Longevity by Grinding Skills

The moment the glowing red Sword Embryo sank into the Cold Spring, Xu Yunfan flicked his wrist and shook his hammer. Amidst the sparks, the micro-serrations generated by his Gold and Jade Breaker technique gradually appeared, and the cutting edge even formed a fish-scale tempering pattern on its own.

"It’s done!"

He used tongs to pull the Longsword from the Quenching Pool and immediately placed it in the Cooling Pool.

As steam billowed up, the Longsword, now glinting with a cold light, let out a clear, melodious hum that echoed long and loud.

’You have successfully forged a Mid Grade Mortal Sword. Your Forging Skill Level has increased.’

’You have successfully forged a Mid Grade Mortal Sword. Your Celestial Craft Forging Technique Skill Level has increased.’

Seeing the two notifications float up in his vision, Xu Yunfan let out a sigh of relief.

He glanced at the shimmering refined iron sword in his hand and casually tossed it aside.

CLANG.

Xu Yunfan took another red-hot Refined Iron Ingot from the Quenching Pool. He raised his hammer, and the blows rained down.

For a while, the forging platform above the Thunder Fire Pool rang with the ceaseless CLANG of metal on metal.

「Three days later」

His eyes bloodshot after working nonstop for three days and nights, Xu Yunfan finally delivered the three hundred Fine Steel Long Swords ahead of schedule.

The Celestial Craft Cave disciple inspecting the delivery picked up one of the Fine Steel Long Swords to test it. He pressed the flat of the blade against an elm wood anvil, and the three-finger-wide blade bent into a frightening arc.

Just as the spine of the sword was about to touch the hilt, he abruptly released it.

TWANG! The Fine Steel Long Sword snapped back to perfect straightness, its edge cutting a half-inch-deep gash into the elm wood.

"The seventh one."

The Weapons Hall Steward in charge of recording sounded stunned. He sized up Xu Yunfan with a look of pure disbelief.

’With skills like these, he could be called a master in the Weapon Casting Hall.’

In the past, every disciple in the Celestial Craft Cave’s Weapon Casting Hall had to work the bellows for three years, then spend another three years hammering ingots. Only after that could they start forging components for the Mechanical Hall. They couldn’t officially forge weapons until their skill with the Forging Hammer was absolutely perfect.

Even he, the Steward, had to struggle for nearly twenty years to earn his position. He had joined at the age of eight, started working the bellows at sixteen, and only now, in his thirties, had he become a Steward, his Martial Arts having reached the First-Level Martial Artist Realm.

Compared to anyone but Xu Yunfan, his own accomplishments were something he could be proud of.

A Weapons Hall Steward, after all, could forge a Top-grade Mortal Weapon.

"Senior Brother Xu, have you really never forged a weapon before?"

The Weapons Hall Steward couldn’t help but ask.

"That’s right. My master only taught me the weapon forging technique three days ago. I suppose you could call this my first assignment."

The Steward looked at the six tested swords laid out on the table before him.

One had been struck on an anvil, leaving a dent but not breaking. Another had sliced through seven layers of tempered iron armor, its edge only slightly blunted. Most surprisingly, one sword, even after being soaked in Quenching Oil, could still sever a horse’s tail.

The inspecting disciple suddenly ran two fingers along the blade’s edge. His fingertips detected a faint, serrated texture.

His pupils contracted. He took out a block of greenstone—a Sword Testing Stone—and made a horizontal slash.

A cold light flashed. The Sword Testing Stone split cleanly in two. The cut surface was as smooth as a mirror, a testament to the unique micro-serrated structure.

"The Gold and Jade Breaker technique, from the Celestial Craft Forging Technique."

The inspecting disciple caressed the edge of the blade. ’That subtle serration doesn’t just improve toughness,’ he thought, ’it also enhances sharpness.’

’Across all Sixteen States of Yanbei Dao, only the Celestial Craft Forging Technique from the Celestial Craft Cave can produce this effect.’

"Three hundred swords, and the variation in the quenching pattern is no thicker than a strand of hair," the inspecting disciple reported, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He suddenly stacked seven of the swords on an anvil and struck them with a hammer. The seven clear, ringing tones combined to form a perfect musical scale!

The Weapon Casting Hall fell deathly silent.

Everyone knew exactly what this meant. The material density and internal structure of all three hundred swords were nearly identical. Even an old master with thirty years of forging experience would need half a year to produce seven swords that rang with the same pitch.

This was only possible for a smith who had achieved sublime control over their strength, perfectly balancing hard and soft force, with every single hammer strike being nearly identical to the last.

"All three hundred are of superior quality! Every one is a Middle-grade Mortal Artifact!"

The scribe from the Sword Casting Hall shouted the official record at the top of his lungs.

By the time the Steward looked for Xu Yunfan to get his signature for confirmation, he had already returned to his private courtyard.

He had done nothing but forge weapons for three days and nights straight. After returning, Xu Yunfan naturally spent some time cultivating the Linn Character Technique.

Four hours later, Xu Yunfan opened his eyes.

His once bloodshot eyes were now perfectly clear, the whites and blacks distinct. With a single glance from him, the room itself seemed to grow brighter.

Though his spirit was restored, Xu Yunfan still felt a lingering weariness. Since he wasn’t in a battle or outdoors, he saw no reason to push himself and immediately fell asleep.

Xu Yunfan didn’t wake until late the next morning. After eating the meal brought by a Weapon Casting Hall Disciple, he began cultivating the Celestial Cicada Force in his courtyard.

’I’ve already wasted three days. I can’t let my Celestial Cicada Force fall behind. Forging weapons is just a side hustle. Now that I’ve got the basics of the Celestial Craft Forging Technique down, I need to focus on reaching Bone Refinement Perfection.’

As his bones rang and trembled, anyone who got close enough could clearly hear the faint, thread-like sound of cicadas chirping from within Xu Yunfan’s body.

As time passed, Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged on a Bluestone Slab in the newly renovated courtyard provided by the Celestial Craft Cave’s Celestial Craft Department. The setting sun stretched his shadow long, casting it across a weapon rack.

As his Celestial Cicada Force circulated, his muscles writhed, forcing threads of Blood Qi to seep into his bones. All two hundred and six of his bones began to vibrate at different frequencies: his skull like a chiming stone, his ribs like a bell, and his spine like the roar of a dragon.

’You have forcibly condensed your Blood Qi into threads, slowly infusing it into your bones along your fascia and meridians. Your bone resilience seems to have increased. Celestial Cicada Force Skill Level has increased!’

’...’

BUZZ!

When the first cicada-like buzz exploded from his tailbone, it was clearly audible throughout the courtyard. The vibration caused the surface of the water cistern ten yards away to ripple.

Xu Yunfan clearly felt a sensation like millions of ants gnawing at the inside of his kneecaps. This was a sign that his periosteum was transforming under the vibrations as his Skill Level continued to rise.

He had already discovered this a few days ago while cultivating his Celestial Cicada Force. Ever since reaching Tendons and Skin Perfection, the Blood Qi in his body had become so abundant that even his Senior Brother Fu Jin found it outrageous.

With his Blood Qi infusing his bones, his progress toward Bone Refinement Perfection was accelerating.

’It won’t even take half a year. At this rate, I’ll reach Bone Refinement Perfection in four months, at most.’

CRACK!

The bluestone tile beneath him suddenly spiderwebbed with cracks.

Xu Yunfan realized with a start that the resonance of his bones had broken through some critical point. The vibrational frequency of his scapulae and clavicles suddenly doubled.

As if summoned, the summer cicadas in the distant treetops began to chirp, their calls forming a strange harmony with the ringing of the bones in his body.

The Celestial Cicada Force cycled again and again. As the seventh round of bone-ringing began, a faint, jade-like luster started to appear on his bones.

’It’s best not to overdo it.’

If he pushed any further, that jade-like luster would turn into stress fractures in the next instant. The potential gain wasn’t worth the risk.

He shot to his feet and snatched up the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer that lay beside him.

A sudden inspiration struck him. The moment he gripped the handle in a reverse grip, a mechanism at the pommel clicked softly. The unique, high-frequency vibrations of his Celestial Cicada Force began to resonate with the Meteorite Iron Spring inside the hammer!

BOOM!

The head of the hammer slammed heavily into the ground, but it made no sound at all.