Chapter 27

As dozens of iron chains shot out from the Lotus Mountain formation, they were pulled horizontally, binding a black object in mid-air. The surface of the black object, covered in a layer of rock-like material, shattered, revealing its emerald jade essence. Upon hearing the commotion, Gu Yan immediately flew over with his sword, and Bai Mu hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, please help."

As he spoke, the first iron chain broke, followed by the second... The formation had its wonders, but its effectiveness was closely tied to the cultivator who set it up. The Lotus Mountain formation was set up by Bai Mu, who, though well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge, had a relatively low cultivation level.

"What kind of demon is this?" Gu Yan's Zhan Yue Sword, along with the eight precious swords from the sword box, slashed over.

At the same time, Bai Mu activated the second layer of the formation, and the pine needles from eight pine trees flew towards the object. The object, just freed from the iron chains, thought it had escaped, but the nine swords counter-slashed, forcing it to fall several dozen feet.

The pine needles had little power and only caused some interference. Gu Yan and Bai Mu could now see clearly that it was an emerald jade treasure knife. Gu Yan immediately applied pressure, and the nine swords slashed again. The emerald jade knife glowed brightly and moved at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye. After a series of clanging sounds, Gu Yan was greatly alarmed. All eight flying swords, except for the Zhan Yue Sword, were severed. Gu Yan immediately said, "It is extremely hard and fast, be careful."

Gu Yan was an expert and knew the problem was with the speed. When the emerald jade knife was bound by the iron chains, the nine swords could slash without damage. But now, the emerald jade knife took the initiative, using its speed to clash with the swords. The fact that it was unscathed showed that its quality far exceeded the eight swords. These eight swords were not of the best material, made from cold iron from the cold pond in the Yunqing Sect, but they were still spiritual swords. To be destroyed in one encounter was a testament to the material and speed of the emerald jade knife. If it were just hard, the eight swords would have been deflected, but with speed...

"Thunder Shocking Light Technique!" Ye Wushuang arrived and habitually cast the spell.

"No!" Bai Mu and Gu Yan shouted.

But it was too late. A white mist filled their vision, and the only sound was the rumbling echo. The spell that caused indiscriminate damage was something everyone disliked.

Ye Wushuang covered his mouth, as if he had made a mistake. "Oh? This is a treasure knife, I thought it was a bad guy." Ye Wushuang threw the spell scroll, and the emerald jade knife was about to escape but was tightly bound by the scroll. Ye Wushuang placed his left hand on his chest, lowered his head, and chanted. The spell scroll wrapped around the emerald jade knife, with lightning dancing and the Eight Trigrams rotating.

"Lin!" Ye Wushuang shouted, and the lightning turned into a web.

This is the Daoist Nine True Words: Lin Bing Dou Zhe Jie Zhen Lie Xing Qian. Lin means stability, immovability, and firmness, like a thousand-foot cliff, unyielding and strong.

"Dou!" Dou means bravery and decisiveness, moving forward without hesitation.

Then there was nothing more. Ye Wushuang had only learned the Lin and Dou true words to activate the spell.

...

Lin Fan angrily climbed out of the pond, preparing to put on his clothes and pants. Losing two treasures in one day, how could he explain this to the sect leader upon returning? Just as he picked up his clothes, a whistling sound broke the air. Looking up, he saw an object falling. Lin Fan quickly stepped back, and the emerald jade knife broke through the stone and landed in front of him.

Lin Fan looked up. The sect leader had said that good things don't fall from the sky, but knives do. Indeed, it was true.

The sect leader, in seclusion, cursed. "I meant that good things don't fall from the sky, and anything that specifically targets you is trouble."

Lin Fan pulled out the knife. The emerald jade knife was entirely green, and when he tapped it, it made a clear sound. He struck it against a stone, which chipped, but the knife remained unharmed. It could fetch a good price. Looking up again, he saw Ye Wushuang and the others land, and they all looked at him.

Lin Fan was taken aback and quickly covered himself with one hand. "You've never seen a man bathing?"

Ye Wushuang's face turned red, and he quickly turned around. "Pervert."

"I'm upstream." Lin Fan hurriedly put on his clothes. "I've had the worst day. I just lost a treasure."

"Huh?" Bai Mu and Gu Yan looked at each other.

"It was black, this big. I touched it, and it flew away." Lin Fan said regretfully. "When it came out, it almost killed me with this knife. Is this a heavenly tribulation? Have I done too many good deeds?"

Gu Yan bowed. "Everything is fate." He then turned and walked away.

"What?" Lin Fan looked at Bai Mu, who explained. Lin Fan understood that the emerald jade knife in his hand was the treasure he had encountered in the pond. When the knife fell and landed in his hand, it had already been put into a dormant state by the fierce Ye Wushuang, so he didn't feel its spiritual energy.

"This..." Lin Fan looked at the knife and asked, "How do we divide it? Should I pawn it, and we split the money?"

Bai Mu smiled. "Senior Brother Gu Yan said it's fate, so the emerald jade knife naturally belongs to you, Lin Fan."

Ye Wushuang said, "Lin Fan, if you dare to hit my head again, I'll take a share."

Lin Fan, showing no emotion, asked, "Is this thing good?"

Ye Wushuang frowned and thought for a moment. "It's fate, but Bai Mu, there doesn't seem to be any record of Daoists using knives, right?"

Bai Mu nodded. "Daoists mainly use swords, but many evil sects use knives, and some Buddhist sects do too."

"Ah..." Lin Fan looked down at the emerald jade knife, meaning that he probably couldn't use it.

Bai Mu said, "Lin Fan, why don't you wait until the cultivation market opens and trade the emerald jade knife for a magical treasure or a sword?"

Lin Fan shook his head. "It's fate. Since it was forced upon me, I'll refine it." He had never had a proper high-quality magical treasure or sword and was envious of Ye Wushuang's spell scroll. Now, heaven was sending him a decent treasure knife, and if he didn't cherish it, it would be impolite. Besides, the cultivation market wouldn't open for four years, and even if he got a magical treasure, he would need to refine it, which would take a long time. Whether he could use it or not, it would be good for show.

According to Lin Fan's idea, the Yunqing Sect would secretly withdraw and let everyone stay in the Jiulang Mountains for a year or two. Gu Yan rejected Lin Fan's prank and informed several sects. The news spread, and most people left disappointed, but a few still didn't trust Gu Yan and lingered in the Jiulang Mountains.

Lin Fan sighed. Fortunately, everyone knew him, and the people here were relatively upright. If there were a few evil people, they would have ambushed him. Before a treasure is refined, it can be directly taken.

Refining is simple, involving sitting in meditation and channeling true qi and heart techniques into the treasure. Refining can be divided into mental refining and force refining. Mental refining involves gradually merging with the treasure, a process akin to boiling a frog in warm water. Force refining uses overwhelming power and high cultivation to forcibly break the treasure's resistance. Force refining takes less time, sometimes just half a day, but it is suitable for those with high cultivation and can damage the treasure, reducing its capabilities. The biggest drawback of mental refining is the time it takes. Ye Wushuang spent two hours a day on mental refining, and it took him three years to refine the spell scroll.

Two hours is the optimal time. Exceeding this time reduces the effect and can even make the treasure resist. This is a dangerous aspect of mental refining, as the treasure has its own spirit and might self-destruct if it resists being refined. Lin Fan had never refined any treasure but knew the method. On the way back, he changed his lazy habit and worked on refining the knife at night.

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