Aksai returned to the workbench, where he had laid out various molds and casting tools.
He selected a long, narrow mold suitable for a heavy sword and prepared it for casting. Once the meteor stone pieces were sufficiently heated, he carefully poured the lava-like matter into the mold, watching as it filled the intricate channels and began to take shape.
The process was meticulous, but Aksai worked with quiet determination, his mind focused on the result. After the mold was filled, he allowed it to cool slightly before submerging it into the cooling trough. Steam hissed and rose as the hot matter met the enchanted water, solidifying into a rough stone sword.
He removed the cooled blade from the mold, admiring its form. The blade’s surface shimmered faintly with silver veins, a sign of its Qi-conductive properties.
Aksai set the blade on the workbench and began the painstaking process of honing and refining it, using a combination of tools and techniques to bring out its true potential.
Hours passed as he worked, but Aksai remained undeterred. His efforts were rewarded as the blade gradually took on a solid, deadly appearance.
Once he was satisfied with its form, he began the final steps, etching runes along the blade’s surface to enhance its Qi-conductive properties and imbuing it with his own Silver Qi.
As the final runes flared to life, Aksai stepped back and admired his work. The sword gleamed in the dim light of the forge, its surface alive with a faint, silvery glow.
“Hahaha. The very first Qi-conductive sword that I created on my own,” he said, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. “I’m one step closer to becoming a three-sword-style user with this heavy-ass thing. Hehehe,” he murmured before chuckling.
It wasn’t like Aksai didn’t have Qi-based weapons in his arsenal. He had swords, spears, and other weapons that he had obtained from Martial World Sharang.
However, he had decided to scrap them because of his Foundation Building Spirit cultivation. His Qi-based weapons couldn’t keep up with his progress in Spirit cultivation, rendering them ineffective for Aksai’s current standards.
The newly crafted sword was created at a perfect time. It not only enabled him to make ideal use of his Silver Qi but also made it possible for him to wield two weapons of different paths at the same time.
Plus, both the meteor sword and the Flying Lian Sword supported his current standards in Qi and Spirit cultivations respectively, allowing him to bring out his best in both paths he had progressed in. the best of both worlds.
“I hope my clone in Acarnis works overtime to bring me the third piece of the puzzle. Then again, I have yet to catch an Aether Beast. So there’s no need to rush,” Aksai smiled before looking at the meteor sword. “Now, what should I name you?”
Aksai looked at the heavy sword resting on the workbench—a finished Argent Realm artifact ready for use. He observed its black-as-night blade and the silvery qi-runes engraved on it like veins. The blade was three-fourths of his own height with a broad breadth. He stared at the sword intently for a while before naming it in a trance.
“Celestial Fang. I shall call you Celestial Fang,” Aksai said, gripping the hilt with his right hand. The Silver Qi in his body immediately started to circulate as he touched the sword. He couldn’t help but feel that the material he had obtained from the auction was even more precious than any material from Martial World Sharang.
“This thing… It is made for an Argent Body Realm martial artist like me. Celestial Fang, let me see how powerful you are,” Aksai murmured before tightening his grip. He tried to lift it casually but only managed to displace it a bit from the workbench.
Aksai raised his eyebrows in surprise, realizing that the refinement process had increased the sword’s mass even more than he had estimated. He took a deep breath before circulating the Qi throughout his body using the Celestial Harmony Qi cultivation technique.
Aksai’s muscles bulked up, and his body was surrounded by a silvery aura. The sleeve of his right arm tore apart as he lifted Celestial Fang. His face turned red as he barely managed to wield the sword.
—
Name: Celestial Fang Sword.
Grade: Argent Realm Artifact
Qi Compatibility: 75%
Spirit Essence Compatibility: 0.02%
Current Weight: 312 kg / 688 lb
—
A spectral screen flashed before Aksai’s eyes, detailing the sword’s attributes. However, he didn’t pay attention to the information. Instead, he focused on adjusting to the sword’s overwhelming weight.
Aksai used both hands to grip the sword and found the weight more manageable while channeling his Silver Qi. He tightened his grip before swinging it casually, cutting through the air and creating a huge wind pressure.
Woooooosh!
The sword made a loud whooshing noise as it cut through the air, sapping a considerable amount of Qi from Aksai and lighting up its silvery runes. It practically ate Aksai’s Qi without even waiting for his consent to launch an uninitiated attack. It was as if the sword had a consciousness of its own.
“No!” Aksai’s face turned ashen as he realized the cave would be heavily damaged if he let the sword release an attack. He quickly turned around and directed a flying sword attack at the barrier he had set up earlier using the talisman.
*Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.*
A clash between a silvery flying sword attack and the spectral barrier ensued. Aksai watched in surprise as the flying sword attack, gaining some properties of the meteor stone, cut through the barrier set up with Spirit essence.
The 2nd-order talisman barrier couldn’t even resist for five seconds before crumbling away under the casual attack from Celestial Fang.
It simply ate away the Spirit essence, making it unstable and breaking through it, defying the conventions of the Spirit cultivation path.
“Celestial Fang… It… It looks like it would act as a bane for Spirit cultivators and their defense-based techniques,” Aksai murmured as he looked at the heavy-ass sword he held in his hand.