Chapter 113: The Thunderveil Sword Is Forged

Gu Weiyu raised her head, curiously examining the nine flying swords.

The moment her essence blood merged with the swords, a magical connection was forged between her and them—it was as if the nine blades were an extension of her own body. With a mere thought, she could command them to move as easily as her own limbs.

"Merge!" Gu Weiyu gave a soft command.

The nine swords instantly converged into one, transforming into a pale purple longsword that seemed like jade yet not jade, like wood yet not wood. It hovered silently before her. The blade had a translucent, pale violet hue, occasionally emitting a faint crackling sound accompanied by flashes of lightning.

Her gaze rested on the razor-sharp edge. Though it had yet to taste blood, she could already sense its sharpness—capable of slicing through iron like mud and severing a strand of hair the moment it touched the blade.

"From this moment on, you and I are one."

Gu Weiyu reached out and gently stroked the natural patterns etched into the purple sword. "From now on, I shall call you the Thunder Hidden Sword."

The sword let out a faint, resonant hum, as if responding to her call.

"A fine name!" Master Mingkong declared loudly. "Although this sword is currently only a spirit tool, with time and proper nourishment, it is not impossible for it to grow into a spirit treasure!"

No sooner had Master Mingkong finished speaking than the Thunder Hidden Sword hummed with great spirit, as if it understood the praise. Master Mingkong could not help but stroke his beard and laugh. This sword was truly his masterpiece; not only had he incorporated many rare spiritual materials, but the addition of Celestial Lightning Fire during the forging process had imbued it with a natural lightning attribute. A spirit sword with a lightning attribute was a rare treasure indeed.

Gu Weiyu took a lingering, appreciative look at the Thunder Hidden Sword before storing it within her dantian to be nurtured by her liquid spiritual energy.

"Hungry—so hungry—"

Suddenly, Little Bud emerged from her dantian and darted toward the alchemy furnace. Gu Weiyu’s stay in Master Mingkong’s alchemy room these past few days had been a delight for Little Bud; the little creature’s stomach was an bottomless pit.

Little Bud scurried to the furnace, its branches and leaves stretching into the chamber, slurping up all the waste residue and furnace ash produced during the forging process until it was spotless.

"Hongyi, this little thing of yours isn't picky at all. It's very easy to keep," Master Yuling remarked with a pleased smile, seeing her disciple’s life-bound artifact successfully forged and being charmed by the creature’s adorable appearance.

Easy to keep? This "little" thing?

Gu Weiyu’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. Her master had no idea how difficult this creature was to deal with!

"Yuling, don't underestimate this little one," Master Mingkong said playfully, having grown accustomed to Little Bud over the past few days.

Master Yuling glanced at Gu Weiyu, whose face had twisted into a grimace, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"I have some scrap materials left over. Take them to satisfy this little one's appetite," Master Mingkong said, gesturing toward a corner of the forging room.

Gu Weiyu’s eyes lit up instantly. "Thank you, Uncle-Master Mingkong!"

She hurried to the corner and gathered all the discarded scraps. Ever since she started raising Little Bud, the little glutton, Gu Weiyu had almost developed a hoarding habit, refusing nothing.

"The pile of waste pills outside my alchemy room..." Master Yuling suddenly recalled her missing waste pills and realized what had happened.

Gu Weiyu touched her head and giggled, feigning ignorance.

"Mingkong, come visit my Myriad Sword Sect when you have the chance," Master Yuling said. With her disciple's life-bound artifact completed and nearly a month having passed since they left the sect, it was time to return.

Master Mingkong saw them to the door of the alchemy room. "Very well. Yunjin, see Master Yuling and her disciple off."

Yunjin stepped out, summoned the Flying Cloud Beast, and escorted Master Yuling and Gu Weiyu to the sect gates. After watching them depart, he returned to Jade Vessel Peak.

"Master, I plan to return home in a few days," Gu Weiyu took the opportunity to say during their journey back.

It was an unwritten rule among the major sects that one should not return home before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. Now that Gu Weiyu had successfully established her foundation, it was perfectly reasonable for her to visit her family.

Master Yuling did not object, though she looked concerned. "Hongyi, tell me the truth—has something happened at your home?"

She still remembered when she first met Gu Weiyu; the girl had not only been disguised but had also been as skittish as a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. Moreover, she could always sense a lingering urgency in Gu Weiyu, as if a whip were constantly lashing her forward. When she first joined the Myriad Sword Sect, she had not been the most outstanding, yet in just three years, she had risen above her peers. While Gu Weiyu was gifted, she was not the only one with talent; her diligence was the deciding factor.

Gu Weiyu felt a warmth in her heart but shook her head. "Master, there has indeed been a change in my family, but I can handle it myself."

She had already planned to go to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance to find her fourth sister, Gu Weilan, and then return to Qin County together to deal with Chu Xingyun and Xin Niang.

Master Yuling fell silent, knowing her disciple was stubborn. She decided not to press further, instead resolving to prepare more defensive items for her.

The two traveled in silence, returning to Misty Peak of the Myriad Sword Sect on their swords. Gu Weiyu said goodbye to her master and returned to her residence, where she spent her time nurturing the Thunder Hidden Sword and preparing for her trip to Qin County. The sect was ten thousand miles away from Qin County and a thousand miles from Spirit Hidden City, where the Rogue Cultivator Alliance was based. Traveling alone, she needed to be well-prepared.

"Master, I intend to leave tomorrow to return home," Gu Weiyu said one morning, a week later.

Master Yuling nodded slightly. "Hongyi, I have a set of high-grade combination arrays here. Take them for your protection."

With a wave of her sleeve, a simple yet elegant wooden box appeared on the daybed. She opened it and took out a jade slip. "The instructions are all in this jade slip. Take it back and study it carefully."

Gu Weiyu accepted the slip and carefully tucked the array away. "Thank you, Master."

"Stay safe on your journey." Master Yuling looked at the beautiful young woman before her, standing tall and graceful like a clear lotus, ready to reveal her own poise and brilliance.

"I will," Gu Weiyu nodded, then added, "Master, I may not return quickly."

"Very well. Just don't stay away too long." Master Yuling assumed Gu Weiyu simply missed home. She could never have known that Gu Weiyu's "home" was in Qin County.

To a cultivator, family ties could sometimes become a burden, but there was no need to cut them off entirely. Master Yuling leaned back on her daybed, watching Gu Weiyu leave, before slowly closing her eyes.

Neither master nor disciple could have foreseen that this parting would stretch for years. When they looked back, everything would be changed by the passage of time.