The sword testing furnace was far larger than imagined. Due to long years of disuse, a thin layer of dust had settled around it, and the walls were covered in thick spiderwebs. The gloomy, sticky air filling the space was deeply unsettling.
Even though Wen Chiyue was merely a sword and a water attributed one at that, she was startled by the atmosphere.
In the pool beside the furnace lay many broken swords. Some were missing hilts or blades, and the rare few that remained whole had lost their luster from a lack of maintenance.
As fellow swords, they shared the same origin. Once a blade was destroyed or failed to meet standards, it met such a miserable end not even a soul to collect the “remains,” left in this wretched environment until forgotten by the world.
Affected by the scene, Wen Chiyue stared blankly at the sight.
Jiang Xiechen walked slowly into the depths, his hem fluttering in the wind. He bent down to pick up a sword from the ground and flicked the blade with his finger.
The sword emitted a dull, muffled hum, no longer the crisp ring of its prime.
Jiang Xiechen asked, “What do you want to say?”
Wen Chiyue blurted out, “None of these swords are as good as me.”
Jiang Xiechen: “?”
Jiang Xiechen said faintly, “Yes, you are the only successful product.”
This furnace had forged countless swords, failures and successes alike. But the Autumn Frost Sword was special. It was the only blade to have tasted the blood of a Great Demon and remained unbroken.
Later, when Jiang Xiechen’s master learned of this, he sought it out. At that time, although the Autumn Frost Sword wasn’t completely shattered, it was far from whole. His master reforged it, giving birth to a new Autumn Frost.
Perhaps something went wrong during the forging process, it was a success, yet the blade appeared plain and dull, quite pitiful compared to its former glory. Later, Jiang Xiechen chose it at a single glance, and it became his soul-bound life sword.
Having received praise, Wen Chiyue’s tail practically wagged to the heavens: “Of course! Because I am kind, persevering, decisive, and full of love. Opportunity always favors the prepared, sword. And I am the sword destined for Master.”
Jiang Xiechen was becoming nearly immune to Wen Chiyue’s self-promotion.
It was common knowledge that sword cultivators were numerous in the cultivation world. Equally well-known was their poverty. One sword was enough for a cultivator, but building a furnace was exorbitantly expensive. To give the poor a way out, a new industry had risen, shared sword testing furnaces.
Wen Chiyue couldn’t understand why Master’s master would bother setting up a dedicated place for forging.
Unable to hide her thoughts, she spoke directly: “Master, did your master have some unfulfilled dream?”
“Why do you ask?”
Wen Chiyue explained seriously, “That’s how it’s written in the storybooks! The protagonist has extraordinary potential, burdensome parents, and a legendary master. Before the master passes away, they entrust the protagonist with their unfulfilled wish. The protagonist works tirelessly toward that goal and eventually stands at the peak of the cultivation world!”
“Pfft! cough, cough.” Jiang Xiechen placed a hand over his mouth, forcefully suppressing a cough.
Wen Chiyue continued with grand passion, “Let me carry the unfulfilled will of your master and stand at the peak together with you.”
She was the living embodiment of a “chunibyo” teenage girl.
Wen Chiyue smacked her lips, savoring the end of her daydream. Only when she “woke up” did she realize Master hadn’t said a word yet, she had completely exposed her own wild imagination.
Displeased, Wen Chiyue said, “I think I’ve said quite a lot, right, Master?”
A trace of a smile appeared in Jiang Xiechen’s eyes, but his voice remained cold as ice. Relying only on ears, one could never detect the psychological shift.
Jiang Xiechen said, “Mhm. He had a long cherished wish to slay demons and exterminate evil.”
Wen Chiyue’s eyes were like a blank sheet of paper, untainted by the world and incredibly clear. She asked, “Why? Aren’t the demons all gone?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Wen Chiyue realized her mistake. The demons had only vanished from the books, not from existence. She thought regretfully. How could I ask such a stupid question and lose face in front of Master?
Jiang Xiechen’s eyelids lifted: “It’s right behind us, a nuisance of a bug.”
He leaned back against the stone slab, twisting his waist. Using just one hand for leverage, he leapt into the air. The red mark between his brows mirrored his golden eyes, which reflected the monster before them.
Calling it a monster wasn’t entirely accurate. The thing looked like mist, yet wasn’t. At the very center of the mist was a deep red core. The hovering mist couldn’t support the weight of its cloak, which trailed on the ground, making a raspy sound.
Inside its mouth, one could even see clusters of fleshy tumors. It was a mystery why a clump of mist insisted on growing such things.
It moved with lightning speed across the ground, its sharp maw lunging at Jiang Xiechen. Jiang Xiechen threw a discarded sword from the pool with his other hand, accurately piercing a tumor in the monster’s mouth to buy a moment of respite.
He retreated two or three steps.
The monster seemed to feel no pain. Even though the sword had impaled its mouth, the mist transformed into a hand and pulled the blade out without hesitation. Blue blood surged out, splashing into the pool.
It croaked hoarsely, “Au… give me… Au… return…. sword.”
Wen Chiyue shivered upon hearing her name in those syllables and immediately tried to clear her name: “I don’t know it! It’s so ugly, it’s definitely trying to frame me!”
The monster’s eyes were vacant. Its four claws gripped the ground as its head snapped toward Jiang Xiechen, staring greedily at the Autumn Frost Sword at his waist: “Mine… mine.”
Fearing Jiang Xiechen might abandon her, Wen Chiyue said nervously, “Master, don’t listen to it. My body and heart belong to you forever.”
The monster couldn’t hear her pledge of loyalty, and even if it could, it wouldn’t understand.
As Wen Chiyue spoke, it lunged again.
“Damned Erosion Demon! Master, run!” Wen Chiyue cried out. Knowing Master had lost all spiritual power and fearing an injury, a flash of information crossed her mind. She hurried to explain: “Master, the fatal point of this kind of demon is that red core in the center of the mist. Throw me out, and I’ll go shatter it!”
Jiang Xiechen’s gaze was deep as he took a defensive stance. His lips curved slightly, but he made no move.
Wen Chiyue was frantic. An Erosion Demon might be a low-level demon with no brain, but having lived in the Demon Realm, it possessed strength far greater than a typical beast. It was not something someone with zero cultivation like Jiang Xiechen could handle.
Besides, Master was so “fragile,” and the demon was nearly twice his size. How could he withstand the force of its strike?
The Autumn Frost Sword vibrated restlessly in Jiang Xiechen’s hand, attempting to break free. However, Jiang Xiechen was prepared and held the hilt firmly. No matter how much Wen Chiyue wanted to fly out and pierce the core, she couldn’t move an inch.
Wen Chiyue broke into a “sweat”: “Master, let go of me!”
Jiang Xiechen spoke the truth: “The mist on an Erosion Demon is corrosive. If you go in like that, you’ll die.”
This was a fact. The Autumn Frost Sword was already fragile, just a step away from shattering. Furthermore, since Jiang Xiechen had lost his cultivation, the sword’s strength had dropped significantly. Going in would likely be a one way trip.
Wen Chiyue knew this too. But if the sword broke, Master could get another one. If Master died, as a soul bound sword, she would perish with him anyway.
Prepared for a heroic sacrifice, Wen Chiyue said firmly, “For Master, it’s worth it. Let me go.”
The Erosion Demon’s claws swept forward with a whistling wind. Simultaneously, its mocking voice echoed: “My… trash… doesn’t… deserve… to have…”
Bang!
Just as it was about to reach Jiang Xiechen, a massive cage dropped from the ceiling, instantly trapping the demon.
The cage was made of an unknown material, no matter how the demon thrashed, it couldn’t escape. The demon’s black robes began to burn, the heat forcing out a raspy scream.
Wen Chiyue was stunned: “I didn’t see any traps around here!”
Behind Jiang Xiechen was just an ordinary wall. Moreover, his hands had been occupied with the sword, how could he have hit a switch? Looking closely at the cage, there were no ropes attached.
A suspicion formed in Wen Chiyue’s mind, but she didn’t dare ask.
In this world, there were countless sword cultivators, but few were survivors. Due to the nature of their cultivation, more than half died prematurely. Wen Chiyue naturally didn’t want Master to fall into that category, but besides her, Master had nothing left. How could he fight an Erosion Demon?
Suddenly, Wen Chiyue’s eyes lit up with disbelief: “Mas-Mas-Master… you…”
She was so shocked she began to stutter.
“Mental strength.” Jiang Xiechen walked to the edge of the cage. The veins on his thin, pale hands were prominent. His long fingers rested on the mossy cage, creating a sense of eerie beauty.
Sensing the mental strength leaking from Jiang Xiechen, vines began to grow along the bars, following his fingertips. Once they reached his hand, they coiled affectionately around his finger and, trembling slightly, produced a tiny white flower, offering it to him pleadingly.
This cage was clearly no ordinary item. It required no spiritual cultivation, only mental strength to operate. Yet, in the cultivation world, these were the hardest tools to master. Many sword cultivators, even after reaching the Golden Core stage, had pathetic control over their mental strength.
The greatest difference between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages lay right here. That was why people said the jump between the two was a “qualitative leap.”
Jiang Xiechen had reached Golden Core before his cultivation shattered. Wen Chiyue had worried about how he would handle the gap. Now she realized that Jiang Xiechen had already cleared the hardest hurdle for the Nascent Soul stage, all he lacked was the raw cultivation level.
Wen Chiyue gasped. Her sharp eyes saw Jiang Xiechen reach out to gently touch the flower bud.
Jiang Xiechen’s voice was calm, devoid of emotion, as he asked, “You know the name of that demon?”
At the same time, Wen Chiyue shouted, “Master! don’t touch it!”
Jiang Xiechen paused. He didn’t sense any danger from the flower; it seemed like a perfectly normal bloom.
It was the first time Wen Chiyue had seen such a distinct expression on Master’s face. But that didn’t stop the indignation in her heart. She scolded loudly: “Scheming! I am Master’s sword! Get away!”
She turned to Jiang Xiechen and said, “Master, don’t be fooled by how pretty it looks, botanically speaking, that’s a reproductive organ!”
Wen Chiyue reached her conclusion: “This cage is coveting Master!”