Martial Cultivator

There was silence.

No one responded to Chen Chao's question, but no one left either.

Regardless of their grievances with Chen Chao, the piece of Thousand Year Glacial Stone was a once-in-a-lifetime treasure for them. If they missed out today, they might never have another chance to obtain it.

Hence, the atmosphere suddenly became very awkward.

Chen Chao glanced at Yang Furen, who silently turned his head away. Although Yang Furen's grand martial uncle had previously expressed the intention to reopen the forge and create a new sword, intentions aside, the glacial stone indeed belonged to Great Liang. Now, how it should be distributed was up to Chen Chao, and there was nothing to fault in that.

Yang Furen was not too concerned about who would ultimately get the piece of Thousand Year Glacial Stone. As long as it remained within Sword Qi Mountain, he would benefit from it.

As for Chen Chao's evident desire to regain his standing from several days ago, Yang Furen was pleased to see it. As Li Heng had wisely put it earlier, if the mountain lord's words carried no weight, what was the point? After so many years of chaos, Yang Furen also wanted to set things right in Sword Qi Mountain.

Suffering some losses and losing face a few times were necessary for these people to understand that there are always people better than them.

Chen Chao looked at Wen Hu and asked with a smile, "Senior Wen, if this junior uses this piece of Thousand Year Glacial Stone to request you to reforge my saber, would Senior help me?"

Wen Hu was that swordsmith who had previously clashed with Chen Chao at the foot of the mountain. At present, he had not left yet. As he looked at Chen Chao, his expression softened, but he did not speak immediately.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Are you really going to use this Thousand Year Glacial Stone to ask this old man for help?"

Chen Chao smiled broadly, "It's just business. This is the start of negotiations. What do you think, Senior?"

Wen Hu thought for a moment and then said softly, "This old man can give it a try."

Although it was difficult for him to say, the Thousand Year Glacial Stone was an irresistible treasure for any swordsmith.

Chen Chao asked, "How confident are you, Senior? Failure is not an option."

Wen Hu was stunned, his expression changing slightly as he suddenly realized something.

Wen Hu was just about to speak when Chen Chao quickly sighed and shook his head, "It's not that I don't trust you, Senior. I believe Senior is an exceptionally talented swordsmith, but you might not have the skill needed, so I won't trouble Senior lest it tarnishes Senior's reputation."

Wen Hu's expression became extremely fascinating in an instant, and he found himself unable to speak.

Standing by the side, Li Heng had a slight smile on his face. He had known this young man for quite some time now, and although he did not fully understand him, he knew that Chen Chao was not one to take being bullied without retaliating. Whenever he had the chance, he would always find a way to get back at those who had wronged him.

If he could fight, he would; if not, few could best him in a verbal exchange.

This temperament was not particularly detestable. At least to Li Heng, he did not dislike it. He even felt that Chen Chao resembled the Great Liang Emperor in some ways - not in personality, but in an indescribable spirit and vigor. Perhaps that was why the Great Liang Emperor favored this nephew so much.

It was not just a simple bloodline inheritance, it was a different kind of inheritance.

Li Heng looked deeply at Chen Chao, and at that moment, many thoughts crossed his mind.

Chen Chao held the box containing the Thousand Year Glacial Stone, shook it in front of the swordsmiths present, and could not be bothered to argue further. He simply threw down a parting remark, "The way things were before is how they should be now. It's not complicated who gets the Thousand Year Glacial Stone. Whoever helps me reforge my saber will get it. Since Seniors were unwilling before, you've missed your chance."

After saying this, Chen Chao cupped his hands respectfully towards Li Heng and then left with the Thousand Year Glacial Stone. Li Heng nodded, looked at Yang Furen, and said with a smile, "I hope Mountain Lord doesn't mind me staying on the mountain for a few more days?"

Yang Furen turned back and shook his head, "Mr. Li, if you wish to stay at Sword Qi Mountain, you are welcome to stay as long as you like."

Li Heng smiled, "There are quite a few things I'd like to discuss with Mountain Lord. I hope you won't find it bothersome."

Yang Furen shook his head and said no more.

……

……

Chen Chao brought the Thousand Year Glacial Stone back to the thatched hut. The old man had been waiting for a long time and took the wooden box from Chen Chao's hands without a word. He opened it and took out the fist-sized Thousand Year Glacial Stone. Though its exterior appeared ordinary and indistinguishable from a regular stone, being an amateur, Chen Chao could not discern its profundities.

However, the old man was incredibly excited. He held it with both hands, examining it repeatedly before muttering, "I never thought I'd see the day when I could possess this item."

Only top swordsmiths understood what a Thousand Year Glacial Stone truly meant. It was the most suitable material in the world for forging flying swords, unmatched by any other material. This stone was found overseas, amidst treacherous and stormy seas. That area was so perilous that even if Nepenthe cultivators entered, they must be cautious too. Yet, even if one managed to venture there, finding such a stone was not a given. It was extremely rare, naturally formed at the bottom of that freezing ocean, where many spend their lives searching in vain. For instance, Sword Qi Mountain would send cultivators there every year, but they have never found a second stone.

When the Great Liang Dynasty initially discovered this glacial stone, Sword Qi Mountain was willing to pay a tremendous price to acquire it, but the Great Liang Emperor flatly refused, leaving them regretful for years.

Despite their continuous efforts over the years, they never expected that in the end, it would come to Sword Qi Mountain so effortlessly.

The old man glanced at Chen Chao and slowly said, "This thing looks no different from an ordinary stone, but as soon as you touch it, you'll realize it's colder than ice. Splitting it isn't something that can be done quickly. Even in the best sword-forging furnace in the world, it would take countless days to melt it. Once it's mixed with some rare materials and forged into a flying sword, this old man can confidently say it will be among the top three swords ever made at Sword Qi Mountain."

Chen Chao asked with a smile, "Why not just say it will be the best?"

The old man rolled his eyes. "In the process of forging a flying sword, anything can happen. Even this old man will have times where I'd slip up too. But if everything goes perfectly, I can naturally forge an unparalleled flying sword. The only question then is, who in this world would be worthy of wielding it?"

Chen Chao clicked his tongue and said, "Too bad this junior doesn't train in the sword."

The old man snorted coldly and said no more. Instead, he directly threw Chen Chao's broken saber and its broken half into the small furnace.

The small furnace had already been burning for a long time, but this broken saber had only just been thrown in today.

The old man said solemnly, "This old man needs to go and split the Thousand Year Glacial Stone, which will take a lot of time. During this period, the furnace fire must not go out. Remember this."

Chen Chao nodded.

"During these days, you need to spend at least five hours each day sensing your broken saber. This way, after it's reforged, there will be an incredibly close connection between you two; similar to that between a sword cultivator and his lifeblood flying sword. Once it's reforged, this old man will erase the aura of the previous owner from the saber. After that, this saber will truly belong to you."

The old man said softly, "There are many complicated processes involved, but all of it will have to wait until this old man has cut out the needed portion of the Thousand Year Glacial Stone. This period will be quite troublesome; I even feel like sealing off the mountain."

Chen Chao's expression became solemn.