“Young Master Chu Yunfei is quite interesting. According to you, he is almost at the peak of his cultivation and has entered the fourth rank, which is roughly the level of the Grand Protector among the Thirteen Protectors.” Zhang Weihao only listened to Chu Yunfei’s battle record for a while before he roughly deduced what level he was at.

“Indeed, that’s the terrifying aspect of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. However, it’s very difficult to reach the fourth rank, and even more difficult to reach the third rank. If one survives and can comprehend some of the techniques that belong to oneself, there might be a possibility of becoming a fourth-rank swordsman.”

In fact, Xue Qianxun never took the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual and its practitioners seriously. However, the problem was that there were too many of them. Once everyone started practicing it, a large number of fifth and sixth-grade masters who practiced the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual would soon appear, and there would even be some fourth-grade and a few third-grade top masters. This would put too much pressure on them.

As far as she knew, some assassin organizations had no shortage of such assassins. If these people were to switch to practicing the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, it would definitely be a nightmare for the entire martial arts world.

Zhang Weihao’s actions were intentional. The reason he secluded himself for half a month was not because of the “Embracing the Elixir and Sitting on the Leg” technique, which could be achieved in a day. Instead, he mainly focused on cultivating the Purple Cloud Divine Art. The early stages were easy to cultivate, and with the addition of the Divine Refinement Technique, he had already reached the sixth level of the Purple Cloud Divine Art (out of a total of nine levels), nearing completion, and was no less advanced than Yue Buqun.

Unlike Yue Buqun, he cultivates Qi rather than internal energy. He can already mass-produce mechanical puppets, but he is not very strong yet, only at the seventh or eighth rank. However, once he enters the Innate Realm, returns from the acquired to the innate, and possesses the innate Qi, he will be able to activate his true abilities. At that time, any mechanical puppet will be at least a fifth-rank master in this world.

He’ll be no less formidable than Ma Xianhong; he’ll send out a massive army of beautiful women, making your evil-repelling army utterly insignificant.

Moreover, he is not a maintainer of the dynasty or the order of the martial arts world. Whether the martial arts world is in chaos or the world is in chaos is none of his business. If the sky falls, there will naturally be tall people to hold it up.

“Let’s go find my junior sister. It’s about time she entered the martial world and gained some experience.” Zhang Weihao took his newly forged magic sword and Xue Qianxun down the back mountain, arriving at the Huashan Sword Sect’s training ground.

Zhang Weihao had never seen the sword Xue Qianxun before, but his family was not short of powerful weapons, so he didn’t think much of it. However, he couldn’t help but take a few more glances at the sword because its hilt was inlaid with many precious gems.

The sharp-eyed Yue Lingshan immediately spotted her junior brother Zhang Weihao and excitedly walked over to him, asking with great concern, “You’ve broken through?”

“Yes, you’ve successfully broken through. Junior brother, I can now be considered to have successfully established my foundation and possess the potential to become an immortal.”

“Really? You’re kidding, right?” Yue Lingshan clearly didn’t believe it.

However, the two figures secretly observing him noticed something extraordinary about Zhang Weihao. One of these figures was naturally Zhang Weihao’s groom, Aji. His level of shock was no less than Xue Qianxun’s. He had almost witnessed Zhang Weihao’s growth over the past two years. He didn’t understand before, but now he truly understood.

As for the other figure, who was slightly weaker than Aji and clearly recognized him, it was naturally Feng Qingyang, the Huashan Sword Saint who had been living in seclusion in the back mountain.

Because Zhang Weihao had secretly come to spy on them on the first night he moved into the back mountain, Aji directly took action and sparred with his old friend whom he had fought before. The two fought to a draw.

After all, Aji hardly uses a sword anymore, and the Xie family’s divine sword is still at Divine Sword Manor. Divine Sword Manor is named after the Xie family’s divine sword, not because Xie Xiaofeng is there.

“Cultivating immortality? Junior brother, aren’t you thinking too much? Why don’t you practice swordsmanship with your senior brother? I’ll teach you what the real Huashan swordsmanship is.” The third senior brother, Liang Fa, directly extended an invitation to Zhang Weihao, wanting to invite his junior brother to practice swordsmanship with them.

Although they might not necessarily like Zhang Weihao in their hearts, everyone showed him exceptional respect as their sugar daddy. Who would turn down money?

“Practicing swordsmanship? I can practice with my senior sister. Sword techniques are a bit too early for me. I’ll just practice sword skills.” After saying that, Zhang Weihao drew his magic sword, Duanshui.

This is a willow-leaf sword with a flat hilt shaped like a willow leaf. The sword is shaped like a willow leaf, with the edge ground into a rounded, sharp angle. The center of the blade is slightly raised. There is no guard, and there is no clear boundary between the blade and the hilt. The hilt is flat and has two piercings.

The sword is 38.4 cm long and 3.6 cm wide, with a tang length of 6.6 cm and a tang width of 1.3 to 2.6 cm. It has a short, flat tang with a round perforation and a blood groove on the central ridge. The blade is decorated with tiger stripe patterns and floral net patterns of Bashu symbols.

This was a popular style during the Spring and Autumn Period. The famous sword of King Fuchai was designed in this style, inspired by the Eight Swords of King Yue.

Unlike the anime, the sword he holds, Duan Shui, is actually more in line with the style and characteristics of the original Yue King’s Eight Swords; the anime has already deviated from reality.

“This…this is an ancient famous sword?” Most people wouldn’t recognize its value, but Linghu Chong, as the senior disciple, certainly did. He recognized the sword’s origin at a glance. Although he was unskilled in other areas, he was very interested in swords, claiming that drinking was his first priority and swordsmanship was his second.

“Senior Brother has a good eye; this is the ‘Water-Cutting Sword’ from the Eight Swords of the King of Yue.”

The Book of Lost Records, Volume 10, Famous Mountains: Kunwu Mountain, its base is rich in red gold, the color of which is like fire.

In ancient times, when the Yellow Emperor attacked Chiyou, he deployed his troops in this place. They dug a hundred feet deep, but still could not reach the spring. They could only see firelight like stars.

The earth is rich in cinnabar, which can be refined into copper. The copper is blue and sharp, the springs are red, the mountain grasses and trees are all sharp as swords, and the soil is also steel-like and refined.

When King Goujian of Yue arrived, he ordered craftsmen to sacrifice white horses and white oxen (Zhuangzi notes that white is the color of the West) to the god Kunwu, and to collect gold to cast them into the essence of the eight swords.

The first is “Sun-Covering,” which, when used to point at the sun, dims the daytime light. Metal, being yin, causes yang to perish when yin is dominant. The second is “Water-Cutting,” which, when used to draw water, opens it but does not close it again. The third is “Soul-Turning,” which, when used to point at the moon, causes the toad and rabbit to turn backward. The fourth is “Suspended Scissors,” which, when birds fly by, are cut as if by its blade. The fifth is “Startling Salamanders,” which, when used to cross the sea, causes whales and salamanders to dive deep into the ocean. The sixth is “Soul-Destroying,” which, when carried at night, prevents encounters with demons and monsters. The seventh is “Evil-Repelling,” which causes demons and monsters to submit upon seeing it. The eighth is “True Steel,” which, when used to cut jade and sever metal, is as easy as carving earth and wood. It is forged in accordance with the qi of the eight directions.