Chapter 226: The New Sword

The name itself carried mystique (神) and rarity (珍), and it was a form of metal (鐵). That was the material known as Divine True Steel.

“It’s hard to even call it metal. No, it’s difficult to consider it a material that exists in this world at all.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“To begin with, Divine True Steel doesn’t easily fall into the categories of metal or mineral. Are you aware of the weapon used by the youngest of the Great Sage’s disciples? That weapon is also famously made from Divine True Steel.”

Jang Woo-hyun raised an eyebrow and looked at the Wind-Passing Great Sage.

“Not me. The youngest one.”

“The youngest?”

“Why are you pretending not to know? You asked about his name the first time we met.”

“The first time… Ah!”

He recalled the day they first met at the Demon Extermination Sect.

—“Son Goku. Is that the name you go by?”

—“What? Hahaha! As expected, that name’s pretty famous. But that’s not my name, hahaha!”

If it was Son Goku’s weapon, then Jang Woo-hyun knew it well.

“The Ruyi Staff.”

“Exactly. A weapon of the great monster who can no longer be simply called a monster. The Golden Ruyi Staff is also made of Divine True Steel. Have you heard of the Ruyi Staff?”

“Yes.”

“Then this will be easier to understand. The Ruyi Staff can transform into a colossal pillar that could hold up the sky, or shrink down to the size of a needle. Does that sound like an ordinary metal to you?”

It was unthinkable under normal logic. Physically impossible.

“Divine True Steel is often called a metal that changes according to will.”

So, when desired, it could become a massive pillar or shrink smaller than a needle. It could even transform into entirely different forms.

“So it wasn’t some kind of sorcery.”

“It’s not sorcery. It’s about properly handling a weapon made from Divine True Steel. And now, you’ll be using such a weapon.”

Gwan Wi continued speaking.

“I don’t fully understand what Divine True Steel really is either. I was born in the Nation of Mechanical Marvels and have worked with all kinds of metals my entire life. Yet even I, and in fact no one in the entire Nation of Mechanical Marvels, truly understands it.”

Jang Woo-hyun was about to craft a weapon from such a mysterious metal. And with Cho-yul, one of the Three Master Craftsmen of the Nation of Mechanical Marvels, involved, there was no telling what kind of masterpiece would be born.

“I suppose I’ve received a miraculous fortune.”

To that, Gwan Wi shook his head with a smile.

“Would you call it only your fortune? It’s ours as well. You brought us the finest metal and, thanks to that, helped determine the next king of the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.”

As Gwan Wi tried once again to bow in gratitude, Jang Woo-hyun stopped him, flustered.

“Just talking about it like this must feel rather empty for you. Do you have any requests for me? If I can help, I will. Feel free to say what you need.”

Without hesitation, Jang Woo-hyun immediately spoke of what he needed.

“If there’s a healing dharma treasure, I’d like to obtain one. My younger brother’s condition isn’t good.”

“Someone is injured?”

“This friend here is seriously wounded.”

As Jang Woo-hyun pointed at Jin Ha-un, the third eye between Gwan Wi’s brows lit up.

After observing for a moment, Gwan Wi noticed the gaping hole in Jin Ha-un’s chest.

“What—he’s been moving around with a body like this? Who helped him?”

“Heavenly Void True Man lent his aid.”

“Ah yes, it would take someone at the level of the Tai Chi Sect’s sect leader to keep someone with that kind of wound alive. Fortunately, it seems I have a dharma treasure that can heal him. Though it’ll take some time.”

Jang Woo-hyun expressed deep gratitude at the possibility of healing Jin Ha-un. Jin Ha-un himself, along with Maeng Ye-ju, also bowed repeatedly in thanks.

“What about you, Monkey? Don’t you need anything? Or did you already get what you needed?”

“I haven’t secured what I need. Right now, there aren’t many dharma treasures left.”

The mention that there were few dharma treasures remaining in the Nation of Mechanical Marvels made Jang Woo-hyun’s expression darken.

“Did something happen?”

“No need for that serious face. It’s nothing dire. Since unrest started brewing from the Central Heavens Martial Realm, we’ve used up a large quantity of dharma treasures in preparation. That’s why there aren’t many usable ones at the moment.”

This was unfortunate news for the group, who had been moving about the city to gather weapons and dharma treasures. If they’d arrived just a little earlier, they might have found better treasures.

“I’ll fetch the dharma treasure that can heal your friend. Just wait a moment.”

After a short while, Gwan Wi returned and handed a necklace to Jin Ha-un.

The necklace was a dharma treasure that enhanced regeneration and vitality. It used the power embedded by the Heavenly Void True Man in Jin Ha-un’s chest as energy to aid in healing.

If they had tried to heal him too quickly, the sudden disappearance of that power might have caused the hole to reopen. So Jin Ha-un was being healed very slowly.

“Anything else you need?”

At Gwan Wi’s question, Jang Woo-hyun thought of Yong Seo-hee and Lee Ga-hang and asked if there were any more healing dharma treasures. Fortunately, the Nation of Mechanical Marvels hadn’t used their healing dharma treasures for defense purposes, so many of good quality remained.

Gwan Wi provided healing dharma treasures and also packed some spiritual medicine to help recover their bodies.

Just as they were finishing up gathering the necessary supplies—

A message came through Jin Ha-un’s telepathy device from Cho-su.

The Three Master Craftsmen had completed their preparations and were looking for Jang Woo-hyun.

* * *

Jang Woo-hyun boarded Cho-yul’s flying apparatus and arrived at the mountain peak behind the city.

There stood a building unlike any of the others in the city.

Plain and without any ornate decorations, it evoked the image of an ancient temple. At the center of the structure stood a towering spire, and light flowed along the patterns etched into its stone walls.

As they stepped inside, a massive furnace stood at the center of the spacious interior. From within the furnace, a golden glow surged like dancing flames.

“That is a special furnace known as the Solar Furnace.”

Next to the Solar Furnace, as Cho-yul explained, were unfamiliar devices, among which the most eye-catching was a large anvil that constantly shifted colors.

Atop that anvil, the Divine True Steel pulsed with light, flickering.

“You’re here.”

“Then shall we begin? Sword Envoy, please step this way.”

As he approached the Three Master Craftsmen, Ju Yeong-rang pointed to a spot—right beside the anvil that kept changing colors.

“Stand next to the Rainbow Iron Anvil, and when we give the signal, infuse your power.”

The four—each wearing their prosthetic arms—briefly explained Jang Woo-hyun’s role before immediately beginning their work.

“Beginning now!”

With Jo Cheol-san’s declaration, the Divine True Steel was placed inside the Solar Furnace. A blinding light, as if it would engulf the entire world, burst forth in an instant.

Even Jang Woo-hyun, watching from the side, was momentarily overwhelmed by the intensity of the light.

Yet the four craftsmen, unfazed, threw themselves into the work. Clearly unusual hammers moved with precision, and from inside the Solar Furnace, they extracted an enlarged mass of light.

They placed it atop the mystical Rainbow Iron Anvil and began hammering with tools radiating both golden and silver hues.

CHAAANG—!

A thunderous clang rang out. This wasn’t the sound of mere metal striking metal.

Each strike seemed to shake the very space around them. The rippling shockwaves threatened to blow the four back, but the Three Master Craftsmen and Cho-yul braced themselves and continued, wholly focused.

As Ju Yeong-rang and Jo Cheol-san swung their hammers, Seo Hong-ho’s prosthetic arm split into six and gently handled the glowing mass. Cho-yul assisted him from the side.

The booming sounds reverberated again and again. Anyone without strong martial cultivation would have been internally ruptured by the shockwaves and died on the spot.

Jang Woo-hyun focused his senses and expanded his qi perception—but he couldn’t guess what they were crafting. All he could see was a mass of light; the four simply moved ceaselessly around it.

The process continued, the work repeating itself.

After about five sijin (ten hours):

“Sword Envoy, now.”

Upon Ju Yeong-rang’s signal, Jang Woo-hyun raised both hands and channeled his energy.

The moment he infused his qi, it was absorbed like it had been waiting. Then, unexpectedly, the five elemental energies also flowed out from within him.

WHUMM—

The sounds that had been shaking the space vanished with Jang Woo-hyun’s qi. Though he had tried to control his output so it wouldn’t disrupt the work, even that had a noticeable effect.

“Hmm.”

“Urgh.”

The four, initially unshaken, let out strained groans as the five elemental energies entered the forge.

It was far different from what they had expected. Jang Woo-hyun’s qi was chaotic.

So much was mixed in. Not just the five elemental energies—his energy felt like it came from dozens, even hundreds of different people all at once.

Though frowning, the four didn’t stop. They supported one another and pushed forward in crafting the weapon.

The work continued.

Two full days passed in the blink of an eye.

Floating before Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes was a white sword—its blade and hilt formed as one.

Created by the combined hands of the Three Master Craftsmen of the Nation of Mechanical Marvels, along with Cho-su—a true masterpiece.

The sword, emanating a soft white radiance, moved on its own and approached Jang Woo-hyun. As if recognizing him. As if asking to be held.

He slowly reached out and grasped the sword that glowed with white light.

At that moment—

“…!”

The sword crumbled into white sand, dispersing into the air. A white mist formed around them.

As the sword disappeared the moment he touched it, Jang Woo-hyun looked down at his hand, then turned to the Three Master Craftsmen and Cho-yul, clearly confused.

“It hasn’t vanished.”

Sensing his panic, Ju Yeong-rang explained.

“Have you ever heard of a True-Name Dharma Treasure?”

“This is my first time.”

“Not surprising for a martial artist. It’s a type of dharma treasure used by cultivators. It’s a special treasure engraved into one’s soul and housed within their soul core.”

“Not surprising he doesn’t know—martial artists are only good at fighting. Useless in every other way.”

Just like Maeng Ye-ju had said before, martial artists were specialized in combat, whereas cultivators of the Spiritual Realm were all-rounders. Some among them were extremely skilled in crafting dharma treasures and tools.

“The sword we crafted is similar to a True-Name Dharma Treasure. It will now grow alongside you.”

“You won’t be able to use it right away. It needs time to become one with you.”

The surrounding white mist began to move on its own and entered Jang Woo-hyun’s body. He couldn’t block it, nor avoid it.

It absorbed naturally—as if it had always been a part of him.

“The way it disintegrates into sand was modeled after Dragon King’s Scale, so it wouldn’t be bound to a single form.”

If Dragon King’s Scale scattered into small blade-like scales, then this newly forged sword dispersed like fine sand.

Though it took the form of a sword, calling it a sword at all might be inaccurate.

“The name we gave it for now is Ten Thousand Forms Sword.”

Ten Thousand Forms (萬化)—true to the name, it didn’t maintain one shape. It could become anything. A weapon capable of infinite transformation, born from Divine True Steel.

As soon as he heard the name—

The white mist surrounding Jang Woo-hyun disappeared.

At the same time, he slowly closed his eyes.

And with that stillness, he clearly sensed it—something had entered his body.

It didn’t feel foreign. It felt as if it had always been there.

Eyes still closed, he thought of the name for his new companion.

He had already decided on it, based on what he had seen just moments ago.

Opening his eyes again, he spoke the name of his new sword.

“White Mist.”

The Ten Thousand Forms Sword, White Mist.

That was the name of the new sword Jang Woo-hyun had obtained.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep