Raise a sword!

Early the next morning, cultivators from the Sword Pavilion arrived at the inn where Jiang Peng was staying.

The person who arrived happened to be Ling Shu, the one who had made Wu Ke's Dao Heart unsettled.

The moment Jiang Peng saw Ling Shu, she felt as if her eyes were playing tricks on her, as if she were looking at a sword in full swing.

He could probably understand why Wu Kexun felt so dejected.

Even Jiang Peng at this moment couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the woman's stunning beauty.

The plain-colored long dress accentuated Ling Shu's ethereal气质, while a magic sword slung over her back added a touch of majesty and ruthlessness to her otherworldly appearance.

She was already extremely beautiful. Although she always had a cold face and seemed to keep people at arm's length, Jiang Peng believed that even so, wherever this woman went, she would be the focus of everyone's attention.

"Senior Brother Jiang," Ling Shu addressed him calmly, still using the same form of address as before, "the True Immortal sent me here."

"Thank you for your trouble, Junior Sister Ling Shu," Jiang Peng returned the greeting.

There was no conversation on the way.

Arriving at Hidden Sword Peak, we followed the stone steps that encircled the rock wall upwards, passing the middle level where the weapon-refining workshop was located.

Finally, Jiang Peng was taken to a secluded cave on Hidden Sword Peak.

The cave dwelling in front of them was unremarkable, but on the platform in front of it, an old man was deep in thought, staring at a chessboard.

Ling Shu remained silent and waited quietly.

As a guest, Jiang Peng could only wait.

About fifteen minutes later, the old man finally looked away from the chessboard.

"How is it?" Ling Shu suddenly asked.

The old man gently shook his head.

"I can't figure it out."

After saying this, the old man chuckled at Jiang Peng and said, "Years ago, I visited the True Lord at the Dragon and Snake Temple and was fortunate enough to play a game of chess with him."

"Is this the chessboard before us?" Jiang Peng asked.

"This is the chess game before us." The old man nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the chessboard. "When the game was halfway through, the True Lord lost interest and stopped making moves. Back then, I thought the outcome was still uncertain."

"Only after the reversal and review, did I realize that the seemingly even situation had already determined the outcome. It took me several years to understand this, but the True Lord had already seen through it back then."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man waved his hand, and the chessboard in front of him disappeared without a trace.

"I am Duan Qingyu."

"Greetings, Master Duan." Jiang Peng bowed respectfully.

He had already guessed the old man's identity.

Unlike the Cangshan Sect, which also has Chu Chun'an, who is nominally the sect leader but in reality is just a steward.

There is no such thing as a Pavilion Master in the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion; the Duan Zhenren in front of us is the actual leader of the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion.

Jiang Peng took out Chu Chun'an's letter and handed it to Master Duan, then waited quietly.

A moment later, the previously warm smile on Master Duan's face completely disappeared.

"A demonic tribulation?" He frowned, raising his head to look at Jiang Peng, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Is this true?"

Jiang Peng briefly recounted what she had seen and heard in the Earthly Roaring Mountains.

They even went so far as to investigate the affairs of Huanglong Zhenren, a Golden Core Peak cultivator from the Southern Ming Sect overseas.

After listening, Master Duan took a deep breath and sighed, "A hundred-year demonic calamity, the suffering of living beings is already destined."

The phrase "a hundred-year demonic tribulation" does not mean that a demonic tribulation occurs once every hundred years. Rather, it means that each demonic tribulation lasts for at least a hundred years, and even if the cultivators win, the effects of the demonic tribulation will be extremely profound and difficult to eliminate.

Master Duan inquired about some more details, and after learning that Jiang Peng had met the True Lord at the Dragon and Snake Temple, he asked some more questions about the True Lord.

About fifteen minutes later, Master Duan smiled and said, "Thank you for coming to deliver this message, young friend. I know why you've come. The system has matched you with a Xianxia novel category. Click to view details. The second-tier weapon-refining room in the weapon-refining workshop is ready for you. Please go there."

Jiang Peng's eyes lit up, and she immediately bowed and thanked him.

After Jiang Peng left, Master Duan looked at Ling Shu, who had been silent the whole time.

"This young man also practices swordsmanship. What do you think, junior disciple?"

Ling Shu remained calm.

"Unlike a sword cultivator."

"How so?"

"This person is smooth-talking, unlike the sword cultivator who is decisive. He is restrained in every move and lacks sharpness." Ling Shu shook her head slightly.

"How do I compare to you?"

"Not as good as me."

"You're quite confident," Master Duan laughed. "But I think my nephew has misjudged you this time."

A look of surprise appeared in Ling Shu's eyes.

Master Duan turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on the direction Jiang Peng had left.

"Unbeknownst to you, my junior nephew, this young man also follows the path of sword enlightenment and the unity of man and sword, which is no different from yours."

Ling Shu frowned slightly.

"I can't tell."

"He concealed his true strength to the core, so his junior apprentice naturally couldn't see it."

Seeing that Ling Shu still seemed somewhat unconvinced, Master Duan did not argue or refute her, but simply waved his hand.

"If my junior disciple is not convinced, he may as well wait until this boy comes out of seclusion and then go and have a match with him."

Ling Shu understood the implication in Duan Zhenren's words.

"Are you saying I'm inferior to him?"

"You'll only know once you've tried," Master Duan replied casually.

Ling Shu immediately turned around and went down the mountain.

Master Duan did not stop him, and remained seated in his original position, his gaze becoming incredibly profound.

"It's quite interesting that the most outstanding swordsman in this generation of the Northern Foothills is not a disciple of my Sword Pavilion, but rather comes from that godforsaken place, the Cangshan Sect."

"If Lü Dehong hadn't mentioned that Jiang Peng was a sword cultivator when he came last time, even I might not have been able to see through his true abilities... He has truly mastered the two techniques of True Refinement, Concealing Edge, and Nourishing the Sword."

"Even cultivators themselves conceal their sharpness. When it comes to the foundation of sword nurturing and the unity of man and sword, Junior Nephew Ling is probably far behind."

...

Upon arriving at the weapon-refining workshop halfway up the mountain, Jiang Peng was led by a disciple of the Sword Pavilion to a weapon-refining room deep underground within the workshop.

This is already the core area of ​​the weapon-refining workshop.

Entering the weapon-refining room, Jiang Peng tried to control the second-tier weapon-refining furnace in front of him.

As soon as a little spiritual energy was injected, the ever-burning spiritual fire in the furnace immediately became blazing.

The conditions for refining weapons here are many times better than those on Azure Mist Peak.

After getting used to the weapon-refining room, Jiang Peng took out all the materials she had prepared.

In addition to the original Crimson Feathers, Fire Dragon Stones, and so on, before setting off this time, Jiang Peng also spent a large sum of sect tribute to exchange for all the refining materials he liked in the sect's treasury.

This time, the forging of the magic sword was no longer a simple fusion of materials using the properties of Tianchen steel, but a complete reforging of the Xuanyuan Sword.

"Although I had a plan in mind, I was still a little nervous when the time came."

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Peng sent the Xuanyuan Sword flying out from his sleeve, which then returned to its original size and hovered in front of him.

Looking at the Xuanyuan Sword with its ink-black blade, Jiang Peng felt a surge of joy and excitement.

"Are you excited?"

The Xuanyuan Sword trembled slightly and emitted a soft hum.

Jiang Peng raised her hand and grasped the sword hilt.

"It's clearly not even at the second tier, yet it seems to have a sword spirit."

As soon as he finished speaking, he threw the Xuanyuan Sword, which he couldn't wait to put into the furnace in front of him.