Only now did Jiang Chen understand why even someone of Chongxuan Sheng's stature had envied Lian Que's offer to forge a sword for him.
Judging by this sword furnace alone, its output was anything but ordinary.
Inside the sword grove, there was only this single furnace.
Outside the furnace there was not even a shelter — presumably it did not fear wind or rain.
At the moment, no one else was present besides Lian Que and Jiang Chen.
The furnace had been reserved by Lian Que for the day.
Lian Que performed an elaborate series of ancient rites before the sword furnace — kneeling, prostrating, muttering incantations under his breath, every gesture full of reverence.
These were presumably the customary rites of the Lian Clan before forging a sword. Others were not required to follow.
But Jiang Chen still bowed deeply three times with perfect sincerity.
The fire seed within this furnace had never been extinguished — not when the old kingdom fell, not when they were driven from their homeland.
That weight, spanning across the long river of time, warranted his respect.
When the rites concluded, Lian Que rose to his feet and asked, "Have you decided what kind of sword you want?"
Jiang Chen was caught off guard.
Wasn't this something the weapon smith was supposed to decide?
Lian Que saw his expression and knew he had not thought it through.
He shook his head. "This is your sword. It will grow into your heart, your intent, your hand. First you must understand your hand, your intent, your heart."
"Sit here and meditate for a while. Empty your mind." Lian Que walked toward the back of the furnace. "I need to go over the materials one more time."
My hand, my intent... my heart?
Jiang Chen had journeyed here with a clear heart, knowing precisely what he wanted. He had always pressed forward with unwavering resolve.
But what kind of sword he wanted — he had genuinely never given it much thought.
Something stronger the better, presumably?
Sharp? Indestructible?
Inscribed with supreme Dao arts? Carrying boundless power of its own?
He trusted Lian Que's authority as a weapon smith completely, and regardless of whether the ground was clean, he sat cross-legged at once and began to meditate, emptying his mind.
Lian Que was at the furnace side, running his fingers over mineral ore. He glanced back and saw that Jiang Chen had already entered a state of deep meditation, and gave a nod of approval.
Whatever the reason the version of himself in the Celestial Residence Secret Realm had handed over his Life Tablet, at the very least he had not misjudged this person.
This man's talent and temperament were both of the highest order.
Once Jiang Chen entered meditation, he lost all sense of time, his mind becoming perfectly vacant.
It was a wondrous feeling — as if a great burden had been lifted, his thoughts light and ethereal. But it did not mean he had abandoned all vigilance.
Chatter and laughter suddenly reached his ears. A group of people had passed through the sword formation and arrived before the furnace.
Jiang Chen opened his eyes and saw the young man at their head addressing Lian Que with a tone that was neither warm nor cold. "Well, Brother Lian Que, what are you doing here too?"
Lian Que did not seem like a man of good temper, yet for some reason he showed no anger toward this person. He simply said, "The sword furnace will be sealed for the next few days, until my forging is complete. Lian Shao, if you wish to admire the furnace, I'm afraid you will have to wait."
Lian Shao had the typical features of a Nanyao City man — dark skin, tall and broad-shouldered, with a square face and well-formed features.
Of course, simply having well-formed features already put him far ahead of Lian Que in that regard.
"The Ancient Furnace for forging weapons — even for you, one only gets three chances in a lifetime. And you've already given one away?"
Lian Shao feigned surprise and turned to look at Jiang Chen sitting in meditation on the ground. "And who might this distinguished person be?"
He knew perfectly well who it was.
After Lian Que had thrown himself into the Celestial Residence Secret Realm with great fanfare and come out empty-handed, the whole affair had long since spread through Nanyao. Many were now saying that he had knelt and begged for mercy in the Secret Realm, even surrendering his Life Tablet, just to save his own life.
The reason he was working so diligently to forge Jiang Chen's sword was because it had been a deal struck inside the Secret Realm.
No one knew who had started these rumors, and there was no way to refute them. After all, no one remembered what had happened inside the Celestial Residence Secret Realm, and the fact remained that Lian Que had emerged with nothing and given up his Life Tablet.
Since Lian Que himself was not angry, there was no need for Jiang Chen to step forward aggressively. He simply sat with his legs crossed and said, "I am Jiang Chen — nothing so distinguished as you suggest. I'm just Brother Lian Que's friend."
"So it's Brother Jiang. Your reputation precedes you." Lian Shao cupped his hands in a cursory greeting, then turned with a smile. "I must thank you for returning my Brother Lian Que's Life Tablet. Truly an act of great magnanimity!"
Since the end of the Celestial Residence Secret Realm, Jiang Chen was no longer unknown in the State of Qi. On one hand, he had been slated for an Inner Palace of Divine Ability. On the other, he was Chongxuan Sheng's close friend.
These two facts alone meant that as long as Lian Shao was not a complete fool, he would have no reason to provoke Jiang Chen without cause. The hostility was aimed at Lian Que.
Jiang Chen shook his head. "Perhaps you don't know me well yet, but you will in the future. I am not someone who enjoys making threats. If there is enmity between us, it tends to be resolved in only one way — life or death. The Life Tablet was surely nothing more than a token of goodwill from Brother Lian Que. I would hardly be so shameless as to use it as leverage."
From Lian Shao's words, he had grasped the public relations困境 that Lian Que now faced, and felt compelled to offer an explanation.
Whatever had happened in the Celestial Residence Secret Realm, Lian Que was now dedicating his full effort to forging this sword. That was all that mattered.
Moreover, he would be staying in the State of Qi for some time, and it was important for the people of Qi to have some understanding of who he was.
These words served both to clear Lian Que's name and to display his own stance and strength.
Lian Que himself, however, seemed entirely indifferent to it all. He simply issued a polite dismissal: "Enough, Lian Shao. Before the forging begins you could stay here, but I am about to start now. By the rules, you must leave."
Sarcasm proved useless. Provocation went unanswered.
With the family rules invoked, Lian Shao had no further excuse to linger. He had no choice but to leave in a huff, taking his entourage with him.
Jiang Chen watched him return through the sword formation, lost in thought.
"You seem puzzled — how can my temper be so good?" Lian Que asked as he walked over.
Jiang Chen gave an awkward smile. "I am a bit curious."
"Lian Shao is not actually a bad person." Lian Que came over and formed a hand seal, locking down the sword formation.
Then he said casually, "He is simply a pitiable man."
Jiang Chen looked at him, waiting for more.
"In each generation of the Lian Clan, only ten people are permitted to command their own Life Tablet. I am one of them. He is not."
Lian Que said only this much and offered no further explanation.
Even before hearing about the Life Tablet outside the Celestial Residence Secret Realm, Jiang Chen had found it puzzling.
In any place, to have one's life controlled by another was a most pitiable thing. The Lian Clan was so renowned — why would they establish such a system?
But Lian Que showed no intention of elaborating, and it was not his place to press further.
"Come here. Sit on the meditation cushion to the left of the sword furnace." Lian Que directed him, handing over a crimson round stone about the size of an infant's fist. "Hold it in both hands and channel your Dao essence into it."
Jiang Chen did as instructed.
Lian Que explained, "This is the fire stone corresponding to the sword furnace. The furnace has sufficient power of its own. You channel your Dao essence simply to help the sword grow more familiar with you during the forging process, so that it better suits your intent."
"As you channel, it would be best to empty your mind and enter meditation. That way the Dao essence you pour in is purer and more truly representative of your inner self. When your Dao essence is exhausted, simply stop — don't push yourself. It won't affect my forging."
Then he added, "Of course, lasting a bit longer would be better."
Lian Que did not bring over a pile of Dao Essence Stones for Jiang Chen to replenish with at will.
Under normal circumstances, Dao Essence Stones could not be extracted instantly — there had to be a period of regulated breathing. That process itself would interrupt the infusion.
Each craft has its own mastery.
In the matter of forging this sword, Jiang Chen placed his unconditional trust in Lian Que. He did not presume to offer any suggestions or ideas.
He was not so arrogant as to challenge the Lian Clan's millennia of weapon-forging history with his own shallow understanding.
Whatever Lian Que said, he would do.
He sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion to the left of the sword furnace, closed his eyes, and entered meditation. His Dao essence flowed in a ceaseless stream into the crimson round stone in his palms.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
For a moment it was as if all the world had gone silent, and only the sound of the furnace fire remained.
It was hard to say which was following which.
In the end, it slowly merged with his own heartbeat.