Chapter 297: 306 Creative Thinking

The first wave of viewing ended quickly, and immediately after, people began to come up one after another to observe the sword.

Aside from the formal government offices, the next in line had to be semi-official bodies like the Zhuijianjian.

In truth, the Zhuijianjian could also be considered a formal government office like "Qingtian Temple," specially established by the Imperial Court and ranking higher than local government offices. However, it did not possess the technological leadership of Qingtian Temple, which still plays an irreplaceable role to this day. Instead, like the central government, its administrative orders gradually failed to reach the local level, its regulatory power was insufficient, and with the Four Great Overseers standing on equal footing, it lacked a position of sole supremacy, inevitably falling a step behind, and thus its authority was limited. The two young people who came this time did not hold high official ranks; otherwise, even a Prefecture Assistant should have yielded to them.

However, the scene when the two stepped onto the stage was different from before. The Young Inspector first explained to Tang Zhao: "Sword Master, we are going to inspect the sword. Everyone present is a witness; if anyone has questions, you may raise them now." After Tang Zhao nodded, they took out a pile of Art Tools, some rulers and some dials, all of them flashing with light. One person tested while the other recorded, their cooperation methodical and clearly showing they were well-versed in the procedure.

The crowd watching below could not help but click their tongues in wonder, and most people secretly admired them—what is called professional? Not to mention officials and Martial Artists, even ordinary Sword Smiths and Talisman Sword Masters might not necessarily understand all the operations involved; after all, every trade has its specialty.

Although their operations and records were meticulous and took up quite a bit of time, no one expressed dissatisfaction. For one, the Zhuijianjian was indeed a Sword Casting agency established by the Imperial Court, so this was their duty and no one could criticize it; for another, their operations were as smooth as flowing clouds and water, which stunned the crowd. The friends from Zhuoyu Villa were secretly delighted, as this was also beneficial to Tang Zhao. Since the most authoritative ones had inspected it, if others came up to pick and choose, they would inevitably be suspected of being unreasonable.

The Young Inspector examined it for a long time and exclaimed: "It truly is a good sword. Complete, standard, and impeccable. Looking at the sword wind and the firelight, it is undoubtedly a new sword that has just been quenched. Only the Sword Intent is incomparably pure, which is very marvelous. This is an Ancient Sword, isn't it?"

Tang Zhao smiled and said: "The Young Inspector has a keen eye; it is indeed an Ancient Sword."

At this, someone in the crowd who did not understand could not help but mutter: "An Ancient Sword? Isn't it a new sword? Could it be that they took an ancient sword and refurbished it to pass off as their own?"

Before Tang Zhao could speak after hearing this, Xue Xianyun had already said loudly: "Where did this blockhead come from? You don't even know what an Ancient Sword is? An Ancient Sword is simply a sword crafted using only the Qi system—that is, Internal Energy, Gang Qi, and Sword Essence—supplemented by an earthen sword body. It is tailored specifically for a certain direction and holds its own against the current sword casting system. You don't even understand this, yet you dare to open your mouth?"

The man was so shocked he was speechless for a moment, then immediately asked again: "What? Earthen sword body? Is this sword made of mud?"

At this, Xue Xianyun could not help but laugh, waved his hand, and said: "Get lost!"

The Young Inspector was also too lazy to pay attention to the ignorant person below, and together with the male Young Inspector, she bowed solemnly to Tang Zhao to offer congratulations, saying: "Congratulations, Sword Master Tang."

This congratulation was an Imperial Court certification, declaring that the matter was settled.

Xue Yeyu watched from the side and clapped her hands. Suddenly, the sound of fluttering wings arose, and countless owls draped in colorful ribbons flew out from the forest. They flew over the venue like colorful clouds, changing formations as if dancing, creating a spectacular sight, and scattered countless petals like fireworks, announcing the success of the sword casting. Immediately after, Fu Qinghuan sat by the water and played a cheerful tune on her pipa in celebration.

In fact, Xue Yeyu had originally decided to set off fireworks, but since the surroundings were full of water birds and fish, setting off fireworks to startle them would not be beautiful, so she had carefully prepared this marvelous scene of the Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers. Her owls could transport goods, drop thunder, and scatter flowers—truly all-rounders.

The Young Inspector's congratulations were formal, and Tang Zhao hurriedly thanked her, grateful for the favor of validating his work. The Young Inspector asked again: "May I ask, Sword Master Tang, are you willing to share your Sword Casting ideas?"

This request seemed abrupt, but it was actually an ancient custom.

In ancient times, the Yin Calamity was fierce, and people were retreating steadily on the front lines, with a very small number of Sword Guests. At that time, the Sword Casting Art had not yet formed a system, and people mainly relied on their own exploration. Thus, everyone shared a common hatred for the enemy and was happy to share. Anyone who successfully cast a sword was willing to explain their Sword Casting method in public to inspire those who came after, so that if other Sword Smiths succeeded, they would have one more teammate. Many Sword Casting Arts, Sword Casting ideas, and material formulas appeared in that era, and Sword Smiths survived the most difficult times by communicating and promoting each other.

But today is not like the past. Although swords are still treasures, they are not so scarce. Sword Smiths hide their own knowledge, and even three people casting swords would split into different schools; let alone the prejudice of sectarianism, it is literally "the hearts of men are not as they were in the past." The Young Inspector was just asking according to etiquette; if Tang Zhao refused, then he refused, and they would quickly proceed to the next step of the process.

Tang Zhao smiled and said: "I wouldn't dare call it sharing, but I can chat with everyone about a few of my thoughts."

The Young Inspector was very surprised that someone would actually be so generous. Naturally, she could only praise him, saying: "Good. Casting an Ancient Sword, following ancient rites, and possessing the style of ancient sages is truly admirable. Please speak, Sword Master Tang." Having said that, she stepped back a few paces.

The process had suddenly added a step, but most of the people present were indifferent. Since they had already come and had eaten breakfast, they were in no rush to start the banquet.

Those Talisman Sword Masters, however, became excited. Especially the little friends who had participated in the Talisman Assembly, such as Wu Yunfei, Ju Tianxuan, and Chu Shanxia, almost all recalled the scene when Tang Zhao gave a lecture on stage back then. That was a major topic second only to Zhu Yang's research on souls; that scene was very brilliant at the time and still worth savoring now. This time, there was even the "dry goods" of Sword Casting to share. Except for Yun Xiyan, almost everyone was focused, wishing they could sit in the front row.

Tang Zhao bowed on stage just as he had before, only now he was much more composed. He smiled and said: "Everyone already knows that the sword I cast is an Ancient Sword. The direction of an Ancient Sword is clear, but it has few variations. I didn't start out to cast a sword for the masses, but to cast a sword for myself. Therefore, I had already decided on the Sword Intent before I even cast the sword."

Ordinary people were fine hearing this, but the Talisman Sword Masters were very stunned: Isn't this going too far?

What is meant by "deciding" the Sword Intent? Is Sword Intent something you can just decide? Even saying you plan or choose the Sword Intent is already too much; how could you possibly use the word "decide"?

"It is very difficult to decide the Sword Intent according to one's own ideas, but fortunately, this Sword Seed was compatible with me, and I had long known my own direction, so the direction of the sword was determined from the beginning. However, there is still a very long way to go from the general direction to the specific Sword Intent, and I have always been troubled by it. One must first limit the Sword Intent to a large range. First, delineate a large area, then, like a siege, narrow the range bit by bit, and finally shrink it to a single point. What remains in the end is the Sword Intent I have chosen."

Right, how was that done?

Hurry up and tell us; this is an earth-shattering innovation. If one can really decide the Sword Intent, everyone could tailor-make swords in the future—how much efficiency would that increase?

"But I pondered for a long time and could never grasp the essence, so I didn't dare to cast the sword. However, my master succeeded in casting a sword at this time, and the Sword Intent of his sword was something he had decided long ago, and it was cast without the slightest deviation—it could be called a miracle. I asked him for advice on how he did it. He said that the selection of this Sword Intent is not a matter of a single day or night; it must be carefully pondered, just like a treasure sword polished for ten years. I received his hands-on guidance and finally passed this hurdle. Then I set the Sword Intent and chose the materials according to the Sword Intent. My material selection was also a strategy decided long ago..."

It's over?

A pile of question marks rose above everyone's heads, and next to each question mark was a two-character annotation:

"That's it?"

Didn't this say nothing at all? Truly, listening to your words is like listening to your words.

You asked your master for advice and passed this hurdle, but we didn't ask your master for advice! What did you ask? You should at least tell us!

Are you playing with us?

Even the few young people who had a good relationship with Tang Zhao couldn't help but curse inwardly. At most, those with a close enough relationship could find excuses for Tang Zhao: "Such secrets shouldn't be told in public anyway; it's not bad that he mentioned a direction." Those who didn't have a good enough relationship were left with nothing but cursing.

But Tang Zhao immediately stopped mentioning this and switched to talking about his material matching strategy. Don't say, this step actually had some real substance. Especially since he chose pure "gold" materials in pursuit of purity, integrating and matching various gold materials without making the sword too rigid and prone to breaking, nor letting it go to extremes—there was a lot of knowledge in this, all of which were strategies Tang Zhao had constructed himself, and it was very worth listening to. The Talisman Sword Masters gradually listened in, and thus gradually forgot the unpleasantness of being played earlier.

After all, this was not a Talisman Assembly, and there was no purpose of academic exchange; it was already good enough that he let you listen, and one shouldn't demand too much. Only some people would hear the overtones in it.

Time was limited, and Tang Zhao only shared a few key points before stopping and saluting the crowd. Naturally, there was thunderous applause from below, mainly to show support. Except for the few Talisman Sword Masters who had gained something, the others who didn't understand the trade had long wished he would shut up and start the banquet. The two inspectors also said a few congratulatory words, hoping in their words that he would sign the Sword Casting Record. Tang Zhao still smiled and changed the subject, not making a decision.

The two were helpless, only hating that their authority was insufficient to control the scene, so they had to step down first. Only then did others come up to continue observing the sword. Since they were all invited guests, everyone was treated equally, so there was no strict order; local, out-of-town, friendly, malicious, academic, and Jianghu guests... guests of all types came up to observe the sword. Most people took a quick look, couldn't see anything, and mainly offered praise. A few tried to pick up the sword, and Tang Zhao did not stop them, but in the end, no one caused any abnormality; the new sword was like an iceberg, unmoved by anyone.

There were also some who didn't understand but would ask questions. For those who understood and were willing to discuss, Tang Zhao discussed with them, with give and take, and would never be stumped. For those laymen who asked some inexplicable or even ridiculous questions, Tang Zhao also treated them with courtesy and answered patiently, not letting the other party lose face. As for those who were clearly malicious or even provocative, before Tang Zhao could retort, Xue Xianyun would jump up and spray them back directly.

In fact, Xue Xianyun might not be quick-witted, sharp in speech, or necessarily able to win an argument with others, but he could put aside his pride. He didn't rush to reason, but first scolded the other party from head to toe, winning in momentum. The other party would immediately fall into a disadvantage and lose the spirit to find fault. If the scolding went too far, Xue Yeyu would come out to mediate, pulling the two sides apart in a few words.

By the end, an old woman came on stage to observe the sword. Her expression was kind and she was gentle and polite. Tang Zhao accompanied her on the side, showing full respect for the elderly.

The old woman looked at it once, praised it a few times, and suddenly said: "Since Manor Master Xue has also cast a sword and has a new sword in hand, why not display it for us to admire as well, so that good things come in pairs?"