Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

The "Cold Toad Soup" looks like a cooled clam soup. The "Tie-Knot Lamb Stew" is dried mutton stew, but with extremely skillful knife work, the stew is sliced ​​into thin pieces and tied into a tie-knot.

The Five-Flavor Platter may look the most ordinary, but the ingredients are anything but simple. It is a platter made of five kinds of meat: mutton, pork, beef, bear, and deer. Among them, the mutton and deer meat are spiritual meats that have a nourishing effect on cultivators. The mutton and deer meat used are jade mutton and long-tailed deer meat.

Zhuang Xing asked the senior students in line and learned that these meals were all in limited quantities.

These are all dietary supplements; they not only taste good, but they are also beneficial for spiritual practice.

Moreover, the fat Taoist priest only opens his shop on the first day of each month and closes it in winter. So even though the restaurant is a bit pricey, it has been very popular for more than ten years.

Smelling the aroma, Zhuang Xing couldn't help but feel a little hungry. He had enough money and tickets to have a meal here, but there were too many people in line, and he felt that he wouldn't get a turn. Helpless, he could only take Yunling elsewhere.

"Yunling, just tell me if there's anything you want to buy." Zhuang Xing held Yunling's hand.

"Mm." Yunling nodded.

They walked and stopped along the way, looking around and seeing many new and interesting things.

However, Zhuang Xing did not spend money to buy one. He remembered Senior Brother Linghui's advice and planned to spend the money on steel blades. He went to the Sword Forging Hall to make a suitable sword for him.

The disciples' swords were all issued uniformly. Although the quality was not bad, everyone's sword was the same, making it difficult to bring out Zhuang Xing's individual strengths.

Now that he has money, he naturally wants a better sword.

Ideally, it should be a sword that allows true qi to flow more smoothly within it. This way, when using sword control techniques, the consumption of true qi should be less.

The two arrived at the sword forging hall in the upper level of the city. The smell of fire hit them. The door of the sword forging hall was wide open. Inside were furnaces and blacksmiths. Five or six shirtless masters were welcoming disciples who came to see the goods and forge swords.

A master craftsman was quenching the sword, his black iron hammer striking the red-hot blank with heavy force.

clang!clang!clang!

Each strike sent sparks flying. Zhuang Xing focused his Qi in his eyes and saw the solid, rock-like true Qi emanating from the swordsmith. This true Qi flowed through the iron hammer in his hand and into the sword blank.

As the sword blank was immersed in the water tank, the half-formed sword hummed, accompanied by hissing white steam.

Without a doubt, every swordsmith in this mountain city is a master or grandmaster.

Apart from one Taoist monk who wasn't wearing a Taoist robe, almost all the disciples who came here to forge swords were from the Red Hat sect. Senior Brother Linghui had said that the price of custom-made swords in the Sword Forging Hall was not low. When Green Hat disciples went, they could usually only buy swords that had already been made. However, Zhuang Xing had ten black money notes, which allowed him to have his masters use better spirit ore to tailor-make a sword for him.

"Let's go in and take a look." Zhuang Xing walked into the Sword Forging Hall with great anticipation.

A master came forward to greet them: "Are you newly promoted Qing Sui disciples? If you want to buy a sword, come this way."

"I want to have a sword custom-made." Zhuang Xing showed off his black banknotes.

The driver paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening.

"You're Zhuang Xing?"

Unexpectedly, Zhuang Xing's reputation has spread to the entire city.

Chapter 104 Practice Makes Perfect

"It's me," Zhuang Xing replied. "I'd like to have a sword custom-made, is that alright?"

"You just became a disciple of Qing Sui, and you already have black money notes... Did you really kill a group of white-tailed jackals all by yourself?"

The muscular middle-aged man lowered his head slightly, scrutinizing Zhuang Xing.

"Actually, it wasn't just me." Zhuang Xing shook his head; the old mandrill was also there to help him at the time.

"It doesn't matter. Since you can produce black money, it's not impossible to forge a sword for you." The middle-aged man put down the iron hammer in his hand. "Originally, I didn't recommend that teenagers like you who haven't grown up yet use custom-made swords. After all, children grow up too fast. In a few years, the sword that used to be handy will become too light."

"However, Master Qingxuzi also mentioned you to me. If it were you, you should be able to earn the money to replace your sword when it's time to do so."

The middle-aged man took a dry towel, wiped the sweat off his body, and put on a loose white shirt.

“My surname is Wu, and my name is Wu Wen. You can call me Uncle Wu or Master Wu. Come with me and let me see your true Qi.”

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling exchanged a glance and silently followed Master Wu through the main hall of the Sword Forging Hall.

After passing through a stone gate, they arrived at a training room.

The walls of the training room are made of large bluestone blocks, stacked one by one, with grid-like holes. Because the sword forging hall is located on a relatively high level, you can see the scene below the market through those holes.

The most eye-catching thing is the swords hanging on the wall. There are hundreds of iron swords of different sizes hanging on the wall. There are small holes punched in the blades of these swords, and the purpose of these holes is unknown.

From a rapier to a broadsword, from light to heavy, the one hanging on the far left is more like a small knife than a sword, while on the far right it is a large, broad saber. Just by looking at it, you can feel the weight of that greatsword.

"How does your sword feel to use now?" Master Wu asked. "Does it feel light or heavy?"

"It's a little light," Zhuang Xing answered truthfully.

“Light? Then try this one.” Master Wu went to the wall of swords and took down an iron sword that was slightly wider than the one Zhuang Xing was carrying, from the middle left.

Zhuang Xing took it and waved it twice.

"It's still a bit too light."

"And this one?" Master Wu took a sword from the middle to the right.

As soon as Zhuang Xing got his hands on the sword, he felt a sense of heaviness.

"It's a bit too heavy."

"You wait."

Master Wu took the sword that Zhuang Xing initially thought was too light, and took out several iron rings from a box next to him. Zhuang Xing finally understood what the holes on the swords were for. Master Wu put the iron rings into the holes, adjusted the weight little by little, and then handed them to Zhuang Xing.

After a while, the weight was much more suitable.

Afterwards, Master Wu measured Zhuang Xing's height and arm length and recorded his dominant hand.

After taking the measurements, Master Wu suddenly opened a box, pulled out a heavily armored suit of armor covered in scratches, and put it on.

“I have heard that you have innate Qi in your body. This true Qi is like a peerless sword, extremely sharp. I, Wu, have lived for more than forty years, and this is the first time I have ever heard of a young man as old as you who could survive the siege of a group of white-tailed jackals and even kill them all.”

"Let me see just how sharp your innate Qi really is," Master Wu said loudly, tapping his breastplate. "Attack with all your might, don't hold back. Only by knowing your strength can I forge a suitable sword for you."

Zhuang Xing thought to himself that Master Wu spoke with great confidence, and he should trust him.

"Then this disciple has offended you greatly." Zhuang Xing drew the sword from his waist, held his breath, and circulated his innate Qi, concentrating it on the blade.

Yunling obediently stood outside the court, waiting for the result.

Since Master Wu had instructed Zhuang Xing to use his full strength, he focused all his attention on preparing his strongest attack.

With one-third of his innate Qi, he could slice through the flesh and blood of the white-tailed jackal without any hindrance, as easily as slicing a piece of tofu.

At this moment, all the innate Qi in his body gathered on the sword blade, and the dangerous aura was immediately revealed. Before the sword blade was even swung, the surrounding airflow changed.

Just as Zhuang Xing was about to swing his sword, Wu Shifu's shout came from ahead.

"Wait a minute!" Master Wu gestured to stop.

Zhuang Xing quickly stopped his breathing. He felt a kind of discomfort, like suddenly having to hold back his urine halfway through, because he hadn't managed to unleash the sword. But since it was his master who had forged the sword who had called for a pause, he forced his true qi back down.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Master Wu?"

"I forgot something," the middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes said seriously.

He suddenly opened another box, took off his worn-out armor, and put on a brand new set of iron armor. Not only that, he also put on a helmet and put his legs into the iron armor.

After putting on this new armor, only his eyes were visible. Even his hands were encased in iron armor, and his ten fingers were covered by round, chubby iron gauntlets, making him look somewhat bulky and comical.

However, his gaze remained just as earnest and meticulous.

After carefully checking that the armor was properly worn, Master Wu finally fastened the iron armor at his chest. Amidst the clanging of metal, he once again spoke in a strong voice:

"Alright, bring it on. Use all your strength and don't hold back."

“I, Wu, have been forging swords at Xuanqing Temple for twenty years and have seen all kinds of geniuses. Your little innate Qi is no match for me.”

"Well... then this disciple is here."

"Come on," Master Wu said casually.

Zhuang Xing gathered his energy again, and opposite him, Master Wu's true energy began to circulate, the thick true energy covering the surface of his armor.

"I'm here, be careful!" Zhuang Xing took a step forward, his sword slashing down from the front.

Master Wu lowered his knees and crossed his arms in front of him.

The primordial Qi transforms into an invisible blade; before the sword arrives, the armor whistles.

A cut immediately appeared on the armor, and sparks flew out.

This was the first time Zhuang Xing had felt a blockage while circulating his innate Qi. In the past, he could only cut things because his innate Qi was exhausted, but this time, he genuinely felt resistance while cutting.

The material of that armor seemed to be extraordinary.

In the end, Zhuang Xing's sword only managed to cut less than half a finger's depth into the armor, failing to penetrate it completely.

Master Wu, without changing his expression, took off his armor and put it back into the locked box, saying, "Not bad, but still a bit lacking. Go back and practice more."

"Your disciple will follow your teachings," Zhuang Xing replied respectfully.

Chapter 105 Growing Another Year Older (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader)

Master Wu took out a small iron hammer. "Bring me your sword, let me take another look."

"Okay." Zhuang Xing took out his sword and placed it in front of Master Wu.

Master Wu tapped the sword with his hammer and listened intently.

He tapped for a while, then stopped, placed the sword on the box, and gently tapped it with a hammer at the tip.

With a clang, the sword tip broke off like a brittle piece of firewood.

"As expected, I just sensed your true qi. It's too aggressive. An ordinary sword probably couldn't withstand such a torment."

How long have you been using this sword?

"It's been almost a year," Zhuang Xing replied truthfully.

"It's worn down like this in just one year..." Master Wu pondered for a moment, "I really need to forge you a more durable sword."

After fiddling with them for a while, Master Wu took out several metal ingots of different colors.

"These are lapis lazuli, raven gold, hematite, and copper ore, all of which are spiritual minerals that can connect with Qi. Infuse your true Qi into them and let me hear the sound. The softer the sound, the better the compatibility with you."

"I understand." Zhuang Xing took the metal ingots and poured his true qi into them in sequence.

Hematite and copper ore produced the loudest sounds and noticeable vibrations, while jasper was the most stable. Celestite produced little sound but had a slight vibration.