Forging the Sword

"Fragrant Dream!"

A full half hour later, in front of the high walls of the ancient ruins, the relatively intact asphalt road was left with simple sketches.

Jiang Xueming unleashed his Soul Power, summoning Fragrant Dream to make up for his mistakes. He had no intention of challenging the immortal Beowulf with his mortal body; there was no room for error for him. He only had one life, even though the BOSS and Daoist Master Ping'an had said this more than once—the gunsmith's learning ability was strong, and his adaptability to break through his own limitations in combat was what made this child so formidable.

Instead of being overwhelmed by these boastful attacks, Xue Ming began to feel anxious—mistakenly believing that these were just empty words spoken to those who were too weak in ability.

He has been a psionicist for ten years now, and his learning ability has been constantly evolving. He has developed several systematic learning methods, using his spirit body to fight enemies and then calling the spirit body back to his physical body. He uses Fragrant Dream to guide his physical body in review and training. Xue Ming calls this training method the "Molding Training Method"—the attributes of Fragrant Dream far exceed those of his physical body, allowing him to perform incredibly precise operations.

When facing the army of Hayabusa in Shinto City, Xue Ming's ferocious shooting with his rifle, a fusion of spirit and body, was like having a cheat code unlocked. This was the result of the casting training method, using the spirit as a die-casting mold, allowing the physical body to cooperate with the spirit in mastering new skills, thus gradually reducing the strain and damage to the physical body caused by the acceleration of the spirit. Under the pressure of the mold, it gradually takes shape, becoming a sharp blade, becoming a precise tool.

With the help of this method, maintaining a state of unity between spirit and body, Xue Ming's speed in making the Flash Butterfly Armor also increased significantly. This was a "lazy method" that she occasionally thought of when she was working on the sewing machine until it was about to burst into flames. If the spirit were released outwards, it would constantly consume mental energy, and her own concentration would not be able to make several sets of clothes in a day. So, the state of unity between spirit and body might save some effort.

So, after our gunsmith's wedding, he developed a large-eyed, kaxilan-like appearance during his six-year expedition.

This form is much more fashionable than the fisherman's overalls. Every time they encounter a blood-granting unit, the psionicists can clearly feel that the gunsmith's eyes suddenly turn into vertical pupils. That is his state of being one with Fragrant Dream, a gun ready to fire.

Every time they see those eyes, many colleagues from the Gate of Wonders sigh in amazement. Their leader is Luo Ping'an, and they all believe in some Daoist scriptures. Jiang Xueming's bright, tiger-like eyes are just like the double-flowered red stick officers under Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The moment his round pupils deform, Blood-giving Monster is about to reveal its true form and be shot.

"What do you want me to do?" The steel cat emerged from Xue Ming's back, its upper body just reaching in front of its main body—

--It glanced into the huge doorway, Ming De's unique night vision allowed Fragrant Dream, the eldest son, to see Beowulf clearly.

"Holy crap? What the hell?!"

Jiang Xueming continued drawing, using a small section of steel bar to carve new marks on the asphalt road. After finishing these tasks, he felt mentally weak and his hands trembled. Under this spiritual pressure, remembering Beowulf's movements and completing these simple sketches was extremely difficult—the Wolf King's martial arts routines looked simple, but were actually very complex.

Fragrant Dream was startled again when she saw Ghost in his evil spirit form.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this thing now?"

"Calm down." Xue Ming grabbed Hun Wei, pulled the steel cat by the tail, and dragged it to the side of the street. "Remember all of this."

"Ah?" Fragrant Dream was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth, because there were just so many patterns!

Starting from the doorway of the long corridor, and following the boundary line of Beowulf's activity area, the stick figure pattern extends outwards, totaling nearly eight hundred stick figures, each holding a sword and shield in different poses.

Xue Ming wrote detailed notes on each picture.

The wolf king's guarded stance with shield and sword at the ready is called [MODE·1].

The Wolf King's low-stance starting stance with his sword raised is referred to as [MODE·1→MODE·2].

There are four forms of defensive stances when attacked.

These are stances similar to the ram's quiver, characterized by a fixed stance with legs clamped together and a tight core.

When a non-vital point is damaged, the steel-like stance that ignores the damage will immediately switch back to the alert stance to prepare to restart the offensive.

Before a vital point is hit, if the source of the attack can be tracked and locked, then the player will enter [MODE·4] to raise their shield and defend. After that, there are four variations: holding the shield and sliding to observe the opponent, holding the shield and crouching to resist the chain of heavy blows, and when attacked from a distance, holding the shield and charging forward to prepare for a charge jump to enter the next attack round.

Another less common tactic is the shield parry counterattack. Since Ghost is a spirit, it seems that the Wolf King knew that the impact of the parry was not very effective against this light and airy ghost. In this high-speed battle, he hardly used the shield parry to counter Ghost's close-range harassment attacks.

When Fragrant Dream saw these little doodles, it felt like its cat brain was about to explode. It made a face and kept complaining.

"My god! Who are you going to fight? Does this guy have so many tricks up his sleeve?"

Xue Ming nodded and pulled Fragrant Dream to look at the action breakdown diagrams one by one.

"This guy has eight different weapon stances. They don't seem to be very different. After all, swords and shields are simple and practical weapons. Their function in combat is very simple. But Beowulf has a terrifyingly rich experience in using them. After he became [Outlaw], he continued to fight against modern armies and Stardust Warriors for countless years. His combat experience has turned into these complex routines."

"If you get him moving, even more changes will occur."

Jiang Xueming pointed to the breakdown diagram along the way, telling Fragrant Dream to take her time to look at it.

There are sixteen sword and shield striking techniques. According to the routine demonstrated by the Wolf King, there are slashing, thrusting, stabbing, flicking, dragging, cutting, slicing, striking, and slapping with the sword, as well as smashing, charging, swinging, and shaking with the shield, using the shield as a sword, and other techniques, combined with kicking techniques and charging shoulder strikes. This wise king from ancient times has almost perfected the use of sword and shield.

In addition, Beowulf's ability to locate enemies is also terrifying. When Xue Ming was drawing, he asked Ghost to fight ten more battles. As a result, the old wolf showed a powerful tracking ability to track ethereal spirits. This is also the reason why Beowulf was able to attack continuously and pounce on enemies like a mad dog.

Even if Ghost suddenly disappears and reappears in another place, Beowulf's lightning-fast reflexes, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, would allow him to immediately catch up with his target and continue pursuing the enemy using his sword and shield attack stance and strong lower body.

This wise king had a thorough understanding of the distance of weapons, the direction of sword blades, and the reach of shields.

Jiang Xueming also possesses this skill, a mastery of his preferred weapon honed through countless trials. Often, the moment he touches a firearm, Xue Ming understands its muzzle direction and firing speed. These attributes become clearer and more precise over time.

As Fragrant Dream walked along, comparing Beowulf's move list, she became increasingly astonished.

--This guy seems stronger than the blood-granting units we've beaten before. If we only judge by martial arts, those monsters from the Madness Butterfly Sect who bully others with their powerful elemental essence are as stupid as idiots in front of this agile old man.

How exactly did they do it?

Fragrant Dream squatted in front of a breakdown diagram, completely baffled.

As a spirit, it possesses extremely high precision. The illustration shows Beowulf's charging leap while switching to his left-hand sword. The entire movement is fluid and seamless. In 240 milliseconds, he traverses a distance of more than four meters. He can also use his left hand to hold both sword and shield in a special posture that integrates offense and defense to find advantageous attack points. This is a very magical operation in the eyes of the Iron Cat.

If Jiang Xueming hadn't possessed strong suction and keen observation skills, other psionicists probably wouldn't have been able to see through the Wolf King's sword and shield at all.

"Is this really something Homo sapiens could do? Bound by their physical bodies and gravity, how could they possibly orchestrate such a sophisticated and continuous attack?"

Fragrant Dream simply stopped thinking about it, quickly looked through the remaining breakdown diagrams, memorized the basic stances, and the subsequent derivative variations could only be experienced through actual combat. This is the "mold-making" stage of the "mold-casting training method".

As a safety net, Soul Might can explore dangerous and unknown environments in place of Xue Ming. When facing powerful enemies, its probing attacks are like Xue Ming's extended arms. When it learns some combat skills and the mold takes shape, it is also when Xue Ming demonstrates its strong adaptability and reveals its blade from the clay sand.

Fragrant Dream unfolds its waist, head held high, strides confidently toward the porch.

"Never mind! I'll fight him for a bit first! How many Little Blue bottles did you prepare?"

Jiang Xueming took out several bags of Guangling San xiaolongbao (steamed buns) from his backpack, counted them carefully, and found that there were still about forty left. Looking at the number of blue bottles in the backpack, he found fourteen cans of Worry-forgetting Tea from the VIP tea room. In addition, there were two one-liter thermos flasks, which were gifts made by Brother Ye Bei using his Soul Power.

Whenever he went on a long trip, he would bring plenty of supplies, and then said to Fragrant Dream, "That should be enough."

"That's good! Watch closely!" Fragrant Dream stretched out its long tongue and licked its pink nose. It had been a very long time since it had encountered such an opponent, and it was somewhat excited.

The moment he crossed the boundary line of the Death Rune, Xue Ming paced back and forth, constantly adjusting the sixteen-meter maximum range, wanting to give Fragrant Dream more room to maneuver.

Beowulf rose again, sword and shield in hand, and slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Hey! Looks pretty energetic!" The big cat moved with the steps of a cha-cha, its steel-armored toes scraping against the gravel, sparks flying. Its body swayed unsteadily, its forelimbs relaxed and raised above its head, protecting only its head. To deal with such a giant over two meters tall, it couldn't get much leverage off the ground, and if it stayed on the ground, it had to maintain a high-altitude attack posture.

One step, two steps, the straw sandals returned to the light source, and the third step was a sprint accompanied by a gale.

At that moment, Ghost was both nervous and excited. He hoped that the nameless War King could easily defeat the gatekeeper. If too much time was wasted here, the gunsmith might not even get to see the other monsters in the Royal Court.

In the blink of an eye, the wolf's pounce and bite brought with it a flash of cold light from a broken sword. Fragrant Dream only managed to parry one move before feeling a heavy thud in the sole of her right leg. When she bent her arm to block, she discovered that the broken sword's blade remained unchanged. Once the sword's momentum subsided, it was simply a defensive counterattack!

Boom!--

Almost simultaneously, two sonic booms ripped away the rubble and dust beneath the feet of the two combatants.

The steel claws twisted into an iron fist, colliding with the old wolf's charging sword and shield. The immense power concentrated in the round shield and fist, and the shockwave that rippled through the air lifted Xue Ming's collar and ruffled his hair. At the same time, he could feel a tingling sensation coming from Fragrant Dream's arms and right leg, which he used for both offense and defense.

Ghost seemed to be affected by strong electric and magnetic interference, unable to maintain its Evil Spirit Body form. Thick black mist emanated from its body, spreading behind it like a hedgehog, and then immediately returned to its original state.

This is only the first round; Beowulf's second round is just around the corner!

After a brief exchange of blows, Fragrant Dream almost instinctively raised her leg to block the Wolf King's low sweeping kick. This is the Wolf King's favorite move in the illustrated process, used to disrupt the enemy's balance and weaken their combat power.

It merely shifted its hips, but immediately realized something was wrong!

Fragrant Dream realized her prediction had been perfectly read by the old wolf—until the hurricane-force punch slammed into her side. This wasn't rock-paper-scissors! This guy! This old man's observation skills are too strong! Even stronger than a spirit!

The powerful swinging punch caused its lower body to shift sideways, but it didn't completely leave the ground.

When the Wolf King was struck by Fragrant Dream, he used his shield to block the attack of this soul power. A deep fist mark appeared on the round shield. The force swayed his body, and if he wanted to use speed to gain some offensive opportunities, he would have to sacrifice the striking surface.

Therefore, in the second round, Fragrant Dream was hit by a punch, not a shield bash or a sword strike.

This slight advantage, the time difference in suppressing the enemy's advance, and the preemptive advantage in returning to the fighting stance were all firmly in Beowulf's grasp!

Xue Ming's pupils contracted slightly, unable to lock onto Fragrant Dream and Beowulf's figures. He tried his best to enter this ultra-high-speed combat environment and adapt to Beowulf's speed.

For the next twelve rounds, Fragrant Dream was almost completely overwhelmed by Old Wolf. From west to east along the dividing line of Death Rune, it couldn't retreat to a safe distance at all unless Xue Ming directly summoned its spirit. It was forced to retreat repeatedly by Old Wolf's combined sword strikes, shield strikes, kicks, and punches. Its responses to the enemy's parries, deflections, and counterattacks were all distorted and unbalanced—it was almost dumbfounded. Its once clear eyes became cloudy. Often, after three or four combinations, its armor would leave a conspicuous spark, charred marks from broken sword slashes and shield smashes. Having withstood this extremely powerful attack, it immediately lost the initiative in the next round.

In the final three rounds, Fragrant Dream felt her spirit body was about to lose strength, so she clenched her arms around her head, contracted her upper limbs to maintain core strength, and forcefully used the turbocharger engine inside her body to unleash a powerful airflow, trying to withstand the Wolf King's attack in exchange for the right to breathe and the right to fight back.

But the wolf king suddenly stopped all movement. The surging air blew aside the old wolf's whiskers, revealing a pair of bright black eyes.

Fragrant Dream cursed, "Holy crap! You're fucking cheating!"

This tactic is common in fighting games. When encountering moves he doesn't understand, Beowulf chooses to freeze the frame, letting his opponent perform for him. This is also the first time he has completely stopped in his offensive stance, maintaining a vigilant posture and letting Fragrant Dream unleash her psionic power.

Before Fragrant Dream could finish speaking, the Wolf King's Spartan Kick struck the big cat's skirt armor like lightning.

Xue Ming felt a sharp kick to her stomach, so painful she felt like vomiting. Fragrant Dream tumbled and rolled all the way back to her original form.

Ghost covered his face, feeling somewhat unable to bear watching.

--Xue Ming shouted "Fragrant Dream" again. He felt his eyelids drooping. In just twenty seconds of fighting, his mental energy was almost completely exhausted. This was also related to his age. As he approached thirty, his ability to stay up all night was declining, and his stamina for his soul power was also decreasing.

Are you alright?

Fragrant Dream was somewhat unconvinced. It clutched its lower abdomen and saw cracks in its armor. This injury was like a mark of shame, and it would only heal when Xue Ming fully recovered his mental strength.

"This guy's pretty good! I don't think I can beat him!"

Jiang Xueming suggested, "Why don't you try making a gun? Get yourself some weapons?"

Fragrant Dream immediately got to work, using whatever was available, and while hand-twisting steel bars, she replied, "Okay! I'll give it a try!"

Ghost, however, poured cold water on the idea, offering a well-intentioned reminder.

"Don't even think about taking shortcuts, Little Kitty brother. Beowulf has been shot a lot and even been shelled. He probably has more experience dealing with firearms than with melee weapons."

Fragrant Dream had already crafted an M1900, picked up the gun brand pistol, and took bullets from Xue Ming's pocket.

"Hey! I don't believe it!"

The large cat's paws repeatedly pulled the trigger, releasing American-style iaido attacks like a dragon spitting pearls.

The first three bullets struck the round shield, leaving new bullet marks; the fourth bullet onwards...

Without exception, every flat-nosed bullet fired returned to Fragrant Dream's head at a very strange angle of reflection.

For a moment it didn't react, emptying the magazine before realizing that its helmet was clanging and banging like a drum. Its head had been hit by the bullets, tilting to one side. Just then it saw Jiang Xueming holding Ghost Shadow as a shield, afraid that the stray bullets would take its life. At this moment, the big cat finally came to its senses, realizing that the bullets seemed to have no effect on the old man.

"Damn it!"

With the gunfire silenced, Beowulf observed Fragrant Dream's posture through the gap in the round shield. The wolf king seemed bored and slowly retreated back into the shadows. He needed to use the Death Rune to repair the shield, which had been almost destroyed in the intense battle.

Just as Fragrant Dream was complaining, and Jiang Xueming was at a loss, and Ghost couldn't come up with a solution either.

This seemingly irrational king appeared to have regained a sliver of his sanity, uttering an Old English word that translates simply and directly as follows:

"--weak!"

"This thing can talk!" Fragrant Dream exclaimed in surprise.

Jiang Xueming looked at Ghost--

Ghost shrugged and spread his hands, completely clueless, and could only guess.

"You, a living person, have excited the old man? He's come back to life?"