Martial Cultivator

The deer antlers were originally intended for Wen Hu to forge a flying sword, but now that Chen Chao had a falling out with him, Wen Hu probably would not accept them even if offered. Given the situation, Chen Chao decided to keep them for his own use.

Chen Chao calmed his mind, took out the snow-white deer antlers, and handed them to the old man. The old man glanced at them and casually tossed them aside before focusing his attention on the small furnace. The furnace had been burning for many days, and although the broken saber inside was glowing red, it had not melted. After examining it closely, the old man reached out and lifted a section of the broken saber. The high temperature of the saber caused a sizzling sound when it touched the old man's palm, but his expression remained unchanged. But after scrutinizing it, he threw the broken segment back into the furnace.

Chen Chao looked at the old man's palm but did not see any burn marks on his hand.

The old man took a small flask from his waist, took a sip, and then said quietly to himself, "After forging swords for so many years, how could I not have a few tricks up my sleeve?"

The old man glanced at Chen Chao and sighed, "Things are much more complicated than I initially thought. I originally estimated a 50% success rate, but now it looks like it's down to only 30%."

Chen Chao was taken aback and wanted to say something, but the old man continued, "If it doesn't work out, this old man will personally use the remaining piece of Thousand Year Glacial Stone to re-forge a saber for you."

The old man lamented, "I was initially hoping to save it to forge a flying sword, but now it looks like I'll most likely have to use it on you again. In the end, I gained nothing from this. Just talking about it is heartbreaking."

Chen Chao smiled and said, "It might not come to that. We haven't even started yet, so why is Senior so pessimistic?"

"Don't try to provoke me with words. Your saber is no ordinary weapon. I can only say that I'll do my best. But considering your temperament, you probably wouldn't be happy with a new saber either, would you?" The old man observed the fire in the furnace, continuously adding some demon beads.

Chen Chao said softly, "There are ultimately feelings attached. How can one easily discard it just like that?"

The old man nodded and muttered to himself, "Being nostalgic is good. What this world lacks are people who cherish old things."

Chen Chao did not know how to respond to that.

The old man said in a solemn voice, "Hold out your palm."

Chen Chao followed the old man's instruction and extended his hand. The old man smiled slightly, and at some point, a sharp dagger appeared in his hand. He directly sliced across Chen Chao's palm. Although Chen Chao's body was now strong enough that ordinary weapons could not cut through, this dagger instantly left a bloody gash.

Without changing his expression, the old man grabbed Chen Chao's wrist and directly pressed his palm into the furnace.

Chen Chao instinctively wanted to struggle, but the old man was expressionless. The hand holding Chen Chao's wrist felt as heavy as a thousand catties. For a moment, even Chen Chao could not break free and could only watch as his hand was forced into the blazing flames of the furnace. In an instant, Chen Chao felt a piercing pain. He naturally knew this was no ordinary fire, but he had not expected he would have to plunge his hand in it.

Just a moment later, large beads of sweat began to roll down Chen Chao's forehead, his complexion turning extremely pale. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and did not cry out in pain.

The old man released Chen Chao's wrist and said, "There's no harm in crying out in pain. There are no outsiders here anyway. But your hand needs to stay in the furnace for at least an hour, not a second less."

Chen Chao asked through clenched teeth, "Senior, what is the meaning behind this?"

The old man casually replied, "Reforging a broken blade and forging a new one is not the same concept. It's not simply about merging them together; there are countless intricacies that I need to discern carefully. If I make a mistake somewhere, all previous efforts will be wasted. Using your blood to pave the way is a last resort, but it has its benefits too. It enhances the connection between you and this blade through fusion with your blood essence."

Chen Chao smiled bitterly, "Even so, Senior, it would have been better if you had informed me beforehand. There was no need to be so abrupt."

The old man ignored him and silently watched the furnace. Although Chen Chao's hand was inside, it was not actually burning. The blood flowing from his palm slowly dripped onto the two pieces of the broken blade in the furnace.

Periodically, the old man would take out some items and toss them into the furnace: fine, translucent sand. Once these were thrown in, the temperature inside the furnace instantly surged, causing Chen Chao to grimace in pain.

After an hour passed like this, with a nod from the old man, Chen Chao withdrew his hand. Despite being in the furnace for an hour, his palm was completely unharmed.

Glancing at Chen Chao, the old man said indifferently, "Do you think this is an ordinary fire; just slightly hotter?"

"This fire burns only metal and stone; it can only ignite using a special material. Although your flesh and blood will feel the burning sensation, it cannot be destroyed by this fire. Otherwise, imagine losing this hand and wielding the saber with your left hand from now on?"

The old man assessed the furnace with some satisfaction and chuckled, "As expected, using your blood essence as a catalyst, the intricate veins within this broken saber are becoming clearer. Now, I have about 50% confidence."

Chen Chao continued to carefully examine his hand. The burning sensation had not yet subsided, Chen Chao felt as though countless ants were crawling inside his palm, each movement bringing a wave of burning pain.

Chen Chao looked at the old man and began, "Senior..."

The old man waved his hand in irritation, signaling Chen Chao not to say any more at the moment.

Chen Chao could only hold his breath and endure silently.

In the days that followed, every few days, the old man would instruct Chen Chao to immerse his palm deep into the furnace. During the rest of the time, Chen Chao was not idle either, he continued to maintain a mental connection with the broken saber inside the furnace.

However, after enduring such days for several dozen days, it finally came to an end.

Because at this moment, the two pieces of the broken blade had finally melted into molten metal.

Visible to the naked eye, there were countless colorful threads weaving inside the molten metal, resembling thin snakes moving within. Chen Chao was momentarily dazed by the sight.

The old man remained silent, reaching into the molten metal, where he swiftly retrieved a golden-colored snake. After a brief inspection, he casually tossed it back into the molten iron.

Subsequently, the old man's fingers moved deftly, continuously pulling out these multi-colored snakes from the molten iron. Some snakes he glanced at and then threw back into the molten metal, while others he severed directly.

Chen Chao watched silently from a distance.

After some time passed, the old man's expression gradually became tense, and even his breathing grew unusually heavy.

Chen Chao glanced at the furnace. Within the molten metal, the colorful snakes continued to writhe and swirl endlessly, dazzling and gradually captivating the eyes.