Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

The letter was quickly delivered to Xu Qing.

After a brief look, Xu Qing unleashed his inner energy and destroyed it instantly.

The contents of the letter were very simple.

Donghuang Taiyi wanted to invite Xu Qing to the Yin Yang School headquarters for a while to discuss the Great Dao together.

According to him, they probably became acquainted through a previous battle.

Now that he has learned that Xu Qing has joined the Qin state, and that the Yin-Yang School is also a sect serving the Qin state, they are now considered to be on the same side. Naturally, they should not be enemies. There were obviously some misunderstandings before, and he wants to take this opportunity to clear up the misunderstandings between them.

They also stated that the great path is not walked alone, and that after reaching their level, it is clearly undesirable to work in isolation.

If both sides can put aside some prejudices and communicate, it will be beneficial to the improvement of their strength.

His words were extremely kind and gentle.

It's hard to imagine that these words came from the mouth of Donghuang Taiyi, who called himself a god and was high above everyone else.

If it were an ordinary person, they might be moved by Donghuang Taiyi.

However, Xu Qing had no good feelings towards Donghuang Taiyi or the Yin-Yang School, so naturally he had no interest in them.

Similarly, for people like Donghuang Taiyi, the Great Dao is lofty and difficult to attain, and once their strength reaches a certain limit, it becomes difficult to make further progress. However, for Xu Qing, this problem has never existed. His talent is already unparalleled in the world, and he learns everything very quickly. It can be said that even if he sits still, his strength is constantly improving.

What a difficult path to walk alone? Yet, he could only walk the path alone.

Because no one else can keep up with his pace of progress.

Ignore these trivial matters.

Xu Qing began preparations for forging the sword.

Admittedly, the original idea was to prepare a sword for Gai Nie as compensation for destroying his weapon.

However, it was Ying Zheng who solved Xu Qing's troubles this time.

Therefore, if we really want to forge swords, we should give priority to Qin Shi Huang's sword.

"First of all, the sword cannot be too long!"

Xu Qing was designing the sword that was about to be forged. He thought of the time when Jing Ke attempted to assassinate the King of Qin. Because the sword that Ying Zheng carried was too long, he was unable to draw it for a long time. If it weren't for Jing Ke's skillful maneuvering and his maneuvering around a pillar, he would have been killed by Jing Ke long ago.

For ease of drawing, a short sword is more convenient.

"Secondly, it must conform to Ying Zheng's identity!"

Ying Zheng was the King of Qin, and his sword could not be too simple. Of course, it also could not be too ostentatious, like the magnificent sword he had forged for Guo Kai in the past, which was made of gold and jade. It would look too extravagant and would not be in line with Ying Zheng's status.

"With simplicity and solemnity as its core values!"

Antique does not mean crude. Just like some bronze tripods, although the color may look simple, the patterns on them and the shape of the tripod itself can give people a sense of weight at a glance.

The sword is the king of all weapons!

The sword worn by Ying Zheng could be called the "Sword of the Son of Heaven," and naturally it needed to have that unique sense of majesty.

"Therefore, special effects are absolutely essential!"

Why is the legendary sword called the legendary sword?

Besides the various legends and stories related to swords, there are also various strange special effects when a sword is drawn.

If a sword is drawn, the world changes color and the wind and clouds change – that's a special effect.

As this was his first battle in Xianyang, Xu Qing wanted to leave a very deep impression on Ying Zheng, so he didn't intend to simply forge an ordinary third-tier sword.

After all, he is now a fourth-level swordsmith.

Since achieving the fourth rank, he has only forged two fourth-rank swords.

To be honest, it's actually a bit too little.

Although a fourth-tier sword requires an extremely high amount of reputation points and uses extremely precious materials.

Considering the benefits, it was still worthwhile.

This achievement benefits both externally and internally.

Externally, Xu Qing uses his sword to invest in others; internally, he can increase his own experience points.

After all, above the fourth tier, there exists a fifth-tier divine sword.

Now that we've reached this level, we naturally want to see the view from the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

"Aside from the special effects, the sword's most important ability is... to prolong life!"

Immortality is something that Xu Qing hasn't encountered yet among the many traits he's discovered. Perhaps this rare trait will appear in the new pool after reaching Tier 5.

But such a thing doesn't exist nowadays.

Therefore, it is necessary to find a substitute.

Fortunately, Xu Qing's only request was to help Ying Zheng improve his health and prolong his life, which was not difficult to achieve.

Many of its features, if taken individually, might seem quite ordinary.

But in fact, they can be combined with each other.

The combination of characteristics such as "gathering energy" and "concealing form" creates the Flying Shadow Sword, which is similar to the Han Guang Sword.

Furthermore, the combination of bloodlust and healing is what makes Tian Guang's Spring Life Sword so powerful that it can absorb the blood of enemies during battle to sustain itself.

"By gathering qi in conjunction with healing, drawing upon the qi of heaven and earth, and continuously nourishing the sword master... this achieves a unique way of drawing qi into the body, tempering the body, and when the body is healthy, lifespan will naturally increase."

Historically, Qin Shi Huang did not even live to be fifty years old; he died at the age of forty-nine.

Because he was constantly overworked, and being a workaholic, he became even busier after unifying the country. Under such intense work conditions, coupled with the poor medical conditions in ancient times, it was difficult to recover from illness, which naturally led to Ying Zheng's short lifespan.

Putting aside other things, in the anime, Ying Zheng also suffers from headaches and often summons Yun Zhongjun to the palace to treat him. It's hard to say that this headache is not caused by overwork.

Therefore, the first step in Xu Qing's creation of the "longevity" sword for Ying Zheng was to improve Ying Zheng's physical condition.

As long as the sword is by one's side, one can constantly draw upon the vast vitality of heaven and earth to cleanse the body, dispel hidden ailments, and keep the body in peak condition at all times. This can be considered another form of "immunity to all diseases." Of course, if it were only this, it would not be worthy of the title of a fourth-tier sword. Therefore, Xu Qing plans to add even more ingredients to it.

The unique characteristic of "concentration" should also be included.

In his early years, it was precisely with the help of this sword that he managed to escape Xuan Jian in Tunliu.

It was a second-tier sword. Although its grade was average, he successfully awakened Xuan Jian by using its concentration-enhancing properties, allowing Xuan Jian to temporarily escape the control of the Luo Net. Even years later, when he saw Xuan Jian again, Xuan Jian was still carrying that sword, which shows the importance of the concentration-enhancing properties. Therefore, when he later reforged the "Black and White Xuan Jian" twin swords for Xuan Jian, he deliberately added this property to them.

Gathering Qi and healing can treat hidden physical ailments, but mental fatigue is difficult to eliminate. Therefore, the characteristic of "concentration" is also needed. In addition, special effects are also required.

Abilities like "soul-capturing" and "wind-summoning" should also be included.

Soul-capturing can be paired with concentration, one targeting the external and the other the internal.

It can intimidate enemies when dealing with external threats, and help calm oneself when dealing with internal threats.

As for summoning wind, it is an ability that matches gathering energy. When the sword is drawn, a strong wind blows, which can be considered a unique special effect.

If it weren't for the fact that many features had already been incorporated, Xu Qing would have even considered adding something like lightning.

The moment the sword was drawn, a great storm arose!

But after thinking about it, I gave up. After all, being struck by lightning is not a good omen. It can be interpreted as a good omen or it can be misinterpreted as a bad omen.

"That's about it, that's pretty much it!"

After spending some time finalizing the sword's design and overall shape,

Xu Qing then began preparing the materials for forging the sword.

For him now, the materials for forging swords have never been a difficult thing.

Previously, he had asked Zhao Gao for some sword-making materials simply to take advantage of him. In reality, he did not lack such things. The State of Han was not a wealthy country, but the State of Zhao was not poor. The treasuries of these two countries contained countless treasures, some of which were ancient rare treasures. To outsiders, they might only be considered decorations and had no practical use.

However, in Xu Qing's eyes, they contained spiritual essence. Through special means, Xu Qing could extract the spiritual essence contained within them and then use it as material for forging swords.

It took a long time from start to finish.

Xu Qing has finally finished the preliminary work for forging the sword.

He originally planned to forge the sword directly in the mansion he had purchased, but after thinking about it, he decided to change the location.

After all, the two fourth-tier swords from before were forged in places like Mount Tai and Mount Hua.

Ying Zheng's identity was extraordinary, so the swords he forged naturally needed to be placed in a good location.

After some thought, he came up with an idea about where to forge the swords.

There are many famous mountains and rivers near Xianyang.

For example, Mount Li, the headquarters of the Yin-Yang School, is a famous mountain. Historically, Qin Shi Huang's imperial mausoleum was located there.

Although Xu Qing disliked the Yin-Yang School, he did not choose to forge the sword at Mount Li this time.

If swords are forged there, and some unusual celestial phenomena occur, the Yin-Yang School might even gain fame by using it as an opportunity.

Therefore, the place he chose this time was even more famous than Mount Li—Mount Nan!

Nanshan, or Zhongnanshan, is the ancestral home of Taoism.

The Taoist sects of Heaven and Man are located on its main peak, Taiyi Peak.

Since Taoism gained fame, even though it emphasizes tranquility and non-action, it has been treated with respect and bestowed titles by successive Qin kings. Today, Zhongnan Mountain can be considered a sacred place within the Qin state.

Xu Qing plans to forge swords there, which will inevitably disturb the Taoists.

Therefore, he had specifically contacted Gai Nie beforehand and obtained an imperial edict.

Since the purpose of forging a sword for Ying Zheng was to make a big splash, it was necessary to do so in a legitimate way.

Chapter 275 Forging Swords at Nanshan

The Taoist school held a special and revered position in the Qin state, far surpassing that of later schools like the Yin-Yang School.

Tracing back to its origins, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, Lao Tzu went west out of Hangu Pass and left behind the five thousand words of the Tao Te Ching for Guan Yinzi. From then on, Taoist thought took root in the Guanzhong region.

Although the Taoist school split into the Heaven and Man sects due to ideological differences as early as three hundred years ago, the two sects only had some conflicting ideas, and at their core they always revered Zhongnan Mountain as their ancestral home.

Their consistent philosophy of tranquility and non-action coincided perfectly with the Qin state's early policy of recuperation and building up national strength.

Throughout history, the Qin kings have treated the Taoists with great courtesy. They have never interfered with the Taoists' practice in Zhongnan Mountain, and have even issued edicts to bestow titles upon them and allocate funds to repair their palaces. The pavilions on Taiyi Mountain today were built with the help of the Qin state.

Even when Qin Shi Huang came to power and implemented Legalist policies, he still maintained sufficient respect for Taoism.