A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Sword-Forging Servant and Ascending to Immorta

Lei Yang stared at the bizarrely shaped dark purple longsword in front of him, his throat going dry.

This thing is crooked and has serrated edges; it looks like a fire poker no matter how you look at it.

But he didn't hesitate for long.

When that bolt of lightning struck last night, he really thought he was going to die. But when he woke up, not only was he alive, but all his hidden injuries had healed, and he was incredibly strong.

All of this must be related to the old man in front of us.

Lei Yang extended his right hand and carefully grasped the part that could barely be called the hilt of a sword.

The moment palms touch.

"Buzz—"

The dark purple sword trembled violently.

The originally faint electric spark suddenly surged, shooting straight into Lei Yang's arm along the hilt of the sword.

Lei Yang was startled and instinctively wanted to let go. But he immediately realized that the lightning was not violent at all.

They traveled along his meridians, surprisingly resonating with the newly awakened power within him. Purple lightning crackled and danced on Lei Yang's skin.

The serrated edges of the sword gleamed with dazzling lightning, and the entire sword emitted a cheerful, clear sound in Lei Yang's hand.

A wonderful feeling of blood connection welled up in my heart.

This sword is recognizing its master.

Lei Yang stared blankly at the sword in his hand, feeling the surging power within him. He casually swung it once.

"laugh!"

A purple shockwave shot out, carving a half-foot-deep trench into the bluestone floor of the workshop. The cut was charred black and still emitting wisps of smoke.

Lei Yang gasped.

This power is many times stronger than the Thunder Pattern Heavy Sword he used before! Moreover, this sword feels just right in his hand, and it's incredibly smooth to swing, without any of the sluggishness he felt before.

"Old man... this..." Lei Yang stammered.

Zhou Lingxuan leaned against the doorframe, watching Lei Yang's reaction, and nodded inwardly. This kid is indeed a good vessel; he can draw upon lightning power as soon as he gets the sword.

"Stop with the 'this' and 'that'." Zhou Lingxuan waved his hand. "This sword was forged using the lightning that struck you last night, plus a piece of scrap iron. It's not even a grade right now."

Lei Yang was stunned.

It's not even a graded artifact? With this power, people would believe it's a top-grade magic weapon!

Zhou Lingxuan continued, "However, this is a sword embryo in its growth stage. It contains the essence of heavenly lightning. The higher your cultivation level and the stronger your physical body become, the greater the power of this sword will be. Its upper limit depends on yourself."

Lei Yang froze after hearing this.

A sword that grows!

He had only ever heard of such things in his grandfather's stories. They were divine objects that only the core disciples of the top sects in the Northern Region were qualified to come into contact with.

Now, this old man who was doing odd jobs in the abandoned hall casually hit him.

Lei Yang gripped the sword hilt tightly, his eyes suddenly reddening.

He lost his family at the age of ten, and spent five years on the run, enduring scorn and relentless pursuit. When he arrived at the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, he was treated like trash and thrown into the abandoned hall. No one had ever been so kind to him before.

Not only did they heal his hidden injuries, they also tailored this divine weapon for him.

Lei Yang suddenly bent his knees and knelt straight down on the ground.

"Bang!"

He kowtowed heavily.

"Old Zhou! I, Lei Yang, will never forget your great kindness!"

"From this day forward, my life, Lei Yang's life, belongs to you! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"

Zhou Lingxuan was somewhat helpless at his sudden action. He walked over and pulled Lei Yang up.

"Alright, alright, stop with the act."

"I'm just a blacksmith. I took a liking to you and gave you a hand. If you really want to repay me, work hard and don't waste this fine sword."

Lei Yang stood up and nodded vigorously. He looked down at the sword in his hand and said softly, "From now on, you will be called 'Wind and Thunder'."

The sword trembled slightly, as if responding to his call.

For the next few days, the abandoned hall was unusually quiet.

After Qin Zhaoyun and Qin Lao left, this place completely became Zhou Lingxuan and Lei Yang's territory.

Lei Yang was so fond of the Wind and Thunder Sword that he would even sleep with it in his arms. Every day before dawn, he would get up and practice the Wind and Thunder Sword haphazardly in the yard.

He completely abandoned his previous rigid techniques and wielded his sword purely on instinct.

Zhou Lingxuan moved a recliner and lay comfortably at the workshop entrance, basking in the sun while regulating the thunderous energy within his body.

Occasionally, when Lei Yang's practice wasn't going smoothly and his sword moves got stuck, Zhou Lingxuan would yell and curse at him.

"Are your arms made of noodles? Why are they so soft and flabby!"

"I don't understand your fancy sword techniques, but I know the most effortless way to smash iron!"

"Don't treat it like a sword! Use it like a hammer! Coordinate your stance and swing it in a wide arc, then smash it down!"

Lei Yang's eyes lit up when he heard this, instead of finding it outrageous.

He was originally a self-taught swordsman, and in the past, he used the Thunder Pattern Heavy Sword by brute force. Now, after listening to Zhou Lingxuan's "blacksmithing theory," he simply abandoned all sword techniques such as thrusting, parrying, and wiping, and directly used the Wind and Thunder Sword as a large iron hammer.

He braced himself with both legs, used his waist to generate power, and swung the Wind and Thunder Sword down fiercely!

"boom!"

Purple lightning bolts shot along the sword blade and struck the ground, blasting a large crater and sending debris flying everywhere.

Lei Yang was overjoyed. This way of striking the iron was a perfect match for the Wind and Thunder Sword!

The two of them, one teaching haphazardly and the other practicing haphazardly, actually had a great time.

Zhou Lingxuan thoroughly enjoyed these peaceful days.

Unfortunately, the good times don't last long.

That noon.

Zhou Lingxuan was dozing in his chair. Suddenly, a piercing rumble of wheels came from the mountain path outside the abandoned hall.

Immediately afterwards, several servants dressed in outer sect disciple robes pushed three wheelbarrows and swaggered into the courtyard.

The truck was loaded with several huge black iron barrels. The barrels were covered with green rust, and a viscous liquid was seeping from the edges of the lids.

An extremely pungent stench instantly filled the air.

The surrounding weeds, upon absorbing the scent, withered and turned yellow at a visible speed. Several poisonous insects crawling on the courtyard wall fell directly to the ground, twitched a couple of times, and then remained motionless.

Lei Yang stopped what he was doing, frowned, took two steps back, and covered his mouth and nose.

Zhou Lingxuan opened his eyes and sat up from the recliner.

He glanced at the metal buckets and raised an eyebrow slightly.

This is waste material left over from the alchemy hall's refining of poison pills. It is extremely toxic. Normally, such things are sealed by specialized array masters and then directly sunk into the depths of the earth's fire for destruction; it would never be sent to the abandoned hall.

The lead laborer had triangular eyes and a face full of fierce features. He pushed the wheelbarrow into the middle of the yard and started shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Which one is Zhou Lingxuan? Get out here and take on some work!"

Zhou Lingxuan stood up, dusted himself off, and slowly walked over.

"That's me."

The man with the triangular eyes sized Zhou Lingxuan up and down, then sneered.

"So you're that useless old man who triggered the Heavenly Sword? I thought you had three heads and six arms, but you're just like this."

He pointed at the iron barrels, his attitude extremely arrogant.

"This is waste material that Dan Tang just delivered. The higher-ups have instructed that Dan Tang is currently short-handed, and you must handle these things personally."

"Remember, it must be done personally, by hand."

"No tools allowed, no formations allowed. It must be finished before nightfall, or you'll be punished according to the sect rules!"

Zhou Lingxuan almost laughed in anger after hearing this.

Personally? Barehanded?

The venom in that iron barrel was so potent that even the slightest whiff of it would cause a normal Qi Refining cultivator to suffer severe injuries, let alone touching it with bare hands. To expect an old man with "no cultivation" to handle it with his bare hands was clearly a death sentence.

Zhou Lingxuan's mind raced, and he immediately understood what was going on.

Qin Zhaoyun had barely left when these people delivered the poison. Who else could it be but Zhang Qian, that persistent ghost?

This kid failed to kill me last time when he sent assassins, and now that he's found Qin Zhaoyun gone, he feels that the abandoned hall has lost its backer, so he's come up with this despicable tactic again.

Zhou Lingxuan looked at the triangular-eyed man and spoke calmly.

"Handling toxic materials with bare hands? What kind of religious rule is that?"

He had triangular eyes, a stiff neck, and a face full of disdain.

"Lao Tzu's words are the fundamental rules!"

"Senior Brother Zhang gave the order: you have to do it today, whether you like it or not!"

"Don't think you can act recklessly in this abandoned hall just because Steward Qin is protecting you. Steward Qin has already left the sect; now, Senior Brother Zhang is in charge of this abandoned hall!"

"If you dare disobey, I'll break your legs right now and throw you into a poison vat!"

As he spoke, the man with the triangular eyes waved his hand. Several servants behind him immediately surrounded him, each rubbing their hands together, their faces unfriendly.

Zhou Lingxuan looked at these reckless fools and sighed inwardly.

He hadn't intended to cause trouble. But the toxicity in these poisons was a great tonic for his Sky Hammer. Since someone was offering him nourishment, he wouldn't be polite.

Zhou Lingxuan was just about to step forward and accept the poison.

A small, thin figure suddenly darted out from the side.

Lei Yang stepped directly in front of Zhou Lingxuan, his movements so fast they created a gust of wind.

His right hand pressed firmly on the hilt of the Wind and Thunder Sword, purple lightning crackling wildly between his fingers.

Lei Yang stared intently at the triangular-eyed man, his voice hoarse and filled with murderous intent.

"Anyone who dares to touch Old Zhou, I'll chop them to pieces!"