I approached the fallen Wei Zhi Tian. 'He fainted.' The sword I unfolded pierced not his heart, but the back of his hand.
It was to make him drop the sword, yet he continued to bleed profusely from his hand without letting go of it, even while unconscious.
“Tsk. It’s commendable that you held onto the sword until the end, but what good is it if you faint?” I clicked my tongue and pulled the sword from Wei Zhi Tian's hand, then applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
Wei Zhi Tian had poured all his internal energy into his last attack.
It was a technique akin to mutual destruction.
Fortunately, I knew all his moves, or we might have crossed the river of death together.
“What a foolish fellow.” I struck Wei Zhi Tian on the head with the scabbard and slung him over my shoulder.
Thankfully, his life was not in immediate danger.
I took him to a small house beside the tomb and laid him on the bed.
As I stripped away his tattered clothes, an incredibly emaciated body was revealed, one that was hard to believe had practiced martial arts.
Bruises covered his body along the major meridians. 'The symptoms of going mad from internal energy have progressed significantly.'
At that moment, a book fell out from the torn clothes. “What is this...?” There was nothing written on the cover of the book.
However, the moment I opened the first page, I recognized it as the secret manual for the fake Wuji Sword I had created to deceive the Blood Sect.
At the same time, I recalled the words of the black-clad man who had handed this manual to the boy. - Do you wish to take revenge on the world? Then learn this martial art.
If you can master it in ten years, you will become the strongest in the world.
Thinking back, something felt off. 'Ten years? With this manual, he wouldn’t last five years before going mad.
He must know that...'
Could it be that he handed it over knowing full well? If he did, that black-clad man would be an exceedingly cruel person.
I felt as if I understood his intentions. 'He intended to use him as a test subject to complete an incomplete martial art.'
Occasionally, there are geniuses who can complete an incomplete martial art on their own.
The black-clad man must have seen that slim chance and handed this incomplete martial art to Wei Zhi Tian.
He probably observed from afar, coming to check on him from time to time. 'Perhaps similar things are happening elsewhere too.'
As I thought about how the seeds I had sown were growing in this manner, my heart felt a little unsettled.
I looked down at the innocent-looking boy and murmured softly, “... You’ve learned this much all on your own without a master.”
The Wuji Sword is profound and complex.
Moreover, this secret manual was a very intricately made fake.
Unless one was a genius on par with the Sword Sovereign, it would be nearly impossible to realize where things went wrong while practicing.
Yet, despite practicing for three years without dying, he had achieved this level of accomplishment, which was already an extraordinary talent.
I looked at Wei Zhi Tian and recalled Huan Yuan Gang, whom I had met during the Qinglong Academy festival. 'In terms of talent, he is no less than that guy.
No, he might even be better.'
If someone were to refine him, his talent would shine brilliantly.
I stretched out both hands, placing my left hand on Wei Zhi Tian's abdomen and my right hand on his forehead.
Then, I carefully infused the energy of the Reverse Heaven Technique.
“Ugh...” Wei Zhi Tian twisted his body in pain and groaned.
I pressed down on his trembling body and continued to explore within him.
'The stagnant energy has seeped into his entire body, including his brain.' Since the manual was designed to lead the practitioner to madness, I could easily discern Wei Zhi Tian's condition. 'At this level... he can still be saved.'
Tatatat! I quickly touched several of Wei Zhi Tian's meridians and began to draw up the Reverse Heaven Technique in earnest.
A stream of my internal energy flowed through Wei Zhi Tian's body, starting to draw in the stagnant energy that had accumulated within him.
“Ugh...!” Wei Zhi Tian was sweating coldly and writhing in agony.
His body trembled as if he were experiencing chills.
Blood began to flow from his nose.
'Hold on.
If you can't endure, you'll die anyway.' Inside Wei Zhi Tian's body lay the stagnant energy that had built up over three years due to incorrect breathing methods.
That accumulated stagnant energy had eventually seeped into his marrow, which was the cause of his madness.
I intended to absorb all that stagnant energy into my own body using the Reverse Heaven Technique. 'The Celestial Pulse Technique is useful in times like this.' The Reverse Heaven Technique I had learned required gathering the stagnant energy within the body into the dantian to form a core.
This was where the power of elixirs was needed.
And within my body, there was still some potency left from the Seven-Leafed Herb that I had not fully absorbed.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh...” Blood flowed from Wei Zhi Tian's nose, ears, and eyes.
His thin body looked like it would burst from the veins, and white foam appeared at his mouth.
But I couldn't afford to be gentle.
I continued to clean out the stagnant energy from Wei Zhi Tian's body with the Reverse Heaven Technique and finally absorbed all the stagnant energy that had seeped into his brain.
“Phew...” I immediately sat down in a lotus position.
Absorbing the stagnant energy that flowed into my body was not that difficult. 'What kind of body do I have?'
It’s not bragging, but I had stored stagnant energy in my body for nearly thirty years with the Celestial Pulse Technique.
Compared to that, the stagnant energy accumulated by a mere three years was nothing. 'Hmm?'
Rather, as a different type of stagnant energy was absorbed into the dantian, the two energies began to mix and create a synergistic effect.
I was taken aback by the feeling of the core within my dantian expanding.
The achievement of the Reverse Heaven Technique, which had been stuck at the second level, had suddenly broken through to the third level.
After a while, I slowly opened my eyes and murmured, “... Life is full of surprises.” I was dumbfounded by this unexpected fortune.
I released the lotus position and stood up, looking down at the completely exhausted Wei Zhi Tian.
“...” His blood-soaked appearance was no different from that of a corpse, but his breathing had stabilized, and his complexion looked much more relaxed.
“It seems he has passed the worst of it.” I used the clothes I had stripped off earlier to wipe the blood from his face and body.
At that moment, a frantic voice from outside the small house reached my ears.
“Zhi Tian! Zhi Tian! Where on earth have you both gone?” I stepped outside to meet Wei Zhi Yao.
As soon as he spotted me, he rushed over as if flying.
“What happened? Where is my grandson? Why are you the only one here?” I hesitated on how to respond, but decided to inform him of the outcome of the request first.
“Elder, I’m sorry, but the request has failed.”
“Ah...” Wei Zhi Yao sighed deeply upon seeing my appearance.
My clothes were torn and tattered, and I had quite a few wounds.
“Did he run away? Well, just surviving is a great feat... But where has my grandson gone?” Despite having directly asked me to kill his grandson, he seemed anxious now that he could not see him.
Wei Zhi Yao looked around with a worried expression and muttered, “Could he have gone outside the formation? If that’s the case, something unimaginable will happen...”
“He’s sleeping inside right now.”
“... What?” Wei Zhi Yao stared at me with a blank expression.
I kindly pointed to the small house behind me.
“... What nonsense is this? Ever since his madness worsened, that child has never left his parents' grave.”
“If you don’t believe me, why not go inside and take a look?” Wei Zhi Yao still wore a disbelieving expression, but he entered the small house as if entranced.
A moment later, he saw his grandson's face, peacefully asleep.
“Ch-Chen Ah?” Though he looked emaciated due to the traces of battle and the blood shed while treating his madness, the boy's face, now free of demonic energy, appeared calm and serene.
Wei Zhi Yao's expression gradually turned to one of astonishment. “Could it be, could it be...?”
“That could very well be the case.”
“How...?”
“There was no need to kill him. I’ve drawn out all the stagnant energy that had seeped into his body and brain, so he will soon regain his senses.”
“Is that really true?” I smiled gently at the old man, who looked at me with disbelief.
“Instead, he will lose a significant portion of his internal energy, but he will regain his senses soon.”
“That doesn’t matter! How can I repay this kindness...?” At that moment, Wei Zhi Tian slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his grandfather with a dazed expression.
“Grandfather...?” His voice was polite, unlike before, and his gaze was filled with clarity instead of the red madness.
The boy looked at me and flinched, trying to rise.
Wei Zhi Yao supported his grandson.
“Ch-Chen Ah! Are you back to your senses?”
“Why am I here? Who is this...?”
“Do you not remember anything?”
“Ah, I think I was practicing some sword technique, but then my memory... went blank...” Wei Zhi Tian leaned against his grandfather, looking dizzy.
He shivered as if feeling cold.
“Grandfather, I think I had a nightmare...” The old man embraced his emaciated grandson, bursting into tears.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!” Tears like chicken droppings flowed from the old man's eyes, which looked as solid as a rock.
“...” I quietly watched the two for a moment before slipping out of the small house.
Thud.
Wei Zhi Yao knelt before me and spoke in a solemn voice. “If it’s what you desire, I will grant you anything. Even if it costs my life!”
“G-Grandfather!” Beside him, Wei Zhi Tian looked at me nervously, unsure of what to do.
He seemed ready to harm himself if I made a joke, so I spoke as gently as possible.
“I don’t need your life. Just make me a sword.”
“I will do my utmost, using all my skills. I will surely forge a sword that will satisfy you...”
“A mere famous sword won’t do.” I interrupted Wei Zhi Yao and specified exactly what kind of sword I wanted.
“It must be at least a Blood Demon Sword.”
“T-That...” Wei Zhi Yao was momentarily speechless.
If I were not the benefactor of his grandson, he might have thrown something at me right away.
However, being a man who knows gratitude, he sighed deeply and lowered his head.
“... I’m truly sorry, but a Blood Demon Sword is not something I can create. First, I can’t even gather the materials...”
“If you have this, wouldn’t it be possible?” I took out the meteorite iron from my pocket and showed it to him.
For a moment, Wei Zhi Yao examined the meteorite iron, and his eyes widened in shock. “M-Meteorite iron...!”
He was so astonished that his arm trembled as he held the meteorite iron.
It was no wonder; for a blacksmith, meteorite iron is a treasure beyond even the highest-grade steel.
I asked in a serious tone, “Can you make a sword that surpasses the Blood Demon Sword?”
At that moment, the proud blacksmith's eyes burned with the heat of a furnace. “Would you believe me if I said that what you desire has been my lifelong goal?”
That was a more trustworthy statement than any promise.
However, Wei Zhi Yao's expression soon darkened.
“There is one problem. To work with meteorite iron, I need proper facilities. I need a large forge that can only be found in big cities, and there are many materials required...”
He was saying it would be difficult to find such a forge immediately.
After listening for a moment, I said, “Hmm. That’s actually good news.”
“Good news?”
Coincidentally, among the businesses left by the old man He, there was a forge.
I also had a friend who could get me a couple of fake identification cards.
“Shall we go together if you have no place to go?”
That night, I set out with the old blacksmith, who had lived as a fugitive for many years, and the boy who needed a proper master.