Taiya's Blade (2)

"Actually, this Taiya's Blade could still be better. Once I study the Sword Forging Chapter, I'll forge you a divine weapon." Ye Lang looked at the Taiya's Blade in Tiger Girl's hands, seemingly still somewhat dissatisfied.

If anyone else had heard that, they would have wanted to strangle him. No one knew how many rare materials had gone into this Taiya's Blade. It was a treasure that countless people dreamed of, and the craftsmen hired to make it had all been the very best. Its cost was so high that people would shrink back at the sight of it; even members of the royal family might not possess such a weapon.

Yet he had forged such a weapon for "his female slave." He truly deserved the title of Prodigal Son.

That was not even the main issue. What was truly depressing was that he actually thought the weapon was not good enough. That would drive everyone mad.

As for the Sword Forging Chapter, it was not a product of the Martial Arts Treasury, but a technique from this world. It was recorded in Ban's Alchemy Notes, using alchemy to forge weapons or refine one. Of course, the Martial Arts Treasury also contained related records, and Ye Lang had mixed those with some of his own knowledge, combining them into a new skill.

However, that required time. At present, he did not yet possess that ability. Perhaps he could succeed in a few years, or perhaps it would take even longer.

"It's already very good. I already like it very much." At that moment, Tiger Girl stroked Taiya's Blade and spoke with complete satisfaction.

Thrust, lift, cleave, chop...

Tiger Girl held Taiya's Blade and performed all kinds of movements in the courtyard, wielding the Mo Dao with such force that it was like a tiger roaring and a dragon soaring. Waves of force scattered in all directions.

"Returning Halberd!"

Tiger Girl spun around, gave Taiya's Blade a beautiful rotation, and thrust straight behind her. The Mo Dao carried fierce Battle Qi as it tore through the air.

"Clap, clap..."

Applause rang out. Tiger Girl saw Ye Lang standing directly in front of her. She had been so absorbed in her training that she had not realized he had already come out.

"Young Master, you're awake? I'll attend to you right away..." Tiger Girl immediately withdrew Taiya's Blade and spoke in habitual fluster.

"No need. I've already washed my face and eaten breakfast. Keep practicing. Your Returning Halberd is becoming more and more perfect; even without a spearhead, you could still stab someone to death." Ye Lang said with a smile.

Tiger Girl had actually prepared everything already. Ye Lang only needed to pick up his chopsticks to eat and pick up a towel to wash his face. If even that did not work, then he truly ought to be humanely destroyed.

"Thank you, Young Master." Tiger Girl replied out of habit once more, though she felt somewhat puzzled. She had never received an answer to this question, which was—

She did not know why Young Master liked saying that someone could be stabbed to death even without a spearhead. It was very simple: just add some Battle Qi. One did not need perfect mastery to stab someone to death.

After that, Ye Lang took out a pile of reference books and continued studying his alchemy. He was becoming more and more fascinated by it, discovering many interesting things.

Alchemy could not only be used in battle; it could also be applied in many other areas. For example, the Sword Forging Chapter he had been studying recently used the Conversion Array in alchemy to forge a weapon without a furnace. Once one reached a certain realm of mastery, it could even surpass ordinary forging.

Moreover, it was much faster than forging. Its only weakness was that it required superb alchemical skill and a great deal of energy, while the energy a person could use was limited.

By the same logic, if weapons could be made, then other things could be made as well.

That was merely one aspect. There were many more amusing things, especially after Ye Lang combined the contents of the Martial Arts Treasury with alchemy. The effect was simply like a chemical reaction, producing unexpected results.

And those things were the Mystic Gate Formation and Pill Refining!

Mystic Gate Formation was only a small branch of Mystic Gate Escapology, yet that single branch alone could take someone an entire lifetime to study. Mystic Gate Escapology as a whole was even more all-encompassing.

According to modern research and explanations, Mystic Gate Escapology was a classic work of the Chinese nation, as well as the foremost secret art among the three great secret treasures of Mystic Gate, Liu Ren, and Tai Yi. It was the highest level of predictive study within the Book of Changes, known as the learning of emperors and the study of seizing Heaven and Earth's creation. It was also a scientific masterpiece concerning the laws governing the movements of celestial bodies, humanity, and the Earth. The Earth's magnetic field was hidden within Mystic Gate Escapology, making its revelations of the natural laws behind the development and changes of all things in the universe the most profound, precise, and practical.

The Nine Character Mantra, known to many people, was the Nine Character Formula of Mystic Gate. It did not belong to Buddhism, and this alone could keep someone studying for a very long time. In short, it contained far, far too many things.

It was precisely for this reason that Ye Lang's research into Mystic Gate Escapology had only just allowed him to glimpse the gateway. Yet even that had already benefited him without end.

As for Pill Refining, it was absolutely the stuff of legend. Many parts of it shared the same marvelous principles as alchemy. Gunpowder was one product of Pill Refining, as was the legendary elixir of immortality.

What would result from combining the two could only be left to time to reveal.

What Ye Lang needed to do now was integrate the knowledge recorded in the Martial Arts Treasury into this world. That required a long time and constant experimentation.

Of course, he would not dismiss the knowledge of this world. On the contrary, because he needed to integrate knowledge that did not belong to this world, he had to understand this world's knowledge twice as thoroughly. Only by understanding it completely could he combine the two.

His status and background gave him the time, energy, and money to experiment without worry. And since he had originally studied alchemy, he could conduct his research while everyone remained completely unaware.

So long as he did not reveal it himself, no one could possibly know what kind of alchemy he possessed or what kind of talents he had.

Time passed bit by bit. The two of them remained like this: one buried in books in utter silence, while the other wielded a long-handled weapon like thunder and a raging storm.

Tiger Girl's movements grew faster and faster. In the end, her figure could barely be seen. Everywhere was the shadow of Taiya's Blade, while her force filled the entire courtyard.

Although shadows of blades were everywhere, Tiger Girl's moves were not complicated. This was merely an effect created by her speed. She wielded Taiya's Blade so quickly that it left afterimages behind.

Afterimages were one of the standards used to judge a martial artist's strength. Anyone capable of doing this had entered the level of a Human Rank expert. Of course, this was only an ordinary Human Rank expert; according to the rankings, it was the fifth tier of Human Rank.