Chapter 85.2: Learn to Forge at the Blacksmith Shop; The Creation of Blood Qi Sword Secret Technique! (II)

With that, Lu Changsheng took off his upper-body garment and began hammering a piece of iron. He would have to strike it again and again until it was truly tempered. He had to put just enough force into it. It was not too much or too little.

This fundamental skill required persistence and precise control. The best result came when each strike was delivered with nearly identical force.

Being a Divine Strength martial artist, Lu Changsheng could control his strength better than anyone else. His strikes were almost identical, as though he were a machine.

Moreover, having gone through marrow transformation and blood replacement six times, his stamina was far greater than that of the apprentices. He could keep hammering away for three days straight without getting tired.

Blacksmith Ou also kept a close eye on Zhuang Shisan and offered careful guidance. However, the longer he watched him, the more astonished he became.

Zhuang Shisan was learning incredibly fast, grasping everything instantly. Blacksmith Ou did not need to repeat anything.

Regardless, experience was doubly important in this trade, and that could not be earned overnight, no matter how great a learner one was.

For the next five nights, Lu Changsheng practiced at the smithy, swinging the hammer relentlessly. By the twentieth day, he had to have swung his hammer at least thirty thousand times.

Watching Zhuang Shisan train assiduously without complaining even once, Blacksmith Ou couldn't help feeling a surge of admiration. "He truly has a knack for this. Pity he's a martial artist..."

For a second, Blacksmith Ou contemplated making Zhuang Shisan his successor. He was confident that if Zhuang Shisan were to focus on hammering iron, he would surely forge many divine weapons. He would even have a chance of achieving the same feats that the Ou Clan's ancestor, Ou Yezi, had achieved.

However, Blacksmith Ou also knew very well that Zhuang Shisan was a martial artist of the jianghu, a divine dragon[1].

Someone like him could not quietly live in a smithy to forge weapons and tools away from the eyes of the world.

The dignified Divine Strength martial artist, Great Hero Zhuang Shisan, hammering iron in a smithy? It sounded like a ridiculous joke.

"Alright, Great Hero Zhuang. You may stop. It seems you've gotten the hang of it. Now you can forge a sword."

Lu Changsheng raised his head and stopped his hammer mid-motion. Beads of sweat trickled down his chin, falling into the furnace with a sizzling sound.

"Really? I can forge a sword now?"

He was slightly taken aback, but he did not doubt Blacksmith Ou's assessment. After all, he had come here every night for more than twenty days. To an outsider, it looked like he had been monotonously hammering iron, but in truth, he had already grasped every sword forging step in the shop.

"Indeed. Why don't you give it a go? I'll watch from the side and guide you if necessary."

"Alright." Lu Changsheng did not falter, as he was familiar with the steps. He chose a piece of freshly smelted crude iron and began hammering it in his own way, again and again.

Eventually, the iron gradually took the shape of the blade he had envisioned.

"The blood refinement method is actually related to a person's mind. If you bleed while in a state of intense focus, your mind can merge with the blood and flow into the sword embryo.

"With repeated tempering, the sword could become a blood-refined weapon, allowing you to wield it like you would your arm," Blacksmith Ou explained.

Lu Changsheng understood that bleeding was not the essential part; rather, the whole goal was imprinting one's mind into the weapon. His thoughts shifted to the secret technique he was devising.

If he wanted to treat blood qi as ore and craft a blood qi sword, he would likewise need to fuse his own mind with it. Once that was done, the heavily refined blood qi sword would move like his own limb, unleashing tremendous power.

With that, Lu Changsheng attempted to follow the steps as precisely as possible.

Clang!

He finished forging a longsword, and after it cooled, it emitted a chilling sharpness. It was not a divine weapon yet, but it was nonetheless refined. In fact, it was even stronger than refined steel.

Blacksmith Ou looked at the longsword and smiled. "Great Hero Zhuang, you have completed your training."

In just a little over twenty days, Zhuang Shisan had already completed his training. His outstanding achievement made Blacksmith Ou sigh with emotion. Out of all the apprentices he had taken thus far, no one had managed to truly inherit his craft.

Even the basic act of hammering iron required talent, and no one had been as talented as Zhuang Shisan. It was truly a pity that Zhuang Shisan's true ambition was not blacksmithing.

"I'm done? Master Ou, I am truly grateful to you for teaching me everything you know." Lu Changsheng set the longsword down at once. At his current level, an extra sword made little difference. "Well then, farewell, Master Ou."

Lu Changsheng did not linger. The moment he forged that refined steel blade, a sudden clarity arose within him. He knew his moment had arrived—the moment to create his blood qi sword secret technique.

He promptly returned to Miaoshou Garden. He sat cross-legged and drew out threads of blood qi. Treating his blood qi as crude iron, he proceeded to hammer it again and again.

Once, twice, thrice... With each hammering, he compressed the blood qi threats. Gradually, a blood qi sword took shape within him. It matched exactly what Lu Changsheng had envisioned. Even a trace of his consciousness fused with it, allowing this blood qi sword to craft itself.

The blood qi that naturally dissipated from him was directly drawn into the blood qi sword before being compressed.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Just like that, Lu Changsheng used his blood qi as an ore to forcibly craft a sword that would shake the heavens and the earth.

The more time and effort he put into it, the more explosive and overwhelming the blood qi sword would be upon being unleashed.

His unique secret technique was finally complete.

Finally... Let's call it... Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique.

Lu Changsheng felt a surge of enlightenment. He instinctively felt that this new secret technique was extraordinary. It was like in the tenth tier—no, perhaps even in the twentieth tier!

Whatever the level, he was almost certain that there was no upper limit to this technique. He summoned the Status Panel to assess the situation.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 719 (Hidden Dragon in the Abyss)

[Skills]

Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique: Sword Crafting Day 1

Celestial Treasure-Refinement Secret Technique: First Layer

Threefold Waves: Second Wave

Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension: Second Level

Divine Dragon Transformation: Second Transformation

Nine-Character Thunder Chant Secret Technique: Perfection (Incomplete)

It became apparent that his Perception had exceeded 700, and it had to have played a big part in his success at creating the secret technique.

The Status Panel showed Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique, along with the words "Sword Crafting Day 1." This perfectly suited Lu Changsheng's idea of the technique. His blood qi sword would become even stronger with day-to-day refinement. As for how far it could ultimately climb, it depended only on how long he'd refine the sword.

The only drawback to this technique was that he could only use the blood qi sword once. Upon being unleashed, the blade would collapse and dissipate. He would then have to craft it all over again.

Let's refine it for a few days first. Then I'll test it out to see how powerful it is.

This new secret technique filled Lu Changsheng with excitement. After all, this was his first secret technique. Perhaps it would never reach Perception, but that did not mean anything, as the technique likely had no upper limit.

Following this successful endeavor, Lu Changsheng returned to his usual life, cultivating and seeing patients. Just like that, three days passed uneventfully.

1. Divine dragon (神龙/shén lóng) here is used metaphorically, drawn from the idiom (神龙见首不见尾/ shén lóng jiàn shǒu bù jiàn wěi), describing a legendary and elusive figure whose movements and whereabouts are rarely seen in full. ☜