Chapter 250: The Precious Blade is Newly Forged

"Not necessarily." Li Qingge, on the contrary, held a different opinion. "My King detests stale conventions and outdated customs the most. It is quite possible that the Imperial Preceptor who eventually ascends to the position will rely not on seniority or backing, but on youth and capability. That is why I say Fan Ke and Yan Lixin have the advantage. Especially Yan Lixin; he established his own sect, the Xi Yun Sect, in his early twenties and became the leader of the Southeast Dao Alliance at thirty-one. His reputation and talent are both at their zenith." He Chunhua sighed in admiration before saying, "But for him to become the Imperial Preceptor, it wouldn't be that easy, would it?"

"That goes without saying! Is the position of Imperial Preceptor something that can be sat in so easily? Fan Ke is currently suppressing him, and the veteran ministers in the court have strong opinions as well, believing he is too young and insufficient to manage the destiny of a nation. After all, the other two Imperial Preceptors are both over fifty." Li Qingge set down her teacup. "Alright, today is a good day for Young Master He to draw his blade. Let's not chat about too many idle matters; let's go observe it now."

He Lingchuan had just finished two sips of hot tea when he stood up. "Please."

Li Fubo had also been waiting outside for a while.

This was the first time He Lingchuan's residence had welcomed so many guests.

The color of the blade mountain had already faded into a brilliant pure gold; one look was enough to know that the content of the refined gold within was nearly zero. Li Qingge reached out to press her hand against the hilt, but pulled her hand back the next second, as if stung by a bee.

Everyone was startled. Li Qingge looked at her palm. "The ferocity of this blade is extraordinary. Just by holding the hilt, I can feel its resistance." It was like a wild lion or tiger locked in a cage; as soon as someone approached, it would bare its fangs and brandish its claws. "However, this also shows that this time, the blade-seeding was very successful."

He Chunhua was somewhat worried. "With such a fierce blade, can Chuan'er control it?" If not, he feared it might backfire against its master.

He Lingchuan walked forward and pressed one hand onto the hilt.

Over the past ten-plus days, he had performed this action countless times, and there had been no issues at all.

This blade was like an old acquaintance of his—intimate, friendly, and sometimes they would even greet each other.

He asked Li Fubo, "Can it be drawn now?"

Li Fubo seemed even more nervous than him, not even blinking. "Yes!"

He Lingchuan gripped the hilt and slowly applied force. In an instant, he realized: isn't this just the Sword in the Stone?

After he pulls it out, will he become the Child of Destiny and possess the protagonist's halo from now on?

Li Fubo suddenly spoke up. "Wait a moment!"

He Lingchuan's breath hitched before he heard him continue, "Would you please give it a name first? A precious blade must have a name."

"Give it a name?" That was true; this thing couldn't just be called the Broken Blade forever. He Lingchuan did not know why its previous owner, Zhong Shengguang, hadn't named it, but as Li Fubo said, a precious blade must have a name.

In this instant, He Lingchuan recalled the fleeting prosperity of that ancient city, the vast yellow sands of the Panlong Desert, the joys and sorrows of the small people in the city, the unparalleled loyalty and courage of the Great Wind Army's spirits, and also the desolation and loneliness before Zhong Shengguang's grave.

Everything this precious blade had experienced had almost all vanished with the wind, dissipating into the smoke and dust of history.

Yet, they must be unwilling to accept this.

He had an epiphany. Stroking the hilt, he said softly, "From this day forward, you shall be named 'Fusheng' (Fleeting Life)."

To remember it, to contemplate it, to be vigilant of it, and then to welcome a new life.

A slight tremor came from the blade body; it seemed the precious blade was also rejoicing that it finally had a proper name.

He Lingchuan gripped the hilt and pulled it out bit by bit.

After so many days of solidification, the gold mud had become harder than cement, but in front of the precious blade, it was no different from tofu.

Afterwards, he saw that two incised characters had appeared on the blade body near the guard.

He Lingchuan had been studying diligently recently and recognized at a glance that this was the ancient Immortal language.

Li Qingge, on the other hand, read it out directly: "Fu... sheng...?"

Lady Ying let out a long "Oh!" "Did the blade carve these characters itself?" It was truly different from ordinary weapons; she felt her eyes had been opened.

Li Fubo, however, was very gratified. "The precious blade has a spirit; it has accepted this name."

While they were speaking, He Lingchuan had already drawn the precious blade out.

Everyone saw that "Fusheng" had been restored; from the guard to the tip, it was perfect and flawless.

Compared to before, the length of the blade body had hardly changed, but the curve was greater, making it more suitable for hacking, and there was a bright blood groove on each side.

Apart from this, it seemed there was nothing special about it; even the blade edge was not as chillingly cold as before.

He Lingchuan stabbed it into the ground, and the blade stood upright.

Lady Ying asked subconsciously, "Wasn't it said to be able to slice through iron like mud?" How could it stand upright?

He Lingchuan gave the hilt a light push, and the blade body sank silently, disappearing up to the guard.

When he wanted it to be dull, the blade was dull; when he wanted it to be sharp, the blade was sharp—it followed his every whim.

"Try hacking this." Li Qingge threw over something black and murky.

He Lingchuan performed a sword flourish, and the object was severed into two pieces, falling to the ground.

It turned out to be a piece of pitch-black wood.

"This is lightning-struck wood, harder than thousand-year cold iron." Li Qingge clapped lightly. "Good, Young Master He and Master Li have joined hands to create another rare precious blade."

Lady Ying was puzzled. "Just because it's sharp, can it be called rare?"

Li Qingge smiled. "As for the characteristics of the blade, only the master himself knows; it is not convenient for us to ask too much."

The additional characteristics of a precious blade might be the key to victory in future battles; the master usually treats them as top secret and will not disclose them to the public.

Lady Ying looked suspiciously at her eldest son, only to see him smiling without a word, implying he had gained something.

In fact, with the blade in hand, He Lingchuan naturally felt the several additional special effects on the weapon—

"Void-Breaking": This blade has accompanied two successive masters in and out of the blue heavens, so it can also deal with intangible and formless things.

Intangible things—He Lingchuan's understanding was ghosts, vengeful spirits, and the like. This characteristic was quite good; dealing with ghosts requires specially crafted magic tools, and ordinary weapons might not be able to harm them.

As for what "formless" meant, well, he didn't quite understand either; he would wait and see in the future.

"Army-Breaking": The past and present of this blade are condensed with the will of hundreds of thousands of people. When the master faces an enemy, there is a very small chance this will will erupt; even if the opponent has Yuan power protection, it will directly break the defense and deal true damage.

"One Throw, One Hit": The master likes to use it to throw at enemies. After the blade-seeding was successful, "Fusheng" remembered this characteristic, but it can only be used once every quarter of an hour.

"Pass Token": The blade master who has received the inheritance can enter the dream world of the Great Fang Hu, the "Panlong Realm," through the Divine Bone Necklace; of course, this content is not limited to this and awaits further expansion.

At first glance, there were no earth-shattering characteristics.

But Li Fubo had told him beforehand that the blade is a fierce weapon and does not need flashy special effects; as long as it is fast enough, sharp enough, and indestructible, it is a good blade. If one could delve deeper into these aspects, it would be worth a fortune.

Delving deeper, the "Army-Breaking" characteristic actually had a lot of significance. Opponents possessing the National Decree have Yuan power protection, which they use to strengthen various divine abilities and arrays, forcing others to reduce the damage dealt to them. The existence of "Army-Breaking" is using a bug to eliminate a bug, using magic to defeat magic, directly dealing true and effective damage.

Whatever it should have been, that is what it is.

Of course, he also noticed the words "very small chance." The Fusheng blade kindly hinted to him that this chance could be increased.

What method to use to increase it? Currently unknown.

As for the last special effect, "Pass Token," He Lingchuan believed it didn't count as a special effect at all; at most, it could only be considered a pass mark for entering and exiting the dream world. But this also contained useful information, for example, what was meant by "received the inheritance"? This blade was gifted by Zhong Shengguang, so this counts as receiving the inheritance, right? In other words, even if someone else got this blade, if they hadn't exchanged it with He Lingchuan, they wouldn't be able to enter the Panlong dream world? Additionally, he finally confirmed the destination of his dreams at night; it really was the Great Fang Hu! The question that had lingered for so long finally received a definitive answer.

The Great Fang Hu, coveted by both gods and mortals, had not disappeared, nor was it hidden; rather, it had connected with him through the Divine Bone Necklace and the Fusheng blade.

There was also another key point: it turned out it wasn't the Fusheng blade, but the Divine Bone Necklace that could enable him to enter the "dream world" of the Great Fang Hu, and it was specifically labeled "Panlong Realm."

Why had he obtained the Divine Bone Necklace long ago, yet it didn't send him into a dream? Perhaps it was only after he obtained the broken blade that this dream world was opened.

In other words, the Divine Bone Necklace is the key to the Great Fang Hu, while the Fusheng blade is the specific path pointing to the Panlong dream world.

No wonder that after he obtained "Fusheng," he couldn't have any other dreams.

Then could he interpret it differently—that there were actually other dream worlds in the Great Fang Hu waiting for him? The "awaits further expansion" later also provided similar room for imagination.

These possibilities truly made his heart surge with excitement.

Li Fubo was also examining "Fusheng," even borrowing it to stroke it endlessly, repeatedly savoring and appraising it with Li Qingge, before reluctantly returning it to He Lingchuan. "The blade shape has changed; the original scabbard is no longer suitable. I will craft another one for you."

Both of them were filled with emotion; repairing a spiritual weapon without damaging its spirit was in itself a huge success, and Songyang Prefecture could go out and brag about it.

He Lingchuan was truly grateful and bowed deeply to him and Li Qingge. "Many thanks to you both!"

Without the blade-seeding divine skill of Songyang Prefecture, a broken blade would just be a broken blade, with almost no hope of repair.

"Easily said, easily said." Li Qingge pursed her lips and smiled. "The experience of seeding such a precious blade is extremely precious and of great benefit to us."

He Lingchuan had always been generous, and at such a moment, he certainly wouldn't be stingy. "Today is a great joy; everyone, let's move to Hesulou. Tonight, it's on me!"

He Chunhua instructed the steward, Old Mo, to go to the prefecture office to call for He Yue, and the group went to the restaurant together.

Hesulou had added a few signature dishes, one of which was called "Full Hall Red."

When served, it was a large bowl with a layer of red oil half a finger thick floating on top; one look was enough to make people feel wary of its spiciness.

He Lingchuan, of course, knew that the head chef of Hesulou had launched the new dish based on the red oil he had provided. In his original world, this was called "Boiled," but here, Hesulou had to give it a loud and auspicious name.

After all, it was a high-end restaurant; it wouldn't do to use pig, cow, or sheep offal for boiling, lest it lower the status of the high-ranking officials and nobles hosting banquets.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 251 =====