Chapter 173: 166 The Dragon of Dragon Spring

"I shall ascend to the very peak, and view all the mountains as small!"

Walking out of the cave, the view before Jiang Shenyi suddenly opened up.

The clear breeze on the mountaintop rushed toward his face; as the wind blew away the sweat all over his body, it revealed a coolness that seeped into his heart and spleen.

Standing at the summit, looking at the surrounding mountains—white with snow, like surging waves, like fury—Jiang Shenyi let out a long roar toward the sky and shouted another imposing line of poetry he had heard.

Unfortunately, this peak was not the highest; among the surrounding Da Xue Shan, which were covered in snow year-round, there were several that were taller than this one. Having reached the summit, he still could not look down upon all the peaks with pride, leaving Jiang Shenyi, who had endured thousands of hardships, somewhat unsatisfied; the spirit in his chest was not enough to bring him joy.

"This mountain is still too low; when will I be able to ascend a truly high mountain?"

"This mountain is not high because it is not the real Sixiang Mountain."

A voice came from behind him.

Jiang Shenyi turned his head and saw a person coming out of the cave, draped in a cloak, looking relaxed.

Seeing this person's state, Jiang Shenyi was very surprised. The cave was poorly ventilated, and he himself was so tired and drenched in sweat that he wanted to strip off his clothes; how could this person still be wearing such a large cloak? And why was his state so relaxed and at ease, with not even a strand of hair out of place?

That person came to the front of the mountain, gazed into the distance with him, and said, "Do you know that this Sixiang Mountain is only a fake?"

Jiang Shenyi was startled and said, "I guessed it was a defective product, but is it actually a fake?"

That person sighed lightly and said, "It is a defective product, and also a fake. The real Sixiang Mountain has all four symbols complete, with one mountain higher than the next; its highest peak pierces the clouds, making it the supreme peak under heaven. But this one is a Force Array."

A Force Array is a great array containing Sword Momentum. When a sword reaches the realm of Sword Momentum, it is the means of a Sword Immortal; it can no longer be crafted into a tool and requires a great array to contain it.

Jiang Shenyi nodded and said, "So that is how it is."

However, that person added, "But that is a Force Array constructed purely from Rune Formulas, not derived from Sword Momentum."

Jiang Shenyi was shocked and said, "Rune Formulas... can they do that?"

Using Rune Formulas to craft an Art Tool is easy; by the level of Sword Technique, constructing a Dharma Artifact purely with Rune Formulas is already very difficult, and as for Sword Momentum... that is the great momentum of a Sword Immortal, which even a Sword Smith can hardly touch.

That person said, "They can. If you saw it with your own eyes, you would know that the power of Rune Formulas can also build mountains and open seas! The great power of heaven and earth is not something enjoyed solely by the Sword Dao."

His voice was resonant, making Jiang Shenyi's heart surge with emotion.

That person smiled and said, "It is just that this fake is incomplete, which may not be a bad thing. Do you know what the Azure Dragon Tribulation presses upon in the end?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "The Soul?"

That person was stunned and said, "You know?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "I guessed. One person, one heart; everything that can be pressed is pressed. Besides the Soul, what else could it be?"

That person sighed and said, "That is true. You are indeed very clever. But if the Azure Dragon Tribulation truly presses upon the Soul, can you resist it?"

Jiang Shenyi thought for a moment and shook his head.

It was not that he couldn't, but that he didn't know.

The Soul is originally the deepest secret of a person, which even one cannot explore oneself; who would dare say their Soul is stronger than another's?

That person said, "The Soul cannot be trained like the physical body; even if there are differences in strength, it is always fragile. Although some say Inspiration is linked to the Soul, it is ultimately ethereal. And the fragility of the Soul is the root of human fragility. If one cannot cultivate the divine soul, one can never transcend the mundane by one's own body, and will always have to rely on external objects and be shackled by them."

Jiang Shenyi nodded slowly, then suddenly felt a chill and said in shock, "Sir, could it be that you..."

That person looked around at the high mountains and smiled, "This Kungang is good; thousands of mountains and rivers, peaks competing in beauty—this is how nature should be. But why is it that in the world today, there is only one mountain?"

"And it is a crooked mountain at that!"

"Look, Sword Master. This is a model of Dragon Spring. It was formed by the spring water that gushed out when the Sword Smith split the Canglong Mountain in the past. This spring is called Dragon Spring."

"Look at the direction of this abyss; it looks like a dragon. That Blue Stone in the due East looks like a dragon's head. That white beach in the due West looks like a dragon's tail. These are two of the six dragons of Dragon Spring."

Hmm...

Looking closely, the pool abyss spiraling like a dragon's body was still quite spectacular, with a thousand acres of green water and an abyss so deep it was bottomless.

But as for the Blue Stone resembling a dragon's head and the white beach resembling a dragon's tail... well, one could only say it was at the level of an average tourist attraction. If a tour guide points it out to you, you can probably see it; if they don't point it out and you look for yourself, you can't make out the shape at all.

"That... the one stuck on the Blue Stone, do you see it—"

Tang Zhao saw it at a glance; a sword was stuck in the part of the Blue Stone near the water pool.

"Seems to be... a Dharma Artifact?"

"It is a Dharma Artifact here, but in Dragon Spring, this is a real sword. It is the sword that suppresses the abyss, known as Dragon Tooth."

Tang Zhao became interested and focused, asking, "Is this sword awake or asleep?"

A sword with a Sword Guest is awake; a sword without a Sword Guest is asleep.

"It is asleep," the Dragon Spring Disciple replied, "there is no Sword Guest."

Tang Zhao pondered and said, "Since that is the case, why does your sect not match it with a Sword Guest?"

Every sword is unique, and every Sword Guest has infinite possibilities; no matter how large and established Dragon Spring is, they shouldn't let a real sword go to waste.

The Dragon Spring Disciple sighed and said, "We have certainly looked, we have always been looking. But once someone touches it, Dragon Spring begins to tremble, with signs of collapse. Legend has it that once the Dragon Tooth Sword is pulled out, it will be the day Dragon Spring transforms into a dragon and takes flight."

Tang Zhao pondered: Such legends might fool ordinary people, but Dragon Spring is full of Sword Smiths; how could they believe this? Since they still acknowledge this legend, there must be a basis for it; the situation is likely... very deep.

The Dragon Spring Disciple said, "So now the Dragon Tooth Sword has been stuck in Dragon Spring for a thousand years. It is precisely because of Dragon Tooth that there are the three dragons..."

As he was speaking, a dragon's roar came from beneath the water!

Tang Zhao's whole body shook. Following the dragon's roar, a sense of trembling originating from the soul pressed upon his heart. His Qi immediately circulated, and the white-gold flames flickered incessantly, just barely resisting the pressure rushing toward his face.

Dragon Might?!

Ripples appeared on the water, layers of light shimmering under the sunlight, starting from the dragon's head and surging all the way to the dragon's tail, as if they were dragon scales.

"Dragon roar, Dragon Might, dragon scales?"

It is indeed miraculous, but... isn't the momentum still a bit small?

Shouldn't the sound of a dragon's roar shake a hundred miles? Shouldn't the pressure of Dragon Might make all living things submit?

The Dragon Spring Disciple said, "This is just the dragon roar of the old Dragon Tooth sword Dharma Artifact. Just take it as a gesture; the real Dragon Spring dragon roar is a hundred times more spectacular than this. And the Dragon Might is also incomparably powerful; your Qi is not bad, but I am afraid you still could not resist the Dragon Might of a true dragon descending to the world."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "Then how do your disciples resist it?"

The Dragon Spring Disciple said, "There is no way to resist it, so we all hide. Dragon Might is not common; there is a dragon roar once every seven days. We all close our doors and go into seclusion in advance, holding to the One, and then we can endure it. Of course, here, for the sake of everyone's visit, it has been changed to seven times a day."

Once every seven days... seven times a day... isn't that too frequent? Aren't they afraid of tiring people out?

"Furthermore, the divine sword has a spirit. When evil guests arrive at the door, it will unleash dragon might to suppress them and use a dragon's roar to issue a warning. My Longyuan has sealed its gates for hundreds of years, and it is only by relying on the protection of the Dragon Tooth Sword that we have enjoyed such peaceful years."

Tang Zhao nodded and praised, "This is the foundation of a great sect."

The Longyuan Disciple was very pleased and humbly smiled, "Haha, what kind of great sect are we Sword Smiths? For true great sects, one must look at the Sword Guests. Especially the Sword Immortals; they are all in the cave-heavens. We remain in the mundane world, merely occupying a few precious lands. Truth be told, we don't even have as much pomp as some Heavenly Demons."

After guiding Tang Zhao to finish touring Longyuan, the Longyuan Disciple asked, "Would you like to go drifting?"

Tang Zhao asked, "Drifting... are there any benefits to it?"

The Longyuan Disciple said, "It's just... you can see the Dragon Tooth up close, and you can also play in the water."

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said, "That won't be necessary; I still want to cast a sword."

The Longyuan Disciple said, "Then follow me to tour the Longyuan history. Once the tour is finished, you can go collect materials and cast a sword in your dreams."

This step of touring the Longyuan history was something that could not be skipped no matter what. This was the original intention of them establishing the Jiu Yuan checkpoint—letting you see it for free; how could you not look?

Beside Longyuan, there was a Longyuan Shiguan. As soon as one entered the main gate, one could see various colorful scrolls on both sides.

Tang Zhao had thought this Shiguan would be an illusion, but he did not expect it to be just murals and text. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense—after all, it was free, and to receive so many visitors, how could they use illusions?

The first painting was the scene of a powerful Sword Guest splitting open Canglong Mountain and drawing out the Dragon Spring.

The Longyuan Disciple was dutifully introducing it from the side: "This is opening the mountain to draw the spring, this is eliminating Fierce Beasts at the bottom of the abyss, and this is establishing the Seven Stars Furnace... it is the arduous pioneering process of Longyuan."

"This section talks about the entanglement between Longyuan and the previous Imperial Court. You know, the former Wei was a relatively cruel and chaotic dynasty, far inferior to the current Great Jin."

That statement was, truly... correct.

However, this statement was actually not wrong. The former Wei only existed for a little over a hundred years, and half the time was spent at war; it could not be considered a standard prosperous dynasty.

"Moreover, the previous dynasty was a dynasty of Spirit Officials. The entire court was filled with purple and crimson, all Spirit Officials, which was very suppressive toward Sword Guests. Especially the wild Sword Guests; not only were they not recruited, but they were instead treated as rebels. There was much dissatisfaction both inside and outside the court. At this time, the previous dynasty only then pretentiously acknowledged Longyuan as the Official Casting Supervisor and sent a few Sword Smiths to join, nominally bringing Longyuan into the Imperial Court."

Tang Zhao thought to himself: So, your establishment is independent and has no relation to the previous dynasty? You only had cooperation?

"But although we were named the Official Casting Supervisor, throughout the entire Wei Dynasty, Longyuan opened the furnace no more than a handful of times. In total, only ten or so swords were cast. And the entire Wei Dynasty, by the time it perished, only had thirty-seven swords. Among them, the Dazai was the highest, undoubtedly a Sword Immortal, and there were also the Twelve Pillar States, all of whom were first-class Sword Heroes or even Sword Immortals."

Tang Zhao found it interesting and said, "Is that so? The previous dynasty was full of Spirit Officials, but the high-level figures were all Sword Guests?"

The Longyuan Disciple said, "Not exactly, there were also high-level Spirit Officials. Sword Guests are a separate system. Things like the Prime Minister and University Scholars were all Spirit Officials. It is said that their level as Spirit Officials was extremely high, not at all inferior to Sword Guests. The current Spirit Official system can be considered mostly lost."

"The perverse acts of the former Wei incited public anger. Under the leadership of our dynasty's founding emperor, the Sword Guest Alliance attacked the Wei capital... The people of the Wei Dynasty went mad; besides resisting, they also destroyed their own cities and wanted to destroy Longyuan. At that time, a Pillar State brought his subordinates to Longyuan in person to blow up the Seven Stars Furnace. My Longyuan's ninth-generation Beichen could not bear to see the painstaking efforts of his predecessors destroyed in one fell swoop, so he led the seven heads to resist with all their might, and with the help of the Dragon Tooth's dragon might, they finally preserved Longyuan. But the losses were also extremely heavy. We had no choice but to seal the mountain gates and ignore all external affairs. Times have changed, and it has already been over two hundred years."

Tang Zhao nodded slightly and said, "I heard the Seven Stars Furnace went missing at that time?"

The Longyuan Disciple was momentarily embarrassed. Longyuan losing the Seven Stars Furnace was not exactly a secret; as the saying goes, good news doesn't leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles. This matter was known to the whole world, but Longyuan was just unwilling to bring it up. He vaguely glossed over it and said, "Let's go to the next chapter now, the Longyuan of the new era—"

Tang Zhao asked again, "I heard there is a group of giant turtles under Longyuan; is there no introduction for them?"

The Longyuan Disciple was stunned for a moment and said, "You are interested in that? There is; it is painted on the mural, but I didn't mention it. Come this way—" As he spoke, he led him to a mural.

"Isn't this... the section on eliminating Fierce Beasts at the bottom of the abyss?"

The Longyuan Disciple said, "Exactly. At that time, there were several types of Fierce Beasts under Longyuan, all of them stubborn and ferocious. Only one type of spirit turtle could speak human language, claiming to be a remnant of the ancient times, lurking in the deep abyss without doing evil. The first-generation Beichen examined their history regarding the ancient times, and they answered fluently, clearly not speaking falsely. He then partitioned a piece of land in Longyuan for them to live in, but also required the giant turtles to serve Longyuan."

Tang Zhao wondered, "Although the giant turtles have spirits, they are ultimately just aquatic creatures. How can they serve?"

The Longyuan Disciple pondered and said, "Actually... I am not very clear either. By the time I entered the sect, I had basically never seen the giant turtles; it is only said that disciples within the seven halls still have giant turtles to assist them. I suppose these ancient remnants have their own spiritual mysteries and still possess quite a lot of rich knowledge, right?"

Tang Zhao was lost in thought when he heard a "Hehe, hehe" sound in his ear, and the turtle said, "How old is this kid? He knows nothing! What qualification does he have to know about our affairs?"

Tang Zhao did not say much and followed the Longyuan Disciple to complete the rest of the tour. The rest was nothing important, merely talking about how after a hundred years of seclusion, Longyuan had gotten rid of the old and brought in the new, flourishing, and now had completely recovered its vitality, reopened the mountain gates, screened for talented people, and now a new generation of hall masters and heads had grown up, with excellent disciples emerging one after another. Then he spoke about how Longyuan had set great ambitions, how much effort had been spent preparing for this Talisman Assembly, and that now everything was ready, and they would surely hold a victorious, united, and unprecedented assembly. Tang Zhao nodded repeatedly as he listened, following along to show support, not letting the eloquent Longyuan Disciple feel embarrassed at all.

At the end of the tour, there was even a small gift, which was a small cluster of "dragon might." This was a Dharma Artifact version of the material, and although it had no cost, it was still a rare material. If everyone got a share, Longyuan's generosity was truly not small.

Tang Zhao accepted it and thanked him. The Longyuan Disciple said, "Let's go to the Springside Sword Casting Garden now. There are many materials hidden inside, which you can collect to cast a sword."