With a flicker, Aram used Flash Steps to close the distance between himself and Aksai in an instant.
Simultaneously, he summoned fire-element spells that manifested as red fire swords, surrounding Aksai from all angles before converging on him rapidly.
As a Sentient Puppet with a Soul fragment, Aram was perfectly capable of using Spirit spells. Aksai had given additional Spirit spells to his puppets to make them versatile using the subroutine neural link fabrics embedded in their Soul Fragments.
Aksai, balanced on one foot atop the hilt of Celestial Fang, smiled as he sensed the impending danger. He leapt high into the air and cast the Water Whip Spirit spell, pulling Celestial Fang from the ground.
Aksai had imbued his Silver Qi in the sword earlier, which allowed him to make his Water Whips latch onto the sword. Otherwise, they would have been canceled because of the sword’s special attributes of disturbing the Spirit essence.
Using the Water Whips like chains, he swung the heavy sword in a wide arc, repelling all the approaching red fire swords in one fluid motion. In the next split second, Aksai canceled the Water Whip Spell, causing Celestial Fang to lose its momentum and fly toward him abruptly.
Aksai deftly maneuvered, deflecting Aram’s attack at a critical moment before turning around and catching his incoming sword. He wielded Celestial Fang just in time to parry Aram’s next strike. The clash of their blades echoed through the cave, each move calculated and precise.
Aram’s right arm’s bones were fractured, his shoulder dislocated, and the left leg he used for support was sunk into the ground from the sword pressure of Celestial Fang. He would have died here if it weren’t for the fact that he was already dead and turned into a puppet by Aksai.
Seeing an opening, Aksai swung Celestial Fang at Aram. Aram attempted to parry with his red sword using his left arm, but the special properties of Celestial Fang devoured and deteriorated the Essence Equation runes on the red blade, shattering it in two.
“Damn… This… This is a wild, wild sword.”
Aksai tried to hold back his attack, but the sheer Qi pressure from Celestial Fang still managed to cut across Aram’s torso with a flying slash.
Aram’s torso was split diagonally, and his sword lay in ruins. Any ordinary human would have perished instantly, but Aram, being a Sentient Fiend, retained his consciousness. He looked at Aksai with unwavering loyalty despite his grievous injury.
“You did good,” Aksai said, his voice carrying a hint of satisfaction. This short and simple spar alone had allowed Aksai to make huge improvements in his swordplay related to Celestial Fang.
Aksai performed some Mudras and made Aram’s split parts grow spontaneous wood and blood vines before engaging with each other. These wood and blood vines pulled the two parts together before acting like stitches. In a few seconds, Aram’s form became whole again, and he could stand up as if nothing had happened to him.
“Sadly, I don’t have anything to fix your sword. You’ll have to wait until I find you something capable,” Aksai said to Aram. The latter only bowed to show his agreement. Aksai waved his hand and made Aram go back into the Everwood Farm again. He also started to understand the many pros and cons of using Celestial Fang.
“Firstly, Celestial Fang uses too much Silver Qi. It is not a weapon meant for long fights,” Aksai murmured to himself.
“Secondly, it opens a window of opportunity for my opponent to attack whenever I go for a full swing. There’s a delay before I can adjust to its changed center of gravity. Even if I perform the martial arts fluidly, using the templates would make my attacks predictable for a skilled sword user, especially one in the Foundation Building realm.
Thirdly, Celestial Fang’s special attributes that act as a bane for Spirit essence are too domineering. Opponents would become wary of it once they experience it. So I can only use them as a surprise factor for maximum effect.”
Aksai concluded as he turned around and looked at the remaining meteor stone left unprocessed in the cave. He had plenty of unprocessed meteor stone. He decided to make use of it some more.
***
The Spirit farmer had learned a great deal from crafting Celestial Fang, and now it was time to apply those lessons to create smaller, more versatile weapons.
He began by breaking the stone into more manageable pieces with precise, powerful strikes, each blow echoing through the cave. He used the Celestial Fang to carve out the pieces this time.
The pieces were then placed into the forge, allowing the intense heat to soften the stone. As the meteor stone began to glow, Aksai used his tongs to maneuver the pieces, ensuring even heating.
This time, he selected a long, narrow mold similar to his Flying Lian Sword, preparing it for casting. He also wanted to dual-wield a Qi and Spirit essence based swords together. As such, making them feel identical as much as he could was in his best interest.
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.
When the process was completed after some time, Aksai removed the cooled blade from the mold, admiring its form.
The new blade, identical in size and shape to the Flying Lian Sword, 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, his focus unwavering.
Using a different set of Qi-based Essence Equations, Aksai infused the new sword with properties distinct from Celestial Fang. He etched new runes along the blade’s surface, enhancing its Qi-conductive properties and imbuing it with his Silver Qi. The final runes flared to life, and Aksai stepped back to admire his work.
“Celestial Echo,” he whispered, naming the new sword. It gleamed in the dim light of the forge, its surface alive with a faint, silvery glow.
With the smaller sword completed, Aksai turned his attention to the remaining meteor stone. He meticulously crafted fifty flying knives, each one carefully shaped and balanced. The process was repetitive, but Aksai worked with a quiet determination, ensuring each knife was perfect. He named this set of knives: Celestial Shards.
Finally, he crafted a dagger, its blade sharp and deadly. He named it Celestial Stinger.
Aksai then began the process of optimizing the Qi-flow templates for his new weapons. He practiced with Celestial Echo first, moving through a series of intricate sword forms. The sword felt lighter and more agile than Celestial Fang, and Aksai quickly adjusted to its unique properties.
Next, he practiced with the flying knives, testing their balance and accuracy. He used his Silver Qi to control the knives, sending them flying through the air with precision.
Finally, he practiced with the dagger, moving through a series of close-quarters combat techniques. The dagger felt natural in his hand, its balance perfect.
Aksai quickly optimized the Qi-flow templates for the dagger, ensuring it was as effective as possible.
By the end of his practice session, Aksai felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He had created a new arsenal of weapons and optimized their Qi-flow templates, increasing their efficiency and effectiveness.
“I… I am finally ready for the Eternal Beast Dynasty,” he murmured to himself.