txolops Chapter 71 Sword Tempering Mission
Chapter 71 Sword Tempering Mission
The years of cultivating immortality pass quickly, and five years have gone by in the blink of an eye.
During this period, a momentous event occurred in the cultivation world that shook the entire region.
In the southern border region of the mainland, there lies a boundless wilderness that people in the south call the Mulan Grassland.
The Mulan people, who live on the grasslands, have a cultivation system that is completely different from that of traditional immortal cultivators; they are known to the world as Dharma Masters.
These sorcerers were skilled in the Five Elements Daoist arts, and combined with the unique environment and secret techniques of the grasslands, they evolved a school of thought that was very different from traditional cultivators—"Spiritual Arts".
With this magical technique, the Mulan people often have the upper hand in battles between people of the same level.
Due to the scarcity of cultivation resources on the grasslands, the Mulan people frequently invaded from the north. To resist this external threat, the cultivation communities of nine kingdoms in the southern part of the land united to form the Nine Kingdoms Alliance.
Originally, due to the expansion of both the righteous and demonic paths, many sects fled south and joined the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, which greatly increased the strength of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance and enabled them to successfully reclaim a lot of lost territory.
Unexpectedly, the Mulan people soon received reinforcements from other tribes, and after several major battles, the Nine Kingdoms Alliance suffered heavy losses.
Forced into a corner, the Nine Kingdoms Alliance simply declared to the Righteous Alliance and the Demonic Alliance behind them: if they did not provide assistance, they would simply open their defenses and allow the Mulan people to advance unimpeded!
As a result, neither the righteous nor the demonic factions could sit idly by and had no choice but to contribute manpower and resources to support the front lines. Then, the two alliances reconsidered and felt something was amiss—although your Heavenly Dao Alliance is located in the far north, both of our factions have already joined the war, yet you are still standing idly by. Is that reasonable?
Faced with pressure from both the righteous and demonic paths, and considering the need to maintain stability in Tiannan, the leaders of the Heavenly Alliance, Long Han and Feng Bing, ultimately ordered the various sects in the north to "voluntarily" participate, drawing manpower and resources to go south to assist in the battle.
As one of the core sects of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the Luoyun Sect naturally could not remain uninvolved. Led by its Supreme Elder Lü Luo, and accompanied by Elder Feng and several Core Formation cultivators, along with more than twenty elite Foundation Establishment disciples, they marched south to participate in the battle.
The first large-scale clash between Tiannan and Mulan thus broke out. The battle was exceptionally fierce, with both sides suffering heavy losses. On Tiannan's side alone, thousands of cultivators perished.
The Luoyun Sect also paid a heavy price in this battle. Several Foundation Establishment disciples were buried on the battlefield, and even Peak Master Song, a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, was seriously injured and almost died.
The day the battle report reached the sect, Song Yu was worried for a long time. Lin Jingchu felt helpless and could only silently stay by her side. Fortunately, Song Yu's injuries eventually stabilized, and she returned safely to the sect with her team.
After this battle, the four major powers of Tiannan put aside their past conflicts and temporarily united against a common enemy. Having witnessed the fighting prowess of the Tiannan cultivators, the Mulan people ceased launching large-scale invasions, only occasionally engaging in small-scale cross-border raids.
However, such battles are too far away from the three sects of Yunmeng Mountain Range. The three sects only need to allocate resources and send manpower to support the Nine Kingdoms Alliance in a timely manner.
……
On this day, Lin Jingchu had just returned from the bamboo house in Youtan when he suddenly saw a giant magic ship, more than twenty feet long, breaking through the sea of clouds and slowly descending toward the Luoyun Sect's mountain gate.
It turns out that the French ship that was transporting supplies to the southern border this year has arrived.
Because of the long distance from the Nine Kingdoms Alliance's defense line, the Heavenly Dao Alliance would first gather in one place before transporting supplies to the south.
This ship is carrying the supplies and personnel that the three sects of Yunmeng need to transport south. Luoyun Sect is its last stop. After loading is complete, it will set off southeast, eventually arriving at the headquarters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Luanming Sect.
Having nothing else to do, Lin Jingchu immediately set off on his Azure Wing Boat to join the commotion.
At the mountain gate, many disciples of the Luoyun Sect were busy loading boxes of sealed supplies onto the ship.
On the deck of the giant ship, more than twenty disciples from the three sects were gathered. Their auras were refined, and their cultivation levels were all at or above the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Lin Jingchu's gaze casually swept over the crowd on the deck, then suddenly stopped and landed on a familiar figure standing with his sword.
He steered his boat a little closer and called out, "Brother Bai!"
Bai Haozhi turned his head upon hearing the voice, and upon seeing the person who had come, his expression was filled with joy.
He rose into the air and hovered in front of the Azure Winged Boat. "Junior Brother Lin, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to have already broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Congratulations."
Lin Jingchu smiled and said, "Junior brother only has a smattering of knowledge in minor arts such as weapon crafting and array formation. He has no shortage of spirit stones, which is why he was able to successfully break through two years ago."
On the deck, a senior brother from the Luoyun Sect, upon hearing this, suddenly laughed loudly, "Junior Brother Lin, you're too modest! What do you mean by 'somewhat knowledgeable'? Your skills in refining weapons and setting up formations are known to everyone in the sect, and everyone admires you!"
Lin Jingchu waved his hands repeatedly: "Senior brother, you flatter me. I am ashamed, I am ashamed."
The senior brother chuckled, "Since you flatter me, could you give me a discount next time I need you to refine weapons?"
"Of course, of course." Lin Jingchu chuckled, then turned to Bai Haozhi, asking curiously, "Senior Brother Bai... are you going to the Nine Kingdoms Alliance to guard the defense line?"
Bai Haozhi nodded slightly: "It just so happens that I was chosen by lot to be stationed here for five years. This is a good opportunity to hone my skills in this battle."
He glanced down at the busy crowd below, then suggested, "Judging by the situation, loading the ship will take some time. How about we have another race?"
[Task Discovered]
【Task Name: Testing an Old Friend with a Sword】
[Posted by: Bai Haozhi (Favorability Rating: Approved)]
[Mission Description: Bai Hao's sword heart stirs, and he extends an invitation to you to spar. Let's have a thrilling duel between true men.]
[Mission Reward: Bai Haozhi's insights into swordsmanship]
A glint of light flashed in Lin Jingchu's eyes: "I couldn't be happier!"
The next moment, he piloted the Azure Winged Boat and soared into the sky! Seeing this, Bai Haozhi transformed into a sword light and followed closely behind! The two instantly disappeared from the sight of the people at the mountain gate.
About two incense sticks later.
A moment later, a muffled, explosive sound came from a secluded valley in the distance! A golden giant sword phantom slashed down, and the shockwave it generated echoed endlessly in the valley.
With the dust settled, Bai Haozhi sheathed his sword, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your concession."
Lin Jingchu exclaimed in admiration, "Senior Brother Bai's swordsmanship has improved rapidly, and his skill is even more impressive than before. I admire him."
"Junior Brother Lin's swordplay is several times more powerful than before," Bai Haozhi couldn't help but admire.
This was just a temporary sparring match, and neither of them used much of their strength, but they could already sense that the other's strength had greatly improved during the exchange.
In particular, after Lin Jingchu cultivated the "Moon Gazing Technique" to the fifth level, the "Cold Moon Light" divine power not only greatly increased its slashing power, but also extended the effective distance of its power decay to more than three zhang.
No sooner had the words of praise been spoken than Bai Haozhi suddenly asked, "Junior Brother Lin, are you familiar with the 'Qianjin Valley' within the territory of Yuanwu Kingdom?"
"That's natural." Lin Jingchu nodded, slightly surprised. "Golden winds constantly surge from the center of this valley, penetrating everywhere and capable of melting metal and iron, making it extremely dangerous. But precisely because of this, the valley nurtures many metal-elemental spiritual materials, making it a perilous place favored by metal-elemental cultivators and weapon refiners. Why did you ask about this place, Senior Brother?"
"In fact, this valley has another secret. Every sixty years, this valley will be hit by a golden wind that lasts for several days, increasing its danger and making it unapproachable for ordinary people. But at this time, the wind will carry an extremely rare 'Gold-Cleansing Evil Wind'."
He paused, looked at Lin Jingchu, and said with a hint of expectation in his eyes, "Next autumn will be the time when the Golden Wind rises. I am ordered to go south to guard the area and will not be able to leave. I just heard from you, junior brother, that you are proficient in array formations. Could you go and set up an array on my behalf to gather the 'Golden Cleansing Wind' to temper a sword embryo?"
[Task Discovered]
【Task Name: Golden Wind Tempering the Sword】
[Posted by: Bai Haozhi (Favorability Rating: Approved)]
[Task Description: At Bai Hao's request, during the Wind and Tide period in Qianjin Valley of Yuanwu Kingdom, set up an array to gather the "Washing Gold Fiend Wind" to temper the sword embryo, and return the tempered sword embryo to Bai Hao {Map}]
[Quest Reward: The Ancient Sword Sect's Ultimate Technique, "Tai Bai Sword Manual"]