just a simple, single slash.

A flash of saber light!

The light of the saber was condensed to the extreme, pure to the extreme.

It tore through the sky and struck a lone peak of a subsidiary mountain range a thousand feet away.

RUMBLE—!!!

The lone peak was sheared in half at its waist. The upper section crashed down into the valley, shaking the very earth!

The power of a single slash could shatter mountains and split stone!

Such a commotion made the disciples of the Artifact Refining Hall poke their heads out to see what was happening.

Mo Yan quickly waved them away. "Get back to work! Direct Disciple Liang is just testing his saber, there’s nothing to see here!"

At that moment, Liang Cheng lowered his saber and looked down at the blade.

The blade was still pitch-black, the starlight still flowing, as if that last slash had been nothing more than an ordinary swing.

Tie Wushuang, however, stared blankly at the broken peak, then back at the saber in Liang Cheng’s hand, before suddenly bursting into laughter, his head thrown back.

"Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent!"

"To have forged such a Spirit Soldier, a treasure saber like this... my life has been worth it!"

He walked up to Liang Cheng and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Direct Disciple Liang, what is this saber’s name?"

Liang Cheng looked down at the blade.

Pitch-black, with flowing starlight.

He recalled the year he commissioned the saber at the Martial Arts Academy, when Elder Tie of the Qin Family’s Hundred Weapons Workshop had asked him, "What will you name this saber?"

He had answered, "Zhenxian."

’A mayfly strives to be first, with ambitions that reach for the azure clouds.’

Now, the saber was reforged, but the man remained.

"Zhenxian."

Liang Cheng looked up and said, word by word:

"This saber is named Zhenxian."

Tie Wushuang nodded.

"The Zhenxian Saber..."

"A fine name."

He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice.

"Direct Disciple Liang, forgive me for being presumptuous."

"This saber has a spirit. In the future, if your Martial Dao True Intent advances and you can condense a complete phantom of Blade Intent, you should try to merge it into the blade. This saber might then take another step forward and become a true Spirit Soldier."

Hearing this, Liang Cheng’s heart tightened. He cupped his fist in a salute.

"Thank you for your guidance, Hall Master."

Tie Wushuang waved a hand dismissively and turned to walk back toward the Artifact Refining Hall.

"Go on, go on. I’m exhausted from these past few days. I’ll probably sleep for three days straight."

With that said, without waiting for Liang Cheng to reply, he headed for the inner chambers of the Artifact Refining Hall. Mo Yan hurried to follow, turning back to give Liang Cheng a wink before he left.

"Direct Disciple Liang, next time something this good happens, remember to call me!"

Liang Cheng smiled and nodded.

He remained standing there, looking down at the Zhenxian Saber in his hand.

The blade was still pitch-black, the starlight still flowing.

But in his eyes, this saber was no longer just a saber.

It was a part of him.

A testament to the path he had walked.

An extension of his striving will.

He sheathed the saber, took a single step, and soared into the sky.