Night Thunder

The next morning, Ye An went to the back mountain.

An elder guarding the entrance was already waiting.

The elder's face was gaunt, and his aura was calm and restrained, making it impossible to discern his true strength.

This situation is either due to the cultivation of a breath-holding Secret Method or a natural perception resulting from a difference in cultivation level.

Another Gathered Origin Realm; this is the foundation of the number one sect in Cangwu Prefecture.

The elder glanced at Ye An, confirming Ye An's cultivation time. "Go in. The stone gate will open after seven days."

Ye An nodded and stepped into the cave entrance.

The stone steps lead downwards, and the further you go, the darker it gets, with the stone walls on both sides gradually being covered by thick tree roots.

These tree roots emerge from the rock face, many of them thicker than a person's waist, intertwined like a giant net stitching the entire mountain together.

Is this the root of the Cangwu Tree? This is perhaps only a small part of the whole world.

Ye An reached out and touched a tree root beside him.

It felt hard to the touch, yet it seemed alive; something was slowly flowing deep within the tree roots.

Ye An withdrew his hand. He didn't understand what it was, but it shouldn't have posed any threat to him.

At the end of the stone steps is a stone door, its surface carved with the four symbols.

Pushing open the stone door, one enters a stone chamber several meters square. There are no decorations here, only a few array patterns carved on the floor and walls.

The array patterns are intricate, extending to the four corners and merging into the grooves in the wall.

Ye An sat cross-legged in the center of the array pattern, took a deep breath, and channeled his True Essence into the array pattern on the ground.

The array patterns lit up.

An energy I had never felt before kept appearing.

The Origin Energy surged from the array patterns, a feeling completely different from True Qi.

True Qi is like a stream, narrow and slow; Origin Energy is like a river, wide and rapid, yet gentle.

The Origin Energy continuously seeped up, slowly flowing into Ye An's Dantian along his meridians, carrying an unprecedented sense of weight.

Ye An steadied his breathing and began to fully circulate the "Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art".

On the first day, it took Ye An quite a while to fully adapt to the way the Origin Energy flowed.

However, once Ye An adapted, the difference in cultivation speed immediately became apparent.

Furthermore, after Ye An's Root Bone was upgraded to the Mid-Grade B, his efficiency in condensing True Essence was already much faster than before. With the infusion of Origin Energy from the Cangwu Tree Heart, the combined effect made the progress even faster than he had expected.

Seven days later.

[Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art - Qi Condensation Chapter (First Layer): 461/800]

Ye An finished his practice and stood up, feeling the significantly stronger vortex of Qi Vortex in his Dantian.

When I first arrived seven days ago, my cultivation level was barely 200, but now it has advanced directly to 461.

A quarter of the progress was achieved in just seven days.

If he were given another half month, he might be able to break through to the Mid Qi Condensation.

It's just a pity that, although Zhao Xuanji said that one day here is equivalent to five days outside,

However, in Ye An's view, the effect of cultivating here for seven days is completely different from cultivating for thirty-five days outside.

The Origin Energy drawn by the formation is so pure that its effect on refining True Qi is unparalleled by anything outside.

If one were to cultivate normally in the outside world, the progress would be far less.

Ye An sighed. Only elders and the Four Halls Chief, or higher-ranking figures, were qualified to enter the cultivation room for free.

For a Qi Condensation disciple like Ye An, who is not even the Chief Disciple, aside from the Sect's rewards, the Contribution Point required to enter again are not insignificant.

Ye An suppressed these thoughts, and the stone door slowly closed behind him.

Upon returning to his residence at the Black Tortoise Hall, Ye An discovered that a trace of Origin Energy still remained within his body.

Two days later, a disciple arrived with a message: "Senior Brother Ye, your letter."

The letter was written by Lin Wanyue.

The Lin Lineage asked what kind of object they wanted to forge this piece of Mystic-Pattern Cold Iron.

Ye An replied, "Forge me a sword."

"The blade should be narrower and the edge thinner." Ye An wanted to forge a sharp sword.

Ye An handed the letter to the disciple who delivered it and continued to refine the remaining trace of vital Origin Energy within his body.

Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

It's already early November.

Ye An spent almost all of those twenty days cultivating.

There are no missions at the Demon Suppressing Guard Division for the time being. He has been holding the position of manager of the Sect's Medicine Garden, and the people under him are handling things very well. Ye An only needs to take a look occasionally.

Lu Xingzhou and Shen Qing would occasionally come to see him, wanting to take him to the bustling city at the foot of the mountain for a nice meal, but Ye An always refused.

The two weren't annoyed; they would always bring him some food after they finished strolling through the bustling city.

Sometimes it's half a roasted chicken, sometimes it's a box of pastries, followed by a sarcastic remark.

"Brother Ye, are you planning to turn yourself into Stone? Other people practice martial arts to show off, but you practice martial arts to lock yourself up." Lu Xingzhou leaned against the door frame, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, indicating that he had just returned from a meal.

The meaning is clear: Ye An has gone from practicing martial arts to practicing demonic arts.

Shen Qing remained silent. She was relieved; there was a reason why Ye An's cultivation progressed faster than theirs. Who else could endure such arduous training?

Ye An stuffed the kiln-roasted chicken that the two of them had brought him into his mouth. "You can bring two next time, one isn't enough."

The two smiled and said nothing more.

As the sun was setting, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

An elder dressed in Lin Lineage attire stood at the door, holding a long wooden box in his hands.

This elder of the Lin Lineage had a dignified appearance, an upright posture, and a calm demeanor; he was a Qi Condensation Martial Artist.

Upon seeing Ye An, Lin Yongchang spoke with a polite yet solemn tone, "Young Master Ye, I am Lin Yongchang, an elder of the Lin Lineage. As soon as the sword was completed today, I came here without delay to deliver it."

The news of Ye An's trip to the Hanging Sword Sect has spread throughout Cangwu, and many people believe that Ye An is the next Chief Disciple of the Black Tortoise Hall.

"Young Master Ye helped our Lin Lineage resolve the Song Family's matter last time, and our Lin Lineage has always remembered that. This time, Young Master Ye has entrusted our Lin Lineage with Mystic Grade material like Mystic-Pattern Cold Iron to forge weapons. To be honest, such materials are not common, and for a weapon refiner, the opportunity to forge a Mystic Grade weapon is already a rare one. The entire Lin Lineage is deeply grateful for Young Master Ye's trust."

"Elder Lin, you flatter me. Everyone in Cangwu Prefecture knows the Lin Lineage's craftsmanship; there's no need for such formality."

Lin Yongchang smiled and handed over the wooden box, "The sword is finished, young master, please take a look."

Ye An took the wooden box; it was heavier than he had expected.

The wooden box was opened, and a sword lay inside.

The sword's body was dark all over, its color seemingly a fusion of the deep gray of iron and the pale purple unique to Mystic-Pattern Cold Iron, faintly gleaming with a cold light in the light.

The blade was about two-tenths narrower than a regular longsword, with a thin and sharp edge. Several fine lines could be faintly seen along the spine, resembling patterns formed naturally under high temperatures or marks left after repeated forging.

Lin Yongchang added from the side, "The sword blade is made from a single piece of Mystic-Pattern Cold Iron, without any auxiliary materials. It has a narrow blade and a thin edge, resulting in less resistance when drawing the sword, making it significantly sharper and faster than ordinary Xuan swords. The sword patterns are naturally formed during forging, not intentionally carved, but they don't matter."

Ye An reached out and gripped the hilt of the sword. The sword's center of gravity was slightly forward than he had expected, but the overall balance was excellent.

Ye An casually swung his sword, and the blade sliced through the air almost silently, leaving only a very faint whistling sound.

"Please, Young Master Ye, name this sword, so that the Lin Lineage may produce another famous Xuan sword."

Choosing a name proved difficult for Ye An; it was even harder than practicing martial arts.

"The sword's blade is as dark as night, its patterns as sharp as lightning; it is called—"

"Night Thunder."

The dark blade, with its fine lines, resembles a frozen bolt of lightning in the night.

"Night Thunder," Lin Yongchang read it aloud, then replied, "A good name..."

After Lin Yongchang left, Ye An carefully put away his sword.

A good sword needs a good set of Swordsmanship to match it. He now has the sword, but he is still missing a Swordsmanship.

But there's no rush; he already has a plan.