Lu Yang felt that an enlightened master from the Golden Buddhist Kingdom truly lived up to the reputation; every word was steeped in Zen philosophy.
His curiosity piqued, Lu Yang asked, "Elder, how did you meet this eminent monk back then?"
"That eminent monk held immense seniority—a master of the 'Ming' generation. His ambitions reached higher than the heavens, and his dharma name was Mingtian. Everyone who knew him called him Master Mingtian.
"Back then, Master Mingtian and I both fancied the same young lady. Since a woman could not serve two masters, he and I began to compete. It was mainly a contest of who had more spirit stones. I had already applied for many patents in my youth, so when it came to spirit stones, I never feared anyone.
"Seeing that he couldn't outspend me, Master Mingtian asked if I could yield to him. Claiming he saw a karmic affinity with me, he offered to gift me the Desireless True Fire. I told him, 'No need, no need.' But the master insisted, 'You need it, you need it!' and shoved the Desireless True Fire straight into my hands.
"Right then and there, I felt that a beauty was nothing more than a skeleton draped in pink flesh. Why squander my youth in a brothel? So, I turned around and left.
"Later on, I wanted to find Master Mingtian to debate the matter—and, if the opportunity arose, give him a good beating.
"Unfortunately, Master Mingtian was so proficient in Buddhist dharma that he shamed me into silence. Most importantly, his cultivation was superb—he was already at the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Old Three and I couldn't beat him."
Lu Yang: "..."
So the Third Elder's Heaven-Shaking Six Forms wasn't meant to shake the heavens, but to shake Master Mingtian?
"Speaking of which, Fairy, did Buddhism exist back in your era?"
"Of course."
Lu Yang was astonished. According to Buddhist records, Buddhism had a long history stretching back to ancient times. However, after meeting the Immortal Fairy and learning about the Five Ancient Celestials, Lu Yang had assumed this origin was merely fabricated by the Buddhist sect to elevate their own status.
If Buddhism and the Buddha had truly existed in ancient times, why had the Immortal Fairy never mentioned the Buddha before?
Besides, Lu Yang couldn't imagine any of the Five Ancient Celestials matching the description of the Buddha.
"It really existed? Then does the Buddha exist too? Was he an immortal?"
"As I recall, Buddhism has a Buddha, buddhas across the heavens, countless arhats and bodhisattvas, and the Thirty-Three Heavens, right?"
"Yes, all the classic scriptures record that."
The Immortal Fairy wore a sly smile. "Then don't you think this kind of setting looks an awful lot like the Heavenly Court?"
"...!" Lu Yang's expression froze in utter shock as a certain possibility crossed his mind.
Delighted by his reaction, the Immortal Fairy chuckled. "That's right! Buddhism was completely made up by the five of us together."
No wonder the Immortal Fairy had been so confident that her Monk Fruit Fist was more authentic than the Arhat Fist.
As one of the founders of Buddhism, she held a transcendent status and supreme authority. Whoever she said was authentic was authentic!
Lu Yang sucked in a breath of cold air. The Five Ancient Celestials' talent for duping people was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
The five of them had fabricated several versions of the Heavenly Court setting, none of which had survived, yet the Buddhist lore they concocted had endured to this day and had even been carried forward and expanded by later generations.
The Fifth Elder had no idea Lu Yang was conversing with the Immortal Fairy. Seeing the boy's expressions shift wildly, he found it quite strange.
Then again, in the Dao Seeking Sect, it wasn't all that unusual.
Back when Ninth Brother was Lu Yang's age, he used to fantasize that an ancient ferocious beast was sealed inside his body, and that if its aura leaked, it would wipe out all living beings. Because of that, Ninth Brother walked around with a cold, wooden expression all day, claiming he had sealed away his own emotions.
Sometimes, he would even grip his wrist in agony and yell, "I can't suppress the beast inside me anymore! Run!"
Nowadays, if anyone brought that up in front of Ninth Brother, he would fly into a rage, draw his sword, and chase them down to hack them to pieces.
Compared to Ninth Brother dropping to his knees and wailing for no reason, Lu Yang's fluctuating facial expressions were practically normal.
"Perhaps this is the legacy passed down from master to disciple... the fate of the Sword Spiritual Root," the Fifth Elder muttered under his breath.
"Ah? Fifth Elder, what did you say about the fate of the Sword Spiritual Root?" Lu Yang snapped back to reality. Hearing the Fifth Elder mention a fate tied to his spiritual root, his heart tightened.
Could the Sword Spiritual Root carry some hidden destiny? For instance, every generation faced an insurmountable enemy and failed, living out their lives in regret?
Was his master's habit of roaming the mortal realm just a manifestation of lifelong regret, a way to vent his frustrations?
The more Lu Yang thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"The Desireless True Fire is the flame I use most often in weapon refinement. Artifacts forged with it allow their wielders to maintain the utmost composure during battle."
The Fifth Elder firmly believed that staying calm was the ultimate secret to raising one's chances of victory.
Raising his hand again, the Fifth Elder produced another True Fire from a different vial. "This is Liuding Divine Fire, an ancestral flame passed down through generations of Hundred Refinements Peak masters. It consumes impurities and is ideally suited for weapon refinement. The stone in fire and the summit spirit stone inside the immortal sword must be melted and separated using Liuding Divine Fire."
He placed the Liuding Divine Fire at the very center of the forging room and activated the formations inscribed on the floor and walls. The temperature in the room spiked instantly, forcing Lu Yang to circulate his Three-Flavor True Fire for protection before he could feel comfortable again.
Ignoring the blistering heat, the Fifth Elder kept his eyes glued to the immortal sword. Tongues of flame licked over the weapon, melting and devouring the outermost layer of immortal metal powder.
The sword revealed its true appearance: a dull, unremarkable grayish-black, showing no outward sign that it had been crafted from two rare and precious stones.
Under the scorch of the Liuding Divine Fire, the immortal sword melted and divided into two pools of liquid metal—one red, one black—both brimming with spirituality. The Fifth Elder swung his iron hammer, striking the liquid metal with fierce, rhythmic blows.
Under the impact, the liquid metal splattered within the flames, yet it could never escape the containment of the Liuding Divine Fire.
With a flick of his left hand, the Fifth Elder sent the Desireless True Fire hovering in midair plunging into the Liuding Divine Fire. The two True Fires merged into one, combining their unique traits.
Lu Yang did not understand the sheer technical mastery required for this move. If any knowledgeable weapon refiner had witnessed it, their entire understanding of the craft would have been turned upside down.
The two pools of liquid metal—the stone in fire and the summit spirit stone—gradually fused together, gradually taking shape as a sword embryo.
The Fifth Elder reached out, plucked the sword embryo from the True Fire, and lightly drew two fingers across both sides. Splendid, intricate patterns surfaced with clarity. These were sword glyphs, which reduced the wear and tear on the spirit sword and prolonged its lifespan.
Every spiritual treasure had its own specific patterns, but most weapon refiners had no mastery over how to engrave them. Someone like the Fifth Elder, who could bring them out with a mere swipe of his fingers, was rare beyond measure.
*Sssss—*
The glowing red sword embryo was dipped lightly into water several times. As its temperature gradually dropped, the true color of the blade emerged: a gleaming silver-white.
The Fifth Elder attached the hilt, sword tassel, and other fittings, finally completing the weapon.
"Here, give it a try." The Fifth Elder tossed the spirit sword to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang brandished the blade. It felt remarkably light, like an extension of his own arm. Swinging it felt utterly effortless, exhilarating, and fluid.
"Pierce!"
"Cleave!"
"Slash!"
Lu Yang executed his sword techniques one after another. His movements flowed without the slightest hesitation or awkwardness, as though he had been wielding this sword for years.
Completing the entire sword routine, Lu Yang drew back the sword with his hands behind him, a broad smile lingering on his face. "A fine sword!"
"Give it a name," the Fifth Elder said with a chuckle.
Lu Yang studied the sword glyphs along the new blade and smiled. "A sword is an instrument of killing. The blade is silvery white, resembling a silver moon hanging in the night sky. Why not call it the Dark Moon Sword?"
The Fifth Elder nodded. "Green Blade Sword, Dark Moon Sword... Green Blade and Dark Moon make a fine pair indeed."
Chapter 378