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“Who’s forging a weapon in there?” Yu Shuya stood outside the forge’s tightly-shut door and took a deep breath.
The nearby attendants looked at each other. Yu Shuya was instantly impatient.
“All of you, stand to the side. Don’t cause a disturbance!” After giving this order, he cautiously opened the door just a crack and slipped stealthily inside.
It seemed he feared nothing more than disturbing whoever was working here.
Meanwhile, inside the workroom.
The bellows blazed, emanating searing waves of heat.
A spiritual sword hovered over the tripod furnace, immediately attracting Yu Shuya’s attention. His eyes widened, and his expression filled with irrepressible awe, astonishment, bewilderment, and infatuation.
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The sword was only two feet, three inches long and three fingers across. The blade was snow-white and translucent, and it shone with faint, clear, silvery radiance, like the illusory and ethereal light of the stars.
The sword just hovered there, humming like the tide, roaring like an eternal demon god. Its ferocious air was so intense, it almost seemed tangible, and it surged throughout the workroom.
Even with his naked eyes, Yu Shuya could see the star and cloud pattern of an Edict. The light of countless stars seemed to flicker within the diagram.
And beneath the Edict was a suppressed, sinister and terrifying crimson figure!
An evil spirit!
“This…” Witnessing this was an enormous shock to Yu Shuya. How skilled did someone have to be to forge such a divine weapon?
It was like stealing fortune from the heavens. This workmanship was almost uncanny!
“I sealed the ancient evil spirit inside the blade with a Manifesting Stars Edict. Going forward, when you nourish the sword, all you have to do is circulate the Edict’s power to gradually refine the vicious, sinister aura of the trapped evil spirit. It will serve as nourishment for the blade.
“Once the spirit’s viciousness has been completely refined, it will become a pure spiritual body. You can then merge the spiritual body into the Manifesting Stars Edict. Before long, you’ll be able to refine the spiritual body into a sword soul.
“In simple terms, with the Manifesting Stars Edict, you have no need to fear that ancient, evil spirit acting up. Instead, you can take advantage of its power to boost the sword’s quality and power.”
This calm, casual voice echoed throughout the workroom.
Yu Shuya instinctively looked toward its source. Only then did he see that the speaker was a tall, lean, young man in blue robes. He stood before the furnace, looking calm and detached.
A picturesque beauty in clothes as white as snow stood beside him. Her starry eyes were fixed on the clear, snow-white spiritual sword. She looked utterly delighted and infatuated.
Yu Shuya suddenly seemed to regain his mental clarity, and he couldn’t help but say, “That sword… Young lord, did you forge it yourself?”
Su Yi glanced at the old man who’d barged in uninvited. “No matter. If you want to ask questions, behave yourself and wait your turn.”
His tone was casual, like a schoolteacher berating a student; he wasn’t the least bit polite.
Yu Shuya was stunned. His face flushed red, and he said nothing. He rubbed his hands together, but in the end, he just stood silently in the corner.
Sword cultivators were obsessed with the Dao of the Sword. As a Weapon Refiner, Wen Shuya was similarly obsessed with the Dao of Forging.
It was precisely because he was just too eager to know how that sword was forged that he didn’t lose his temper even after a young man like Su Yi rebuked him.
“Brother Su, did you… really make this sword for me?” Yue Shichan looked uncertain, as if she dared not believe it.
As a sword cultivator, she could clearly sense how extraordinary this spiritual sword was. However, because it was so extraordinary, she found it hard to believe she could become its master…
It was such an enormous gift that she found it overwhelming.
“Only a spiritual sword like this is worthy of you,” said Su Yi. He raised his hand and beckoned. The sword hovering over the forge flew into his palm. He then passed it to Yue Shichan. “Take it.”
Yue Shichan stared in a daze before reaching forward to accept it.
She couldn’t help but reveal a dazzling, entrancing smile. It was a look of pure delight and gratitude. The rims of her eyes reddened slightly, and they looked a bit damp.
Originally, she thought it would be more than enough if he bought her a decent blade. Who’d have thought he’d forge her a sword himself, much less one of such high quality?
Of course she was moved! How could she not be?
“Brother Su…” Yue Shichan was just about to thank him when Su Yi smiled and interrupted her.
“Your sword is now complete. You ought to give it a name before doing anything else.”
Yue Shichan took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and whispered, “I hope… I hope that you can choose its name.”
Su Yi was stunned, and he couldn’t help but tease her. “I forged it for you, and now you want me to name it too? You’re really slacking off!”
Yue Shichan’s fair cheeks flushed red. She was just about to explain when Su Yi laughed and stopped her. “This is the first sword I forged for you as your guide to the Dao of the Sword. It naturally has a special meaning, but this sword cannot accompany you in battle for the rest of your life. It would be improper to give it too grand or perfect a name; too much is as bad as too little.”
Su Yi pondered for a moment, then said, “How about we take a character from your name and  call it Cicada’s Heart? ‘Chan’ means Cicada, so this name can represent your sword heart.”
Cicada’s Heart, her sword heart.
The name seemed simple, but it contained Su Yi’s hopes for her. He hoped that as Yue Shichan pursued the Dao of the Sword, she would sharpen her heart in the process.
How clever was this icy young woman? She instantly understood the implied meaning, and she said with delight, “What an excellent name!”
It was then that Yu Shuya couldn’t hold back any longer. “How can a spiritual sword of this quality go without a scabbard? I happen to have one that I think is just barely worthy of it. Please, accept it.”
As he spoke, he took a scabbard from his jade storage pendant and proffered it with both hands.
The scabbard was a faint off-white. It was simple and unpretentious, without the slightest carving or decoration.
However, when Su Yi saw it, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Is that scabbard made from a section of Thousand Autumn Profound Rattan Heartwood?”
“You’ve got good eyes, Young lord!” said Yu Shuya. “Eighty years ago, a friend of mine ventured into one of the Great Xia’s forbidden grounds, the Immortal Abyss. He brought back a section of Thousand Autumn Profound Rattan Heartwood in hopes that I could use it to forge a scabbard for him.”
As he said this, his eyes filled with grief and melancholy. “Who’d have guessed that by the time I finished the scabbard, my old friend would have already passed away from injuries he sustained in the Immortal Abyss? The scabbard was finished, only to become an ownerless treasure.”
He shook his head, cast those thoughts aside, and smiled. “Today, seeing the spiritual sword you forged made my heart swell with emotion, and I lost control of myself in my delight. I believe that even a scabbard such as this is only barely worthy of such a weapon.”
He then turned to look at Yue Shichan. “Miss, please kindly accept it.”
“This…” Yue Shichan hesitated.
“It’s just a scabbard. Take it,” said Su Yi.
Only then did Yue Shichan accept it.
Yu Shuya instantly relaxed, and he seized the opportunity to introduce himself. “This old man is called Yu Shuya, and I’m an artisan of Treasure Trove Tower’s workshop. Young lord, might I ask your name and surname, as well as who taught you the art of refining weapons?”
Su Yi had never liked exchanging pleasantries, so he said directly, “If you’re really interested in asking about weaponsmithing, you can visit me tomorrow at Azure Dragon Lane’s Azurecloud Court. Remember to bring a jug of quality wine. When the time comes, and if I have free time, I wouldn’t mind chatting with you. If I’m busy, it’ll have to wait until later.”
“Miss Shichan, let’s get going.” With that, Su Yi turned and left the workroom. Forging the sword had taken quite a bit of time and energy. All he wanted to do now was go home, rest, then have a peaceful cultivation session.
Unless something unexpected happened, he’d reach the mid-stage Origin Palace Realm tonight.
At a time like this, he really wasn’t in the mood to chat with Yu Shiya about weapon refining.
Yu Shuya was stunned, but he wasn’t the least bit angry. On the contrary, he saw Su Yi off with the utmost attentiveness and a smile. “Then I’ll see you two on your way.”
….
“They’re coming out!” Jiang Li, Yu Wenshu, and the others had been waiting all this time. When they saw the door to the workroom open, all of them perked up, and their faces filled with eagerness.
However, when they saw a tall, lean figure emerge, Jiang Li and the others were stunned.
Su Yi!?
The atmosphere was instantly deathly silent. Jiang Li and her companions looked at each other.
Earlier, all of them had tried to deduce just which master weapon refiner had a flash of inspiration resulting in an extraordinarily shocking spiritual sword.
The only possibility they never considered was Su Yi!
“How could it possibly be him?” Tao Yunchi was dumbstruck. Disbelief was written all over his face.
Yue Wenshu frowned, while Jiang Li looked bewildered and uncertain. Zhou Fengzhi’s expression darkened slightly. The atmosphere was tense and stifled.
When they saw Yu Shuya following Su Yi and Yue Shichan with an enormous smile on his face, Jiang Li and company’s expressions shifted once more. They almost dared not believe their eyes.
As the man in charge of Treasure Trove Tower’s workshop and a famous master weapon refiner, Yu Shuya had always been rigid, solemn, and unsmiling. He was extremely solitary and aloof.
He wasn’t friendly even when interacting with Spirit Dao cultivators, but now…
This grandmaster weapon refiner was nothing but smiles. His massive frame was slightly hunched, and he trailed after Su Yi like an attendant.
When she saw this, Jiang Li was so stunned that her eyes widened, her jaw hung slack, and her mind buzzed. This is… Is this still my aloof, unrestrained, cold, and unsmiling Uncle Yu?
“Uncle Yu, you…” Jiang Li was unable to suppress her confusion, so she walked right up to ask him.
Yu Shuya looked rueful. “Miss, today, my eyes were finally opened. I finally understand what it means for there to be heaven beyond the heavens. There’s always someone stronger out there! Young Lord Su’s attainments in the Dao of Forging are like a celestial being’s; I can only look up to him.”
Jiang Li fell silent, and the others’ minds buzzed.
Tao Yunchi couldn’t help but say, “Grandmaster Yu, didn’t you only just say that Su Yi was an ‘arrogant little pipsqueak’....?”
Before he could say anything else, Yu Shuya’s face filled with shame. He sighed, “Rumors may be deceiving, but seeing is believing. When I said that, I was blind and ignorant. Now that I’ve seen Young Lord Su’s abilities for myself, I naturally understand. The swords on display in Treasure Trove Tower truly are unworthy of his notice!”
The group was flabbergasted. Didn’t his attitude… change a bit too quickly?
Yu Shuya swept his gaze across the stunned group. He couldn’t help but shake his head. “I could say more, but you wouldn’t understand. After all, none of you understand weapon refining. It’s similar to how summertime insects know nothing of ice. How could you possibly understand how incredible Young Lord Su’s attainments in the Dao of Forging are?”
None of them knew what to say to that.