Chapter 292: 301 The Sword is Cast

Light surged into the sky, and even experienced individuals like the Junior Supervisors and Yun Xiyan were somewhat bewildered.

Sword Casting... is there such a light?

This does not look like the light of Sword Casting; rather, it looks like... Sunlight?

Brilliant and magnificent, pure platinum—besides Sunlight, what else could it be?

Could it be Heavenly Gang?

Heavenly Gang mixed with Sunlight... Heavenly Gang?

If there is such a vast Heavenly Gang, it is indeed rare in the world!

Immediately after, before the light had dissipated, a wave of energy centered on the light swept outward. Everyone hit by this wave felt as if Mount Tai were pressing down on their heads.

Yun Xiyan was not alarmed but delighted, thinking to himself: This time it's correct!

This is the Sword Casting Wind!

That oppressive wave of energy is not Qi, not Heavenly Gang; it is Sword Essence!

Sword Essence is a power that surpasses the levels of Internal Energy and Heavenly Gang; it has already reached the realm of "Water," possessing power and mass. It is the highest-level "force" in the world today, a power that existed within the sword from the beginning, waiting for the Sword Guest to draw it out. It is the "power source" used by Sword Guests to move mountains and overturn seas.

During Sword Casting, the vast Sword Essence condenses for the first time and is poured into the sword body all at once. It is still unstable and involuntarily leaks a portion of its power to the Waijie. This is merely the scrap material of the aggregating Sword Essence, similar to mist in relation to boiling water, yet it is still soul-stirring, because this is an essential crushing of Heavenly Gang and Internal Energy, a baptism of power sufficient to annihilate life and disperse the Soul.

The Sword Casting Wind rises, the Sword Furnace is extinguished.

The Sword is cast!

The crowd did not even see clearly what shape the Sword Furnace was before they saw the light and the wave of energy settle. The fire in the Sword Furnace was completely extinguished.

Immediately following was a silence after the storm. This stillness actually lasted only a very short time; the gravel and dust blown into the sky had not yet had time to fall to the ground, but the onlookers outside already felt it had been very long, as if several days had passed.

Finally, Yun Xiyan was overjoyed and said loudly:

"Congratulations!"

Almost seven or eight people spoke at once; the voices were different, the accents were different, the tones were different, but from all directions, a thousand words ultimately merged into one:

"Congratulations!"

Congratulations for what?

Naturally, it is to congratulate the world on having one more Sword Master, on having one more Sword Guest in the future, on having one more bit of strength to resist the Yin Calamity, and on the people suffering in disaster having one more bit of hope.

From this point of view, as long as one is still human, one should cast aside emotions and stances and sincerely say "Congratulations" to the birth of a sword.

Boom—!

The cries of "Congratulations" seemed to open the valve of frozen time; everything returned to normal. The light dissipated, the energy calmed, and the roof and walls blown up by the energy wave fell down as broken walls and ruins, actually forming a rough wall again, blocking the crowd's view of that sword.

The crowd was speechless—what is this? "Called for a thousand times before it comes out, still holding the pipa to half-hide its face"? Must one get close and push aside the stones to see its true face?

"Quick, bring the ship closer!"

Amidst the unanimous urging, the strangely shaped Great Ship approached the pier at the end of the wooden boardwalk.

Whoosh—

As the ship docked, a large flock of white cranes flew over and landed on the bow, their demeanor elegant, as if they were welcoming pageboys, greeting guests on behalf of the Master of the villa. Immediately after, young people walked over from the boardwalk, their clothes clean and neat; although not wearing red or green, they carried a bit of festive color. These were the Disciples of Zhuoyu Villa; they were both the Host welcoming guests and witnesses filled with joy.

Xue Yeyu, Fu Qinghuan, Qin Haizhou, Deng Chong, and Jiang Shenyi were all there. There was even a red-clad woman wearing a veil; although her face remained hidden behind the thin gauze, she was undoubtedly with the Disciples.

Xue Yeyu led the Disciples forward, made a "please" gesture, and said loudly: "Welcome, honored guests, to Zhuoyu Villa to witness our villa's Sword Casting!"

Having said this, the Disciples bowed together. These Disciples were all young and handsome, and their uniform bowing was like a beautiful sight.

The two Junior Supervisors looked at each other, already having a decision in their hearts. Although the two were young and their strength might not be outstanding, they considered themselves representatives of the official orthodoxy, and with their status, they should not fall behind others, so they couldn't help but squeeze forward, intending to be the first to disembark.

Fortunately, no one competed with them; including Wang Feizai, no one particularly wanted to be the first to disembark.

However, just as the two approached the bow, Xue Yeyu suddenly smiled and made an apologetic gesture, calling out: "Second Senior Brother, since you have returned, why not stand with us? Do you still want to be a guest and let the Junior Brothers and Sisters welcome you?"

Everyone was stunned, and someone at the back of the crowd sighed: "Yeyu, can't you pretend you didn't see me?"

The crowd naturally parted, and someone walked out from behind. He was tall and thin; looking closely, this person was not very old, not even thirty, yet he already had a five-strand long beard. Combined with his arched eyebrows and handsome eyes, at first glance, he had the air of an Immortal. If not for his plain cloth clothes, if he changed into a Bagua Daoist robe and wore a Seven Stars crown, he could immediately be called a "True Man."

Xue Yeyu said with a smile: "Because your little sister understands you. If you were dressed like an old Daoist priest, I would naturally treat you as an expert who has come out of the mountains to enter the world and serve you well, but since you are dressed in this simple manner, isn't it because you want to be close to us fellow disciples? Come down, the younger brothers and sisters all miss you."

That Second Senior Brother, who was none other than Xu Zhongnan, the second Disciple of Xue Xianyun, was called out by Xue Yeyu. With a slightly sheepish and sullen expression, he finally leaped down from the bow. He landed as lightly as a feather and as gracefully as a crane spreading its wings; his every move was full of poise. If a white crane had landed on his shoulder at this moment, who wouldn't exclaim: "An exiled Immortal!"

He came down, first smiled at Xue Yeyu, and then said to the red-clad woman: "Third Junior Sister, have you been well?"

That red-clad woman, Zhu Ying, said: "I'm fine. Senior Brother has made progress." Her voice was actually quite lively; one couldn't tell at all that she was a homebody who never stepped out of the house.

Finally, the seven Disciples lined up according to their seniority and said: "Please, honored guests, disembark and head to the venue to admire the sword."

The two Junior Supervisors did not hesitate any longer, strode to the front row, and said: "We are walking Junior Supervisors of the Profound Water Inspectorate, here today by order to inspect the sword. Manor Master Xue's successful Sword Casting is a great good deed for the country and the people. If it receives the recognition and commendation of the Profound Water Inspectorate, no one in the world will be unconvinced, and Zhuoyu Villa will naturally become famous throughout the world."

Xue Yeyu hesitated for a moment. These two Junior Supervisors had revealed their identities to the reception office when they went up the mountain. She had known about these two for a long time, but she was still hesitant about how to handle it. After all, the relationship with the Imperial Court was the trickiest to handle, and this was the Profound Water Inspectorate, with which they had never interacted. The person in charge was not there, so she found it difficult to express a stance.

Fortunately, at this moment, Xu Zhongnan was at the front and smiled: "Since you are envoys from the Profound Water Inspectorate, please disembark and have some tea. Your arrival makes our villa shine."

Both Junior Supervisors returned the salute and said: "We dare not, greetings, True Man Xu."

That's right, Xu Zhongnan held the position of Protector True Man of the Nine Heavens Dao Palace, belonging to the Imperial Preceptor, with an official rank of the fourth grade. He and the Profound Water Inspectorate were both within the Imperial Court system, so they naturally had their own set of etiquette and were not afraid of making mistakes. Xue Yeyu also understood this and felt relieved to push the task of dealing with the Profound Water Inspectorate to Xu Zhongnan—obviously, the Second Senior Brother was one of their own; although his etiquette was flawless just now, he hadn't promised anything.

The two Junior Supervisors disembarked, and the others followed one after another, without any particular order. The noble Wang Feizai, the elderly Heroine Xun, and the status-heavy Ju Tianxuan from Longyuan all disembarked at will. Only Xing Ji stayed at the very end; he waited until everyone had disembarked before he did, which was also his way of bringing up the rear.

Xue Yeyu wanted to take everyone to the designated venue, but although the crowd agreed, they kept looking at the ruins of the Sword Furnace, the place where the sword had just been born. Obviously, without taking a look at the freshly forged sword and the Sword Smith, no one had the heart to go to any venue to eat.

Xue Yeyu also felt that seeing the real thing was a matter of course, so she did not urge them too much. She saw that pile of large stones move, and a stone was pushed aside, as if opening a door.

The first person to walk out from the door, wearing a crane cloak and dressed neatly, was none other than Xue Xianyun. At this time, Xue Xianyun was glowing with health, his expression proud; his appearance was no different from half a year ago, except that his head was slightly balder.

The crowd first looked at his hands, and seeing that they were empty, they couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Xue Xianyun scanned the crowd without any special expression, at most letting his gaze linger on a few "old friends," his pride overflowing even more, and said: "Azhao, come out quickly. Everyone is waiting to see."

A youth walked out from behind the stone door, his expression weary but filled with excitement; because his figure was upright, he still appeared full of spirit.

As soon as the crowd saw him, they secretly cheered, thinking: What a talented youth!

Xue Yeyu thought even more: Tang Shidi has gained a bit of an Immortal air after not seeing him for half a year! That's right, he has lost a circle of weight and looks light and airy; it must be because of his hard work. Strange, why hasn't Father lost weight?

After praising Tang Zhao's talent, the crowd noticed the sword he was holding.

It was a sheathed sword, the color of the Sword Sheath deep and gloomy, the same color as the hilt and the guard.

No one found it strange; a sword without a guest naturally conceals its brilliance and would not be particularly beautiful, yet this sword was entirely a dark gold, the gold seeming to share the same quality as the Sunlight, and the dark hue appearing to merge with the earth; its understated nature made its splendor all the more apparent, making one wonder if, once unsheathed, it might shine as bright and golden as the sun.

Although dim, everyone felt the oppressive Momentum of the Sword Casting wind that had not yet dissipated as they approached; this was the posture of a new sword, its edge fully exposed after quenching, not yet restrained, which proved that this sword was truly newly cast, and the source of that wave of Sword Casting wind was indeed this sword.

No wonder Xue Xianyun did not hold the sword himself; it turned out he had his Disciple carry it out. It made sense—a good Disciple is like a good sword, both worth showing off, so it was perfect to reveal them together; this old man really knew how to put on a show.

Setting aside those who were secretly gnashing their teeth, several Disciples stepped forward together and said, "Congratulations, Master!"

Xue Xianyun laughed heartily and said, "Congratulations to us all, congratulations to us all."

The two Overseers saw the sword and were certain; thinking that their mission was urgent, they hurried forward, and the male Overseer held out a brocade Scroll, saying, "Manor Master Xue, congratulations on becoming the number one Sword Smith in Yunzhou! Please sign the Northern Sword Casting Record to formalize your name in Sword Casting!"

Xue Xianyun was stunned for a moment and said, "Sign? The 'Northern Sword Casting Record'?"

The Young Inspector said sternly, "Exactly. This Sword Casting Record has been used by the Four Great Overseers since the founding of this dynasty to record the Sword Smiths of Great Jin. It has a history of nearly two hundred years to this day. It records the names of dozens of sages, all of whom were the finest of their time, founding sects and schools. Every Sword Master in Shenzhou considers it an honor to be on the Sword Casting Record. Come, Sword Smith, sign your name quickly!"

Although the two were righteous and stern, their urgency ultimately lacked the decorum of the Imperial Court's central authority; as the saying goes, what is forced is not a good deal. Among the crowd, those with keen insight who cared about Zhuoyu Villa could not help but frown secretly, wondering if there was something fishy about it.

Xue Xianyun hesitated and said, "Is that so? Do all Sword Smiths have to sign..."

He suddenly turned his head to look at Tang Zhao and Ask, "Azhao, are you willing to sign?"