Chapter 86.1: Sword Crafting for Three Days; The Strength of Ten Cauldrons! (I)

Alright, let's see.

Lu Changsheng glanced at the Status Panel. The Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique had been active for three days, and the blood qi sword had already undergone a noticeable change.

He focused on the sword within himself. It looked extremely small, but after three days of continuous accumulation, it had already gathered a vast amount of blood qi and emitted a unique, oppressive presence.

Let's give it a go.

Lu Changsheng shifted his will.

Shing!

The blood qi sword burst out of his body in an instant, and a faint crimson light flashed through the air before his eyes.

Boom.

The blood qi sword reached the target—a massive boulder—almost instantly. The blade was precise and swift as lightly, yet it did not rely on sharpness to destroy the target. Instead, it released all the accumulated blood qi in a violent eruption.

The massive boulder had been shattered into four pieces, and Lu Changsheng stared at them wide-eyed. Although he had expected his blood qi sword to be effective, he was nevertheless stunned.

He had only spent three days crafting the sword, and yet it seemed to possess extraordinary power. At his current level, he could gauge power with great precision, and from his estimate, the blood qi sword seemed to have reached roughly ten cauldrons of strength. If three days were enough for ten cauldrons, a month of crafting could very well yield a hundred cauldrons, and a year one thousand two hundred cauldrons—and that was merely at his current stage.

If Lu Changsheng continued with marrow transformation and blood replacement, his body would be able to hold even more blood qi, which meant more would dissipate each day. In turn, that meant his sword could absorb even more blood qi, making it even more deadly. With deliberate control of blood qi for crafting, his body could recover its blood qi with nothing more than some medicinal meals.

Under such circumstances, the efficiency of sword crafting would increase dramatically. At that point, two hundred, five hundred, or even a thousand cauldrons of strength in a single month would be feasible. In other words, his blood qi sword possessed limitless potential.

Lu Changsheng retracted his blood qi and summoned the Status Panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 719 (Hidden Dragon in the Abyss)

[Skills]

Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique: Sword Crafting, 0 Days.

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: Perfection (Incomplete)

As expected, the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique was back at square one, which meant Lu Changsheng had to start crafting the sword from scratch.

The blood qi sword shall be my trump card. I'll resort to this only if absolutely necessary. Once unleashed, the sword must secure victory in a single strike.

His strategy was only natural, as accumulating the blood qi for the sword took time—and he needed to take his time to ensure no foe could withstand the deadly blade.

The time accumulated for the blood qi sword is too vague. It would be better if it were clearly defined. Suppose I take three days of accumulated blood qi as a unit, and three days equal ten cauldrons of strength, one month equals a hundred cauldrons, and one year equals one thousand two hundred cauldrons of strength. Using this as a standard, I can fix how much blood qi counts as one day. If the quota is ten strands of blood qi, that counts as one day of sword crafting. If I actually accumulate twenty strands in a single day, then the status panel shows two days of crafting. If I accumulate two hundred strands, it'd show twenty days. Yet in reality, only one day has passed.

Lu Changsheng set a standard for the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique on the status panel. This allowed him to directly gauge just how powerful the blood qi sword was. Otherwise, if a year passed during which he deliberately trained the blood qi sword every day and underwent several more marrow transformations and blood replacements, who would know how strong the blood qi sword truly was after one year of crafting?

If the standard was based on accumulated blood qi rather than actual time, then he could achieve ten years' worth of crafting in just one year. In other words, instead of one thousand two hundred cauldrons, he could amass the strength of twelve thousand cauldrons in one year. This made the process of crafting the sword extremely intuitive.

As if sensing Lu Changsheng's thoughts, the Status Panel indeed made corresponding changes.

While honing the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique, Lu Changsheng continued working as a physician at Miaoshou Garden. Today, he was to see his master, Wu Jing, who was ill. It seemed to be just a common cold, but his condition was not improving. In fact, it was worsening with each passing day.

Lu Changsheng had checked on his master and prescribed him medicine several times, but the effects had been minimal. Wu Jin was visibly exhausted, and Lu Changsheng realized he did not have much time left. After all, Wu Jin was about to turn eighty—an age most people did not reach. By the standards of that era, Wu Jin had truly lived a long life.

Even so, Lu Changsheng's heart ached at the sight of his weary master.

When Wu Jing saw him, he greeted him with a faint smile. "Changsheng, is that you? Oh, it seems age has caught up to me. I don't suppose I have much time left. Still, there are no regrets in my heart."

Wu Jing was entirely satisfied with himself. Meeting Lu Changsheng was perhaps the most gratifying thing in his entire life. He was dying, but his medical expertise, his legacy, would live on.

"Master, don't get ahead of yourself. I believe you will get better," Lu Changsheng said with a rueful smile before walking out.

The trees lining the street had already sprouted new leaves, lush and green. Not long ago, they had been completely bare.

Just like trees, people bloom and wither. In the end, death catches up to everyone... even martial artists.

It was the first time Lu Changsheng truly contemplated death. Seeing his master wither away had stirred something in him.

When martial artists reached the Divine Strength Realm, they underwent various changes, but their lifespan did not increase significantly. Without external means, some Divine Strength martial artists died in their forties or fifties, while some lived past a hundred. Being less prone to illness, they could live slightly longer than regular people, but that was it.

If those in the Divine Strength Realm can't really prolong their lives, then what about higher realms?

Lu Changsheng felt a surge of turbulent power within his body. Indeed, with the fearsome strength and formidable physique he possessed, there was no reason his lifespan could not be increased. Deep down, he believed the Dao of Martial arts could extend life itself. All he needed to do was steadily advance toward the peak of the Dao.