Chapter 463: Cultivation Has No Difference

Chapter 463: Cultivation Has No Difference

"Friend..."

The old monk seemed somewhat nostalgic. "I had many friends long ago, but they were always so arrogant, thinking they could accomplish anything on their own. That's why they died very quickly."

The girl glanced at the old monk, then looked up and said, "My friends are different from yours. At least they're not that foolish..."

"Well, actually, you're not that foolish either..."

The girl pondered for a moment and continued, "You're just a little scared of dying."

The old monk looked at the girl and said, "Don't be too confident. This matter is very dangerous, and it has been so many times before. I don't think you can change anything."

But the young girl did not agree, "Some things haven't been tried yet. How do you know they won't work? Besides... forget it, it's useless to talk to you about it. Just hide yourself."

The old monk remained silent, his silence making him seem more like a statue than a person. for new novels

"I'm not a great bodhisattva, I'm just a clay bodhisattva. It's hard enough for me to cross the river myself, let alone with others."

The old monk's expression was grim, without much joy of seeing an old friend. The girl couldn't be bothered to listen to his words. She simply summoned a spark of brilliant light at her fingertips and examined it closely.

After some time passed, the girl stood up and said, "Little monk, I'm leaving."

The old monk, who could hardly be called "little" anymore, and was an old monk a long time ago, opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing.

The girl looked down at the monastery below with some disdain, then turned to glance at the old monk, smiling faintly. "Doing something interesting is what makes life worthwhile. Just living like this is meaningless. You don't understand this principle, even after living so many years."

......

......

Sword Qi Mountain was deep into midsummer, and naturally, the sound of cicadas was abundant. Chen Chao had been granted permission to roam freely on Sword Qi Mountain, which naturally caused discontent among many swordsmiths. However, with the Great Liang Emperor backing him, any dissatisfaction had to remain hidden in their hearts.

Chen Chao did not idle around. While waiting for a reply, he wandered the mountain and watched the swordsmiths at work. However, most of these swordsmiths had their so-called secret techniques and were unwilling to let an outsider watch.

As a result, Chen Chao faced many rejections. Had Yang Furen not informed everyone on the mountain not to make things difficult for Chen Chao, he might have faced more than just cold shoulders.

One afternoon, Chen Chao strolled through the back mountain, stopping and starting before finally returning to the bamboo grove. Bored, he unsheathed his saber and gently tapped the bamboo with the sheathe, listening to the different sounds each one made. This brought him peace of mind. Sensing the flow of qi within him, Chen Chao deliberately guided it, coordinating with his breathing. With each inhalation and exhalation, white mist appeared, making him feel entirely at ease.

The white mist Chen Chao had acquired from the ruins of the Rongshan Sect, along with the unknown cultivation technique, was something he was still exploring. The more he delved into it, the more he discovered its boundless potential. This secret technique was difficult to categorize as either a martial cultivation technique or a daoist technique. He had no idea how many levels it had, but as his cultivation level increased, the white mist within him grew stronger. It proved useful for both healing injuries and attacking.

Chen Chao was now even trying to slowly integrate this white mist with his broken saber, guiding the mist and his energy to flow together when executing saber techniques.

Lost in deep thought about the white mist, Chen Chao unknowingly walked out of the bamboo sea. In front of him was a cliff, and on the cliff stood a sword-forging furnace. In front of the furnace was a reclining chair, on which a tall, burly old man sat with his eyes closed.

Chen Chao returned to his senses and observed from a distance, not immediately approaching.

"You must be the young martial artist who made the entire Sword Qi Mountain suffer a loss?" the old man asked.

The old man murmured, "It's strange that you came up the mountain to forge a saber. It's also strange that Yang Furen took you to listen to the bamboo in the bamboo sea. It's strange that after listening, you're now not inferior to some natural sword cultivators in terms of sensing sword intent. But the strangest thing of all is that you, kid, are a martial artist!"

After saying this, the old man fell silent for a long time. His words were not entirely complete. The Great Liang Dynasty had the Great Liang Emperor, a peerless martial artist, and now there was this peculiar young martial artist. What would this mean for the entire Great Liang Dynasty?

The old man did not dare to think about it. Perhaps it would not be long before this became a problem that countless cultivators across the world would have to face together.

It seemed that the Great Liang Dynasty was already showing signs of rise?

Shaking his head to dismiss these thoughts, the old man finally smiled and said, "If you were a sword cultivator, regardless of your cultivation realm, I could gift you a flying sword. Though my flying swords are not as good as those forged by the Mountain Lord, they are still quite decent."

Chen Chao thickened his skin and said, "Speaking of which, this junior has a friend who's a sword cultivator."

The old man mocked, "You mean that girl from the academy who has already taken nine flying swords? What, does she want a tenth?"

Chen Chao felt a bit embarrassed.

The old man spoke to himself, "I see that I'm fated with you, so this time while I forge the sword, you can watch from the side. Forging a sword is actually a process of shaping its essence, energy, and spirit. If you can grasp this, it will undoubtedly benefit your cultivation."

"Thank you very much, Senior," Chen Chao cupped his hands in gratitude. He did not refuse the offer. Being able to watch the process of a top swordsmith forging a sword was a rare and valuable opportunity that Chen Chao had no reason to decline.

However, after saying this, the old man lay down again with his eyes half-closed, completely ignoring the sword forge.

Curious, Chen Chao asked, "Senior, what are you waiting for?"

The old man smiled and said, "You noticed that this old man is waiting for something?"

Chen Chao smiled and nodded.

The old man explained straightforwardly, "When forging flying swords, most swordsmiths choose a precise moment when the sword is taking shape. But I am not waiting for that. I'm waiting for a particular time to forge, nothing special - just sunrise."

"The cliff here, when illuminated by the rising sun, presents the finest scenery in the world. When I forge the sword amidst the red sun, it will naturally produce an excellent flying sword."

The old man murmured to himself, "The hardest thing to achieve in this world is actually comfort. When the sword is comfortable, the swordsmith is comfortable, then it truly becomes an interesting sword."

Chen Chao was absorbed in thought.

Suddenly, the old man said, "Or perhaps you should forge this sword?"

Chen Chao looked bewildered.

The old man muttered, "I don't know why, but I feel this flying sword is somewhat special. If you forge it, it might be a sword no weaker than a Hundred Year Sword."

Chen Chao thought for a moment and nodded, "But this junior only has brute strength."

The old man smiled but did not say anything.