Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 24 Trial Sword Light

"Blood?"

Before Fan Zhou could react, Huang Yi grabbed him and shot straight into the sky, transforming into a golden streak of light and flying towards the distant, desolate mountains.

In just a few breaths, the streaking light landed on a mountaintop.

Huang Yi released Fan Zhou and pointed to a low hill next to them:

"There's a mandrill that's become a spirit; go and kill it."

"Oh," Fan Zhou replied.

The changes were too fast, and he was a little confused for a moment. Holding the wooden sword in his hand, he took a step forward.

After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly felt something was wrong, so he turned back and asked:

"Master Huang, I only have a wooden sword. How can I slay the demon?"

Huang Yi remained calm and asked in return:

Why can't a wooden sword slay demons?

Fan Zhou was stunned and speechless, glancing at the wooden sword in his hand:

"This sword has no edge; how can it possibly slay monsters?"

"I can kill him," Huang Yi said calmly.

Fan Zhou stood there stunned for a moment, hesitated for a while, then walked towards the low hill with his wooden sword.

After taking a couple of steps, he realized something was wrong and turned back.

"Master Huang, what is the cultivation level of that mountain demon?"

"Early stage of fetal breathing."

Fan Zhou was still worried and asked, "What if I can't beat it?"

"I will save you," Huang Yi said calmly.

Fan Zhou finally felt relieved and ran confidently toward the low hill beside him.

His steps were light and seemingly slow but actually fast. He could usually take three or four feet in one step, and occasionally leap a distance of ten feet.

This is a footwork technique from the Nine Styles of Swordplay. Fan Zhou adapted it for everyday travel, and it proved quite convenient.

After about fifteen minutes, Fan Zhou arrived at the low hill, slowed his pace, and began searching for the mountain demon that Huang Yi had mentioned.

"By the way, what do mandrills look like?"

Fan Zhou had only heard the legend of the mandrill, which was said to be a kind of humanoid ape that was extremely cunning and ferocious, but he did not know what it looked like.

He walked in the mountains for a while. The old trees were twisted and gnarled, with tangled branches overhead and only a few leaves hanging on them. Because it was on the shady side, it looked extremely gloomy and desolate.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the halfway point of the mountain, but he hadn't even seen a shadow of the monster.

Fan Zhou was wondering what was going on when he saw a person sitting under a tree not far away, wearing a tattered hemp garment, eating something with his head down.

"Is he a local mountain dweller? I might as well ask him where the mandrill is."

Fan Zhou strode over and called out:

"Excuse me, sir, I'd like to know if there are any mandrills around here?"

Upon hearing his question, the man abruptly turned around, revealing a hideous, indigo-blue face. His eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and his hairy hands held a mutilated bird carcass. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose, running down his beard.

Fan Zhou stopped in his tracks, immediately realizing that this was the mandrill he was looking for.

Awooo—!

With a sharp, eerie cry, the mandrill suddenly stood up, over six feet tall, its hairy black arms almost touching the ground.

It threw away the bird carcass in its hand, its fierce eyes fixed on Fan Zhou, and pounced on him with a strange howl, its sparse fangs still hanging with bits of flesh and blood.

Fan Zhou was terrified and instinctively turned and ran.

After running a couple of steps, he remembered that he had come to exorcise demons, so he quickly turned around, infused his wooden sword with sword energy, and unleashed a horizontal slash with the move "Zhong Xiang Kong Shan".

The mandrill had already pounced on him when the sudden sword strike hit him squarely in the chest, sending it flying.

Fan Zhou was jolted back several steps by the recoil, and was greatly shocked.

He had used all his strength in that sword strike just now; it would have left a two-inch-deep dent even on an old tree. But when he struck the mountain demon, it was like hitting a stone jar. It only cut through the outer hemp clothing it was wearing, without even breaking the skin inside!

"Is this beast made of steel or bronze?"

Just as Fan Zhou had this thought in his mind, the mountain demon on the other side flipped over and stood up again.

Although the monster was unharmed, it was clearly even more enraged. Its eyes were bloodshot with rage, and it scratched wildly at its body, tearing its hemp clothing to shreds and leaving several bloody scratches, displaying its madness and brutality.

Fan Zhou's heart skipped a beat. This beast's claws were much sharper than his wooden sword. What would happen if it scratched him?

Seemingly sensing his fear, the mandrill leaped through the air, its arms outstretched, grabbing his face and abdomen with ruthless cruelty.

Fan Zhou dared not let it get close, and retreated repeatedly, using his wooden sword to deflect and parry, employing the Flowing Clouds Hundred Turns technique to intercept its attack.

"This guy is incredibly strong."

Fan Zhou blocked several blows, and the wooden sword already had several scratch marks on it, while his hand was also painful from the impact.

"Squeak!"

The mandrill laughed incessantly, its two ape-like arms reaching out and grabbing, its attacks becoming even more ferocious, targeting vital points on the body. It was as if it were a martial arts master, and Fan Zhou was suddenly pressed into a perilous situation. In a moment of panic, he managed to dodge, but four bloody scratches appeared on his chest, burning with pain.

Fan Zhou felt a chill run down his spine, knowing he had no chance of winning if the fight continued like this. He quickly used all his strength to force the mountain demon back, shouting:

"Master Huang, save me!"

Suddenly, a golden gust of wind blew in, lifting Fan Zhou into the air. The mountain demon leaped several feet high, stretching out its arms to reach for it, but only managed to grab a piece of clothing.

It quickly climbed up the tree, but Fan Zhou was no longer in sight. Enraged, it pounded its chest with its arms and howled incessantly.

…………

Fan Zhou was carried back to Huang Yi by the golden wind.

He was too embarrassed to speak after his defeat, and could only look down at the bleeding wound on his chest and the cracked wooden sword in his hand.

Huang Yi took out a bottle of medicine and gave it to him so that he could heal his injuries first.

While Fan Zhou was applying the medicine, Huang Yi asked:

Do you know why you lost?

Fan Zhou pondered for a moment, then said sullenly:

"I initially lost the initiative because of fear."

"Then I discovered that the wooden sword couldn't break through the mandrill's defenses, so I only thought about dodging. As a result, it kept pressing me and attacking me. In the end, I ran out of strength and couldn't defend anymore. I was almost killed by it."

Huang Yi nodded in satisfaction:

"You're absolutely right. Fear was the biggest reason for your defeat."

Fan Zhou looked unconvinced:

"That mountain demon isn't that powerful. If my sword can break through its defenses, it'll only take a few strikes to kill it."

Huang Yi then asked:

"Then why can't you even cut through the mandrill's fur?"

Fan Zhou said, feeling wronged:

"Because the wooden sword is too dull, it severely damages the iron sword the first time I strike it."

Huang Yi shook his head and said, "It's not that the wooden sword is too dull, but that your heart is too dull."

Fan Zhou looked at him, puzzled: "Could it be that my heart can make a wooden sword sharp?"

Huang Yi remained silent, and with a wave of her hand, Fan Zhou's wooden sword flew into her grasp.

With a serious expression, he held a wooden sword and walked to a blue stone. Without him knowing how he channeled his energy, a foot-long golden light suddenly shot out from the tip of the sword. The light was dazzling, as if it were made of gold essence. With a light swing that seemed effortless, he split the blue stone in two, leaving the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.

Fan Zhou's eyes widened in surprise:

"What is this?"

Huang Yi explained:

"This is sword light, a transformation after sword energy has been condensed to its extreme, surpassing even a real sword."

"What does this sword light have to do with the heart?" Fan Zhou asked.

Huang Yi returned the wooden sword to him and said seriously:

"The sword's edge possesses divine power; as the ancient saying goes, 'A single sound can sever the Yangtze River,' which is also a manifestation of divine power."

"If the divine power is strong and fierce, even a wooden sword can cut through rivers and mountains, and is indestructible. Conversely, if the divine power is absent, even with a divine sword in hand, it is difficult to cut through rotten wood."

Fan Zhou glanced at the bluestone again and asked in confusion:

"What is WayV?"

"Wayne is the embodiment of inner strength and the manifestation of will."

"As the saying goes, essence nourishes the spirit, and the spirit governs the vital energy. When the spirit is full, the vital energy is lively; when the spirit is vigorous, the vital energy is powerful; when the spirit is firm, the vital energy is concentrated..."

Huang Yi spoke eloquently with her hands behind her back:

"To master the sword's edge, one must concentrate their mind, reach the pinnacle, and transform the intangible energy into an unparalleled sharpness!"

Huang Yi shared her experience in cultivating sword energy with Fan Zhou.

"To hone your sword skills, you must first temper your will. Just like a fine sword, it only becomes sharp after being honed."

"I brought you here for real combat to toughen your will, hoping that you can remain steadfast in the face of crisis."

Fan Zhou felt embarrassed, after all, he had been frightened by the mandrill right from the start.

Huang Yi didn't blame him; instead, she admonished him:

"Fear of demons and danger are human nature. But we who cultivate the Tao must not be swayed by external things. A steadfast heart in the pursuit of the Tao is the first and foremost sword for subduing demons."

Fan Zhou seemed to understand something after listening:

"So Master Huang means that I should hone my willpower in the process of fighting the mandrill, thereby cultivating the sword's aura?"

Huang Yi shook his head, "Mastering sword energy isn't that easy. Try condensing the sword energy you currently possess into a single point first."

"If you can do this, that will be enough to deal with the mandrill."

"yes!"

Fan Zhou wasted no more time. His chest wound had healed, so he simply sat cross-legged on the ground and, as Huang Yi had instructed, focused his mind on the sword.

At the same time, the sword energy within his body surged out from his dantian, flowing down his arm to the wooden sword, and under his mental control, gradually condensed into a single point at the tip of the sword.

Gather your spirit, condense your sword energy...

Fan Zhou frowned, his temples bulging with veins, and carefully tried to break the sword energy. But before long, the compressed sword energy exploded like a taut spring. The wooden sword in his hand, which was already riddled with cracks, shattered into two pieces.

It failed...

Fan Zhou was quite frustrated. Condensing sword energy was much more difficult than he had imagined, and he had even ruined the wooden sword.

"Use this."

Huang Yi handed him a wooden sword again.

Unlike Fan Zhou's previous yellow wooden sword, this wooden sword was completely black, dull and without luster, and felt heavy in the hand.

"This is a thousand-year-old ironwood that grows on Mount Tonglu. It is very hard and there is no need to worry about it getting damaged."

Fan Zhou took the ironwood sword with both hands, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

He sensed that Huang Yi seemed very anxious.

They were eager to take him out for real combat and eager to teach him how to cultivate sword energy, as if something was chasing him.

Fan Zhou suddenly thought of something and asked:

"Master Huang, are you leaving?"

Huang Yi glanced at him and then nodded.

He looked at the rising sun on the horizon, a hint of wistfulness in his expression:

"My mission to guard the market will end after this month, and then I will return to the sect."

"I'm teaching you so much now because I won't have time later."

Fan Zhou's expression turned solemn, and he respectfully bowed to him, saying:

"Rest assured, Master Huang, I will definitely slay that mountain demon before you leave!"

Huang Yi nodded and said, "I'm very satisfied that you have this intention."

"But you don't need to be too demanding. Cultivation should be done step by step, steadily and surely. Don't try to take shortcuts."

"Yes, I understand."

Fan Zhou nodded in agreement.

…………

The days passed by.

Huang Yi took Fan Zhou to challenge the mandrill every day.

From morning till night, Fan Zhou repeatedly provoked the mountain demon, using this as an opportunity to hone his will and swordsmanship.

If he couldn't win, he would ask Huang Yi to take him away, leaving the furious mandrill with nowhere to vent its anger, only able to roar repeatedly.

Fortunately, he made rapid progress.

There are four days left until the end of the month.

Fan Zhou is no longer afraid of the mandrill. He can now fully unleash his strength in battles with it. Even if he can't win, he can run away and no longer needs to call Huang Yi to rescue him.

Unfortunately, his sword qi cultivation was not enough, and he was still unable to break through the mountain demon's defenses. Although he made it scream in pain, he could not inflict fatal damage.

Moreover, the mountain demon has started avoiding him these days, seemingly unwilling to practice with him anymore.

Fortunately, Huang Yi helped him find the mandrill's cave.

Fan Zhou would go over and provoke it every day, imitating its ugly appearance, which always managed to force it out. The two of them would fight and run away, and the mandrill would always make strange noises. Although Fan Zhou couldn't understand it, he could guess that it was cursing him, so he would always imitate the mandrill's noises and curse back, making the mandrill so angry that it would be fuming.

There are two days left until the end of the month.

That morning, Fan Zhou did not rush to provoke the mountain demon.

He sat atop the mountain, quietly gathering the sword energy within his body.

He had a premonition that he had already been able to concentrate his sword energy into a single point.

Just today.