Forging Under the Moonlight!

Night had fallen, and stars dotted the sky.

Deep in the forest outside Konoha, the little river that had been full of croaking during the day had now returned to silence. Jiraiya had taken the exhausted Naruto to sort out dinner, giving Ye Tian a rare moment alone.

"Phew... They finally left."

Leaning on his cane, Ye Tian stood atop a massive boulder and watched the old man and boy disappear into the night.

The faintly "frail" and "eager to learn" expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by the indifference unique to a Cultivator.

"One month is special training for Naruto to master the Summoning Technique, and a crash course for Sasuke to learn Chidori."

Ye Tian reached into the treasure-chest-like bamboo basket on his back and pulled out several pieces of jet-black metal, along with a broken blade fragment that gave off a faint bloody stench.

"And for me, this is the crucial period for turning the Way of Survival into the way of killing."

He glanced around, spreading his Divine Sense like a tide. Only after confirming that there were no human presences within a kilometer, aside from a few wild rabbits, did he nod in satisfaction.

"This place will do."

Ye Tian's figure flickered. Without using any ninjutsu, he relied on his nimble movement technique to slip into a concealed cave he had scouted out long ago.

The cave was damp and dark, filled with the echo of dripping water.

Ye Tian did not begin immediately. Instead, he first took several rune-engraved jade stones from his robes and casually tossed them into different corners of the cave.

[Minor Five-Element Maze Formation: Concealment Version]

With several faint hums, an invisible ripple enveloped the cave entrance. From outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary patch of shrubs. Even if someone scanned it with the Byakugan or Sharingan, they would see only a blurry natural scene and would never discover the firelight or Spiritual Energy fluctuations inside.

"The safety measures are done. Now for the main event."

Ye Tian sat cross-legged on a smooth piece of bluestone and arranged the materials in a row.

On the left was a fist-sized chunk of Chakra-Conducting Metal he had bought at Konoha's black market with all his savings—the money he had earned from previous cat-catching missions and gambling wins. This metal was an essential material for crafting high-grade Chakra blades in the Shinobi World. It was expensive, but its energy conductivity was exceptional.

On the right was a fragment of the Kubikiribōchō, which he had quietly "borrowed" from the bridge in the Land of Waves while everyone else was observing a moment of silence.

"Tsk, tsk. This fragment is only palm-sized, but the resentment and bloodlust inside it... They're so dense they're terrifying."

Ye Tian gently stroked the broken blade fragment with his fingertips. Even after being separated from the main body, the metal still radiated a chilling desire for blood.

In the Shinobi World, the Kubikiribōchō was called the Broken Blade, and it possessed the ability to repair itself by absorbing the iron in blood.

But in the eyes of Ye Tian, a Cultivator, this was not some unusual physical property at all.

"This is clearly the embryonic form of Blood-Refined Divine Metal!"

A crazed gleam flashed in Ye Tian's eyes. "This metal naturally possesses the spirituality of devouring and regeneration. If I can remove its impurities, preserve only that trace of bloodthirsty essence, and fuse it with Chakra-Conducting Metal that has superb energy conductivity..."

"I'll be able to forge a true—Life-Bound Flying Sword!"

Though limited by his Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivation and crude materials, he could not forge some world-shaking spirit treasure. But making a Flying Sword at the level of a low-grade magic artifact for sneak attacks in this world full of fragile ninjas would be more than enough.

"Let's begin."

Ye Tian took a deep breath and adjusted his condition.

He did not use Fire Release ninjutsu, because ordinary flames could not refine the spirituality within metal.

"Pfft!"

Ye Tian opened his mouth and spat.

A flame no larger than a longan, pale cyan in color, swayed as it floated before him.

[Innate True Fire]

This was True Fire ignited by a Cultivator using his own Spiritual Power. Since Ye Tian had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, this flame could only be considered "pseudo-True Fire." Its temperature was limited, and it consumed an enormous amount of Spiritual Power, but it was already the strongest flame he could produce at present.

"Go!"

Ye Tian pointed a finger, and the cyan flame instantly enveloped the Chakra-Conducting Metal.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

Under the scorching of the True Fire, the metal slowly softened and became a mass of silvery-white liquid. Ye Tian focused his Divine Sense to the utmost, constantly controlling the flame's temperature as he gradually removed the impurities from the liquid.

This step went relatively smoothly, since the Chakra metal itself was quite pure.

What came next was the hardest part.

Ye Tian took a deep breath and controlled the flames as they swept toward the fragment of the Kubikiribōchō.

Boom!

The instant the True Fire touched the fragment, a violent blood-red aura fiercely surged back, as though an invisible beast were roaring within the flames and trying to break free of Ye Tian's suppression.

"Hmph. You're nothing but a dead object, yet you dare act up?"

Ye Tian's face paled as the Spiritual Power within him poured forth like a breached flood, forcibly suppressing the restless blood aura.

"Refine!"

The cyan flames instantly surged, tightly wrapping the mass of blood aura.

Time passed second by second.

Dense beads of sweat appeared on Ye Tian's forehead, and his face grew ever paler. Such high-intensity Spiritual Power output was like walking a tightrope for someone at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

One hour... two hours...

Finally, the stubborn fragment let out a mournful cry and completely melted into a drop of dark-red liquid. It slowly swirled within the flames, emitting an eerie sheen.

"Now! Fuse!"

A sharp light burst from Ye Tian's eyes as he suddenly pressed his palms together.

The silvery-white Chakra metal liquid and the dark-red Blood-Refined Divine Metal liquid violently collided in midair!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

Red and white intertwined as two utterly different forces repelled and devoured each other.

"The Supreme Star responds without cease to all transformations... Haste!"

Ye Tian chanted under his breath, his hands rapidly forming one intricate hand seal after another. Each seal he cast left a tiny golden rune upon the molten metal.

Those were formations.

[Fortification Formation]—increased the sword body's hardness.

[Sharpness Formation]—enhanced its armor-piercing ability.

[Bloodthirst Formation]—preserved the Kubikiribōchō's blood-absorbing trait and fed it back into the sword body.

And most importantly—

[Wind-Riding Formation]

This was the core that allowed a Flying Sword to move at will and strike as fast as lightning!

As dozens of runes entered it, the mass of mixed liquid finally stabilized. Guided by Ye Tian's Divine Sense, it slowly stretched and changed shape.

It did not become a kunai or a tachi, as was common in the Shinobi World.

Instead, it gradually condensed into a three-inch-long, dark-red willow-leaf throwing knife with no hilt.

The sword body was as thin as a cicada's wing and radiated a chilling sharpness. Faint streams of bloody light flowed across its surface, as if it possessed life.

"Condense!"

Ye Tian expelled his last breath of Spiritual Energy, and the cyan flames instantly drew in.

Clang—!

A clear, melodious cry echoed through the cave, like a dragon's roar.

The dark-red little sword floated in midair, trembling faintly. The air around it seemed to be cut apart by its razor-sharp Sword Qi.

"It's done."

Ye Tian's body went limp, and he nearly fell from the bluestone. He panted heavily, his face as white as a ghost. This time, he was truly weak, not pretending.

Yet the joy in his eyes could not be concealed.

He stretched out a trembling hand.

As if sensing its master's summons, the little sword flew over with extreme docility. It circled and danced around his fingertips like a nimble fish.

"Since you were forged from a fragment of the Kubikiribōchō and possess bloodthirsty properties..."

Ye Tian looked at the little sword on his fingertip, a cold smile curling his lips. "Then I'll call you—Blood Drinker."

Blood Drinker Sword.

Though it was only a low-grade magic artifact, in Ye Tian's hands, it was a Shinigami's scythe for reaping lives.

"Let's test its power."

Forcing himself to stay alert, Ye Tian looked toward a slab of granite in the corner of the cave, as large as a millstone.

"Go!"

With a thought.

There were no hand seals, nor was there any sound of Chakra erupting.

Only an incredibly faint whoosh through the air could be heard.

That red streak instantly vanished from its original position.

The next second.

Pfft.

A soft sound rang out, as though a sheet of paper had been pierced.

A small hole now ran clean through the hard granite, its edges smooth as a mirror.

The little sword called Blood Drinker had already pierced through the rock and embedded itself deeply into the stone wall behind it, all the way to the hiltless base!

"Hiss..."

Even though he had expected it, Ye Tian could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

"So fast! So sharp!"

Even a Chunin wearing Chakra Armor would likely be unable to withstand a single strike. More importantly—it was silent and impossible to guard against!

"This is the charm of a Flying Sword..."

Ye Tian curled a finger, and the Blood Drinker Sword instantly flew back. It became a streak of light and slipped into his sleeve, hiding against the skin of his arm.

After this forging, the sword had become linked to his heart and mind. He could normally nourish it with his own blood and vitality, then use it to catch enemies off guard in battle.

"With this thing, in the upcoming main matches, whether it's that hunchbacked Sound Ninja or Gaara of the Sand Waterfall..."

Ye Tian took a Qi-Replenishing Pill from his robes and swallowed it. As he felt the medicinal power spread through his body, a trace of color gradually returned to his pale face.

"As long as you dare show yourselves, I'll dare let you bleed."

He stood, dusted off his clothes, and removed the formation at the cave entrance.

By then, the moon had already tilted westward.

"Phew... I've been busy all night. I still need to get back and sleep, or those two overly energetic guys will wake me up again tomorrow."

Ye Tian stepped out of the cave and looked in the direction of Konoha, his gaze deep.

"The Flying Sword is complete. I now have a way to protect my life."

"For the next half month, I should go see how Uchiha Sasuke's special training is progressing."

"I heard Kakashi is teaching him Lightning Cutter? That's the pinnacle of Lightning Release nature transformation..."

Ye Tian licked his lips, and a glint called "stealing a lesson" flashed through his eyes.

"If I can get my hands on the principles behind Lightning Cutter and improve it a little before enchanting it onto my Flying Sword... wouldn't that turn it into the Lightning Blood Drinker Sword?"

"Mm, this has promise."

Leaning on his cane, Ye Tian slowly made his way back under the moonlight. His silhouette still looked like that of a sickly man who would topple in the wind.

But beneath that shell, a blade called a Cultivator had already been honed to a brilliant edge.