Chapter 8

Swords and blades, swords are more elegant, but in actuality, blades are more practical. The weapons sold by Black Iron Manor are mainly blades!

“I need a blade!”

Therefore, Su Changkong decided to practice the Blade Technique. Before that, he needed a blade of his own.

Su Changkong, full of enthusiasm, took out the blueprint and started to draw.

The blade had to excel in chopping and slashing. Images of the Miao Blade and the Iron-Cutting Blade surfaced in Su Changkong’s mind.

Both of these blades were longer and larger. The Miao Blade had a slender body, suitable for holding with two hands, combining the characteristics of a spear and a blade, while the Iron-Cutting Blade was wider and specialized in chopping, capable of severing horse legs and necks.

Combining the features of both, a long blade that incorporated the characteristics of the Miao Blade and the Iron-Cutting Blade quickly appeared on the blueprint, measuring one meter and twelve centimeters, with a wider body than the Miao Blade, capable of being wielded with both hands or a single hand!

Having finished the blueprint, the next step was to forge it.

Su Changkong himself was a master of forging and needed no help from others; the only thing he required was materials.

“I will use Refined Iron for forging.”

Su Changkong pondered.

Refined Iron, an upper-grade steel material for weapon forging, was quite extravagant.

“Director Liu, I would like to buy some Refined Iron.”

So, Su Changkong sought Director Liu and made his request. Black Iron Manor had Refined Iron, but since Su Changkong needed it for his personal use, he definitely had to pay for it.

“Certainly, how much do you need?” Director Liu happily agreed. Su Changkong was now a formal Forging Master with huge potential and held a significant status within Black Iron Manor, so naturally, Director Liu would not make it difficult for him over such a simple request.

“Twenty Jin,” Su Changkong said.

To forge a blade, not so much Refined Iron was needed; the weight of a typical sword or blade ranged from three to five Jin. However, the blade Su Changkong intended to forge was longer and wider than ordinary blades, requiring more material. Moreover, there was loss during the melting process, so twenty Jin of Refined Iron was definitely sufficient.

“Twenty Jin of Refined Iron? That will be five taels of silver.”

Director Liu quoted a price for Su Changkong.

This price was very cheap, practically the cost price.

Su Changkong did not haggle and paid Director Liu five taels of silver.

After previously killing those bandits, Su Changkong had gained over a hundred taels of silver, so this expense was affordable for him.

Having acquired the materials, Su Changkong couldn’t wait to start forging. His forging skill had reached an accomplished level, and he was already very skilled at forging swords and blades!

“Clang, clang, clang!”

With a hammer in hand, Su Changkong struck the red-hot Refined Iron on the anvil. Each blow was firm and powerful, accompanied by the clinking sounds of metal collision and the sparks that flew.

In front of the glowing furnace, Su Changkong concentrated intently, sweating profusely, repeatedly folding and forging the iron, making the patterns on the Refined Iron’s surface increasingly dense.

Previously, when forging swords or blades, folding and forging a piece of steel about 15 to 20 times was usually enough. However, forging a weapon for his own use, Su Changkong naturally exerted his utmost effort, striving to create a weapon that would satisfy him!

The continuous folding and forging, repeated melting, stripped the impurities from the Refined Iron, turning it gradually blackish-green in color.

Su Changkong folded and forged more than fifty times, repeatedly blending pig iron with wrought iron, pushing its efficiency to the limit!

Filling with steel, quenching…

Through each step of the process, Su Changkong was meticulous, spending a full twenty or so days!

Twenty days later, Su Changkong stood in front of a grinding stone, holding a long blade in his hand, a slight excitement visible on his face.

The sword measured one meter twelve in length, with a slender body and a sharp edge. The entire blade was a dark greenish-black, covered with dense patterns. From its appearance alone, it was unadorned and simple, yet it emitted a cold aura as if it could slice through metal and sever iron.

“Let this sword be named Iron Cutting, it’s very heavy… ordinary people can’t use it at all.”

Su Changkong held the sword and named it.

The weight of the Iron-Cutting Sword was roughly close to ten jin (jin = 0.5 kg). Such heaviness would be quite a challenge for an ordinary person to even pick up, let alone wield forcefully. Without sufficient strength, it couldn’t be used at all!

A weapon must first and foremost be agile; otherwise, it’s like a child swinging a huge hammer. Before you could injure the enemy, your own body would give out.

However, having trained in the Five Animal Frolics, Su Changkong’s physical condition exceeded the limits of ordinary men, and the Iron-Cutting Sword suited him perfectly!

Next came the practice of blade techniques.

“Blade techniques consist of nine basic actions: upward slash, stab, intercept, block, smash, chop, sweep, carry, and wrap. And the most suitable move for this Iron-Cutting Sword is ‘chopping’!”

Su Changkong, who crafted the sword, also knew its characteristics and how to use it, all of which were fundamental knowledge.

Su Changkong had no one to systematically teach him the blade technique, and what he advocated was practicality. Therefore, he focused on mastering the lethal chop!

A single chop to kill! No fancy variations!

Now that he had learned the basic skills of the blade technique well enough, he could eventually learn more advanced techniques!

There are three main variations of the “chop”: the downward splitting cut, the horizontal chop from left to right or right to left, and the upward slash from below. Master these chops in combination with Su Changkong’s physical condition, and he would be able to handle most bandits and thieves.

Shhh, shhh, shhh!

Su Changkong held the Iron-Cutting Sword; the blade cleaved through the air with splitting cuts, horizontal chops, and upward slashes. He repeated these three moves over and over, from initially being awkward to becoming proficient. An ordinary person would find the ten-jin Iron-Cutting Sword difficult to pick up, let alone swing it as flexibly as he did. Such maneuverability required adequate strength and stamina.

Su Changkong’s life became regulated again, practicing the Five Animal Frolics, forging weapons to make money, and now, he added practicing with the blade.

As for the Five Animal Frolics, it actually didn’t consume much of Su Changkong’s time. The Five Animal Frolics, being a health-preserving fist technique, required practice only in the morning and evening; as long as he sweated, it was enough. Overexerting oneself to the point of exhaustion would actually run counter to the principle of Health-preserving Fist!

“Isn’t swinging this hammer just like the splitting cut in the blade techniques?” As for weapon forging, Su Changkong treated it as an extension of blade practice!

“Clang, clang, clang!”

Su Changkong swung the heavy hammer, his hands moving like he was wielding a hefty chopper, continuously chopping down. Each strike shot sparks from the glowing-hot iron block and caused the anvil below to tremble slightly, each hit solid and unyielding, one after another.

The recoiling force, transferred to Su Changkong’s arms, also tempered his muscles, tendons, and skin.

Su Changkong’s eyes shone. His potential value now reached a staggering 7 points; he was an unequivocal genius.

Integrating forging skill with blade techniques!

In Su Changkong’s eyes, the hard blocks of iron and steel in front of him were materials to hone his blade technique. Continuous forging, non-stop chopping, until he could split them with a single chop—that was when his blade technique would be complete!

“Clang, clang, clang!”

Focused and dedicated, Su Changkong worked in the forge. Other Forging Masters also swung their hammers at their own stations, busily immersed in their work, the sounds of metal striking metal filling the air. However, the sound of Su Changkong forging iron was especially crisp and pleasant, evoking the clatter of soldiers and horses in battle.

“This lad… his skills are getting more and more polished!”

Yang Chao, observing Su Changkong fully engrossed, rhythmically striking the iron block, couldn’t help but be moved. In his eyes, Su Changkong didn’t seem like a blacksmith hammering iron, but more like a swordsman exuding a sharp and fierce aura!

Iron-Cutting Blade Technique (Entry Level 4%)

As evening approached, Su Changkong concluded his day’s practice and opened his attribute panel. In his attribute column, a new item for blade technique had been added!

His Iron-Cutting Blade Technique, incorporating his forging skills and focusing on chopping, was honed through repetition, focusing strength such that even a solid chunk of ironstone could be cleaved in one sweep!