Chapter 131

Chapter 131: Skill Nears the Dao

Li Shuang’s hands began to move on their own, sure and steady.

Joy flashed in her eyes. In the path of forging, success often came from countless details. There was a rumor that on the Central Continent, a top sect called the Source Artifact Sect led the world in forging. Of all the Ninth Tier artifacts on the Central Continent, eight out of ten came from them. They must have their own secret heritage, and it had to be very powerful. But that heritage was the foundation of their sect and would not be taught outside.

Now, under the effect of the Heaven and Earth Furnace, her understanding of the ores in front of her reached the highest level. Every detail of processing them was clear to her. A strange secret technique for hammering artifacts even surfaced in her mind. She did not know its name. She only knew that, guided by the furnace, she lifted the hammer and struck, again and again.

She felt a special rhythm. She sank into it. A faint blue glow rose from her body.

Propping her chin with both hands, Li Li watched with a dreamy face. She could not put it into words. She only felt that Li Shuang’s movements were very comfortable to watch.

Inside the jade slip, Su Mu put down his book, surprised. She was only forging a Second Tier sword, yet each of her movements felt like she had blended into heaven and earth. [Is this… skill nearing the Dao?] He muttered, half in disbelief: “Is it really this exaggerated?”

Even Ninth Tier master smiths did not always touch the Dao. But Li Shuang’s forging already had the flavor of the Dao. This Heir of the Emotionless Path was a monster indeed.

Guided by the furnace, Li Shuang kept forging without pause.

Two hours later, she stopped. The Black Abyss Sword lay quietly on the table. She looked a little dazed. [Is it done?]

All the materials had fused perfectly. The Black Abyss Sword had changed a lot. It was still a black sword blank, but now silver, complex sword patterns ran along the blade. Li Shuang stared, still finding it hard to believe. [Did I really forge this with my own hands?] Looking at those patterns, she even felt layers of Dao charm. [So this is perfect craft?]

Li Li cheered and darted into the sword, her new home, as she cried out: “Sister Li Shuang, you’re amazing!”

Light flowed across the blade. With Li Li’s help, Li Shuang tested a few swings. The result made her heart tremble. On the surface, this was just a Second Tier sword. But because it had a Sword Spirit with Purple Affinity, plus perfect craftsmanship, the Black Abyss Sword’s power was not much weaker than the old Dragon Roar Sword. A Second Tier sword could almost match a Fourth Tier sword now.

The Black Abyss was truly terrifying. The guidance fee of one top grade spirit stone was worth every bit.

She had just experienced perfect forging once. Even after the guidance faded, she still felt she had gained a lot. If she did this a few more times, maybe she would master it on her own without the furnace. Her eyes lit up. Before, she had not hoped to go far on the path of forging. But with this function of the furnace, if she could not become a Ninth-Rank Artificer and personally forge the Black Abyss up to Ninth Tier, then she would be useless.

She had rented the Earthfire Forge for three days and still had time left. She took out refined iron and other materials and willed again: [Use these materials plus one top grade spirit stone to exchange for a perfectly crafted Second Tier sword!]

Again she chose furnace guidance. The ringing of hammer on metal sounded once more as Li Shuang entered a state of forgetfulness.

Su Mu fell silent. His eyes turned a little blank. [Again… she touched the Dao?] Had he slept too long and fallen behind the pace of today’s geniuses? The first time could be luck. The second time meant real talent. What a monster. And she was already the Heir of the Emotionless Path.

Light sparked in his gaze as he murmured: “On the Central Continent, do any peerless geniuses have forging skill at the Dao level? With Li Shuang’s talent, she will go to that center of the world one day. When that time comes, we will give those geniuses a small shock. I look forward to that day.”

Three days later, Li Shuang left the forge rooms. This time, she had not only upgraded the Black Abyss Sword, but had also used the remaining materials to forge ten Second Tier swords. These were made from refined iron. They had no Sword Spirit, but in every other way they stood at the peak of Second Tier.

She now vaguely grasped that mysterious method. Her forging skill had risen far more than a little. Looking at the pile of Second Tier swords in her storage bag, she thought they were only for practice and were useless to keep. She could sell them at the market later.

Three days of seclusion had brought rich rewards. Besides upgrading the Black Abyss Sword, the most important gain was grasping a new forging method.

In a happy mood, she returned to Emotionless Peak, only to find it much livelier than before. There seemed to be quite a few more disciples around.

“Senior Sister Li,” Yan Xiao waved to her, excited, as he said: “I’m now a disciple of Emotionless Peak too.”

Li Shuang looked a bit surprised.

Words tumbled out of Yan Xiao: “Most Full Disciples of Ling Xu Peak chose to leave. Peak Master Lin used to accept only Direct Disciples, but this time she loosened the rule and took in a group of Full Disciples. Senior Sister Li, we’re under the same master again!”

He was very happy. Li Shuang only nodded and said nothing more. She still looked like an ice block, but the disciples here knew her well and did not misunderstand.

“Senior Sister Li, the Peak Master said to see her when you get back,” Yan Xiao added quickly, remembering the message.

Li Shuang answered and went to meet Lin Qing Ling.

“Is the Black Abyss done upgrading?” Lin Qing Ling asked.

“Yes,” Li Shuang replied.

Before she could say more, Lin Qing Ling spoke quickly: “I need to tell you something. After Ye Zhao Zhao died, Long Yan, who had signed a Master-Servant Contract with her, should have slowly faded. But Long Yan still hasn’t. And yesterday morning, the Dragon Roar Sword vanished from the room. Shuang, I suspect Ye Zhao Zhao may not really be dead.”

Li Shuang arched a brow. The Dragon Roar Sword had vanished? Ye Zhao Zhao was indeed alive, but she should have no more use for Long Yan. Yet she still went to the trouble to take the Dragon Roar Sword?