"Stop flattering me, speak like a human." Han Yan said grumpily.
"Hehe, this sword looks so ugly, it certainly doesnât match your status, young master. Besides, with your abilities, you donât need this sword for self-defense, why not give one to me?" Zirong grinned sheepishly and said.
"Pick for yourself." The swords were originally prepared by Han Yan for them, so he didnât refuse.
"I want one too. Iâve been forging iron these past days till my throat is dry. Even if I havenât contributed much, Iâve worked hard, right? I deserve a share in this." Jiang Yuzhe followed up quickly. There were only two swords left, and he had been with Han Yan for a shorter time than Huayue, so he was worried he wouldnât get one.
But his worry was unnecessary, as Huayue clearly had no intention of competing, standing silently on the side.
"Huayue, donât you want one?" Han Yan didnât want to shortchange him, so he asked.
"Too ugly." Huayue said with a face full of disdain.
Angang and the Little Auspicious Beast, who had somehow popped out from his pocket, nodded repeatedly at Huayue, clearly sharing the sentiment.
"Be good and stay put." This little blow struck Han Yan, who promptly pressed the two little creatures back.
"Alright, you two divide them among yourselves then." Seeing Huayue wasnât interested, Han Yan didnât insist. After all, he still had a Demon-breaking Spear, which was not inferior to the Cold Sky Sword. However, Huayue still couldnât unleash its full potential just yet.
As soon as Han Yan finished speaking, both Zirong and Jiang Yuzhe reached out for the sword that looked slightly more decent.
"Wait, better test its power first." Ye Lanfeng suddenly intervened, stopping the two.
"Alright." Han Yan nodded. Being the first attempt, they didnât know what the power would be like, or if there were any issues, better to test it first.
"Iâll defend, you attack." Ye Lanfeng drew out the "Broken Sword" and lightly flicked it. That bendy, incredibly ugly sword flew towards Han Yan.
Han Yan caught the longsword and instinctively slashed at Ye Lanfeng.
The strength gap was too large, and there wasnât much need for preparation. Besides, it was impossible to harm Ye Lanfeng, so a casual sword strike would do.
Ye Lanfeng held his sword horizontally in front of him.
"Clang," a light sound, the incredibly ugly sword in Han Yanâs hand broke in two.
Huayue and the others were stunned, Han Yan and Ye Lanfeng were both merely going through the motions, not exerting much cultivation, testing only the quality of the sword itself.
The longsword in Han Yanâs hand wasnât as good as Ye Lanfengâs "Broken Sword," but it was still of decent quality. It had been repeatedly forged in the furnace, and then Han Yan had refined it with a powerful energy secret technique, heavily sealing cultivation within. Even if it was subpar, the result shouldnât have been like this, as fragile as it was.
After so many days of hard work, resulting in such an outcome, Han Yan was quite disappointed.
Holding the broken sword, Han Yan concentrated her divine sense to "see" closely and understood the reason. The high temperature of the furnace combined with repeated forging, added to her Heavenly Heart Technique, although it removed impurities, still damaged the sword body.
One must know that a Swordsmithâs craft over ten years of sword making isnât just about removing impurities. A truly good sword, from the tip to the blade, guard to the hilt, undergoes repeated tempering, forging, and grinding, with no room for error. Only then can the sword body evenly bear force, withstand stronger energies, and unleash greater power.
Their chaotic work turned a decent sword into something neither knife, sword, axe, nor sickle. It merely improved the metalâs quality, but lowered the overall quality of the weapon, rendering it unable to withstand strong slashes.
Simply put, with her current abilities, if she wants to seal cultivation on an ordinary longsword, she must master Sword Casting Technique at least, ensuring the swordâs appearance is flawless. Rather than learning such techniques, itâs more viable to honestly improve her cultivation.
"Letâs just stop." Han Yan lost interest completely.
"Boom" at that moment, the broken sword tip on the ground exploded, scattering fragments everywhere.
Fortunately, Ye Lanfeng was nearby, and with a sleeve wave, an invisible Gang Qi enveloped the shards, preventing any injuries.
"The power is quite strong." Han Yan chuckled bitterly. Such a result wasnât unexpected; her cultivation in the Sword Master Realm couldnât be withstood by a regular sword, and breaking into two only weakened its endurance.
"Do you still want this one?" Han Yan picked up the last remaining longsword and asked Zirong and Jiang Yuzhe. It was a labor of love; discarding it seemed a waste.
"Iâll pass, I want to live long." Jiang Yuzhe shook his head vigorously. Standing closest earlier, he deeply felt the power when the sword blasted. Had it not been for Ye Lanfengâs timely intervention, his strength couldnât have withstood a blast akin to Han Yan herself striking.
"I want it, I want it." Zirong had no such scruples; seeing Jiang Yuzhe giving up, he gleefully accepted the longsword.
"Be careful, donât hurt yourself." Han Yan checked and found the seal within the sword stable. As long as it wasnât snapped in two like before, it should be safe, so he handed the sword to Zirong. At least it could serve as a memento.
"Donât worry, young master, I havenât lived enough yet." Zirong spun the sword a few times, looking quite pleased.
"Hey, Brother Han Yan, is this the longsword you crafted yourself?" Just then, a jarring voice came from the courtyard entrance.
Turning his head, he saw Mu Chengyangâs face, more annoying than his voice.
Outside the courtyard, many pretended to pass by, or poked their heads around the corner, curiously peeping this way.
Han Yanâs recent antics stirred quite a scene. Rumors spread that this idle playboy suddenly got interested in Sword Casting, attracting many waiting for a laugh.
Nevertheless, knowing Mu, daring to provoke after experiencing Big Playboy Muâs tricks, wasnât so common. But seeing Mu Chengyang show up, many gathered for the spectacle.
"Why are you here?" Already in a bad mood, Han Yan felt even more annoyed hearing Mu Chengyangâs sarcastic tone. How could he not know this guy came specially to mock him? The fool hadnât learned from the slap last time. Laughing at Big Playboy Mu wasnât that easy!