Changes In Daily Life

In my previous life, I had been a detective, and after dying, I was reincarnated as a child named Kou. Born as the child of a small shopkeeper, I was attacked by a group of bandits while on my way to work in the merchant city of Boushin, and I came to believe strongly that I had to become stronger if I wanted to survive in this world.

Then, through a small twist of fate, I became a Taoist practitioner aiming to become an immortal Xian, and I continued training as a disciple of Gyorei Cave.

That day, I headed to Wallside Hall. In the yard of Wallside Hall, the high disciple Bowen was teaching Heavy Resonance Sword to Yingjie and the others. Kanru, who had been fatally bad at teaching, seemed to have been relieved of that duty.

The Taoist practitioner named Bowen was talented enough to have become a direct disciple of the Sect Leader. Even though he was much younger than Elder Tsuen, his ability was in the mid Spirit Formation Stage, above Elder Tsuen, who was at the beginner level of the Spirit Formation Stage.

Training in immortal arts progressed through the Qi Refining Stage, the Spirit Formation Stage, the Core Formation Stage, and so on. The Qi Refining Stage ended at the Fifteenth Tier, and then one entered the Spirit Formation Stage. This Spirit Formation Stage was the stage of cultivating spiritual power, and unlike the Qi Refining Stage, it was not divided into fifteen tiers, but into four: beginner, mid, late, and peak.

The most important thing was that I had heard one’s lifespan extended to about three hundred years upon reaching the Spirit Formation Stage. And I had heard that the beginner phase was the period of sensing spiritual power and beginning to learn it, the mid phase was the period when it became possible to apply it to crafting spirit treasure tools and spirit medicines, the late phase was the period when one became able to use immortal arts, and the peak phase was the period when one could wield spiritual power freely and masterfully.

Incidentally, the difference between a high disciple and an elder was whether they had spent a long time as a disciple of Gyorei Cave and whether they held some kind of position.

Bowen ought to have lived about eight times as long as I had, but he looked like he was in his thirties. His teaching was careful too, and he seemed like a good instructor.

When practice ended, Yingjie called out to me.

“Kou, what is it?”

I took out the Oil Generator Tube.

“I realized I had forgotten to give you this. Please use it in Wallside Hall.”

“Are you sure?”

“When I went to defeat the Thunder Bear, I also killed a Flame Spider and got a second Oil Generator Tube.”

Yingjie bowed his head.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, Kou, the outer disciples can have hope now.”

That day, I spent an enjoyable time talking late into the night with outer disciples like Zengu and Ashin.

The next day, I woke up in my room in Doushu Hall. The thing that made me happiest about becoming an inner disciple was that I no longer had to do the chore of drawing water first thing in the morning. I still got up at sunrise, but after getting ready, I joined the morning practice.

The morning practice hosted by Elder Shanshi was attended by twelve direct disciples. However, since it was not mandatory, there were direct disciples who took the morning off as well. I listened to Elder Shanshi’s teachings and practiced in the corner of the training grounds. Elder Shanshi seemed to place importance on Heavy Resonance Sword and Swallowtail Swordsmanship as fundamentals.

Heavy Resonance Sword was a sword art that fought by skillfully using two kinds of qi, Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi, so I had already learned the basics. But it was not a martial art suited to me. So I was learning the other one, Swallowtail Swordsmanship, as my main focus.

Swallowtail Swordsmanship was a sword art that used a one-handed slender sword and fought by making full use of Moment of Foam with Floating Yang Qi. However, this Swallowtail Swordsmanship was not my main martial art. The one I used as my main art was the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique.

Elder Shanshi taught me the key principle behind Fox-Flame, the secret technique of the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique. That key principle was the rhythm for pouring qi into it. If the strength of the qi flow was varied and it was sent through in a specific rhythm, the shape of the flames came to resemble a fox.

I also learned the other two key principles that had been unclear, and my Fox-Flame was completed. However, its power and sharpness did not increase as much as I had hoped. It was actually a little inferior to when I used Fox-Flame with Floating Yang Qi. Incidentally, when I used Floating Yang Qi or Heavy Yin Qi with Fox-Flame, even after trying the rhythm, it did not take on the shape of a fox.

There was something a little disappointing about the completion of Fox-Flame, but I was able to learn the forms of the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique from Elder Shanshi. These forms were something like karate kata. By mastering those forms, my skill with the broadsword improved dramatically.

The problem was that when I fought the Thunder Bear, the Demon Spider Greatsword had cracked. I had a black steel short sword made from a Blue-Feather Crow beak as a spare weapon, but it was not reliable enough to serve as my main weapon.

I went to the Treasure Tool Workshop to consult Elder Min.

“Elder Min, there is something I would like to ask you about.”

Elder Min, who had been preparing to make an alchemy furnace, turned toward me.

“What?”

I told her I wanted to make a weapon to replace the Demon Spider Greatsword. Elder Min laughed when she heard that.

“If you commission me, I’ll make you a broadsword.”

“That would be expensive, right?”

“Yes. I suppose you’d need about three hundred gold coins.”

I did not have that kind of money. So I asked whether there was some yōma body part that could be made into a broadsword.

“Well now, the best thing would be to hunt Ore-Eating Worms and get some Supreme Silver. Then making a broadsword from that would be best.”

An Ore-Eating Worm was a giant worm about five meters long, covered in orange scales. Those scales were so hard they could not be cut by iron or steel weapons. That was why hunting Ore-Eating Worms required a treasured sword, treasured blade, treasured spear, or the like.

“If I still had the Demon Spider Greatsword, I would have gone hunting Ore-Eating Worms.”

If it was the Demon Spider Greatsword, which had sharpness on par with a treasured sword, I could have killed Ore-Eating Worms with it. That made me think I might be able to kill them with White Flame, but even if I could kill one or two Ore-Eating Worms that way, beyond that the steel blade would probably be ruined.

“In that case, what about the horns of a Serpent-Blade Goat?”

A Serpent-Blade Goat was a large goat about two meters in body length. On its head grew blade-like horns that twisted like snakes. A craftsman who made treasure tools could remake those Serpent-Blade Horns into a sword or a blade. Elder Min’s proposal was that because a Serpent-Blade Goat had two Serpent-Blade Horns, if I gave her one of them, she would process it into a blade.

A serpent blade made from a Serpent-Blade Horn would be processed so that it became properly straight, but twisted lines would still show through on its surface. Its sharpness and sturdiness were apparently superior to the Demon Spider Greatsword. However, its durability was not good. It would begin deteriorating after about three years, and as that advanced, it would become easier to break.

“I understand. Then please do that.”

First, I would have a broadsword made from a Serpent-Blade Horn. However, that would only be a stopgap weapon. In the end, I would hunt Ore-Eating Worms, obtain Supreme Silver, and make a broadsword from that. Right. An ordinary broadsword alone would not be interesting. If I incorporated a Thunder Bear claw or horn, I might be able to make an interesting weapon.

“Elder Min, would you let me study treasure tool crafting?”

“You mean become my disciple?”

“I’m not sure yet. If it suits me, I might come to want to become your disciple.”

Elder Min turned a sharp gaze on me.

“You’re asking me to teach you even though you may not become my disciple?”

“In return, if there are materials needed for treasure tool crafting, I’ll gather them for you.”

“Heh heh heh… How interesting. Let’s try it for just one year.”

“Thank you.”