Chapter 225 : The Forging of an Unseen Blade

"Formless Sword."

A flicker of surprise crossed Lyra Jiang's brow.

Formless Treasure Gold [a rare and precious metal prized for its ability to hold formless enchantments] is exceedingly rare and a highly prized Treasure Metal [a metal imbued with spiritual properties, used for crafting high-grade artifacts]. The Method for Forging the Unseen Immortal Sword [an esoteric and profound technique for crafting an invisible immortal-grade sword] is also profoundly arcane.

Unlike ordinary Third Rank Immortal Sword [a sword of the third rank, suitable for Purple Mansion Realm cultivators], forging the embryonic form of the Unseen Immortal Sword [an invisible immortal sword, a powerful magical treasure] requires masterful skill in both Formation [the art of creating and manipulating magical arrays] and artificing to succeed.

Furthermore, this sword does not absorb Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth]. Instead, it requires repeated tempering with one hundred and eight different types of Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy and cultivation]. The entire ritual forging process takes Forty-Nine Days [a complete cycle of seven times seven days, often significant in mystical arts] to complete.

These Spirit Medicine are extremely precious. Among them, three stalks of Ethereal Void Herb [a rare herb associated with void and ethereal properties] are required. Each stalk of Ethereal Void Herb is worth over thirty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Given Eldrin Chen's current status and resources, gathering all one hundred and eight types of Spirit Medicine would be exceedingly difficult.

"The cost of these Spirit Medicine is exorbitant," she said. "Combined with this piece of Formless Treasure Gold and the forging method itself, the total cost for this Unseen Immortal Sword likely exceeds two hundred thousand Spirit Stone."

Lyra Jiang spoke thus, but then nodded in acknowledgment. "However, the Formless Sword [a sword with no form or shadow, invisible to the eye] is without form or shadow. It specializes in countering Protective Aegis [a defensive barrier of condensed spiritual energy] and other magical treasures. Even a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core, a condensed sphere of spiritual power] would suffer grievous injury if ambushed by this blade."

"Though the price is steep, it is a worthy investment for such power."

With those words, she led Eldrin Chen into the Earthfire Chamber [a specialized chamber that harnesses underground fire veins for forging and alchemy]. Access the full story on audio-novel-dot-com.

The Formless Sword [a sword famed for its ability to conceal its presence and pierce defenses] is a superior-grade Third Rank High Grade [a high level within the Purple Mansion cultivation stage] immortal sword, and its forging difficulty ranks among the highest even amongst Third Rank Immortal Sword [a powerful enchanted blade forged for cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage].

Fortunately, Lyra Jiang's mastery of Artificing Art [the art of crafting magical tools and treasures] had already ascended to the fourth rank, granting her absolute certainty in successfully forging this sword.

As she melted the Formless Treasure Gold [a rare spiritual metal prized for its ability to hold concealment enchantments], she explained, "The Formless Sword's raw destructive power is not its greatest strength among peers. Its true value lies in its dual effects of concealment and barrier-piercing."

"The two most crucial sets of formation runes within this immortal sword are the Formless Breath-Concealment Formation Runes [enchantments designed to mask the sword's spiritual signature and presence], and the Barrier-Breaking Sword Aura Formation Runes [enchantments that empower the sword's edge to slice through protective energies and formations]."

"As long as these two key sets of runes are flawlessly inscribed, even an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator [a powerful cultivator who has condensed their spiritual power into a Golden Core] would treat this sword's capabilities with caution."

After several days of meticulous work, Lyra Jiang had steadily and methodically completed the inscription of all the necessary formation runes.

At this stage, the immortal sword was essentially complete. The subsequent process of tempering it with Spirit Medicine [plants infused with spiritual energy, used in alchemy and cultivation] was merely a matter of patient, gradual refinement.

The sword-tempering work was tedious and time-consuming, a task Eldrin Chen could manage himself. "You should return to your cultivation," he said. "In little more than a decade, we may face some trouble concerning Green Sun Mountain."

"Understood."

Lyra Jiang nodded. By her calculations, Xu the Ancient Ancestor's injuries would likely be fully healed within twenty years. If we wait beyond fifteen years, even if his recovery is only partial, seizing Green Sun Sect would become exceedingly difficult.

Having recently broken through to the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual power condenses into a solid, golden-hued core] realm, she still needed to refine several of her Life-Bound Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts personally forged and nurtured by a cultivator, sharing a profound spiritual bond with their owner], making the timeline indeed rather tight.

Though reluctant, she rose to her feet. Before departing, she produced a jade case and handed it to Eldrin Chen.

"Is this... a Shellfish King Pearl?"

Eldrin Chen took the case. Inside lay a crystal-clear, luminous pearl, and he recognized its origin.

The Shellfish King Pearl [a rare treasure born from the heart of a mighty spirit clam, capable of significantly accelerating a cultivator's absorption of spiritual energy] was exceedingly precious, a rare specialty from the depths of the Vast and Boundless Marsh. Once refined, for thirty years it could increase the cultivation speed of a Purple Mansion Cultivator [the second major realm, where one's spiritual consciousness and energy are housed within a constructed 'Purple Mansion' in the dantian] by half.

"Indeed. The Shellfish King Pearl can hasten your cultivation progress,"

Lyra Jiang said, a note of concern entering her voice. "The Green Sun Sect [a major cultivation sect with a thousand-year legacy] has a millennium of heritage; its foundations are extraordinary. Once conflict with them erupts, I may not be able to guarantee your safety."

"Moreover, you will likely become a thorn in the side of Xu the Ancient Ancestor. Therefore, it is best you advance to the Purple Palace, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Purple Mansion realm] as soon as possible. Only then will you possess sufficient strength to ensure your own security."

"I understand."

Eldrin Chen nodded and carefully stored the precious item away.

After Lyra Jiang [the enchanting cultivator] departed, he began to temper the immortal sword with Spirit Medicine [rare herbs imbued with spiritual energy]. He continued until all one hundred and eight types of Spirit Medicine were exhausted, finally succeeding in refining this immortal sword.

"Hmm—"

A sound like a dragon's hum resonated as the translucent Unseen Immortal Sword [a sword that is nearly invisible and silent] materialized in his hand, radiating a hazy, barrier-breaking sword aura.

Eldrin Chen tested it and discovered that not only was the sword silent and traceless when activated, but it was also particularly effective at piercing through Protective Aegis [a protective shield of energy] and Defensive Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts designed for defense].

"An excellent immortal sword."

Having acquired a new top-tier immortal sword of the Third Rank High Grade [a high level within the Purple Mansion cultivation stage], Eldrin Chen revealed a pleased expression. Original English translation available at audio-novel[dot]com.

Although the Unseen Immortal Sword's raw power might not match that of the Great Metallic Immortal Sword, its unique utility could prove even more valuable in certain situations.

After storing the immortal sword, Eldrin Chen did not leave immediately. He planned to utilize the power of the earthfire to refine a batch of Spirit-Nourishing Pill [pills that nourish and strengthen the cultivator's spirit].

Through years of accumulated experience, his Alchemy [the art of pill refinement] had reached a point where he was fully confident in breaking through to the Third Rank Middle Grade [a mid-level rank within the Purple Mansion stage for alchemical skill].

Commencing the refinement of the Spirit-Nourishing Pill, he completed the process in merely half a month. Furthermore, by employing the Pill Fusion Method [an advanced alchemical technique for merging pill essences] taught to him by Lyra Jiang, he successfully produced two Spirit-Nourishing Pill from this single batch.

Having elevated his Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] to the Third Rank Middle Grade [a high level of proficiency in the art], Eldrin Chen finally took to the skies on his sword, departing Celestial Ruins Mountain and flying back towards Spirit Isle Lake.

Dark Iron Mountain, Metallic Essence Earth Vein.

As Eldrin Chen stood in deep cultivation before the Sword-Cleansing Pool [a mystical pool used to purify and temper spiritual swords], a clear, resonant hum of a sword suddenly arose from within its depths.

A streak of sword light shot skyward, then descended, landing firmly in Eldrin Chen's waiting hand.

"Three years of cleansing, and it is finally complete."

Gazing at the Unseen Immortal Sword [a magical sword famed for its ability to become invisible] now resting in his palm, a subtle shift of emotion flickered across Eldrin Chen's brow.

Five years had passed since he first forged the Unseen Immortal Sword. In the intervening time, during moments of leisure, he had consistently placed both it and the Heavenly River Flood Water Sword [a sword imbued with the power of celestial floodwaters] into the Sword-Cleansing Pool for tempering.

This prolonged cleansing had significantly enhanced the Unseen Immortal Sword's capabilities, refining both its power of invisibility and its ability to cleave through protective auras.

"A pity for this Sword-Cleansing Pool,"

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. The pool's spiritual liquid, accumulated over many long years, was an exceedingly precious treasure in its own right.

Regrettably, after consecutively tempering the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, the Heavenly River Flood Water Sword, the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade, the Great Metallic Immortal Sword, and now the Formless Sword before him, the spiritual liquid within the pool had been depleted by ninety percent.

From now on, it would require accumulating spiritual essence for sixty years—a full Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years]—to gather enough for a single sword-cleansing session.

"The Sword-Cleansing Pool [a mystical pool that refines and purifies spiritual swords] is excellent, but alas, the grade of the Metallic Essence Earth Vein [an earth vein rich in metallic spiritual essence] is somewhat low."

"If it were a fourth-rank Metallic Essence Earth Vein, it could temper a single Third Rank Immortal Sword every ten years."

"There are even legends that the Sword-Cleansing Pool within a fourth-rank Earth Vein [a concentrated line of spiritual energy within the earth] can, over each Jiazi-time, condense a drop of spiritual liquid quintessence. A single drop of such essence can increase the potency of a Fourth Rank Immortal Sword by thirty percent."

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself. This was not merely hearsay; there was a precedent before him.

The reason the Firmament Sword Sect of Chu Kingdom was hailed as the Sword Sect was precisely because they controlled the kingdom's sole fourth-rank Metallic Essence Earth Vein.

The pool of precious liquid within that Sword-Cleansing Pool was an incomparably rare treasure. It was by nourishing their Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme-grade magical treasure specifically designed to subdue demons], the Firmament Immortal Sword, with that pool's immortal liquid that the Firmament Sword Sect maintained its fearsome power—a power capable of grievously wounding a Golden Core, Late Stage Demonic Cultivator [a practitioner of demonic cultivation arts] with a single strike.

The Mirror of the Vast Heaven of the Green Sun Sect, the Firmament Sword of the Firmament Sword Sect, and the Violet Abyss Furnace of the Violet Abyss Sect—each of these was a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure capable of making demons and monsters flee in terror.

Among them, the Mirror of the Vast Heaven could sunder the earth for a thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], its power the most terrifying. The Violet Abyss Furnace could incinerate legions of demons, making it peerless in mass combat.

Yet, the blade that had claimed the most high-ranking demonic beings was the Firmament Sword. This sword's prowess in slaughter was peerless, having felled the greatest number of Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a solid golden core of spiritual power] Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who use malevolent, life-draining methods to advance their cultivation] and Demon King [a powerful ruler among demonic beasts, equivalent to a Golden Core realm cultivator].

In the past, Eldrin Chen's cultivation was insufficient, and he had merely assumed that all Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [legendary artifacts specifically forged to vanquish demonic entities] were Fourth Rank High Grade Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a solid golden core of spiritual power] magical treasures. However, as his own cultivation grew ever more profound, he came to understand that each Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [legendary artifacts specifically forged to vanquish demonic entities] possessed an extraordinary and profound origin. The story continues at audio-novel dot com.