The moment his fingertips touched the sword blade, Qin Tiexin closed his eyes.
Not seeing with your eyes - "seeing" with Spiritual Qi.
Spiritual Qi seeps out from the fingertips, condenses into a very fine needle tip, and penetrates into the steel. It feels like inserting your fingers into warm sand, but it is different. Steel has veins, the lines formed after the star iron sand penetrates into it, the folded layering of the blue-grained steel itself, and the microstructure left during quenching... all are clearly presented in Spiritual Qi's perception.
Most of the disciples around are using spirit pattern knives. The blade is thin, the scores are even, and it saves effort. Qin Tiexin tried it, but it always felt uncomfortable - the knife is a foreign object, separated by a layer. It's like touching something through a thick glove, and the touch is blurry.
He used his fingers.
This was a method he had figured out for half a year. When he was repairing the wreckage in the Waste Equipment Pavilion, some of the spirit patterns were so damaged that only shallow marks were left, and it was easy to carve them off the mark with a knife. He tried direct penetration of Spiritual Qi with his finger, and repaired it bit by bit. After repairing hundreds of pieces, he got the feel.
The touch of the finger against the real object, the subtle changes in the flow of Spiritual Qi, the feedback of the depth of the texture... all are direct.
The price is Spiritual Qi.
On the second level of Qi Refining, Spiritual Qi is not much. The Qi on your fingertips is condensed into needles, and it has to be kept stable. Every breath is consumed.
Qin Tiexin Hold your breath.
The fingers started to move.
Following a path that has been practiced tens of thousands of times, Spiritual Qi slowly wanders inside the sword body. Starting from the sword grid, go down three inches, turn in an arc, and then upwards... There are a total of eighteen strokes of the "sharp" spirit pattern, and the length, depth, and arc of each stroke are particular. If the Spiritual Qi is shallow, it will not flow smoothly, and if it is deep, it will damage the structure of the sword body.
The first stroke is stable.
The second stroke, smooth.
The third stroke...
Sweat broke out from his forehead.
It's not hot - although there are hundreds of furnaces in the hall, the temperature is not high where he is standing next to him. This sweat consumes energy. Spiritual Qi flows out from the fingertips like water, and the two qi in Dantian rotate faster and faster, but they can't keep up with the consumption speed.
In the fourth stroke, there is a subtle twist in the wrist.
Qin Tiexin Finger turns accordingly, and the Spiritual Qi output will be adjusted accordingly - three points of force need to be added at the turning point, otherwise the lines will be blurry.
Sweat beads slid down the brow bone and seeped into the right eye.
Tingling.
He didn't even move his eyelids. The vision in his right eye was blurry, but he didn't rely on his eyes to see in the first place. In the world Spiritual Qi perceived, the lines inside the sword were lighting up inch by inch, like golden lines drawn in the darkness.
The fifth, sixth...
In the shadow of the corner, the teacup of the old man in gray rests on his lips.
He looked carefully.
"Carving with your fingers?" the old man thought silently. He had seen no more than five people on the second level of Qi Refining who dared to do this in the past few years. Among those five people, three were born with excellent Spiritual Qi control, and two were born with Secret Method. This young man didn't look like he had a family tradition, and his techniques showed a solid way of doing things.
The fingers are very steady.
Not shaking at all.
The seventh and eighth strokes...
Qin Tiexin could feel the consumption of Spiritual Qi. Dantian was getting emptier and emptier, like sand in a funnel, and it was about to bottom out. He gritted his teeth and increased the output by one minute - slow down, but never stop.
The ninth stroke, the tenth stroke...
Sweating like rain.
My front was wet, and so was my back. Sweat dripped on the table and accumulated in a small puddle. A disciple next to me had finished the work and retreated to the waiting area, looking over here.
"He carved it by hand?"
"It's not easy to hold on to the second level of Qi Refining until now."
"But time is running out..."
There are only two inches of incense left in the corner of the hall.
The eleventh stroke, the twelfth stroke...
Qin Tiexin reached the middle part of the spirit pattern, the longest stroke. The golden light on his fingertips was obviously dimmed, like a candle in the wind. He took a deep breath and squeezed out the last bit of Spiritual Qi from Dantian.
The fingers move slower, but still steady.
Thirteen strokes, fourteen strokes...
There are four deals left.
There is only an inch of fragrance left.
Qin Tiexin could hear his own heartbeat, pounding, pounding, like beating a drum. His right eye was sore from sweat, and his vision was completely blurred. But he didn't care - in the world Spiritual Qi perceived, the golden thread was 70% complete, with only the last few twists left.
Fifteen strokes.
Sixteen strokes.
Seventeen strokes - the roundabout before the last stroke.
Qin Tiexin drew a circle with his fingers, and the golden light circled around the inside of the sword body, holding it firmly. Dantian was completely empty, and he was so empty that he panicked. His eyes went dark for a moment, and he quickly stabilized his body.
Only the last stroke remains.
It needs to recoil from the ending point back to the starting point and connect with the first stroke to form a closed loop. This stroke requires the output of Spiritual Qi to be strong first and then weak. The starting trend should be strong and the closing trend should be soft.
But where is the Spiritual Qi?
Qin Tiexin stared at the piece of incense - the ash fell slowly, leaving only half an inch.
Fight hard.
He closed his eyes, no longer looking at the incense or the sword. All his mind sank into Dantian, squeezing out the last remaining, almost imperceptible Spiritual Qi particles in his meridians.
A little, a little more...
The golden light on my fingertips lit up again, very faintly, but it was indeed bright.
The fingers moved.
Fast! Faster than any previous transaction!
The golden light drew an arc inside the sword body and rushed straight to the starting point. At the moment when it was about to hit, the strength suddenly decreased, and it touched lightly--
The spiritual pattern is completed.
The golden light flashed, penetrated the sword body, and disappeared.
Qin Tiexin opened his eyes and gasped for air. Sweat dripped down his chin and splashed on the countertop. He raised his hand to wipe his face, his palms shaking.
It's done.
He picked up the sword and walked to the sword-testing stone. Without using Spiritual Qi, he swung it with pure arm strength - the sword blade crossed Shitou, leaving a flat white mark. The spiritual pattern shone slightly inside the sword body, and Spiritual Qi circulated smoothly.
Super performance.
Qin Tiexin Hold the hilt of the sword tightly and feel the balance. The sword is well-proportioned and the center of gravity is exactly three inches in front of the guard. There is no deviation when swinging.
But he didn't stop.
Returning to the stage, he picked up a scrap of blue-grained steel from the material basket, heated it, beat it, and bent it to make a simple hand guard. Then he wrapped the handle of the sword with cork soaked in rattan gum juice and wrapped it with a thin leather rope. Finally, he picked up a grindstone and rounded the corners.
After doing this, raise your head.
The incense ashes have just fallen away.
"Time's up!" the deacon's voice sounded.
Dang! Dang! Dang!
Three bells ring.
The hall fell silent for a moment. Several disciples who were still beating froze their hands and looked at the remains of the half-finished product on the stage, their faces turned pale. Some people sighed and put down their hammers.
Qin Tiexin placed the sword in front of the stage and retreated to the waiting area.
There were low sighs all around.
"Alas, the carving is not finished..."
"My spirit pattern is broken."
"It exploded."
He didn't speak, just stood, waiting for the judge. The five stewards stepped down from the stage and began to inspect them one by one. When it was his turn to take the sword, Steward Zhou picked it up, brushed his fingers over the sword body, and Spiritual Qi inserted it.
The spiritual pattern lights up.
Light golden lines emerge inside the sword body, complete and smooth.
Manager Zhou glanced at Qin Tiexin, said nothing, and handed the sword to someone else. The five exchanged a few words in a low voice and recorded their scores on Jade Slip.
Just then--
"Don't leave when it's over. Wait for me at the door. Nod when you hear it."
The voice sounded directly in my mind.
Crisp, like a teenage girl, but with unquestionable penetrating power. Qin Tiexin I don't know where the sound comes from, and I don't know who it is. But the one who can transmit the sound is at least Foundation Establishment Realm.
He nodded.
***
Ratings are announced.
Manager Zhou expanded Jade Slip: "The second set of results."
"First place, No. 71, Zhao Yan, a piece of low-grade Law Artifact 'Red Flame Sword', with a score of ninety-six."
The audience was in an uproar.
"Low grade Law Artifact? Half a year?"
"He used red fire copper. Look at the blade..."
Qin Tiexin Listened, my heart was shocked. Low-grade Law Artifact--He hadn't even touched the edge. Sure enough, there is a sky outside the sky.
He didn't know that Zhao Yan was born in Lineage, a cultivator, and had been exposed to weapon refining since he was a child. He was able to forge half Law Artifact before joining the sect. Although he was an outsider, he was taught by the elders of the weapon refining hall, and he had no shortage of resources and guidance.
"Second place, No. 47, Qin Tiexin, half Law Artifact Flowing Cloud Sword, score ninety-two."
Ninety-two.
Qin Tiexin clenched his fist. It was higher than he expected. The judge's comment was that "the spiritual pattern is too deep, which affects the sharp effect, but the stability is good." This was what he expected - the finger engraving must be deep if it is to be stable. Only when Spiritual Qi is more advanced can it be shallow and stable.
After all the results were read out, the assessment of the last group began. There were already less than a hundred people. The level varied. Some were experienced in techniques and chose complicated materials right from the beginning; there were also some who were unfamiliar and couldn't even control the heat well. Qin Tiexin looked carefully and found that stones from other mountains could be used to attack jade.
A female disciple with a round face, Qi Refining Third Layer, uses a good hammering technique. The hammer falls lightly, and every blow hits the required position accurately. She is forging a short sword with a long and narrow blade, using Cold Iron.
Qin Tiexin wrote down her technique - when the hammer falls, the wrist rotates slightly, so that the steel produced is denser.
Another tall and thin male disciple, with the fourth level of Qi Refining, has extremely stable fire control. When smelting star iron sand, the flame temperature is controlled to fluctuate within a certain narrow range, and the sand liquid melts evenly and thoroughly.
There is another person whose technique is somewhat similar to mine, and he is also seeking stability. He makes a dagger, but that person has a higher level of cultivation than himself, and he uses a spirit pattern knife, which has shallow carvings and a better effect of the spirit pattern.
"First place, No. 28, Lin Han, half Law Artifact dagger, score ninety-three."
"Second place..."
The results were announced all the way. Qin Tiexin listened carefully and took note of the names and scores of the high scorers. The first place dagger scored one point higher than him, and there was another person who also scored ninety-two, tied with him.
In the end, the total score ranking of nearly 300 people -
The first place is Zhao Yan, ninety-six.
The second place is Lin Han, ninety-three.
Three people tied for third place, including Qin Tiexin, all ninety-two.
Qin Tiexin looked at the list and was silent.
Third, it's not bad, but it can't be said to be great. Of the two people in front, one can forge low-grade Law Artifact, and the other's techniques are more refined than mine. There is still a lot to learn.
"Today's weapon refining assessment is over." Manager Zhou put away Jade Slip, "All disciples will go back to rest. Tomorrow at midnight, we will gather at the outer gate square for the fighting assessment."
The bell rings again.
It's time. The sky outside the window begins to turn dark, and the leaves of the five-color trees glow with a warm golden light under the setting sun.
The disciples dispersed one after another. Some gathered together to discuss excitedly, while others left alone in despair. Qin Tiexin and others were almost gone before they walked towards the door.
As soon as I arrived at the door of the Weapon Refining Branch, I was tapped on the shoulder.
Very gently.
The next moment, everything was spinning.
It's not really spinning, but the surrounding scenes are blurring, stretching, and reorganizing. It's like being thrown into a fast river. The water rushes forward around the body. Five colors are mixed in front of the eyes, and the wind is whistling in the ears.
When I stood up, I was already in the room.
own room.
Qin Tiexin shook his head and stood firm. The movement made him feel a little nauseous - not physically, but from a sensory disorder.
"The response was pretty good."
The voice came from behind.
Qin Tiexin Turn around.
A woman was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding the Liuyun Sword he had just forged in her hand, tilting her head and looking at him.
She looks to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, and she is wearing a light blue skirt. The material is light and has a faint aura. The skirt is simple in style, without extra decorations, the cuffs are narrow, and the skirt is just above the knees.
She didn't wear shoes.
She sat barefoot on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling in the air, swaying gently. Her ankles were slender, her instep had a graceful curvature, and her skin was as white as fine suet jade. Her toes were like onions, and her fingernails were neatly trimmed with a light pink color. There was a red rope tied around the ankle of her right foot, with a golden bell as big as a grain of rice strung on it, which made a soft sound as she swayed her foot.
The face is very beautiful, but not dignified. The eyes are big, and the pupils are light brown, like two ambers. The bridge of the nose is straight, the lips are thin, and the corners of the mouth are naturally slightly raised, as if she is about to smile at any time. At this moment, her face is full of excitement, her eyes are staring at Qin Tiexin, and she is holding the sword in her hand, as if she has some new toy.
"Your name is Qin Tiexin?" she said, her voice as clear as the sound transmission, "Did you forge this sword just now?"
Qin Tiexin nodded and raised his hands. "I've met my uncle."
He came to his senses - he could teleport people, at least Foundation Establishment Realm. He had heard of the small teleportation talisman, which was very valuable and could instantly teleport people to a nearby location within a hundred miles. This woman used it casually, and her identity was extraordinary.
"They all call me old." The woman waved her hands and jumped out of bed with her bare feet, stepping on the stone floor with a soft pattering sound. "My surname is Nangong, please call me Senior Sister Nangong."
She walked up to Qin Tiexin and looked up at him.
Qin Tiexin Only then did he notice that she was not tall and only reached his chest. But her breath was thick. Even though she was standing in front of her, it felt like she was facing a deep sea.
"Fortunately, I reacted quickly." Senior Sister Nangong said with a smile, shaking the sword in her hand, "Otherwise, I would have been beaten to the spot by them."
"Them?" Qin Tiexin asked.
"It's just those few, Old Man Li, Fatty Zhou, Sister Liu... they are all staring at you." She lowered her head to look at the sword, brushed her fingers over the sword body, and inserted Spiritual Qi into it. The spirit patterns lit up, and the golden light flowed on her fingertips. "Especially when you carved the spirit patterns with your fingers, Old Man Li's eyes lit up."
Qin Tiexin Silence.
Senior Sister Nangong didn't care either. She walked to the table, put down her sword, turned around and looked at Qin Tiexin. Her amber eyes looked up and down, as if sizing up a piece of material.
"On the second level of Qi Refining, I have seen very few people who can carve complete spiritual patterns with their fingers." She said, "What about you? Where did you come from?"
"Self-taught." Qin Tiexin said.
"Waste Equipment Pavilion?"
"Yes."
Senior Sister Nangong's eyes brightened even more. "Did you practice repairing wreckage?"
Qin Tiexin nodded.
"Okay." She clapped her hands, walked back to Qin Tiexin barefoot, looked up at him, the smile on her lips disappeared, and she changed to a serious expression.
"Are you willing to refine weapons with me?"