An evening of swordplay left both friends thoroughly satisfied.
Luo Linwang lived right next door, which was why he had felt inclined to pay a visit. His mood had improved, but Hou Niao's had become utterly wretched.
The many legends surrounding the meteorite unsettled him. He might have had strong nerves, but that did not mean he wanted to be nailed to history's pillar of shame.
If he was destined to accomplish nothing with this meteorite, he would change course without hesitation, because he was the master.
But before that, he needed to have a proper talk with this meteorite.
Stones could not speak, of course, but they had their own ways of expressing themselves.
Hou Niao took several more whetstones out of the Treasure Gourd. They were actually just ordinary artifact-refining materials he had obtained in several conflicts with others, tossed into the Treasure Gourd and never given another thought. There was also a whetstone Luo Linwang had lent him from his own personal use, chiefly so he could experience what sharpening a sword on a genuine whetstone felt like.
He lined these materials of various sizes up in a row, then held his sword and murmured,
"We can't hang ourselves from a single tree! That wastes not only my time, but yours too. Imagine yourself lying in the dust, with no one sparing you a glance...
"Let's try again. Don't be so adamant. There are materials of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth here. Let me see what your second choice is."
He began sharpening the sword on the different materials, trying them one by one, including Luo Linwang's obviously extraordinary whetstone. Unfortunately, the Lone Sword showed no reaction whatsoever and refused to cooperate in the slightest, as though these were not whetstones at all, but a heap