Chapter 39

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True Martial Year 395, November 18th.

Chen Zong has been a martial artist and officially a clan hall disciple for over three months.

Walking out of the Martial Arts Hall, Chen Zong looked up at the sky and headed towards the dining hall.

By today, he had thoroughly read through all the miscellaneous notes and diaries in the Martial Arts Hall. Indeed, his martial arts knowledge had improved significantly, and his horizons had broadened, but he still had no clue about the True Secret Realm.

Thinking about it, the Li family, a prestigious lineage that has lasted for six or seven hundred years, has never had anyone reach the True Secret Realm in swordsmanship. Even in the entire Fengwu City, the True Secret Realm is just a legend, so Chen Zong wasn't overly anxious.

"The more anxious you are, the more you'll lose your composure." Chen Zong took a deep breath and said to himself.

His tense mindset relaxed, and he realized that reaching the True Secret Realm would indeed be a great thing, but if he couldn't achieve it, he shouldn't force it too much, as it would only affect his mental state. Gradually accumulating would only lead to problems.

He went to a corner of the training ground, not drawing his sword but first practicing the Tiger Strength Fist as a warm-up.

As he practiced, it seemed as if a startling tiger roar echoed through the mountains and forests. Chen Zong felt his understanding and mastery of the Tiger Strength Fist improve directly.

"Actually broke through." Chen Zong was amazed.

Among the various foundational martial arts he practiced, the Tiger Strength Fist was the first to reach the Perfect Realm, but due to his focus on swordsmanship, he rarely used it. However, today, it broke through to the Subtle Realm, giving Chen Zong a new and different understanding of the Subtle Realm.

Swords and fists, fists and swords, have both differences and similarities.

"I wonder when the Eight True Sword Techniques will reach the Subtle Realm." Chen Zong said to himself, drawing his sword and beginning to dance.

He still insisted on practicing the three foundational sword techniques that had reached the Subtle Realm ten times a day, followed by fifty times the Eight True Sword Techniques and fifty times the basic eighteen techniques. Currently, lacking better conditions to practice the four essentials of swordsmanship, he could only do so much.

As for his arms, during these few months in the forging workshop, Chen Zong could easily forge ordinary iron blocks and even refined iron blocks with ease. He tried to forge a pair of heavy iron arm guards for himself. After failing seven or eight times, he finally forged a pair of heavy iron arm guards that satisfied him.

It must be said that heavy iron is not very suitable for forging. Each failure was not due to Chen Zong's lack of skill but because heavy iron is too brittle.

The final success was also thanks to Elder Lie's help, who added other materials to increase the flexibility of the arm guards.

The arm guards were very thin but extremely heavy, each weighing a hundred pounds. When worn on Chen Zong's forearms, they were completely hidden under his sleeves.

When the original fifty-pound heavy iron plates were replaced with a hundred-pound heavy iron arm guards, Chen Zong was a bit unaccustomed at first but quickly adapted.

After a brief rest, Chen Zong drew his sword again.

The blade of the precious iron sword glowed with a faint blue light, extremely sharp. The tip of the sword, a point of cold light, was like a cold star in the night sky, making one's eyes ache after a few glances.

Draw the sword!

The first level of the Light Splitting Sword Technique, Light Splitting Shadow.

One sword strike, and four sword lights crisscrossed.

Another sword strike, and the four sword lights lined up in sequence, slashing towards the same target, leaving clear trails in the air.

"Peak Minor Success, not far from Major Success." Chen Zong said to himself.

Like Chen Gu and Chen Fenghua, they are still at the introductory level of the first level of human-grade martial arts, showing how difficult it is to practice human-grade martial arts.

The reason human-grade martial arts are hard to practice is that each practice often requires the stimulation of blood and qi. Each practice of human-grade martial arts consumes blood and qi, so each practice cannot be as long as foundational martial arts.

After all, blood and qi are much more limited compared to physical strength. Generally, they can only be restored by running the cultivation technique or allowing them to recover naturally. Even the young masters of prestigious families dare not overuse pills to restore, as it would be harmful.

External forces are always external forces. Taking an appropriate amount can have an auxiliary effect, and the body will naturally expel the side effects, which are some impurities. However, if too much is taken at once, the impurities cannot be expelled in time and will gradually accumulate, eventually affecting the body.

The higher the realm of human-grade martial arts, the more powerful the effect, and the greater the consumption of blood and qi. After continuously performing the peak Minor Success Light Splitting Shadow thirteen times, Chen Zong felt his blood and qi almost depleted, his face turning pale.

"The limit is probably around fifteen times. If I reach the Major Success Realm, it might be even fewer."

He performed it two more times, and indeed, his blood and qi were completely depleted. Chen Zong's face turned pale, and he felt a sense of emptiness and weakness inside his body, but he could still hold the sword and practice.

What was consumed was just blood and qi; his physical strength was still mostly preserved.

Sheathing the sword, Chen Zong focused his mind and used the Fierce Tiger Technique to move his blood and qi, accelerating recovery. The efficiency of blood and qi recovery with or without a cultivation technique differs greatly.

The Fierce Tiger Technique is a human-grade mid-level cultivation technique that can increase recovery speed by ten times, or one-fold. If it were a human-grade low-level technique, it would only be five times, while a human-grade high-level technique would be fifteen times.

Chen Zong found that each time he practiced swordsmanship and depleted his blood and qi, then recovered using the Fierce Tiger Technique, it significantly promoted the cultivation of the Fierce Tiger Technique. He could feel that he was not far from completing the first level of the Fierce Tiger Technique.

This place had long become Chen Zong's dedicated sword practice area, and no one would come to interfere. As for Chen He, even if he still harbored resentment towards Chen Zong, he now dared not come to cause trouble. After all, Chen Zong was listed among the four young heroes of Fengwu City, known as the True Sword. Chen He couldn't personally confront him and sending a fourth-layer Blood and Qi Realm practitioner to deal with Chen Zong might not be a match.

...

"Chen Zong, today don't forge refined iron blocks. Try to forge a sword."

In the forging workshop, as soon as Chen Zong stepped into the forging room, Elder Lie said.

"Forge a sword?" Chen Zong was a bit surprised and a bit excited.

"Yes, don't you want to forge a sword for yourself?" Elder Lie's voice was full of temptation: "Imagine holding a sword you forged yourself, facing various experts, and outshining all the geniuses. Wouldn't that be even more wonderful?"

Seeing Chen Zong's excited expression, Elder Lie couldn't help but laugh inwardly. He wanted to take Chen Zong as a disciple and teach him forging skills, but Chen Zong wasn't interested. After much thought, he changed his strategy, using indirect tactics. He didn't mention taking a disciple but occasionally gave Chen Zong some guidance, gradually piquing his interest in forging.

After observing and thinking for these few months, he finally came up with a new plan: to have Chen Zong learn to forge a sword.

Martial artists love swords. If they have the ability, they would naturally be willing to forge a good sword for themselves. As long as Chen Zong was interested, he could gradually teach him forging skills. Even without the name of a master and disciple, they would have the reality of it.

Thinking about it, Elder Lie couldn't help but be proud of his own cleverness.

"Forge a sword myself..." Chen Zong thought deeply.

"During the time I read through hundreds of miscellaneous notes and diaries in the Martial Arts Hall, there was a sentence that said, 'forge a sword to understand a sword,' but there was no explanation. At the time, I was focused on finding traces of the True Secret Realm and didn't pay attention..."

"Perhaps, I can give it a try?"

Thinking about it, Chen Zong became even more excited.

He practiced swordsmanship for two reasons: love and the desire for greater strength. Because of his love, he naturally loved swords. If he could forge a sword himself, watching a good sword come to life in his hands, and imagining himself holding a sword he carefully forged to compete with peers and challenge senior experts, how wonderful would that be?

Thinking about it, his heart rate increased, like the sound of a drum.

"Imagine if you forge a legendary sword, how glorious would that be?" Elder Lie's voice sounded again.

"Legendary sword?" Chen Zong was puzzled.

"It seems you don't know. Well, I'll tell you." Seeing Chen Zong's puzzled look, Elder Lie quickly continued to pique his interest: "Weapons have different levels. The lowest is the ordinary iron level, followed by the refined iron level, and then the precious iron level. The precious iron level is not the end, as there are three more levels above it."

Chen Zong was indeed attracted and listened attentively.

"Above the precious iron level is the rare iron level. The difference between rare iron weapons and precious iron weapons is like the difference between the Blood and Qi Realm and the realms above it." Elder Lie said, shaking his head: "To forge a rare iron weapon, you need precious minerals and advanced forging skills. If the value of ordinary iron, refined iron, and precious iron levels each differ by ten times, then the value of a rare iron weapon is over a hundred times that of a precious iron weapon."

Chen Zong was excited. A precious iron sword was already so sharp. What about a rare iron sword, which is over a hundred times more valuable?

"Above the rare iron level..." Elder Lie deliberately paused before continuing: "is the divine iron level, which is over a hundred times more valuable than the rare iron level."

"Divine iron level!" Chen Zong's mouth was dry. If he remembered correctly, Elder Lie mentioned that above the divine iron level, there was another level.

"Above the divine iron level is called the legendary level, or legendary weapon. For a sword, it's called a legendary sword."

"Each legendary weapon not only surpasses the divine iron level in quality but also has a fascinating story. Its value cannot be measured by money." Elder Lie's tone revealed boundless longing: "If I could see a legendary weapon in my lifetime, I would be content."

"Legendary weapon... legendary sword..." Chen Zong repeated softly.

What... kind of glory would it have?

"The forging profession is divided into levels. If you can forge ordinary iron weapons, you are a forging apprentice. If you can forge refined iron weapons, you are a regular forger. If you can forge precious iron weapons, you are an elite forger. I am an elite forger." Elder Lie added a bit of self-praise at the end. In fact, he could only勉强 be considered an elite forger, as forging precious iron weapons required luck.

"What about forging rare iron weapons?" Chen Zong couldn't help but ask.

"Master forger." Elder Lie answered quickly: "Enough talk. Now, listen carefully. I'll teach you how to forge a sword."

Without giving Chen Zong time to think, he immediately began to explain.

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