Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 140 Sword Forging Insights

Having obtained the Earth Core Fire Copper, Zhou Ning did not linger at the foot of the Flaming Mountain.

He bid farewell to Xuanzhenzi and headed north to return to Lanruo Temple.

In his bag, the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron and the Earth Core Fire Copper were heavy, and together with the Star Sand he had obtained earlier, he finally had all three materials needed to repair the Green Edge Sword.

Repairing a flying sword requires not only the skill of a swordsmith, but also the sword intent and true essence of the cultivator.

Yan Chixia once said that the best swordsmith is the sword's master.

Only the master truly understands his sword, knowing its temperament, its scars, and its soul.

From southern Xinjiang to Qingyun Mountain, it's a distance of thousands of miles.

Zhou Ning traveled day and night, heading north along the official road.

We stopped for a while along the way, so it took a total of five days to get back to Qingyun Mountain.

Standing at the mountain gate, Zhou Ning looked at the familiar temple and felt a long-lost sense of peace welling up in his heart.

"Master, your disciple has returned."

He entered the main hall.

Yan Chixia was meditating when he heard footsteps and opened his eyes.

His gaze fell on Zhou Ning, and he nodded slightly.

"Have you found all the materials?"

Zhou Ning took out the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, the Earth Core Fire Copper, and the Star Sand from his bag and placed them one by one on the incense table.

The three materials each exude their own unique aura: the millennia-old cold iron is icy and bone-chilling, the earth's core copper is scorching hot, and the star sand shimmers with starlight, reflecting each other's brilliance.

"The Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron was found in an ice cave in the North. It was guarded by a giant ice crystal python, which has already been slain by my disciple."

Zhou Ning pointed to the pile of dark blue ore.

"The Earth Core Fire Copper was found deep within the Flaming Mountains of Southern Xinjiang. It was guarded by a fire dragon, which has already been slain by my disciple. The Star Sand was obtained previously in the Penglai Secret Realm."

Yan Chixia walked to the incense table and carefully examined the three materials.

He picked up a piece of ancient, cold iron and held it in his palm for a moment.

He picked up another piece of fire copper from the earth's core and examined it against the light.

Finally, I picked up a little bit of stardust with my fingers, put it to my nose, and smelled it.

"These are of excellent quality and rare treasures."

He nodded.

"Good job, you've worked hard."

Zhou Ning said, "This disciple is not tired. Master, when can this disciple begin repairing the Green Edge Sword?"

Yan Chixia said:

"No rush. Rest for a day to recover your energy. Repairing the flying sword requires a lot of true essence and energy, so we can't rush it. Moreover, you need to concentrate fully during the repair process and can't be distracted in the slightest."

He took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning:

"These are my summaries of sword-making insights. Take them back and study them. Once you're ready, I'll teach you how to repair them."

Zhou Ning accepted the jade slip and solemnly said, "Thank you, Master."

He left the main hall and returned to his residence.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he probed the jade slip with his divine sense and studied it carefully.

Yan Chixia's insights clearly analyze every step of repairing the flying sword, from the purification and fusion of materials to the reshaping of the sword body and the awakening of the sword spirit. Each step is explained in detail.

"Repairing a flying sword is not just about fixing the cracks in the blade, but also about reshaping the sword's spirit."

"The sword spirit is the soul of the sword. The stronger the sword spirit, the sharper the sword. The Azure Edge Sword has been with you for many years, and its spirit has formed a deep connection with you."

"During the repair, you need to infuse your sword intent and true essence into the sword to awaken its spirit and give it a new life."

Zhou Ning pondered these words repeatedly, as if he had gained some insight.

The next morning, as dawn broke, Zhou Ning arrived at the sword-making workshop on the back mountain.

The sword-making room is a small stone chamber built at the foot of the cliff behind the mountain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces a cliff on one side, making it a secluded and quiet place.

In the center of the stone chamber stands an ancient sword-forging furnace, its body bronze in color and covered with intricate runes, radiating a faint spiritual light.

Below the sword-making furnace, there is a fire port that allows you to adjust the heat.

This sword-forging furnace was used by Yan Chixia when he was young, and it is said that it has forged many famous swords.

Yan Chixia was already waiting in the sword-making room.

He stood before the sword-forging furnace, reached out and touched the furnace wall, and said calmly:

"I've used this sword-forging furnace for thirty years. I've forged and repaired many swords with it. While it's not the best, it's more than enough to repair the Qingfeng Sword."

He took a fiery red crystal from his sleeve and placed it into the fire pit beneath the sword-forging furnace.

"This is Earth Fire Crystal, which can generate stable high temperatures. When repairing a flying sword, the intensity of the heat is crucial. Too much heat will melt the sword; too little heat will prevent the materials from fusing."

Zhou Ning nodded, placed the Qingfeng sword on the table next to the sword-forging furnace, and then arranged the ten-thousand-year-old cold iron, the earth core fire copper, and the star sand one by one.

"The first step is to purify the materials," Yan Chixia said.

"Let's start with the ten-thousand-year-old cold iron."

Zhou Ning picked up a piece of ancient cold iron, concentrated his true essence in his palm, and carefully wrapped the ore.

Then, he put the ore into the sword-forging furnace, covered the furnace, and lit the earth fire crystal.

Flames ignited, and the temperature of the sword-forging furnace began to rise.

Zhou Ning probed his divine sense into the furnace, sensing the changes in the ore.

As the ore softens under high temperature, impurities begin to precipitate out, turning into black smoke that drifts out from the exhaust vent.

The ore grew smaller and purer, eventually transforming into a single drop of pale blue liquid that slowly spun in the furnace.

"Control the heat; it can't be too fast, nor too slow," Yan Chixia instructed from the side.

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth and carefully adjusted the firepower.

The flames fluctuated in size, and the temperature inside the sword-forging furnace changed accordingly.

The drop of liquid spun slowly in the furnace, gradually becoming pure and transparent, like a morning dewdrop, radiating a faint blue light.

After an incense stick's time, the purification of the ten-thousand-year-old cold iron was completed.

Zhou Ning opened the furnace lid, took out the drop of liquid, and put it into a jade bottle.

Next is the Earth Core Fire Copper.

Purifying core copper is more difficult than refining ancient iron because it has a higher melting point and contains more impurities.

Zhou Ning put the ore into the sword-forging furnace and heated it with a strong fire.

The ore gradually melted under high temperature, turning into a dark red liquid with a layer of black foam floating on the surface.

He used his divine sense to control the furnace temperature, peeling away the impurities bit by bit.

This process requires immense patience and precise control; it cannot be rushed, nor can it be slowed down.

Half an hour later, the purifying of the fiery copper from the earth's core was finally completed.

The dark red liquid became clear and transparent, radiating a red glow, like a burning flame.

Finally, there's stardust.

Stardust is in powder form and does not require heating for purification, but impurities need to be removed.

Zhou Ning poured the star sand into a jade bowl, added water, and stirred it with his true essence.

Impurities in the stardust gradually floated to the surface of the water under the impact of true energy.

He skimmed off the impurities, repeating the process several times until the stardust became pure and flawless, shimmering with starlight.

"Purification complete."

Yan Chixia said, "Next is the fusion."

Fusion is the process of mixing three materials in a certain proportion.