Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 380 Heavenly Will and Bright Ghosts, A New Generation

"What destiny! Even a famous sword in a sword manual only represents the sword's own sword intent. How dare you bring up destiny? Humph!"

Gao Jianli was very unhappy.

After conquering the six kingdoms and unifying the western lands of China, Qin Shi Huang was touted by many as the chosen one by Heaven.

Especially after the Yin-Yang School and the Taoist Tianzong School both supported the Qin State.

In the Qin state, the term "Mandate of Heaven" could be roughly equated with Ying Zheng, even if it wasn't directly synonymous with him.

Therefore, upon hearing the words "fate," Gao Jianli instinctively felt annoyed.

"Master Xu, what do you think?"

"This sword may possess some mystical qualities, perhaps, as the rumors say, a sword with a spirit. As for what destiny it represents..."

Master Xu shook his head.

As a swordsmith, he knows the process of making a sword better than anyone else.

Moreover, he was a member of the Mohist school.

The Mohist school had ten major tenets, among which the "Will of Heaven" believed that heaven and earth possessed their own will, while the "Understanding Ghosts" believed that ghosts and gods existed.

In reality, however, all doctrines contain statements specifically designed to deceive monarchs and the people.

The Mohist school's concepts of Heaven's Will and the Enlightened Spirits embody such ideas.

The Mohists believed that Heaven and Earth possess their own will, so rulers must take Heaven and Earth's will into account when acting and must never act recklessly.

Ghosts and spirits exist, so people should respect their ancestors and the dead, and especially consider what will happen after they die. Therefore, one must never do evil while alive.

These two propositions actually use fear to persuade people to do good and not to do evil.

Therefore, the will of Heaven is not a will, and the spirits are not spirits; they are the morality and views of good and evil in people's hearts.

The Mohists also advocated "anti-fatalism," believing that fate does not exist and that people should rely on their own efforts to obtain what they want.

So, did the disciples of the Mohist school believe in ghosts and gods?
As you believe!

Dao Zhi concluded, "In other words, this sword is indeed somewhat mysterious. It is very likely a legendary sword with a spirit, and only those who have been recognized as masters by the sword spirit can draw it?"

Master Xu nodded: "That should be the case."

Dao Zhi said, "In that case, this sword has nothing to do with the Qin state, and there is no need to seal it off. Instead, we should let everyone in my Mo family try it out and see who can gain the sword's approval. If we can have this spiritual sword, my Mo family might gain another master."

Gao Jianli nodded: "That makes sense."

The other leaders also had no objections.

The news quickly spread throughout the entire Mo Family Mechanized City, and many Mo Family disciples came to try their luck, hoping to gain the recognition of this spiritual sword and become its master.

Unfortunately, none of the more than a thousand disciples in the entire Mechanized City were able to draw the sword.

Leaders like Dao Zhi and Xue Nu also tried it, and the result was the same.

Looking at this magnificent sight, Master Xu laughed and said, "Little Gao, why don't you give it a try? Perhaps you are the master of this Azure Light Sword?"

"The Azure Light Sword?"

"Ah."

Master Xu nodded: "I specifically checked the relevant information and confirmed that the name of this sword is Qingguang Sword. Before this, it had a previous owner, who was one of the top masters of the younger generation in the Ming Dynasty, known as the Sword God, Ximen Chuixue."

This man's sword is deadly; he prefers to wear white and has a very cold personality. He is praised as being as white as snow.

Look at these descriptions, don't they have many similarities to yours? Since this sword could recognize Ximen Chuixue as its master, it will likely recognize you as well.

Gao Jianli's ice-based martial arts techniques were further enhanced by his self-created sword technique, Yi Shui Han, which was even colder.

He himself is an introverted and cold person, and very few people can get into his heart.

There was once a person he considered a confidant, but that person later assassinated the King of Qin, and Gao Jianli became increasingly cold.

In all these respects, he and Ximen Chuixue do have some similarities.

Gao Jianli's expression remained unchanged: "Since you have already recognized this sword, why did you come to the Mechanical City?"

Master Xu said, "It is said that Ximen Chuixue believed that this sword was too magical and would make people dependent on it, which would hinder his swordsmanship, so he gave it up."

Gao Jianli snorted coldly: "If that's the case, why would I abandon Shui Han and choose it instead?"

"That's true. For a swordsman, the sword in his hand is not necessarily the stronger the better, but the more suitable it is."

Master Xu nodded repeatedly.

This was actually the thought of most warriors in the Qin state.

As a world dominated by swords, the martial artists here generally know about swords, understand swords, and know how to choose the right sword for themselves.

Some people need swords to enhance their glory, while others use the sword in their hands to achieve unparalleled glory.

The most typical example of the former is obviously Gao Jianli.

Although Gao Jianli himself possessed high martial arts skills, it was clearly not commensurate with his seventh-place ranking on the sword manual. However, the Shuihan Sword in his hand was crafted with all of Xu Fuzi's efforts and was recognized as a famous sword by countless sword appraisers, thus placing it seventh.

As the master of the sword, Gao Jianli's fame soared with the appearance of the Water Cold Sword.

However, even the most skilled sword appraiser can make a mistake. Or some swords have huge flaws, so their ranking is very low, but if they happen to encounter a swordsman who can make up for their flaws, the sword's divine power can be brought out.

The undeniable facts will slap all sword appraisers in the face.

The most typical example of this type is the Black Swordsman Sheng Qi, who wields a black greatsword. Because it is too big, ordinary people cannot use it flexibly, and it is considered to have a huge flaw. His initial ranking was directly over one hundredth in the sword manual.

Until this sword met Sheng Qi.

Sheng Qi was tall and strong, with superhuman strength. He used this sword to defeat countless famous swordsmen, and managed to bring this black sword to the eleventh position on the sword ranking.

Therefore, a good sword is important, but a suitable sword is even more important.

Two days later, almost everyone in the city had tried it.

Finding themselves unable to wield the sword, most people lost interest, with only a few swordsmen remaining quite unwilling to give up.

Then came Master Xu and the other swordsmiths, all squatting beside the Azure Light Sword, studying its manufacturing techniques.

The mysterious sword spirit has not yet been discovered, but all swordsmiths can see that the forging technique used in this sword is extremely advanced!

Even these incredibly experienced swordsmiths could only vaguely discern a small portion of the technique.

Master Xu was quite frustrated: "Legend has it that this sword was forged by King Guangwu of Han from a meteorite that fell from the sky? How come even we can't understand the forging technique?"

According to the development of this world, the Guangwu King was already several hundred years ago.

It's one thing if they can't understand the material of this sword, since it's said to be made from meteorite iron from outer space, and meteorite iron comes from outer space and could have any properties.

But they don't understand the technology either, which is really puzzling.

After all, casting techniques from hundreds of years ago are now extremely outdated.

"That's how legends are. Who knows when this sword was actually forged? Since it only appeared last year, maybe it was manufactured last year?"

"There are countless swordsmiths in the world who create all sorts of legends and stories to make their swords famous faster," a few swordsmiths said casually.

Master Xu shook his head: "The forging technique of this sword is so advanced that even we can't recognize it. If there is such a swordsmith in the world, why would he need to create any legend? His own name is probably the best way to become famous!"

"Indeed, the swords forged by Ou Yezi, Gan Jiang, and Feng Hu Zi have no need for legends; they are sought after by people all over the world. Putting aside the craftsmanship of these swords, if the sword spirit is real, this person must be a swordsmith far superior to Ou Yezi and others. He doesn't need any legends to help him; he himself is a new legend!"

The group studied and explored the sword's mysteries, appearing extremely engrossed, as if they wanted to spend the entire day on it.

Even when eating, they were reluctant to leave, and actually had some Mo family disciples set up a table next to the Azure Light Sword to serve as a dining table.

"Old Xu, even with the most profound forging techniques, it's not something you should be working on to the point of neglecting sleep and meals, is it?"

Wu Liangtian woke up Master Xu, who was diligently studying the Azure Light Sword, and said.

Master Xu didn't even blink: "The forging technique of this sword seems more and more profound the more you look at it... Don't mind me!"

Wu Liangtian remained silent.

Of course it's profound; it's made up of all the technology Zhou Ming currently possesses.

The Seven Swords have actually been constantly evolving from the beginning to the present.

The first Changhong sword was actually made by cutting an iron plate. Although the iron plate was made of alloy steel, which was far superior to ordinary refined steel in terms of hardness and toughness, it was not magical at all.

However, as time went by, Zhou Ming mastered more and more technologies, and he kept trying to use these new technologies to create new Seven Swords.

Like the Whirlwind Sword, in addition to the special materials used, it is also engraved with wind-themed runes. Even without related sword techniques or sword intent, this sword can control the power of wind.

With Yin Zhong's arrival, Zhou Ming's knowledge of runes experienced an explosive growth.

The azure sword at this very moment was actually manufactured using the latest technology.

The materials used are created using modern casting technology and ancient refining methods employed by gods and demons.

Its technology is so complex that even if one witnessed the entire process, it would be impossible to decipher its secrets, let alone the fact that Master Xu was simply staring at the sword with his eyes.

"I've come to tell you that Master Ban has returned."

"So what if you're back?" Master Xu waved his hand dismissively.

Wu Liangtian said, "He also brought back a few people, one of whom is named Gai Nie!"

"Ok?"

Several swordsmiths raised their heads at the same time and then fixed their gazes on Master Xu.

Master Xu also unusually took his mind away from the Green Light Sword: "Gai Nie? I heard he defected from Qin, but why would he come to the Mechanized City?"

"For some unknown reason, Gai Nie joined forces with the Xiang clan and was constantly pursued by the Quicksand. Gai Nie was seriously injured and was sent to Mirror Lake Medical Manor. However, the Quicksand continued to hunt them down, so Master Ban had no choice but to take them back to the Mechanized City."

"Gai Nie was actually seriously injured?"

Master Xu found it strange: "He is the number one swordsman of Qin... Well, let's go and see."

He got up and took a couple of steps, then turned back and said, "Quickly, clear this table away!"

At the entrance to the Mechanized City, Dao Zhi led a group of people through various mechanisms and stepped into the city's territory.

The sheer number and wonder of the mechanisms within the city astonished the first visitors.

Gai Nie, Xiang Shaoyu, and others who had gathered in Loulan encountered the Xiang clan, who were searching for Xiang Shaoyu, after leaving Loulan.

Then they encountered the pursuit of quicksand.

Although Gai Nie was powerful, he was actually injured in the battle of Crescent Moon Valley while protecting Tianming. However, he immediately went to the desert to find Tianming and then rushed to Loulan.

After a series of actions, the injury not only failed to heal, but actually became more serious.

After leaving Loulan, Wei Zhuang relentlessly pursued them.

Gai Nie fought Wei Zhuang several times before finally shaking him off.

But they didn't shake him off for long before he was being chased again.

Fight and retreat.

Let alone a person, even a body made of iron would probably not be able to withstand such continuous battles, let alone Gai Nie who was already injured.

If he hadn't been sent to Jinghu Medical Clinic, it's uncertain whether he would have survived.

The owner of Jinghu Medical Manor is the physician Duanmu Rong.

The medical school was just a small force among the Hundred Schools of Thought. For safety, it was protected by the Mohist school. Although Duanmu Rong was the inheritor of the medical school, she also joined the Mohist school and became a leader.

Under her treatment, Gai Nie's injuries finally improved.

However, a full recovery is naturally impossible in a short period of time.

At this moment, Gai Nie's aura was much weaker than it had been during his time in Loulan.

But his spine remained straight.

Beneath that weak aura, the faintly visible sword's edge was sharper than ever before.

Setbacks can defeat a person, but they can also strengthen a person.

For months on end, the constant encounters and battles, especially when injured, would be nothing short of torture for an ordinary person.

But for a genius like Gai Nie, it was real training.

Of course, there is also the possibility of being ruined by this kind of training.

Just like Gai Nie, whose injuries were so severe that he was almost dying before he was sent to Jinghu Medical Manor.

But he was destined to survive and was eventually taken to Jinghu Medical Clinic, where he received treatment.

So he pulled through.

The effects of this exercise are naturally brought into play.

His injuries have not fully healed yet, so they are not yet obvious.

But once fully recovered, Gai Nie will surely enter a new realm!
However, most people in this world probably wouldn't be able to see it.

Master Xu, being a swordsmith, was naturally one of them.

His gaze remained fixed on the sword in Gai Nie's hand.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the sword to his face using his inner energy.

Gai Nie's expression shifted, but he did not stop him.

"It is not an insult for this sword to fall into your hands."

Master Xu looked at the two characters "Yuanhong" on the sword, sighed, and returned the sword.

"Gai Nie!"

Stepping into the chilling air, Gao Jianli followed, his eyes blazing with unmistakable killing intent.

(End of this chapter)