The sword light receded, leaving the sword floating in the air. Jiang Wen looked at the flying sword before him and grasped it in his hand.
The sword was about three feet two inches long, and the blade was crystal clear and flawless. A blood-colored dragon纹 (wén - pattern/design) stretched down the middle, from the hilt to the tip. The hilt was carved with intricate patterns, with a blood bead formed from dragon blood inlaid in the center, giving it a sharp and formidable appearance.
As he grasped the sword, Jiang Wen felt a sense of connection, as if the sword were an extension of his arm, allowing him to control it with perfect ease.
Testing the blade, he easily sliced through steel as thick as a wrist as if it were tofu. He even took out several prepared flying swords, but they were all instantly cut in two upon contact.
"A fine sword," Jiang Wen exclaimed. This was the best magical weapon he had obtained since embarking on his cultivation journey, far surpassing the three flying swords he had purchased. Although the sword had no additional attributes, it gave him the feeling that it could break through all spells with a single strike.
He cast several spells at the sword, but they were all extinguished before they could even approach it. He then summoned the Tai Xuan Mirror and shone it on the flying sword. The sword remained unaffected, breaking free from the mirror's suppression.
After several tests, Jiang Wen understood the characteristics of the flying sword. It didn't have the frostiness of Flying Frost, the spell-devouring ability of Nameless Sword, or the scorching heat of Red Sun. The sword was just a plain, ordinary flying sword, but it was unaffected by spells and unsuppressed by magical treasures. It was free to move as it pleased and was incredibly sharp.
Even Jiang Wen's Four Symbols Formation could be pierced by this sword with a single strike.
"Since you possess such divine power, I shall name you 'Po Wang' (破妄 - Destroyer of Illusions)," Jiang Wen said, gently stroking the blade. He could hear the sword humming in response. He couldn't help but smile with satisfaction, pleased with the success of his weapon refinement.
Po Wang was a masterpiece of a magical weapon that he had refined and he intended to make it his natal magic weapon.
He used merit points to temper it, and when he looked at Po Wang again, it had returned to its original simplicity, becoming an unremarkable longsword.
After confirming Po Wang as his natal magic weapon, Jiang Wen stored it in his Qi Sea to nurture it. Every cultivator could have their own natal magic weapon, which could be stored within their Qi Sea.
Once a natal magic weapon was unleashed, it meant that the situation had reached a point of no return.
After finishing all of this, Jiang Wen looked at the messy room. With a wave of his sleeve, countless remnants flew into his sleeve, and the room was clean in a moment.
He pushed open the door and walked out, seeing a clear sky outside. He took out his phone to check the time and found that three days had passed since he had entered seclusion.
He thought that one day should be enough, but he didn't expect it to take so long.
In the courtyard, a woman in a pink ruqun (襦裙 - a type of traditional Chinese dress) was sweeping, while a girl in ancient clothing sat on the corridor next to her. The two were talking and joking with each other. Jiang Wen knew at a glance that these two were transformed from white foxes.
They also saw Jiang Wen, and joy appeared on their faces.
"Benefactor! You've finally come out of seclusion," the girl ran over excitedly and said to him. "So many things have happened in the past few days while you were gone."
"Oh? What happened?" Jiang Wen asked curiously.
"Well, the mountain gate opened two days ago, and all sorts of people came to offer incense. Then they saw the sisters in the clan, and everyone wanted to take pictures with them. Some people even proposed to the sisters on the spot, and were eventually kicked out by the clan leader. And then there were all these deliveries, box after box," the little fox said, her tail wagging excitedly. She gestured to show how big the boxes were.
"So big! And they were full of things! They said they were things that Benefactor ordered and asked us to accept them. The clan leader knew that Benefactor was in seclusion, so she took the liberty of accepting them. When Benefactor sees the clan leader later, please don't blame her!"
Listening to the little fox's description, Jiang Wen understood what had happened during his seclusion.
First, the Taoist temple opened its doors to welcome pilgrims, and a lot of people came. But because the temple was now managed by white foxes, the visiting pilgrims were all bewitched by these fox spirits. Some even proposed marriage to the white foxes on the spot, and were all driven out by Bai Jing.
Then, his deliveries arrived, and Bai Jing must have signed for them.
Finding that nothing major had happened, Jiang Wen felt relieved. Although Yan Gongli was now rejuvenated, she was still a cultivator who had lived for ten thousand years, and she could handle these matters properly.
In a good mood, Jiang Wen pinched the little fox's cheek. After feeding her a candy, he walked towards the Sanqing Hall.
Along the way, he could see pilgrims coming to offer incense from time to time. They strolled around the temple in groups of two or three, or sat in a pavilion to rest.
Due to the influence of the spiritual spring and the temple's formation, the environment here was much more comfortable than the outside world.
The spiritual energy was abundant, the climate was pleasant, the vegetation was lush, and the scenery was beautiful. These were the most direct impressions of the Jingxu Temple.
If one lived in this environment for a long time, one would naturally become healthier. Some minor ailments would be cured, and living a few decades longer would not be a problem.
From time to time, white foxes in ancient costumes would walk past the tourists, attracting everyone's attention and causing them to take pictures with their phones.
After all, they were transformed from妖精 (yāojīng -妖 means strange, supernatural, or bewitching, and 精 means spirit, essence, or goblin), and their beauty was so captivating that it was hard to find even a few such beauties in the human world.
But in this Taoist temple, such women were everywhere, which was truly astonishing.
Jiang Wen had nothing to say about this. Perhaps he had seen too many beauties, and although the foxes were beautiful, they didn't amaze him.
Compared to Ziyun, these foxes were still a bit lacking.
"Thank you for the compliment," Ziyun's voice came.
"How does it feel to be in the temple?" Jiang Wen asked.
"Crowded," Ziyun replied.
"..." Jiang Wen was speechless, as this was indeed the truth. No one could compare to the material abundance of the real world in terms of population. Even if the Great Qian Dynasty had cultivators and a vast territory, one might not see a single household after traveling for days and nights in the wilderness, except in the major cities of each state.
"You'll get used to it," he encouraged. "Where are they?"
"Entertaining guests in the front courtyard, said they are your acquaintances."
"Of course, I couldn't get in before. Now I have to run here every day, but it takes quite a bit of time on the road. I wish I could fly with a sword," Shen Yueshu complained a little.
"Want to control a sword? You're still far from it," Jiang Wen stared at her and found that this girl had indeed cultivated diligently. The true energy in her body had already gathered, and she only needed to accumulate enough true energy to undergo a qualitative change before she could transform from acquired to innate.
"Not bad, you haven't been lazy these days," Jiang Wen praised her, which was rare. "Strive to transform from acquired to innate, and then step into the path of cultivation, and you'll be able to fly with a sword."
"How long will that take?"
"At your current rate, it will take about ten years."
"Ten years!" Shen Yueshu exclaimed. She suddenly felt that the path of cultivation was so long.
"Ten years is nothing," Jiang Wen said unhappily. "If it were an ordinary person, they might not be able to enter the innate realm in their entire lives. You should be content with being able to cultivate to the innate realm in ten years in this Dharma-ending world."
As he was speaking, a commotion suddenly came from outside.
