The Grand Elder of the Laoshan Sword Sect was named Yuan Jiujian. He was the most senior elder in the current generation of the Laoshan Sect, with even the current sect leader addressing him as Martial Uncle.
Despite his advanced age, Yuan Jiujian was exceptionally healthy. His body was rippling with muscle, the kind that would make a bodybuilding champion envious. Unfortunately, his bones had shrunk a bit, and his height was less than five feet.
Yuan Jianxin then introduced, "My Peach Heart Sword was forged by the Grand Elder's last disciple."
Yan Shouyi had witnessed the power of the Peach Heart Sword. With it, Yuan Jianxin's combat effectiveness increased by at least thirty percent.
Such a formidable sword was merely the work of Yuan Jiujian's disciple. One could imagine how powerful Yuan Jiujian himself must be.
However, Yan Shouyi couldn't understand why Yuan Jianxin had brought Yuan Jiujian to their sect. Was it because the sect was scheduled to receive leaders from other folk sects tomorrow?
After Yan Shouyi voiced his confusion, Yuan Jiujian stroked his beard and said,
"Twenty years ago, I decided that I would never forge another sword. For the past two decades, no matter how great the price offered, I refused. But recently, an interesting junior requested me to forge a sword for him. I initially didn't want to, but after hearing his story, I pondered it thoroughly and decided to re-enter the world and offer my assistance."
With such words, if Yan Shouyi still couldn't figure out the whole story, he would truly be an imbecile.
Yan Shouyi glanced back at Long Feicheng, who was floating in mid-air.
Long Feicheng chuckled. First, he bowed respectfully to Yuan Jiujian, then smiled at Yan Shouyi, saying, "The person I was waiting for has arrived."
"My apologies, Senior. We haven't finalized the matter of sword forging yet. Please give us some time."
Yan Shouyi bowed apologetically to Yuan Jiujian, then pulled Long Feicheng aside.
"Xiao Long, what do you mean by this?" Yan Shouyi asked, his face dark. "You want to be the sword soul for the Soul Slaying Blade? Why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand?!"
The Soul Slaying Blade was a peerless divine weapon that had existed for a thousand years, absorbing countless malevolent energies. However, unlike the Ancestral Dragon Sword, it lacked the blessing of true dragon purple qi, leaving it a bit short of being a true divine weapon.
How to bridge this gap?
Before Xie Qingcang's soul dispersed, he had already told Yan Shouyi the answer: find a weapon spirit, a sword soul, for the Soul Slaying Blade.
Once the Soul Slaying Blade had a sword soul, it would ascend to a terrifying height, even capable of standing against the Ancestral Dragon Sword.
This also meant that Yan Shouyi's combat strength would be greatly enhanced.
But this method had another problem.
Any weapon spirit had to voluntarily agree to have its soul sealed into a weapon by a skilled swordsmith.
Who would willingly be sealed forever within a cold, inanimate weapon, losing their freedom?
It could be said that behind every weapon with a weapon spirit lay a tear-jerking story. What truly influenced these weapons wasn't the weapon spirit itself, but the emotional bond between the weapon spirit and the weapon's owner.
Faced with Yan Shouyi's questioning, Long Feicheng appeared quite calm.
He said with a playful grin,
"Actually, when Grandma Liu tattooed the Yin Yang markings on me in Qiantang, I already knew that my past life was Xie Qingcang. At that time, I also became clearer about my mission: to fight alongside you, Brother Yan, until the very end. Later, I secretly contacted Yuan Jianxin and conveyed my intentions to Elder Yuan Jiujian. I didn't expect the Elder to actually agree to my request."
"The ghost tattoos on my body were inked for you, Brother Yan, to help you control malevolent energy, at the cost of my life. I was afraid that after my death, I wouldn't be able to fight by your side anymore, so I chose to become the sword soul of the Soul Slaying Blade early on. Elder Yuan Jiujian decided to help because of the bond between us."
Yan Shouyi interrupted,
"But have you considered the consequences of becoming a sword soul?"
"Unable to reincarnate? To be sealed in the Soul Slaying Blade for eternity? Perhaps after I die, the Soul Slaying Blade will fall into someone else's hands, and I'll become the companion of another person? Or perhaps... in a battle, I'm defeated and disappear entirely along with the Soul Slaying Blade... I've considered all these outcomes," Long Feicheng said sincerely.
He was a person who was never serious, often joking even in ten sentences.
But this time, Long Feicheng was incredibly sincere.
Yan Shouyi looked at Long Feicheng, unable to speak for a long time.
Finally, he sighed deeply and shook his head, saying, "Xiao Long, whether in past life or present, I owe you too much. This time, I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself again. Let go of everything here and reincarnate."
Yuan Jiujian suddenly appeared beside Yan Shouyi and interjected,
"Let me remind you both that sword forging cannot be done at any time. For a peerless divine weapon like the Soul Slaying Blade, a favorable date must be chosen before forging. I've already calculated that the best forging day is tonight. If we miss tonight, we'll have to wait another fifteen years!"
A flicker of eagerness could be seen in the depths of Yuan Jiujian's eyes. It seemed he also wished to complete this peerless divine weapon. He didn't care about Long Feicheng's ultimate fate and would secretly persuade Yan Shouyi.
Although Yuan Jiujian's actions were driven by personal desire, it also aligned with Long Feicheng's wishes.
Long Feicheng seized the opportunity and said,
"Brother Yan, don't you think my becoming a sword soul is a destined arrangement?"
Yuan Jianxin also persuaded, "We don't want Xiao Long to leave like this. Moreover, you should respect Xiao Long's own wishes."
Regardless of others' persuasion, Yan Shouyi remained firm in his refusal.
Long Feicheng had no choice. He floated in front of Yan Shouyi and said earnestly, "Brother Yan, to be frank, I am also afraid of becoming a sword soul."
"Then why must you become a sword soul?"
"Because I am more afraid that you, Brother Yan, cannot defeat the National Preceptor."
Long Feicheng said in a low voice, "Brother Yan, you've been very good to me, and so have Luo Ning and the others. But it's always been you protecting me. I want to protect you once too! The National Preceptor isn't dead yet. How can you expect me to reincarnate with peace of mind?"
Yan Shouyi fell silent.
His resolve began to waver.
"Chairman Yan, time waits for no one," Yuan Jiujian urged softly.
Yan Shouyi sighed heavily.
He finally relented, "Then let it be as Xiao Long wishes."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Yan Shouyi took out the Soul Slaying Blade and handed it to Yuan Jiujian.
The Soul Slaying Blade was originally jet black. After being tempered by the Glacial Lotus Seed, it became covered in icy blue cracks, which paradoxically gave the Soul Slaying Blade a somewhat demonic aura.
Ever since Yan Shouyi gained control of the malevolent energy, the Buddhist Six-Character Mantra seal left by Miao Ji on the Soul Slaying Blade had vanished. But this was a good thing, as the Soul Slaying Blade's power would no longer be restricted.