Learning Forging at the Blacksmith Shop, the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method Is Born!

Returning to Miaoshou Garden, Lu Changsheng immediately began putting the brand-new secret method in his mind into practice. Mobilizing a wisp of qi and blood, he attempted to compress it into the shape of a sword. In truth, a saber would have worked just as well, as would any other weapon. However, Lu Changsheng had always used a short sword and had gained some insights into sword techniques. Being thoroughly familiar with swords, he chose to compress his qi and blood into one. One wisp, two wisps, three wisps... Substantial qi and blood truly began to compress gradually, slowly taking form and turning into a sword of qi and blood. This sword had no hilt—only a bare blade. Lu Changsheng even thought of the "flying swords" from his memories. He did not condense it into a long blade, keeping it relatively short instead. As for sharpness? There was no need for it. What would truly unleash the sword's power was the explosive force inherent in qi and blood, not sharpness. Before long, a substantial amount of qi and blood condensed into a sword of qi and blood. "Go." With a thought from Lu Changsheng, the sword of qi and blood shot out in an instant, crashing against the wall. *Boom!* A small hole was blasted into the wall; its power was respectable. Yet Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow, dissatisfied. With only this much power, he could achieve the same simply by converging his Silken Thread Swords. "No, this sword of qi and blood hasn't undergone thousands of hammerings and temperings." "Besides, casting a sword is no simple matter. If I don't genuinely learn how to forge a sword, how can I conjure it from sheer imagination and forge qi and blood into a divine blade?" Lu Changsheng felt his reasoning was sound; the problem lay in his method. A sword of qi and blood required thousands of hammerings and temperings. And if he did not know how to forge swords, how could he know how to temper it through thousands of strikes? Still, that was easily solved. If he did not know how to forge, he could learn. Lu Changsheng figured that Blacksmith Ou was a fine choice. Capable of forging divine armaments, he was likely in a league of his own among all the blacksmiths in Nanyang Prefecture. Under normal circumstances, if Lu Changsheng disguised his identity and entered a blacksmith shop, heaven only knew how long it would take before he could learn the true craft of forging divine weapons. At a time like this, the identity of "Zhuang Thirteen" was exceptionally useful. Thus, Lu Changsheng quietly waited until nightfall. Then, changing his disguise and attire, Lu Changsheng transformed into "Zhuang Thirteen," swiftly left Miaoshou Garden, and headed toward the Ou Family Blacksmith Shop. By now, night had fallen, but the Ou Family Blacksmith Shop remained brightly lit, filled with the rhythmic clinking and clanging of weapons and farm tools being forged. A blacksmith shop produced not only weapons, but also farm tools. The Ou Family Blacksmith Shop had an excellent reputation. The farming tools they forged were not only of superior quality but also cheap and practical. Conversely, if one wished to commission a weapon, the Ou Family Blacksmith Shop charged an exorbitant price. For instance, when Hero Liu commissioned a divine sword, he had to provide a piece of celestial meteoric iron himself and present a hundred taels of gold before Blacksmith Ou would agree to forge it. Inside the smithy, dozens of blacksmith apprentices worked bare-chested, pumping bellows and relentlessly hammering ironware. Blacksmith Ou was not working the anvil himself. Instead, he patrolled the shop, keeping a watchful eye on his apprentices. "Put your backs into it, everyone! Prioritize the farm tools. It's the spring plowing season right now, and folks can't manage without tools. Don't let us delay the spring plowing." "Those weapons can all wait." Blacksmith Ou reminded them as he walked his rounds. Forging weapons actually brought in substantial profits, whereas farm tools yielded very little. Seeing this, Lu Changsheng nodded slightly to himself. This Blacksmith Ou knew what truly mattered and was not blinded by greed. With that, Lu Changsheng stepped straight into the smithy. "Sir, are you looking to forge a weapon? What terrible timing. We're currently busy forging farming tools and can't delay the spring plowing, so weapon commissions will have to wait for a while," an apprentice stepped forward to explain to Lu Changsheng. After all, judging by Lu Changsheng's current attire, he was clearly a figure of the jianghu. "I have not come to commission a weapon. I have come to learn the art of forging weapons." "In particular, Blacksmith Ou's blood-forging method, which can craft divine armaments, is something I, Zhuang, have long heard of." "This is the tuition." Lu Changsheng wasted no words and stated his purpose outright. He then tossed over a pouch of gold. Yes, gold. And a full hundred taels of gold, no less! This was an expression of tremendous sincerity. "Our honored guest is truly generous. A hundred taels of gold..." "However, ancestral craft is not something that can be passed to outsiders lightly." "I am afraid I must disappoint our honored guest." Blacksmith Ou shook his head in refusal. Lu Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly. In a low voice, he said, "If the money is insufficient, I can add more. Blacksmith Ou, just name a figure." Lu Changsheng was not lacking money now. "It is not a matter of money. Ancestral craft cannot be taught to outsiders..." Pausing, Blacksmith Ou seemed to realize something and immediately asked, "What did our guest say just now? Your surname is Zhuang... What relation are you to Hero Zhuang Thirteen?" Lu Changsheng replied calmly, "I hardly deserve the title of hero. I am Zhuang Thirteen." "What? You are Hero Zhuang?" Instantly, a look of shock appeared on Blacksmith Ou's face. Not only Blacksmith Ou—the entire smithy was thrown into an uproar. Many apprentices stopped hammering iron and rushed over, eager to catch a glimpse of "Hero Zhuang." Lu Changsheng glanced at Blacksmith Ou and gave a faint smile. "You do not believe me?" *Swish!* In the next breath, a thread of Lu Changsheng's Silken Thread Sword pierced through the air. "Turning qi and blood into silken threads! Indeed, this is Hero Zhuang's unique martial skill! You truly are Hero Zhuang!" "Hero Zhuang, please accept this old man's bow!" Blacksmith Ou actually dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Lu Changsheng. "What is the meaning of this? Blacksmith Ou, please rise." Lu Changsheng quickly helped Blacksmith Ou to his feet. "Hero Zhuang, you saved our whole family..." Blacksmith Ou then recounted how the demon martial artist's Bloodthirsty Bugs had run rampant that day. The bugs had swarmed into his family home, killing several servants. In the nick of time, "Zhuang Thirteen" had slain the demon martial artist, causing the Bloodthirsty Bugs to die and sparing the Ou family from disaster. "What does Hero Zhuang wish to learn? This old man will hold nothing back!" Blacksmith Ou said with resolute certainty. Ancestral craft meant nothing at a moment like this. "Hero Zhuang" had come in person—what reason could Blacksmith Ou possibly have to hesitate? Lu Changsheng had still somewhat underestimated the influence "Zhuang Thirteen" commanded across Nanyang Prefecture. He had offered a hundred taels of gold just now, and he would not have minded offering a thousand. Yet Blacksmith Ou would not have taught him the ancestral craft for any sum. Yet merely revealing his identity as "Zhuang Thirteen" made Blacksmith Ou refuse to take a single coin and offer to teach him everything without reservation. Such was the benefit of "fame." There was good reason everyone in the jianghu fought so fiercely for fame and fortune. "Then I shall trouble Blacksmith Ou." Since Blacksmith Ou refused the hundred taels of gold, Lu Changsheng did not insist. "Hero Zhuang, what do you wish to learn?" "I wish to learn the method of forging swords with blood—specifically, the blood-forging method you used to craft divine swords. It is quite wondrous." Lu Changsheng understood that using the blood-forging method to create divine armaments was Blacksmith Ou's crowning technique. "Hahaha, easily done, easily done!" "However, forging swords is no easy labor, and I'm afraid it won't be learned in a short time. I wonder if Hero Zhuang can endure hardship?" Blacksmith Ou asked gingerly. "What is hardship? In my pursuit of martial arts, what hardship haven't I endured?" "Starting today, I am Master Ou's apprentice. As long as Master Ou is willing to teach, I won't mind any dirty or grueling work." Lu Changsheng gave Blacksmith Ou a formal bow. Of course, this was not a formal discipleship ceremony. Blacksmith Ou was very pleased. "Hero Zhuang, to forge a sword, one must first learn to hammer iron. That is the fundamental skill." "You may begin by hammering iron. Ten thousand strikes, a hundred thousand strikes—whenever your skill reaches the right maturity, this old man will call a halt." Lu Changsheng nodded. "Very well, I will hammer iron first. Starting tonight, I will come to the smithy every evening to learn the craft of sword forging." "However, I hope news of my presence here is not leaked, lest it invite trouble." Blacksmith Ou hurriedly promised that not a word would spread. The apprentices in the smithy all patted their chests and gave their solemn promises as well. And so, Lu Changsheng formally began hammering iron in the smithy. The fundamental skill of sword forging was hammering iron. It required strike after strike until it was tempered through thousands of hammerings. The force could not be too heavy, nor too light. It required steady persistence and precise force control—ideally keeping every strike virtually identical in power. Stripping off his shirt, Lu Changsheng pounded the red-hot iron again and again. When it came to controlling strength, Lu Changsheng was a martial artist of the Divine Strength Realm; he could control his force far more precisely than anyone else. Every ounce of power was nearly identical, precise as a machine. Moreover, having undergone six marrow transformations and blood exchanges, his physical constitution was exceptionally formidable, his stamina countless times greater than that of the blacksmith apprentices. Even hammering red-hot iron continuously for three days and three nights would pose no problem at all. Blacksmith Ou kept a close eye on Zhuang Thirteen, offering meticulous guidance. Yet the more he guided him, the more astonished he became. Zhuang Thirteen's ability to learn was astonishing; he understood almost the moment something was explained, never needing to be told twice. Still, no matter how great one's talent or stamina, accumulating experience was not something achieved overnight. The second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day... Every night, Lu Changsheng came to the smithy to hammer iron, swinging his hammer at least a thousand times each evening. Over the course of roughly twenty-odd days, Lu Changsheng swung the iron hammer twenty to thirty thousand times. Watching Zhuang Thirteen spend over twenty days without a single complaint, arriving every evening simply to swing the heavy sledgehammer and forge pig iron, Blacksmith Ou felt an intense longing. *He is a natural at smithing. What a pity he's a martial artist...* Blacksmith Ou even felt an urge to make Zhuang Thirteen his true successor. He was confident that if Zhuang Thirteen dedicated himself wholeheartedly to smithing, he would surely forge countless divine weapons, and it was not impossible that he might even match the achievements of the Ou family's ancestor, Ou Yezi. Yet Blacksmith Ou knew full well that Zhuang Thirteen was a martial artist of the jianghu—a peerless figure akin to a divine dragon. How could he remain obscure, hammering iron in a smithy? If word got out that the illustrious Hero Zhuang, a martial artist of the Divine Strength Realm, was smithing iron in a workshop? That would be the joke of the century! "All right, Hero Zhuang, you don't need to hammer iron today." "You already know the steps of sword forging by heart. You may now formally forge a sword." Blacksmith Ou's voice sounded beside Lu Changsheng's ear. Lu Changsheng looked up and halted the hammer in his hand. Holding the hammer in one hand, droplets of sweat fell into the forge, hissing softly. "I can forge a sword now?" Lu Changsheng felt somewhat surprised, yet it also seemed entirely reasonable. For over twenty days, he had spent every evening in the smithy. While he had appeared to be dully hammering blocks of iron, in truth, he had thoroughly mastered every step of sword forging practiced in the shop. "Hero Zhuang, you can try forging a sword on your own now." "I'll watch from the side and point out anything that goes amiss," Blacksmith Ou said. "Alright." Lu Changsheng showed no hesitation. He was familiar with the steps anyway. He selected a piece of freshly smelted pig iron and began hammering it according to his own method. Again and again. After an uncounted number of hammerings, it gradually took the shape of the sword he envisioned. "The blood-forging method is actually connected to one's spirit." "When you drip your blood, if your spirit is intensely focused, it can infuse into the blood and flow directly into the sword blank." "Tempering it repeatedly this way gives a chance of producing a blood-forged weapon that functions as a natural extension of the wielder." Blacksmith Ou also imparted the secrets of the blood-forging method to Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng understood that dripping blood was merely a step, not an absolute requirement. The true purpose of dripping blood was to infuse one's spirit into the weapon. Lu Changsheng's thoughts turned to the secret method he needed to refine. If he wished to treat his qi and blood as "iron ore" and forge a sword of qi and blood, he had to infuse his own spirit into it. Once his spirit was infused, the sword of qi and blood, tempered through thousands of strikes, would move as smoothly as his own limbs and unleash terrifying might. Lu Changsheng followed each step with extreme precision. *Hiss.* Lu Changsheng forged a longsword. Once the longsword cooled, it radiated a chilling, sharp glint. While not yet a divine armament, it was already hundred-refined refined steel. No, it was far stronger than ordinary hundred-refined steel. This had not been refined a hundred times, but several hundred—perhaps even a thousand times! Looking at the sword, Blacksmith Ou smiled faintly and said, "Hero Zhuang, you have graduated!" Only twenty-odd days, and Zhuang Thirteen had already mastered the craft, leaving Blacksmith Ou deeply moved. He had taken in so many apprentices, yet not a single one had the ability to inherit his mantle. Smithing also required talent! And Zhuang Thirteen's smithing talent was the highest Blacksmith Ou had ever witnessed. What a pity Zhuang Thirteen's ambitions lay elsewhere. "Graduated already?" "Thank you, Master Ou, for holding nothing back." Lu Changsheng set down the longsword. At his current realm, whether he held a physical sword made little difference. "Master Ou, farewell." Lu Changsheng did not linger. The moment he finished forging that sharp steel blade, inspiration had struck him: his time had arrived. The time to create the sword of qi and blood secret method had come! With that, Lu Changsheng swiftly returned to Miaoshou Garden. Sitting cross-legged, Lu Changsheng began mobilizing wisps of qi and blood. Treating this qi and blood as "pig iron," Lu Changsheng hammered it again and again. Once, twice, thrice... Each hammer strike was in reality the compression of a wisp of qi and blood. Gradually, a sword of qi and blood about one foot in length faintly materialized inside his body. This sword matched the design in Lu Changsheng's mind perfectly. He even infused a wisp of his spirit into the sword of qi and blood. This allowed the sword of qi and blood to "forge" itself autonomously. At every passing moment, one or two wisps of "dissipating" qi and blood were drawn directly into the sword of qi and blood, continuously compressing. This process Lu Changsheng dubbed "sword casting." Inside his body, using qi and blood as iron ore, he would forcibly "cast" an earth-shattering sword of qi and blood! Furthermore, the longer the "sword casting" lasted, the more terrifying its might would be the moment it was unleashed. At this moment, the secret method Lu Changsheng created was thoroughly perfected. "From beginning to end, this secret method seeks to forge an earth-shattering sword of qi and blood. It shall be called the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method!" Inspiration had illuminated Lu Changsheng's mind. He could sense that this secret method was bound to be extraordinary. It was definitely no ordinary secret method. A tenth-rank secret method? Perhaps even a twentieth-rank secret method? Lu Changsheng did not know. He only had a faint intuition that this might be a secret method with no upper limit! Lu Changsheng then summoned his attribute panel to inspect his status. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 719 (Hidden Dragon in the Depths) Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method: Casting Sword for 1 day. Qiantian Treasure Transformation Secret Method: Level 1 Triple Waves: Second Wave Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art: Second Stage Divine Dragon Transformation: Second Transformation Nine-Word Thunder Sound Secret Method: Perfection (Incomplete) Lu Changsheng saw that his comprehension had exceeded 700 points, which was likely an important factor in his successful creation of the secret method. The Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method now appeared on the attribute panel, followed by the notation "Casting Sword for 1 day." This aligned closely with Lu Changsheng's conception of the technique. As long as time accumulated day by day, the power of the "sword of qi and blood" he forged would continuously climb! What level it could ultimately reach depended entirely on how long the "sword casting" had progressed. The only flaw, perhaps, was that the "sword of qi and blood" could be unleashed only once. After that single use, the sword would dissipate, and he would have to start "sword casting" anew. "I'll cast the sword for a few days first, then unleash it to see just how powerful it is." Lu Changsheng was full of anticipation for this brand-new secret method of his own creation. After all, this was the very first secret method he had created! Although it might never reach true perfection, that was also its greatest strength. This secret method was highly likely to have no ceiling. And so, Lu Changsheng resumed his usual routine: practicing martial arts and attending to patients at the clinic. In the blink of an eye, three days passed in a flash.