Chapter 1360: Forging a Sword with Lifeblood

"Could you let This Chen take a look at it?"

Yu Hongdou paused. After a moment of thought, he handed the Green Jade Longsword to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng reached out and took it, holding it up to his eyes to examine the blade.

For some inexplicable reason, a familiar voice seemed to echo in his mind.

‘When I was young, I always wanted a sword of my own...’

His thoughts were suddenly pulled back decades into the past, and a look of realization dawned in his eyes.

It was that very sword...

The one Mister Lan had given her back in the Demon Market.

Seeing Chen Changsheng staring so intently, the Old Sword Cultivator also rested his gaze on the weapon. "It is a fine sword, but it is merely a mortal item. What is there to look at?"

Chen Changsheng snapped out of his daze and nodded. "It is indeed a mortal item..."

But then, he reached out his hand.

He pressed a single finger against the blade.

Yu Hongdou froze. He was just about to call out and stop him, but Chen Changsheng was already tracing patterns on the metal.

Taken aback, the Old Sword Cultivator watched closely.

He saw Chen Changsheng continuously carving ancient runic characters onto the body of the blade. Dozens of these ancient runes landed on the steel in rapid succession. At the very end, he bit his fingertip and let a single drop of lifeblood fall onto the weapon.

In an instant, the sword let out a resonant hum.

"You..." The Old Sword Cultivator trailed off as he watched the sword suddenly rise into the air.

Using his hand as a talisman, Chen Changsheng petitioned the Heavenly Dao.

"Petitioning the Heavenly Dao above, piercing the Underworld below. With my blood, I draw upon the Dao rhyme of heaven and earth, summon the power of ghosts and spirits, and awaken its spirit to forge an Immortal Sword!"

As Chen Changsheng's voice faded, the Dao rhyme of the world stirred. The nine springs of the Underworld seemed to respond, and the power of incense, ghosts, and spirits gathered together.

"Open."

Chen Changsheng uttered that single word softly.

The blade trembled and, in a split second, burst with radiant light.

Yu Hongdou watched the scene, his eyes filled with indescribable astonishment.

He had never seen such a method before.

In his understanding, a sword was a sword. Even if it eventually birthed a sentient spirit, it would still be a cold, lifeless object. Yet, falling into this man's hands, the weapon seemed to spring to life with just a few spoken words.

The Immortal Sword darted upward, trailing a halo of light. That once-unremarkable blade was no longer what it used to be.

As the sword dropped back into his grasp, Chen Changsheng casually swung it, dissipating the Sword Qi on the blade.

The Sword Qi rippled outward, cleaving the clouds apart as if splitting the very sky.

Yu Hongdou stared at the spectacle in disbelief.

He muttered under his breath, "Is this... a Sword Immortal?"

A mere casual flourish of the blade felt as though it could slice the world in two.

Before Yu Hongdou could recover his wits, Chen Changsheng handed the sword back to him.

"Treat this sword well."

Yu Hongdou stood in a daze for a long time, entirely forgetting to answer.

The Old Sword Cultivator slapped him on the back of the head. "You reap such a benefit, and you aren't even going to say thanks?"

Jolting back to reality, Yu Hongdou stammered, "Th-thank you..."

Chen Changsheng did not say much else about the sword. Together with the Old Sword Cultivator, he left the area.

Hugging the weapon to his chest, Yu Hongdou felt a swirl of complicated emotions.

This had completely overturned his understanding of sword forging.

"A sword... can actually be forged like this?"

But soon after, the changes in the sword caught him completely off guard.

He found that it was suddenly difficult to control the blade.

It was as if... this sword was looking down on him.

"This, this..."

Yu Hongdou had no idea what to do. He held the sword tightly, his mind reeling.

...

Walking by Chen Changsheng's side, the Old Sword Cultivator asked, "What is so special about that sword that it was worth a drop of your lifeblood? And don't tell me you were just doing him a casual favor. You're far too stingy for that, Chen Changsheng."

"A sudden whim," Chen Changsheng replied.

"Heh."

The Old Sword Cultivator clearly didn't believe him, but he didn't press the matter.

He led the way forward, taking Chen Changsheng into the halls of the mountain sect.

As they walked, Chen Changsheng asked, "There is a disciple in Sword Mountain named Jiang Chengxiu. How is he doing now?"

Hearing this, the Old Sword Cultivator paused and shot him a surprised glance.

"That Jiang kid is pretty much the pillar of Sword Mountain's new generation."

"Is that so..."

"Why are you suddenly asking about him?" the Old Sword Cultivator asked.

"Wasn't he your disciple once?" Chen Changsheng asked.

The Old Sword Cultivator froze. "You knew?"

"Yes."

Chen Changsheng then recounted what had happened back inside the spirit cage.

The Old Sword Cultivator looked dazed for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "If only I had managed to comprehend the Six Desires Sword Canon sooner, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state."

"The affairs of the world are impermanent. Isn't everything fine now?" Chen Changsheng said.

The Old Sword Cultivator shook his head. "I only ever had one disciple in my entire life, and he is already gone. Even if this boy is his reincarnation, I still believe he is no longer my disciple. He is someone else entirely, a stranger."

"Sometimes, there's no need to see things so rigidly," Chen Changsheng replied.

"We just think differently."

The Old Sword Cultivator shook his head again. "I'm not like you. I can't just let things go. The way I see it, the only thing that makes a person who they are is their memory. Once the memories scatter, that person is dead."

Chen Changsheng paused. "By that logic, if This Chen were to lose his memories one day, would you pretend you didn't know me?"

"Perhaps." The Old Sword Cultivator shrugged.

Chen Changsheng shot him a sideways glance. "What twisted logic."

"More twisted than the logic that comes out of your mouth?"

"Fair point. This Chen does spout quite a bit of twisted logic himself."

"Shameless."

"Right back at you."

The Old Sword Cultivator smiled helplessly. He still preferred this thick-skinned Chen Changsheng. A gloomy, brooding person was simply no fun.

After walking for a long while, Chen Changsheng finally saw Jiang Chengxiu.

Having not seen him for many years, Jiang Chengxiu had changed quite a bit. For one, he had grown taller and looked much more composed. Secondly, his grip on his sword was far steadier than it had been in the past.

The Old Sword Cultivator said, "The boy is currently stuck on his Sword Intent. He's stubborn and strives for absolute perfection, almost as if he's entering fire and falling into demons."

"That might not necessarily be a bad thing," Chen Changsheng said.

"True."

The Old Sword Cultivator paused before asking, "If you're willing, why don't you give him some pointers?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "Half of This Chen's swordsmanship was taught by him. With my amateur skills, how could I possibly give him pointers?"

"And here I thought you came to deliver some treasures. Blabbering for half the day, and you have nothing to offer."

"Doesn't that sword count?"

"I suppose it does."

The Old Sword Cultivator waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright. Staring at these mountains and rivers is boring anyway. If you ask me, we'd be better off heading down the mountain for a drink."

Chen Changsheng gave him a look. "Do you have silver taels?"

"Do you think I'm still the same penniless bum I used to be?"

"Let's go, then!"

The Old Sword Cultivator threw his hand up. "All the wine you can drink!"

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly, and the two of them hurried down the mountain. The moment the wine jars were lifted, it felt as though they had returned to those past nights in the Mortal World, drinking their cares away.

Back then, Chen Changsheng hadn't been nearly as somber as he was now.