First Immortal of the Sword

ws had been burnt clean off.
What little sparse hair he’d once had was gone; he was now fully bald and red as a soy-marinated egg. 

He gnashed his teeth, clearly beside himself with rage.

Su Yi, meanwhile, looked calm and focused.
He held pliers in his hand, with which he held the crude outline of his sword.
He held it in front of him and examined it.
The unfinished blade was dark throughout, with a faint purple luster.
That aside, there didn’t seem to be anything special about it. 

“The shape of the sword actually looks pretty good….” said one of the weaponsmiths in surprise.

“It’s still just an outline,” said another.
“We still have to see whether or not it can withstand tempering.
I certainly don’t think it can.
Even if it does, how good can a weapon made from such a crude hunk of metal possibly be?”

“A good weapon needs both quality materials and a good edge.
This kid came here to cause trouble, so he ought to be able to make a good sword!” laughed one of the smiths in a blatant attempt to fan the flames and stir up trouble. 

They’re clearly just here to watch him make a fool of himself! Huang Qianjun laughed coldly to himself, but he said nothing. We’ll see who’s laughing in the end.

Then, they watched as Su Yi put the crude metal bar onto the anvil, raised a massive hammer with his right hand, and swung it.

Clang! 

Sparks scattered in all directions, and deafening booms rang out.

The audience’s eardrums buzzed, and despite themselves, they looked stunned. That kid’s raw power sure is something! That hammer’s massive, but in his hands, it looks as light as a feather.
He’s controlling it as easily as if it were a part of his body.

Wang Tianyang watched Su Yi’s movements with rapt attention, eagerly waiting for him to make a fool of himself….

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal against metal echoed throughout the workshop.
Every time the massive hammer landed, sparks flew like fireworks, the sight dazzlingly beautiful.

Everyone gradually realized that something wasn’t quite right. 

Before long, one of the weaponsmiths couldn’t help but exclaim, “What technique is this? Listen to that! It’s got a distinct cadence, almost like breathing.
Now look at the sword! It’s like it’s responding to the hammer, resonating with every impact.
It’s as if they’re connected even from a distance!”

The others looked bewildered; they could sense what was happening too.

Amidst the scattering sparks, every blow of the hammer had an indescribable rhythm.
Beneath the relentless onslaught of blows, the crude, coarse outline of the sword shrank, becoming denser and more compact, taking shape…..

“Has that kid really mastered some unique method of forging swords?”

All of the swordsmiths were wondering the same thing, and their expressions became far graver and more serious.

At first, Su Yi’s arrogance had infuriated them, and they’d already prepared what they were going to say after his attempt to forge a sword inevitably failed.
They’d teach him that every industry had its own complexities, the importance of respecting experts, as well as the price one paid for overestimating their own abilities. 

But now….

No one would dare entertain such thoughts. 

These were experienced smiths who worked the forge year-round.
There was no way’d miss how extraordinary Su Yi’s technique was!

See? Look at that! Huang Qianjun shouted to himself. I just knew that once Brother Su took action, he could convince those arrogant old farts!

It’ll be just like what happened back at the Apricot Clinic!

Huang Qianjun couldn’t help but glance at Wang Tianyang.

The balding grandmaster swordsmith stood there like a statue, completely dazed as he watched Su Yi’s movements.
His expression shifted, and his chest heaved.

He was clearly agitated!

Haha, hahaha! So even Elder Wang, the fiery-tempered brothel frequenter, is stunned? Huang Qianjun was so delighted he almost burst into laughter.

He’d never seen Wang Tianyang lose control like this!

The old man was so proud, he disregarded even Huang Yunchong.
Yet now, he might very well lower his head before Su Yi!

Some time later—

Clang!

The clear hum of a sword reverberated throughout the room.
To the audience, it was like the voice of divinity, stunning them to their senses and shaking them out of their scattered thoughts.

It drew even Huang Qianjun’s gaze and attention.

What he saw was—

A two foot, seven inch sword, three fingers wide, the blade a clear, bright black.
Su Yi clutched it by the hilt.

Although it was black, it had an ethereal quality to it, like the night sky.
It was double-edged, and it glinted with subtle flashes of light. 

Su Yi shifted his wrists, and the inky darkness of the sword flashed with a faint, gleaming purple luster, giving it an additional, illusory air. 

“This….” All of the weaponsmiths were moved.
Their gazes heated up, and they looked entranced.
This was a sword with spirituality!

Facing it, their proud hearts silently gave it.
They were convinced. 

That sword is in no way comparable to ordinary weapons! Huang Qianjun’s heart thudded in his chest.
Just looking at the sword, he felt a sharp, pricking sensation.
There was no way he’d miss how extraordinary it was!

Bzzz!

Su Yi tapped his index finger lightly against the blade, and the sword flashed with purple light and rumbled like thunder, the sound filling the room.

When he saw this, Su Yi nodded with a hint of satisfaction.

Although this wasn’t really a spiritual weapon, after adding the Purple-Streaked Gold, it had a trace of spirituality to it.
This elevated it far beyond ordinary swords, putting it right at the border between mortal and spiritual weapons!

“You….
What kind of sword forging technique was that?” Wang Tianyang had been silent all this time, but he finally spoke up.
His gaze was bewildered, as if he’d lost his soul, or as if he were too stunned to think straight. 

Su Yi glanced at the swordsmith.
“Want to learn? I can teach you.”

Wang Tianyang shook from head to toe, and his eyes widened, as if he dared not believe his ears.

His expression changed dramatically, flitting back and forth.

Finally, beneath the crowd’s watchful eyes, the famed grandmaster swordsmith of Guangling City lowered his head in shame and bowed low at the waist.

“Young Lord, your methods are ingenious.
I can only look up to you!”

“Young Lord, you’re a visionary.
I can only look up to you!”

His voice was solemn, and the rest of the room fell silent.