Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 210 - 210 209 Trying Sword Refining

210: Chapter 209: Trying Sword Refining 210: Chapter 209: Trying Sword Refining In fact, Yu Zhengxing’s guess was not accurate; only a very few disciples from various states in the Quanzhen Sect managed to arrive in Jin City, and most did not, including the so-called real core—disciples from Jade Capital.

Based on the travel time, they should have arrived by now since they had set off after receiving the news, but their absence could only indicate that the departure date was still far off.

Being closest to the power center of the Quanzhen Sect, they naturally had more accurate information.

As a host waits for guests, or villagers wait for city folks, small places wait for bigger ones—this is the reality of the world.

He had no objections, and this period was perfect for preparing some sword refining materials for himself.

Once a sword cultivator developed Sword Consciousness, he could refine swords by himself.

In this aspect, the secret techniques of the Quanzhen Sect were unmatched across the Jinxiu Continent.

The reason he hadn’t started was firstly, he hadn’t mastered the technique, and secondly, he lacked the materials, leaving him no choice but to wait until now.

The art of sword refining was not something every disciple had access to; various conditions were required, such as at least reaching the Bridge Connection Realm and being a recognized elite disciple; he now met these conditions, so he successfully obtained the sword refining method.

After some study, he finally gained a general understanding of sword cultivation.

The method of Quanzhen Sword Refining wasn’t complicated or filled with countless options like Daoist techniques.

It consisted of only one method, and every sword cultivator refined swords according to this, of course, the process varied with each individual, following a single principle but with personal preferences.

Overall, sword refining came in two types: inner and outer refinement, each with its advantages and inclinations.

The method of external refinement involved choosing specific materials as a Sword Grinding Stone, which was used daily to grind the sword.

This process did not use ordinary fire or external force but solely relied on the cultivator’s own Qi Gang between the sword and the material, creating a Qi Gang fusion layer through grinding, where the desired materials were substituted into the sword.

Just like a chef grinding a kitchen knife, hence it is also called the method of grinding swords.

The method of inner refinement involved placing the flying sword inside the body, refining it with the Five Elements Qi, melding with the Sword Gang, and gradually turning the flying sword into the desired form.

Therefore, the external method is coarse refinement, and the internal method is fine refinement, only then can one form a truly lethal weapon for combat and duels.

Hou Niao had no choice but to choose coarse refinement because incorporating the sword into the body after reaching the Tongxuan realm and generating Mana was foundational, and he wasn’t capable of that yet.

In sword cultivation, the entire process did not entail lighting a furnace or using fire, whether ordinary, divine, or Immortal Fire; this was based on the experience of thousands of years from sword cultivator predecessors.

It was not due to inability, but because swords forged with fire might be refined much faster, yet they would inherently possess defects in merging sword and man, and imperfection might arise due to various factors during the forging process.

Thus, the simplest and seemingly dumbest method is, in fact, the best method, where the cultivator used their own Qi Gang to grind the sword daily, infusing it with essence, Qi, and spirit; although this process was slow, it deepened the integration between man and sword, the man knowing the sword, the sword understanding the man.

When the sword was coarsely refined, it became a part of one’s life, and there was no need for further adaptation; unlike using a furnace to forge, where the sword was quickly made, but actually adapting to it took a long time.

Now, what Hou Niao needed to consider was finding such a Sword Grinding Stone.

In Jin City, there were specialized shops selling these stones, which were a feature not exclusively sold in other countries but unique to Shan Country.

Those entering and leaving the shops were mostly cultivators at the Bridge Connection Realm, with a few Fasting cultivators also present, observing with keen interest.

Among the buyers, no one could judge whether this cultivator had developed sword consciousness or not, as it was the cultivator’s secret; however, according to Yu Zhengxing, those who had developed sword consciousness were a minority, and most sword cultivators bought sword grinding stones mainly to assist in developing sword consciousness through daily grinding.

True and false, illusion and reality.

Hou Niao spent the entire day inspecting all the sword grinding stones in Jin City’s shops, not because he wanted to be picky, but because he wanted Lonely Sword to choose for itself; when Lonely Sword contacted the material best suited to it, it would emit a faint tremor, and he determined Lonely Sword’s choice through the strength of the tremor.

Developing sword consciousness did not mean the birth of a sword spirit; it was a future goal, so it could not speak.

The way it expressed its intentions was through the trembling of the sword body, and only the owner who had developed sword consciousness could clearly grasp its likes and dislikes.

As dusk approached, he made a decision.

Wanshi Square was somewhat famous among the sword grinding stone shops in Jin City for its variety and wide coverage.

Thousands of types were an exaggeration, but there were indeed hundreds, encompassing everything imaginable and unimaginable.

Stone was just a term; in fact, most of the sword grinding stones here were primarily various metals, which was characteristic of swords; sharpness and hardness were the primary requirements, then came the others.

Seeing him, shopkeeper Pang smiled slightly, knowing this sale was secured; the young man had already visited around noon, just for a preliminary selection, and of course, he knew the principle of comparing prices at three shops; coming in now meant he had already made up his mind.

For a sword cultivator, the sword grinding stone was not something to compromise on, as it related to the future direction of a sword cultivator.

Slowly stepping forward, “Daoist, which one did you fancy?

I can bring it out for you to test with the sword.”

Hou Niao nodded, his gaze finally resting on an inconspicuous blackish stone, the size of a millstone, extraordinarily irregular, clearly a natural creation, untouched by human tools.

He never thought about finding bargains or taking advantage in transactions due to his nature; with the time spent thinking about these unreliable outer paths, it would be better to practice swordsmanship more genuinely; besides, humans being what they are, once they gain an advantage, they think about the next time, endlessly, slowly becoming addicted, eventually developing the temperament of a merchant, which is not what a sword cultivator pursues.

Thus, his attitude when visiting the shops was purposeful; if he had no needs, he would leave, not quibbling over small matters.

But the tremor from Lonely Sword helped him choose such an item placed in a corner, seemingly unasked for by anyone; this was no longer something he could decide.

“This stone, it looks a bit like a meteorite, what is its origin?”

Pang slapped the stone and said, “Daoist has good eyes; this is a heavenly-fallen meteorite that has been in the store for nearly a hundred years now.

Who brought it here or where it came from, these questions are now unverifiable.

Is there anything special about it?

The truth is, if it were really special, it wouldn’t have remained until now.

Da Feng Plain has countless sword cultivators, tens of thousands have visited my shop over the past hundred years, and it seems none have noticed anything special?

I’ve also had experts who specialize in this field evaluate it, but the results were ambiguous, and it’s hard to clarify to which of the Five Elements it belongs.

Over the century, it has been sold several times, each buyer attracted by its uniqueness, expecting unexpected gains, but without exception, all were disappointed and returned it after some time of using it for sword grinding.

My shop is an established brand, and I never deceive people.

If Daoist chooses it, please be cautious.”