Chapter 472 – Fire-Condensation Technique

When Tong Ba saw what happened, he was utterly at a loss. When he first heard Lu Meng’s rumor that day, he thought it was exaggerated. Perhaps Lu Meng was merely covering up his own defeat by overstating things—how could there possibly be something in this world that heavy?

However, his master’s eyes had lit up upon hearing the tale. This world was filled with strange and wondrous things, and since the Weapon Forging Sect made their living by crafting weapons, their sect’s ancient records naturally recorded the peculiarities of the world. Though Tong Ba himself knew little, Si Yakong had a grasp of things in his heart.

Even so, by Si Yakong’s estimation, no matter how heavy a material a longsword or other weapon might be forged from—so long as it wasn’t some massive warhammer—Tong Ba should still be able to lift it. That was precisely why Tong Ba had dared to challenge Zhang Xiaohua with such confidence.

The longsword didn’t appear remarkable in any way. It was clearly just a sword embryo. Tong Ba had assumed that with his own strength, there was no way he wouldn’t be able to lift it. Yet the outcome defied all expectations—he couldn’t even catch it. Naturally, he turned back to look at his master, who had assured him again and again that he wouldn’t lose face.

Si Yakong was even more astonished than he was. It seemed that he too hadn’t anticipated this outcome. Glancing at Zhen Xuan, whose face also bore a look of disbelief, the two men rose together and entered the arena.

Zhang Xiaohua, seeing them step forward, didn’t appear surprised. After all, hadn’t the entire point of this match been to draw attention to his longsword? If these two renowned masters of the forging arts didn’t come out, Zhang Xiaohua might have started doubting his own intelligence.

The two entered the arena and cupped their hands. “Young Hero Ren, this weapon of yours is surprisingly heavy. We old men are quite curious—might we take a closer look?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded. “By all means.”

With a wave of Zhen Xuan’s hand, a disciple outside the arena brought over a torch. Zhen Xuan took it and crouched beside the longsword lying on the ground, examining it closely.

At the banquet table, Valley Master Nie seemed to understand Si Yakong’s intent and couldn’t help showing a trace of displeasure on his face. Zhang Xiaohua was his guest—hardly an outsider. If Si Yakong had wanted a look at the sword, he could have just said so; it wasn’t a big deal. Was there really any need to make such a show of things? Holding a strength contest, even dragging out the forging secrets of the Weapon Forging Sect—was that truly necessary?

Still, Si Yakong was, after all, the elder brother of the Yuli Alliance. He couldn’t say anything on the spot. His discontent would have to wait until another day.

Back in the arena, Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan held the torch and knelt beside the sword, inspecting it closely. At times, they gently stroked it with their fingers; at other moments, they flicked it lightly, or whispered to each other in hushed tones. Yet as time passed, not only did their faces not show signs of sudden realization, but the confusion in their expressions grew even deeper.

Zhang Xiaohua stood off to the side, smiling faintly as he watched. At first, he’d intended to ask something, but seeing their expressions, it was clear they too had no clue as to the sword’s origins. So he turned and looked toward Tong Ba instead.

Tong Ba saw Zhang Xiaohua looking his way and couldn’t help but blush a little. Though the match had its ulterior motive and was merely a pretext, the fact that he couldn’t even catch the weapon in the opponent’s hand… Ahem, that was somewhat unworthy of the title “Alliance’s Number One in Divine Strength”.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to speak, the two “old scholars” in the arena stood up. Though their eyes were filled with confusion, there was no sign of understanding. Si Yakong furrowed his brows deeply and asked: “Young Hero Ren, this old man would like to ask—where did you obtain this item… ah, this longsword?”

It was a blunt question, but the tone carried a certain familiarity. Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “I found it on a desolate island overseas.”

“A desolate island? Overseas?” Si Yakong’s eyes showed surprise, then he immediately followed up: “Might you be able to tell us the exact location, my virtuous nephew?”

Well now, he’d skipped right past “Young Hero” and gone straight to calling him “nephew”—a clear attempt at drawing him in.

Zhang Xiaohua caught the shift in address, and followed suit with a smile: “To let Uncle Si know, it happened when our ship was caught in a storm. This young nephew was thrown into the sea and washed ashore. As for the direction, I truly can’t say. And when I finally made it back to land, I forgot to ask anyone about it.”

The word “Uncle” left Si Yakong quite pleased, and naturally, he had no doubts about the reply. He turned to glance at Zhen Xuan, who thought for a moment before asking: “Virtuous nephew Ren, if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell your uncle what the sword looked like when you first saw it? Was it lying flat on the ground? Stuck into the earth? Or…?”

“Ah, this one’s calling himself uncle too,” Zhang Xiaohua muttered inwardly.

Rolling his eyes slightly, he thought for a moment, then said frankly: “Uncle Zhen, when this young nephew saw the sword, it wasn’t on the ground at all!”

“Not on the ground?” The two master forgers weren’t the only ones stunned—gasps rippled through the crowd. Yet in the eyes of those two, a clear gleam of delight had appeared.

“Then… this longsword…” Zhen Xuan asked eagerly.

Zhang Xiaohua looked around at the onlookers and said: “When I saw it, the sword was floating right above a pool of molten lava. Just suspended there, level and unmoving. There seemed to be something invisible beneath it. At the time, I was scared half to death.”

“What? Fire-Condensation Technique?!” Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan cried out in unison.

Their sudden outburst startled even Valley Master Nie and the others, who quickly came forward and asked, “What is the Fire-Condensation Technique?”

The two masters looked a bit embarrassed. To lose their composure like this in front of so many people—it might have been the first time in their lives. Si Yakong cleared his throat and explained: “The Fire-Condensation Technique is a forging method that has been lost to our craft for thousands of years. It is a technique in which raw materials are condensed into a weapon directly through fire.”

“Oh, I see…” Everyone nodded in understanding. It made sense—if one suddenly heard of a technique that their own sect had lost for millennia, anyone would have reacted just like that.

As expected, Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan clung to Zhang Xiaohua, bombarding him with question after question, probing every detail about the sword’s original state. In the end, they learned all they could about how the longsword had appeared. But what of it, even if they had seen it with their own eyes? If the forging methods of the Immortal Dao could be learned simply through observation, would the art of weapon refinement have ever fallen into obscurity?

After satisfying their curiosity, the two finally withdrew and made to return to their seats. But Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t about to let that happen so easily. What? After pestering me with questions for so long, now you’re just going to walk away, leaving me here on my own?

He immediately reached out and grabbed them both, asking_ “Uncles, you’ve examined it thoroughly just now. I still have to ask—what exactly is this longsword made of? And how can I refine it into a true sword?”

Si Yakong exchanged a glance with Zhen Xuan, and the latter gave an awkward smile. “Virtuous nephew Ren, it’s not that this old man is withholding the truth from you… It’s that I truly don’t know. I already discussed it at length with Brother Si. The world holds many strange materials. When it comes to heavy substances, nothing surpasses Xuan Iron. Just a fist-sized piece can weigh as much as ten blocks of ordinary iron. If your longsword were made of Xuan Iron, it would, at most, be ten times heavier than a regular blade. There’s no reason it should be too heavy for your Senior Brother Tong to even catch. What’s more, though Xuan Iron is dense, it isn’t particularly difficult to forge. Our current techniques in the Weapon Forging Sect could handle it. Why would the lost Fire-Condensation Technique be needed?”

Si Yakong chimed in: “In this old man’s opinion, this longsword of yours still hasn’t finished forging. Since the Fire-Congealing Method has long been lost, and there are clearly no people dwelling in that desolate place where you found it, one can only deduce that this sword had already been suspended above that lava for untold years. And yet, after such a terrifyingly long time, it still hasn’t completed its refinement—how could this old man possibly have the confidence to finish forging it into a true blade?”

“Besides, what defines a weapon? Sharpness and weight. Though this longsword has yet to be sharpened, with its sheer weight alone—who could possibly withstand it?”

Zhang Xiaohua fell silent. That was true. All along his journey, hadn’t he just been relying on the sword’s weight to bully others?

At that moment, Si Yakong added: “As for the material this longsword is made of, neither I nor Old Fourth Zhen can say. But if we’re forced to guess, perhaps it bears some resemblance to the Xuan Gold spoken of in ancient legends.”

“Xuan Gold?” Zhang Xiaohua was greatly surprised. It was the first time he’d heard the term. He couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly is this Xuan Gold?”

Si Yakong glanced at Zhen Xuan, then chuckled, “That… we’ll speak of later. Nephew, haven’t you still not finished your match with my disciple?”

With that, he and Zhen Xuan turned and returned to their seats at the banquet.

“Uh…” Zhang Xiaohua reached out, wanting to hold them back. Is there still any point to continuing this match?

But before he could grab them, the two had already returned to their seats, leaving Zhang Xiaohua hanging and thoroughly hooked.

Seeing his master leave, Tong Ba stepped up before the longsword and said: “Young Hero Ren, as I said before—if I can raise this sword above my head, I win.”

Zhang Xiaohua looked at him—no matter how he examined the man, Tong Ba didn’t seem like someone who could lift that sword. But he could only nod and say: “Then I shall trouble Senior Brother Tong for your instruction.”

Tong Ba chuckled and cupped his fists to those around him, then lowered into a horse stance, took a deep breath, and grasped both ends of the longsword with his hands. With a loud shout, he actually managed to wrench the sword up off the ground. The surrounding disciples of the Yuli Alliance all burst into cheers.

Riding the momentum, Tong Ba’s muscles bulged wildly, trembling with exertion as he forced the sword upward. The disciples nearby shouted encouragement, cheering him on as the longsword slowly rose under Tong Ba’s gritted teeth. But his trembling legs betrayed the limit of his strength. When he’d lifted it to chest height, no matter how hard he tried, he could not raise it any higher. His face had turned so red it seemed it might start dripping blood.

Then, a flicker of unwillingness passed through Tong Ba’s eyes. With a grunt of frustration, he let go, and the longsword crashed to the ground with a bang, just as it had before. Tong Ba had no choice but to cup his hands and say with resignation, “Young Hero Ren truly possesses divine strength. This humble brother… sigh, I am sincerely convinced. Henceforth, I dare not claim the title of ‘Alliance’s Number One Divine Strength.’”

Zhang Xiaohua blinked and said in confusion: “Senior Brother Tong, that’s an odd thing to say. I’m not even a member of your Alliance—what does your title of ‘Number One Divine Strength’ have to do with me?”

Tong Ba gave a bitter smile and said: “Number One Divine Strength, Number One Divine Strength… yet I can’t even lift Young Hero’s weapon. How can I still speak of being number one?”

With that, he pulled out a small booklet from his robes and held it out to Zhang Xiaohua. “Young Hero Ren, this is yours by right. Please accept it. It contains some of our Weapon Forging Sect’s core secrets. I ask only that you keep it confidential and use it for yourself alone. Do not pass it on to others. If you encounter anything you don’t understand, feel free to come to the Weapon Forging Sect and consult me or my master.”

Zhang Xiaohua looked at the booklet, clearly tempted, but still made a show of refusing: “This… this really wouldn’t be appropriate…”