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Chapter 127: Dustless Sword

In Taotie City, there were countless honored allies of different rankings. Without special contributions, even a regular cultivator at the seventh realm could only be ranked as second-ranked. Currently, there were only four first-ranked honored allies.

Among these four, Xu Kunwu earned his position through his unparalleled sword forging ability. No one dared to question it because the skill of sword forging was crucial.

The current widely accepted view in the cultivation world is that, in terms of impact on combat power, cultivation level comes first, followed by enchanted tools, and then divine abilities.

In a battle between cultivators, the one with the higher cultivation level would usually win. It would be difficult to challenge someone of a higher cultivation level, even if the difference between cultivation levels was just one realm.

If the cultivators were at the same cultivation level, the importance of weapons and divine artifacts became crucial and would often determine the outcome of the battle.

The sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten would give the best examples.

The sects in the Divine Nine were able to keep their place in the Divine Nine because they possessed the most highly-ranked divine artifacts listed by the Catalog of the Mortal World\'s Ten Thousand Treasures. The sects were ranked Terrestrial Ten because they didn\'t possess any divine artifacts.

However, changes were meant to happen over time and even the strongest would eventually be surpassed by the next generation. For the past hundreds of years, shifts in power had occurred, and it was not uncommon for sects that had been in the Terrestrial Ten to surpass certain immortal sects in the Divine Nine in terms of overall strength. However, despite this, the sects in the Terrestrial Ten could not ascend to the top because they lacked highly ranked divine artifacts.

The ranking in the possession of divine artifacts remained consistent over time.

Those who were able to step into the ninth realm of cultivation—the Profound Realm—had been considered as unparalleled and hallowed among the human race.

Yet such an existence would obviously appear only once in a millennium.

The ones who achieved the eighth realm of cultivation—the Heavenly Origin Realm—would be considered a more commonly seen top-tier combat power in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten sects.

Any Eminent Ones at the eighth realm, wielding control over the Heavenly Origin, has already reached a state of transcendence. While two Eminent Ones might differ in their level of power, determining a winner between them would still be challenging. Unless both of them were fully committed to a fight to the death, a decisive victory was a rare occurrence. This statement remained true even if the battle led to the heavens collapsing and the earth shattering. However, the presence of a divine artifact would completely change the situation.

An eighth-realm cultivator, commanding the Heavenly Origin, would be able to elevate their combat power to another level with the use of a divine artifact. Their power would be below that of a cultivator at the Profound Realm but significantly higher than a typical cultivator at the Heavenly Origin Realm. In the realm of immortal cultivation, this state is referred to as a cultivator at the eighth-and-a-half realm or the Realm of Heavenly Origin Terminator.

The name of this realm was fairly straightforward.

If one of the two cultivators at the Heavenly Origin Realm was empowered by a divine artifact, that cultivator would possess the strength to sever the Heavenly Origin controlled by the other cultivator. Hence, this realm was known as Heavenly Origin Terminator.

With the Hallowed Ones yet to have emerged in the present era, cultivators at the realm of Heavenly Origin Terminator were considered the most powerful cultivators in the world.

In the past, the Mount Shu Sect was capable of becoming the leading sect of all other righteous sects because the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda that they possessed was the most powerful divine artifact in the world. When the cultivators at the Heavenly Origin Realm worked together and activated the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, they were able to challenge and defeat the demon god at the Profound Realm. This was an extraordinary achievement throughout history, and naturally, no one dared to underestimate its prowess.

The reason for the current decline of Mount Shu Sect was not that the sect had weakened, but rather that the Mount Shu Sect lacked a top-tier Heavenly Origin Cultivator.

As a result, while Mount Shu Sect might not necessarily lose in minor disputes compared to the other immortal sects in the Divine Nine, it was consistently falling behind in the fierce competition for the best resources. This gradual decline was inevitable.

However, with the ancestral foundation in place, Mount Shu Sect, despite its decline, still possessed a vast size capable of overpowering the sects in the Terrestrial Ten. Hence, it awkwardly maintained its position. The current structure of the cultivation world was traditionally referred to as "Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten," or less favorably as "Divine Eight and Terrestrial Eleven," though the latter sounded rather incorrect.

A divine artifact was capable of adding the power of half a realm to a cultivator.

Therefore, a skilled swordsmith was extremely important for a faction. The amount of respect that they deserved was not excessive at all.

...

"Father?"

Xu Sui led Di Nufeng and Chu Liang into the grass hut. As soon as they entered, there was a grand restriction that concealed the Hidden Mountains and Seas. However, Xu Sui naturally knew the method to bypass this restriction. With some finger movements, ripples started appearing.

Boom!

The scene before them changed, and upon crossing the threshold, all three of them appeared by the side of a river valley. Beneath the mountain wall was a massive furnace, and from it surged a colossal pillar of sword qi.

Xu Kunwu appeared shirtless, exposing muscles that seemed to be cast from copper. He was overseeing the operation of a vast array beneath the furnace. Sixteen cultivators of rather high cultivation levels moved around the furnace, assisting in manipulating the formation. These sixteen cultivators were his disciples and indispensable aides for the swordsmith.

When the pillar of qi had stopped gushing, Xu Kunwu looked excited. With the formation of a finger seal, he shouted, "Lift the sword!"

Chu Liang was slightly nervous as he whispered, "Have they not successfully crafted the weapon?"

"They have successfully crafted it and they are just finishing up," Xu Sui said with the same excitement. "My father is about to have another renowned sword in his hands!"

Bang!

The sound of a burst of energy emanated from the furnace, and a flying sword shrouded in crimson light slowly rose from the furnace.

"Wash the sword!"

Xu Kunwu shouted again, pointing his finger to guide the sword\'s light into the rushing river nearby. Instantly, a thick mist rose!

Hiss—

The sword came out of the divine fire and immediately fell into the river. In an instant, a white mist filled the surroundings, and rolling waves flashed and vanished, causing the river to almost come to a halt. The people on the river valley could barely see Xu Kunwu.

The hissing sound finally stopped.

Soon after, a tall and sturdy figure emerged from the white mist. He was no longer shirtless.

His eyes looked as clear as the fire in the furnace and there was a sword in his palm.

The sword was over four chi long and three fingers wide. With a crystal-clear and transparent blade, it was almost transparent under the sunlight. Through the golden mist-like ripples on the blade, the edge of the sword could be discerned.

"I finally understand your profound intentions!" Xu Kunwu stared at Di Nufeng and exclaimed, "The Heavenly Cloud Ancient Sword contains the Dao essence captured from the clouds. It is true that I wouldn\'t be able to recreate the Dao essence on the original sword. However, when I was crafting its imitation, I managed to grasp certain aspects of the Dao essence. I realized that just imprinting a trace of it is a great fortune for humanity. This is the level of Dao."

"Borrowing a trace of the cloud\'s Dao essence for this sword not only elevated its grade by a notch but also greatly benefited me as I might have made possible advancement in my cultivation. Xu Kunwu sighed with emotions as he said, "You\'ve put in genuine and meticulous effort into making this happen."

Xu Kunwu had reached the seventh realm of cultivation—the Dao Attainment Realm, and making a tiny step forward in cultivation was considered extremely rare and valuable. With the completion of the sword in his hand, joy radiated from his expression.

Di Nufeng pondered for a moment after hearing these words. Then, she nodded and responded, "You are right. That was exactly what I had in mind."

That was definitely not what you had in mind... Chu Liang muttered silently beside them.

Based on his understanding of his teacher, if she were aware of it, she would have eagerly boasted about it already, without the need for someone else bringing it up.

Xu Kunwu didn\'t dwell on it too much. Instead, he handed over the sword, shook his head, and sighed, "It\'s a pity that this sword is a replica and cannot be listed in the Catalog of the Mortal World\'s Ten Thousand Treasures. Otherwise, I think it would have at least ranked within the top hundred, or it would have vied for a position among the lower ranks of the top hundred. If I could forge a sword ranked within the top hundred, it would alleviate a great regret of mine."

Among the three contemporary master swordsmiths, only the sword crafted by Chen Buyan was ranked in the top hundred. Xu Kunwu and Baili Tong were still in fierce competition for the second position among the top three master swordsmiths. This rivalry would only end when either of them had successfully forged a sword that could be ranked in the top hundred.

"Hey, relax," Di Nufeng patted his shoulder and consoled, "If you weren\'t crafting a replica of the Heavenly Cloud Ancient Sword, you wouldn\'t be able to forge a sword ranked in the top hundred anyway. Does thinking this way make you feel better?"

Who would feel better after hearing that?

Chu Liang hastily dragged his teacher aside.

The swordsmith had just crafted the sword for us. Show him some compassion.

When Xu Kunwu heard this consolation, his expression stiffened. He didn\'t know how to respond for a moment. Chu Liang took the sword handed over to him and smiled, "Master Kunwu\'s skill in swordsmithing has already reached a state of pure mastery. With the progress today, I believe that you aren\'t far away from crafting a divine sword!"

"Haha." Xu Kunwu then laughed and said, "This is your sword now. Give it a name."

Chu Liang shook his head, solemnly saying, "Although I will be the one using this sword, it is meant to be passed down through generations. I am definitely not the only sword master. However, Master Kunwu, who forged this sword today, will forever be its only swordsmith. So, I request for you to give this sword a name."

Xu Kunwu\'s eyes sparkled as he smiled and responded, "Sure!"

"This sword is forged from transparent jade gold crystal—pure and undefiled, impervious to demonic influences." He contemplated slowly. "Let\'s name it..."

"Dustless!"

...

"Phew."

Liu Xiaoyu\'er put down the small water bottle and looked at the clusters of Golden Vein Flower fluttering in the wind. She couldn\'t help but feel proud.

"I am indeed very diligent."

Since Chu Liang and Di Nufeng left, it hadn\'t rained on the Silver Sword Peak, so she had to water the small flower field every day.

Before Chu Liang left, he had appointed her as the temporary peak master of the Silver Sword Peak. This brought her joy for a while. However, in recent days, she realized that she was the only resident on the entire peak.

So what if she was a temporary peak master?

The flowers, grass, and trees on the mountaintop wouldn\'t heed her commands.

In reality, she only had the power to decide if she would water the small flower field or not.

Before Di Nufeng left, she had given her a thick stack of picture books, suggesting that she could read them whenever she felt bored. The problem was that she was a mere fish who had no reading skills. Just by looking at the pictures, she couldn\'t understand the story.

However, regardless of the circumstances, life here was peaceful and secure. There was no need to worry about basic needs like food and clothing. Life was an improvement from when she was living in Bombax River... The only exception was when she missed her sister.

But didn\'t that grandpa say that my sister would encounter her own opportunity to transform into a dragon? In that case, it didn\'t seem like a bad thing, but...dragon... Liu Xiaoyu\'er thought to herself. A dragon would be that huge and long worm that suddenly appeared in the sky a few days ago. If her sister had turned into something like that...

Regardless, Liu Xiaoyu\'er thought that her sister would look much better as a fish.

After lightly watering the flower field, she completed the day\'s work. She casually picked a few fruits on the way back as these were the rewards Chu Liang promised her.

She had planned to return and lie down on the bed so that she could tightly wrap herself in her small blanket and take a nap. This decision stemmed from the comfort she discovered after being wrapped like a zongzi a few times.

Recently, when she slept, she found herself instinctively wrapping her body with the small blanket and rolling in bed until she had transformed into a snugly bundled roll.

As she turned around, the little girl\'s pupils suddenly dilated.

In recent days, no other creatures had ventured to the Silver Sword Peak, and she had grown accustomed to being the sole resident. However, as she turned around, she was startled to find a terrifying giant creature in her midst.

Its half-body rested on the other side of the hill, and Liu Xiaoyu\'er couldn\'t see it clearly; all she discerned was a sizable, golden head.

It was so big.

"Ahhhh—"