Chapter 1: Spirit Patterns

He took the longsword, and with a slight downward motion of his wrist, it seemed he had underestimated the weight of the sword

After lingering in the dwelling for a moment, Ying Chengfeng drew a long sword from a hole.

Yes. Although the young man was reprimanded, there was not a trace of dejection on his face; instead, his eyes sparkled as he asked, "Master, are you going to inscribe the spiritual patterns on the sword now?"

A glimmer of brilliance, incongruous with his age, flickered in his gaze, while his hands, tightly gripping the hilt of the sword, trembled slightly

Alright, then... "Ying Chengfeng's eyes flashed with brilliance as he said: 'Let us begin.'"

He took out a similar short needle from his bosom, and all the true energy within his body began to circulate, gradually infusing into the short needle, causing the half-inch glow to reappear

This is not fear or excitement, but rather because he is channeling his own vital energy into the long sword, quietly experiencing the subtle changes that are attached to it.

As the smoke cleared, the middle-aged strong man raised the long sword in his hand, squinting against the sunlight above him, his face filled with a satisfied smile

"Of course, I guarantee there will be not the slightest difference." The voice carried a hint of arrogance as it stated, "As long as I have scanned something once, I will never forget it."

In fact, his parents and uncle are all aware that he enjoys coming here to play

Having practiced for five years, my cultivation of Qi Gong is still at the first level, which is truly a disgrace to be in the same company as him

In fact, their work is quite simple; it involves adding a type of black stone into the furnace and occasionally pulling the bellows to make the fire inside burn even more fiercely

The middle-aged strong man let out a苦笑 and said, "Of course, I hope Master Zhang can take action, but it all depends on his mood." He shook his head and continued, "Unfortunately, our village does not have any spiritual masters; otherwise..."

It is unclear how much time has passed, but the middle-aged strong man plunged the sword blank into the icy water

He has a tall stature, with lumps of flesh all over his shoulders and chest, resembling a living calf.

His lips did not move, yet this thought was turning in his heart. However, the other party seemed to have understood and responded: "What do you wish to learn now? Do you want to leave that special spiritual pattern on the longsword?"

A somewhat jarring sound suddenly erupted, and a thick white smoke began to rise from the surface of the water, enveloping everyone in its midst

Ying Chengfeng walked out of the house gracefully, heading towards the back mountain outside the village

Silently gazing at this long sword, Ying Chengfeng let out a bitter smile after a long while and murmured to himself: "Long sword, oh long sword, my uncle can forge one in just three days, yet it took me a full two months to refine you."

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The crisp and resonant sound of hammering echoed from an inconspicuous small village below

"Chengfeng, you need not lose heart; I have great confidence in your potential, and you will surely surpass him by a wide margin"

Only three young men, who were noticeably older, were truly engaged in these activities, while the others watched the movements of the middle-aged strong man with great caution. Their gazes were fervent and filled with admiration, as if they wished to engrave all his actions in their hearts

Ying Chengfeng clapped in admiration and thought, "Zhilin, your guess is truly accurate. Hehe, have you recorded the spiritual patterns above?"

As time passed, apart from him, there truly had been no other people or books that had come here.

The oldest among them is already in their twenties, while the youngest is only around fourteen or fifteen. However, everyone's gaze is fully focused on that strong man, and they are engaged in whatever tasks they can manage.

If it were another disciple of the uncle, they would have likely been reprimanded severely by now. However, he shares an unbreakable blood relationship with the uncle, which is why the uncle turns a blind eye, feigning ignorance, and tacitly acknowledges the ownership of this place

The middle-aged strong man slowly retracted the smile from his face and said in a deep voice, "It's just a prototype; there's no need to make a big fuss about it." He continued slowly, "What comes next is the most important part."

Hey, quickly look at Chengfeng, daring to infuse true energy into the long sword

He sighed, threw the long sword onto the platform, and turned to leave

Several young men had unkind expressions, and their gazes towards Ying Chengfeng were tinged with disdain. However, as the master had instructed before leaving, no one truly dared to interfere before he had sheathed his sword.

The middle-aged strong man's hands suddenly moved, his arms, steady as a mountain, danced up and down at that moment, while the inch-long gleam continuously swept across the sword's blade.

After passing several turns, his pace gradually quickened, becoming faster and faster. He continued along the riverbank, running for a full mile before he finally came to a stop

Hmph, there are matters at home... Isn't it just a desire to be lazy?" a young man muttered discontentedly

Several soft, fluffy clouds drift in the sky, resembling wisps of smoke and layers of gauze

This dwelling was originally a blacksmith shop, said to be the place where my uncle forged iron tools in his youth. Later, my uncle devoted himself to the Dao of Instruments and became an apprentice, which is why he abandoned this place

Upon hearing these words, all the young people here had their eyes shining brightly, and even their breathing became hurried

Ying Chengfeng's lips curved slightly, and he thought to himself: "Zhiling, I know that with your help, it is only a matter of time before I surpass him"

Ding, ding, ding ... ...

However, no one noticed that there was not the slightest change in his lowered gaze. The young man's reprimand seemed to go in one ear and out the other, leaving no trace in his heart.

"Hmph, Junior Chengfeng, be careful," a young man said with dissatisfaction. "This is a weapon meticulously crafted by our master, and it is also a tool that can be infused with spirit. You must not break it."

Exactly one hour later, he let out a long breath and finally retracted the short needle

He approached the table with a long sword in hand and took out a specially crafted short needle from the toolbox. Taking a deep breath, a powerful aura surged from his body, and the short needle emitted a faint glow of about an inch.

After a full quarter of an hour, Ying Chengfeng finally set down the long sword in his hand. He let out a gentle sigh and said, "Esteemed senior brothers, I still have some trivial matters to attend to at home, so I must take my leave first." Having said that, he slightly cupped his fists in salute to everyone and turned to leave.

The young man at the forefront furrowed his brows slightly, thinking to himself that his cousin's constitution was not suitable for further cultivation. If he were to force himself to continue, it would likely bring disaster rather than fortune. However, this cousin had a rather stubborn temperament, so how could he persuade him without hurting his pride

Suddenly, a voice abruptly echoed in his mind: https://www.hetushu.com

All the teenagers bowed to send him off, and only after his figure had completely disappeared did they swarm around the long sword. One by one, they carefully lifted the long sword, as if handling a rare treasure, gently touching and observing it.

A middle-aged strong man, with his prominent and solid muscles flexing, swung a massive iron hammer, delivering powerful and continuous strikes onto a sword blank

The discussions among the people in the room were naturally heard by him without missing a word, yet these words did not stir the slightest ripple in his heart

Yet now, this place has become his secret hideaway

Haha ... ...

Here, there is a tranquil pond, beside which stands an abandoned house

Whispers began to rise from the crowd; although they deliberately lowered their voices and did not speak loudly, those who had been together for several years in this place could hardly be unaware of the underlying truths.

His movements were swift yet steady, and the hammer danced in his hand with a uniform speed and immense power. The sound of each strike resonated far and wide, clearly audible in every corner of the village

Hush, speak softly, he is after all the distant nephew of the master; if he were to report you to the master, it would be too late for you to cry.

The middle-aged strong man laughed heartily and said, "Alright, today I am in a good mood, so I will demonstrate it for you once."

Although Ying Chengfeng spent several times longer, it was due to the weakness of others. If he had the strength of a middle-aged man, the time taken to forge this long sword would certainly not have been too long

Finally, the longsword fell into the hands of a relatively slender young boy

Master, your strength has grown increasingly formidable. The young man who spoke earlier exclaimed, "To successfully inscribe the spiritual pattern in one attempt is undoubtedly a skill approaching that of a martial master."

Gradually, beads of fine sweat began to emerge on his forehead, as if this task was quite physically demanding

Although the long sword appeared unchanged from before, everyone present here knew that it had acquired something additional.

"Master, you have forged another excellent sword," a young man exclaimed

How could he, such a coward, dare to...

The eyes of everyone in the room grew increasingly bright, and the young man further remarked, "Master, if Master Zhang could infuse this sword with spirit, its value would at least increase tenfold."

The middle-aged strong man nodded slightly, but then sighed and said, "Although it is just a step away, crossing that threshold is incredibly difficult." After a moment of reflection, he continued, "Forget about that for now. You all take a good look at this sword. In a few days, I will invite Master Zhang to take a look and see if he can imbue this sword with spirit."

Everyone's eyes were wide open, quietly waiting for his next move

In the room, there are more than ten young boys and youths

Underestimating oneself, with just his basic level of Qi cultivation, he thinks he can infuse true energy into a sharp weapon. Hmph, does he think his master is still those few senior brothers?

If that middle-aged strong man and his son were here, they would surely be greatly astonished. This is because the long sword in Ying Chengfeng's hand was actually forged by him alone. Moreover, this long sword is almost identical to the one they painstakingly crafted, and it even surpasses it slightly in quality

Yes. The young man lowered his head and replied obediently.