Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Xiaoyaozi already had a plan in mind. If Xu Qing wanted the cultivation methods of the Human Sect, he could give them to him as long as they did not involve the core secrets.

After all, a peerless sword is not only an enhancement of his combat power, but also a testament to his own swordsmanship.

However, Xu Qing shook his head, his fingertips brushing across the pool, creating ripples, his tone still calm and even: "Mr. Xiaoyao, you are overthinking it. I don't want anything from this sword-forging."

"You don't want anything?" Xiaoyaozi was stunned, clearly not expecting this answer.

If you want to take something, you must give it first.

It was Xu Qing who first brought up the matter of forging the sword, so logically, Xu Qing should have had something in mind.

Ironically, he now seems to have no desires whatsoever.

This, in turn, reveals an even bigger problem.

Seeing the puzzled Xiaoyaozi, Xu Qing continued with a smile: "For me, forging swords is simply a matter of following my heart. Seeing that your Dao heart is clear and your philosophy of tempering the heart in the mortal world resonates with my own insights when forging swords, I thought of forging a sword for you to see what kind of demeanor a cultivator of the Dao in the mortal world would have holding a sword infused with this Daoist spirit."

He then changed his tone and explained, “Sometimes I forge swords for the sake of materials, sometimes for the sake of skill, and sometimes for the sake of my state of mind. But this time, it is only for the sake of a kindred spirit. You understand the ways of the world, just as I understand the essence of iron and fire. This compatibility is enough for me to forge a sword worthy of you, regardless of the cost.”

Upon hearing these words, Xiaoyaozi's feelings inevitably became complicated.

However, he ultimately did not refuse Xu Qing's kind offer.

After all, Xu Qing had already said so, so refusing would seem too heartless.

Besides that, he did indeed crave the divine sword.

In the previous battle at Louguan, they initially thought it was the appearance of a priceless treasure, but later they discovered it was a sword.

Why does Xiaoyaozi want to fight?

It was all for the sake of viewing swords at Miaotai.

In terms of famous swords, the Human Sect is indeed inferior to the Heaven Sect.

Leaving aside Xueji for now, let's talk about Qiuli. In the past, the sage Zhuang Zhou, the founder of the Chinese nation, made a special trip to Tianzong to see the Qiuli sword for a while, and gained some insights from it.

Under Xiaoyaozi's guidance, Xu Qing toured the Human Sect for a while.

Although I didn't visit many of the forbidden areas, I still got to experience the scenery of the Human Sect.

It was during this process that he met an old friend.

When Xu Qing saw him, he was practicing his sword by a stream.

"When swinging the sword, the arm can be raised another half inch..."

Xu Qing spoke up, offering a reminder to the young man.

He can be considered a master of micro-management.

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, the young man turned his head to look at him. "It's you?"

After seeing Xu Qing's appearance clearly, the young man was quite surprised. Then, he saw Xiaoyaozi next to Xu Qing and immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Sect Leader!"

"No need for formalities!"

Xiaoyaozi, with a friendly yet somewhat surprised expression, asked Xu Qing, "Mr. Xu, do you know Qingxuan?"

“He was the first Taoist I ever met!” Xu Qing explained to Xiaoyaozi.

When Xu Qing first arrived in Xianyang, in order to make a name for himself, he challenged many of the top masters in Xianyang, trampling the martial arts world of Qin underfoot. As a result, many people accepted his challenge, and Qingxuan was one of them.

Xu Qing remembered him so vividly because he came from the Taoist school.

Of course, another reason is that the name appeared in the original work.

Previously, Xu Qing deliberately mentioned national and family feuds in front of Xiaoyaozi, which may have been because he was reminded of Qingxuan's deeds.

Driven by national and personal vendettas, Qingxuan secretly learned the Tianzong's ultimate martial art, Wanchuan Qiushui. He was later expelled from the Taoist sect and died after being assassinated.

Later, Xiaoyaozi colluded with anti-Qin forces to fight against the Qin state. Whether this was related to him or not, no one can say for sure.

However, it is certain that after Qin destroyed the six states, many people in the Renzong clan harbored deep hatred for Qin, which may have been one of the reasons why Xiaoyaozi rebelled against Qin.

Chapter 312 The Sword of the Mortal World

There is no calendar in the mountains, and the year ends without knowing when the cold has passed.

In a short period of time, Xu Qing had already spent several days in Taiyi Mountain.

Over the course of a few days, he gained a more in-depth and detailed understanding of the Taoist family.

However, even after accepting Bei Mingzi's invitation, he did not immediately go to the Taoist Tianzong on the other side.

On the contrary, his travels within the Human Sect during this period left him with many reflections.

Therefore, he prepared to start the furnace here and immediately forge a sword.

"Sword forging?"

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Xiaoyaozi looked at Xu Qing in surprise, and then asked, "Do you need our help?"

When Xu Qing forged the sword at Louguan, the commotion was enormous, attracting experts from both the Heavenly and Human Sects.

Now, Xu Qing is preparing to forge a sword at the Human Sect. Xiaoyaozi is unsure how much of a commotion the other party will cause, but he is certain that even if the commotion is not as great as that time, it will still be quite significant.

The Celestial and Human Sects are located on the same mountain. Any changes here will surely attract the attention of the Celestial Sect immediately.

The people of the Heavenly Sect have always been indifferent to everything. If they were to witness any unusual phenomena, it would likely be difficult for them to escape unscathed.

The hidden meaning in Xiaoyaozi's words was that he had arranged for the disciples of the Human Sect to guard everything in advance, and at the same time set up a great formation to try to digest everything within the Human Sect and avoid attracting the attention of the Heavenly Sect as much as possible.

"no need!"

Xu Qing said calmly, "I have always rarely asked others for help in forging swords."

"You just wait!" After a pause, Xu Qing felt that this was not quite right, so he changed his words to, "It should be that you just wait."

Xiaoyaozi thought of what Xu Qing had said to him before. He gave Xu Qing a deep look but said nothing.

……

In the human realm, beside a stream.

Previously, under Xiaoyaozi's guidance, Xu Qing had thoroughly enjoyed the scenery of the Human Sect.

Ultimately, this location was chosen.

The reason for forging swords here is not because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is far superior to that of other places, but simply because the streams here are clear and exceptionally tranquil. Xu Qing felt that these clear streams could be used to quench and clean the swords, that's all.

Xiaoyaozi was unaware of Xu Qing's reasons for choosing this location.

However, he immediately designated this area as a temporary restricted zone, strictly forbidding his disciples from coming to the vicinity.

At the same time, he secretly had his disciples keep watch nearby.

Although Xu Qing verbally said he didn't need help, Xiaoyaozi, as the leader of the Human Sect, had to consider the Human Sect's interests.

The sword that Xu Qing forged this time was forged within the Taoist community. If the scale of its completion is as grand as that of the Louguan Temple, then the disciples of the Tianzong Sect are the ones he needs to be wary of.

A stream flows gently, and nearby there is a bamboo grove. A gentle breeze blows, and the bamboo branches sway softly, carrying with them a refreshing bamboo fragrance.

The smooth, mirror-like bluestone platform beside the stream was where Xu Qing stood. With a slight movement of his fingertips, streams of light poured out from the void, landing on the ground and transforming into several components that gleamed with a dark golden luster.

These components have unique shapes, with fine cloud patterns engraved on their edges. They are the disassembled parts of the modular sword-forging furnace that he had already refined.

With a wave of his hand, the largest component of the furnace body floated up on its own, and the other parts gathered together like birds returning to their nests. The mortise and tenon joints fit together perfectly, and in less than half an incense stick's time, a simple and ancient furnace about ten feet tall was formed.

"I'm not used to having Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai around."

Xu Qing looked at the sword-forging furnace in front of him and murmured to himself.

Immediately afterwards, as he flipped his hand, many more jade talismans appeared in his hand.

He moved swiftly and appeared in various locations, placing the jade talismans in different places—it was the familiar spirit-gathering array.

After all the arrangements were completed, Xu Qing did not light the fire immediately.

Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bluestone next to the stove.

However, he did not enter the system's space immediately.

When he sat cross-legged, he could clearly perceive everything around him, such as the figure of Xiaoyaozi in the bamboo forest not far away.

"I can't let you find out anything!"

He murmured to himself, and then, sitting cross-legged, he waved his arms. In an instant, the power of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—flowed, and the changes of day and night were added to it, which was the twenty-four earthly branches of the farming family.

In the battle at Daze Mountain, Xu Qing fought against the six elders of the Farmer's Clan. Apart from the Medicine King's poison, which he couldn't learn, he mastered most of the other five elders' unique skills during the battle. This allowed him to reach a new level of understanding of the Farmer's Clan's Twenty-Four Earthly Techniques.

The seasons cycle, and the sun and moon alternate.

Outside the Spirit Gathering Array, another barrier appeared.

As a result, the world that Xiaoyaozi saw became vast and chaotic, and he could no longer see anything related to Xu Qing.

Of course, if you rush forward, you might be able to break through the barrier and see everything clearly.

But such behavior is no different from directly turning against Xu Qing.

Thinking of this, Xiaoyaozi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

After confirming that no one was watching anymore.

Xu Qing then entered what outsiders perceived as a state of "forgetting oneself and the world," but was actually part of the system space.

"After several days of traveling around the human realm, what I saw and heard was all about the myriad aspects of life in the mortal world."

"Bei Mingzi and Xiaoyaozi further explained the difference between the Way of Heaven and the Way of Man!"

Inside the system's furnace space, looking at everything familiar before him, Xu Qing had a thought flash through his mind.

He already had a plan for the sword that was about to be forged.

"The Taoist Family School emphasizes the Tao in the mortal world, advocating following nature and integrating into the world. The Heavenly School seeks tranquility and non-action, wanting to transcend all things. But all things in the world are inherently inseparable from the entanglements of the mortal world."

Xu Qing murmured to himself, his fingertips tracing the outline of a sword in the air, "As Zhuangzi said, 'In the human world,' the way to live is not to avoid the world, but to uphold one's true self in the mortal realm. This sword will be named 'Mortal World'!"

He found a suitable piece of material and then picked up the hammer.

The roar of iron and fire echoed within the system's furnace space.

A sword blank was slowly born under Xu Qing's tempering.

……