On the second day, the sky was not completely bright yet.
Qin Tiexin stepped out of his cave abode and walked along the bluestone steps towards the peak. He walked not fast, breathing steadily, feeling the completely different concentration of Spiritual Qi between Luoling Peak and the Miscellaneous Yard.
The Spiritual Qi here is too rich.
Every time you take a breath, you can feel the traces of Spiritual Qi entering the lungs along the nasal cavity, and then slowly seeping into the meridians. If you practice here for a long time, the speed will be at least twice as fast as that of the Military Academy.
He walked to a corner of the steps with a wide view, stopped and looked down.
From this height, except for the main peak, you can almost clearly see the entire Liuyun Sect. Nearby are the peaks of the inner gate, and the palaces and pavilions are faintly visible. A little further away is the outer gate area, with large houses arranged neatly. In the farthest distance, the group of low buildings near the mountain gate is where the servitor courtyard is located.
Qin Tiexin looked at that area for a moment.
Zhou Chongshan and Zhao Yan should have both entered the inner gate, but I don't know which peak they went to. As for Li Yun... with her background and cultivation, it shouldn't be difficult to enter the inner gate. Even if she can't enter, she should be able to arrange a good place to go.
He withdrew his gaze and continued upward.
With a quarter to go, Qin Tiexin arrived at Zhuxintang.
The palace door was closed tightly, and he stood waiting outside. The hum of the burning earth fire could be heard faintly from inside the door, and the air was filled with a familiar hot breath.
After a moment, the thick stone door slowly opened inwards.
Luo Ling True Person stood in the center of the hall, still wearing the fiery red robe, with her long hair simply tied up. Her back was to the underground fire well, and the morning light shone in from the hall door, with a golden rim on her body.
"Master." Qin Tiexin bowed and saluted.
Luo Ling turned around, her eyes fell on him, and she looked up and down. "How is the injury?"
"There is no serious problem." Qin Tiexin said, "There is no problem in moving, but I can't use my power at full strength yet."
"That's good." Luo Ling nodded without any nonsense, raised his hand and threw over a gray Storage Bag.
Qin Tiexin caught it and felt it sink slightly.
"Open it and take a look." Luo Ling said.
Qin Tiexin was injected with spiritual power, and Storage Bag's mouth opened. There were three hundred pieces of low-grade Spirit Stone neatly stacked inside. The spiritual light was dense, and Spiritual Qi was rich.
He looked up, doubts in his eyes.
"Compensation from Elder Zhao." Luo Ling said in a calm tone, "In the weapon refining competition, he thought that others didn't know about those small tricks? There is also the soul Law Artifact that Zhao Yan used in the ring. I came to find him. The old guy took advantage of the loss and took these Spirit Stone as hush money. You keep it."
Qin Tiexin shook his head. "Master, Spirit Stone I can't..."
"Just take it for you, no nonsense." Luo Ling interrupted him, anger revealed in his brows, "My disciple, Luo Ling, has been tricked by someone, and it is only natural that he should ask for some compensation. What, too little?"
Qin Tiexin was silent for two breaths and took Storage Bag into his arms. "Thank you, Master."
"That's pretty much it." Luo Ling's expression softened slightly, "Yao'er should have told you that the purpose of our lineage is 'the integration of man and machine'."
"Yes."
"But hearing is false, seeing is believing." Luo Ling said, scanning his eyes over Qin Tiexin, "Today, I will give you a demonstration first."
She raised her right hand and grasped at the material table on the side of the hall.
Two pieces of metal flew up from the stage and hovered steadily in front of her.
The piece on the left is blue-black, with fine natural lines on the surface, and is blue-grained steel. The piece on the right is dark gold, with restrained luster, and is a piece of spiritual material "fine gold". Both pieces are about the size of a palm, and are not light in weight.
Qin Tiexin Hold your breath.
What happened next made his pupils shrink suddenly.
Luo Ling did not go to the forging table, light the furnace, or even take out any tools. She just stood there, palms of her hands facing each other, hanging on both sides of the two pieces of metal.
Fiery red spiritual power surged out from her palms.
It's not a flame, it's pure fire-attribute spiritual power. It's as solid as liquid, and the temperature is so high that it distorts the air. The two pieces of metal quickly turn red when wrapped in spiritual power, from dark red to bright red, and then to blazing white.
Then, they begin to deform.
It does not melt and flow, but softens and blends like dough. The lines of the blue-grained steel and the dark gold color of the fine gold interpenetrate each other. You have me, and I have you. The whole process is quiet and smooth, with no forging sound, no sparks flying, only the subtle sizzling sound of metal under high temperature.
Qin Tiexin's eyes were unblinking and he was stunned.
He has seen Old Wu being forged, he has seen other senior brothers in the Waste Equipment Pavilion repair Law Artifact, he has seen many disciples in the Great Competition forging, and he has even forged many Law Artifact himself. But he has never seen such a scene--
No hammer, no anvil, no furnace.
Forging weapons with bare hands.
After a while, the two pieces of metal completely merged into one, turning into a dark blue-gold metal ball. Luo Ling moved his hands forward and held the metal ball in his palm.
She started rubbing.
Yes, kneading. Just like kneading dough, her hands alternately press, fold, and stretch. The metal constantly changes shape in her hands, sometimes elongating, sometimes flattening. Every time she kneads, the luster of the metal surface becomes brighter and the texture becomes denser.
Qin Tiexin felt like my scalp was numb.
The temperature of that ball of metal was absolutely terrifying, but Luo Ling's palms were covered with a layer of solid fire spirit power, completely insulating against the high temperature. Her movements were calm and unhurried, even with a certain sense of rhythm.
I rubbed it for about twenty breaths.
Luo Ling pulled both hands, and the metal ball was pulled into a long strip. She held one end with her left hand, and started to shape it with her right hand from the middle of the strip - pressing with her fingers, fitting the palms together, and making a curve with her knuckles.
Blade, spine, blade, tip.
Then there is the handle and guard.
All parts are formed in one piece. There is no splicing, and it is completely integrated. The whole process is smooth and smooth, as if the metal should have this shape.
The prototype of a short sword was born in her hands.
But it's not over yet.
Luo Ling held the knife embryo in her left hand, raised her right hand, spread her fingers, and raised her palm upward.
Spiritual power surged out again.
But this time, the spiritual power did not spread out, but condensed into fine lines - spiritual lines. First there was "sharp", with lines as sharp as a knife; then there was "gathering spirit", with lines spiraling like vortices; then there was "breaking armor", with a complex structure like a lock; and finally there was "regeneration", where the patterns were endless.
Four spiritual lines hang three inches above the palm, each glowing.
Then, they began to get closer, intertwined, and merged.
Qin Tiexin has seen spirit patterns and carved spirit patterns. But he has never seen spirit patterns generated out of thin air like this, nor has he seen different spirit patterns fused together so naturally. It is not a simple superposition, it is a true blend - you have me, and I have you, forming a complete and complex "spirit pattern array".
The spiritual pattern array takes shape, and the light is restrained.
Luo Ling turned his right hand over and slapped the blade with his palm.
"Buzz--"
The short sword trembled slightly.
The spirit pattern array is perfectly embedded into the blade, without any abruptness, as if it has grown there. Dark golden lines appear on the blade, complementing the natural lines of the blue-grained steel.
Luo Ling raised his left hand and flew the short knife towards the water tank in the corner of the hall - what was there was not ordinary water, but a spiritual spring containing weak Spiritual Qi.
"Chi--"
White steam evaporates.
Quenching is completed.
Luo Ling grabbed it from the air and the short knife flew back into her hand. She looked at it and threw it to Qin Tiexin.
"Try it."
Qin Tiexin caught it.
The knife is slightly heavy when you hold it. It is two feet and five inches long. The blade is three fingers wide and three fingers thick. The handle is protruding with fine anti-slip patterns, giving it a solid grip. The whole knife is dark green and gold, with spiritual patterns looming and exuding a faint heat.
He grasped the handle of the knife tightly and waved it.
Then, the whole person froze.
This knife... is so handy.
The center of gravity is in the front third of the blade, which is perfect for chopping. The thickness of the handle is just right, so that his fingers can be completely closed without feeling crowded. The weight of the blade is evenly distributed, and there is no feeling of being top-heavy or top-heavy when swinging. Even the anti-slip pattern on the handle fits the holding habit of his palm.
It's like... it's like this knife has been his personal weapon for more than ten years.
But it was clearly just created by Master.
Qin Tiexin raised his head and looked at Luo Ling, his eyes full of shock.
"Do you understand?" Luo Ling asked.
Qin Tiexin shook his head and said in a dry voice, "... No."
He really didn't understand. No tools were used to refine the weapon with bare hands; the patterns were condensed out of thin air, and the spirit patterns melted by themselves; they were quenched and made into one piece. All of this was beyond his cognition.
"You're right if you don't understand." A faint smile appeared on Luo Ling's face, "I ask Yao'er to go to the outer sect every year to see if there are any suitable disciples. In the past five years, you are the only one who has used hands to carve spiritual patterns."
She paused. "This is the most basic condition of our lineage, and it is also the first requirement of "integration of man and machine" - to use your body to feel the forging as much as possible."
"Now you can abandon the carving knife and carve with your fingers. The next step is to abandon the hammer."
Qin Tiexin Hold the short knife in his hand tightly, the texture of the handle touches the palm of his hand.
"How to forge without a hammer...?"
"Use your fists." Luo Ling said, "Use your palms, your fingers, and any part of your body that can exert force. Therefore, our lineage has extremely high requirements for physical training."
She looked at Qin Tiexin: "Are you at the sixth level of body tempering now?"
"Yes."
"That's pretty fast." Luo Ling nodded, took out a pale golden Jade Slip from his arms, and threw it to him, "Here's this for you."
Qin Tiexin catches Jade Slip and starts with warmth.
"'Diamond Hammer Fist'." Luo Ling said, "It is not only an attacking martial art, but also a skill of using your fist as a hammer. You can start practicing after the seventh level of body tempering. Once you learn it, you no longer need to rely on a hammer to hammer materials. Use your fist to forge, and you can feel the changes in the material in more detail."
Qin Tiexin Hold Jade Slip tightly, the jade is warm and cool.
He looked at the short knife in his hand, then at Luo Ling, and finally his eyes fell back on Jade Slip.
"Disciple... I kind of understand."