The Biggest Secret

The sky had already darkened, but Sword Casting City was brightly lit, with flickering flames and the incessant clang of hammering.

The surrounding environment was dominated by rocks and mountains, predominantly gray in color. Aside from some transplanted greenery, the rest of the area was filled with a sense of desolation.

The sound of weapon forging was constant. Unless one was accustomed to the environment, it wouldn't take long for a feeling of irritation to arise.

"Be careful, these swords have just been forged and are extremely sharp. Put them all into the Sword Nurturing Pool for tempering," the supervisor instructed the guards carrying the swords.

"Don't worry, supervisor, there won't be any problems."

"Hmph, there better not be any problems, or the City Lord won't spare any of you."

After the group left, Fang Xuan also emerged from the shadows.

"Sword Nurturing Pool."

With a thought, Fang Xuan followed closely behind.

Dodging and hiding along the way, it wasn't long before he arrived inside a massive mountain cavern. As soon as he entered, a wave of heat washed over him, but it was immediately followed by a gust of cold wind.

Fang Xuan looked at the environment before him with curiosity, and then marveled at the wonders of nature.

The depths of the cave before him were actually a place where Yin and Yang converged, a place where the Taiji rotated.

On the left side was rolling magma, like the lava of hell, while on the right side was a dark river flowing, its water black and icy to the touch.

Thus, Yin and Yang, fire and water, converged here, forming a unique place for nurturing swords.

In the open space at the center where water and fire merged, various long swords were stuck into the ground.

Regular swords, short swords, broad swords, thin swords...

Spiritual energy surrounded them, and sword qi permeated the air.

Fang Xuan also nodded inwardly: "Such a strange place is indeed a treasure trove for nurturing swords. Tempered by water and fire, impurities are melted away. Even an ordinary long sword, if it stays here long enough, will become filled with spiritual energy, permeated with sword qi, and capable of cutting through iron like mud."

"Greetings, Young City Lord."

"Mm, you may leave!"

"Yes."

The Young Lord of Sword Casting City, Jian Xiong.

He wore a golden straight-collared robe, with an excellent quality black jade hanging from his waist. Its shape seemed rough but was ancient and profound. His black hair was casually tied with a silver ribbon, without a headdress or hairpin. A few strands of hair on his forehead were blown loose by the wind, appearing extremely light.

His face was handsome, even more beautiful than that of an average woman, a typical case of a man with a feminine appearance. The only flaw was that he was a bit short.

However, others didn't know, but Fang Xuan was clearly aware that the Young Lord of Sword Casting City before him, Jian Xiong, was actually a woman.

The story was also extremely frustrating. Back then, Sword Revered deeply trusted a Fate Master. This Fate Master also calculated the destiny of Sword Casting City and finally concluded that no daughters should appear among the descendants, otherwise the entire Sword Casting City would inevitably face great chaos, and in severe cases, be destroyed. Sword Revered, who believed this without a doubt, directly drowned all the daughters born to his concubines.

Jian Xiong was also a daughter, but her mother, in order to save her life, dressed her as a boy from a young age and raised her as a son. Even Sword Revered did not discover the flaw, until now.

Jian Xiong's gaze was focused on the half-finished Surpassing Frost Sword in the center of the Sword Nurturing Pool, with a look of worry: "Surpassing Frost Sword, Father sees it as the hope for our Sword Casting City's rise, but he doesn't know that fortune is intertwined with disaster. If we're not careful, it will become the calamity that destroys our Sword Casting City. Guan Yutian has the ambition of a wolf, and trading with him is like seeking skin from a tiger."

Clap clap clap~

"Who?" Jian Xiong shouted angrily.

Fang Xuan's figure walked out from the shadows, cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Young Lord Jian Xiong, I am... damn it."

"Die."

Jian Xiong's treasured sword was unsheathed, and like a swift wind, it thrust towards Fang Xuan.

The Sword Nurturing Pool was the core of Sword Casting City and outsiders were absolutely forbidden to approach. Those who dared to approach would be killed without mercy.

Fang Xuan did not retreat but advanced. The muscles in his arms trembled, and his arms waved like an immortal crane spreading its wings.

Immortal Crane Shakes Feathers.

Ding~

Jian Xiong's face changed drastically. He felt a violent force rushing towards him, his arms trembled, his muscles and bones ached, and the treasured sword in his hand was knocked loose and fell to the ground with this strike.

Crane Claw Imprints Sand.

Fang Xuan's hands were like crane claws, transforming into phantoms and directly grabbing Jian Xiong's fair neck.

"Young Lord Jian Xiong, can we talk properly now?" Fang Xuan said with a smile.

Looking at the squinting eyes of Jian Xiong before him, he found him very annoying. On the surface, he looked smiling, but inwardly he was full of depravity and utterly disgusting.

Even though he was caught, Jian Xiong's expression remained unchanged, and he said coldly, "Trespassing into the forbidden area of my Sword Casting City and prying into the secrets of my Sword Casting City, even an immortal cannot save you. Do you really think you can be safe just by catching me?"

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in the secrets of your Sword Casting City. Besides, isn't the biggest secret of Sword Casting City you? Miss Jian Xiong." Fang Xuan said with a smile.

A look of horror appeared in Jian Xiong's eyes. He suppressed the shock in his heart and said angrily, "Presumptuous, how dare you insult me like this. Today, even if I, Jian Xiong, die, I will make sure you stay here."

"Insult? Haha, whether it's an insult or not, you'll know with a look. Want to try?"

After saying that, the hand holding Jian Xiong's neck moved slightly downwards. This action caused Jian Xiong's expression to change drastically, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

"Stop, who are you?" Jian Xiong said in a panic.

"Haha, finally admitting it? Don't worry, I'm just a passerby. I didn't come to Sword Casting City to pry into secrets. As for Miss Jian Xiong's secret, I learned it by accident. I can guarantee that besides you and me, no third person knows." Fang Xuan said.

Jian Xiong looked at Fang Xuan like he was an idiot and said coldly, "A passerby would sneak in in the middle of the night?"

"Alright! I'm here for the Fire Phoenix. That shouldn't be a secret of your Sword Casting City, right?"

"Fire Phoenix?"

"Exactly."

"Who exactly are you? Not many people in my Sword Casting City know about the sacred beast Fire Phoenix."

"Don't worry about that. Just take me to it. I promise I won't harm you or reveal your secret. If you refuse..." Fang Xuan sneered.

Jian Xiong's eyes darted around, then he nodded, "Okay, I hope you can keep your word."

The two walked one after the other, with Jian Xiong leading the way. They passed through the fire pool, the sword furnace, and the cold pond, arriving at a cave halfway up the mountain, the core location of Sword Casting City.

Along the way, some people naturally saw Fang Xuan's unfamiliar face, but since their young master was personally leading him, no one dared to question it. Otherwise, if Fang Xuan had tried to come up by himself, it would have been quite troublesome. If he had alerted the Sword Revered, who knows what might have happened!

In front of the cave entrance, Jian Xiong pointed at the dark opening and said, "This place is called Dragon Locking Mountain. It's the iron ore mountain of Sword Casting City. Its iron ore can forge the best swords in the world. Swords like the Nine Springs Sword, the Heavenly Cry Sword, and the Blazing Flame Sword were all forged from the iron ore of this Dragon Locking Mountain. Unfortunately, our ancestors were too greedy. In order to forge even better swords, they actually severed the dragonmeridian, causing severe damage to the foundation of Dragon Locking Mountain. Now the entire Dragon Locking Mountain has been sealed off, and no more iron ore is allowed to be mined. Furthermore, within the dragonmeridian is the Sword Tomb, where the mausoleums of all the Jian family ancestors are buried, and the sacred beast Fire Phoenix is the tomb guardian."