The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 417 Mad Blade, Success Achieved (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
As Zhao Ti walked away, the man in the shop suddenly bowed to the young woman and asked, "Miss, is there anything wrong?"

The girl shook her head slightly: "Looks like a genuine customer, I don't see anything wrong with it."

The man said, "But those two things he bought..."

The girl smiled and said, "I guess I wanted to learn swordsmanship in my spare time, but a sword is really expensive, and I don't know if I can master it, so I bought this kind of iron plate to try it out first."

“A sword is indeed not cheap. If you come from an ordinary background and just want to practice with it for fun, there is really no need to buy one. Finding a substitute is perfectly reasonable…” the man nodded.

"By the way, Uncle Chu, do you see anything wrong with the two scrap iron pieces he took?" the girl said. "One of them was pulled out of the oilcloth bag by himself after entering the warehouse. I didn't see anything unusual about it; it was so rusted that it was almost broken."

"Miss, you mean that sloppy, black iron piece?" the man said. "I looked at it just now, and I didn't find anything special about it. It's just scrap material. Besides, what kind of treasure could an ordinary blacksmith shop have?"

The girl laughed and said, "That's true. If there really was a treasure, the previous owner of the shop would have taken it away long ago and wouldn't have left it to rot in the storeroom."

The man said, "That's right, Miss, you're overthinking it."

The girl pondered, "Uncle Chu, come to think of it, this is the first time in my life I've ever sold anything to someone..."

The man said, "It is truly a blessing for the buyer that you would deign to sell your goods, Miss."

The girl sighed, "What's this talk of condescension? It's all about temporarily concealing our identities. Now that we've taken over this shop, we can't just close it down and not do business, wouldn't that just attract even more attention..."

The man replied, “What you say is true, Miss. Yuzhou is within the Qin family’s sphere of influence. Staying at an inn will inevitably be discovered by them. Even if the Qin family doesn’t care, once other powerful families send people here, forces that are on good terms with the Qin family will request them to investigate. Since we are not on good terms with the Qin family, we will definitely be swept away.”

The girl said, "Why haven't my second uncle and ninth uncle arrived yet? Such a big shop, just the two of us would be suspicious."

The man glanced outside the door. By then, Zhao Ti had vanished without a trace. There were no pedestrians on the street, only a crow circling listlessly in the sky, seemingly about to fall at any moment.

"It should be soon, unless we encounter any obstacles on the way. But with Second Master and Ninth Master's skills, there shouldn't be anything they can't handle. Miss, I think we should just wait patiently."

The girl said, "That's the only way. Uncle Chu, how's the knife being forged? I went to the back just now and the blade is almost finished."

The man said, "The prototype can be completed today, and it will be finished in seven more days. Although it is a replica of a divine weapon, it should still have some characteristics and power, since I mixed one or three ounces of star iron into the materials."

The girl asked, "Uncle Chu, I heard that the Bloodthirsty Blade is made entirely of Star Iron. Is that true or false? How heavy would it be?"

The man pondered and said, "That's the legend. Moreover, it's crimson star iron. For the same size, it weighs more than ten times that of refined iron. The knife is huge. If it's made of ordinary iron, it would weigh eighty catties. If it's star iron, it would weigh at least a thousand catties."

The girl said, "Although it is a divine weapon, it is too heavy. Even if I could pick it up and wield it, it would be inconvenient."

The man laughed and said, "That's why I'm imitating a smaller version of the Bloodthirsty Blade this time. Otherwise, if this blade were made to the original size, it would be almost as tall as me, and most of my body would be as wide as a door."

The girl asked, "I wonder which is stronger, the Purple Lightning Sword or the Purple Lightning Sword?"

The man frowned: "No one has ever compared them before, since they are from different eras. However, if one were to wield both the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords at the same time, I'm afraid even the Blood-Drinking Mad Blade would be no match for them."

Upon hearing this, the young girl's eyes darted around, and she sighed softly, "Unfortunately, my Xiao family only possesses the Purple Lightning Sword, while the Azure Frost Sword is in the hands of the Zhuge family, not mine..."

Zhao Ti carried the two iron pieces home. It was midday and the sun was shining brightly, making it easier to see than in the warehouse. One of them was indeed an iron piece, shaped like a sword blank, but it was far from being a sword blank.

The other thing was something that looked like a black, rough iron bar, which he pulled out with his left hand. As he walked, he tapped and knocked it, knocking away a lot of the rust and dirt, revealing a bit of its inner shape. It also looked like an iron sheet, but it was a little narrower than a normal sword blank.

I don't know what it is, I'll go back and clean it up first... Zhao Ti shook his head, quickened his pace, and returned home before the sun had set in the south.

Zhao Ling'er was also on leave that day and was reading poetry under the apricot tree. His mother was doing embroidery in the room. When she saw him return, Zhao Ling'er put down her book and asked curiously, "Big Brother, what have you been doing?"

Zhao Ti didn't want to talk to her, said "Study hard," and went back to his room.

He first found a rag and wiped the two iron pieces clean. The normal one was cleaned in a few strokes, and the black and red spots on the surface could be seen. Obviously, the material was not pure and did not meet the standard of blue steel. Even if it was made into a weapon, it would inevitably bend and break when it was used in battle.

But he never intended to use this thing to fight anyone, so he didn't care. He rinsed it with water, then changed to animal hide to wipe it, and finally went outside to find a piece of wood, cut it thin to make two handles, put them together and tied them to the end of the iron plate. A "sword" was completed.

Zhao Ti picked it up and swung it around a couple of times. Although he didn't inject any internal force, it still made a "whooshing" sound, caused by the weight of the iron sheet breaking through the air.

It seemed alright. He looked at it, stuffed the "sword" under the bed to hide it, and then examined the iron bar he had pulled out with his left hand.

The rust and dirt on the surface of this thing could not be wiped off or washed off with water. Zhao Ti finally went out and found an axe, thinking that if it was not a good thing, it would be fine if he smashed or chopped it. If it really had something special about it, then it would definitely be indestructible.

He used an axe to hammer and chisel the iron bar all over, and the rust fell off, finally revealing a narrow piece of iron inside, which looked like a sword blank.

But no matter how powerful the axe was, it still couldn't completely remove the filth. It couldn't be cut off no matter how hard it was, as it had obviously been stuck together for countless years and was practically dead.

Just then, a crow flew in through the window, its voice echoing in Zhao Ti's mind: "Try using the internal energy you've just mastered."

"Use internal energy?" Zhao Ti glanced at the crow, then looked towards the door. At this moment, Zhao's mother had not left the room, and Zhao Ling'er had gone off to play somewhere, no longer reciting poems under the tree.

Zhao Ti put down the axe and silently activated his Four Illuminations Divine Skill. Four-colored light flashed in his palm. He grasped one end of the narrow iron plate, activated his inner force, and the iron plate immediately trembled. Many of the stubborn substances attached to it began to fall off. Then he used two fingers of his other hand to wipe it clean, as if the summer sun was melting away, and the iron plate was smooth and clean.

It was a deep, dark black color, narrow in shape, with a sword tip on top and a faint outline of a hilt below, which was already considered a sword blank.

Zhao Ti couldn't help but show a look of joy. No matter what the material was like, a sword blank was always much more valuable than scrap iron. It couldn't be bought for just a few cents. Moreover, the surface of the sword blank hadn't been damaged at all when it was chopped with an axe, which showed that it was not ordinary pig iron.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at the crow with a questioning gaze.

The crow stared at the sword blank for a long time before saying, "I don't know what material this is, but it doesn't look like scrap. It seems to be a rare item. How come it was left in the blacksmith's storeroom and wasn't taken away by the previous master?" Zhao Ti was equally puzzled and said, "Even if it wasn't taken away, the girl from Shanzhou and her father should have been informed. But judging from the marks on the outside, it seems to have been left in the storeroom for quite some time. This blacksmith's shop has existed for a long time. Could it be that the later generations didn't know about this item?"

The crow pondered for a moment: "It's possible that the other party offered a high price to buy the shop, and the price was so high that they couldn't afford to consider these things and hurriedly handed it over and left."

Zhao Ti asked in surprise, "Brother Ya, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by paying a high price to buy that shop?"

The crow chuckled and said, "Brother, you don't know yet, do you? After you left the blacksmith's shop, I stayed in the sky for a while and overheard the conversation between that little girl and the man. They were indeed from Shanzhou, but they weren't visiting relatives or staying overnight, nor were they father and daughter. They had ulterior motives."

"They're not father and daughter, but have ulterior motives?" Zhao Ti asked in surprise.

"They are from the Xiao family of Shanzhou. They seem to have infiltrated Yuzhou City to do something. They bought the blacksmith shop to hide their identities, so they must have offered a high price that the original shop owner couldn't refuse." Crow nodded and then recounted what the two people in the blacksmith shop had said.

"The Xiao family of Shanzhou, one of the eight great families in the world, possesses the Purple Lightning Sword, one of the two divine weapons, Purple Lightning and Azure Frost..." Zhao Ti murmured, "What are they doing in Yuzhou?"

"I think something big is about to happen in Yuzhou. Judging from what those two are saying, people from other powerful families or sects will be arriving later. It's going to be a gathering of heroes, a fierce battle, and I wonder what they want to fight for," Crow pondered.

"These matters of aristocratic families and sects are none of my concern. But what is this Blood-Drinking Mad Blade that those two mentioned?" Zhao Ti asked in confusion.

"The Blood-Drinking Mad Blade..." The raven thought for a moment and said, "More than a thousand years ago, your human race had a peerless master nicknamed the Blade Demon, named Chu Kuangtu. This blade was a divine weapon he forged by collecting meteorites from all over the world. Back then, in order to find this meteorite, he also went to our demon continent and fought with the leaders of several races at that time."

"Fighting the demon leader?" Zhao Ti asked. "Who would win and who would lose?"

The crow glanced at him: "The outcome of the battle wasn't recorded, but the name of the Bloodthirsty Blade he later forged has spread. This blade is extremely long and wide, comparable to a door panel, with a handle that is one foot and three inches long. It is a two-handed blade."

"Such a big sword?" Zhao Ti said, "It's extremely heavy. How can it be used comfortably? Even if someone has high internal strength and can wield it, it still feels awkward..."

"It is indeed very heavy, weighing a thousand catties. Because it was forged from meteorite iron, this sword has magnetic power, which can attract the opponent's weapon. Due to its weight, the opponent has no way to fight for it. Chu Kuangtu was almost invincible among humans with this sword, and he roamed freely for more than a hundred years," said the crow.

"Why is this sword called that?" Zhao Ti asked.

"That madman Chu once faced an entire army alone, wielding this blade to kill three thousand armored soldiers who tried to intercept him. This blade actually absorbed blood, turning its body blood red, like a demonic blade. After that, it was given the name Blood-Drinking Mad Blade," Crow pondered.

"I see..." Zhao Ti pressed, "Brother Ya, where is this sword now?"

The crow shook its head: "Chu Kuangtu roamed the world for over a hundred years before disappearing without a trace. The whereabouts of this sword also disappeared. Although many people have imitated this sword in later generations, where can one find so much meteorite iron? Even a few coins or taels would be considered a great find."

Zhao Ti then looked at the sword blank in his hand: "Brother Ya, don't you recognize the material of this thing?"

The crow said, "There are so many iron materials in the world that it's impossible to recognize them all. However, this sword blank is a good item. You might as well keep it and find an opportunity to forge it into a sword later."

Zhao Ti brandished the sword embryo: "It's currently bladeless, but it has a point, so it can barely be used for self-defense."

The crow laughed and said, "Brother, your swordsmanship is superb. Even a wooden sword can injure an enemy. I will follow you."

Zhao Ti said, "This sword blank is clearly shaped like a sword. It's best to hide it from our parents for now. We can talk about forging it for self-defense later."

As he spoke, he took out a dry old garment from the cabinet, wrapped the sword blank in layers, and then placed it at the bottom of the cabinet.

He then began reading until after dinner, when he returned to his room and continued studying diligently for another hour or two. Only after seeing that the light in his parents' room had been turned off did he take out the iron plate with the wooden handle attached and begin practicing the Peach Blossom Sword Technique.

He had been focusing on improving his Four Illuminations Divine Skill these past few days and hadn't looked at the sword manual. However, he had previously comprehended the second move, but when he tried to use it, he shattered the ruler. Only then did he remember to look for the sword.

At this moment, he directly used the iron plate to unleash the second move. A cold light flashed like a rainbow, and the front end of the iron plate actually produced two illusory peach blossoms, which were quite beautiful.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Ti finished his move and frowned. It wasn't that his sword technique was wrong, but the sword manual didn't mention the appearance of peach blossoms. The first move had one blossom, the second move had two blossoms, so could the third move have three blossoms and so on?
The sword manual states there are a total of eighteen moves. Does that mean that after mastering the eighteenth move, eighteen peach blossoms will appear on the sword? What kind of mess is that? It's all flashy and frivolous, where is the carefree spirit of a swordsman...?

He then looked at the third move, and after a moment he understood it. He raised his hand and used it, and sure enough, three peach blossom phantoms appeared. Zhao Ti immediately fell silent. It seemed that this was the correct method.

He shook the iron piece in his hand slightly and sighed softly. Even so, he had to continue learning, since there were no other good tricks available at the moment.

Then he looked at the fourth move, grasped it in a moment, practiced it, looked at the fifth move, and grasped it in a moment again. He looked at the sixth move, and it was the same. Before he knew it, he had seen the ninth move.

At this moment, he unleashed nine moves, and the iron plate emitted a bright pink light that was about to burst out of the window. He hurriedly stopped, afraid that his parents in the other room would notice.

After staying for a while, he practiced the Four Illuminations Divine Skill once and then went to bed to rest.

The next day, nothing happened at the state academy. After returning home and having dinner, he began to read and continued practicing his swordsmanship. Zhao Ti covered the window with clothes to prevent the light from escaping, and practiced the fifteenth sword move in one go.

As the fifteenth sword was unleashed, the entire room was filled with pink light. The fifteen illusory peach blossoms no longer bound the sword but floated around him, following his movements.

After Zhao Ti sheathed his sword, he glanced at the sky, then sat cross-legged on the couch and began to practice the Four Illuminations Divine Skill. After about half an hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, which flashed with a sharp light. He raised his palm and slapped the oil lamp in the distance.

A flash of four-colored light appeared in his palm, and a gust of wind shot out, shattering the oil lamp and extinguishing its light.

In seven days, he released his internal energy and mastered the Four Illuminations Divine Skill.

Zhao Ti was overjoyed. He had achieved in seven days what it took a peerless genius three years to master.

He was about to get up and tidy up, then relight a lamp, when suddenly a jolt ran through his body, and the scene before him shattered like gentle ripples on water…

(End of this chapter)