Yulong And The Others’ Hunt

“And that Silver Sheep wool, what is it used for?”

When I asked, Elder Mon explained.

“Cloth made from Silver Sheep wool has the property of not letting water through. So it’s in demand as a material for making rain gear.”

It was now the end of summer, and autumn would soon arrive. In autumn, there was a season when the rain continued for days, and apparently many Taoist practitioners and wealthy people wanted rain gear in preparation for that. If it was cloth with waterproof properties, wouldn’t it be perfect for making camping gear? I decided I would think about that a little.

“Kou, how many Thunder Bear claws did you recover?”

Elder Min asked.

“Twenty in total, counting the front and rear paws.”

“Only the ten from the front paws are usable.”

I had not known that. But how many claws would that lightning spike need? I asked Elder Min that.

“If you want to paralyze a Silver Sheep, you’ll need two claws. I have a favor to ask—would you give me four claws?”

It seemed Elder Min wanted to keep a lightning spike on hand. That was probably because I would not always be able to go shear Silver Sheep.

“That’s fine. In return, could you make me a lightning spike that uses four claws?”

“If it uses four claws, the lightning strike will become too strong. It might kill the Silver Sheep.”

It was Elder Mon, not Elder Min, who pointed that out.

“I think I should be able to adjust the strength of the lightning by changing the strength of the qi I channel into it, though?”

Elder Mon nodded, but her expression was doubtful.

“It’s possible, but I think it would be difficult to adjust it in the middle of combat. The kind of person who can do that is someone who has reached about the Fourteenth Tier of qi or higher.”

I might be able to do it in practice, but it seemed difficult in an actual battle.

“In that case, could you make the lightning spike with two claws, and also make a detachable hammerhead using another two claws, so that it can be attached to the lightning spike afterward?”

“So, two claws in the lightning spike and two claws in the detachable hammerhead added later, for a total of four claws’ worth of lightning power.”

After hearing my idea, Elder Min seemed to find it interesting. We then discussed it and decided on the structure. The lightning spike would be made from spirit-forged steel, steel forged using spiritual power and qi. Apparently, it conducted qi more easily than ordinary steel.

Once our discussion ended that day, I returned to my room. I wanted to raise my qi level. To raise my qi, I would need Qi Prosperity Pills. I would have to go hunt Demon Twin-Spear Deer again.

Following the training method in Meimei Gong, Middle Transmission, I slowly moved while circulating my qi. Breathing and qi control were important at times like this, but I placed special emphasis on qi control. I continued until my concentration gave out, and I felt a little progress.

Two days later, I was told that the Serpent-Goat Broadsword was complete, so I went to Elder Min’s place to pick it up. The blade of the Serpent-Goat Broadsword was a deep reddish-purple color like what would be called burgundy, and when I looked closely, I could see a snaking pattern on the blade like snakeskin.

“I may be saying it myself, but it turned out extremely well.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll treasure it and use it well.”

I decided to test out my new weapon, the Serpent-Goat Broadsword. After leaving Elder Min’s workshop, I went down into the demon realm and looked for a tree that seemed suitable for a test cut.

I found a tree about thirty centimeters in diameter, so I struck its trunk with a slash from the Serpent-Goat Broadsword. The blade of the Serpent-Goat Broadsword bit into the trunk and tore through it until it was almost severed. Before the blade got stuck and became impossible to pull out, I jumped backward and yanked the blade free from the trunk.

The Demon Spider Greatsword had had sharpness like a treasured sword, but the Serpent-Goat Broadsword had sharpness more like an axe or a machete. I could tell that from the feel when it cut.

I then unleashed a slash using Yang Fox-Flame on the same tree. The flame-spouting slash completely severed the trunk. The feel was a little different, but the Serpent-Goat Broadsword seemed to have turned into a weapon with about the same level of power as the Demon Spider Greatsword.

While I was checking whether the blade of the Serpent-Goat Broadsword had been damaged, the cut tree began to fall slowly, and in the end it accelerated and slammed into the ground. The sound echoed through the area.

Just as I finished testing the Serpent-Goat Broadsword and was about to return to Gyorei Cave, I noticed Yulong and three Taoist practitioners approaching.

“Kou, what are you doing?”

“I was just testing a new weapon.”

Yulong and the others noticed the fallen tree and looked surprised.

“Did you cut that down with that broadsword?”

“That’s right.”

“Could it be a treasured blade?”

A treasured sword or treasured blade was defined as a high-performance weapon made using spiritual power, so the Serpent-Goat Broadsword, which had been made with spiritual forging, could also be called a treasured blade. However, weapons made from part of a yōma using spiritual power were called “yōrei swords” or “yōrei blades.” Still, if they were used without being processed with spiritual qi, like the Demon Spider Greatsword, they were classified as “yō swords.”

“No, this weapon uses a yōma’s horn.”

“Hmph, so it’s a broadsword using a demon blade. People without money use things like that, huh?”

It was actually a yōrei blade, but I could not even be bothered to correct him. The three men with Yulong were also direct disciples of Elder Shanshi. They were the sort who seemed to have become direct disciples through adult arrangements as well. All four of them had what appeared to be expensive treasured swords strapped to their backs.

Soldiers wore swords at their waists, but Taoist practitioners often fixed them to their backs with leather belts. Looking at the four men’s swords, the scabbards and guards were decorated lavishly. There was no doubt they were treasured swords.

“Where are you going?”

“To hunt Iron-Claw Bears. We’ll make floor mats from their pelts. …Right. You come with us too. We’ll show you our skill.”

I had no interest in Yulong and the others’ skill, but I was interested in the sharpness of treasured swords. Besides, if I refused, it felt like Yulong and the others would complain.

I decided to go with Yulong and the others. They headed north through the demon realm. However, they did not go toward Crystal North Lake, and instead seemed to be heading for the forest beside it.

“Yulong, how’s Heavy Resonance Sword coming along?”

When one of the direct disciples asked that, Yulong made an irritated face.

“Something like Heavy Resonance Sword is too easy. And yet Elder Shanshi still won’t teach me Dragon Qi Sword Art.”

Of course not. Yulong said Heavy Resonance Sword was too easy, but he had not even mastered half of it. Even so, wanting to be taught Dragon Qi Sword Art, which was more difficult than Heavy Resonance Sword, was reckless. There was no way Elder Shanshi would allow it.

Along the way, we encountered three Piercing Wolves, and Yulong and the others began fighting them. As expected, they were at least capable of defeating something like Piercing Wolves. But because they were slow in switching between Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi, their fighting style looked dangerously shaky.

“Alright, that’s taken care of. I don’t want to get back late, so let’s hurry and look for Iron-Claw Bears.”

“Yeah.”

Yulong and the others began searching for Iron-Claw Bears. But they could not find any.

“Kou, you look too.”

I held back the sigh that nearly escaped me and activated Lone Awakening Eye. Then I sensed a yōma a little to the east. When I told Yulong and the others that, they looked at me suspiciously.

“How do you know?”

Yulong asked.

“Once your qi reaches the Sixth Tier, Lone Awakening Eye awakens, and if you have Lone Awakening Eye, it’s something you can investigate.”

It seemed Yulong and the others still had not reached the Sixth Tier. They looked displeased, but they began moving east. And then they encountered an Iron-Claw Bear.