Martial Cultivator

"Friend..."

The old monk seemed somewhat nostalgic. "I had many friends long ago, but they were always so arrogant, thinking they could accomplish anything on their own. That's why they died very quickly."

The girl glanced at the old monk, then looked up and said, "My friends are different from yours. At least they're not that foolish..."

"Well, actually, you're not that foolish either..."

The girl pondered for a moment and continued, "You're just a little scared of dying."

The old monk looked at the girl and said, "Don't be too confident. This matter is very dangerous, and it has been so many times before. I don't think you can change anything."

But the young girl did not agree, "Some things haven't been tried yet. How do you know they won't work? Besides... forget it, it's useless to talk to you about it. Just hide yourself."

The old monk remained silent, his silence making him seem more like a statue than a person.

"I'm not a great bodhisattva, I'm just a clay bodhisattva. It's hard enough for me to cross the river myself, let alone with others."

The old monk's expression was grim, without much joy of seeing an old friend. The girl couldn't be bothered to listen to his words. She simply summoned a spark of brilliant light at her fingertips and examined it closely.

After some time passed, the girl stood up and said, "Little monk, I'm leaving."

The old monk, who could hardly be called "little" anymore, and was an old monk a long time ago, opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing.

The girl looked down at the monastery below with some disdain, then turned to glance at the old monk, smiling faintly. "Doing something interesting is what makes life worthwhile. Just living like this is meaningless. You don't understand this principle, even after living so many years."

……

……

Sword Qi Mountain was deep into midsummer, and naturally, the sound of cicadas was abundant. Chen Chao had been granted permission to roam freely on Sword Qi Mountain, which naturally caused discontent among many swordsmiths. However, with the Great Liang Emperor backing him, any dissatisfaction had to remain hidden in their hearts.

Chen Chao did not idle around. While waiting for a reply, he wandered the mountain and watched the swordsmiths at work. However, most of these swordsmiths had their so-called secret techniques and were unwilling to let an outsider watch.

As a result, Chen Chao faced many rejections. Had Yang Furen not informed everyone on the mountain not to make things difficult for Chen Chao, he might have faced more than just cold shoulders.

One afternoon, Chen Chao strolled through the back mountain, stopping and starting before finally returning to the bamboo grove. Bored, he unsheathed his saber and gently tapped the bamboo with the sheathe, listening to the different sounds each one made. This brought him peace of mind. Sensing the flow of qi within him, Chen Chao deliberately guided it, coordinating with his breathing. With each inhalation and exhalation, white mist appeared, making him feel entirely at ease.

The white mist Chen Chao had acquired from the ruins of the Rongshan Sect, along with the unknown cultivation technique, was something he was still exploring. The more he delved into it, the more he discovered its boundless potential. This secret technique was difficult to categorize as either a martial cultivation technique or a daoist technique. He had no idea how many levels it had, but as his cultivation level increased, the white mist within him grew stronger. It proved useful for both healing injuries and attacking.

Chen Chao was now even trying to slowly integrate this white mist with his broken saber, guiding the mist and his energy to flow together when executing saber techniques.

Lost in deep thought about the white mist, Chen Chao unknowingly walked out of the bamboo sea. In front of him was a cliff, and on the cliff stood a sword-forging furnace. In front of the furnace was a reclining chair, on which a tall, burly old man sat with his eyes closed.

Chen Chao returned to his senses and observed from a distance, not immediately approaching.

"You must be the young martial artist who made the entire Sword Qi Mountain suffer a loss?" the old man asked.

Before Chen Chao could make a move, the other party had already spoken. The voice was lazy, carrying no hint of hostility.

Chen Chao fastened his saber and cupped his hands in greeting. "This junior Chen Chao, greets Senior."

The old man stood up and looked at Chen Chao with a calm expression. "With an unrivaled martial artist backing you, you could afford to be more arrogant."

Chen Chao smiled wryly. "This junior isn't the unrivaled martial artist, how could I dare to be arrogant?"

The old man laughed heartily. "Arrogant or not, does it really matter? Does anyone on Sword Qi Mountain think you aren't arrogant?"

Chen Chao was taken aback and suddenly asked, "Senior, is your surname Chou?"

The old man glanced at Chen Chao and replied indifferently, "It seems you've met that friend of mine."

Chen Chao said honestly, "I met a senior at a sword forging workshop down the mountain. That senior said that if this junior had trouble forging a saber up here, I could try finding someone named Chou. But before I had the chance, things turned out as they are now."

The old man waved his hand dismissively. "This old man is well aware of what the people up here are like. They spend their whole lives forging swords, yet they can't let go of their reputations. They're a bunch of people who hunger for fame and reputation. This old man despises them. However, if you want my help, that's not possible. This old man doesn't have the skill for it. If even the Mountain Lord can't do it, then neither can I. But since you haven't left the mountain yet, I presume that someone should have promised you something. Oh... it seems there's still a grand martial uncle living on this mountain... Kid, you have quite the face."

Chen Chao still smiled bitterly and said, "It's only because His Majesty is impressive."

The old man waved Chen Chao over and pointed to the sword-forging furnace. He asked with a broad smile, "Do you know what kind of sword this old man is forging now?"

Chen Chao looked at the radiant molten metal within the sword-forging furnace. He closed his eyes slightly and felt a sword intent, which reminded him of the green bamboo he had seen in the bamboo sea. He softly said, "Like the mountain spring, resounding with a steady rhythm."

The old man looked at Chen Chao with surprise and clicked his tongue. "Aren't you supposed to be a pure martial artist?"

Chen Chao nodded blankly.

The old man asked, "Then how do you know the sword intent of this sword that this old man is forging?"

Chen Chao did not hold back and said straightforwardly, "In Sword Qi Mountain, there's a bamboo sea. When this junior taps on the bamboo with my saber's scabbard, I can hear different sounds. From there, I sensed that the sword intents in the world each have their unique qualities and sounds."

Hearing this, the old man reached out and placed his hand on Chen Chao's arm. After a moment, he released his grip, looking disappointed but still somewhat puzzled. "You seem to have the makings of a natural sword cultivator, but sword qi can't flow through the meridians in your body. You can't train in the sword. What a strange thing, truly strange!"

Chen Chao had never harbored any particular expectation of cultivating the sword, so the old man's words did not make him feel disappointed.

The old man glanced at Chen Chao. "Kid, even though you can't train in the sword, do you realize that just with this ability of yours, every sword cultivator in the world would likely be at a disadvantage against you?"

"Please explain in detail, senior."

Chen Chao's curiosity was genuinely piqued this time.

The old man laughed. "With your ability to sense an opponent's sword intent, you can gain the upper hand in combat. As your cultivation realm increases, you might even be able to unravel and see through the flow of a sword cultivator's qi. When that happens, every sword cultivator in the world will always be a step slower than you. What do you think that would look like?"

Chen Chao was a bit dazed. He did not understand why, after hearing the tapping sounds of the bamboo in the bamboo sea, he had gained this ability. But according to the old man, if he continued to research deeper, sword cultivators would have no advantage in killing power in front of him.

The old man murmured, "It's strange that you came up the mountain to forge a saber. It's also strange that Yang Furen took you to listen to the bamboo in the bamboo sea. It's strange that after listening, you're now not inferior to some natural sword cultivators in terms of sensing sword intent. But the strangest thing of all is that you, kid, are a martial artist!"

After saying this, the old man fell silent for a long time. His words were not entirely complete. The Great Liang Dynasty had the Great Liang Emperor, a peerless martial artist, and now there was this peculiar young martial artist. What would this mean for the entire Great Liang Dynasty?

The old man did not dare to think about it. Perhaps it would not be long before this became a problem that countless cultivators across the world would have to face together.

It seemed that the Great Liang Dynasty was already showing signs of rise?

Shaking his head to dismiss these thoughts, the old man finally smiled and said, "If you were a sword cultivator, regardless of your cultivation realm, I could gift you a flying sword. Though my flying swords are not as good as those forged by the Mountain Lord, they are still quite decent."

Chen Chao thickened his skin and said, "Speaking of which, this junior has a friend who's a sword cultivator."

The old man mocked, "You mean that girl from the academy who has already taken nine flying swords? What, does she want a tenth?"

Chen Chao felt a bit embarrassed.

The old man spoke to himself, "I see that I'm fated with you, so this time while I forge the sword, you can watch from the side. Forging a sword is actually a process of shaping its essence, energy, and spirit. If you can grasp this, it will undoubtedly benefit your cultivation."

"Thank you very much, Senior," Chen Chao cupped his hands in gratitude. He did not refuse the offer. Being able to watch the process of a top swordsmith forging a sword was a rare and valuable opportunity that Chen Chao had no reason to decline.

However, after saying this, the old man lay down again with his eyes half-closed, completely ignoring the sword forge.

Curious, Chen Chao asked, "Senior, what are you waiting for?"

The old man smiled and said, "You noticed that this old man is waiting for something?"

Chen Chao smiled and nodded.

The old man explained straightforwardly, "When forging flying swords, most swordsmiths choose a precise moment when the sword is taking shape. But I am not waiting for that. I'm waiting for a particular time to forge, nothing special - just sunrise."

"The cliff here, when illuminated by the rising sun, presents the finest scenery in the world. When I forge the sword amidst the red sun, it will naturally produce an excellent flying sword."

The old man murmured to himself, "The hardest thing to achieve in this world is actually comfort. When the sword is comfortable, the swordsmith is comfortable, then it truly becomes an interesting sword."

Chen Chao was absorbed in thought.

Suddenly, the old man said, "Or perhaps you should forge this sword?"

Chen Chao looked bewildered.

The old man muttered, "I don't know why, but I feel this flying sword is somewhat special. If you forge it, it might be a sword no weaker than a Hundred Year Sword."

Chen Chao thought for a moment and nodded, "But this junior only has brute strength."

The old man smiled but did not say anything.