That year, Wei Jianming had left his hometown and came to Great Xia.
Three years later, he had hidden outside Great Xia's Forging Division. Ordinary people would only think that he was an ordinary peddler. Who would have thought that he was once a young and talented individual?
Now that the young man was middle-aged, he had thought that he had lost his passion. But now, he felt that his blood was still hot.
Hot blood splattered all over his face. He couldn't help licking it with his tongue. It was a little salty…
"How did you do that?" Wei Jianming looked at the youth wearing the uniform of Great Xia's Forging Division's apprentices in front of him. His handsome face didn't look like it belonged to a Forging Apprentice. It was shining brightly under the firelight.
Once upon a time, I was also a high-spirited youth. Wei Jianming's eyes were unfocused, but there was still breath in his chest. If he didn't understand what had happened, he wouldn't die in peace!
"My saber is sharper than yours. That's why I will live, but you will die." Zhou Shu stood with the saber in front of him and stared at Wei Jianming warily.
"What kind of saber is in your hand?" Wei Jianming swayed and was about to fall.
"Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber." Zhou Shu looked at Wei Jianming and sighed.
"Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber… Good, very good," Wei Jianming muttered to himself and then fell backward as countless scenes flashed across his eyes.
It was the hometown he had been thinking about all this time. He also saw her vague silhouette and wondered if she was doing well.
Wei Jianming slowly closed his eyes. The deep wound on his chest burst open, and blood gushed out, dying his entire body red.
His right hand weakly released its grip, and half of the Huben Saber fell.
The Huben Saber he had used all means to obtain was now broken. It would never return to his hometown with him.
"You started it. Don't blame me." Zhou Shu was panting heavily. He even felt a little exhausted from that blow.
To succeed in one strike, Zhou Shu didn't hold back at all and used all of his strength.
Otherwise, even if the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber was stronger than the Huben Saber, it might not have had such an effect.
Wei Jianming hadn't expected Zhou Shu to cut the Huben Saber in half. By the time he wanted to dodge, it was already too late.
Just like the Forging Apprentice who had died at Zhou Shu's hands, Wei Jianming was immediately killed by Zhou Shu's saber.
Just as Zhou Shu had said, Wei Jianming had died from ignorance. If he had known that Zhou Shu's saber was sharper, the outcome would have been different.
This was the second time Zhou Shu killed someone, and he felt that he was even calmer than he had imagined. He had thought that after killing someone, he would feel nauseous. But in reality, he felt extremely calm. This made him feel somewhat incredulous.
Perhaps I am a homicidal maniac? Did this attribute not awaken because I lived in a peaceful era in my previous life? No, I seemed to have killed in my previous life too… Hundreds of millions of people…
[The Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber you forged effectively completed a kill. You are rewarded with the Heavenly Saber Art!]
The Legendary Armament Canon automatically appeared, and a message flashed in front of Zhou Shu's eyes.
Heavenly Saber Art? Zhou Shu was overjoyed.
Whatever he thought would come true. He had been ambushed and was worried that he didn't have any powerful means to protect himself. In the end, he attained the Heavenly Saber Art!
[One's will undivided; one's spirit coalesced. The spirit can sense when one's will is in one's hands, and only then can one speak of the Art. Then when one is able to enter the realm of no Art, will one begin to understand how to use the saber. Spirit refers to the mind; will refers to the body. With every strike, the entire body will follow, and the spirit and body become one.]
Figures flew up and down in Zhou Shu's mind. The profundities of the saber technique constantly appeared.
For a moment, he felt as if he had practiced countless saber techniques for years and experienced countless battles.
When he looked at the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber in his hand, Zhou Shu felt as if he and the saber were connected. He could even feel the saber breathing.
With a flick of his wrist, the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber transformed into a streak of saber light and smoothly passed through the hammer he had just used.
Almost without feeling any obstruction, the saber cut through the hammer. The hammer was split in two, the cut smooth and flat.
In the past, Zhou Shu had also used a Huben Saber to cut iron. With the sharpness of the Huben Sabers, they could also cut through iron as easily as they did mud, but this could easily damage them.
Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers were not inferior to Huben Sabers in terms of sharpness, but they were far more sturdy.
They were originally sabers suitable for cavalry combat.
The saber was good, but the saber technique was better.
Now that he was using the saber again, Zhou Shu felt as if he could do as he pleased. Every time he swung his saber, the feeling he felt was vastly different from before.
He could feel himself becoming stronger bit by bit!
The blade light flickered, leaving a series of blade marks on the walls of the secret chamber. After a long time, Zhou Shu finally stopped reluctantly.
The Heavenly Saber Art is truly deserving of its reputation. Zhou Shu's face was full of excitement. With this Heavenly Saber Art, he wouldn't need to feign civility if he met another spy like Wei Jianming. With a single slash, he could kill several of them.
With the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique and the Heavenly Saber Art, as long as I don't court death, my life shouldn't be in danger anymore, right? Zhou Shu wasn't sure. Wei Jianming's skills were not enough to make him an expert in this world.
He had no idea how powerful an expert was.
The Heavenly Saber Art emphasizes converting all your hard work and actual combat experience into your body's will. The more you train, the richer your combat experience and the stronger your saber intent will be. If you can reach the level of ignoring all apart from the saber, then the Heavenly Saber Art will be invincible. Zhou Shu was only at the basic level of the Heavenly Saber Art now. It was still far from the realm of the Invincible Saber.
However, he wasn't worried. According to his experience with the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique, as long as the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers he forged could effectively complete kills, his Heavenly Saber Art would improve. There was no need for him to improve it through actual combat.
But the problem is that I can't openly bring out the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber. He had just taken out the secret forging formula of the Huben Saber. If he took out the secret forging formula for the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber now, it would definitely attract the attention of people with hidden agendas.
This world isn't the peaceful era of my previous life. Will continuously taking out secret forging formulas of new weapons, especially when I am not skilled yet, lead to others giving me the treatment of a genius or cutting me up for research? Zhou Shu didn't want to leave his fate in the hands of others.
The military parade might be a good opportunity.
Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he looked up.
Someone is coming!
His first reaction was to look at Wei Jianming's corpse.
Wei Jianming's accomplices? This was his hideout. For safety's sake, he would definitely not bring anyone back casually. It's already midnight. Who else could it be other than his accomplices? With this thought, Zhou Shu quickly began to move. He first took off Wei Jianming's outer clothes, then put them on himself and covered the Forging Division's uniform.
After thinking about it for a moment, Zhou Shu tore off a corner of his clothes. He mimicked what he had seen in TV dramas in the past and covered his mouth and nose, only revealing his eyes. Only then did he lift the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber and step onto the stairs.
The secret chamber Wei Jianming had built was more than ten meters underground. There were dozens of steps leading to the ground, and the exit was in the weeds in the corner of the courtyard.
Zhou Shu had just reached the exit when he heard footsteps approaching overhead.
Then the cover of the entrance was lifted.
"Here!" A voice sounded.
Zhou Shu didn't have time to think about it. With a flick of his wrist, the saber shot upward. His body followed the saber and rushed out of the passageway.
Ding! With a crisp sound, Zhou Shu felt the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber strike his opponent's weapon.
In the darkness, a figure retreated.
Zhou Shu's attack had succeeded. Without any hesitation, he unleashed his Heavenly Saber Art. His saber technique was like a dragon soaring through the nine heavens, forcing his opponent to retreat step by step.
After a few moves, Zhou Shu forced his opponent back to the center of the courtyard. From the corner of his eye, he saw a few more people angrily charge over.
Without any hesitation, Zhou Shu swung his saber several times, blocking everyone. His feet suddenly exerted strength, and he flipped backward, leaping onto the wall.
Then he slashed down at the person chasing him and flipped over the wall, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"Stop chasing!" Before Zhou Shu disappeared, he heard a deep shout from the courtyard.
Zhou Shu didn't know if it was an illusion or not, but he vaguely felt that the voice was somewhat familiar.
He didn't think too much about it. After running two streets, he took off his jacket while there was no one else around. He returned to his original attire, then hurried toward the Forging Division's workshop.
Someone had already lit a torch in Wei Jianming's small courtyard. The small courtyard was illuminated by the torch and was as bright as day.
"Sir, why shouldn't we chase after him?" the person who had chased after Zhou Shu said in a low voice.
"Are you questioning me?" A young man in a gorgeous uniform glanced at the person.
"I wouldn't dare." The person lowered his head.
"Chase, chase after him, and you'll just be delivering food. Can you beat him?"
This person was so embarrassed by his words that he wished he could find a hole to hide in.
The youth lazily continued, "Search this place first. You two, follow me down to take a look."
With that, the young man led the way into the secret underground chamber.
"Tsk tsk…" Moments later, they arrived at the secret underground chamber and saw the corpse on the ground.
"He killed someone and even took off his clothes. His taste…" The young man clicked his tongue in wonder.
The other two were speechless. Can't he tell what happened?
"Yo, Huben Saber…" Using his toes, the youth kicked the Huben Saber on the ground. "Pick it up and report back."
He squatted down and looked at the wound on Wei Jianming's chest.
Puzzled, the young man looked around.
Following the light from the smelting furnace, the young man's gaze landed on the blade marks on the walls around the secret chamber.
With just a glance, his pupils suddenly contracted!
"This is…" He suddenly stood up and stared at the marks. "Have the brothers lock down this place! Send someone to invite the commander and General Cheng Wanli. Tell them that there's an important discovery here!"
…