Chapter 4: Young Girl

He sat cross-legged and began to breathe quietly.

Ying Chengfeng was taken aback, and he blinked a few times, imitating the other person's mannerisms

This short needle was a birthday gift given to him by Ying Lide several years ago, when he had just reached the first level of his Qi cultivation.

The young girl lightly tapped the long sword three times with her delicate fingers and said, "When you inscribe the spiritual patterns, it is not done in one go, but rather with some pauses, isn't it"

After resting for a moment and regaining a bit of energy, Ying Chengfeng was just about to put away the iron sword and short needle when he suddenly felt a stir in his heart

Ying Chengfeng was momentarily taken aback, shook his head, and honestly replied: "No." He silently added in his heart, not to mention the fifth floor, he hadn't even reached the second floor yet

Ying Chengfeng's face rarely flushed red; in his previous life, he had frequented bars and had been involved with numerous beautiful women, so he was not a novice in matters of love. However, when faced with the praise from this innocent girl, he felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart.

"You, who are you..." he asked, his eyes wide open

That fifteen-year-old boy is undoubtedly a genuine novice, so it is normal for his body to have these reactions, and it is forgivable

Ying Chengfeng was momentarily taken aback; he swore that neither in his previous life nor in the first fifteen years of this body’s existence had he ever encountered a woman of such unparalleled beauty.

The reason for gifting this item to him is naturally due to the uncle's earnest expectations for him. However, his performance over the past few years must have caused that strong middle-aged man to feel sadness and disappointment, perhaps even leading him to give up.

When he stopped once again, not only was the vital energy within him nearly exhausted and the *illustration* almost depleted, but even his spirit felt an overwhelming fatigue, making it nearly impossible to continue.

The young girl took two items, gently twisting the short needle a couple of times with her fingers, and her gaze, akin to autumn waters, fell upon the long sword

Due to the limitations of his true energy, he was unable to inscribe all the spiritual patterns in one go. After three attempts at inscription, three breakpoints were left on the long sword

An hour later, the true energy within the dantian once again became abundant

Moments later, the young girl suddenly smiled faintly, as if a hundred flowers were in full bloom, radiant like the blossoms of spring

Although these two items are not commonly seen, they are by no means difficult to find treasures, so he casually agreed to it.

Her voice is crisp and bright, as melodious and pleasing to the ear as the song of a lark

Her gaze, as bright as the moonlight, exuded an irresistible power; not to mention Ying Chengfeng, even Ying Lide would find it difficult to refuse her request in this moment

The trembling of the wrist suddenly ceased, as the small point of white light on the short hand had abruptly vanished

Perhaps finding his actions amusing, the girl's lips curved into a delightful arc, revealing a hint of joyful smile

She is a beautiful young girl of similar age, with long hair cascading over her shoulders and long legs. Her slender waist sways slightly as she walks, captivating those around her, especially her pair of lovely large eyes, which shine with a bright and deep affection, as if they are speaking to you when she looks at you.

True Qi, she is actually using True Qi to explore the long sword

As the short needle continued to move, the true energy within Ying Chengfeng was consumed like flying, and as the distance of the white light increased, the rate at which he consumed true energy multiplied.

With a look of surprise, he opened his mouth; it turned out that this delicate young woman was also a martial artist who had successfully cultivated her true energy

An athlete can sprint with all their might over a distance of 100 meters, but if this distance is extended to 10,000 meters, the person running at the speed of a 100-meter sprint will certainly not be the first to cross the finish line; rather, they will undoubtedly be the first to collapse.

Ying Chengfeng suddenly realized, and he smiled slightly awkwardly, saying: "My master has never mentioned it." He paused and asked: "May I ask, miss, why is that?"

Those who are able to come here should be the residents of the village, but Ying Chengfeng does not want anyone to know that he is inscribing spiritual patterns here. At least, he does not wish to attract attention before he succeeds

"Cough, Miss, you flatter me too much." Ying Chengfeng's expression quickly returned to normal as he said, "I am not a master craftsman, merely a warrior who has just begun to practice true energy."

A rustling sound emerged from the bushes, and a graceful figure slowly walked out from within.

Before long, he arrived at the abandoned blacksmith shop.

Who is it, come out...

He harshly despised himself in his heart and attributed all of this to the original owner of the body.

Although his attitude is extremely serious and his actions are meticulous, his spirit and energy are insufficient to support him in accomplishing this remarkable feat

"Initial mastery of true energy?" The girl said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "A novice in true energy dares to recklessly use spiritual needles on weapons. Hehe, have you really cultivated your true energy to the fifth level and studied the *manual*?"

Similarly, inscribing one-tenth or even fewer spirit patterns on a long sword can be accomplished with just the first level of Qi cultivation. However, as the number of spirit patterns increases, the amount of true energy consumed will increase geometrically. Within a radius of more than ten miles, it is likely that only Ying Lide can complete this task in one go.

The young girl, with her bright eyes wide open, said in an extremely serious tone: "Who is your teacher? Hasn't he told you that you cannot learn spiritual patterns before reaching the fifth level of true energy?"

Nodding gently, Ying Chengfeng said: "Not bad, I stopped three times"

The young girl tilted her head slightly and said, "There is nothing wrong with your spiritual pattern engraving, but there are too many breakpoints. Even if it is ultimately completed successfully, it will still have a significant negative impact on the entire spiritual pattern design. Hehe, such a spiritual weapon would not attract any spiritual master willing to invest their energy into it."

It is precisely for this reason that Ying Chengfeng can confidently place the completed long sword here

Ying Chengfeng frowned and said, "What kind of reason is this?"

"Why?" Ying Chengfeng asked in confusion

Although he only possesses the first level of true energy, his agility and strength have already set him apart significantly from ordinary people, especially when he applies true energy to his legs, moving with the agility of a hybrid between a large monkey and a kangaroo, swiftly traversing the slightly rugged path

Indeed, it is the spirit pattern; it turns out you are a master craftsman

His gaze fell upon the long sword, and amidst the flow of true energy, he had already located the point of interruption from yesterday.

Subsequently, his wrist trembled slightly, and the flickering light from the *illustration* once again fell upon the long sword.

From a concealed place, he took out the long sword and the short needle. At the moment he held the short needle, Ying Chengfeng felt a peculiar sensation in his heart

However, now that it has been discovered by others, it is likely that it will not be easy to conceal any further

Ying Chengfeng hesitated for a moment, then handed over the long sword and the short needle

The girl's bright eyes lingered on him for a moment, then she turned her head away, landing on the long sword and short needle on the ground

At the same time, a strand of true energy swept across the long sword, effortlessly locating the point of fracture and smoothly continuing the process.

He shook his head slightly, and Ying Chengfeng's heart grew strong once more. He whispered, "Just watch, I will not let you down."

Ying Chengfeng's expression suddenly changed slightly. Others might not discern the mystery in the place indicated by the young girl's jade-like fingers, but he understood it at a glance

Ying Chengfeng's gaze suddenly sharpened, as he sensed a very familiar power seemingly rising from the girl.

The young girl pondered for a moment and said, "Because you did not complete it in one go"

With a gentle sigh, Ying Chengfeng shook his head. Although he was reluctant, he had no choice but to give up due to the imminent depletion of his vital energy

He let out a soft exclamation, his tone devoid of fear, merely tinged with a hint of annoyance

The world record for the 100 meters in sprinting multiplied by one hundred can absolutely not be the same as the world record for the 10,000 meters

With a gentle push from both feet, Ying Chengfeng's body sprang into the air as if equipped with springs

This is an unavoidable situation, but it is truly astonishing that this unfamiliar young girl could recognize it at a glance

This place has always belonged to the Ying family. The villagers are well aware that Ying Lide once practiced and studied the art of forging here in his youth. For them, this location is almost a sacred site within the village, and very few people come here.

A stream of genuine energy flowed along the meridians into the short needle, and the mysterious white light shimmered and blossomed faintly.

The place indicated by the jade-like fingers, resembling green onions, is precisely where Ying Chengfeng left his mark in the past two days

The longer the distance a person runs, the more energy and time they will expend, and it is not simply a matter of multiplication by a factor.

Engraving spiritual patterns on the long sword is akin to Ying Chengfeng's lifelong dedication to sports.

Indeed, although this young girl is not very old, she does not seem to be over that age. However, apart from using the phrase "peerless beauty" to describe her, Ying Chengfeng truly cannot think of any other wonderful words.

May I take a look at these two items

He suddenly turned around, his eyes fixed intently on a patch of thicket not far away

Calming his mind, he directed the true energy within his body, and a faint white light once again emanated from the tip of the needle

The young girl seemed a bit anxious from his questioning and said, "This is what my uncle told me: the more breakpoints there are on a weapon, the more unevenly the spiritual patterns will be distributed. The spiritual patterns that are connected multiple times are absolutely inferior to those that are completed in one go. Therefore, a true spiritual master would never infuse spiritual energy into such a weapon unless absolutely necessary." She paused for a moment and, with a hint of regret, added, "This is a fine sword; it has already met the requirements for engraving spiritual patterns, but now it is completely ruined."