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

Elder Chen stared at Zhou Lingxuan, his tone unusually sincere.

"Forging a famous sword is going against the will of heaven. In this process, even if one only grasps a little bit of the trick and attracts a little bit of the strange phenomenon of the intersection of heaven and earth, the sword forger can gain great benefits from it."

"A gift from heaven and earth, cleansing the body and rejuvenating the marrow."

Elder Chen extended two fingers and pointed them in mid-air.

"For those skilled weapon refiners, taking this path, which is destined to fail, would be a waste of hundreds of years of their lifespan. They can't afford to waste that time."

"But you are different."

Elder Chen pointed to Zhou Lingxuan's withered chest.

"You have no cultivation, and your lifespan is almost over. The barefoot have nothing to fear from those wearing shoes."

"If you try, even if the sword isn't forged in the end, just attracting a few gifts from heaven and earth will be enough to extend your lifespan by several decades!"

Zhou Lingxuan remained silent.

The old man is right.

No normal cultivator would dare to venture into such a perilous and uncertain dead end.

But for someone deemed a loser, this is indeed the only lifeline they can grasp.

Seeing that Zhou Lingxuan did not speak, Elder Chen reached into his robes.

He fumbled in his inner pocket for a while and pulled out a yellowed booklet.

The booklet's cover was worn and frayed, and there wasn't even a name on it.

Elder Chen's rough fingers gently stroked the cover, as if he were handling a priceless treasure.

"These are all the rumors and fragments about naturally born famous swords that I have collected throughout my life, traveling all over the Southern Region."

Elder Chen solemnly handed the booklet to Zhou Lingxuan.

"There are many things inside that I cannot fathom or accomplish. If you are interested, you are welcome to take it and give it a try. Even if you fail, the gifts of nature during the process will be enough to prolong your life."

Zhou Lingxuan looked at the booklet handed to him but did not take it immediately.

He could sense that this unassuming little booklet carried the old man's lifelong obsession.

In the world of cultivation, things involving the inheritance of the Great Dao are often more precious than top-grade magic treasures. Elder Chen gave them away to an outer sect servant so casually.

Zhou Lingxuan raised his hand and took the booklet.

The booklet still carries Elder Chen's body heat.

"Thank you." Zhou Lingxuan didn't say anything more, just nodded solemnly and put the booklet into his pocket.

Elder Chen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had accepted the gift.

A genuine smile finally appeared on his taut old face.

"Alright, that's all I have to say. You choose which path to take."

Elder Chen turned around and strode to the shallow pit that had been created.

He bent down, grabbed the still unconscious Deacon Sun by the back of his collar like a chick, and lifted the two-hundred-pound fat pig up with one hand.

Before leaving, Elder Chen stopped and left a message with his back to Zhou Lingxuan.

"If you ever change your mind, the doors of the Craft Hall will always be open for you."

After saying that, Elder Chen grabbed Deacon Sun and strode into the night.

The courtyard of the abandoned hall fell silent once more.

Xue Yi was still holding the dark red alchemy furnace, completely dazed.

She glanced at Zhou Lingxuan, then at the direction Elder Chen had left in, her mind a jumbled mess.

"Old Zhou..."

Xue Yi opened her mouth and handed forward the jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Take this pill. I'll go back to the Pill Hall tomorrow and ask my master if I can get one of these Longevity Pills."

Zhou Lingxuan waved his hand.

"With my health, nothing I eat will help." Zhou Lingxuan pointed to the alchemy furnace on the anvil. "Once the furnace is finished, take it with you quickly, don't let it get in the way."

Xue Yi bit her lip, wanting to persuade her again, but was interrupted by Old Qin in the corner.

"Xue girl, listen to him." Old Qin stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "What he needs right now isn't medicine, but peace and quiet."

Helpless, Xue Yi could only put away the jade bottle, hug the alchemy furnace, and leave the abandoned hall, looking back every few steps.

Only Zhou Lingxuan and Old Qin remained in the courtyard.

Old Qin stared at Zhou Lingxuan for a long while, then suddenly laughed.

"Brother Zhou, you really put on a brilliant show. You even fooled that old fox Chen Baichuan."

Zhou Lingxuan picked up a broom and began sweeping up the iron filings on the ground.

"I wasn't lying to him. I really am a useless person with no cultivation."

Old Qin curled his lip, clearly not believing a single word.

"Okay, whatever you say goes."

Old Qin walked slowly out with his hands behind his back.

"However, you'd better think carefully about the path Chen Baichuan has offered you. Gifts from heaven aren't so easy to take."

"Throughout history, countless brilliant minds have perished on this path; you'd better not get yourself into trouble."

"Take care, don't bother seeing me out." Zhou Lingxuan didn't even look up.

After Old Qin left, Zhou Lingxuan tidied up the courtyard and returned to his simple wooden house.

I pushed open the door, and the room was pitch black.

Zhou Lingxuan walked to the table, took out a tinderbox, and lit the old oil lamp.

The dim, yellowish light, barely illuminating the small area, was like a bean.

Zhou Lingxuan sat down at the table, took out the yellowed booklet from his pocket, and placed it flat on the table.

The paper was rough, with some tears at the edges. Zhou Lingxuan turned to the first page.

The paper was covered with tiny characters written in a somewhat messy hand, clearly Elder Chen's notes and anecdotes recorded at different times.

Zhou Lingxuan flipped through the pages one by one.

The preceding records are mostly legends about strange phenomena that occurred when famous swords were born, such as purple aura coming from the east for 30,000 miles, or blood rain falling from the sky, startling ghosts and gods.

It's clear that Elder Chen is extremely fascinated by these legends.

Zhou Lingxuan quickly skimmed over the records that contained no substantial content and turned directly to the second half of the booklet.

This is a record of various incomplete sword-forging methods collected by Elder Chen.

Zhou Lingxuan's gaze lingered on one of the pages.

The title of that page had only seven characters: Drawing the Qi of Heaven and Earth into the Sword Embryo.

"All iron and all metal have their limits. To forge a divinely inspired sword, one must first abandon the fires of the mundane, using the energy of heaven and earth as the furnace, and the spirit of all things as the hammer..."

Zhou Lingxuan read the contents of the booklet aloud in a soft voice.

The moment he read out the four characters "天地之气" (the energy of heaven and earth).

hum!

Deep within Zhou Lingxuan's sea of ​​consciousness, the small purple jade hammer that had been quietly floating suddenly erupted with an extremely strong tremor!

The tremor came without warning, yet it was exceptionally violent.

Zhou Lingxuan felt a buzzing in his head as a massive flow of information rushed into his consciousness through the purple jade hammer.

He gripped the book tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Inside the dimly lit wooden cabin, the sound of paper rubbing echoed in the silence.

The faint purple light emanating from his sea of ​​consciousness cast a play of light and shadow on Zhou Lingxuan's face.

His eyes flashed with a terrifying light.

He finally understood why so many master weapon refiners throughout history had died on this path.

The energy of heaven and earth—what a violent and vast power it is!

Even a powerful being who has cultivated to the Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation stages cannot directly bear such pure power of heaven and earth.

Those grandmasters who attempt to draw upon the energy of heaven and earth to infuse their sword embryos will be instantly blasted apart by the violent force the moment they receive it, their sword and the person being reduced to ashes.

This is not a path at all; it's an unsolvable dead end.

but.

Zhou Lingxuan stared intently at the booklet on the table, his chest heaving violently.

Others cannot pass through because they lack a vessel capable of containing the energy of heaven and earth.

He has it!

The Heaven-Forging Hammer in the sea of ​​consciousness can swallow up the chaotic golden light descending from the Heavenly Sword in one gulp, and can easily neutralize even the most deadly poison.

This ancient divine weapon is itself an unparalleled tool used to temper all things in heaven and earth!

As long as the Heaven-Forging Hammer is present, he can first introduce the raging energy of heaven and earth into his sea of ​​consciousness, and after the small hammer devours and transforms it, inject it into the sword embryo in an extremely gentle way.

This deadly path, which would mean certain death for all weapon refiners in the world, was practically a custom-made cheat code for him!

Zhou Lingxuan took several deep breaths before he could barely suppress the overwhelming joy in his heart.

He loosened his grip on the book and continued flipping through the pages.

With the confidence gained from forging the Heavenly Hammer, he now urgently needs to learn more about the theoretical knowledge of the famous swords of heaven and earth.

The last few pages of the booklet were so brittle that the paper was about to crumble.

Zhou Lingxuan carefully turned to the last page.

This page contains no record of sword-making techniques, only a very brief note.

The handwriting is simple and ancient, conveying a sense of weight and age. It is clear that it was not written by Elder Chen, but rather copied from an ancient book.

Zhou Lingxuan leaned closer to the oil lamp and carefully examined the writing on it.

"In ancient times, there was a great being who wielded a small purple jade hammer, using stars as iron and the Milky Way as water, intending to forge a world."

Upon seeing the words "Purple Jade Hammer," Zhou Lingxuan's heart skipped a beat.

This booklet actually records the origin of the Heavenly Hammer!

He held his breath and continued reading.

"This person's cultivation was extraordinary, almost reaching the level of an immortal. However, despite devoting his entire life to it, he was ultimately unable to forge that legendary sword."

"At the moment of ascension, the great being threw his hammer down to the mortal realm, leaving behind a warning for future generations."

Zhou Lingxuan's finger slid down the yellowed paper and stopped at the last line of text.

Late at night.

Looking at the booklet in front of him, Zhou Lingxuan felt a new stirring in his heart.

That was the last piece of advice left by that great master, who was hailed as the closest to ascending to immortality through sword forging, to all the weapon refiners in the cultivation world.

"Becoming a blacksmith is the closest path to this path."