The Ice Spirit Blade, despite its name, was actually forged from Thousand Water Cold Gold, a spiritual material of both the metal and water attributes.
This gold resembled icy crystal amber yet possessed an extremely hard texture, making it an exceptional material for crafting magical weapon blades. It seemed expensive, but its yield was actually quite high in the cold rivers of the Northern Region.
Therefore, the three-foot-seven-inch broad-mouthed saber in Chen Dengming's hand was forged entirely from Thousand Water Cold Gold, and its total cost was merely eighteen Low-grade Spirit Stones.
Yet this price was already very cheap among intermediate-grade magical weapons, as Master Hu had given him a thirty percent discount.
Like most ordinary low-grade magical weapons, they at most used only a palm-sized piece of Thousand Water Cold Gold, but Chen Dengming's magical weapon saber was a whole, massive block.
Gold generates water, so a magical weapon saber forged from this metal-water spiritual material is just right for me. What a pity that within this tiny courtyard, this blade is like a trapped dragon in a well, making it hard to unleash its power.
Chen Dengming stroked the icy blade surface, growing more fond of it the more he touched it.
This blade was custom-made according to his wishes, drawing inspiration for its design from the treasure blades in his past life's martial arts television dramas, and it measured three feet and seven inches long.
Regardless of its length, width, or shape, everything suited his heart's desire. Only by wielding such a broad saber to slash out the Green Hill Mad Dragon thirteen-zhang blade Qi could a real man's true colors be shown.
Wielding the broad saber, his breathing gradually grew even and long, instantly advancing to another realm. His mind seemed already to have merged into one with the blade body, driving it as smoothly as his own arm.
When it came to using the saber, his reputation as the Mad Dragon was no empty title; even without executing the Artifact Control Technique, he could wield the broad saber to the pinnacle of perfection.
He abruptly shifted the broad saber straight up to his glabella, using the blade to align with his eyes.
His gaze instantly turned as sharp as swords and sabers, and a massive surge of blade Qi abruptly struck forth like wind, clouds, lightning, and flashes.
"Hah—!"
Chen Dengming strode forward boldly, his eyes radiating a formidable, piercing light. An astonishing four-zhang blade Qi roared and swept outward, plunging down like an ice dragon with open claws and brandished fangs.
When it was about to approach the ground, the blade Qi had already transformed into a chilling light and shadow, vanishing from sight.
Chen Dengming had already retrieved the saber at the opportune moment.
Yet at this moment, whether on the ground or among the branches and leaves of the trees in the courtyard, a layer of ice crystals had already condensed—exquisite and translucent, sparkling and dazzling, piercing people's eyes until they ached.
On the surface of the pond, thin layers of ice drifted.
Suddenly, crisp crackling sounds echoed continuously all around.
The residual blade Qi among all the icicles erupted, countless ice crystals shattered, and a sky full of ice powder fluttered, the scene resembling someone shaking out cotton wadding.
Chen Dengming let out a long breath, the white hair at his temples fluttering, and a brilliant light gleamed in his eyes, flashing like hidden lightning. He only felt that at this moment, his Blade Dao had truly reached Great Completion, achieving the harmony of man and blade.
He abruptly raised his palm without needing to form hand seals. The long saber hummed, vibrated, and flew up on its own, spiritual light surging. It abruptly shrank and whirled around his palm, its crystalline blade body dazzling the eye.
With a swish—
Blade light flashed!
The flying blade vanished into the dim distance!
A piece of rock formation opposite him unexpectedly gained a transparent hole, with frost congealed inside it.
Swish, swish, swish—
Like a bird filled with spiritual nature, the flying blade zipped all about under Chen Dengming's dual control of the Artifact Control Technique and his Blade Dao Blade Intent, its speed peerless.
With just a gentle turn and detour, a piece of hard bluestone was already sliced into two halves, its cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
"Hum—!"
The flying blade flashed. Like a bird searching for its master, it flew back into Chen Dengming's palm, shrinking into his sleeve and disappearing.
A flying blade, once again I see the flying blade. The supreme art of the past martial world, yet I never expected that today in the Cultivation World, it could climb an even higher step. With martial arts combined with the Artifact Control Technique, the spiritual qi consumption of my single saber strike has also decreased by nearly half.
Chen Dengming felt a thousand emotions stirring in his heart, yet his state of mind was without joy or sorrow.
At this moment, he had unexpectedly found a subtle and indescribable point of resonance between the Martial Dao and the Immortal Dao, causing his saber techniques and Daoist arts to advance to a higher level.
Saber, Dao, saber, Dao.
Saber, saber, saber, saber, saber!
Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao!
With three thousand Great Daos, perhaps the saber and the Dao were fundamentally interconnected in a harmonious way after all!
Within the panel, several of his statuses had changed.
The Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline vaulted directly from the state of completion at 99/100 to Great Completion, causing his lifespan to increase by ten years accordingly.
Beyond that, the Artifact Control Technique also broke through directly from the mastery level to the grandmaster tier.
This could be considered the only first-tier, grade-one spell Chen Dengming had learned that broke through directly to the grandmaster tier, and thus it also caused his lifespan to directly increase by ten years.
In the future, unless other first-tier, grade-one spells could break through to tiers beyond grandmaster faster than the Artifact Control Technique, it would be difficult to increase his lifespan further under the overlapping influence of same-tier cultivation methods.
Right now, however, his lifespan limit had also lifted directly from 222 years to 247 years.
Now, holding the golden silkworm and blood centipede, two gu, I am not weak in speed. The only issue is that my defense is relatively poor. I cannot speak for Qi Cultivation Sixth Level cultivators, but against ordinary Qi Cultivation Fifth Level cultivators, I should be able to hold my own, right?
Chen Dengming mused, then felt this thought was far too inflated.
Why even hold your own? Avoiding entanglements as much as possible was best.
Right then, he put away his magical weapon and spirit gu, returning to his room to cultivate.
An empty courtyard, a desolate and lonely house.
He suddenly felt a longing for his past cultivation life of selling fish.
At least back then, there were a few neighbors to chat with, occasionally bragging about going to the pleasure quarters to listen to music—which in truth just meant rubbing shoulders and taking a look when passing by Zanhua Tower. Back then, on the journey of cultivation, there was no lack of human warmth and the common touch; the Immortal Dao was not solitary.
Yet now, he couldn't find a single companion for conversation. Would he grow increasingly aloof as his cultivation progressed, eventually severing all emotions and forgetting the Dao?
I wonder how Xu Wei is doing over at the Luo Family. It feels like less than two months have passed, yet so many things have happened. The Luo Family's current situation is not too good either; her days can't be easy.
Inside the courtyard, a single droplet of water melting from the ice crystals on a branch swayed precariously before finally falling onto the water's surface, splashing out ripples in circles.
Inside the room, Chen Dengming reined in the ripples in his heart, assumed a posture in the chamber, and began to concentrate on his cultivation.
A master is lonely.
To keep the lamp from going out, one must constantly add oil. A deep river runs without a sound, and profound skill is never a burden.
Yet during this meditation, he constantly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
It was as if something in the dark was spying on him, even faintly transmitting a timid emotion.
Chen Dengming grew inwardly alert.
He had just achieved harmony with his blade, reaching complete perfection in his Blade Dao. He was full of spirit and vital energy, which was precisely the moment when his spiritual senses were most acute. One could say he was approaching a state of profound stillness and emptiness, his perception enhanced by several fold and more.
At this moment, his expression was as still as stagnant water, and his spirit seemed to condense into countless tiny dots, as if his wisdom eye had opened, abruptly locking onto a single spot.
Clearly without opening his eyes, he nonetheless seemed to see a female phantom, a unique sensation surging into his crystal-clear, lucid intellect.
"Ah—!"
It was as if a timid female exclamation abruptly transmitted into his spirit and soul.
Who is it!?
Even Chen Dengming was startled. The Blood Centipede Gu flew out from his ear canal with a hum, and his entire body bounced off the ground, leaping over azhang away as the Ice Spirit Blade fell into his palm with a clink.
He was about to slash out with a saber stroke like a wind sweeping away fallen clouds.
"Da—Daoist, spare my life!"
At that moment, that voice resembling spiritual telepathy once again transmitted into Chen Dengming's mind.
Staring in astonishment, he fixed his eyes on the array disk on the ground opposite him, only to see a faint female phantom actually floating out from the surface of the array disk. Like a spiritual body, she emitted a dim glow, looking just like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
What on earth is this thing?
Chen Dengming and the spirit-glowing, spiritual-body entity that had drifted out from the ancient, unadorned Spirit Seizing Array Disk stared at each other in blank dismay, so astonished he could hardly resist using the Ice Spirit Blade to poke the shameless woman opposite him.
From his perspective, the spiritual-body woman opposite, although she appeared to be wearing clothing,
the garments seemed slightly translucent due to the state of her spiritual body, resembling gauze thin as cicada wings.
One could almost see the breast-binder and small briefs concealing her vital parts; as they fluttered in and out of view, for a moment her slender, delicate waist and—well, a profusion of wondrous sights were revealed.
"This—this humble one is a spirit maiden."
Chen Dengming frowned, his expression suspicious as he sized up this phantom that had suddenly appeared within the array disk. "A spirit maiden? I'm Li Xiaoyao then! What kind of ghost thing are you anyway? If you don't confess the truth right now, I'll carve you up with a—"
Before he could finish speaking, the woman looked on the verge of tears, her pitiful appearance even more tender and delicate than Xu Wei's, enough to make one instantly soften and feel sympathy.
Yet Chen Dengming steadied his mind after just a brief daze.
His Blade Dao was complete, and his intent was like a blade—how could he be bewitched so easily? He immediately let out a low, furious shout.
"Evildoer! You dare to bewitch my mind!?"
With no woman in one's heart, drawing the blade makes one naturally divine!
He abruptly raised his hand and slashed out with a single blade stroke.
The chilling, surging blade Qi instantly caused the two rows of burning candles all around to flicker before extinguishing...
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