A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Sword-Forging Servant and Ascending to Immorta

Zhou Lingxuan had only taken two steps when Qin Lao grabbed his shoulder.

"The waste won't grow legs and run away if we burn it later."

Old Qin pulled the person back into the courtyard and closed the door behind him.

"You're not going anywhere until we get this sorted out today."

Zhou Lingxuan moved his shoulder, which had been pinched sore.

"Your master and servant, one wanting to repay a debt of gratitude, the other physically detaining someone—is this how you follow the rules?"

"If I tell you the rules, will you give me anything?"

Old Qin glared at him, annoyed.

"A few days ago, you made excuses when I gave you the hidden jade slip. Now that I've saved the young master, if you still say 'just give me a little something,' then I have no choice but to make the decision for you."

Qin Zhaoyun left carrying the newly forged iron sword and then returned.

He also had an extra storage bag in his hand.

"The originally prepared compensation is no longer needed, so we exchanged some of it."

The storage bag landed on the table, and the opening opened by itself.

Spirit stones, pill bottles, and jade boxes flew out one after another, arranging them in three rows on the table.

Zhou Lingxuan scanned it.

Five hundred low-grade spirit stones.

There are six bottles of pills suitable for use in the Body Tempering Realm, including two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, which are just the right amount of preparation for stepping into the Qi Refining Realm.

The three jade boxes contained medicinal herbs, which Zhou Lingxuan could not recognize, but judging from the fragrance, their value was no less than that of the pills on the table.

There was also a set of protective soft armor in the corner, with its spiritual energy contained within, indicating it was at least a mid-level spiritual artifact.

Zhou Lingxuan picked up a spirit stone and weighed it in his hand.

"You want all of these for me?"

Old Qin chimed in from the side.

"Not enough?"

"That's definitely less."

Qin Zhaoyun then took out a black jade slip from his sleeve and placed it in front of Zhou Lingxuan.

"The Hidden Edge Sword Manual".

Old Qin was nodding when he heard the name, and his hand stopped in mid-air.

"Young master, isn't this...?"

"I've already wasted it once, there's no point in keeping it."

Qin Zhaoyun pushed the jade slip over.

"This sword manual can be cultivated from the Qi Refining Realm all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm. It contains three sword techniques, two movement techniques, and a method for concealing one's edge and cultivating one's intent. Only core disciples in the sect can access it, and the top ten on the Sword Ranking can receive the complete inheritance."

Zhou Lingxuan raised his hand and pressed down on the jade slip, but did not pick it up.

"Sect inheritance?"

"Um."

"Can I train?"

"I will teach you, and you will be able to practice."

Qin Zhaoyun answered very decisively.

Old Qin couldn't help but interject.

"According to the rules, Brother Zhou is not qualified. However, the young master received the complete inheritance back then, and has the right to choose someone to pass it on to. But if this matter gets out, the Sword Hall will inevitably investigate."

Zhou Lingxuan pushed the jade slip back.

"Then don't."

Old Qin was taken aback.

"Take a look first! This is the 'Hidden Edge Sword Manual,' which countless inner disciples would kill for."

"That's why you can't take it."

Zhou Lingxuan pointed in the direction of his residence.

"I'm just an old man who came from the outer sect's handyman's quarters. Yesterday I was only at the second stage of Body Tempering, and now I'm practicing the Core Sword Manual. Do you think people will just pretend they didn't see it?"

Qin Zhaoyun pressed down on the jade slip, not in a hurry to take it back.

"Someone is looking for you. I'll handle it."

"If one comes today, two will come tomorrow. If they can't cause me any trouble, they can go find Old Wang or the handymen I used to know."

Zhou Lingxuan spoke in a neutral tone.

"The cultivation technique is a good thing, but you have to be able to handle it properly. If I take it now, it's like sticking a piece of paper on my forehead and telling the whole sect that I'm hiding a secret."

Old Qin stroked his beard and didn't try to persuade him any further.

The storm surrounding the Heavenly Sword Blessing had barely subsided, and there must be quite a few people keeping an eye on Zhou Lingxuan.

If the Hidden Edge Sword Manual resurfaces, things will only escalate further.

Qin Zhaoyun retrieved the jade slip.

"You've considered things more thoroughly than I have."

"The longer you live, the less timid you become."

Zhou Lingxuan picked up several bottles of pills from the table and checked the seals one by one.

"I'll accept these cultivation resources, but the rest is fine."

"No, that doesn't count."

Qin Zhaoyun placed the storage bag beside him.

"Although the Izumo sword has not been repaired, my sword spirit has been freed. In all things, what you have done is more important than fixing a sword."

"The debt of gratitude for saving my life is more than just this."

Old Qin added his comments from the side.

Zhou Lingxuan looked up and saw the forging workshop in the courtyard.

The fire in the furnace had gone out, but the marks left by the forging of the sword remained on the anvil.

"Give me this one."

Old Qin turned his head in the direction he was looking.

"Which one?"

"Workshop".

"I borrowed this from the equipment shop."

Old Qin emphasized the word "borrow".

"If you stay, I'll have to go and say hello to the steward of the equipment hall."

Zhou Lingxuan looked at the bluestone base embedded in the ground.

Did you ask before you carried it away?

Old Qin coughed lightly twice.

"We were in a hurry."

"Then let's go fix it now."

Old Qin was momentarily speechless, then turned to look at Qin Zhaoyun.

"Young master, this stove isn't actually that expensive, it's just that the underground fire pipes are a bit troublesome."

"Leave."

Qin Zhaoyun made the decision immediately.

"I'll talk to the equipment hall."

Zhou Lingxuan walked to the anvil and wiped away the iron filings with his fingers.

He had forged a million swords before, each one solely to fulfill his ancestral precepts.

Today is a little different.

After the pure sword intent is integrated into the sea of ​​consciousness, the hammer technique and the basic sword style combine on their own.

The power of the Heaven-Forging Hammer goes far beyond simply upgrading weapon grades.

Forging iron, tempering the body, refining the spirit, and sorting out the sword intent.

These things may seem scattered, but they all boil down to one word: casting.

His current cultivation level is too low; he hasn't even reached the Qi Refining Realm yet.

Only when a cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment stage does he need to clarify the path he is following, and then extend the methods from the path to establish the foundation of his path.

It's too early to think about these things now.

It's always better to forge more iron than to lose out.

"Brother Zhou, you can have this workshop."

Old Qin walked to the stove and knocked on the underground fire pipe.

"You'd better take it easy. What you're forging today is only refined iron. If you want to refine spiritual materials in the future, this earth fire furnace alone won't be enough."

"As long as it works, that's fine."

Zhou Lingxuan carefully put away the spirit stones and pills, and then stuffed the soft armor back onto the table.

"Take this too."

Qin Zhaoyun frowned.

Why not have something for self-defense?

"Your clothes are too eye-catching."

"The soft armor is hidden under the clothes, who could see it?"

"When I work, I have to go near the fire pit. It's not surprising that ordinary clothes get burned, but I wear my magical armor every day without it getting damaged even once. After a while, anyone will notice the problem."

Old Qin scratched his head as he listened.

Why is it so difficult to give you things?

"Then let's use spirit stones instead."

"You're quite impolite."

"You're the one who made me speak up."

Old Qin took the soft armor and added two hundred low-grade spirit stones to his storage bag.

Zhou Lingxuan checked it over and nodded in satisfaction.

The spirit stone was the most tangible thing to him.

Each activation of the Sky Hammer consumes power.

The residual spiritual energy in discarded pills and artifacts can replenish the energy, but it is not stable enough.

With these spirit stones, he can continue to refine his sea of ​​consciousness and also try to reforge his spiritual root.

As for cultivation techniques, it's not too late to find them once you've truly entered the Qi Refining Realm.

Qin Zhaoyun placed the iron sword on the table, took out a cloth, and slowly wiped away the water stains remaining on the sword.

Zhou Lingxuan looked at it for a moment.

"Do you intend to remain in the abandoned hall?"

"Why not keep it?"

"Kenshin's problem has been resolved. With your abilities, returning to the inner sect shouldn't be difficult."

Qin Zhaoyun's hands didn't stop moving.

"My cultivation hasn't fully recovered, and I can't follow the old path of the Izumo Sword anymore. What can I do now besides attract attention?"

Old Qin lowered his voice.

"Young Master offended quite a few people back then."

That's not considered offending someone.

Qin Zhaoyun corrected one of them.

"I've challenged everyone on the Sword Ranking. Those who couldn't beat me want to get back at me, and those who did want to see if I'm really useless."

Zhou Lingxuan understood.

"So you're faking illness here?"

"Um."

Qin Zhaoyun put the cloth down.

"The abandoned hall is secluded and no one usually wants to come here. If it stays here, I can slowly rebuild it. If there are any changes outside, Elder Qin can also find out in time."

"It suits you well."

Zhou Lingxuan nodded.

This place is full of trash that others despise, but to him it is a ready-made cultivation resource.

By staying in the abandoned hall, Qin Zhaoyun was able to shield him from a lot of trouble.

"There's one more thing."

Qin Zhaoyun gripped the iron sword on the table.

"As long as I am still in the ruined hall, no one in the sect can touch you."

Zhou Lingxuan listened without any pleasantries.

"I've got it."

"You're just leaving like that?"

Seeing him pick up the storage bag, Old Qin quickly took two steps to catch up.

"Why don't you stay for a meal?"

"There are seven or eight boxes of waste materials next to the fire pit."

"I'll have someone burn it for you."

"They couldn't handle the heat there."

Zhou Lingxuan waved his hand and left the courtyard.

By the time he reached the bottom of the valley, it was already dark.

There was no sign of burning waste near the fire pit.

Several wooden crates were neatly stacked at the edge, and the handyman who had been greeted during the day stood aside, glancing towards the mountain path from time to time.

Upon seeing Zhou Lingxuan approach, the servant visibly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Brother Zhou, you've finally arrived."

Zhou Lingxuan stopped two zhang away.

"The waste materials were delivered, why haven't they gone back?"

"There's something that you might need to handle personally."

"Is there a problem with the waste here?"

"Not this way."

The handyman rubbed his hands together.

"The furnace in Dantang exploded again today."

Zhou Lingxuan frowned slightly.

A few days ago, the girl in green caused an explosion while refining pills, which made quite a commotion.

"Isn't there someone specifically designated to collect the waste pills from the Pill Hall?"

Yes, it is.

The servant glanced at the fire pit beside him.

"Senior Brother Liu, who's in charge of collecting the discarded pills, suddenly fell ill today and can't get out of bed. The others are afraid of the pills being poisonous and dare not approach. The supervisor is pressing us hard, and I was thinking, Brother Zhou, you have experience..."

"So you've been waiting for me here?"

Yes, yes.

The servant nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Lingxuan did not agree immediately.

Although the division of labor in the waste hall is not very strict, there are designated people to collect the waste pills in the pill hall.

These past two days he's only been in charge of the fire pit at the bottom of the valley; logically speaking, this shouldn't be his responsibility.

Besides, it was too convenient that Senior Brother Liu fell ill.

The servant felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

"Brother Zhou, if it's inconvenient for you, I'll find someone else."

"When did the alchemy furnace explode?"

"Half an hour ago."

"Where should I put the discarded pills?"

"They're still in the side courtyard of the Pill Hall. I heard the poisonous gas hasn't dissipated, so they've sealed the entrance."

Zhou Lingxuan's heart stirred slightly.

The waste ore produced by the furnace explosion is poisonous to others, but it is nourishment for the Forging Hammer.

Senior Brother Liu's illness is suspicious, and the servant's reaction is also rather odd. There's probably more to this than meets the eye.

However, since the other party wants him to go to the Pill Hall, he might as well go and take a look.

Zhou Lingxuan didn't ask any more questions and turned to walk towards the inner gate.

The servant stood there until his figure disappeared at the end of the mountain path before he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

He spoke softly into the woods beside him.

"My lord, I have done everything you instructed..."

A sound of fabric rustling came from behind the tree.

A hand reached out and threw a small bag containing ten spirit stones at his feet.

"very good."

"From now on, don't look at what you shouldn't look at, and don't say what you shouldn't say."