Chapter 2: Forging Swords (Part 2)
Swordsmiths hold a very high status in the Sword God Continent, where almost everyone learns swordsmanship. A good sword is undoubtedly a symbol of identity and status, which led to a surge in the number of swordsmiths for a period of time. However, those who are truly valued are still the top-grade swordsmiths.
The true master of sword casting is divided into grades according to the level of divine swords that can be cast, except for those unranked sword instruments. The ones that can really be called divine weapons are still those who have entered the lowest Qingfan grade, and above them are three more grades: Jintian, Baoling, and Zihuang. Although there is no shortage of talent in each era, true sword casting masters who can enter the ranks are extremely rare. In the tens of thousands of mountains and sects on the Sword God Continent, I'm afraid there aren't even a hundred.
Forging a sword is an extremely strict craft, not only with very strict and meticulous techniques, but also with extremely demanding material requirements. Different materials can produce different effects, and once an error occurs, it may become the culprit of a bloody battle that ultimately leads to death.
In contrast to those swords without grades, every sword that has entered the grade requires extremely strict techniques, materials and various smelting tools. Even some special materials need the swordsmith himself to have a certain level of swordsmanship to be able to withstand the harsh environment required for casting the sword. And each sword that comes out of the furnace will also have its own unique and powerful uses.
All of this makes every single divine sword with a grade seem extremely precious, matching the identity of the divine sword. Every time a divine sword is forged, it is accompanied by a certain omen. As the saying goes on the Sword God Continent: When a Qingfan Divine Sword appears, a green dragon emerges from the green smoke and turns into a jade dragon.
The Golden Sword appears, the Hall is filled with Jade and Gold, Heaven's Thunder rumbles.
The White Spirit Sword is out, and the heavenly thunder outside the sky is overwhelming.
The Purple Emperor's sword appears, and the Nine Heavens Dragon's roar shocks the heavens.
At this time, the Lu family's mansion was filled with a golden mist that gathered and condensed into a cloud of gold, covering an area of several dozen square meters. As the sun had already set in the evening, it seemed as bright as the rising morning sun. A moment later, many townspeople were attracted to the streets of Chaoyang Town by the strange phenomenon, and the number was still increasing. For the peaceful Chaoyang Town, this time the Lu family's master forging a sword was undoubtedly the biggest event of the year.
Inside the black stone house, the four walls that were originally illuminated by the firelight to resemble daytime now had a dazzling golden gauze draped over them. Even the originally cyan-gold colored cast-iron furnace and blue flames seemed infected, losing their original colors. The man wielding the large hammer, who was none other than Lu Yun, the current master of the Lu family, had his ancient bronze-colored skin covered in a layer of gold dust, mixed with the sweat floating on the surface, making him shine brightly like a celestial being.
At this time, the temperature inside the stone house was comparable to the hottest summer noon, and the dripping sweat was instantly evaporated by the scorching ground. Looking up, the boy Lu Qing, who was squatting at the casting furnace's fire mouth, had already taken some floating steps, and his hand movements were much slower than before. In the past half-day, three hours of non-stop fanning and firing, even with the support of the three-year-old sword yuan gong, that thin layer of sword yuan qi was also unbearable in such a harsh environment.
His gaze was fixed intently on the blazing furnace, where a four-foot-long sword with a purple-red glow emanating from its center, surrounded by a faint layer of golden light. Lu Yun felt his heart racing in a way it hadn't for years, an intense excitement that couldn't be put into words. After all these years, the hopes of generations would finally come to life in his hands, and the Lu family would regain its former glory from five hundred years ago.
Five hundred years ago, it was the heyday of the Lu family's sword casting. The master of the Lu family at that time was a rare talent in sword casting, who had cast no less than five divine swords of the Qingfan level throughout his life. In his later years, he retreated from the world and used the heavenly iron mixed with fierce fire and refined gold to cast the ancestral sword of the Zixia Sect, which has been passed down to this day: the Jintian-level divine sword "Lieyang". When Lieyang was first forged, seven thunderclaps shook the sky, spreading throughout the land for thousands of miles. All swords below the Jintian level paid homage to it, and its power was unmatched at that time. This also allowed the Zixia Sect to establish itself as the leader among the Qingfan-level sects within a thousand miles.
Unfortunately, there is no eternity in this world. After the generation of Lu's family master, at most, it was a Qingfan-level divine sword, and no later generation of family masters had ever forged a Jintian-level divine sword. Firstly, it was limited by natural talent. Since then, no later generation of family masters could practice the family's traditional Dahuan 36 hammers to above 18 hammers. Secondly, the materials for forging swords were also difficult to find, especially those for forging high-quality divine swords, which were often priceless treasures. The Lu's family master back then was also able to obtain the Lihuo Jingjin only by chance, combined with the Tianwai Xingtian iron collected by the family, and finally forged a Jintian-level divine sword.
Up to Lu Yun's generation, three years ago, one of the guardians of the Purple Mist Five Peaks, the Sunset Peak, went out on a journey and accidentally discovered a piece of fiery red mineral while chasing down a ferocious beast in its lair. Later, after Lu Yun identified it, it turned out to be the extremely rare Thousand Year Fire Gold, which is one of the materials that can be used to forge a Golden Heaven-level divine sword. This made Lu Yun ecstatic and he immediately made a vow to put aside everything, including his beloved wife and children, and went into seclusion to study the Great Evolution Thirty-Six Hammers. Only recently did he suddenly have an epiphany and understand the Eighteenth Hammer, finally opening the furnace to forge the sword. Thinking about the three years of seclusion, the tiger's mouth of the fire jade hammer cracking open time and again, the cold and icy cave, sometimes with only a faint mist, clear and cold to the point of being unbearable, and the silent loneliness when comprehending the hammer method, all of which cannot be described in words. And all of this, today...
Just as Lu Yun's thoughts flashed, his gaze inadvertently swept past, "Not good——" Only to see where his gaze fell, the young man who was originally standing behind the casting furnace and advancing towards the fire mouth had already turned pale, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, and a deep red bloodstain had even seeped out from the corner of his mouth, but his hands were still waving incessantly, even though there was almost no wind sound when he waved them, and the faint purple light on his palms was also gone at some point.
The left hand's pincers didn't dare to relax, and with a flash of the body, the purple light under his feet flickered as he moved sideways several feet to appear in front of the young man. The right hand grasping the fire jade hammer helped the young man up by the shoulder, saying reproachfully: "Qing'er, how can you be so stubborn? Hurry and get out, leave this place to me."
His consciousness seemed to have become a bit fuzzy, the young man was not moved at all, and only muttered in his mouth: "I want to help my father finish forging the sword, I want to see my father forge the sword..."
A deep sorrow appeared on his face, and a hint of silent shame was still in the depths of his eyes. He wiped away the bloodstain from his son's mouth with his elbow, and with his right hand grasping the hammer, he formed a sword shape with his fingers. With a reverse swing, he struck three times, and instantly, three sharp purple sword auras shot out like flowing light. A loud rumble sounded, and the large green wooden door behind him was suddenly blown to pieces. He wrapped his arms around Lu Qing, turned around, and flung him outward with great force: "Ruyue, catch Qing'er!"
The woman outside the door was shocked by the words, and then she saw a figure flying out of the shattered stone house gate. "Qing Er——" The woman exclaimed, her left foot tapping urgently on the ground, her body instantly rising more than ten feet in the air, accurately embracing the figure in her arms. She looked down at her unconscious son in her arms, her dry lips almost cracking open. Thinking of the past three years, the woman's heart suddenly surged with a long-suppressed sadness and anger. Tears filled her eyes, and she shouted out a sentence that had been stuck in her throat: "Lu Yun, for the sake of forging swords, do you really not care about our lives as mother and son?"
Inside the stone house, Hanzi heard the words and his whole body trembled. He took a deep breath, and the large hammer in his hand danced again. Outside the stone house, listening to the sound of the hammer ringing out once more, the woman's tears could no longer be held back, and she flowed down with her eyes closed, not saying anything else, turned around and left with her already unconscious son.
After a brief pause, the people of Chaoyang Town heard the continuous sound of hammers again. The golden clouds above Lu's house surged more violently, and their color gradually changed from gold to bright gold. Threads of golden air currents crisscrossed on the surface of the cloud mass like a school of dragons emerging from the sea. The faint dragon hums continued, shaking people's hearts.
At this time, the townspeople watching on the road almost blocked all the roads, and some passing vehicles from outside could only be forced to stay at the station outside the town. However, no one had any complaints, and even people in the cars got off under the guidance of the carriage attendants to watch. Compared with ordinary townspeople, these who could afford a horse-drawn carriage also had extraordinary vision. What the golden smoke represented was clearer to them, and they were even grateful that they could arrive at Chaoyang Town at this moment today, even if it delayed their journey, they would have something to brag about when they returned.
In the Lu family's grand mansion, inside the Sword Casting Stone House, a long sword with a purple-red color had taken shape in the blue flames wrapped around the golden-colored casting furnace. The sword was four feet three inches long, with a slender body and a blade that resembled a burning flame on both sides, tightly connecting the hilt and the blade. Except for the unopened edge, the entire sword was seamlessly connected from top to bottom. Looking down from above the casting furnace, the sword's body glowed with a golden light halo, outside of which floated a layer of purple-red flames, even the original blue flames that had been burning fiercely were unable to break through this protective aura and were blocked out.
The hammering finally stopped after another short while, and as he gazed at the purple-red divine sword that had taken shape before him, a bright golden smoke filled the entire stone hut. As the hammering ceased, a clear and melodious sword hum began to resonate, and in the blue flames, the divine sword held by the tongs started its pre-birth cry. The extremely spiritual body of the sword trembled violently, even Lu Yun, who was holding the other end of the tongs, couldn't help but be affected. Even with his full body's sword energy circulating, he still couldn't stop the sword's trembling. This is a sword that has come to life.
