Chapter 112: The Flying Sword Forged

After the span of an incense stick, Master Mingkong returned. He looked at Gu Weiyu and asked, "Little one, tell me, what type of natal magical treasure do you intend to forge?"

Gu Weiyu sat up straight and articulated all her thoughts regarding her natal treasure.

"Hmm, those are actually quite good ideas. Yuling, follow me!"

Master Mingkong rose and led the two of them to his crafting room. Pointing to an open space, he said, "Take out the spiritual materials you have prepared for your natal treasure and let me have a look."

With a wave of her hand, Gu Weiyu transferred the materials she and her master had gathered from her storage ring into the room.

"Thunder Stones, Crimson Crystals... and there’s even top-grade secret silver and fire coral..."

Master Mingkong’s gaze swept over the materials one by one, his eyes growing brighter with every item he saw. It was as if a master chef had encountered rare ingredients, or a master alchemist had stumbled upon the perfect herbs. Seeing the materials prepared by Gu Weiyu and her master, Master Mingkong became instantly captivated. Initially, he had only agreed out of his friendship with Master Yuling, but now, he was genuinely eager to forge these spiritual artifacts himself!

"Good! Good! Good!" Master Mingkong couldn't help but exclaim three times, looking at Master Yuling and Gu Weiyu with burning eyes. "Let us begin!"

Master Yuling wore a knowing smile; she had expected this! Whenever Master Mingkong encountered materials that sparked his interest, he would enter a state of complete, feverish absorption.

"Mingkong, I leave my disciple's natal treasure in your hands!" Master Yuling said with a smile.

"No problem, leave it to me!" Master Mingkong readily agreed.

With great difficulty, he tore his eyes away from the materials and said to Gu Weiyu, "Little girl, for the next few days, you will learn some basics of artifact forging from me."

If one wishes for a natal treasure to be as responsive as one’s own limbs, the best method is to participate in the forging process oneself. However, only a master craftsman can allow the owner of the treasure to join in the process.

Gu Weiyu nodded solemnly, knowing this would determine the quality of her future treasure.

"Very well. First, finish reading this jade slip on the fundamentals of artifact forging. Starting tomorrow, you will join me in the crafting."

Master Mingkong tossed her a jade slip and immediately lost interest in her, turning his attention back to the materials and leaving Master Yuling aside as if she were thin air.

"Master—" Gu Weiyu turned to look at Master Yuling.

"Let’s go. We shall find a place to rest for now." Master Yuling was accustomed to his ways and turned to leave the room.

***

Master Yuling led Gu Weiyu out of the forging room, where they found Yunjin waiting outside.

"Master Yuling, please follow me to the guest courtyard for a short rest," Yunjin said with a respectful bow and gesture. Yunjin was well-versed in Master Mingkong’s tendency to forget everything else once he saw spiritual materials, and he managed most of the affairs on Jade Vessel Peak.

"Very well, lead the way," Master Yuling replied with a slight nod, and she followed Yunjin with Gu Weiyu to a nearby courtyard.

"Yunjin, are you a disciple of Master Mingkong now?" Master Yuling asked casually as they walked. Master Mingkong had a peculiar temperament and was uninterested in anything other than crafting, so he had never taken a disciple until now.

"This junior is lacking and has yet to be formally accepted under Master Mingkong’s tutelage. For now, I am merely his named disciple," Yunjin replied humbly.

Master Yuling nodded faintly. Given what she knew of Mingkong, Yunjin would likely become his first official disciple.

After Yunjin settled them into the guest courtyard, Gu Weiyu returned to her room and eagerly began to study the jade slip. She became completely engrossed; she had not realized that the path of artifact forging was as complex and profound as alchemy. Like a sponge, she thirsted to absorb every bit of knowledge.

From the following day, Gu Weiyu stayed by Master Mingkong’s side to observe and learn. Ten days passed before Master Mingkong finally deemed her to have barely grasped the fundamentals.

"Tomorrow, we shall officially begin forging your natal treasure," Master Mingkong told her at dusk.

Gu Weiyu was overjoyed; she could finally take part in the process. She had been watching from the sidelines, her heart itching as she saw the materials transform under Master Mingkong’s hands. Still, she knew that with her "amateur skills," she would only be able to provide "minor assistance."

The next morning, Gu Weiyu rose early. Upon hearing the news, Master Yuling joined her to observe.

"You're here?" Master Mingkong sat cross-legged in the room and pointed to the furnace. "Ignite the forge!"

Having heard that Gu Weiyu possessed an exotic flame, Master Mingkong had decided to use her Heaven-Thunder Fire for this forging. Over the past few days, he had been tempering his control to match her flame.

Gu Weiyu nodded, walked to the furnace, and channeled strands of Heaven-Thunder Fire into it. As the flame appeared, the temperature in the room soared, demonstrating the domineering power of the fire.

"Good! Keep the heat steady. I am beginning to smelt the materials!" Master Mingkong ordered. He used a technique to toss the materials into the furnace in a specific sequence.

As the Heaven-Thunder Fire roared, the materials quickly melted into a swirling, boiling pool of liquid. Soon, all the components for the sword embryos were fused together.

Master Mingkong’s fingers danced with agility, moving so fast they became a blur. The pool of liquid drifted into mid-air, and under the control of his hand seals, it gradually shaped into the form of flying swords with a pale violet hue.

While the process sounded quick, it was in fact quite lengthy. Every sword was forged through the combined heart and effort of Master Mingkong and Gu Weiyu.

Gu Weiyu stood to the side, watching the pale violet swords slowly take shape and hover silently in the air, her emotions stirring.

"Little girl, quickly release nine drops of your essence blood!" Master Mingkong, his robes soaked in sweat, shouted urgently the moment the nine swords were fully formed.

Gu Weiyu immediately pricked her fingertip, and nine drops of essence blood fell onto the swords. The blood, like dark red pearls with a strange luster, drifted onto the blades.

The moment the blood touched them, it was absorbed by the thin, cicada-wing-like steel, and the pale violet swords began to glow with a faint, crimson hue. At the same time, the nine swords emitted a resonant hum, and faint flickers of lightning seemed to dance across their surfaces.

To everyone’s amazement, the swords seemed to possess their own spirit; they circled around Gu Weiyu as if in greeting.