Famous Blade

"You! You actually dared to deceive me!"

After learning the truth, Shui Bing'er immediately flew into a rage. She strode up to Fang Xuan, her almond eyes wide as she glared fiercely at him. "You're not Li Changshou at all—you're Fang Xuan!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Fang Xuan kept a straight face and said nothing.

I already slashed her. What's wrong with deceiving her one more time?

"Big Sister, was she really saved by this guy? He doesn't even have a Martial Soul!"

With a face full of suspicion, Shui Yue'er walked over. Her words were filled with doubt as she curiously sized Fang Xuan up, unable to believe that this useless prince had been capable of saving her sister.

What was wrong with not having a Martial Soul?

Hadn't he still slashed her sister?

Believe it or not, I'll find somewhere secluded and slash you too!

Fang Xuan grumbled inwardly. The more he looked at the pair of sisters, the more displeased he felt.

Time was precious, and he did not want to keep tangling with the two women. Without saying a word, he headed toward the end of the street.

When he reached a crooked willow tree, Fang Xuan suddenly stopped. Looking up, he saw a run-down blacksmith shop before him.

The blacksmith shop was truly decrepit. Its walls were severely cracked, and nearly all the gray plaster had fallen away. Even the shop itself leaned crookedly, as though it had not been repaired for at least ten years.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

The moment he entered the blacksmith shop, rhythmic heavy strikes rang out. The powerful sound of metal crashing against metal made his eardrums buzz!

Fang Xuan looked over and saw a blazing furnace in the center of the shop. As the bellows moved, flames surged inside the hearth.

The fire was burning fiercely now!

An old man with gray hair stood before the furnace, completely absorbed in forging a weapon.

He looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, his skin dry and wrinkled, and he appeared extremely old. His tall frame was wrapped in a tattered cotton coat, and with that unshaven face, he looked like a savage who had just come down from the mountains.

Yet his eyes were bright and sharp, and he skillfully swung an iron hammer in his hand.

The raised hammer came crashing down like a waterfall, smashing heavily into the unfinished iron billet. Sparks flew everywhere!

Every blow was packed with force, making the entire shop tremble slightly.

"Old Madman, the quality of your blades is too poor. I used this one for less than two days, and it broke again..."

Fang Xuan walked up to the furnace and slowly drew the blade at his waist. Pointing at the uneven chips along its edge, he complained to the gray-haired old man like a customer cheated by a dishonest merchant.

Enhanced by the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, the power of his Blade Drawing Technique had surged, but the wear on his blade had also become greater. After drawing the Blade of Glacial Cold, this blade, which had not been used for long, was nearly ruined again.

"Did you use your blade to split open a mountain?!"

Old Madman glanced at the ruined blade Fang Xuan had produced and could not help frowning. "You call me Old Madman, but I think you're the real Little Madman!"

"I'll return this broken blade to you and add five Gold Soul Coins. Give me a new one!" Fang Xuan said shamelessly.

Old Madman shook his head and pointed his callused hand toward the wall on the left. On the soot-blackened wall hung a square sign bearing two paired lines.

First line: No warranty, no returns.

Second line: Payment final, no refunds.

Banner: Buy it or leave it!

"Tch. No wonder this lousy shop has no business. With that kind of service, who would come..."

Fang Xuan could not help curling his lip. He had originally planned to add some money and trade in his old blade for a new one, but it seemed this old man truly had no head for business.

Still, although Old Madman had a strange temper, his forging skill was first-rate.

His gaze swept over the finished blades on the rack. Cold light flowed along their edges, shining like a chilly moon and appearing especially dazzling in the darkness.

His eyes lit up. It seemed Old Madman had forged quite a few good blades during the days they had not met.

"Here, ten Gold Soul Coins. I'll pick a new blade."

Fang Xuan took out ten Gold Soul Coins and placed them beside the furnace. He casually tossed his ruined blade into a corner, then walked over to the blade rack and began choosing carefully.

Old Madman had always been a man of few words. He said nothing more, silently put away the money, and lowered his head to continue hammering iron.

Blade Drawing Technique!

This was Fang Xuan's greatest reliance in Douluo Continent.

Normally, when facing an enemy, one would draw the blade from its sheath beforehand to meet the enemy head-on, emphasizing striking first.

Fang Xuan's Blade Drawing Technique, however, was the exact opposite. He deliberately kept his blade sheathed, then drew it in an instant when the enemy attacked, seeking to strike later and gain the advantage!

Therefore, ordinary straight blades and heavy chopping knives were unsuitable for the Blade Drawing Technique. To execute a draw, both the blade and sheath needed a certain degree of curvature.

The principle of the Blade Drawing Technique was to use that curvature during the draw to create explosive force in an instant. Its power and speed far surpassed simply swinging a blade through the air, pursuing a one-strike kill!

Among the many blacksmith shops in Heaven Dou City, only the blades forged by Old Madman had just the right curve. Their edges were long and resilient, perfectly meeting Fang Xuan's standards for blade drawing.

The blades displayed on this rack were all curved longswords. Whether in length or sharpness, they were all top-quality.

Their prices were fair as well—always ten Gold Soul Coins each, with no malicious price gouging.

After looking them over, Fang Xuan nodded in satisfaction and reached for a blade.

Just then, his hand froze, and his gaze was completely drawn to a blade in the corner.

"That is..."

His eyes lit up. He walked over to the corner, bent down, picked up the blade lying quietly there, and examined it closely before his eyes.

Its hilt and sheath were pure white, and even the blade itself gleamed like snow. Though it lay in a dirty, cluttered corner, not a speck of dust clung to it.

"Hum—"

He lightly swung the white longsword. As the edge sliced through the air, a clear sound like a dragon's cry softly rang out.

"What a fine blade!"

Fang Xuan stared at the white blade, unable to hide the delight in his eyes. He called to Old Madman, who was focused on hammering iron, "Hey, I'll add another ten Gold Soul Coins. Sell me this blade!"

"Hmph!"

Old Madman snorted. "Take any of the other blades you want. But this one? Even if you added one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, I still wouldn't sell it!"

"One hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

Fang Xuan gritted his teeth and stared hard at Old Madman. This was the greatest amount he could currently produce, and he had only just looted it from Li Lingtian's corpse.

Old Madman shook his head again. "Not this blade. It has iron essence mixed into it. This is the best blade I've forged this year—it has barely entered the ranks of a Famous Blade!"

"Famous Blade!"

The light in Fang Xuan's eyes grew even hotter. He clutched the white blade tightly and refused to let go, filled with Desire for this precious Famous Blade.

What he lacked now was a weapon that suited his hand, and the blade before him was exactly what he had dreamed of.

"Stop dragging it out. Name your price!" He stared at Old Madman without even blinking, determined to buy this blade.

"For the sake of our acquaintance, two hundred thousand, and you can take it," Old Madman said flatly.

"Two hundred thousand... why the hell don't you just rob me?!"

Fang Xuan's mouth twitched violently as he could not help cursing.

Though he carried the empty title of Prince, he possessed no power whatsoever. In Douluo Continent, he was basically a commoner at the very bottom. Where was he supposed to get that much money?!

Fine, to be honest, although this blade was truly worth two hundred thousand, he simply could not afford it!

What should he do...

Just as Fang Xuan was wracked with worry, a voice as clear as silver bells rang beside his ear.

"Two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. I'll buy it!"