Chapter 1: Forging Swords (Part 1)
Jian Shen Continent, Purple Mist Mountain.
At dusk, the afterglow of sunset quietly enveloped the land within a 200-mile radius of Zixia Mountain, and the orange-yellow sunlight covered the entire region with a magnificent carpet. The clouds that had lingered for years were also dyed golden, swirling around Zixia Mountain in waves. At this moment, the entire mountain was like a paradise on earth, where only those god-like figures could dwell.
Chaoyang Town, one of the five peaks of Zixia, is a small town located at the foot of Chaoyang Peak. The town got its name from its location at the foot of Chaoyang Peak. Chaoyang Town is very large, covering an area of over ten miles. At dusk, wisps of smoke rise from the town, gathering and swirling together before being dispersed by the mountain wind blowing down from Chaoyang Mountain. The fragrance of oil wafts out for several miles before slowly dissipating. This is the game meat oil cooked by the hunters in the town. Wild beasts that run through the mountains and forests all year round absorb the spiritual energy of plants, making their meat exceptionally tender and delicious, except for a few species. Therefore, the oil cooked from them is much more fragrant than that from domesticated livestock.
In contrast to the light yellow smoke rising from the surrounding countryside, a grey stone mansion in the center of the town was emitting plumes of dark grey smoke that swirled and coiled like a dragon, forming a misty aura above the mansion. The sound of distant dragon roars could be heard, and within a radius of several miles, countless households' swords, ironware, copper cauldrons, and other metal objects began to vibrate with a faint humming noise. On an octagonal wooden table in one home, a silver bowl filled with roasted meat started shaking, causing the liquid inside to ripple and splash against the smooth rim before rebounding back into the center of the bowl.
The people of Chaoyang Town, however, seemed to have grown accustomed to such scenes, with no one showing the slightest sign of panic. Even a hunter who had just returned from hunting outside looked at the iron fork in his hand that was still trembling, and a proud expression appeared on his face. He then shifted his gaze to the Qing Shi Manor in the center of the town, and the look of admiration in his eyes could not be concealed. Some other knowledgeable people had already made preparations, and the silver bowls used for serving dishes were replaced with wooden ones in an instant. The utensils that were still shaking were also secured with ropes. Apart from this, there was no sign of annoyance on anyone's face, only deep reverence and excitement.
At this time, inside the Qing Shi residence, in the central room with two ventilation windows, a black stone house had a substantial jade-colored smoke constantly overflowing from both ventilation openings. Inside the stone house, what caught one's eye was a furnace cast in cyan and gold, about eight feet square and as tall as a person. The material used to make the furnace was unknown, but its entire body shone with a dazzling light, and its smooth surface reflected various colors like glass. The four sides of the furnace were sealed, with only one side at the bottom having a circular fire inlet about one foot in diameter, where red flames flickered in and out of sight.
The furnace itself had no lid, and the scarlet-blue flames at its mouth were constantly spewing out, even the air around the furnace was distorted by the high temperature, showing how hot the flame was. It's feared that ordinary iron ore would be melted into a pool of molten iron in an instant, but at this time, a strange golden-red bar floated steadily on top of the flames. At the same time, a large amount of pale green smoke rose from the bar and was vented out through the ventilation holes on both sides of the stone house.
One corner of the golden red strip was a white tong-like instrument that emitted a chill, like jade, and was not afraid of the high temperature on the casting furnace at this time, which could melt gold and iron. It even pushed the flames to the side, about an inch away, and fixed the golden red strip steadily above the fire.
At the other end of the pliers was a robust, dark bronze-colored large hand. The owner of this large hand was a tall and strong man, over seven feet in height. He had a rugged face with prominent muscles, a resolute and angular countenance, and a head of black hair that was casually scattered on his shoulders, slightly curled from the high temperature. His entire being exuded an inexplicable aura of strength.
The other hand of the Hanzi held a giant red hammer, about the size of a human head. As it danced through the air, it brought with it a whooshing sound that split the atmosphere. The weight of the hammer was probably around 100 catties, and its flat surface fell heavily onto the golden-red long strip, producing a metallic ringing sound. The moment the hammer's surface touched the strip, it rebounded to its original height before falling again with a loud crash. This repeated pounding created an otherworldly rhythm that filled the air, with each beat precise and distinct, as if every strike was meticulously crafted to be identical, deeply embedding itself in one's heart.
"Qing Er, increase the firepower!" The man suddenly said in a low voice. At this time, another person inside the stone house, a boy about 11 or 12 years old, looked somewhat similar to the man, but was more youthful, with a head of soft and shiny black hair tied up with a green ribbon behind his head. Perhaps due to standing by the casting furnace for some time, his face was rosy and covered in sweat. When he heard the man's words, his originally tired expression immediately changed, and he quickly filled some purple charcoal blocks from the foot of the furnace into the fire inlet, and swung his hands continuously, with a faint purple glow floating on his palms.
As the youth moved, a clear and audible wind sound constantly entered from the tuyere, and the purple charcoal blocks that had been filled in earlier also took effect quickly. After the youth's bellows, the firelight in the crucible furnace was significantly enhanced, and the original firelight that could only reach half of the stone house now filled the entire stone house. The temperature also rose significantly, and the bright red flame with a hint of blue flashed briefly before completely turning into a clear pale blue color. The scorching heat made even the air emit crackling sounds, not to mention the middle-aged man who was facing the flames directly.
He glared with his eyes, and the originally black and shiny pupils suddenly flashed a purple light. A series of sharp, purple air currents shot out from his body, forming a constantly flowing shield around him. The air currents cut through the air, producing a series of sonic booms that blocked the scorching hot air currents in front of him. His right hand's large hammer accelerated its speed, and the intense impact sounds merged into one piece, almost deafening. The golden red long strip also changed shape during the continuous pounding, with one end gradually becoming sharp and the other slowly forming a rounded handle shape.
"Qing er, purple gold bring over——” As the golden red long strip gradually took shape as a sword, the man once again instructed the young boy in charge of the furnace fire. At this time, the boy's face was already covered with sweat beads, and small finger-sized sweat beads would occasionally fall from his forehead, pause slightly on the tip of his nose, before falling down. Just during this brief moment of increasing the firepower, a puddle of dozens of sweat droplets had accumulated under the boy's feet. Due to the high temperature inside the stone hut, even hot air was constantly rising and steaming up. However, in response to the man's instructions, the boy remained meticulous as ever.
His left hand continued to wave the drum wind, his right hand stretched back to the black iron table behind him, and grabbed a fist-sized purple gold ore from it. From the faintly visible blue veins on the boy's right hand, it could be seen that this so-called purple gold also had a considerable weight. With a flick of his right hand, he threw the purple gold in his hand at the man, "Dad, catch!"
The fiery red hammer swung swiftly, and at the moment when the purple gold flew onto the already sword-shaped golden red bar, it was pressed down instantly with a dull thud. The purple gold in mid-air was accurately struck onto the bar, and blue flames spewed out. In an instant, the purple gold turned into a ball of purple gold color. As the man's left hand flipped the tongs, it slowly covered the entire sword body. In an instant, the sword-shaped bar changed from its original golden red to a dazzling purple red. The green smoke rising from both sides of the bar also gradually mixed with a hint of gold. At this moment, as he watched the constantly changing colors of the smoke, the man's breathing became urgent, and the young boy who was helping him looked surprised - had they succeeded?
The man's large hammer in his hand was getting faster and faster, until finally it turned into a fiery red shadow, the continuous pounding sound merged into a clear and long hum, as the smoke that had transformed into a cyan color rose to the top of the mansion, slowly, everyone in the town of Chaoyang heard this endless pounding sound, like the Yangtze River, almost at the same time, all the people, no matter what they were doing at this moment, stopped their hands and turned their eyes towards the central courtyard of the cyan stone mansion.
At this time, outside the black stone house, a middle-aged woman with a slender figure had been standing for a long time. Her delicate face did not have many wrinkles due to the erosion of years, her hair was tied up in a bun, and there was still an air of elegance between her eyebrows that could not be named. She had a lithe figure, obviously having uncommon skills. If the people in the town saw her, they would necessarily know that this was the mistress of the Lu family, the current master of the Yangyang Peak sword casting family.
The Lu family had lived in Chaoyang Town for generations and was famous throughout the Zixia Mountain region for their exceptional sword-casting skills. They had also been attached to the Zixia Sect's Chaoyang Peak lineage for generations due to an old relationship. The current head of the Lu family, Lu Yun, was one of only two Qingfan-level swordsmiths in the Zixia Sect and not only could he cast Qingfan-level divine swords but also possessed the strength of a Sword Master himself. Among the ten swords used by the current elders, protectors, and sect master of the Zixia Sect, six had the character "Lu" engraved on their hilts, demonstrating his exceptional skills. At this moment, in the black stone house, the man wielding the large hammer was clearly Lu Yun, while the young boy assisting him was his twelve-year-old son, Lu Qing.
But today is a grand day, for the master of the Lu family, Lu Yun, has once again lit the furnace to forge swords. Every person in town, even three-year-old children who are just learning to speak, know what this signifies. Since Lu Yun announced that he would no longer forge swords three years ago, not a single sword had been crafted, not even when an elder from the Purple Mist Sect personally came to request one. Now that the furnace has been lit once again, doesn't that mean that the vow made three years ago is about to be fulfilled? The Golden Heaven Sword will emerge, and the furnace will never be lit again for all eternity.
